This Week's File

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Feb. 23, 2007 – Week 6

To: CNS Editors

From: Eric Freedman & Vic Rauch

HOUSE DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP AHEAD: Next Monday, your correspondents will interview Speaker Andy Dillon of Redford Township. They’ll ask about the Democratic legislative strategies and priorities this year, including approaches to the budget gap and relations with the governor and GOP-controlled Senate.

SPRING BREAK ON THE HORIZON: There will be no file on Friday, March 9. We resume our regular filing schedule on Friday, March 16. 

HERE’S YOUR FILE:

PRISONERCIVILRIGHTS: The heated debate over what rights prisoners are legally entitled to has heated up again with a Detroit federal judge’s ruling in favor of female inmates claiming sexually harassment, sexual assault and gender discrimination. The judge has rejected as unconstitutional a 2000 law that prohibits inmates from suing the state for sexual, racial or religious discrimination. The Granholm administration, which defended the law as a way to combat frivolous suits, will appeal. We talk to a Wayne State law professor, the ACLU and the Southfield legislator who chairs the House Judiciary Committee. By Alexander Scott. FOR MICHIGAN CITIZEN, OAKLAND, LANSING & ALL POINTS.

COOLCITIES: With much hype and hoopla, the state has distributed $6.3 million in Cool Cities grants to promote downtown development and economic growth in large and small communities. We look at what’s happened with two of the original projects, one in Grand Rapids and the other in Alpena. A Michigan State University expert cautions that it will take many years to effectively measure the impact of the money and assess the program’s long-term success. By Erik Adams. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, ALPENA, LANSING, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

MACKINACBRIDGE: After 50 years of straddling the straits between lakes Michigan and Huron, the Mackinac Bridge still prompts entertaining questions, unprepared motorists and even the myth of doomed iron worker encased in concrete. When does the bridge swing over to Mackinac Island? Do I need a passport for the Upper Peninsula? And how much paint does it take to keep the bridge looking pristine? By Michael Carney. FOR PETOSKEY, MARQUETTE, TRAVERSE CITY, GRAYLING & ALL POINTS.

            w/MACKINACBRIGDEPHOTO: Credit: Michigan Department of  Transportation.

ALTERNATIVEFUEL: Michigan’s energy future will rely on…ethanol? Or maybe hydrogen? Or biodiesel?  Those currently are the three major alternatives to gasoline, and scientists and policymakers are trying to figure out which will win the battle of the alternative fuels. The stakes include billions of dollars in profits. We talk to a Kettering University professor, Manistee County commissioner and industry experts. By Nick Pelton. FOR OAKLAND, LUDINGTON, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS & ALL POINTS. 

HUNTINGSEASON: A Southwest Michigan lawmaker wants the deer firearms season to always open on a weekend, saving hunters the trouble of taking time off from work. The Department of Natural Resources is skeptical. For news and outdoors desks.  By Justin Knoll. FOR STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, SOUTH BEND, MARQUETTE, LUDINGTON, HOLLAND, TRAVERSE CITY, ALPENA, BAD AXE, GRAYLING, CLARE, UP NORTH & ALL POINTS.

STEROIDSINSPORTS: High school sports teams that refuse to take part in random steroid screening would be barred from state tournaments sponsored by the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Association under a Macomb County senator's proposal. The senator calls the association cowardly for refusing to take the steroid problem seriously. The Clare Schools athletic director says he sees no problem, and the association says there's no need for state action. For news and sports desks. By Brooke Meier. FOR CLARE, MACOMB & ALL POINTS.

CONTRACEPTIVE: The thorny question of a proposed state mandate that health insurers cover the cost of prescription contraceptives is up for debate again. A Highland Park senator says the requirement would be equitable, cut health care costs and reduce the number of abortions. A North Branch lawmaker and the Michigan Catholic Conference oppose the idea. By Hannah Northey. FOR MICHIGAN CITIZEN, LAPEER & ALL POINTS.

GREATLAKESCOMPACT:  Michigan is moving a step closer to approving a U.S.-Canadian compact intended to control diversion of Great Lakes waters. A Saugatuck  Township senator is sponsoring the bill and has signed up a majority of her Senate colleagues. Minnesota was he first state to act. By Michael Carney. FOR HOLLAND, LUDINGTON, SOUTH BEND, LEELANAU, PETOSKEY, MARQUETTE, UP NORTH, ALPENA, BAD AXE, MONROE, OAKLAND, MACOMB & ALL POINTS.

OSCODALAND: What can one George Washington or 100 copper Abe Lincolns buy? The Department of Natural Resources would sell its Mio field office and a couple of acres of land to Oscoda County under legislation that would make the property available for such facilities as a new jail or offices. Price tag? Only $1. Senators from Lake Leelanau and Midland are involved in the negotiations. By Erik Adams. FOR ALPENA, GRAYLING & ALL POINTS.

STEMCELL: Some lawmakers, including ones from East Lansing, Battle Creek and Ferndale, want to lift the state’s ban on embryonic stem cell research. Scientists at Michigan State and University of Michigan say that move would improve research possibilities in treating diseases. The House GOP leader from Troy sees no need for rapid legislative action. By Justin Knoll. FOR LANSING, OAKLAND, BATTLE CREEK, HOLLAND, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS & ALL POINTS.

LABORSHORTAGE: Apple and asparagus growers are among the Michigan farmers who stand to benefit from a state recruitment drive for migrant workers from Texas. There’s a serious labor shortage, they say, and unemployed or laid-off local workers are reluctant to take such jobs. We talk to officials of the Michigan Apple Committee, Michigan Asparagus, Plum and Onion Committee and Farm Bureau, as well as a Michigan State expert on migrant labor. For news and farm pages. By Brian McVicar. FOR HOLLAND, SOUTH BEND, GREENVILLE, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, LEELANAU,  LUDINGTON, TRAVERSE CITY & ALL POINTS.

            w/LABORSHORTAGEGRAPHIC: Michigan’s top asparagus-producing and apple-producing counties: Oceana, Mason, Van Buren, Ottawa, Kent, Cass, Muskegon, Berrien.

DOMESTICTETHER: Domestic violence laws are again under review after the brutal death of a Mount Pleasant woman. A legislator wants to empower judges to order domestic abusers to wear GPS tethers that would warn their victims if they come too near. The Michigan Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence says current laws, including personal protection orders, aren’t enough to fully protect victims. Oakland and Otsego counties previously tried a tether program as a pilot project. By Brooke Meier. FOR GREENVILLE, OAKLAND, GRAYLING & ALL POINTS.

LEAD: A Madonna University nursing professor recalls a Detroit mother and father—possibly in the United States illegally—who refused to have their three children tested for lead paint poisoning  because they didn’t want to reveal their names and address. That fear may be more deadly than the toxic metal that is silently poisoning developing brains and nervous systems, Oakland County health experts warn. Lead poisoning was confirmed in 3,100 Michigan children in 2005, and the failure to diagnose and treat the disease can cause learning disabilities, life-threatening illness, violent behavior and even death. By Hannah Northey. FOR OAKLAND, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

CNS

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