Week 14 – 4/28/23
CNS Budget
To: CNS Editors
From: David Poulson and Judy Putnam
http://news.jrn.msu.edu/capitalnewsservice/
Welcome to the fourteenth CNS file of the spring 2023 semester. This is our last regular file of the semester. Next week we will move a special bonus package of stories that previously moved but that you may not have used yet.
We look forward to returning in the fall with new correspondents and new stories.
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:
CHILD CARE: Running for office is demanding but even harder when you have a young child. Proposed legislation by Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, and Rep. Rachel Hood, D-Grand Rapids. would make child care a legitimate campaign contribution expense. Chang is the first state senator to give birth in office. By Dan Netter. For DETROIT, GRAND RAPIDS AND ALL POINTS.
–
ORGAN DONORS: April 15 won’t just be a tax deadline if proposed legislation passes. Michigan tax filers may soon be asked to check a box on whether they would like to donate their organs. If approved, it would be a first for Michigan and a first for the U.S. The need for organ donors is great. We talk to the Gift of Life of Michigan and the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan. By Sophia Brandt. FOR NEWS AND HEALTH PAGES OF ALL POINTS.
–
FOOD BANK SURGE: Additional federal food assistance for low-income people ended at the end of February, driving more people to turn to food banks and pantries. The assistance had been provided as part of federal relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. Local food banks are feeling the pinch as an increasing number of low-income residents turn to them by Samuel Blatchford. We interview food bank administrators for Detroit, Lansing and Barry, Branch, Calhoun, Jackson, Lenawee, Hillsdale, Kalamazoo and St. Joseph counties. By Samuel Blatchford. FOR ALL POINTS
–
PLANES: Air travel is surging post-pandemic and so are prices. Michigan airport managers are among those nationwide attempting to handle what could be record demand this summer. At the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport, Delta Airlines is bringing in bigger planes with more seats. Flint’s Bishop International Airport reports increased demand since the airport became a hub for Allegiant Airlines. Travel experts recommend booking summer travel three months in advance. By Samuel Blatchford. FOR BUSINESS AND NEWS SECTIONS OF ALL POINTS.
–
TICKS: Deer ticks that can transmit Lyme disease are already widespread in Michigan and the mild winter could spell deep trouble this season. But health officials say don’t let it discourage you from enjoying the outdoors – just take precautions. We talk to a supervising sanitarian at the Kent County Health Department who regularly checks areas for ticks and a medical entomologist with the state. By Morgan Womack. FOR HOLLAND, LANSING, MARQUETTE, BAY MILLS, ST. IGNACE, SAULT STE. MARIE AND ALL POINTS.
W/TICKS MAP: Credit: The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
–
CROWDED DETROIT: A record number of highly attended sporting and entertainment events scheduled this summer is good news for the Detroit economy. But out-of-towners may struggle to find a nearby place to stay the night or an easy way to get around town. Tourism officials say more rooms are needed for Detroit to take the next big step as a destination city. By Andrew Roth. FOR DETROIT, CORP! AND BUSINESS AND NEWS PAGES OF ALL POINTS.
–
LEARNING AFTER COVID: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants more tutors to help students catch up after the pandemic but some advocates question whether that’s enough. More help for mental health is also required, they say. We talk to a Kalamazoo parent, a teacher at Detroit Virtual School and the Michigan Education Justice Coalition. By Jaden Beard. FOR DETROIT AND ALL POINTS.
–
YOUTH EMPLOYMENT: Greg Davis hires a couple teenagers every summer to work at his Lake View Motel and Gift Shop in Lake City. The local Tasty Twist ice cream shop in this tourist town hires 20 to 30. “I don’t think we have any choice,” Davis said. But Michigan’s teen labor force has declined each year for two decades. In 2000, the share of teenagers ages 16 to 19 in the workforce was just under 62%. By 2022, the rate declined to just over 41%. A declining population of that age group and increasing school enrollment are two reasons for the strain on seasonal businesses that depend on the influx of teens into the summer workforce. We.By Jack Timothy Harrison. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, CORP!, CADILLAC AND ALL BUSINESS PAGES
–
POST-PANDEMIC BUSINESS: Hours of operation, the labor force, services and even a business’ physical shape were altered during the COVID pandemic. Don’t expect them to go back anytime soon. We talk to business experts who see some of these changes solidifying into the new normal for doing business in Michigan. We talk to officials at the Small Business Association of Michigan and Michigan Retailers Association. By Andrew Roth. FOR BUSINESS AND NEWS PAGES OF ALL POINTS.
–
NURSE EXAMINERS: Michigan needs more nurses trained to treat patients traumatized by sexual assault. Advocates of victims want to expand a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program to help them treat victims facing short-term crises and long-term consequences of sexual violence. By Maggie George. FOR ALL POINTS
–
HIGH SPEED RAIL: Plans for high-speed rail connecting Detroit and Ann Arbor to Traverse City and Petoskey are chugging along. A Traverse City nonprofit is studying the possibility of using existing freight lines for passenger travel, a necessary step in the process. Some say the Democratic majority in the Legislature could help and signs indicate the Whitmer administration is on board. By Andrew Roth. FOR DETROIT, TRAVERSE CITY, PETOSKEY AND BUSINESS AND NEWS PAGES OF ALL POINTS.
–
CNS