Oct. 13, 2006 – Week 6

To: CNS Editors

From: Vic Rauch & Jim Wallington

A CAPITOL EVENT: You and your staff are invited to “A Capitol Event: Meet the Press” at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20, at MSU’s Kellogg Center. Panelists Kathy Barks Hoffman of the Associated Press, Charlie Cain of the Detroit News and Ron Dzwonkowski of the Detroit Free Press will discuss gubernatorial media coverage just weeks before Michigan’s high-profile governor’s race. CNS Bureau Chief Eric Freedman and MSU Journalism Professor Sue Carter will moderate. It’s the annual Edward Zabrusky Endowed Lecture sponsored by the College of Communication Arts & Science, and it’s free and open to the public.

SOMETHING NEW: You can download a Microsoft Word version of any story by clicking on the link at the end of each story.

IN-DEPTH AHEAD: Next week, your correspondents will file their first in-depth stories of the semester, plus regular weekly stories.

HERE’S YOUR FILE:

COUGARSBACK: Cougars are prowling the Michigan wilds. Or they’re not. It all depends on whom you ask. The Michigan Wildlife Conservancy accuses the Department of Natural Resources of deceitfully hiding the truth, namely that more than 100 cougars live in the state, including one that followed a volunteer along a trail at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and another that the Houghton County prosecutor spotted not far from Michigan Tech. But the DNR insists that there’s insufficient scientific evidence to confirm their presence. For news and outdoors desks. By Chris Jackett. FOR MARQUETTE, LEELANAU, CADILLAC, LUDINGTON, PETOSKEY, UP NORTH, GRAYLING, CLARE, GREENVILLE & ALL POINTS.

ELECTRONICVISITS: In the age of instant messaging, e-mail and video cams, some legislators want to empower judges to approve “electronic visitation” between non-custodial parents and their children. Sponsors, such as lawmakers from Rockford and Wyoming, say the move would modernize divorce and child custody laws to reflect technological advances in communications. An Ingham County judge and family law attorneys in Grand Rapids and Brighton favor the idea. By Andrea Byl. FOR LANSING, GREENVILLE, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

LIVEFIRE: The Coast Guard is getting ready for public hearings on its plan for 34 live-fire zones on the Great Lakes. The agency suspended its live-fire exercises in September amid public concerns. By John Bronz. FOR PETOSKEY, MARQUETTE, LUDINGTON, HOLLAND, SOUTH BEND, UP NORTH, ALPENA, BAD AXE & ALL POINTS.

    w/LIVEFIREBOX: Information on Coast Guard hearings.

LIBRARYLAWS: As the state Supreme Court ponders the legal right of non-residents to use local public libraries, librarians say the ultimate judicial ruling could change Michigan policies in a big way. Librarians in Wayne, Lapeer and Macomb counties are closely watching the case of a Bloomfield Hills man who was denied access to the Bloomfield Township Library. By Alison Bergsieker. FOR MACOMB, ROMEO, LAPEER, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

ROOT: Some property owners who lost ash trees to emerald ash borers will be able to buy other species as replacements at a big discount, but demand for the cut-rate gingkoes, maples, red oaks and others is outstripping supply, the administrator of the Monroe Conservation District says. In fact, the offering of 1,600 trees at $21 each is dwarfed by the disease’s impact in Michigan, where millions of ash died. By Kevin Lehman. FOR MONROE & ALL POINTS.

      w/ROOTBOX: Where to get trees.

VOTINGPSYCHOLOGY: Appealing to deep-seated psychological impulses and opening alternative ways of voting could be the keys to getting more people to the polls, according to a Western Michigan University political scientist and a Lansing-area political consultant. Meanwhile, the St. Joseph County clerk says the 13.5 percent turnout for the August primary isn’t necessarily an indicator of low turnout in November. By Jeffrey Joe Pe-Aguirre. FOR STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, SOUTH BEND, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, LANSING & ALL POINTS.

PUBLICHEALTH: Public health professionals will gather Oct. 18-19 in Gaylord for a conference on “creativity and innovation: keys for a healthier Michigan.” Key issues include strategies for dealing with chronic disease prevention, policy development, health education, environmental health, nutrition and physical activity. By Brian McVicar. FOR CLARE, GRAYLING, LANSING, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

BREASTCANCER: The American Cancer Society is promoting a legislative proposal it says would take away the power of health insurers to decide how long breast cancer surgery patients can remain hospitalized. An estimated 7,000 Michigan women are diagnosed with the disease each year. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. By Nicole Hale. FOR MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

COLLEGECIVILRIGHTS: Grand Valley, Oakland and Central Michigan universities are among the public institutions that say their faculty hiring would not be affected if voters pass the Michigan Civil Rights—anti-affirmative action—Initiative on Election Day. The universities use affirmative action as a tool to diversify their faculty and staff. By Alex Doty. FOR GREENVILLE, HOLLAND, CLARE, LANSING, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

CNS

Download a Microsoft Word version of this budget here.