This Week's File

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March 16, 2007 – Week 8

To: CNS Editors

From: Eric Freedman & Vic Rauch

IN-DEPTH AHEAD:  Your correspondents will file their second round of in-depth stories next Friday, March 23.

HERE’S YOUR FILE:

MUSEUMARTIFACTS: Col. William Whistler commanded Fort Mackinac in the early 1800s, fought gallantly in the Battle of Maguaga near Detroit during the War of 1812 and accepted the surrender of a major Native American chief. Soon his pistols, a portrait and an historic commemorative medallion will go on display at the fort’s Soldiers Barracks on Mackinac Island. By Brooke Meier. FOR TRAVERSE CITY, MARQUETTE, PETOSKEY & ALL POINTS.

CLIMATECHANGE:  Researchers predict a warmer, drier Michigan ahead—with deep implications for scientists, farmers, policymakers and the tourism industry. For example, an MSU geographer says a longer growing season could benefit corn and wheat farmers but threaten such crops as cherries, blueberries, grapes and strawberries. A Brighton lawmaker says the state should use incentives rather than mandates to fight global warming. By Hannah Northey. FOR OAKLAND, HOLLAND, LUDINGTON, SOUTH BEND & ALL POINTS.

            w/WINKLERPHOTO: Julie Winkler, Michigan State University scientist. Credit: Sarah McLeod, Capital News Service

            w/ANDRESENPHOTO: Jeffrey Andresen, Michigan State University scientist. Credit: Sarah McLeod, Capital News Service.

            w/SKOLEPHOTO: David Skole, Michigan State University scientist. Credit: Sarah McLeod, Capital News Service.

DNRGIFTCERTIFCATES: Want to give your grandkid a hunting or fishing license? A Lake Leelanau senator says one way to do it could be through a DNR gift certificate if her bill becomes law. Michigan United Conservation Clubs says the proposed option could be a boon to DNR in the face of the state’s budget crisis. By Erik Adams. FOR LEELANAU, TRAVERSE CITY, PETOSKEY, CLARE, GRAYLING, LUDINGTON, ALPENA, BAD AXE, MARQUETTE, CADILLAC, UP NORTH & ALL POINTS.

GOVERNORSTRIP: The governor has just returned from Germany and Austria in a bid to lure more jobs to Michigan. Some legislators and special interest groups are optimistic that the trip will produce more business and investment to create jobs, but they insist that foreign travels won’t be enough to turn the state’s troubled economy around. We interview a legislator from Grand Ledge, as well as representatives of the Small Business Association, Michigan Manufacturers Association and state Chamber of Commerce. For news and business desks. By Justin Kroll. FOR LANSING, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, LANSING & ALL POINTS.

TIPS: Restaurant owners across Michigan are worried about a union-backed proposal to almost double the minimum wage for tipped workers. The industry complains that the legislation would be too costly and could trigger layoffs and price hikes for customers, although a Cadillac restaurant owner says he isn’t worried. The AFL-CIO counters that many affected workers currently bring home only a poverty-level income and that the extra money would be recycled into the economy as workers spend their higher pay. Many casino industry workers would be affected as well. By Nick Pelton. FOR MICHIGAN CITIZEN, CADILLAC & ALL POINTS.

LANDFILLOPPOSITION: Industry groups opposed to proposed limits on landfill construction and expansion predict damage to Michigan businesses and jobs. A Monroe sponsor of the legislation and the Michigan Environmental Council counter that the benefits of deterring out-of-state trash would outweigh any industry concerns. By Tanya Bigham. FOR MONROE, MACOMB, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

CREDITREPORT: A proposal to make it easy for consumers to “freeze” their credit reports would deter identity theft, according to sponsors who include lawmakers from Mount Clemens and Dundee. Other sponsors come from Detroit, Bennington Township, Monroe, Royal Oak and Monroe, A sergeant in the State Police’s Livonia-based identity theft team agrees, noting that his unit now investigates about 20 ID theft cases each month in the Detroit area. By Alex Scott. FOR MACOMB, MONROE, OAKLAND, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, LANSING & ALL POINTS.

INDIANTUITION: Two Northern Michigan tribes are pushing for changes in how the state calculates its tuition waiver payments for Native American public university and community college students. The current formula is based on a count of students in 1996, and lack of up-to-date information means colleges don’t get their appropriate share of money from Lansing. Lake Superior State and Michigan State are among the losers, according to Michigan Tribal Advocates. Meanwhile, a tribal lawyer and the state Civil Rights Commission say the program doesn’t violate the Proposal 2 ban on affirmative action. By Michael Carney. FOR MARQUETTE, PETOSKEY, TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, LANSING & ALL POINTS.

CNS

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