11/5/21 CNS Budget — Week 9
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:
FATHERS AGAINST ABUSE: Doughnuts for Dudes is a Clare County program that is part of a statewide initiative to target fathers in child abuse prevention programs. Men are the focus of several grants totaling $1.8 million and that were recently awarded to abuse prevention programs by the Children’s Trust Fund. Such a focus is uncommon, experts say. By Zaira Magomedova FOR CLARE COUNTY CLEAVER and ALL POINTS
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DRUG EXPERTS: While Michigan reports a record number of drug-related accidents, injuries and fatalities, police say they don’t have enough experts trained to recognize the signs of drivers who are under the influence of drugs. By Nicholas Simon. FOR LANSING CITY PULSE, DETROIT and ALL POINTS.
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EQUIPMENT FUND: Michigan community colleges are pushing for a fund to allow them to buy equipment that they say would bolster a trained and talented workforce with a focus on a new cardiovascular training. There’s interest from community colleges in Lansing, Harrison, Scottville and Grand Rapids. We talk to Michigan Community College Association officials, the Michigan Manufacturers Association and Sen. Kenneth Horn, R-Frankenmuth. By Cameryn Cass. FOR LANSING CITY PULSE, LUDINGTON, MANISTEE, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, CLARE COUNTY CLEAVER, CORP!, LAKE COUNTY and NEWS AND BUSINESS PAGES OF ALL POINTS.
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TUITION WAIVER: Some Michigan tribal leaders say a tuition waiver for Native American students is overly restrictive and hard to navigate. The state agreed to the waiver in 1934, began funding it in 1976 and reduced it in 1996. Now it is back fully funded, advocates are trying to determine who should be eligible and how a confusing system can be made easier to navigate. We hear from the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Civil Rights Department and an Ann Arbor legislator. Lansing Community College and MSU references. By Emerson Wigand. FOR BAY MILLS, HARBOR SPRINGS, PETOSKEY, SAULT STE. MARIE, MARQUETTE, ST. IGNACE, LEELANAU, TRAVERSE CITY, DETROIT, CHEBOYGAN, HOLLAND and ALL POINTS.
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BALLOON LITTER: A Bloomfield Hills high schooler inspired a bill to ban balloon litter. The plastic balloons are deadly to wildlife and can travel hundreds of miles from where they are launched. Legislators from Birmingham, Royal Oak, other Metro Detroit communities and Grand Rapids are sponsors. References to Isle Royale, Sleeping Bear Dunes and Detroit International Wildlife Refuge. By Kyle Davidson. FOR DETROIT, LEELANAU, TRAVERSE CITY, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, MARQUETTE, SAULT STE. MARIE and ALL POINTS
w/BALLOON LITTER MAP: Lara O’Brien, a now-graduated master’s student in the environment and sustainability at the University of Michigan, launched a website allowing the public to document balloon debris they find. Credit: Balloon Debris Survey
w/BALLOON LITTER BEACH: While balloons only make up a small portion of plastic pollution, they are among the deadliest for wildlife. Credit: Balloon Debris Survey
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RAISE THE AGE: Now that 17-year-old youth will no longer be tried in adult courts for certain crimes, court and county officials are figuring out how to make that transition. The law passed two years ago kicked in Oct. 1. And now they have to shuffle new funds and administrators to help handle an increased workload for the juvenile court system. We interview court officials in Livingston and Ottawa counties, the Michigan League for Public Policy, Michigan Association of Counties and the Michigan Center for Youth Justice in Ann Arbor. By Barbara Bellinger. FOR HOLLAND, LUDINGTON, FOWLERVILLE, LANSING CITY PULSE and ALL POINTS.
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ORGAN TRANSPLANTS: Without laws to prevent it, Michiganders with disabilities are not guaranteed equal consideration for needed organ transplants, advocates say. Michigan could soon join the 29 states that have passed organ transplant discrimination laws. Bills have been introduced by Sen. Curtis Hertel, D-East Lansing, and Rep. Bronna Kahle, R-Adrian. We talk to Hertel, a Grand Rapids advocate who has a daughter with Down syndrome and the National Down Syndrome Society. For news and health sections. By Emerson Wigand. FOR LANSING, BLISSFIELD, HOLLAND and ALL POINTS.
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PFAS FOOD PACKAGING: Some lawmakers and environmental advocates want to ban chemicals in food packaging that they say threaten the health of Michiganders. They include PFAS, bisphenols and phthalates that can be found in almost every food package – from burger wrappers to bottles for drinks. We talk to experts from Ann Arbor and MSU. For news and health sections. By Vladislava Sukhanovskaya. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, CORP!, DETROIT and ALL POINTS.
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SAFE DELIVERY LAW: A 2001 safe haven law is credited with rescuing 288 infants and dramatically reducing the number of babies illegally abandoned. In the late 1990s, increasing media reports of infants found in dumpsters, on church steps, in bathrooms and on the sides of roads prompted lawmakers to pass the Safe Delivery Law. It allows parents to surrender their infant for adoption legally, safely and confidentially within 72 hours of birth. We talk to a state infant health expert, Right to Life official and Bethany Christian Services. By Barbara Bellinger. Editor’s note: A chart shows surrenders by regions can be used to localize. FOR ALL POINTS.
w/SAFE DELIVERY CHART: Showing infants surrendered by region. Source: Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
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INDIGENOUS MARKETS: When Ziibimijwang Farm sells maple sugar at Minongin Market in Mackinaw City, it’s more than a business transaction – it represents Indigenous food sovereignty. Further north, in the Upper Peninsula, partners Jerry Jondreau and Katy Bressette operate Dynamite Hill Farms in L’Anse. Social media and online sales has fueled both operations as part of a growing availability of Indigenous food resources nationwide. By Kayla Nelsen. FOR BAY MILLS, SAULT STE. MARIE, HARBOR SPRINGS, PETOSKEY, CHEBOYGAN, ST. IGNACE, MARQUETTE, HOLLAND, TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN FARM NEWS, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS NEWS, CORPS AND ALL POINTS.
w/RICE HARVESTING: Dynamite Hill Farm owner Jerry Jondreau uses traditional methods to harvest wild rice. Credit: Jerry Jondreau
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PANDEMIC PETS: The peak of the pandemic brought unfamiliar free time that led many people across the state to adopt a pet. As life returns closer to normal and in-person activities resume, these new owners continue to embrace their pandemic pets. Michigan Humane and owners from Okemos, Belleville, Dearborn, Ann Arbor, Lansing and Sterling Heights explain. By Emilie Appleyard, Cameryn Cass, Joseph Dungerow, Kristia Postema, Sammy Schuck, Nicholas Simon & Andrea Vera. FOR DETROIT, LANSING CITY PULSE and ALL POINTS.
w/PANDEMIC PETS BONNIE: Gracen Minor with her dog Bonnie: Photo courtesy of Gracen Minor.
w/PANDEMIC PETS CLEMENTINE: Clementine, a pet corn snake. Photo courtesy of Jordan Hall.
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EARLY COLLEGE: A growing number of high school students are also earning an associate degree through the Early Middle College Program at no cost to themselves. We talk to a Gaylord High School student who is taking three online courses from North Central Michigan College in Petoskey and to the school’s assistant principal. The Education Department says the number of participants has doubled and the number of participating schools has grown 58% since 2015. The program is intended to increase the percentage of Michigan residents earning a post-high school degree. By Elaine Mallon. FOR PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, CHEBOYGAN, MONTMORENCY and ALL POINTS.
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GULLS: Beach-dwelling gulls along the Great Lakes coasts are vehicles for bacteria that can lead to economically costly beach closings. Central Michigan University scientists studied ring-billed gull travel patterns at Lake Michigan beaches in Ottawa and Muskegon counties and found that five of 14 gulls made at least two round trips between beaches and landfills during the summer. With gull populations in the region increasing more than 4% each year, the number of human-gull interactions is expanding, making the problem more concerning. We also talk to a Chicago company that uses border collies to chase gulls from beaches. By Cameryn Cass. FOR HOLLAND, MANISTEE, OCEANA COUNTY, BENZIE COUNTY, LEELANAU, HARBOR SPRINGS, TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU, CHEBOYGAN, ALCONA, MONROE, ST. IGNACE, MARQUETTE, SAULT STE. MARIE and ALL POINTS.
w/GULLS PHOTO: Beach-dwelling gulls, like this ring-billed gull, along the Great Lakes coasts are expanding in number and are vehicles for bacteria that can close beaches. Credit: Wikipedia
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CNS