Government

Invisible, unemployed, more women vets homeless

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BY JENNIFER CHEN
Capital News Service
LANSING – A growing number of female veterans in the state are living in the streets or homeless shelters, according to the Michigan Women’s Commission. About 45,400 female veterans live in Michigan, according to the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics. Michigan has no specific program targeting homeless female veterans, but efforts are being made to improve their access to all programs, said Susy Avery, executive director of the commission. A rough estimate of homeless veterans in the state is 4,000, but there is no data on female ones, said Angela Simpson, deputy public affairs officer for the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. Nationally, the number of female veterans doubled from 4 to 8 percent between 1990 and 2010.

Government

Transit officials worry about federal funding change

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By SAODAT ASANOVA-TAYLOR
Capital News Service
LANSING – County transportation authorities are criticizing a federal bill they say could hurt state mass transit funding by putting it on year-to-year life cycle. They have called on U.S Rep. Dave Camp, R-Midland, to send the plan back to the drawing board. The bill would withdraw fuel tax revenue for the mass transit fund from the Federal Highway Trust Fund and allow the money to be used for general transportation purposes on an annual rather than five-year cycle. According to Camp’s office, it would provide the same funding sources for mass transit, and the change means that the account could earn more interest than now. However, as written, critics say the federal bill does not clarify whether change would generate the amount of money.

Agriculture

State pushes to recruit farm workers

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By JENNIFER CHEN
Capital News Service
LANSING – The state is urging farmers to use its recruitment system to find migrant and seasonal labor to harvest such crops as cucumbers, cherries and strawberries. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Workforce Development Agency are promoting what they say is the underused Agricultural Recruitment System. The push to find workers through centralized job postings comes despite the state’s high jobless rate. The number of unemployed people in the state is 431,490, which is 0.8 percent higher than the national rate, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But agricultural employment specialists say the farmers are still seeking seasonal labor.

Health

Child abuse rate among the highest in Cheboygan County

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BY JENNIFER CHEN
Capital News Service
LANSING – More children are facing abuse and neglect in the state due to unemployment and reduced incomes, with the situation worst in Cheboygan County, according to a social welfare advocacy group. More than 32,000 children statewide were reported as abused or neglected in 2010 — a 34 percent increase from a decade ago. Cheboygan is among the top three leading counties with abuse reports, with almost five out of every 100 children confirmed abused in 2010, according to the Michigan League for Human Services. “Substance abuse and limited resources would be the main reasons for child abuse and neglect in Cheboygan,” said Debra Turnbull, the coordinator of Cheboygan County Child Advocacy Council. “Cheboygan is a small rural community with limited resources,” she said.

Health

Views split on merging substance abuse, mental health services

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By SAODAT ASANOVA-TAYLOR
Capital News Service
LANSING – Some health specialists question a legislative proposal to merge public substance abuse and mental health services. They say the measure could reduce access to local services, especially in the rural areas of Northern Michigan, and can hurt urban communities, such as Oakland County. Rep. Earl Poleski, R-Jackson, the primary sponsor of the bills, said mergers would save administrative costs and improve services to individuals who have substance abuse and mental health problems.
“It is an important step to improve access to mental health care for folks with addiction, if they need them. Also, it will potentially improve health care services under a single entity and potentially save money that could be used for further treatment.”
Currently substance abuse agencies treat patients with drug and alcohol addiction. Community mental heath agencies treat of mental illnesses.

Business & Economy

A study promotes teleworking, flexible job schedules

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BY JENNIFER CHEN
Capital News Service
LANSING – Even without a rigid 8-to-5 working schedule, employees in the state could be more productive – with higher job satisfaction, according to a new report from a group that encourages telecommuting. “Teleworking, enabled by broadband, allows employees the flexibility to work from home when needed, save their budgets on gas and increase productivity by reducing many interruptions to workflow as often experienced in the offices,” said Eric Frederick, program manager at Connect Michigan. “It also entices younger generations to continue living in the state after graduation.”
Connect Michigan is a nonprofit organization leading the effort to increase high-speed Internet access to ensure the state’s competitiveness in a global economy. It is a partner of the Public Service Commission. A number of employers such as Bronson Healthcare Group in Kalamazoo have been offering flexible work hours to some employees for several years.

Education

More districts face deficits, scramble to avoid takeover

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By SAODAT ASANOVA–TAYLOR
Capital News Service
LANSING – The number of Michigan school districts with budget deficits grew by five in the last year. Some districts mired in long-term crisis asked for emergency managers but others are making strong efforts to avoid state takeover. Meanwhile, Gov. Rick Snyder has appointed an emergency manager for Highland Park City Schools following the school board’s failure to balance a budget deficit that increased from $6.6 to $11.3 million in one year. Snyder said, “Over the last several weeks, I have grown increasingly concerned about the district’s ability to complete the school year without significant assistance and intervention. The welfare of the students attending Highland Park schools is our number-one priority.”

Business & Economy

Innovators with tech ideas can get new state money

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BY JENNIFER CHEN
Capital News Service
LANSING – A new fund has been launched to attract technology innovation projects for making state government better serve its citizens. Gov. Rick Snyder has created a board to manage nearly $2.5 million form the general fund in loans to advance technology within government departments. “We’re now taking Michigan to the next level by providing start-up funding to encourage greater innovation and efficiency,” Snyder said. “These improvements will lead to new best practices that will drive Michigan’s success in the global economy.”
It would be the first such program in the country and allows government to integrate at both state and local levels. The funds will be loans for selected projects, according to Kurt Weiss, public information officer for the Department of Technology, Management and Budget.

Government

Tax repeal would hit some counties harder

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By SAODAT ASANOVA -TAYLOR
Capital News Service
LANSING – While lawmakers consider repealing the personal property tax on business, some officials in Northern and Southeast Michigan endorse the proposal while others argue that it will cause a major reduction to local government budgets. Rep. Frank Foster, R-Pellston, said he supports the concept. “Businesses are the ones who bring more money to the state,” he said. “It is necessary to build a proper investment climate to attract new businesses.”
According to Foster, manufacturers would benefit the most, as they have to pay the tax on machinery and all other equipment. Elimination of the tax would mean that they save money to purchase additional equipment and hire more people, he said.

Education

State change allows educational alcohol consumption

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Editors: For localization potential note list of community colleges with culinary and hospitality programs at end of story
By SAM INGLOT
Capital News Service
LANSING– Michigan community college and university students can now have alcohol in class. That doesn’t mean students can crack open a beer in the middle of math. Gov. Rick Snyder recently signed into law a bill that allows accredited culinary or hospitality business programs to serve alcohol on campus. But the occasion must help students learn more about the industry. Before the law some colleges couldn’t host events that served alcohol as part of instruction because Michigan liquor laws prohibit alcohol from being served on state-owned land.