March 24, 2017 CNS Budget

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March 24, 2017
To: CNS Editors
From: Perry Parks and Sheila Schimpf
http://news.jrn.msu.edu/capitalnewsservice/
For technical problems, contact CNS technical manager Pechulano Ali, (517) 940-2313, pechulan@msu.edu.
For other issues contact Perry Parks, perryrobertparks@gmail.com, (517) 388-8627.
FREE ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM WORKSHOP: Reminder: You and your staff are invited but seats are limited. MSU’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism will host a free all-day workshop in Grand Rapids on Saturday, April 1. The topic is “Covering the Grand River – Covering Any River” and includes presentations by experts from DNR, DEQ, Annis Water Resources Institute, Environmental Health News and the Grand Valley Metropolitan Council. It’s at Grand Valley’s L.V. Eberhard Center from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Free lunch and free parking.  Register by email to Barb Miller at mille384.msu.edu
Here is your file:
WETLANDBANKS: The Michigan Municipal Wetland Alliance is developing a wetland mitigation bank system using Department of Natural Resources property as bank sites. It is a new partnership of state and local agencies working to set aside state land to make it easier for public entities that need to fulfill the wetlands requirement as they develop infrastructure. We talk with the wetland mitigation bank administrator for the DNR, the alliance counsel and a private wetland bank company in Brighton. By Chao Yan. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, TRAVERSE CITY, HOLLAND & ALL POINTS
DOGSATRESTAURANTS: Bills proposed in the House and Senate aim at allowing dogs to dine with their owners at restaurants with outdoor patios. Some local restaurateurs are thrilled at the possibility of customers dining with their dogs, while others remain skeptical. The proposal would not be a mandate, but would have regulations if businesses choose to participate. We talk to the Portage senator who re-introduced the Senate bill; restaurant owners in Ludington and Holland, and an assistant manager for a Traverse City restaurant. By Caitlin Taylor. FOR LUDINGTON, HOLLAND, MANISTEE, TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, THREE RIVERS, STURGIS & ALL POINTS.
CRIMINALJUSTICE: Michigan’s recidivism rate is getting better, but still exceeds the national average. A bipartisan effort to shore up the criminal justice system so it can work more efficiently – which advocates say would decrease overall instances of former prisoners reoffending – is reflected in a package  under review by Gov. Snyder. It would revamp aspects of prison, parole and probation policies and programs to better support successful rehabilitation and reentry into society. We speak with the main sponsor of the bills from St. Joseph; a Ferris State  criminal justice professor specializing in corrections; and a representative of the Department of Corrections. By Laina Stebbins. FOR BIG RAPIDS, LAKE COUNTY, OSCEOLA, GLADWIN, GREENVILLE, OCEANA, HOLLAND, THREE RIVERS, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, MARQUETTE & ALL POINTS.
MICHIGANVACCINATIONPUSH: Michigan recently launched a campaign to encourage vaccinations. So far, the program has been well received by members of the medical community, although there is some dispute as to why people don’t get vaccinated in the first place. As Michigan hopes to improve its standing in immunization rates, members of the campaign, local health centers, and physician associations chime in on how to do so. By Isaac Constans. FOR LANSING CITY LIMITS, TRAVERSE CITY, MANISTEE, LEELANAU, LUDINGTON, LENAWEE & ALL POINTS.
CEMETERYBIODIVERSITY: Cemeteries are more than places for mourning. Scientists are discovering how they can protect biodiversity against perils from encroaching development and climate change. We tour Lansing’s historic Mount Hope Cemetery with the director of the Michigan Natural Features Inventory. By Eric Freedman. FOR LANSING CITY PULSE & ALL POINTS.
        w/CEMETERYBIODIVERSITYDEERPHOTO: White-tailed deer graze at Mount Hope Cemetery in Lansing. Credit: Colleen Otte.
        w/CEMETERYBIODIVERSITYECOLOGISTPHOTO: Ecologist Brian Klatt of the Michigan Natural Features Inventory discusses invasive and native trees at Mount Hope Cemetery in Lansing. Credit: Colleen Otte.
SHIPWRECKPOET: An MSU professor has captured the tragedy of Great Lakes shipwrecks – including some of their strange stories – in a new collection of poems, “Harborless.” The author was influenced by a shipwreck she saw every summer near her grandparents’ property in Oceana County and visited maritime museums at Thunder Bay and Whitefish Point as part of her research. By Kate Hambrel. FOR OCEANA, MANISTEE, LUDINGTON, ALCONA, MARQUETTE, SAULT STE. MARIE, ST. IGNACE, TRAVERSE CITY, HOLLAND, LEELANAU, HARBOR SPRINGS, PETOSKEY, CHEBOYGAN, MONTMORENCY & ALL POINTS.
        w/SHIPWRECKPOET: Cover of “Harborless.” Credit: Wayne State University Press.
PORCUPINESMINING: Exploratory drilling for copper at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in the Western U.P. worries environmentalists who fear damage to the park. The state doesn’t own the mineral rights under the park. The DNR says the company is following all the rules and would need to go through the standard DEQ permit procedures, including a public comment period, if it decides to do actual mining. We hear from the company, DNR and environmental activists. By Natasha Blakely. FOR MARQUETTE, SAULT STE, MARIE, BAY MILLS, ST. IGNACE, CHEBOYGAN & ALL POINTS.
        w/PORCUPINESMININGMAP: Map of where the drilling is happening in Gogebic County. Credit: Highland Copper
LAKELEVELS: Predicting water levels in the Great Lakes isn’t as straightforward as it would seem. A warm winter has led to lower ice coverage–just 5 percent of the Great Lakes was covered with ice as of March 1. The average coverage at this time for the last 40 years has been 43 percent. To find out why levels change, we talk to experts who take a long-term view at the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor and Environment and Climate Change Canada. By Steven Maier. FOR ALCONA, CHEBOYGAN, SAULT STE. MARIE, MARQUETTE, BAY MILLS, TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU, PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, OCEANA, MANISTEE, LUDINGTON, HOLLAND & ALL POINTS.
        w/LAKELEVELSPHOTO: The Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab developed this online display to allow public access to water level data
CORNGROWERS: Soon Michigan farmers will start planting millions of acres of corn, cultivating what has become a billion-dollar business in the state. Farming is one of the top industries in Michigan, and corn one of the top crops. Michigan farmers grew about 2.4 million acres of corn for grain in 2016, generating $1.1 billion last year – despite a price drop. We speak with state agricultural, economic and environmental authorities. By Carl Stoddard. FOR ALL POINTS

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