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Messages to the Editors

Sept. 8, 2006 – Week 1

To: CNS Editors

From: Eric Freedman & Vic Rauch

WELCOME TO THE NEW SEMESTER: We have a cadre of 11 correspondents this fall—10 undergraduates and a master’s student to serve you. For the first time, we have a correspondent whose principal responsibilities are photography and graphics, so we can provide you with more professional-quality photos and graphics to accompany more of our stories. We’ll separately e-mail you our CNS staff roster with phone numbers, e-mail addresses and assigned papers for all correspondents. Please don’t hesitate to contact them with story ideas, source suggestions and feedback.

WELCOME TO GONGWER AND MICHIGAN INFORMATION & RESEARCH SERVICE: Gongwer News Service and MIRS, Michigan’s two highly respected and long-established Lansing-based daily newsletters about state government and politics, have become associate members of CNS. Each will have the opportunity to publish one CNS story of their choosing weekly.

HERE’S YOUR FILE:

• ETHANOL: The state’s new $250,000 grant program to support more service stations with E85 fuel—85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gasoline—is good news for corn growers, says a Manchester-area corn farmer affiliated with a Lenawee County ethanol plant. And it’s good news for the environment, the state Energy Office says. A Macomb Community College professor observes, however, that the recent drop in gas prices and the lower mileage-per-gallon of E85 fuel may make hurt the demand for biofuel vehicles. By Kevin Lehman. FOR MACOMB, MONROE, ROMEO & ALL POINTS.

• IMPORTEDWASTE: Amid political action and community complaints, efforts are continuing to rein in the parade of trash trucks hauling waste from Ontario, Indiana and other out-of-state sources, The head of the Marquette County Solid Waste Management Authority cautions, however, that federal law continues to limit what Michigan can do on its own, including the governor’s proposal to raise the tipping fee for out-of-state waste.  By Chris Jackett. FOR MARQUETTE, GRAYLING, MACOMB & ALL POINTS

• SPORTSTAX: The state should extend the sales tax exemption for corporate sponsorship packages to keep Michigan attractive as the host for major sporting events such as the Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four games and the Ryder Cup, lawmakers from Bloomfield Hills and Livonia say. They want to renew the tax break now scheduled to die next Jan. 1. Co-sponsors include representatives from Clinton Township and Bellaire. However, critics, including the president of the Michigan Nonprofit Association, warn that such corporate tax breaks may further damage the ability of government to deliver essential public services. For news and sports desks. By Alex Doty. FOR OAKLAND, MACOMB, PETOSKEY, UP NORTH, LANSING, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS
  • SINGHPHOTO: Sam Singh, president of the Michigan Nonprofit Association and mayor of East Lansing. Credit: Sarah McLeod, Capital News Service
  
  
• BROWNBISHOP: Sen. Cameron Brown of St. Joseph County says his withdrawal from the race for Senate majority leader is intended to promote party unity and help the GOP keep control of the Senate in the November election. He’s endorsing Mike Bishop of Rochester. The other two contenders for the post are Jason Allen of Traverse City and Wayne Kuipers of Holland. By Jeffrey Joe Pe-Aguirre. FOR STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, SOUTH BEND, OAKLAND, HOLLAND, PETOSKEY, UP NORTH & ALL POINTS.

• TRANQUILIZERHUNTING:  Upset by plans for a reality TV show in which hunters use tranquilizer darts instead of bullets, some legislators, including a Lake Leelanau senator, want to ban the practice in Michigan. A Ludington elk ranch owner says he doesn’t think the proposed ban would have much impact because he hasn’t heard of anybody using tranquilizers at private game reserves in the area. By Brian McVicar. FOR LEELANAU, LUDINGTON, LANSING, CADILLAC, UP NORTH,  GRAYLING, CLARE, PETOSKEY, ALPENA, BAD AXE, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, SOUTH BEND, HOLLAND & ALL POINTS.

• 21STCENTURYFUND: The new $100 million 21st Century Jobs Fund is looking far beyond Michigan’s traditional industrial mainstay, the auto industry, with grants in such area as biotechnology and homeland security.  Much of the money will fund research by universities: Western, Lawrence Tech, MSU, Wayne State and U-M, but Central, Michigan Tech and Oakland had all their proposals shot down.  By Alison Bergsieker. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, HOLLAND, GREENVILLE, OAKLAND, MACOMB, MARQUETTE, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, SOUTH BEND, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

• HUNTANDVOTE. On your next trip to the sporting goods store, you may be able to pick up your fishing line,  bullets—and voter registration card. A DeWitt lawmaker wants to require retailers that sell hunting, fishing and fur harvester licenses to display voter registration information for their customers. The proposal comes too late to affect November’s vote on a dove hunting ban, but the  sponsor wants to boost political participation by hunters and angles.  By John Bonz. FOR LANSING, GREENVILLE, CADILLAC, MARQUETTE, LUDINGTON, UP NORTH, ALPENA, BAD AXE, GRAYLING, CLARE, HOLLAND, GRAYLING & ALL POINTS.

• DONTSNOOZE: Northwest Michigan experts are worried that people aren’t sleeping enough, and don’t sleep well enough even when they sleep.  That causes health problems among adults and children, say sleep clinic and public health experts in Petoskey and Mancelona. By Jacquelyn Halas. FOR PETOSKEY, GRAYLING, UP NORTH & ALL POINTS.
  • DONTSNOOZEINFOBOX. Sleep clinic expert’s advice on getting a good night’s sleep.