Capital News Service

Beach safety enforcement: too much or too little?

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BEACH SAFETY: Two pieces of legislation are making waves with different approaches to beach safety in Michigan state parks. One would stop the Department of Natural Resources from enforcing temporary swim bans when water and current conditions are dangerous. The other would expand that authority to ban use of beaches near dangerous or polluted water. By Danielle James. FOR HOLLAND, LUDINGTON, TRAVERSE CITY, PETOSKEY, SAINT IGNACE, MARQUETTE, CHEBOYGAN, MANISTEE, OCEANA, BENZIE COUNTY, ALCONA, SAULT STE. MARIE, LEELANAU, HARBOR SPRINGS AND ALL POINTS.

Arts & Entertainment

EMU, Oakland universities eyed for baseball league — if booze is OKed

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LIQUOR LICENSE: Eastern Michigan University and Oakland University could get new summer baseball leagues, but only if new legislation passes that allows the schools to get liquor licenses. Mothers Against Drunk Driving expressed concern about adding alcohol to the university campuses but supporters say it could make good use of underutilized facilities, generate revenue and add entertainment. We talk to Oakland University director of athletics, a state association of universities and MADD. By Danielle James. FOR DETROIT, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, TRAVERSE CITY and ALL POINTS.

Article
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson holds a press conference to discuss her 30-minute guarantee on Dec. 12, 2019.

Secretary of state warns Michigan could be last to report in 2020 election

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East Lansing’s November 2019 election was a small preview. More than 1,000 people registered to vote on Election Day, and the city experienced a 20% increase in absentee ballots.

There are concerns for higher-profile elections such as the state’s March 10 presidential primary. Michigan’s new laws allow no-reason absentee voting, Election Day registration and automatic registration when people apply for a state ID.

News

2020’s new voters are already thinking

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Nearly 2,000 student journalists gathered for the fall conference of the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association at the Lansing Center on Oct. 31. 

Many of the students attending were seniors and will graduate in the next year. With the upcoming 2020 election, they will also have the chance to vote for the first time. The issues that motivate them are as varied as they are for any generation. Diversity

Maia Rostar, Plainwell High School: “I am voting because I would like to see change.

News
Emma Bunker is a clerk for the Lansing branch of the Capital Area District Library.

Capital Area District Libraries offer so much more than books

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The Mason branch of the Capital Area District Libraries is home to a host of books, movies and audiobooks, as well as a full roster of weekly programs. It is also where youth services librarian Lindsay Anderson spends her days trying to change the way people view libraries.

News

International Students and the News Back Home

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EAST LANSING, Mich.  ⎻ In the city of East Lansing, almost 8,000 miles away from her hometown, Michigan State University sophomore Hallie Tsui tunes in to what marks another day of protesting in her home territory of Hong Kong. 

Sophomore student Hallie Tsui “tends to closely follow political news.” “It’s just slowly escalated,” Tsui said. “Protests have been going on every day for 100 days now.”

The unrest is due to a recent bill that would allow China to extradite alleged criminals from Hong Kong.  “Protests began after a man killed his girlfriend in Taiwan and was hiding in Hong Kong.” Tsui said. “China wanted to extradite him, but people protested because conditions in China are very poor and civil rights laws are not very good.”

The bill could lead to an increase in control for the Chinese government over Hong Kong, which currently governs its own internal affairs, critics say.