Aug. 8, 2023
To: CNS Editors
From: Eric Freedman
http://news.jrn.msu.edu/capitalnewsservice/
Welcome to the 2nd summer 2023 package of Michigan-focused environmental and health stories in collaboration with our partner Great Lakes Echo.
CNS looks forward to serving you with new correspondents and new stories in the fall of 2023.
For technical problems, contact CNS technical manager Eryn Ho at (616) 485-9295, hoeryn@msu.edu.
For other matters, contact Eric Freedman at (517) 256-3873; freedma5@msu.edu
Here is your file:
INVASIVE CARP: A coalition of organizations is developing an innovative engineering project south of Chicago to block invasive carp from reaching Lake Michigan. The $1.146 billion project, paid for by Michigan, Illinois and the federal government is meant to help prevent catastrophic damage to the $7 billion Great Lakes fishery and prevent untold disruption to the $15 billion boating industry. There’s also concern about grass carp in Lake Erie. We hear from U-M, the Army Corps of Engineers and Ohio DNR. By Vladislava Sukhanovskya. FOR MONROE, ALPENA, ALCONA, ST. IGNACE, MARQUETTE, BAY MILLS, DETROIT, IRON RIVER, CHEBOYGAN, PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, MANISTEE, LUDINGTON, HOLLAND, BENZIE COUNTY, CHEBOYGAN, OCEANA COUNTY, TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU, PLANET DETROIT, SAULT STE. MARIE AND ALL POINTS.
w/INVASIVE CARP PATHWAYS: 18 aquatic pathways between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins. Credit: Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study.
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HEALTH CARE COMMENTARY: There’s nothing like almost dying to wake you up to the multiple realities of America’s health care system. Lessons learned about inequalities in access to and affordably of health care. Commentary. By Eric Freedman. FOR ALL POINTS.
w/ERIC FREEDMAN PHOTO: Credit: Michigan State University
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WORLD’S OLDEST CHICKEN: Marsi Darwin noticed one of her hen’s eggs hadn’t hatched and had gone cold. She knew rotten eggs would attract unwanted animals, so she carried it to the pond to throw it away where it would become food for fish and turtles. But as she raised her arm to pitch the egg into the water, she thought she heard a chirp – she listened closer, and sure enough, there was a living chick inside the egg. Now the Chelsea resident is the proud owner of Peanut, certified by Guinness World Records, as the oldest chicken on the planet. By Jack Armstrong. FOR MICHIGAN FARM NEWS AND ALL POINTS.
w/OLDEST CHICKEN PHOTO 1: Peanut, a 21-year-old chicken, struts across the Darwin family’s farm in Chelsea, Michigan. Peanut was recently verified to be the world’s oldest living chicken. Photo courtesy of Marsi Darwin
w/OLDEST CHICKEN PHOTO 2: Marsi Darwin poses with Peanut, the world’s oldest chicken. Darwin estimates Peanut’s birthday is around May 1, making her 21 years old. Photo courtesy of Marsi Darwin
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RENAMING: The Department of Natural Resources is taking the final step to eliminate an offensive term for Native American women from the name of a boat launch in Oakland County. DNR’s Parks and Recreation Division is removing the word “squaw” from the name of the boat launch in Oxford Township. It will be called the Paint Lake DNR Boat Launch. We talk to the department and the executive director of the United Tribes of Michigan. By Ashley Zhou. FOR DETROIT AND ALL POINTS.
w/RENAMING PHOTO: The state is finalizing a name change to remove the word ‘squaw’ from the name of a lake and boat launch in northern Oakland County. The sites are to be known as ‘Paint Lake.’ Credit: Shutterstock
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GREAT LAKES SHIPPING: Great Lakes shipping continues its long-term decline, according to a report from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, with changes in the region’s steel industry largely responsible for the trend. There are some positive developments, including rising demand for sand and cement for infrastructure projects and work on the new Soo lock. Ports handling at least one million tons of a commodity annually include Alpena, Rogers City and Marquette. By Eric Freedman. FOR MONROE, ALPENA, ALCONA, ST. IGNACE, MARQUETTE, BAY MILLS, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, IRON RIVER, CHEBOYGAN, PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, MANISTEE, SAULT STE. MARIE, DETROIT, MICHIGAN FARM NEWS, LUDINGTON, HOLLAND, BENZIE COUNTY, CHEBOYGAN, OCEANA COUNTY, TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU AND ALL POINTS.
w/GREAT LAKES SHIPPING PHOTO: Ships iced in at Whitefish Bay on Lake Superior in March 2022. Credit: Lake Carriers’ Association.
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BOTTLE LAW: – A temporary ban on returning bottles and cans for deposits early in the pandemic may have caused long-lasting changes to the recycling habits of state residents. Michigan’s return rate on bottles and cans, which stood at nearly 89% before the pandemic, has plummeted below 76%. That’s worrying environmentalists and businesses, including recycling companies that rely on a steady stream of aluminum and glass. And it’s fueled a renewed debate about whether the state’s once-revered bottle bill is due for an update. We talk to the Schupan Recycling, Michigan Environmental Council and the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. By Ashley Zhou. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS AND ALL POINTS.
w/BOTTLE LAW PHOTO: Aluminum cans and bottles are pressed into bricks of recyclable material, waiting to be shipped and formed into new beverage containers. Credit: Ashley Zhou.
CNS