Environment

Heavier storms threaten states ageing drains

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By RAY WILBUR
Capital News Service
LANSING — While people in Florida gear up for more intense hurricanes, Michigan officials are bracing for heavier rainfall caused by global warming ,and that threatens the state’s aging drains and the Great Lakes. Local drain commissioners are questioning how to handle the influx of water and the problems it brings. And more intense, heavier rainfall has become more prevalent in Michigan, said Joan Rose, an international expert in water microbiology, quality and public health at Michigan State University. That causes trouble not only for the state’s old drainage systems and its water sources but for animal and human health, she said. “When it rains, the water moves contaminants quite broadly,” Rose said.

Business & Economy

Michigan towns trying to catch up on broadband expansion

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By RAY WILBUR
Capital News Service
LANSING — Small towns across the state are eyeing ways to build their own utilities that boast high-speed internet reliability and better access for residents than traditional internet providers. They face one challenge: the cost. Fiber optic internet is faster than normal cable internet. It is less likely to crash during a power outage and isn’t affected by geography such as sand dunes or hills. Counties, cities and townships, especially where cable internet is inadequate, have begun to implement such systems, said Eric Frederick, executive director of Connect Michigan, a nonprofit organization that promotes broadband expansion across the state.

Education

Michigan legislature split on how to handle college tuition

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By RAY WILBUR
Capital News Service
LANSING — Michigan officials are weighing their options for solutions to a university funding crisis that saddles the state’s students with the ninth-highest average debt in the country. That’s how the Michigan League for Public Policy recently ranked the state in a report that shows state support of universities dropping 30 percent since 2003. The revelations are not surprising. In 2011 Gov. Rick Snyder cut higher education funding by 15 percent, the league said. That came after years of smaller cuts caused by the nationwide recession.