To: CNS Editors
From: Eric Freedman
http://news.jrn.msu.edu/capitalnewsservice/
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EDITORS: This the second of two Bonus Week files with still-timely stories you may not have had space for earlier in the semester. During the summer, we plan to file packages of Michigan-focused environmental stories in collaboration with our partner, Great Lakes Echo.
HERE’S YOUR FILE:
PREGNANT INMATES: Some lawmakers want to expand the legal rights of pregnant inmates at Michigan’s only women’s prison, Huron Valley. The Corrections Department says its policies already match parts of the legislation. The ACLU, American Friends Service Committee and Michigan Prison Doula Initiative discuss. By Danielle James. FOR ALL POINTS.
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CHARTER SCHOOLS: A Citizens Research Council report calls for more state oversight over how charter schools are authorized. Grand Valley and Central Michigan universities are the state’s two largest authorizers. We talk to the Michigan Council of Charter School Authorizers, an MSU education expert and the MEA president. By Joshua Valiquette. FOR ALL POINTS.
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CONTAMINATED RIVER: A recent study finds a risk that anglers in the Pine RIver may become sickened by the bacteria E. coli from agricultural runoff. Researchers are from Alma College and the University of Toronto. We hear from the Mid-Michigan District Health Department, a member of the Montcalm County Board of Commissioners and the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. By Kyle Davidson. FOR ALL POINTS.
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RISING WATERS: Rising water levels, including the Great Lakes, inland waters and groundwater, could threaten the safety of drinking water from wells and damage septic and sanitary sewage systems. We talk to a well driller in Traverse City, a Grand Traverse County environmental health expert and the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. By Katrianna Ray. FOR ALL POINTS.
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HISTORIC AIRPORT: The push to secure state historic site designation for the Clinton F. Woolsey Memorial Airport in Northport is advancing. The former dairy farm is named for a famed local aviator who died in a plane crash and who numbered Charles Lindbergh among his students. The airport manager, Michigan History Center director and head of the Historical Society of Michigan explain. By Joe Dandron. FOR ALL POINTS.
w/HISTORIC AIRPORT PHOTO 1: Historic view of the Clinton F. Woolsey Memorial Airport. Courtesy of Tom Wetherbee.
w/HISTORIC AIRPORT PHOTO 2: Former Woolsey farm creamery that became the airport terminal. Courtesy of Tom Wetherbee.
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NURSING STUDENTS: None of Michigan’s nursing programs rank in the nation’s top 50 for the number of minority nurses they graduate with bachelor’s and master’s degrees, a new study from the Women’s Institute for Science, Equity and Race shows. That’s despite the state’s large proportion of minority residents. Nursing program administrators at Northern Michigan University and Michigan State discuss the challenges. Other programs include CMU, Grand Valley State, Davenport, Ferris State and Saginaw Valley State. By Maddy O’Callaghan. FOR ALL POINTS.
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MINE HAZARDS: Despite spending billions of dollars, federal agencies don’t know how many potentially dangerous or environmentally hazardous abandoned mining features there are on government land nationally, including Michigan, a new General Accountability Office study of spending from 2008-2017 shows. The Forest Service spent $954,000 for gates and related work in the U.P.’s Ottawa National Forest. Isle Royale National Park and Keweenaw National Historical Park recently received funding to deal with abandoned mine features. By Eric Freedman. FOR ALL POINTS.
w/MINE HAZARDS PHOTO1: The site of the abandoned Smithwick Mine near Rock Harbor in Isle Royale National Park. Credit: MichiganTrailMaps.com
w/MINE HAZARDS PHOTO2: Hikers rest by the abandoned Siskiwit Mine along the Rock Harbor Trail in Isle Royale National Park. Credit: MichiganTrailMaps.com
CNS