Nov. 30, 2012 CNS Budget

Nov. 30, 2012 – Week 13
To: CNS Editors
From: Eric Freedman & Sheila Schimpf
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HERE’S YOUR FILE:
FIRSTLADIES: Helen Milliken’s death marked the loss of the person who helped convert the role of Michigan’s first lady from little-seen to activist – a role that Gov. Snyder’s wife, however, eschews. We learn about the evolution of first ladydom from the ex-wife of Gov. Blanchard, the executive director of the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame and the Inside Michigan Politics publisher. By Silu Guo. FOR LANSING, TRAVERSE CITY, ROYAL OAK, MACOMB, ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.
w/FIRSTLADIESPHOTO1: Helen Milliken. Credit: Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame.
XMASTREES: The summer drought was bad news for Christmas tree growers, including one in Allendale who hopes his college-age son will take over the business, but impacts won’t be evident for years. Biggest growing counties are Missaukee, Macomb and Muskegon. Experts from MSU and the Christmas Tree Association in Howell explain. By Silu Guo. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, BIG RAPIDS, MACOMB, MANISTEE, HOLLAND, LUDINGTON, LANSING, CADILLAC, TRAVERSE CITY, PETOSKEY, CHEBOYGAN, GLADWIN, CRAWFORD COUNTY, ALPENA & ALL POINTS.
STEP: Michigan has received the second-largest federal grant to promote exports, and machinery manufacturing companies are the biggest beneficiaries so far. We talk to MEDC, a Grand Valley professor and the Michigan Manufacturers Association.  For news and business pages. By Anjana Schroeder. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, GREENVILLE, HOLLAND, LUDINGTON, MANISTEE & ALL POINTS.
ROADKILL: Dead deer on the roadside? Some counties including St. Joseph, Oakland,  Allegan, Berrien, Kalamazoo and Branch, count on a Thumb company to clean up the mess. MDOT clears road kill from state highways. Top five counties for deer-vehicle crashes are Oakland, Montcalm, Jackson, Kent and Calhoun. By Lauren Gentile. FOR ROYAL OAK, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, SOUTH BEND, HOLLAND, GREENVILLE, JACKSON, LAPEER, BROWN CITY & ALL POINTS.
BREASTCANCER: A new U-M study shows that 70 percent of breast cancer patients who undergo a double-mastectomy surgery have no clinical reason for doing so. Researchers explain the significance of the findings.  Support organizations and hospitals in Grand Rapids, Detroit and Petoskey work on breast cancer issues. The Department of Community Health comments. By Celeste Bott. FOR ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, MACOMB, ROYAL OAK, PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS& ALL POINTS.
3DPRINTER: New 3D printing technology is available to quickly make and modify prototypes, such as auto parts, and perhaps even personalize hearing aids. There are concerns about possible abuses—for example, to replicate genuine ATM machines or make firearms. Companies in Dearborn, Farmington and Plymouth discuss, as does the Michigan Manufacturers Association. By Yanjie Wang. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, MACOMB, ROYAL OAK, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.
ONLINESALESTAX: Once again the Legislature is expected to wrap up its work without acting on a proposal to require online out-of-state retailers to collect Michigan’s 6 percent sales tax. Bills by lawmakers from White Lake Township and Flint are doomed, the Michigan Retailers Association concedes. We also hear from a Royal Oak representative and the head of a Lansing-based statewide retail music chain. For news and business pages. By Lauren Gibbons. FOR ROYAL OAK, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, LANSING & ALL POINTS.
PILOTPROJECT: Consumers Energy is among the companies participating in a pilot program that links in-state business to help them grow by using each other’s services and products. Beneficiaries include smaller firms in Holland, Traverse City, Jackson and Mason County. MEDC, Consumers and the Michigan Manufacturers Association explain. For news and business pages. By Edith Zhou. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, JACKSON, HOLLAND, LUDINGTON, MANISTEE, LAKE COUNTY, TRAVERSE CITY, LANSING & ALL POINTS.
UTILITYRATEINCREASE: Municipally owned utilities, including those in Marquette, Grand Haven and Wyandotte, are raising their rates this year, largely to meet the costs of complying with tighter federal environmental regulations. Lansing’s cites the cost of building its new power plant. The state has 41, including ones in Petoskey, Traverse City, Holland, Sturgis, Harbor Springs, Zeeland, Detroit and Negaunee. By Saodat Asanova-Taylor. FOR MARQUETTE, HOLLAND, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, SOUTH BEND, LANSING, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, TRAVERSE CITY, HARBOR SPRINGS, PETOSKEY  & ALL POINTS.
MUDPUPPIES: The aftermath of Superstorm Sandy brought an unexpected and unwelcome sight on Lake Huron beaches – mudpuppies. The salamanders washed ashore in countless numbers, although scientists don’t know why. We hear from eyewitnesses—one of whom used a snow shovel to return the survivors  to the lake—from Fort Gratiot Township, Port Huron and Sarnia, as well as DNR and MSU Museum herpetology experts. By Jennifer Kalish. FOR ALPENA, MACOMB, CHEBOYGAN, LUDINGTON, ST. IGNACE, MARQUETTE, LAPEER, BROWN CITY, TRAVERSE CITY, PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, MANISTEE, HOLLAND, SOUTH BEND & ALL POINTS.
w/MUDPUPPIESPHOTO: Credit: David Mifsud, Michigan Herpetological Atlas.
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