January 27, 2017 CNS Budget

January 27, 2017 — Week 2
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.
Here is your file:
LOCALADVOCACY: Activists and advocacy organizations have seen an increase in civic engagement in local communities since the inauguration and the women’s marches that followed. We talk to a past candidate for Kent County drain commissioner; the president of AAUW Traverse City; president of the National Organization for Women Grand Rapids; the marketing and communications director for the Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan in Petoskey; and  Rep. David LaGrand. By Caitlin Taylor. FOR PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, TRAVERSE CITY, CHEBOYGAN, BLISSFIELD, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, HOLLAND & ALL POINTS.
UNDOCUMENTEDSTUDENTS: Several public university officials  expressed willingness to assist undocumented students with tuition rates and to build a welcoming campus. Some undocumented students are under the support of DACA program, which gives unauthorized immigrants who came to the U.S. before age 16 – “Dreamers” – a chance to stay in the U.S. to study or work. Michigan has nearly 11,000 DACA recipients. President Trump has promised a rigorous immigrant policy, which might be bad for the continuance of DACA, thus affecting undocumented students’ path to college and jobs. We talk to Lake Superior State and Ferris State officials and higher education experts. By Chao Yan. FOR MARQUETTE, BIG RAPIDS, SAULT STE. MARIE, CHEBOYGAN & ALL POINTS.
Three-story income tax reaction package:
COMMUNITYCOLLEGE: Community colleges have made it easier and more affordable for many families to attend college. However,  bills to eliminate the state income tax could further erode state financial support for institutions that serve as a bridge to Michigan jobs and four-year universities. By Isaac Constans. FOR TRAVERSE CITY, MANISTEE, LEELANAU, LUDINGTON, MARQUETTE, OCEANA, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS AND ALL POINTS.
And…
UNIVERSITYFUNDING: Proposals to eliminate the state income tax could devastate Michigan’s public universities, coping for years with dramatic drops in state support, a higher-education consortium says. We talk to the Michigan Association of State Universities, Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker, and Rep. Winnie Brinks. By Laura Bohannon. FOR MARQUETTE, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, HOLLAND, GREENVILLE, CRAWFORD COUNTY AND ALL POINTS.
And…
INCOMETAXIMPACT: It’s still unclear how bills to eliminate the state income tax might affect Michigan’s economy, and experts disagree on whether the proposals will help or hurt businesses and communities. We talk to the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, the Michigan League for Public Policy and a Michigan State economist about possible outcomes. By Laina Stebbins. FOR BIG RAPIDS, LAKE COUNTY, GLADWIN, HERALD-REVIEW, GREENVILLE, OCEANA, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS & ALL POINTS.
NEWLOCKS: Almost everyone agrees the Soo Locks in the Upper Peninsula need to be upgraded. Modernizing the locks won’t be cheap, however, and so far Congress hasn’t approved funding for the work. But there are signs that might change under the administration of President Trump, who has pledged to repair the country’s aging infrastructure. We talk to Michigan’s new U.S. representative for the area, Jack Bergman, and the head of the state’s Chamber of Commerce. Comments from Gov. Snyder’s state of the state address are included. By Carl Stoddard. FOR  SAULT STE. MARIE, MARQUETTE, ST. IGNACE, CHEBOYGAN, BAY MILLS & ALL POINTS.
Two-story plant  poaching package:
ORCHIDPOACHING: Rare orchids in Michigan face threats from poaching and from careless photographers eager to shoot the flowers. Among the problem areas: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and Waterloo Recreation Area. We also hear from a Michigan State expert and a Laingsburg nature photographer. By Becky Wildt and Megan McDonnell. FOR MARQUETTE, BAY MILLS, SAULT STE. MARIE, CHEBOYGAN & ALL POINTS.
        w/ORCHIDPOACHINGPHOTO1: Signs posted around a bog at Waterloo Recreation Area warn visitors against walking off of the path and trampling the habitat. Credit: Becky Wildt.
           w/ORCHIDPOACHINGPHOTO2: Damage by visitors walking off  the boardwalk at Waterloo Recreation Area makes it easier for poachers to find orchids. Credit: Becky Wildt
Pairs with…
CATCHPOACHERS: Conservation officers are using a combination of old-fashioned shoe leather and high-tech tools to catch plant poachers, especially those going after the valuable but threatened wild ginseng. The plant grows primarily in Southern Michigan, mostly in woodlots and wooded coastal dunes, plus small scattered populations in the northern Lower Peninsula, the Thumb and the U.P.’s Gogebic County. The Michigan Natural Features Inventory attributes its small population to extensive woodlot grazing and the “considerable exploitation of this species for the ginseng trade.” By Carin Tunney & Chao Yan. FOR STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, OCEANA, HOLLAND, BLISSFIELD, TRAVERSE CITY, MARQUETTE, BAY MILLS, LUDINGSTON, MANISTEE, HARBOR SPRINGS, GREENVILLE AND ALL POINTS.
        w/CATCHPOACHERSMAP: Counties where wild ginseng grows. Credit: Michigan Natural Features Inventory.
TIMEZONE1: If you drive far enough west through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, it’s possible to literally travel back in time. While most of Michigan is in the Eastern Time Zone, four counties on the western edge of the Upper Peninsula are not. Dickinson, Gogebic, Iron and Menominee counties all border Wisconsin, which is in the Central Time Zone. So those four Michigan counties have opted to be in that hour-earlier time zone to help keep them in sync with their Wisconsin neighbors. We talk with tourism and business officials throughout the Upper Peninsula. By Carl Stoddard. FOR MARQUETTE, BAY MILLS, SAULT STE. MARIE, ST. IGNACE, CHEBOYGAN & ALL POINTS.