Homelessness continues despite some improvements

By ZHAO PENG
Capital News Service
LANSING — The coming winter and the dropping temperature are a great concern for people without a place to live. Homelessness has improved across Michigan over the past decades but not enough, according to the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness. “There are services available throughout the state. And many communities have seen increases in the types of services that are available, but those are not significant increases that are across the board,” said Eric Hufnagel, the executive director of the coalition. According to a 2014 report by Michigan’s Campaign to End Homelessness, there were 97,642 homeless people in 2014.

New EPA limits will make difference but more may be needed

By ZHAO PENG
Capital News Service
LANSING — Stricter new smog limits by the U.S. Environment Protection Agency may improve air quality, but some regions of Michigan have a long way to go to meet it, according to an air quality advocacy group. The EPA this month called for ground-level ozone levels of no more than 70 parts per billion, five parts per billion less than the old standard issued in 2008. The American Lung Association considers it a step in the right direction. “We support the ozone standard and we are definitely supportive of making sure that the new standard gets implemented. Even though we think it could be lower- 60 ppb, moving to the 70 ppb is at least moving in the right direction,” said Ken Fletcher, the advocacy specialist for the American Lung Association in Michigan.

Northern Michigan to offer state's first Native American studies major

By ZHAO PENG
Capital News Service
LANSING — Northern Michigan University will provide the state’s first university-level Native American studies major in beginning next fall, an action that may draw attention to a long-overlooked academic area that has been thriving in recent years, according to a professor at Central Michigan University. “The education of Native American studies has been neglected far too long,” said Timothy D. Hall, the associate dean of the College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences at Central. “It is always a good thing when new programs are developed to offer students the opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge and understanding of Native American history and culture.”

Hall said Native American studies is thriving in Michigan. Most colleges and universities in the state offer at least some courses in the field, and the larger research universities all have positions dedicated to Native American history, culture and literature across a variety of departments. Hall said the field is “robust” and generating extensive scholarly research each year.

ACLU concerned by license plate cameras

By ZHAO PENG
Capital News Service
LANSING — Advanced technology can increase the efficiency of law enforcement agencies, helping them protect public safety. But sometimes, technology may also threaten it at the same time. That’s what the American Civil Liberties Union says about the controversial use of automatic license plate scanners. Automatic license plate readers have high-speed cameras that can photograph every passing license plate, and scanner systems store extensive details about each vehicle. The readers can be placed in many locations, including on patrol cars and bridges.

Michigan aims to capture Chinese tourist market

By ZHAO PENG
Capital News Service
LANSING — The number of Chinese travelers and the amount of money spent per visitor are the highest among all groups of international visitors, according to the U.S. Travel Association. This potential tourism market is capturing the attention of Michigan’s government. For the first time, Gov. Rick Snyder included tourism in the agenda of his recent investment mission to China and touted Michigan’s potential as a destination for international travelers. “China offers Michigan the opportunity to tap into one of the fastest-growing inbound travel markets in the United States,” said Michelle Grinnell, the public relations manager of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. “So Gov. Snyder made tourism and shared cultural and travel promotional opportunities between Michigan and China a key priority on this mission.”
With strong business connections between Michigan and China – business travel accounts for a large portion of international travel to the state – and more than 7,000 Chinese students attending universities in Michigan, there are tremendous opportunities to encourage additional leisure travel to the state by both groups, said Grinnell.

Schools confront lower credit ratings

By ZHAO PENG
Capital News Service
LANSING — Forty-three school districts across Michigan are facing the problem of a downgraded credit rating by Moody’s Investor Service this year. A district’s credit rating directly relates to the cost of borrowing money for bonds to pay for school construction, renovation, and technology. Lower ratings mean higher interest costs. However, the downgrading may not have substantial impact on either construction or bond issuing, according to Sandra Weir, the finance director of the Chippewa Hill School District. “Actually the downgrade will be still considered as tapering,” Weir said.