This Week's File

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April 13, 2007 – Week 12

To: CNS Editors

From: Eric Freedman & Vic Rauch

IN-DEPTHS AHEAD: Friday, April 20, will be our last in-depth file of the semester.

GRANHOLM HEADS-UP. Your correspondents are scheduled to interview Gov. Granholm on Monday, April 23.

HERE’S YOUR FILE:

STATEFORESTFEES: DNR Director Rebecca Humphries is likely to raise state forest camping fees, effective May 14. Most sites would rise from $10 a night to $15, but specialized campgrounds such as those aimed at equestrians could see fees double to $20 a night. Last year, fees rose at popular state parks including Petoskey, Holland, North and South Higgins Lake and Mitchell, and could rise at others later this year, DNR warns. By Michael Carney. FOR LUDINGTON, MARQUETTE, CADILLAC, GREENVILLE, CLARE, GRAYLING, ALPENA, BAD AXE, HOLLAND, SOUTH BEND, THREE RIVERS, STURGIS, PETOSKEY, HOLLAND, TRAVERSE CITY, UP NORTH & ALL POINTS.

w/HUMPHRIESPHOTO: Rebecca Humphries, director of the state Department of Natural Resources. Credit: Capital News Service: Sarah McLeod.

MOOSE: The majestic moose, that most magnificent icon of the Upper Peninsula wilds, is threatened by warming temperatures and the spread of a deadly deer-borne parasite. Weather-related habitat destruction and brain worm are menaces to the U.P.’s 460 moose.  We interview the DNR director and experts in Marquette, Clinton County and Michigan State University. For news and outdoors desks. By Hannah Northey. FOR MARQUETTE, TRAVERSE CITY, PETOSKEY, ALPENA, CADILLAC, CLARE, GRAYLING, LUDINGTON & ALL POINTS.

w/HUMPHRIESPHOTO: Rebecca Humphries, director of the state Department of Natural Resources. Credit: Capital News Service: Sarah McLeod.

            w/MOOSEPHOTO. Michigan moose. Credit: Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

            w/BRAINWORMPHOTO: Brain worm is a parasite carried by white-tailed deer and fatal to moose. Credit: Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

POPTAX: The Cola Wars are flaring up in Michigan—but not between the red-and-whites from Coke and the blue-and-reds from Pepsi. Instead, the fight over a proposed 4 percent sales tax on carbonated soft drinks pits the lab coats and latex gloves of the Michigan Dental Association against the aprons and cash registers of the Michigan Food and Beverage Association. A Grand Rapids physician says the state Medical Society supports the tax proposed by an Alpena lawmaker. It would bring in an estimated $70 million a year. By Erik Adams. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, ALPENA,  GRAYLING, LANSING & ALL POINTS.

            w/FARRPHOTO: Dr. Paul Farr, president of the Michigan State Medical Society. Credit: Michigan State Medical Society.

LIQUORLICENSE: Michigan’s nightlife could soon extend even further into the morning under a House proposal to let restaurants and bars stay open until 4 a.m.—if they pay a late-night tavern fee. The Detroit sponsor and Alpena co-sponsor say it would be good for business but the Ludington police chief who predicts an increase in auto accidents. The Michigan Restaurant Association likes the idea but says $5,000 a year is too expensive. By Nick Pelton. FOR LUDINGTON, LANSING, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, ALPENA, GRAYLING & ALL POINTS.

LICENSEINCREASE: Hunting and fishing license fees would increase, discounts for senior citizens would shrink and teenage anglers would need a license a year earlier under DNR-backed legislation. The added revenue would help avert budget cuts that could cost the jobs of conservation officers, Director Rebecca Humphries says. MUCC says the higher fees would help make up for the declining number of hunters and anglers. We also talk to leaders of hunting and fishing groups in  Mason County, Saline and Lansing. Sponsors include lawmakers from Alpena and Ann Arbor. For news and outdoors desks. By Brian McVicar. FOR ALPENA, BAD AXE, MONROE, MARQUETTE, LUDINGTON,  LANSING, GREENVILLE, CADILLAC, GRAYLING, CLARE, PETOSKEY, TRAVERSE CITY, UP NORTH, HOLLAND, SOUTH BEND, LEELANAU & ALL POINTS.

w/HUMPHRIESPHOTO: Rebecca Humphries, director of the state Department of Natural Resources. Credit: Capital News Service: Sarah McLeod.

DROPOUTAGE: School superintendents in Greenville and Clare, together with the Michigan Education Association, agree that education is crucial for success and support—at least in principle—a move to increase the minimum dropout age from 16 to 18. But there are worries, including the $190.6 million to $266.9 million annual price tag to the state to keep thousands more reluctant teens in the classroom. The statewide dropout rate is 3.3 percent, but as figures for the Traverse City district show, there can be huge variations within a district. Most House sponsors come from Detroit, and  an Ann Arbor senator has a similar proposal. By Brooke Meier. FOR GREENVILLE, CLARE, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, TRAVERSE CITY & ALL POINTS.

FIREPREVENTION: With forest fire season here, DNR Director Rebecca Humphries warns that the state’s budget woes make it harder to prevent and fight blazes on millions of acres of public land, threatening nearby homes and hurting the timber industry. Officials at Huron-Manistee National Forest in the Lower Peninsula and Ottawa National Forest in the U.P. are warning people of the risks of forest fires but are less worried about financial problems because their funding comes from Washington. By Justin Kroll. FOR CADILLAC, PETOSKEY, UP NORTH, MARQUETTE, LEELANAU, LUDINGTON, TRAVERSE CITY, GRAYLING, ALPENA & ALL POINTS.

            w/HUMPHRIESPHOTO: Rebecca Humphries, director of the state Department of Natural Resources. Credit: Capital News Service: Sarah McLeod.

FIRETECHNOLOGY: DNR’s Roscommon Equipment Center is developing new firefighting gear, including modified military vehicles to combat forest fires. DNR also has launched a Web site that lets property owners in the U.P. and northern Lower Peninsula apply online for burn permits—and receive the latest information on forest fire hazard levels. By Alexander Scott. FOR GRAYLING, PETOSKEY, LUDINGTON, CLARE, MARQUETTE, ALPENA, TRAVERSE CITY, HOLLAND, GREENVILLE, UP NORTH & ALL POINTS.

9CENTSAGALLON: The Grand Traverse County Road Commission has its fingers crossed that a bipartisan proposal to increase gasoline and diesel taxes becomes law. And it has a laundry list of projects it wants to fund with the extra revenue. By Michael Carney. FOR TRAVERSE CITY & ALL POINTS

MICHIGANWORKERS: Around half the Michigan workers who leave for Wyoming jobs return each year, but the question is whether they’ll stay. Michigan Works! and MEDC officials in Greenville, Lansing and Taylor say the state is taking steps to help the returnees find jobs here. For news and business desks.  By Tanya Bigham. FOR GREENVILLE, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, MONROE, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, LANSING & ALL POINTS.

CNS

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