11/12/21 CNS Budget — Week 10
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.
WELCOME ADRIAN: The Adrian Daily Telegram is the newest member of Capital News Service.
Here is this week’s file:
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS: While storms get larger and more frequent, Michigan’s aging electrical lines are taking a beating. Both Consumers Energy and DTE plan billions of dollars in upgrades, including putting some lines underground. We also talk to a Public Service Commission commissioner and the association representing municipal electric utilities. By Cameryn Cass. FOR DETROIT, COLDWATER, ADRIAN, MONROE, HOLLAND, GREENVILLE, CLARE, LUDINGTON, MANISTEE, BENZIE COUNTY, OCEANA COUNTY, FOWLERVILLE, PETOSKEY, ALCONA, TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU, HARBOR SPRINGS, CHEBOYGAN, WKTV, CRAWFORD COUNTY, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, BIG RAPIDS, HILLSDALE, LANSING CITY PULSE and ALL POINTS.
w/EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS IMAGE: Michigan’s ranking among the states showing slow response time of more than 350 minutes. Credit: 5 Lakes Energy.
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FARMER MENTAL HEALTH: Suicide has joined weather, crops and markets as a discussion point among some farmers. One year after the state launched a $1 million program to address their mental health, farmers say. We talk to an Osceola County farmer who advises other farmers, a Grand Rapids mental health professional and MSU Extension and Farm Bureau. For news and agriculture sections, By Barbara Bellinger. FOR MICHIGAN FARM NEWS, CADILLAC, WKTV, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, LAKE COUNTY and ALL POINTS.Â
w/MENTAL HEALTH POSTCARDS: New postcards aimed at farmers raise mental health awareness. Source: National Farm Bureau.
HOTLINES: Hotlines for poison control, sexual assault, opioid abuse, suicidal throughts, drug overdoses and other emergencies could show up on receipts distributed by Michigan pharmacies. The idea for requiring the helplines came from two Central Michigan University brothers whose father is a Madison Heights pharmacist. Lawmakers are considering the requirement. For news and business sections. By Vladislava Sukhanovskaya. FOR DETROIT, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL, CORP! and ALL POINTS.
w/HOTLINES GRAPHIC: Hotlines on prescription bags in a Madison Heights pharmacy inspired legislation to require the phone numbers on pharmacy receipts and displayed on drug store counters. Credit: Moussa Chehab and Ahmad Chehab.
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INTERSTATE PSYCHOLOGY: Joining an interstate compact that allows out-of-state psychologists to practice in Michigan could provide more mental health care for state residents. But state regulators worry it could reduce its budget for investigating complaints. We talk to an Ann Arbor area lawmaker, state regulators and national association. By Emerson Wigand. FOR ADRIAN, BLISSFIELD, DETROIT, MONROE and ALL POINTS.
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MATERIALS GRANTS: State officials are encouraging countries to think of waste not as a worthless disposal problem but as a valuable resource with a new grant program to help them plan. Some counties, including Kent and Allegan, are already changing their thinking with plans to consider giving their trash a new life. By Kyle Davidson. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, HOLLAND, WKTV, CORP! and ALL POINTS.
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COLLEGE TUITION: More than a dozen other states offer universal access to community college, but Michigan does not, disappointing advocates who say human infrastructure is just as important as roads and bridges. We talk to the Kalamazoo Promise, the Small Business Association of Michigan and state officials. For news and business pages. By Nicholas Simon. FOR CORP!, LANSING CITY PULSE, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, WKTV and ALL POINTS.
INVASIVE SPECIES: For most Great Lakes beachgoers, zebra mussels are a minor inconvenience when they step on them. But for boaters and businesses, they can be an expensive problem. They are among the 160 invasive species that state officials are targeting with a new grant program to deter such invaders. By Danielle James. FOR TRAVERSE CITY, PETOSKEY, CADILLAC, CHEBOYGAN, SAULT STE. MARIE, LUDINGTON, MARQUETTE, ST. IGNACE, MICHIGAN FARM NEWS and ALL POINTS.
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SEA LAMPREY: A new study by scientists at MSU and the U.S. Geological Survey’s Great Lakes Science Center in Millersburg says behavior-altering chemicals produced by sea lamprey may decrease the invaders’ populations in the Great Lakes. The 3kPZS pheromone, a chemical released by males to guide females for mating, could be used to lure them into traps. Research took place near Rogers City. We also hear from the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. By Kristia Postema. FOR ALCONA, MONTMORENCY, CHEBOYGAN, HOLLAND, MANISTEE, OCEANA COUNTY, BENZIE COUNTY, HARBOR SPRINGS, TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU, MONROE, ST. IGNACE, MARQUETTE, SAULT STE. MARIE and ALL POINTS.
w/SEA LAMPREY PHOTO: Sea lamprey. Credit: Joanna Gilkeson/U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
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WINTER FESTS: The pandemic dealt a devastating blow to winter festivals, a major source of tourism-related business and revenue for communities across the state. But winter festivals are expected to rebound this winter. We hear from the Michigan Festivals and Events Association and organizers of Snowfest in Frankenmuth and the Plymouth Ice Festival. For news and entertainment sections. By Sammy Schuck. FOR DETROIT, LANSING CITY PULSE and ALL POINTS.
w/WINTER FESTS PHOTO: A Tweety Bird ice statue at the 2021 Plymouth Ice Festival. Credit: Yvonne Schuck.
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FLORISTS: Inventory and staffing shortages are causing challenges for Michigan florists during the pandemic. We talk to the Great Lakes Floral Association and shop owners in Three Rivers, Cheboygan and Holt. For news and business sections. By Miranda Dunlap. FOR CHEBOYGAN, THREE RIVERS, STURGIS, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, CORP!, LANSING CITY PULSE and ALL POINTS.
w/FLORISTS PHOTO: Inside Wild Strawberry and More, a florist shop in Holt, delivery driver Jessa Powers ties a ribbon around a floral arrangement. Powers has taken on more responsibilities as the business has adapted to the pandemic. Credit: Miranda Dunlap.
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DOWNTOWN BUSINESS: State workers are gradually returning to their Lansing offices, giving downtown business owners renewed hope after struggling financially for more than a year. Half of the state’s roughly 50,000 employees worked remotely during the pandemic, including about 20,000 in Lansing. That left some small businesses in the heart of the city struggling. By Alexandra Hall. FOR LANSING CITY PULSE and ALL POINTS.
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