Agriculture

Farmers uninterested in renting land for bioenergy crops

By |

By JACK NISSEN
Capital News Service
LANSING — When Scott Swinton, an agriculture, food and resource economics professor at Michigan State University, asked landowners if they’d be interested in renting their land for bioenergy crops, the initial response was unexpected. “The first thing we found was that a number of people that we sent questionnaires to were hoping MSU was secretly trying to find people they could rent land from to grow bioenergy crops,” Swinton said. “I got scores of phone calls from people telling me they would love to rent their land to MSU if we were interested.”
But that wasn’t what Swinton was looking for. Instead, he was trying to study the willingness of farmers to rent land that isn’t used for crops. Turns out, farmers weren’t so interested in the prospect of renting out their land.

Business & Economy

Local governments seek help to regain big box tax revenue

By |

By CHAO YAN
Capital News Service
LANSING — Local governments continue to fight recent changes in valuing commercial properties that they say have cost them $100 million in lost tax revenue since 2013. The problem, according to local officials and some lawmakers, is that the state’s Tax Tribunal is using methods to assess “big-box” retailers like Target and Menard’s based on sales of similar, vacant properties, often called “dark stores,” whose true value is not reflected. That’s a shift from evaluating a store’s tax value based on more complete factors such as the cost of constructing the building and the amount of income it generates. Now, big retailers are appealing assessments and winning big tax breaks across the state. Rep. David Maturen, R-Vicksburg, and dozens of co-sponsors are again pushing to solve the issue by insisting that the tribunal take more information into account when reviewing assessment appeals for any commercial property.

Government

Bill package aimed at bridging gender wage gap

By |

By CAITLIN TAYLOR
Capital News Service
LANSING — When a Michigan woman asked why she didn’t get promoted over her male counterpart, her employer told her she didn’t need the raise, according to Rep. Christine Greig, D-Farmington Hills, who was told this story by a constituent. Her less-experienced male colleague had a family to support, the employer said, while the woman employee’s husband made enough money for both of them. This is a common sentiment among some of the state’s employers, said Mary Pollock, the government relations coordinator for the American Association of University Women of Michigan. “Still, employers say a married woman doesn’t need to be paid what a married man gets paid,” Pollock said. “But that’s just not true anymore.

Business & Economy

Past pay should not affect women’s income, Dems say

By |

By CAITLIN TAYLOR
Capital News Service
LANSING — Many women were forced to take pay cuts to do work they were overqualified for during the economic recession, Rep. Christine Greig, D-Farmington Hills, said. And now they’re being penalized for it, Greig said.  
As women seek new positions, their future salaries or hourly wages are often based on previous compensation — even though their skills and experience would suggest higher pay. This, among other factors, creates a disparity between men and women’s pay known as the “gender wage gap.”
In Michigan, women earned an average of 74 percent of what men made in median annual earnings for full-time, year-round workers in 2015, according to the American Association of University Women. That’s worse than the national average of 80 percent.

Environment

Stay away from algae decay

By |

By LUCY SCHROEDER
Capital News Service
LANSING — As if you needed another reason not to play with stinky piles of algae: Decaying algae can promote the growth of bacteria that could make people and animals sick, according to recent research. Scientists tracked the changes in bacterial communities while Cladophora algae decays. Bacteria harmful to humans and wildlife were among the many microbes they found, according to their study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. It is possible when people come in contact with the algae or water around it, they may be exposed to harmful bacteria, said Murulee Byappanahalli, a microbiologist with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Great Lakes Science Center and one of the authors of the study. No solid cause-and-effect evidence links human illness to Cladophora, as those types of studies are difficult to conduct, Byappanahalli said.

Agriculture

Seed-stealing bugs threaten prairie restoration

By |

By LIAM TIERNAN
Capital News Service
LANSING — Bugs hinder prairie restorations more than previously thought, according to research conducted at Michigan State University. The study found that arthropods — which include insects, spiders and crustaceans — account for the majority of seeds removed from prairie restoration sites. The study could catch a lot of attention in the prairie restoration field, said Mary Linabury, an MSU plant biology researcher who authored a study to be published in the Journal of Plant Ecology. “In the past, I don’t believe that managers believed that arthropods had much of an impact on seed consumption,” said Linabury, who conducted the research with Lars Brudvig and Nash Turley of MSU. “This study says otherwise.”
The findings have implications for every prairie restoration project, she said.

News

April 21, 2017 CNS Budget

By |

To: CNS Editors
From: Perry Parks and Sheila Schimpf
http://news.jrn.msu.edu/capitalnewsservice/
For technical problems, contact CNS technical manager Pechulano Ali, (517) 940-2313, pechulan@msu.edu. For other issues contact Perry Parks, perryrobertparks@gmail.com, (517) 388-8627. Here is your file:
Three-story criminal justice package:

 
STEPPINGUP: Despite recent efforts, the incarceration of people with mental illness still plagues Michigan. A lack of attention to mental health services provided in prisons and jails can lead to higher recidivism rates and costs to all parties. We speak with representatives of the Michigan Association of Counties, the Michigan Sheriffs’ Association, the Michigan Department of Corrections and Citizens for Prison Reform on why the problem persists.

Government

Bill would keep anti-bullying program alive in Michigan

By |

By LAURA BOHANNON
Capital News Service
LANSING — A senator is pushing to renew a 2013 law that allows students to anonymously send tips regarding bullying and crime in their schools to help improve safety. Sen. Judy Emmons, R-Sheridan,  introduced a bill that would eliminate the “sunset” of the original “OK2SAY” law, which essentially means it will continue as is. Laws can have a period before their “sunset,” when it is decided whether that law is effective, and Emmons said this act has proven its effectiveness through the number of kids that are using it. The Student Safety Act, which created a program called OK2SAY, allows students in any school to anonymously report incidents of crime, bullying, intimidation, incidents of self-harm, suicidal thoughts, or other safety threats. If a student is concerned for a classmate who may be experiencing any of these things, they can send a message in as well.

Diversity Issues

Efforts lag to help mentally ill prisoners

By |

By ISAAC CONSTANS
Capital News Service
LANSING — Despite recent efforts, treatment of people with mental illnesses in jails and prisons is still inadequate, experts agree. Up to 64 percent of inmates in Michigan jails have a mental illness, according to an August 2014 report from the office of Gov. Rick Snyder. In Michigan prisons, the figure hovers just above 20 percent. Stepping Up, a 2-year-old program launched by the National Association of Counties, aims to reduce the number of those with mental illnesses in jails across the state. By closely monitoring the status and collecting data on those with mental illnesses, the program aims to link various groups to solve the issue.

Environment

It’s time to prioritize Michigan roads, transportation chair says

By |

By LAURA BOHANNON
Capital News Service
LANSING — In light of a recent study detailing Michigan’s road needs, some legislators say they’re hoping to see roads become a bigger priority for the state. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Triston Cole, R-Mancelona, said transportation is his main focus, and roads are a major issue. “The two things that my constituents bring up the most are insurance and roads,” Cole said. A recent study by TRIP, a Washington, D.C.-based transportation research group, concluded that Michigan’s roads require more than the increased funding they’re getting, or else they may deteriorate further. “As we saw the economy start to heal itself, what we’ve seen is significant travel growth in Michigan,” said Rocky Moretti, director of policy and research for TRIP.