This Week's File

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Sept. 28, 2007 – Week 4

To: CNS Editors

From: Eric Freedman, Vic Rauch & Sheila Schimpf

MICHIGAN RETAILERS ASSOCIATION AHEAD: Your correspondents will interview Michigan Retailers Association CEO Larry Meyer on Monday, Oct. 1. Likely topics include the proposed service tax, job losses in the brick-and-mortar retail sector, the impact of Internet sales on Michigan merchants, wages and the state’s economic and budget challenges.

HERE’S YOUR FILE:

RECYCLING: There’s a move, supported by Michigan United Conservation Clubs, to expand the 1977 beverage deposit law to include water and juice bottles, but the Michigan Retailers Association and Michigan Food & Beverage Association oppose it as a burden on merchants and a health risk. A St. Joseph County senator favors other incentives to promote recycling. Meanwhile, a Warren lawmaker wants all bottles and cans distributed in Michigan to have a standardized bar code to deter out-of-staters from profiting on the 10-cent deposits. The attorney general just announced 13 arrests and confiscation of $500,000 in an Ohio-based scheme to cash in on out-of-state containers. By Crystal Burks. FOR STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, SOUTH BEND, MACOMB, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS & ALL POINTS.

MEDICAIDPROGRAM: Under a $5 billion gun—the threatened loss of federal aid—Michigan has finally authorized a program to recoup the assets of Medicaid recipients who lived in long-term care facilities before their deaths. In addition to protecting federal aid, the program will save the state an estimated $10 million a year. Michigan is the last state to comply with the federal mandate. The aide to a Democratic senator explains why it’s a bad idea. Among other no votes were senators from Monroe, Warren, Troy and Canton. By Melanie Trusty. FOR MICHIGAN CITIZEN, MACOMB, OAKLAND, MONROE & ALL POINTS.

TEXTING: Everybody knows that alcohol and driving is a deadly combination, but is texting and driving equally dangerous? It may have been for five teenagers who died this summer in a New York crash when the driver lost control of the car. A Detroit senator wants to slap a $100 fine on drivers who use cell phones, electronic games and other electronic devices while behind the wheel. Cell phone calls are the biggest safety distraction and are blamed for 1,022 accidents in 2005 in Michigan. State police posts in Cadillac, Gladwin, Alpena and Manistee say they’re unaware of any texting-while-driving problems in their areas. By Gregory Herbert. FOR LANSING, CADILLAC, LUDINGTON, ALPENA, GLADWIN, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

SHUTDOWN: Chaos over the state budget crisis has drawn demonstrators, lobbyists and the merely curious to the Capitol. Among them are a gay and lesbian rights activist from Lansing—pushing for adoption legislation—and a union activist from Escanaba. We also talk to legislators from Farmington Hills and Lake Leelanau and learn about the impact of a potential shutdown on the Secretary of State’s office and Department of Natural Resources. By Tim Alberta. FOR LANSING, LEELANAU, OAKLAND, MARQUETTE, TRAVERSE CITY, CADILLAC, GLADWIN, CLARE, UP NORTH & ALL POINTS.

RECREATIONPLAN: The state’s current outdoor recreation plan is slated to expire at the end of the year, and its replacement would add two new priorities. One is recruitment and retention of anglers and hunters. The other is promotion of “green” technology in parks and recreation facilities, with a focus on energy saving, recycling and pollution abatement. Continuing priorities include state park and forest improvements, an expanded system of “blueway” and “greenway” trails, as well as easier access to public lands. Public hearings are slated for October in Marquette, Bay City, Detroit, Roscommon and Grand Rapids. For news and outdoor desks. By Andrew F. Mutavdzija. FOR CADILLAC, LUDINGTON, GREENVILLE, ALPENA, BAD AXE, LAPEER, TRAVERSE CITY, HOLLAND, GRAYLING, CLARE, GLADWIN, MARQUETTE, UP NORTH & ALL POINTS.

w/RECREATIONINFOBOX: Information box about some “green” initiatives for the state park system.

WINEGRAPEINCREASE: Michigan’s wine grape acreage is expanding, U.S. Agriculture Department statistics show. Industry experts, including ones from Berrien Springs and Traverse City wineries, and the state Grape and Wine Council say farmers are benefiting from—and contributing to—the growing popularity of Michigan wines, wine tourism and the state’s approximately 50 wineries. By Jeff Riley Jr. FOR LEELANAU, TRAVERSE CITY, SOUTH BEND, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS & ALL POINTS.

DIGITALHUNT: The Department of Natural Resources wants to develop a digital map for the Web that shows all lands open to public hunting. The goal, backed by Michigan United Conservation Clubs, is to sell more hunting licenses and encourage hunting-related tourism to Michigan. Senate sponsors come from Lake Leelanau, Canton, Ishpeming, Flushing, Norton Shores, Saugatuck, Taylor and Traverse City. For news and outdoors desks. By Hayley Outslay. FOR CADILLAC, LUDINGTON, PETOSKEY, UP NORTH, ALPENA, BAD AXE, GRAYLING, GLADWIN, CLARE, HOLLAND, SOUTH BEND, TRAVERSE CITY, MARQUETTE, LUDINGTON, OAKLAND, LEELANAU & ALL POINTS.

SHIPWRECKS: Technology and the dropping water level of the upper Great Lakes are combining to uncover Michigan’s maritime secrets. Pilots are spotting previously hidden wrecks along the Lake Superior shore, for example, and sophisticated high-tech equipment will make possible a scan next summer of the bottom of Grand Traverse Bay. We talk to experts about recent and potential discoveries in lakes Huron, Michigan and Superior, both inside and beyond the state’s 11 underwater preserves. By Eric Freedman. FOR ALPENA, MARQUETTE, TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU, PETOSKEY, LUDINGTON, BAD AXE, HOLLAND, SOUTH BEND, MONROE, UP NORTH & ALL POINTS.

w/SHIPWRECKSGRAPHIC: Map of Michigan’s current and proposed Great Lakes underwater preserves. Credit: Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

CNS

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