Week 13 – 4/21/23
CNS Budget
To: CNS Editors
From: David Poulson and Judy Putnam
http://news.jrn.msu.edu/capitalnewsservice/
Welcome to the thirteenth CNS file of the spring 2023 semester.
For technical problems, contact CNS technical manager Eryn Ho at (616) 485-9295, hoeryn@msu.edu.
For other matters, contact David Poulson at (517) 899 1640; poulsondavid@gmail.com
Here is your file:
ACCESSIBILITY: More all-terrain wheelchairs will be added to state parks, making the outdoors more accessible to people with disabilities. Parks in Emmet, Berrien and Crawford counties will feature the wheelchairs this summer. That brings the total to 14. Holland, Grand Haven and Ludington already have them. We talk to a Department of Natural Resources official, three nonprofits including one in Coopersville and the Friends of Island Lake in Brighton. By Sophia Brandt. FOR ST. IGNACE, HARBOR SPRINGS, CHEBOYGAN, CRAWFORD COUNTY AVALANCHE, HOLLAND, LUDINGTON, GRAND RAPIDS, WKTV AND ALL POINTS
W/ACCESSIBILITY PHOTO: With the addition of three new all-terrain wheelchairs, the total number of such wheelchairs at Michigan state parks will be 14. Credit: Michigan Department of Natural Resources
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INCARCERATION: Michigan’s correction budget remains high, even though the prison population has dropped from 52,000 in 2007 to 33,000 in 2021. We speak with prison officials, a prisoner advocacy organization and a state budget analyst. By Maggie George. FOR ALL POINTS
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CROPS: Recent extreme swings in temperature that had folks breaking out their winter coats again could harm Michigan crops. We talk to the state climatologist, a Grand Traverse County winemaker and an Alpena County strawberry farmer. By Dan Netter. FOR FARM NEWS, TRAVERSE CITY, OCEANA, ALPENA, LUDINGTON, HOLLAND, PLANET DETROIT, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, WKTV, CORP! AND ALL POINTS
W/CROPS PHOTO: One winemaker in northern Michigan is concerned about the recent wild swing in temperature affecting the cherry crop this year. Credit: Flickr/Edward Metlinov
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AUTISM AWARENESS: State health agencies and advocates are providing more resources to address autism, the nation’s fastest-growing disability. About 50,000 people in Michigan have autism. Some experts say that rising diagnoses of the illness could mean there are improved ways of recognizing and defining it. We talk to the Disability Network of Michigan, a state Medicaid official, and the director of a Grand Valley State University autism program. By Jack Timothy Harrison. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, WKTV, SAULT STE. MARIE AND ALL POINTS.
W/SAULT STE. MARIE PHOTO: The START Project at Grand Valley State University’s Autism Education Center works with students across the state, including these students at Sault Ste Marie High School. Credit: Kellie Fitzgerald.
W/AMY MATTHEWS PHOTO: Amy Matthews, director of the START Project at Grand Valley State University’s Autism Education Center, speaks at one of its conferences. Credit: Kellie Fitzgerald.
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TRAINS: Michigan railroad passengers are getting an improved ride thanks to upgraded coaches on three Michigan routes. The improvements include wider aisles, free Wi-Fi and antennas on every car, fold-down dining trays, power USB ports on all the seats, reading lamps for each seat, triple capacity for bike storage and increased storage capacity for luggage. Nineteen new coaches have been in use for Michigan routes for a few months. The cars cost around $2.7 million each By Sam Blatchford. FOR ALL POINTS
w/TRAINS PHOTO: Amtrak has rolled out 19 new Venture coaches on its three Michigan routes. Credit: Michigan Department of Transportation
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ENVIRONMENTAL BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP: State and private partnerships and sponsorships could help parks and meet other environmental needs while boosting the economy. We talk to DNR officials, the Michigan Outdoor Recreation Industry Office, the Michigan Environmental Council and the Great Lakes Business Network. By Jack Timothy Harrison FOR CORP!, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS AND BUSINESS AND NEWS PAGES OF ALL POINTS
W/ENVIRONMENTAL PHOTO: Downwind Sports in Munising offers outdoor gear and equipment. Credit: Pure Michigan
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BIRDS AT RISK: Michigan officials recently took six birds off of the states’ endangered and threatened species list. But it added seven other species. The last time the list was updated was in 2009. We talk to a conservation manager for the Audubon Society and a state endangered species specialist. By Vladislava Sukhanovskaya. FOR ALPENA, BAY MILLS, CHEBOYGAN, LEELANAU, OCEANA, PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, LUDINGTON, HOLLAND, MARQUETTE, IRON MOUNTAIN, ST. IGNACE, SAULT STE. MARIE, TRAVERSE CITY AND ALL POINTS.
W/TERNMOM: Erin Ford, the conservation manager at Audubon Great Lakes, bands chicks while their mother sits on the head of her assistant, Jenni Fuller, at Wigwam Bay State Wildlife Area in Michigan. Image: David Fuller.
W/PLATE: Money from the Kirtland Warbler license plate goes to the Michigan Nongame Fish and Wildlife Trust Fund. Credit: State of Michigan
w/WARBLER: The Kirtland Warbler was downlisted from endangered to threatened. Image: Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
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SCUBA DIVERS: “Drink ‘em and sink ‘em” was the practice of fishermen who threw their beer and pop cans and bottles into the Great Lakes over 40 years ago. Scuba divers, who have helped clean up cans and bottles at the bottoms of the Great Lakes, are now turning their attention to keeping plastic water bodies out of the lakes. By Daniel Schoenherr. FOR MARQUETTE, BAY MILLS, CHEBOYGAN, SAULT STE. MARIE, ST. IGNACE, HARBOR SPRINGS, TRAVERSE CITY, BENZIE, MANISTEE, LUDINGTON, OCEANA, ALCONA, CHEBOYGAN and ALL POINTS.
W/BATTERY PHOTO: Don Fassbender and Kevin Ailes recover trash that has been underwater for decades. This car battery found in Marquette Harbor dates back to the 1950s. Credit: Don Fassbender
W/CANS PHOTO: Many divers carry a junk bag to pick up trash they come across. Credit: Don Fassbender
W/SHIPWRECK PHOTO: One of the most dangerous trash items divers encounter is fishing line. They can drown if they get tangled in fishing line stuck to debris and shipwrecks. Credit: Kevin Ailes for the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
W/TIRE PHOTO: A common trash item found in Great Lakes harbors are tires once used as bumpers for docking boats. Credit: Don Fassbender
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DECARBONIZATION: Lake Superior’s five national parks are getting an environmental boost from organizations aiming to bring solar power and electric vehicles to them. Carbon neutrality is the goal. By Genevieve Fox. FOR MARQUETTE, BAY MILLS, CHEBOYGAN, SAULT STE. MARIE, ST. IGNACE, HARBOR SPRINGS, TRAVERSE CITY, BENZIE, MANISTEE, LUDINGTON, OCEANA, ALCONA, CHEBOYGAN and ALL POINTS.
W/DECARBONIZE MAP: All five of Lake Superior’s National Parks are getting solar panels and electric vehicles. Credit: National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation.
W/MOOSE ON ISLE ROYALE: Isle Royale is known for its isolation and primitive wilderness. CREDIT: Steve De Neef.
W/GRAND PORTAGE WATERFALL: Visitors to Grand Portage National Monument explore theAmerican fur trade and the stories told by Native Americans. Credit:: National Parks of LakeSuperior Foundation.
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