CNS budget Feb. 28, 2020 – Week 7
To: CNS Editors
From: Eric Freedman & Sheila Schimpf
http://news.jrn.msu.edu/capitalnewsservice/
For technical problems, contact CNS technical manager Tony Cepak at (517) 803-6841; cepak@msu.edu.
For other matters, contact Eric Freedman at (517) 355-4729 or (517) 256-3873; freedma5@msu.edu.
Editors: CNS will not file stories on Friday, March 3, because of the MSU spring break. We will resume our regular schedule on Friday, March 10.
Here’s your file:
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DRONES: Commercial drone businesses are becoming more specialized, say drone operators in Petoskey, Troy and Bay Port. That trend will better serve customers, including utilities and agriculture. By Evan Jones. FOR CORP!, GREAT LAKES BUSINESS, PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS AND ALL POINTS.
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PRE-K: The governor’s proposal to increase state funding for pre-K education has reignited the debate over the desirability and feasibility of universal preschool. For different takes on the concept, we turn to the Kent District Library, Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland and a study by Kalamazoo’s Upjohn Institute. By Joshua Valiquette. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS.
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PRESCRIPTION FRAUD: Legislation working its way through the Capitol would require doctors to transmit most prescriptions electronically to pharmacies as a way to combat fraud and forgeries, especially amid an opioid crisis. The Michigan Pharmacists Association, Sheriffs’ Association and Retailers Association support the idea. By Danielle James. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, CORP! AND ALL POINTS.
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RETAIL CRIME: To combat organized retail crime, online marketplaces like eBay and Craigslist should be held more responsible in screening crooked vendors who use their platforms to peddle purloined goods, the Michigan Retailers Association says. A recent retail fraud arrest in Mecosta County also uncovered a meth operation. A Northern Michigan University criminal justice professor discusses. By Kyle Davidson. FOR BIG RAPIDS, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, CORP! MARQUETTE, SAULT STE. MARIE, BAY MILLS AND ALL POINTS.
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AIR POLLUTION: Could air quality be worse in Cheboygan than in Los Angeles? That’s what it looked like when Sharon Emery checked the forecast on her smartphone. It also looked bad — high level of particulates in the air — at Mackinac Island and Cross Village. Turned out the problem was a malfunctioning air quality monitor at the U.P. ‘s Seney National Wildlife Refuge. Emery and the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy tell the story. By Kurt Williams. FOR CHEBOYGAN, PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, ST. IGNACE, SAULT STE. MARIE, MARQUETTE AND ALL POINTS.
w/AIR POLLUTION PHOTO: Air quality monitoring station in the Seney National Wildlife Refuge. Credit: Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.
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WATER SENSORS: The Great Lakes Observing System has created “Smart Great Lakes,” starting with Lake Erie, by making it easy for the public and policy makers to access data from buoys and underwater probes. Communities that rely on the lake for drinking water can get an early warning of incoming algae blooms. Organizers have a five-year strategic plan to extend the system to all the Great Lakes. By Indri Maulidor. FOR BLISSFIELD, ALCONA, SAULT STE. MARIE, ST. IGNACE, MARQUETTE, BAY MILLS, CHEBOYGAN, HOLLAND, MANISTEE, LUDINGTON, HARBOR SPRINGS, PETOSKEY, LEELANAU TRAVERSE CITY, OCEANA, BENZIE AND ALL POINTS.
w/WATER SENSORS PHOTO: A buoy monitors western Lake Erie for harmful algal blooms. Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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ENDANGERED FROGS: There may be hope for the endangered Blanchard’s cricket frog, a tiny amphibian that has mostly disappeared from Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. It was once abundant in Southeast Michigan but no longer, and scientists are unsure why. Experts explain. By Amelia Cole. FOR ALL POINTS.
w/ENDANGERED FROGS PHOTO: Illustration of Blanchard’s cricket frog. Credit: Amelia Cole.
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ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS: A growing proportion of Americans consider environmental protection and global climate change to be top policy priorities, but the vast majority of them are Democrats, a new national survey finds. Meanwhile, the latest survey for the Michigan League of Conservation Voters found that three-quarters of likely voters in the upcoming Democratic presidential primary see climate change as a very serious problem or crisis. Includes references to legislators from Ida, Walker, Greenville and Grant. By Eric Freedman. FOR BLISSFIELD, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, OCEANA, LAKE COUNTY, LUDINGTON, GREENVILLE, IONIA AND ALL POINTS.
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