10/15/21 CNS Budget — Week 6
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.
Here is this week’s file:
TEENAGE HOMICIDES: The number of Michigan teenagers killed by homicide jumped by 70% from 50 in 2019 to 85 in 2020. That’s more than double the 31% increase of all homicides for the same period, according to the FBI’s recent Uniform Crime Report. Social media, music and environmental triggers may be among the causes, say some experts who work with youthful offenders. We talk to Lansing and Flint youth counselors and a U-M expert. By Barbara Bellinger. FOR DETROIT, LANSING CITY PULSE and ALL POINTS
W/TEEN HOMICIDE NUMBERS: Editors, please note that this is a spreadsheet of the teenage homicides in Michigan counties and major metropolitan areas in 2019 and 2020 recently reported in the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports. Note that while the percent increase is calculated, communities with very low numbers in 2019 could have a high percentage increase even if the actual number in 2020 was low.
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AFGHAN REFUGEES: Michigan aid organizations are scrambling to provide housing and services for 1,300 Afghan refugees they’ve pledged to resettle. Housing is the biggest obstacle. It takes about $57,000 a year to support a family of seven. House lawmakers recently passed a resolution supporting them. We talk to a Michigan State University professor who helped evacuate Afghan researchers, a Birmingham lawmaker and refugee aid experts in Lansing and Bloomfield Hills. By Emerson Wigand. FOR LANSING CITY PULSE, DETROIT and ALL POINTS.
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DNR BODYCAMS: A lawmaker is pushing for conservation officers to wear body cameras, insisting that it would help avoid costly deep woods confrontations. His bill would reduce use of force incidents and citizen complaints against conservation officers, said Rep. Beau LaFave, R-Iron Mountain. DNR officials say it would be a costly move for an agency that in the last 10 months gave over 900 citations and assisted with over 150 arrests. We talk to LaFave, DNR officials and Michigan United Conservation Clubs, which is not taking a position. By Danielle James. FOR MARQUETTE, SAULT STE. MARIE, BAY MILLS, ST. IGNACE, CHEBOYGAN, PETOSKEY, TRAVERSE CITY, CADILLAC AND ALL POINTS.
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HOMELESS: Michigan students without homes will gain more than $2 million in funding from the federal stimulus package, according to the Department of Education. The one-time funding boost will give more than $100,000 to Kent, Berrien and Oakland intermediate school districts and more than $225,000 to Wayne. We interview a woman who was homeless growing up in Ypsilanti, the Student Advocacy Center of Michigan, a Lansing homeless student coordinator, the Michigan League for Public Policy and the Department of Education’s coordinator of federal funds for homeless students. Districts in Traverse City and St. Clair County received grants. By Vladislava Sukhanovskaya. FOR DETROIT, LANSING CITY PULSE, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, WKTV, TRAVERSE CITY and ALL POINTS.
w/HOMELESS LIST OF FEDERAL FUNDS TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS: Funds to major school districts and intermediate school districts statewide listed for localization of story. Credit: Michigan Department of Education.
w/HOMELESS CHART: Showing absenteeism rates two times higher for students who are homeless. Credit: Michigan’s Center for Educational Performance and Information
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ADDICTION SERVICES: A shift in treating addiction as a disease rather than a crime recently got a boost in Michigan, which is now one of 10 states piloting a federal program that reimburses select health centers with Medicaid dollars for any patient’s care. The pilot project covers St. Joseph, Clinton, Eaton, Ingham, Muskegon, Macomb, Saginaw, St. Clair, Ionia, Washtenaw, Lake, Mason and Oceana counties, and metro Detroit. We interview a Macomb County treatment director, the head of the Michigan Community Mental Health Association and the Michigan Association of Treatment Court Professionals. By Cameryn Cass. FOR DETROIT, LANSING CITY PULSE, IONIA, GREENVILLE, OCEANA, LUDINGTON, LAKE COUNTY and ALL POINTS.
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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE GUNS: Survivors of domestic abuse could see additional protections from convicted abusers under newly proposed restrictions on gun ownership. The legislation would prevent people convicted of misdemeanors involving domestic violence from accessing firearms until eight years after meeting the terms of their sentence. Michigan is one of 18 states without similar restrictions. Sponsors include lawmakers from Casco Township, Traverse City, Detroit, Lake City and Saginaw. By Kyle Davidson. FOR TRAVERSE CITY, HOLLAND, CRAWFORD COUNTY, PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, CADILLAC, DETROIT AND ALL POINTS.
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CONCUSSIONS IN FEMALE ATHLETES: Heads up! Female high school athletes are at greater risk than males for continuing to play after a concussion, a new MSU study finds. Across all sports with male and female athletes, the risk is 1.33 times higher for females, it found. That means girls and young women who play such sports as soccer, basketball and softball are less likely than males to receive immediate medical care, leaving females more susceptible to a repeat concussion and longer recovery time. We talk to the lead researcher and the Michigan High School Athletic Association. For news and sports sections. By Elaine Mallon. ATTENTION SPORTS AND NEWS SECTIONS FOR ALL POINTS.
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CNS 40th ANNIVERSARY: This fall marks the 40th anniversary of CNS, launched by the late publisher Dick Milliman to cover state government, policy and politics for news outlets across Michigan. Participants, including ones from such far-flung locations as Russia, Kazakhstan, Denmark, China, India and South Korea, practice real-world journalism for real-world audiences. CNS has influenced the careers of hundreds of students and provides readers with coverage of their government’s activities in Lansing. It began with 10 newspapers, three of them still CNS members: Cadillac News, Holland Sentinel and Traverse City Record-Eagle. Authored by a CNS correspondent and CNS director for opinion sections. By Danielle James & Eric Freedman.. FOR HOLLAND, CADILLAC, TRAVERSE CITY, LANSING CITY PULSE and ALL POINTS.
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CLIMATE CHANGE: Fruit tree growers along the Lake Michigan coast are wrestling with challenges created by climate change, including how to adapt to those unpredictable changing weather conditions. We hear from a Mattawan farmer, the author of a study from U-M, Farm Bureau and MSU Extension experts. By Andrea Vera. FOR STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, HOLLAND, BENZIE COUNTY, OCEANA COUNTY, MICHIGAN FARM NEWS, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU, LUDINGTON, MANISTEE, GREENVILLE, IONIA, CHEBOYGAN, PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, BLISSFIELD, CADILLAC, LAKE COUNTY and ALL POINTS.
w/CLIMATE CHANGE PHOTO 1: The distribution of orchards throughout Michigan. Outlined, the west coast of the state along Lake Michigan is typically referred to as the “fruit belt” because of its high concentration of orchards and fruit production. Credit: “From “Uncertainty in the ‘New Normal’: Understanding the Role of Climate Change Beliefs and Risk Perceptions in Michigan Tree Fruit Growers’ Adaptation Behaviors” by Linder & Campbell-Arvai, WCAS, 2021. © American Meteorological Society. Used with permission.
w/CLIMATE CHANGE PHOTO 2: MSU Extension drainage specialist Ehsan Ghane
discusses controlled drainage strategies for farms at the Lenawee County Center for Excellence field day in August. Roughly 500 farmers attended. Credit: Jon Adamy, Michigan Farm Bureau.
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RED FOXES: Scientists are trying to pin down the origin of Isle Royale’s red foxes, which don’t seem to be much afraid of humans. A leading theory, still unproven, is that they’re descendants of animals released from fox fur farms early in the 20th century. By Sammy Schuck. FOR BAY MILLS, MARQUETTE, SAULT STE. MARIE, CHEBOYGAN, ST. IGNACE and ALL POINTS:
w/RED FOXES PHOTO: A red fox at Isle Royale National Park. Credit: Mauriel Rodriguez Curras/University of Wisconsin Madison.
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RAPIDS RESTORATION: Efforts are underway to restore the namesake rapids in downtown Grand Rapids, a drive that proponents say will create recreational, economic, tourism and ecological benefits. The Grand, the state’s longest river, runs from Hillsdale County through Lansing and Grand Rapids to Grand Haven on Lake Michigan. Experts from the Grand Rapids Public Museum, MSU Extension and Grand Rapids Development Center explain. By Kristia Postema. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, HILLSDALE, HOLLAND, LANSING CITY PULSE, IONIA, CORP! GREENVILLE, WKTV and ALL POINTS.
w/RAPIDS RESTORATION PHOTO: The Grand Rapids Public Museum on the west bank of the Grand River will reconfigure its waterfront to help restore the rapids. Credit: Kristia Postema.
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CNS