Nov. 10, 2006 – Week 10

To: CNS Editors

From: Eric Freedman & Vic Rauch

MICHIGAN EDUCATION ASSOCIATION AHEAD: On Monday, Nov. 13, your correspondents will interview MEA President Iris Salters. Likely issues will include school funding—including the impact of Proposal 5’s defeat—charter schools, curriculum standards, the status of No Child Left Behind in Michigan and the union’s legislative priorities for 2007 when the MEA is likely to find a more receptive, Democratic House.

HERE’S YOUR FILE:

TROOPSTOTEACHERS:  Larry Etter spent 20 years in the Navy, stationed as far away as Germany and the Indian Ocean. Now he’s one of 83 military retirees in Michigan public schools through the Troops to Teachers program. Etter, a middle school teacher in Delton, says his Navy experiences help him in the classroom. By Chris Jackett. FOR SOUTH BEND, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS,  LANSING, HOLLAND, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

UPICKTOURISM: From pit spitting  to apple varieties favored by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, U-pick operators in Union Pier and Coloma talk about how U-pick farms and farm markets are economically important. The Southwestern  Michigan Tourism Council says they draw lots of out-of-state visitors. By Jeffrey Joe Pe-Aguirre. FOR STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, SOUTH BEND, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS & ALL POINTS.

INTERNETGAMBLING: U.S. Reps. Vernon Ehlers of Grand Rapids and Pete Hoekstra of Holland were among the members of Congress who supported the new federal ban on payments for Internet gambling. But some disgruntled bettors claim the law leaves them feeling busted and promotes the casino industry. The Poker Players Alliance wants an exemption because poker is a game of skill, not chance, and a Haslett bettor is upset about the Internet wagering ban. Meanwhile, the Michigan Lottery is pushing instant games with casino themes. By John Bronz. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, HOLLAND, GREENVILLE, LUDINGTON & ALL POINTS.

WATERQUALITY: Water quality projects in Leelanau and Grand Traverse counties and Cadillac are slated to share in $26.4 million in state grants under a program run by the departments of Environmental Quality and Treasury. Two projects will focus on Lake Leelanau and the upper Manistee River watershed, and the third will benefit Cadillac’s wastewater treatment facility. By Nicole Hale. FOR LEELANAU, GRAND TRAVERSE BUSINESS, CADILLAC & ALL POINTS.

WASTEWATER: Ludington’s old lift station has been pumping waste out of sewers and into treatment plants since 1936—the year the city built its first wastewater treatment plant. But the days of the old lift station may be numbered because the city secured a $148,218 state grant to craft a replacement plan  for the station and for a 130-year-old section of leaky sewer line. Meanwhile, Alpena will use part of its $326,959 grant to plan a fee-based program to dispose of septic tank waste. By Brian McVicar. FOR LUDINGTON, ALPENA & ALL POINTS.

CHRISTMASTREES: Michigan Christmas tree growers like the owners of Opper Land Farms in New Haven and Stancyzk Tree Farm in Holly say they’re optimistic that the 2006  holiday season will prove profitable for choose-and-cut operations like theirs. Statewide, nearly 900 Christmas tree growers plant almost 1.5 million seedlings each spring. By Alison Bergsieker. FOR OAKLAND, MACOMB, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

WINTERROADS: Road agencies in Oakland, Wayne and Emmet counties tell how they’re preparing for winter with salt, de-icers, plows and sand. Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation will use new plows that attach to the side of trucks to make it easier to remove snow in one pass and will use a new laser device to help prevent snowplows from colliding with mailboxes and parked cars. Nov. 12-18 is Winter Hazards Awareness Week. By Alex Doty. FOR OAKLAND, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, PETOSKEY, UP NORTH, MARQUETTE & ALL POINTS.

SOLARINDUSTRY: The solar industry in Michigan is getting hotter, boosted by tax credits, environmental concerns and consumer demands. United Solar Ovonics is opening six plants in Greenville to make solar systems, and the Dimondale-based Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association says demand is growing. We also hear from the state Energy Office, Michigan Economic Development Corp. and a company that makes solar products for architects across the Midwest. For news and business desks. By Chris Jackett. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, GREENVILLE, LANSING & ALL POINTS.

• w/DANCSOKPHOTO: Lisa Dancsok, senior vice president of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. Credit: Sarah McLeod, Capital News Service.

TURNOUT: Voters turned out in larger-than-expected numbers in southwestern Michigan, and at a substantially higher rate than they had for the 2002 gubernatorial election. A Western Michigan University political scientist attributes the high participation rate to economic factors and party mobilization efforts. The St. Joseph County clerk had predicted an improvement based on a high number of requests for absentee ballots. By Jeffrey Joe Pe-Aguirre. FOR STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, SOUTH BEND & ALL POINTS.

FIREARMDEER: Deer season is big bucks season—in more than one way—for Michigan’s economy. This year hunters are expected to spend more than $500 million for equipment, transportation, lodging, food and other things, DNR says. The department also estimates more than 400,000 deer will be taken. We also hear from the DNR’s southeastern Michigan supervisor whose territory has more hunters than any other. For news and outdoors desks. By Kevin Lehman. FOR MONROE, OAKLAND, MACOMB, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, ROMEO, LAPEER & ALL POINTS.

COMMERCIALFISH: Michigan’s commercial fishing industry began sinking in the Great Lakes before the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior’s Whitefish Bay. We look at challenges facing the industry, including disease, invasive species and competition from Canadian imports. Sources include operators in Marquette and Rogers City and the Michigan Sea Grant director. By John Bronz. FOR MARQUETTE, LUDINGTON, PETOSKEY, MIDLAND, ALPENA, BAD AXE, HOLLAND, MONROE, SOUTH BEND, LEELANAU, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, TRAVERSE CITY BUSINESS, UP NORTH & ALL POINTS.

DRUNKCAMPAIGNS: With Thanksgiving Eve one of the leading days for drunken driving each year, officials and groups like MADD are campaigning against drunken driving. Many violators that day are novice drinkers, a Macomb County MADD official says, and a Romeo High School student says drinking is common among teens there. Meanwhile, drunken driving arrests statewide have declined, a fact MADD Michigan attributes in part to the shrinking number of police on the roads. By Kevin Lehman. FOR MACOMB, ROMEO, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

• w/DRUNKARRESTS (jpg) or DRUNKARRESTS (doc) : Info box listing top 10 counties in 2005 arrest rates for drunken driving: Roscommon, Ogemaw, Gogebic, Lapeer, Luce, Mackinac, Sanilac, Iosco, Charlevoix, Grand Traverse. Source: State Police.

HOLIDAYSALES: Bling’s big bang: holiday jewelry sales are expected to sparkle this year, with diamond stud earrings especially popular. The Michigan Retailers Association predicts overall sales statewide will be 5 percent higher this year than last, and several Macomb County jewelers foresee an even higher increase for their segment of the retailing. For news and business desks. By Alison Bergsieker. FOR MACOMB, ROMEO, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

CAMPUSCRIME: Reported crimes at Oakland and Western Michigan universities rose last year, and police at both campuses say their departments are working to protect students. Two major categories of problems are sexual assaults and burglaries, statistics show. By Alex Doty. FOR OAKLAND, MICHIGAN CITIZN, HOLLAND, SOUTH BEND, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, GREENVILLE & ALL POINTS.

RECYCLEDETROIT: Efforts to establish a municipal recycling program in Detroit are under way amid community activism and continuing controversy over the city’s need to generate enough trash to feed its incinerator and repay its bonds. Incineration costs the city substantially more per ton than neighboring Oakland County pays for a combination of recycling, landfill and incineration. We interview city officials, the coordinator of a nonprofit recycling group and an environmental activist. FOR MICHIGAN CITIZEN, OAKLAND, MACOMB & ALL POINTS.

CNS

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