This Week's File

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Nov. 2, 2007 – Week 9

To: CNS Editors

From: Eric Freedman & Vic Rauch

AGRICULTURE AHEAD: On Monday, Nov. 5, your correspondents will interview the new state Agriculture Department director, Don Koivisto, who took over the department this fall. Possible topics include developments in agricultural production, food processing, agritourism and exports; preserving farmland from development and suburban sprawl; and protections/services for migrant farm workers in the state

THANKSGIVING WEEK HEADS-UP. We will file on Tuesday, Nov. 20, rather than Friday, Nov. 23.

HERE’S YOUR FILE:

DRUGLAWS: Are the state’s tough drug laws too uncompromising? A Southfield lawmaker says yes, proposing legislation to divert marijuana offenders from prison into drug courts and rehabilitation programs. The Corrections director says Michigan drug penalties are among the nation’s strictest. About 75 percent of inmates have had substance abuse problems, including a woman serving a 25-uyear minimum for possessing a relatively small amount of cocaine. The Cass County prosecutor says 80 percent of the cases he handles have some drug aspect. David Salisbury. FOR OAKLAND, SOUTH BEND, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, MARQUETTE, LAPEER, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, LANSING & ALL POINTS.

INSURANCE: An estimated 17 percent of Michigan motorists are uninsured and, thus, driving illegally. Many sign up for a policy, pay the first month’s premium and skip the following payments but still carry their proof-of-insurance card to show police if they’re stopped. Lawmakers from Highland Park, Battle Creek, North Branch, Grand Ledge and Chelsea want to make it easier for police to immediately verify whether a driver carries the required insurance, but an industry group argues that the proposal is unnecessary. By Gregory Herbert. FOR MICHIGAN CITIZEN, LAPEER, LANSING, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, SOUTH BEND & ALL POINTS.

ROADFUNDING: Some Western Michigan road commissions are laying off workers, contracting out services, delaying the replacement of crucial equipment or doing less roadwork due to shrinking state funding. We talk to officials in Oceana, Manistee and Alcona counties about how their agencies cope with rising costs and shrinking resources. By Tim Alberta. FOR LUDINGTON & ALL POINTS.

TOLLLANES: Want to drive in the fast lane on congested expressways in Southeast Michigan. A Detroit lawmaker wants to give you that option—for a price. Under the proposal, drivers could pay for the privilege, and cars without the necessary transponder would be photographed by roadside cameras and ticketed. By Crystal L. Burks. FOR OAKLAND, MACOMB, ROMEO, MONROE, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

SCHOOLBUSADS: It’s legal for public school districts to sell advertising space inside their yellow buses, despite some State Police confusion that almost yanked the ads from Ypsilanti buses. Holland and Grand Rapids districts say they aren’t considering ads. By Crystal L. Burks. FOR HOLLAND, OAKLAND & ALL POINTS.

PRISONBUILD: Inmates in the Prison Build program at 16 prisons, including ones in Grand Traverse and Lapeer counties, are learning construction and landscaping skills and building houses and components for Habitat for Humanity projects. At Saginaw Correctional Facility, for example, inmates are building log cabins for state parks, including Tawas Point State Park, and East Tawas State Harbor. It’s an effort to train them for jobs after they’re released and to give them a sense of public service. We talk to Habitat for Humanity and Corrections officials. By Andrew F. Mutavdzija. FOR LAPEER, TRAVERSE CITY, ALPENA, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, LANSING & ALL POINTS.

DNRCONSOLIDATION: The Department of Natural Resources is set to sell surplus property across the state, with the proceeds earmarked for acquisition of more desirable parcels. Some of the sites in 22 Lower Peninsula and U.P. counties are up for auction, and other parcels are available for direct purchase at fixed prices. Among them are St. Joseph, Berrien, Mason, Oceana, Wexford, Van Buren, Alpena, Clare, Gladwin, Oakland, Lake and Chippewa counties. Michigan United Conservation Clubs and the Michigan Environmental Council say the sales make sense for the state. By Andrew F. Mutavdzija. FOR STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, LUDINGTON, CADILLAC, SOUTH BEND, CLARE, GLADWIN, MARQUETTE, ALPENA & ALL POINTS.

PHYSICALEDUCATION: Michigan public schools fall short of national standards for physical fitness, the Michigan Fitness Foundation says, with individual districts free to decide how much time students must spend in gym class. Legislators from Genesee County Township want the state to mandate minimum phys ed and health education time requirements for elementary and secondary students. By Crystal L. Burks. FOR OAKLAND & ALL POINTS.

RELIGIOUSDISPLAYS: With winter holidays around the corner, the annual dispute over religious displays on public property is expected to emerge again. Voters in Berkley will vote Nov. 6 on whether to retain the traditional holiday display at city hall. Last year, the Southfield City Council voted to display Christmas and Hanukkah items. We hear from the ACLU, Mid-Michigan Atheists and Humanists, a Berkley pro-display activist and a constitutional law professor from Ave Marie Law School. For news and faith/religion desks. By Tim Alberta. FOR OAKLAND, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, HOLLAND & ALL POINTS.

GREATLAKES: Environmental groups are pushing for legislative action to approve a U.S.-Canadian Great Lakes compact that would make it harder for states elsewhere to withdraw water. A Saugatuck Township senator plays a key role in legislative consideration of the issue. By David Salisbury. FOR HOLLAND. LUDINGTON, SOUTH BEND, PETOSKEY, TRAVERSE CITY, UP NORTH, MARQUETTE, ALPENA, BAD AXE & ALL POINTS.

FOODBANK: Demand for food bank assistance is on the rise, a trend fueled by rising gas prices, unemployment, heating bills and health care costs, according to food bank experts in Detroit, Cadillac and Lansing. “That’s how families make it through the month. Without food stamps and food banks, food runs out and kids go hungry,” one said. By Melanie Trusty. FOR MICHIGAN CITIZEN, CADILLAC, MACOMB, OAKLAND & ALL POINTS.

DRIVEMICHIGAN: The Monroe County Road Commission is among the groups backing a proposed 9-cent-a-gallon hike in the gas tax and 50-percent increase in vehicle registration. Backers of the plan, the Drive Michigan campaign, says the state, counties and local governments say the eventual $1 billion-a-year revenue is essential to maintain the safety and condition of roads and bridges, but there appears to be insufficient legislative interest in passing another tax hike. MDOT isn’t part of the coalition but the director says there’s a demonstrated need for more money. By Gregory Herbert. FOR MONROE & ALL POINTS.

REENTRYTREATMENT: A convicted robber and drug user from Detroit has stayed clean for two years since his release from prison, a success story touted by proponents of Michigan’s prisoner reentry program. We talk to experts from Detroit Central City Community Health, Wayne State University and the Corrections Department about reducing recidivism among parolees with mental health and substance abuse problems. By Melanie Trusty. FOR OAKLAND, MACOMB, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

ARTAWARDS: Royal Oak native Sam Raimi of “Spider-Man” and “Evil Dead” fame will be among the honorees at the upcoming annual Governor’s Awards for Arts and Culture. Winners will receive a newly designed “Guvvy” sculpture created by a Grand Rapids artist. Among the other winners are residents of Mount Clemens, Battle Creek and Dearborn, as well as Western Michigan University. For news and arts desks. By Hayley Outslay. FOR OAKLAND, MACOMB, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS & ALL POINTS.

CNS

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