Nov. 3, 2017 – CNS Budget

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Nov. 3, 2017 — Week 9
To: CNS Editors
From: David Poulson and Sheila Schimpf
http://news.jrn.msu.edu/capitalnewsservice/
For technical problems, contact CNS technical manager Tony Cepak at (517) 803-6841 or  cepak@msu.edu.
For other matters, contact Dave Poulson: poulsondavid@gmail.com.
Here is your file:
SKILLSGAP: West of Flint, homeowners have learned to schedule construction projects a year in advance because the demand for construction workers outweighs the supply. And it’s due to a shortage of skilled workers such as electricians, welders, nurse technicians and carpenters, state officials say. Recently introduced legislation would allow schools to hire licensed career-technical professionals as teachers and to expand career technical education exploration in K-12 schools. The bills by an Owosso lawmaker came from recommendations of the Career Pathways Alliance, a group of teachers, business and union leaders formed by the governor,. Not everyone thinks it is a good idea. We talk to the bill’s sponsor, the Michigan Manufacturers Association and the Michigan Education Association. By Stephen Olschanski. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS

NURSES: A high burnout rate caused by too many hours caring for too many patients is compounding Michigan’s shortage of nurses, advocates say. That’s not good for patient care and it could get worse. Forty percent of the state’s nurses are eligible to retire within the next 10 years. Lawmakers, including ones from Kalamazoo and Mount Pleasant, are looking at capping patient load and working hours and requiring hospitals to report nurse to patient ratios. But replenishing the nursing pipeline is complicated by a disagreement between the state’s universities and community colleges over which can provide the most cost-effective training to boost their numbers. We talk to nursing and hospital associations and the MSU Nursing College dean. By Jack Nissen. FOR GRAND  RAPIDS BUSINESS, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS.

WEATHERIZATION: Old Man Winter is an expensive guest in a home that has not been weatherized. But a state program can help low income families make the visit a bit warmer. Weatherization in cold states like Michigan reduces heating costs by an average of 30 percent. State officials and community agencies say a properly weatherized home could save a family $450 in a single winter. By Kaley Fech. FOR HOLLAND, TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU, CHEBOYGAN, ALCONA, MONTMORENCY, PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, CADILLAC, CRAWFORD  COUNTY, BIG RAPIDS AND ALL POINTS.

FISCALHEALTH: The fiscal health for local governments in Michigan rebounded last year, but local officials say it still lags the state’s economic recovery, according to a recent University of Michigan study. And looking ahead, only 29 percent of local officials predict their government will be better able to meet fiscal needs next year. Another 22 percent think they will be worse off. We hear from Alcona Township and Allegan County officials,   a University of Michigan expert and Townships Association and Association of Townships officials. By Kaley Fech. FOR HOLLAND, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, ALCONA AND ALL POINTS.

DISABLEDHUNTERS: Lawmakers are considering allowing disabled people to hunt with an air-powered crossbow under an Iron Mountain representative’s proposal. The idea is to create more hunting experiences for hunters who cannot pull back the string of a traditional crossbow. Bur some hunting groups, including Michigan United Conservation Clubs, say it may kill too much game and that there are already plenty of programs for disabled hunters in the state. By Jack Nissen. FOR MARQUETTE, ST. IGNACE, ALCONA, TRAVERSE CITY, CHEBOYGAN, PETOSKEY, BAY MILLS, MONTMORENCY, LAKE COUNTY, LUDINGTON, MANISTEE, CADILLAC, BIG RAPIDS, GREENVILLE, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, GLADWIN, CRAWFORD COUNTY, HERALD-REVIEW, HOLLAND, OCEANA AND ALL POINTS
wAIRBOW.JPG: Benjamin Pioneer PCP Powered Airbow. Source: Manufacturer photo

DEMENTIAPOETRY: A new book by Hudson poet-teacher, Janet Kauffman, explores the relationship people have with the environment, based on her work as an environmental advocate and her experiences with her father’s dementia. Some poems are physically oriented, describing the joy found in the natural world, another examines environmental undercurrents in everyday life and others deal with the sense of loss brought on by dementia.
By Kate Habrel.  FOR LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS
w/DEMENTIAPOETRYPHOTO1: Janet Kauffman. Credit: John Klein
w/DEMENTIAPOETRYPHOTO2: Eco-Dementia cover: Credit: Wayne State University Press

FOREIGNWASP: Call it bug wars. Entomologists at Michigan State and the University of Delaware say the samurai wasp could be the country’s best chance at beating back a stink bug — the brown marmorated stink bug — that’s invading the Great Lakes region and threatens such major Michigan crops as apples and peaches without threatening native stink bugs. For news and farming sections. By Jack Nissen. FOR GREENVILLE, TRAVERSE CITY, HOLLAND, LUDINGTON, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, BIG RAPIDS, MANISTEE, LEELANAU, OCEANA & ALL POINTS.
w/STINKBUGPHOTO: Brown marmorated stink bug. Credit: United States Geological Survey (USGS) Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab.

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