11/25/20 CNS Budget — Week 12
To: CNS Editors
From: David Poulson and Judy Putnam
http://news.jrn.msu.edu/capitalnewsservice/
For technical problems, contact CNS technical manager Eryn Ho at (616) 485-9295; hoeryn@msu.edu.
For other matters, contact Dave Poulson at (517) 899-1640; poulson@msu.edu.
Editors note: This week’s budget is moving early to accommodate the Thanksgiving holiday. We return to the regularly scheduled weekly file on Friday, Dec. 4.
Here is your file:
AVOIDING DOWNTOWN DEMISE: Michigan downtowns are headed for long-term trouble with so many workers continuing to work from home, business experts say. Local business groups are fighting back with creative marketing and repurposing commercial property. We talk to a Charlevoix downtown authority, the head of the Small Business Association of Michigan, the state retailers group and the Grand Haven-based Michigan Downtown Association. By Zholdas Orisbayev FOR PETOSKEY, TRAVERSE CITY, CORP!, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, LANSING CITY PULSE, HOLLAND AND ALL POINTS.
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COVID ECONOMY: Lumber prices and tent sales soared. Great Lakes shipping took a dive. Home sales were up. And energy sales shifted from manufacturing plants to home offices. Here is a sample ride of the Michigan economic roller coaster powered by pandemic. By Capital News Service. FOR CORP! GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, MARQUETTE AND BUSINESS AND NEWS SECTIONS OF ALL POINTS.
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CANADA GEESE: Warming temperatures are changing migration patterns for Canada geese, with southward flights starting later than ever. Also, modern farming encourages the birds to remain stationary late into the year because they can feed on grain waste in farm fields. Meanwhile, their numbers explode. Goose experts from MSU Extension in Kalamazoo County and the DNR explain. By Anne Hooper. FOR MICHIGAN FARM BUREAU, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS AND ALL POINTS.
w/CANADA GEESE PHOTO: Canada geese, once on the verge of extinction, have made a comeback after adapting to the environment. Credit: Pedro da Silva, Unsplash.com.
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FARMER MARKETS PANDEMIC: Most of the state’s 240 farmer markets not only survived the pandemic, they provided a sense of normalcy for people stressed about it. While customers and vendors were down at some venues, shoppers who did visit bought more. Some markets experienced a wave of new customers with food assistance. We talk to market managers in Cadillac and Holland, a maple syrup vendor at the market in Coldwater and a statewide association based in East Lansing. By Judy Putnam. FOR LANSING, HOLLAND, CADILLAC, COLDWATER, MICHIGAN FARM BUREAU, BENZIE, MARQUETTE, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS
w/FARMER MARKETS PANDEMIC PHOTO: A sign at the Meridian Farmers Market in Ingham County reminds shoppers to mask up. Credit: Judy Putnam
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LAKE MICHIGAN COVER STORY: A famous view of Lake Michigan graces the cover of this December’s National Geographic. By Marie Orttenburger. For PETOSKEY, TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU, LUDINGTON, MANISTEE, OCEANA, BENZIE, CHEBOYGAN, HARBOR SPRINGS, HOLLAND AND ALL POINTS.
W/LAKE MICHIGAN COVER PHOTO: As the sun sets, a curtain of rain descends from storm clouds near Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on the northeastern coast of Lake Michigan. Of the five Great Lakes, only Lake Michigan lies entirely within the United States. Image: Keith Ladzinski/National Geographic
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CNS