Spartan Newsroom (https://news.jrn.msu.edu/category/news/government/federal-government/page/2/)
TAX CREDIT: The expansion of a federal tax credit to low-income families during the pandemic lifted more than half a million Michigan children out of poverty. That is set to end at the end of the year, and advocates worry some of those children, especially in rural families, could slip back into poverty. By Sarah Atwood FOR ALL POINTS
Former President Barack Obama stopped at Renaissance High School in Detroit this past weekend for a limited national tour to support democratic candidates up and down the ballot. More than three thousand Michiganders attended the event.
GERALD FORD COMMENTARY: When Gerald Ford, who represented the Grand Rapids area in Congress, became GOP president in 1974, the nation was in agony after the corruption of the Nixon White House and the trauma of the Vietnam War. Ford’s tenure was unspectacular as he wrestled with still-familiar problems such as inflation and international conflicts. He endured no crises that created major conflict with the press – and thus earned only two short references in a new book on press-presidential clashes during crises. For news and opinion sections. By Eric Freedman. FOR WKTV, HOLLAND, LANSING CITY PULSE, DETROIT and ALL POINTS.
ROUGE RIVER: The Rouge River was so polluted by the 1980s, it emitted a rotten egg smell and a young man who fell into the river later died from rat fever. A new book, “Rouge River Rescued,” details the back story of how a Southeast Michigan community rescued one of the most polluted rivers in America. Co-editors Jim Hartig and James Graham look at the bottom-up efforts, including an annual river clean up day, that might be replicated in other communities. By Anastacia Pirrami. FOR MONROE, DETROIT, DETROIT PLANET, MICHIGAN FARM NEWS and all points.
With Michigan housing several automotive manufacturing plants, the state looks to expand into the world of vehicle electrification.
“If we want to continue to expand ourselves as a species, we need another way to power and transport ourselves around, a cleaner more sustainable way of doing it, because we’re just going to run out of gas at some point,” said Steve Radosevich, geometric modeler for Rivian.
General Motors Co. is one of the manufacturers making Michigan a hub for electric vehicle production. The GM factory in Orion Township is set to become one of the company’s main electric vehicle manufacturers. The plant, which originally produced Chevrolet Malibus and Pontiac G6s, will now build all-electric trucks.
GM is also shifting its manufacturing in Detroit. The Detroit-Hamtramck plant, nicknamed “Factory Zero,” will construct electric variants of the Hummer, Sierra, Cruise, and Silverado.
President of Williamston community school board, Nancy Deal discusses the impact of COVID-19 on the staff, students, and parents of Williamston community schools.
CYBERSECURITY: There were 77 successful cyber-attacks against state and local governments across the country last year, including one in Webster Township, Washtenaw County. For hackers, penetrating smaller government computer systems may be a gateway to attacking larger systems. New federal money is intended to help rural and other small municipalities protect themselves and their data by beefing up cybersecurity.. Experts from the State Police, Michigan Tech, a cybersecurity company the and state Department of Technology, Management and Budget explain. By Lindsay McCoy. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, IRON MOUNTAIN, MARQUETTE, SAULT STE. MARIE, CORP!, DETROIT and ALL POINTS.
CRANE HUNT: Efforts by politicians to create a hunting season for eastern sandhill cranes in Michigan are stirring debates among hunters, farmers and birders. A legislative resolution to encourage the Natural Resources Commission to explore the possibilities of issuing tags for cranes was introduced but not adopted. We hear from Michigan Audubon, Michigan United Conservation Clubs, DNR and the Humane Society. A similar push is underway in Wisconsin.
For news and outdoors sections. By Nicholas Simon. FOR MICHIGAN FARM NEWS and ALL POINTS.
WOLVES MOOSE: Over 20 years ago, John Vucetich watched a moose on Isle Royale and thought, “I wonder what that moose is thinking?” It’s a question the wildlife ecologist continues to ponder as he studies moose and wolves on the Lake Superior island. The Michigan Tech professor details the behavior of prey and predator and the larger lessons drawn from those observations in a new book. And he raises deep questions about what is a fair relationship between people and wildlife. By Rachel Duckett FOR MARQUETTE, ST. IGNACE, SAULT STE. MARIE, BAY MILLS AND ALL POINTS.
U.P. BROADBAND: Could federal rescue funds rescue Upper Peninsula broadband? Poor access has long plagued economic developers, students and health care providers in the region. But local officials are exploring how to pool their federal rescue funds to boost their access to broadband service. By Kyle Davidson. FOR SAULT STE. MARIE, ST. IGNACE, MARQUETTE AND ALL POINTS.