12/3/21 CNS Budget — Week 13
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.
END OF SEMESTER NEARS: Next Friday, Dec. 10, is our last regularly weekly file of new stories for the semester. On Friday, Dec. 17, you’ll get our traditional bonus week budget with still-timely stories you may not have had space for earlier in the semester. In early January you’ll get our traditional winter break Michigan environmental package in collaboration with our partner, Great Lakes Echo.
The 1st regular file of 2022 will come on Friday, Jan. 21.
Here is this week’s file:
TEENAGE HOMICIDES: Editors – In light of the shootings at Oxford High School we are calling your attention to a story on Michigan teenage homicides that moved on CNS Nov. 7, 2021. We are moving it again with a new top to reflect the Oxford homicides. The earlier version was used by the Detroit News. But if you did not use it then, you may wish to use this updated version. 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 ALL POINTS
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BOTTLE RETURN VIOLATIONS: Some state lawmakers and environmental advocates want to create a hotline to stop retailers from fraudulently cashing in on Michigan’s bottle deposit law, taking funding from pollution cleanup and prevention programs. It isn’t to stop the kind of scam immortalized in a “Seinfeld” episode where Kramer and Newman trucked empty cans to Michigan for the higher deposit redemption. Rather, the idea is to clamp down on retailers who may buy beverages in nearby states, especially Ohio, without the deposit and resell them in Michigan. By Danielle James. FOR DETROIT, HILLSDALE, MONROE, ADRIAN, BLISSFIELD, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, CORP!, COLDWATER, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, SAULT STE. MARIE and ALL POINTS.
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HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS: As temperatures drop, Michigan advocates for homeless people say encampment populations are expected to grow. Gaps in services for these populations and a lack of long-term affordable housing have led to hundreds of people living in temporary shelters like tents, cars and hotels. We talk to homeless advocates in Lansing, Kalamazoo and Eugene, Oregon, in addition to a statewide group. By Emerson Wigand. FOR LANSING CITY PULSE , WKTV, DETROIT and ALL POINTS.
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BOTTLED ROYALTY: When is a tax not a tax? When it’s a royalty. Michigan residents would pay 3 to 6 cents more for a bottle of water and bottled water companies would pay 25 cents for each gallon they pump from the ground under a plan to sustain Great Lakes water improvements. The plan by Traverse City-based For Love of Water could put an estimated $250 million a year into an annual water trust fund. The measure would also shift the concept of water as a product to be sold into that of a resource to be protected by the public trust, supporters say. The International Bottled Water Association opposes the idea, saying it’s unfair to put a royalty on water when food is royalty-free. By Cameryn Cass. FOR TRAVERSE CITY, PETOSKEY, LEELANAU, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, CORP! MICHIGAN FARM NEWS, BIG RAPIDS, CLARE COUNTY, LAKE COUNTY AND ALL POINTS.
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RECORDED MEETINGS: Some lawmakers want to require audio recordings at each meeting of a state licensing board, commission panel or rule-making board. A proposed amendment to the Open Meetings Act would require a record of a meeting as audio, video with sound or by a broadcast capable of being recorded. Media groups said such recordings could be an important news gathering tool. But they were proposed after someone lost an appeal of a decision by the Construction Code Commission because a recording was not made. We hear from a Wayland legislator, the Michigan Press and Broadcasters associations, Civil Rights Department and Mackinac Center in Midland. By Kyle Davidson FOR HOLLAND, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, WKTV, CORP!, LANSING CITY PULSE, WKTV and ALL POINTS.
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PEDESTRIAN SAFETY: Even with fewer drivers on the road due to the pandemic, 2020 saw the number of accidents involving pedestrians rise 17%. We talk to officials in Southeast Michigan, Lansing, Traverse City and Charlevoix, as well as the Highway Safety Planning office. References to Lincoln Park, Clarkston, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids and Clawson. By Barbara Bellinger. FOR DETROIT, HARBOR SPRINGS, PETOSKEY, LANSING CITY PULSE, TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU, WKTV and ALL POINTS.
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MENTAL HEALTH HOTLINES: Michigan is turning up the heat on mental health hotlines. One proposal would support first responders going through trauma while another provides support from sufferers of the same mental illness. The proposal comes while the state seeks to establish a three-digit number to access a national suicide prevention number. References to the U.P., Oakland County and Calhoun County. By Cameryn Cass. FOR LANSING CITY PULSE, MARQUETTE, ST. IGNACE, SAULT STE. MARIE, BAY MILLS, CHEBOYGAN and ALL POINTS.
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ELDERLY LGBTQA+: Elderly people from the Michigan LGBTQIA+ community who were raised in hostile environments and experienced health care discrimination are gaining health advocacy and community support. Two projects have been announced to serve their needs. By Vladislava Sukhanovskaya. FOR DETROIT, LANSING CITY PULSE and ALL POINTS
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WOLVES MOOSE: Over 20 years ago, John Vucetich watched a moose on Isle Royale and thought, “I wonder what that moose is thinking?” It’s a question the wildlife ecologist continues to ponder as he studies moose and wolves on the Lake Superior island. The Michigan Tech professor details the behavior of prey and predator and the larger lessons drawn from those observations in a new book. And he raises deep questions about what is a fair relationship between people and wildlife. By Rachel Duckett FOR MARQUETTE, ST. IGNACE, SAULT STE. MARIE, BAY MILLS and ALL POINTS.
w/JohnVucetich photo: Author John Vucetich. Credit: George Desort
w/ Book cover photo A new book looks at the author’s 20 years of studying wolves and moose on Isle Royale.
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ZERO WASTE STORES: Eco-friendly living has led to a surge of low-waste stores that sell everyday items with the lowest environmental impact possible. Environmentally friendly products are criticized as more costly than conventional counterparts, but advocates say there are ways to become more eco-conscious without purchasing new items. We talk to owners of such stores in Lansing, Ontario and Wisconsin. By Gabrielle Ahlborn. FOR LANSING CITY PULSE, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, CORP! AND BUSINESS AND NEWS PAGES OF ALL POINTS.
w/ CLEAN REFILLERY PHOTO: A bulk soap refill station at the Clean Refillery in Lansing allows shoppers to reduce packaging. Credit: Clean Refillery
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GRID RELIABILITY: Increasing numbers of power outages caused by climate-induced weather put pressure on utility companies to strengthen energy grid resilience. The Michigan Public Service Commission is working with utilities, such as providing incentives for Upper Peninsula Power Co. to improve its grid resilience and wants to do the same with DTE and Consumers Energy. We hear from the PSC chair, Lansing-based Citizens Utility Board of Michigan and Highland Park-based energy justice advocacy group. By Kristia Postema. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, DETROIT, CORP!, MARQUETTE, SAULT STE. MARIE, BAY MILLS, ST, IGNACE, CHEBOYGAN and ALL POINTS.
w/GRID RELIABILITY PHOTO: Dan Scripps, chair of the Public Service Commission, said grid reliability is a major concern. Credit: Public Service Commission
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COAST GUARD HISTORY: A prototype Coast Guard steel motor lifeboat that spent most of its 39-year official career on Lake Michigan and at Escanaba has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Now moored on Cayuga Lake in New York’s Finger Lakes, Coast Guard motor lifeboat 40300 conducted search-and-rescue operations near the Door Peninsula and at Escanaba’s Aids to Navigation Station, then was used as an Eastern U.P. Transportation Authority utility boat and icebreaker in Sault Ste. Marie. We talk to the owner and a former transportation authority mechanic. By Eric Freedman. FOR SAULT ST. MARIE, MARQUETTE, ST. IGNACE, CHEBOYGAN, BAY MILLS, TRAVERSE CITY, PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, LEELANAU, MANISTEE, LUDINGTON, BENZIE COUNTY, OCEANA COUNTY, HOLLAND and ALL POINTS.
w/COAST GUARD PHOTO 1: Motor lifeboat CG 40300, docked at Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 2-2 Base in Ithaca, New York, is undergoing restoration. Courtesy photo
w/COAST GUARD PHOTO 2: Motor lifeboat CG 40300 is shown docked in Escanaba in 1975. Credit: Jerry McElroy
w/COAST GUARD PHOTO 3: CG 40300 works the ice on Lake Michigan around 1970. Courtesy photo
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SNOW TRAILS: Some trails are just better in the winter. Like Beaver Creek, a 6.5-mile loop in North Higgins Lake State Park that begins at the Civilian Conservation Corps Museum and extends north to its namesake stream. For news, outdoors and feature sections. By Jim DuFresne. FOR CRAWFORD COUNTY, TRAVERSE CITY, PETOSKEY, ALCONA, CADILLAC, CHEBOYGAN and ALL POINTS.
w/SNOW TRAILS SNOWSHOER PHOTO: A snowshoer uses the trails of North Higgins Lake State Park. Credit: MichiganTrailMaps.com
w/ SNOW TRAILS GROOMED TRAIL PHOTO: The groomed and tracked ski trails are shown at North Higgins Lake State Park. Credit: MichiganTrailMaps.com
w/SNOW TRAILS STATUE PHOTO: This statue pays tribute to the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps at North Higgins Lake State Park. Credit: MichiganTrailMaps.com
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HOLIDAY GIFT BOOKS: Searching for a recent Michigan book as a holiday gift? Here are two prospects, including excerpts from interviews with their authors. The Artisan Herbalist by Bevin Cohen of Sanford is a comprehensive guide to at-home herbalism for beginners through experienced herbalists. The Founding Mothers of Mackinac Island: The Agatha Biddle Band of 1870 by Theresa L. Weller is a history of a highly unusual band of predominantly Native American women who lived on Mackinac Island in the 1800s. For features and news sections. By Eric Freedman. FOR ALL POINTS.
w/HOLIDAY GIFT BOOKS HERBALIST COVER: Credit: Small House Farm
w/HOLIDAY GIFT BOOKS MACKINAC COVER: Credit: Michigan State University Press
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CNS