Business & Economy

Demand rising for middle-skilled jobs

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By JUSTINE McGUIRE
Capital News Service
LANSING – Not everyone needs a bachelor’s degree. A recent national survey shows that employers have trouble filling middle-skilled jobs, and it said state-run programs could do more to help. The Michigan Manufacturers Association, or MMA, and local agencies say the same void exists around the state and they are working to fill it. There are more than 7,000 production job openings in Michigan and that number is expected to grow, said Delaney McKinley, director of human resource policy for MMA. In the next 10 years, 50  percent of production workers will retire.

Education

Proposal would toughen regulations for new charter schools

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By JUSTINE McGUIRE
Capital New Service
LANSING – Making public school academies — charters — more accountable is on the minds of some legislators. A bill by Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood, D-Taylor, would prohibit new academies from having management agreements with for-profit organizations. It also would disallow authorizing bodies, such as universities, from creating new academies unless students at all of their existing academies perform at least 20 percent better than students in the nearest traditional school district. Weak laws have allowed a lot of charter schools to pop up and take students away from traditional schools, causing financial stress to public schools that lose state aid, Hopgood said. The charters create an uneven playing field, he said.

Government

Doctor shortage linked (maybe) to malpractice suits

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BY JUSTINE McGUIRE
Capital News Service
LANSING — There is consensus that a statewide doctor shortage exists in some specialties, but how to fix the problem is contentious. Some physicians suggest that making it more difficult to sue emergency room doctors and hospitals for medical malpractice will encourage recruitment, while plaintiffs’ lawyers say it all comes back to money and that immunity from malpractice suits would cause more problems than it would solve. States with onerous liability laws “have a difficult time attracting physicians in general, especially those physicians who may have higher exposure like the obstetricians, neurosurgeons and emergency doc,” said Kenneth Elmassian, president of the Michigan State Medical Society, or MSMS.
A bill working its way through the House would raise the bar for suing an emergency room doctor. A plaintiff would have to prove by clear and convincing evidence that the physician was grossly negligent — meaning the doctor showed a conscious disregard for the patient’s welfare. Current law sets the standard of proof to show negligence at preponderance of the evidence, which means that the allegation is more likely to be true than not.

Government

We all may be fudgies if state sweet is named

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By JUSTINE McGUIRE
Capital News Service
LANSING – Children who live about as far away from Mackinac Island as possible while still in Michigan are the inspiration for a bill that would make Mackinac Island fudge the official state sweet. A class of fourth- and fifth-graders from Defer Elementary School in Grosse Pointe Park were required to write to their legislator this past spring, but they wanted to take it to the next level by requesting new state symbols, said Kari Mannino, who taught the class. The students researched possible symbols in groups — three fourth-graders wrote the letter requesting fudge, she said. “They were so excited,” Mannino said of their reaction to the introduction of the bill. “I’m really glad they were honored for their hard work.

Environment

Local officials want state to pay for wildfires

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By JUSTINE McGUIRE
Capital News Service
LANSING — Good neighbors pay to put out their fires. That’s why Rep. Bob Genetski, R-Saugatuck, says he introduced a bill that would allow the state to compensate localities for fighting fires on state-owned land through the already-established Forest Development Fund. “This is state land and the state needs to be taking care of it,” he said. “It’s to the point where the state is a terrible neighbor.”

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) does have fire crews and says on its website that it has the overall responsibility for wildfires. It also receives help from the U.S. Forest Service and local fire departments.

Elections & Politics

Proposal to elect insurance commissioner faces 'uphill battle'

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By JUSTINE McGUIRE
Capital News Service
LANSING – If Michigan had an elected insurance commissioner rather than one appointed by the governor, consumers would benefit from more favorable policies and insurance rates, Sen. Virgil Smith, D-Detroit, said. Smith proposed a constitutional amendment to elect the insurance commissioner and said his research found that states that elect their commissioners tend to have “more progressive laws on the books.”
They are California, Kansas, Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Washington and Oklahoma. Smith pointed out that they’re not all-blue or all-red states politically. The constitution and current law require most Cabinet department heads to be appointed by the governor or a state commission. Only the secretary of state and attorney general are elected.

Agriculture

Some farmers bank on drought-resistant corn

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By JUSTINE McGUIRE
Capital News Service
LANSING – Despite heavy rain, flooding and cold weather, drought-resistant corn could still be helpful to farmers this season. Michigan Corn Growers Association leaders agreed that recent wet weather won’t be bad for corn designed to withstand drought conditions because it will be planted in areas that don’t hold water as well. They added that the corn could still serve its original purpose if there’s little rain in July and August. “Just because we have a bunch of rain now doesn’t mean there won’t be a drought later,” said Scott Lonier, owner of Shady Lodge Farm in Lansing Township and president of the association. However, he said he didn’t buy drought-resistant corn this year because it didn’t yield much better than refuge corn – corn that’s not genetically modified – last year.

Health

Push renewed for police, deputy survivor benefits

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By JUSTINE McGUIRE
Capital News Service
LANSING – On Oct. 9, 2003, Clare County Deputy Sheriff Kevin Sherwood died in the line of duty, leaving a wife and three daughters. Sherwood was on U.S. 127 when a car driving the wrong way struck his cruiser, killing both drivers. The Army veteran had served with the sheriff’s department for nine years. His family soon learned that the benefits they’d received through his job ended with his death, leaving them in a tough spot emotionally and financially.

Environment

Pollution cleanup law effective at two sites

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By JUSTINE McGUIRE
Capital News Service
LANSING – The dance between businesses and environmental protection took a giant step – in one direction or the other – with recent changes to Michigan’s environmental cleanup law. The law was changed last year to provide a clearer path to completion by those responsible for the contaminatiomn without sacrificing protection. It also sets priority projects based on the threat they pose to the environment and public health. “I get the sense that the business community is supportive of the reforms,” Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Director Dan Wyant said. “We try to be balanced and meet with environmental and business groups.

Government

Tasers in prisons reduce injuries, inmate fights

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By JUSTINE McGUIRE
Capital News Service
LANSING – Officers and inmates benefit when tasers are in prisons, according to the Department of Corrections and the Michigan Corrections Organization. According to the department, employee injuries at the hands of inmates declined 17 percent between October 2011 and March 2012 compared to the previous year. There were 233 injuries compared to 281 the year before. Daniel Heyns, department director, said, “I knew it would work from my old days as a county sheriff. “I knew we could change some of those violent interactions in the institutions,” he said.