Apr. 10, 2015 Budget

Capital News Service Budget – April 10, 2015
To: CNS Editors
From: Perry Parks & Sheila Schimpf
http://news.jrn.msu.edu/capitalnewsservice/. For technical problems, contact CNS tech manager Tanya Voloshina (248-943-8979) voloshin@msu.edu.
You can email us at cnsmsu@gmail.com.
HERE’S YOUR FILE:
ALPACTS: Across the state, groups of community members, law enforcement and government officials meet in ongoing efforts to build trust between police and citizens so lines of communication remain open. The goal of the groups, known as ALPACTs, is to prevent discord and unrest in the event of incidents such as the police shootings in Ferguson, Missouri, and North Charleston, South Carolina.  We talk to members of the Grand Rapids ALPACT and the director of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights to learn more about these groups and how they function. By Collin Krizmanich. For LANSING CITY PULSE, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS & ALL POINTS
pairs with…
DEPARTMENT CULTURE: Michigan is turning out better police recruits than ever, but many are moving into departments that are still ruled by old-fashioned cultures, says Matt Wesaw, executive director of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. Training on issues of police-community relations, he said, needs to start at the top if the state is to see change. The head of the Michigan Chiefs of Police argues department culture has already changed and that local units could do better if training budgets weren’t being gutted at all levels. By Caitlin McArthur. FOR ALL POINTS.
EDUCATIONGAP: An organization that aims to close the college education gap between rich and poor is introducing a program that puts recent college graduates in Michigan high schools to guide students through the admissions process. Michigan College Access Network plans to hire 40 recent graduates from 13 Michigan colleges to work full-time in high schools with high proportions of low-income students and low college enrollment rates. High schools in Manistee, Alpena and Alcona are among those that will participate. With comment from the head of the program, Alpena Public Schools, and a Southwest Michigan United Way leader. By Josh Thall. FOR ALPENA, ALCONA, MANISTEE, LANSING CITY PULSE, THREE RIVERS, STURGIS, BLISSFIELD, HOLLAND, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS & ALL POINTS.
MIGRANTWORKERS: A 2010 report by the Michigan Department of Civil Rights exposed inadequate living conditions for migrant and seasonal workers in Michigan. In spite of the 15 recommendations, five years later, living conditions for those making their living in the field are not where they should be, says the state’s civil rights director. We talk to the director of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission, a professor who studies migrant working conditions, and a representative from Migrant Legal Aid to explore the housing conditions of Michigan’s seasonal and migrant workers. By Cheyna Roth. FOR LANSING CITY PULSE, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS & ALL POINTS.
DISABLEDEMPLOYEES: The state is working to make government jobs more accessible for disabled workers. A new council is developing employee training on the importance of including disabled people in the workplace, after determining this training doesn’t exist. We speak to council members and the president of West Michigan’s Goodwill to hear about the misunderstandings employers can have about disabled workers. By Elizabeth Ferguson. FOR LANSING CITY PULSE, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, LUDINGTON, GREENVILLE & ALL POINTS.
TEXTINGBAN: Michigan’s texting ban has not made much of an impact on lowering crash or fatality rates — in fact, they’ve slightly increased since the law’s 2010 introduction. Distracted driving is a factor in one out of four accidents and can be especially dangerous among less experienced teen drivers, according to the Michigan Sheriffs’ Association’s Terry Jungel. But parents play a big part in this — does their behavior encourage teens to text behind the wheel? With comment from the State Police and the head of a driving school in Alpena. By Brooke Kansier. FOR ALPENA, LANSING CITY PULSE & ALL POINTS
CANNONS: New research on six 19th century British cannons recovered from the Detroit River sheds new light on colonial-era militarization of the Great Lakes region, from the Straits of Mackinac to Indiana. A Wayne State researcher may have found the answers to when, why and how the British dumped the 1,200-pound-plus artillery onto the river’s Chicken Bone Reef near what is now Cobo Hall after the American  Revolution. The Detroit Police dive team may help search for more. We also talk to a Detroit Historical Society expert. By Eric Freedman. FOR ALL POINTS.
w/CANNONSDOSSINPHOTO: Restored 18th century British cannon on display at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum in Detroit. Credit: Joel Stone, Detroit Historical Society.
w/CANNONSRECOVERYPHOTO: 18th century British cannon being retrieved from the Detroit River in 2011. Credit: Michael Saraino.
w/CANNONSWATERFRONTPAINTING: Painting of the Detroit waterfront, “View of Detroit, July 25, 1794.” Credit: Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library.