Agriculture

Some want Michigan to regulate septic tanks to protect water quality 

By |

SEPTIC: Environmental groups are again pushing the Legislature to adopt a statewide sanitary code that would include mandatory inspections of septic systems. Leaking systems can contaminate groundwater, lakes and rivers, causing health problems and deterring water-related recreation. Sponsors include lawmakers from East Grand Rapids, Troy, Detroit, Holt, Walker, St. Joseph and Livonia. We talk to the Michigan Environmental Council, Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council and a Montmorency County homeowner with a septic tank. By Elijah Taub. FOR MICHIGAN FARM NEWS, MONTMORENCY, ALPENA, PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, CHEBOYGAN, DETROIT, GREENVILLE, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, FOWLERVILLE, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS AND ALL POINTS.

Agriculture

Feds warn Michigan to improve speed, accuracy of food assistance program

By |

SNAP DELAYS: USDA has criticized Michigan for delays and errors in handling applications for SNAP food benefits for low-income residents. One result is increased demand on already-stressed food banks. Whitmer and the governors of neighboring Ohio and Indiana have received warning letters from Washington. We talk to the Food Bank Council of Michigan and the National Center for Budget and Policy. By Alex Walters. FOR DETROIT, MICHIGAN FARM NEWS, HILLSDALE, COLDWATER, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, MONROE, BLISSFIELD, ADRIAN, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS.

Business & Economy
Alcona County Prosecutor Thomas Weichel.

Prosecutors say low salaries, staff shortages, contribute to delays, backlogs

By |

PROSECUTOR SHORTAGE: Some counties are facing a shortage of prosecutors, resulting in delayed trials and a backlog of cases. Low salaries are a major factor. Prosecutors from Leelanau, Alcona, Kalkaska and Houghton counties and a national expert who has studied the Michigan situation explain. By Anish Topowala. FOR IRON MOUNTAIN, MARQUETTE, SAULT STE. MARIE, LEELANAU, TRAVERSE CITY, ALCONA, ALPENA, CADILLAC, CRAWFORD COUNTY AND ALL POINTS.

Business & Economy
Sen. Rosemary Bayer, D-West Bloomfield, is cosponsoring a bill to empower the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy to regulate new chemicals in water.

Michigan hasn’t updated list of dangerous toxins in nearly 20 years. That might change

By |

TOXINS: The state has been stymied in adding new toxic chemicals to the list of those it can regulate in Michigan waters. Lawmakers from West Bloomfield and Northfield Township want to restore that authority to the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. We hear from EGLE, the Farm Bureau and the Michigan Environmental Council. By Theo Scheer. FOR MICHIGAN FARM NEWS, DETROIT, PLANET DETROIT, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS AND ALL POINTS.

Ingham County

Potter Park Zoo paves the path for accessible recreation in Ingham County

By |

Potter Park Zoo, which is managed by Ingham County, has been paving the way for greater accessibility features for establishments and fostering an inclusive environment.

Located right between Downtown Lansing and East Lansing, the zoo has continuously been establishing programs and amenities that benefit anyone with any type of disability to take advantage of in order to experience the zoo at its fullest potential.

Business & Economy

Young adults find it hard to avoid sports betting

By |

Since 2019, one of the fastest-growing industries in the United States has been the sports gambling industry. According to the American Gaming Association, $119.8 billion was wagered on sports in 2023 across the United States. When the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018, the legalization of sports gambling across the country began. As of 2024, 38 states have legalized sports gambling. Twenty-eight of those states have also legalized online sports gambling. One of those states is Michigan.

Business & Economy

Michigan has 43 stores on ATF list for selling the most guns used in crimes

By |

CRIME GUNS: Dozens of Michigan businesses are on a national list of stores that sell the most guns used in crimes, highlighting what gun control advocates say is an unaddressed part of violence prevention. Many are in Metro Detroit and the Grand Rapids and Flint areas, including one in Wyoming. We talk to an ex-ATF agent affiliated with a Crimestoppers group in Genesee County and with two gun control advocacy groups. By Theo Scheer. FOR DETROIT, GREENVILLE, WKTV AND ALL POINTS.

Business & Economy

Michigan lags in preventing tobacco use but more funds, new laws could change that

By |

TOBACCO MONEY: Michigan isn’t doing well in its anti-tobacco initiatives and spending, the American Lung Association says. The governor wants to boost spending, and some lawmakers want tighter controls over the sale of tobacco products. We talked to Health & Human Services, the Michigan unit of the American Cancer Society and an East Lansing lawmaker. Includes references to anti-tobacco programs by groups in Detroit and Grand Rapids and legislators from Metro Detroit and Flint. By Liz Nass. FOR DETROIT, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, GREENVILLE, LANSING CITY PULSE, WKTV AND ALL POINTS.

Business & Economy
Salaries of the presidents of four private colleges in Michigan.

Pay for private college presidents on the rise, including in Michigan

By |

PRIVATE PRESIDENTS: How well paid are the presidents of Michigan’s largest private colleges and universities with annual budgets of $100 million or more? We look at Hope, Hillsdale, University of Detroit Mercy and the Homer Stryker School of Medicine at Western Michigan University. They made between $1,137,144 and $306,993 in 2021, according to a new analysis by the Chronicle of Higher Education. Story also references Baker College with its five campuses. We talk to a U-D Mercy faculty leader, the Hope student body president and a national expert. By Alex Walters. FOR HOLLAND, HILLSDALE, DETROIT, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, CADILLAC AND ALL POINTS.