This Week's File

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Jan. 18, 2008 – Week 1

To: CNS Editors

From: Eric Freedman & Sheila Schimpf

WELCOME TO THE SPRING SEMESTER: We’re pleased to have a cohort of nine top-notch correspondents this semester, eight of them new to CNS and the other one a returnee. Also, this is the first full semester of membership for the Daily Tribune of Royal Oak, which joined CNS in December.

UPCOMING INTERVIEWS: We’re lining up our group interviewees for the next few months. We started this week with the Michigan Environmental Council and so far have scheduled interviews with the Small Business Association of Michigan, Lt. Gov. John Cherry and the directors of the departments of Community Health, State Police and Human Services. We’ll keep you informed.

HERE’S YOUR FILE:

ALTERNATIVEENERGYPARTS: The vacant factories that pockmark Michigan’s decaying landscape loom large in laid-off workers’ minds, blighted reminders of the good old days. Can the manufacture of alternative energy systems and components, as Auburn Hills-based United Solar Ovonics now does in Greenville, spark the state’s economy and create jobs? MEDC and the Detroit-based nonprofit group NextEnergy say yes, especially if the state enacts tax credits for installing such systems. By Whitney Lloyd. FOR GREENVILLE, OAKLAND, ROYAL OAK, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS & ALL POINTS.

GREATLAKESCOMPACT: Concern over the drought in the Southeast and growing demands for water in the Southwest are pushing legislative action to approve the Great Lakes Compact. The agreement would help avert diversion of Great Lakes water to thirsty regions of the country, the Michigan Environmental Council and a Saugatuck senator argue. But the Mackinac Center for Public Policy and state chapter of the National Federation of Independent Businesses call the compact unnecessary. By Andrew McGlashen. FOR HOLLAND, SOUTH BEND, LUDINGTON, PETOSKEY, TRAVERSE CITY, UP NORTH, LEELANAU, MARQUETTE, ALPENA, BAD AXE, MONROE & ALL POINTS.

HEATINGBILLS: Some legislators want the state to set minimum notification periods before electric and natural gas utilities can shut off service to customers who haven’t paid their bills. They cite such problems as the state’s economic downturn and memory lapses by the elderly and Alzheimer’s patients. DTE Energy says it already makes multiple attempts to contact delinquent customers before turning off utilities. A Southfield-based regional aging agency likes the idea. Sponsors include representatives from Westland, Southfield, Warren and Detroit. By Melanie Trusty. FOR MICHIGAN CITIZEN, MACOMB, OAKLAND, ROYAL OAK & ALL POINTS.

RESTRICTEDACCESS: As ownership of more and more forestland in the Upper Peninsula changes hands and goes to out-of-state buyers, more and more acreage is put off-limits to public recreational use, like hunting, snowmobiling and hiking. That’s an alarming trend, say researchers at Michigan Tech, Michigan State, National Wildlife Federation and Michigan Environmental Council. The land is often being used to increase timber production or subdivided for development. By Tim Wardle. FOR MARQUETTE, LANSING, LUDINGTON, UP NORTH, TRAVERSE CITY, PETOSKEY, ALPENA, GRAYLING, CLARE, GLADWIN, CADILLAC & ALL POINTS.

PETDIVORCE: What do a golden retriever and a couch have in common? In divorce proceedings, both are treated as property. A Bloomfield Hills couple were able to amicably negotiate custody of their three dogs when they divorced, but a Grand Rapids lawmaker says judges need explicit authority to resolve pet placement disputes when the parties can’t agree on who gets Fido. The Michigan Humane Society, which has facilities in Detroit, Rochester Hills and Westland, and a Bloomfield Hills pet law expert support the proposal. By Brooke Meier. FOR OAKLAND, ROYAL OAK, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

PAROLE. The state’s parole system needs improvement, the auditor general says, because the Corrections Department has failed to fully comply with supervision policies and update its database of inmate information. The department says it’s working to correct the problems. A Jackson-based prisoner rights group says parole officers have so much paperwork that it takes time away from helping parolees reintegrate into their communities. By Rob Dale. FOR MICHIGAN CITIZEN, LANSING, MARQUETTE, LAPEER, OAKLAND & ALL POINTS.

HYBRIDTAX: Owners of hybrid cars may be getting more than just good fuel economy and a do-good sense of helping the environment. A Western Michigan lawmaker wants the state to offer income tax credits of up to $1,000 to purchasers of hybrid vehicles, saying economic benefits to the state would offset the $16 million annual loss in taxes. GM says the market for hybrids is small but growing. For news and business desks. By Matt Flint. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS & ALL POINTS.

LINDANEBAN: The Legislature is considering a partial ban on lindane, used to treat head lice and scabies. Health and environmental experts say lindane has nasty side effects and argue that safer alternatives are on the market. The bill would allow lindane’s use only with a physician’s prescription. By Harry Gillen. FOR OAKLAND, MACOMB, LANSING, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

HEADLICE: The state Board of Education recommends against lindane, the Michigan Environmental Council and Ann Arbor-based Ecology Center warn of its dangers. Now a House committee plans a hearing on a Burton lawmaker’s bill that would sharply restrict the use of lindane to treat head lice. By Clay Taylor. FOR OAKLAND, MACOMB, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

WATERUSE: A new Internet tool will help businesses, homeowners and communities assess the impact of drilling wells and other water-draining resources. The database also will help local governments determine which large water users will need permits, but the St. Joseph County drain commissioner expresses concerns about possible adverse effects. Groundwater Conservation Advisory Council and Michigan Environmental Council representatives discuss it. By Diane Ivey. FOR THREE RIVERS, STURGIS, SOUTH BEND, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS & ALL POINTS.

BLACKCAUCUS: The Democratic recapture of Congress and the record number of African Americans there including the chairs of the Ways and Means, Judiciary and Homeland Security committee signal a resurgence of black political clout on Capitol Hill this year. That change has given a high profile to Michigan’s two African American federal lawmakers, Reps. John Conyers Jr. and Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, both Detroit Democrats. Conyers chairs the Judiciary Committee, which has tackled such hot-button issues as warrantless surveillance, cybercrime, interrogation of terrorist suspects, immigration, identity theft and voting rights. Kilpatrick chairs the Congressional Black Caucus and sits on the powerful House Appropriations Committee. By Eric Freedman & Stephen A. Jones. FOR MICHIGAN CITIZEN, LANSING, MACOMB, OAKLAND & ALL POINTS.

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