Jan. 29, 2021 CNS Budget — Week 1
To: CNS Editors
From: Eric Freedman & 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 Eric Freedman at (517) 256-3873; freedma5@msu.edu.
WELCOME TO THE NEW SEMESTER: Our new cadre of correspondents looks forward to serving you this spring semester.
Here is your file:
HOME REHABILITATION: Housing rehabilitation loan programs in Grand Rapids are aimed at improving safety and increasing the value of homes in older parts of the city. A city official, a state representative and the Michigan Municipal League explain. By Kristia Postema. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, CORP! GREENVILLE, AND ALL POINTS.
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WHITE SUPREMACY: Michigan, which in the past has provided hospitable territory to white supremacist and hate groups, is seeing a resurgence of such activity, some experts say, including a U-M expert and and the Anti-Defamation League. An Eastern Michigan University historian has also written about the issue. Recent events include guns at the state Capitol, the arrests of Michigan residents who participated in the U.S. Capitol invasion and arrests — and a Hartland man’s guilty plea — in a plot to kidnap Whitmer. By Chloe Trofatter. FOR DETROIT, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS.
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PURE MICHIGAN: In a time when people are traveling less and the hospitality industry is suffering from lower occupancy rates, some tourism businesses are taking the Pure Michigan Pledge to keep their facilities and guests safe. We talk to the owner of a Ludington B&B and the Michigan Economic Development Corp., which runs the Pure Michigan program. By Kirsten Rintelmann. FOR LUDINGTON, OCEANA, LAKE COUNTY, MANISTEE, CORP!, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS AND ALL POINTS.
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ROADS: The governor is again pushing the Legislature for more generous funding of infrastructure projects, although her pleas have fallen on deaf Republican ears in the past. Advocates of more money to fix deteriorating roads, bridges and sewer lines say they hope the new Biden administration will be more generous than the Trump administration in supporting state and local projects. We hear from the Michigan Municipal League, road officials in Chippewa, Wayne and Montmorency counties and the Michigan Association of Counties. By Shel Krause. FOR MONTMORENCY, SAULT STE. MARIE, DETROIT, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS AND ALL POINTS.
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SPORTS BETTING: What might the state’s new legalization of online sports betting mean for gambling addiction, especially amid the pandemic? The online apps are partnering with the three Detroit casinos and seven tribal casinos. We talk to Portage-based Michigan Problem Gambling Association and two MSU students from Walled Lake and Illinois. By Samuel Blatchford. FOR DETROIT, BAY MILLS, LANSING CITY PULSE, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, MANISTEE, TRAVERSE CITY, MARQUETTE, SAULT STE. MARIE, BENZIE AND ALL POINTS.
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MASS TRANSIT: What are the possible impacts of the Biden administration’s transportation priorities on proposals to improve mass transit in Southeast Michigan? We hear from SEMTA, a carless Detroit photographer, the Ferndale mayor, the Detroit Regional Chamber and the Michigan Municipal League. By Sophia Lada. FOR DETROIT, CORP! AND ALL POINTS.
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MINIMUM SENTENCES: The COVID-19 pandemic provides another reason to shrink prison populations that are an expensive legacy of Michigan’s get-tough Truth in Sentencing law. Experts from Central Michigan University and MSU explain. By Brandon Chew. FOR DETROIT, MARQUETTE, IONIA, LANSING CITY PULSE, BAY MILLS AND ALL POINTS.
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GENERATING GROWTH: A new $2 million investment by the Michigan Economic Development Corp. in a downtown Hillsdale redevelopment project reflects an ongoing effort to revitalize older communities. It’s part of the agency’s Redevelopment Ready Communities initiative. We also hear from a Jackson developer and the Michigan Municipal League. By Elaine Mallon: FOR HILLSDALE, CORP!, DETROIT, LANSING CITY PULSE, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS AND ALL POINTS.
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DOORBELL SNOOP: Sixty Michigan police and sheriff’s departments have agreements with Amazon letting them access footage from Amazon Ring video doorbells. Supporters say such arrangements promote community safety, but privacy experts worry because such surveillance lacks regulation and transparency. We talk to a Macomb Community College expert, Livonia and Ann Arbor police and residents of Clawson and Pinkney. Program partners include police in Three Rivers, Grand Rapids, Holland, Traverse City, Lansing, St. Johns, Portage, Kentwood, Auburn Hills and Ferndale. By Hannah Brock & Chloe Alverson. FOR DETROIT, HOLLAND, TRAVERSE CITY, LANSING CITY PULSE, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, THREE RIVERS, STURGIS AND ALL POINTS.
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AREAS OF CONCERN: During 35 years of restoration in the Great Lakes Areas of Concern, there has been gradual progress and a hopeful future, a new study says. Development of a plan to restore heavily contaminated sites in 42 Areas of Concern in the U.S. and Canada began in 1985. So far, eight have been delisted, including the Lower Menominee River on the Michigan-Wisconsin border, White Lake in Muskegon County and Deer Lake in Marquette County. Still listed are parts of the Detroit River, Clinton River, River Raisin, Manistique River, Muskegon Lake, Saginaw River and Bay, St. Clair River, Kalamazoo River, St. Marys River, Rouge River and the U.P.’s Torch Lake. By Audrey Porter. FOR MARQUETTE, BLISSFIELD, BAY MILLS, SAULT STE. MARIE, DETROIT, CHEBOYGAN AND ALL POINTS, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS AND ALL POINTS.
w/AREAS OF CONCERN MAP: Great Lakes Areas of Concern. Credit: Adapted from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
CNS