Public Safety

Pilot program for roadside drug checks proposed

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By AMELIA HAVANEC
Capital News Service
LANSING – For years, police officers have used portable Breathalyzers to check drivers’ blood alcohol level. But there’s never been a portable marijuana-testing equivalent at officers’ disposal, according to Sen. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge. Jones is sponsoring a bill with Sens. Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba, and Mike Nofs, R-Battle Creek, that would allow on-site drug checks. It would authorize State Police to collect Breathalyzer test results and saliva samples during a traffic stop for the duration of a year.

Business & Economy

Push underway to expand fast Internet service in rural areas

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By AMELIA HAVANEC
Capital News Service
LANSING – A vast majority of state residents have access to high-speed Internet, a tool which the global marketplace increasingly relies on, according to the Telecommunication Association of Michigan. Even so, pockets of the state still struggle with slow broadband speeds. “The broadband industry is based on household density,” said Eric Frederick, executive director of Connect Michigan and Connected Nation’s vice president of community affairs. “Broadband providers need a certain number of customers in an area in order to make their build-out of infrastructure profitable.”

Connect Michigan is a nonprofit tech organization that works to expand broadband. At its annual conference this month, speakers pushed for innovative ways to raise the supply and demand for broadband infrastructure in rural areas.

Parks & Recreation

Craft beers reap profits for state

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By AMELIA HAVANEC
Capital News Service
LANSING – Nineteen breweries in the Northwest corner of Michigan’s Mitten are in pursuit of the perfect pint, according to the Michigan Brewers Guild. They stretch from Mason to Emmet counties and are just a sampling of beer’s impact throughout the state. With 159 breweries, Michigan ranks sixth in the nation, according to the Brewers Association, an American trade group that promotes craft beer. And more Michigan beer aficionados are converting their home-brewing hobbies into careers. Dutch Girl Brewery in Ottawa County, a husband-and-wife run craft brewery, recently passed its 90-day anniversary.

Health

Finally, obesity rates take hike downward

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By AMELIA HAVANEC
Capital News Service
LANSING – New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that the high rate of obese adults nationally is finally steadying from an upward climb since the 1990s, and Michigan is no exception. The portion of Michigan adults estimated to be obese in 2014 was 30.7 percent, the lowest it’s been since 2010. Sanilac, Saginaw and Chippewa counties are the most obese, while Ottawa, Washtenaw and Oakland are the least, according to the CDC. “Our most recent Community Health Needs Assessment, compiled earlier this year, identifies obesity as a significant health issue for the area we serve surrounding Ludington,” said Bill Kerans, marketing coordinator of Spectrum Health Medical Group in Ludington. “Two thirds – 67.6 percent – of adults in our service area are considered overweight (33.5 percent) or obese (34.1 percent) based on their BMI.

Education

Fight continues over nursing degrees

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By AMELIA HAVANEC
Capital News Service
LANSING – A disputed education bill would allow Michigan’s community colleges to compete for the same nursing students who would otherwise enroll at a traditional four-year program in the state. The bill, stalled in the Senate for more than three months, would allow the state’s 28 community colleges to award four-year bachelor of science degrees in nursing, called BSNs. An associate degree in nursing takes two years to complete, but an increasing number of hospitals now require the BSN as an entry-level credential, said Michael Hansen, president of the Michigan Community College Association. The extra two years needed to earn a BSN are primarily classroom-focused in areas such as health policy and leadership. “It puts a lot of burden and pressure on students that maybe live in Alpena, Traverse City or Benton Harbor and don’t have access to a four-year provider and would like to get their BSN at a local community college for a quarter of the cost,” Hansen said.

Environment

Salmon face spawning season challenges

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By AMELIA HAVANEC
Capital News Service
LANSING – Every fall, thousands of chinook and coho salmon return to northern Michigan rivers to spawn, counted at state collection sites in Manistee County and Traverse City. But this year’s fishing season has its own set of challenges – a balancing act between weather and food supply has gone off-kilter – with fewer salmon as a consequence. “From what we’re seeing, it’s looking like a pretty low year,” said Edward Eisch, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) acting fish production manager. Salmon fishing has been part of a 50-year saga since Pacific salmon were introduced to Lake Michigan in the mid-1960s. To alleviate the environmental impacts of exotic and invasive fish in the Great Lakes, fisheries increased the number of Pacific salmon that would feed on rainbow smelt and alewives, according to Randy Claramunt, a DNR fisheries research biologist based in Charlevoix.

Agriculture

Farm workers face perils in grain bins, silos

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By AMELIA HAVANEC
Capital News Service
LANSING – As farmers move grain from harvested fields to large cylindrical silos and bins, these traditional agricultural symbols can become death traps for farmers. At least 38 grain storage structure incidents occurred throughout the country last year – up 15 percent since 2013 – and 17 of the 38 cases were fatal, according to the Agricultural Safety and Health Program at Purdue University. Two of the incidents happened in Michigan, including the death of 30-year-old Eric Rodman, who was engulfed by soybeans after falling into a rail car at the Andersons Grain Group in St. Joseph County. In the other incident, 67-year-old Mike Thrams was trapped inside a grain bin in Branch County, where flowing corn rose to his diaphragm.

Business & Economy

Teachers see need for more computer courses

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By AMELIA HAVANEC
Capital News Service
LANSING –There’s no doubt: a computer science career can be a lucrative one. Just last year, 248 new technology companies cropped up throughout Michigan, amassing $770 million in private investment, according to the Michigan Economic Development Corp. Check Michigan’s job boards and you’ll find more than 15,000 openings looking for a set of computing skills. Not all of those jobs belong to technology companies. In fact, more than half are found across various industries.