Education

Dissolved districts may find way to get back in business

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By NICK STANEK
Capital News Service
LANSING — School districts that were dissolved may have a chance to reestablish themselves under legislation designed to address potential dissolution of more districts. Rep. David Nathan, D-Detroit, who recently introduced the bill, said no mechanism exists for school districts to reestablish themselves. The bill would give intermediate school districts the power to elect a new school board for dissolved districts. Schools in low-income neighborhoods have been facing deficit issues as a result of cuts to education funding and declining enrollment. Ironically, many families moved to these neighborhoods because of their public school systems, Nathan said.

Agriculture

Road restrictions hamper farmers this spring

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By NICK STANEK
Capital News Service
LANSING — The farming industry feels the lingering effects of the polar vortex in some parts of the state as cold temperatures continue into spring. County governments implement seasonal weight restrictions on roads every year to reduce the impact heavy trucks can have on roads. “By law, road agencies can enact weight restrictions on roads that are not designated as all-season routes when conditions merit,” County Road Association of Michigan says on its website. Although an annual nuisance for drivers, restrictions on weight, speed and axle-loading are tighter this year and slowing down the farming down in some parts of the state. Frost froze deep into the roads and made them more susceptible to potholes, said Clay Martz, manager of Crop Production Service in Lake Odessa, a company that ships fertilizer to corn growers.

Business & Economy

Golf courses face tee time delays

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By NICK STANEK
Capital News Service
LANSING — Golf courses in Michigan have reopened after a prolonged winter freeze that caused damage and set revenue behind for the season. The damage could be costly, said John Pohl, assistant shop manager at the Royal Scot Golf Course in Lansing. The season started three weeks later than usual, which also cost the course money, he said. Royal Scot reopened in early April last year. “People don’t want to go out golfing when it’s cold out,” he said.

Agriculture

Snow delays spring corn planting, asparagus harvest

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By NICK STANEK
Capital News Service
LANSING — Farmers may be off to a late start this year after snowfall and low temperatures put them behind schedule. There is good news and bad news associated with the snow. The heavy snow insulated the ground, protecting micro-organisms that are good for corn. But the high water remaining in fields could strain the industry, said corn grower Scott Lonier, owner of Lonier Farms near Lansing. “We are at the mercy of Mother Nature right now,” he said.

Business & Economy

Icy lakes made some towns, businesses winners or losers

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By NICK STANEK
Capital News Service
LANSING — The record-breaking ice on Lake Superior is bad news for the steel industry but not for tourism in some parts of the Upper Peninsula. The Sault Ste. Marie locks opened Tuesday as they do every year on March 25. But this was the first time since 2009 a boat didn’t pass through the very same day. The lack of boat traffic in 2009 was due to economic reasons.

Government

Lawmakers move to repeal outdated law requiring police to kill unlicensed dogs

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By NICK STANEK
Capital News Service
LANSING — Officers would no longer be required to euthanize unlicensed dogs if a bill sent to the governor’s office is signed. The bill would remove a requirement that is rarely followed, said Rep. Margaret O’Brien, R-Portage, the bill’s sponsor. It changes an antiquated part of the dog law of 1919 that legally requires officers to euthanize unlicensed dogs. In other words, dog owners who fail to get their dogs registered risk having their dogs killed. “We never do that,” said Wendy Frosland, an officer from Mackinac County Animal Control.

Government

Words matter, experts say, so remove “retardation”

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By NICK STANEK
Capital News Service
LANSING – Lawmakers are considering changing laws that refer to people with intellectual disabilities by removing terms that some find offensive. The step is part of a multi-bill package that has bipartisan support, Alan Bolter, the associate director for the Michigan Association of Community Mental Health Boards, said. Seven bills are in the Senate and eight are in the House. “This is a great step in the right direction to remove stigma individuals face on a daily basis,” Bolter said. “I think it raises awareness if it just give that person a moment of pause before they use the r-word.”
The r-word is “retardation.”

Similar legislation is being considered in other states as part of a national movement to fight discrimination against people with disabilities.

Government

Lawmakers pass sex trafficking bill; would increase penalties, make crime gender neutral

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By NICK STANEK
Capital News Service
LANSING – House lawmakers recently approved a bill that would enhance penalties against sex traffickers, raising fines for brothel keepers from $2,500 to $5,000. The law also extends a 20-year jail sentence to anyone caught trying to recruit prostitutes into the sex trade. The bill was unopposed and is part of a series of bills to change how victims of sex trafficking are treated, said Rep. Joseph Graves, R-Argentine Township. Human rights organizations across the state are pushing to shift the focus of sex crimes from victims.

“There needs to be a paradigm shift in the way prostitution cases are treated,” said Bridgette Carr, the director of the Human Trafficking Law Clinic in Ann Arbor. “The law treats [prostitutes] as criminals but the reality is, they are victims of sexual abuse.”
Carr said law enforcement lacks the resources that victims of sex crimes need to treat them as victims instead of criminals.

Business & Economy

No surfing on frozen lakes but snow kiters fly high

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By NICK STANEK
Capital News Service
LANSING — Michigan’s winter surfing season is in a freeze with record-breaking lows that froze the Great Lakes. Instead of catching some waves this year, winter surfers across the state  will have to wait a few months before catching the next swell. That is because more than 50 percent of Lake Michigan is iced over, according to the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. Surfer Ben McNeil hiked over Lake Michigan’s frozen sand bars recently. After he reached the last sand bar, he gazed over the frozen lake he was surfing on this time last year.

Government

Lawmakers consider using carbon dioxide to extract more oil from Michigan wells

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By NICK STANEK
Capital News Service
LANSING – Michigan lawmakers are considering a controversial bill that will allow drillers  to use carbon dioxide to extract oil  from outdated wells. It is part of a series of bills to amend laws that regulate the storage and purchase of crude oil and petroleum. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Peter Pettalia, R-Presque Isle, will allow companies to pump carbon dioxide deep into old wells to extract more oil. “If you have a pop bottle and you shake it, it overflows,” said Maggie Datema, the director of legislative affairs at the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. “It’s the same concept.