Agriculture

Will cold kill grapes? Only spring will tell

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By NICK STANEK
Capital News Service
LANSING — The polar vortex has Michigan wine producers worried about their crops. Cold weather is nothing new for Michigan but its vineyards are not used to recent record-breaking lows. The polar vortex in December raised concerns but cold temperatures in late-January have Michigan growers worried that their vineyards may be destroyed. Some grapes can survive temperatures as low as the negative 30s but for certain varieties that grow in Southern Michigan, temperatures even as low as 5 degrees can be dangerous. Southern Michigan was hit the hardest with temperatures as low as minus 15.

Government

Bicyclists may soon use right hand to signal right turn

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By NICK STANEK
Capital News Service
Michigan bicyclists can now use their right arm to signal a right turn, joining most of the rest of the country. Lawmakers recently approved the change that is now before Gov. Rick Snyder. Until now, bicyclists were required to signal a right turn by sticking their left arm out in the shape of an L.
“When we started this bill last spring, 32 states had already passed similar laws in their vehicle code,” said John Lindenmayer, the policy director at the League of Michigan Bicyclists. The bill was sponsored by state Rep. Anthony Forlini, R-Harrison Township, a lifelong bicyclist.  He said the change was overdue. “I mean think about it, it’s no different than a car,” Forlini said.