This Week's File

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Friday, Oct. 10, 2008--Week 6

to: CNS editors

from: Eric Freedman, Vic Rauch & Matt Hund

 cns.jrn.msu.edu

AGRICULTURE AHEAD: Your correspondents will interview Don Koivisto, the state Agriculture Department director, on Monday, Oct. 13. Expected topics may include the future of Michigan's agricultural and agribusiness commodity, agricultural production and commodity exports, environmental stewardship, farmland preservation and potential threats from diseases and invasive species to the state's crops and livestock.

HERE'S YOUR FILE:

WOMEN'SCLEMENCY. Fourteen women imprisoned for murdering their abusive husbands and boyfriends have petitioned the governor for clemency, but an advocacy group says the governor has failed to approve their early release. We hear about cases from Eaton, Oakland and Wayne counties and talk to a Davison woman who has been released after serving a lengthy term for murder.  The Corrections Department says all clemency petitions are carefully reviewed but emphasizes that juries convicted the women. By Alison Costello. FOR LANSING, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, OAKLAND, ROYAL OAK & ALL POINTS.

CAFOREGULATION: Environmental groups like one in Lenawee County and the Sierra Club say state standards and enforcement of regulations governing Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) are  too loose, threatening the health of neighbors and imperiling water and air quality. An East Lansing legislator is pushing for tougher rules, while the Senate has passed legislation to diminish DEQ oversight. The Farm Bureau says problems are the result of inadequate management, not mere size. By Brittany Kinstle. FOR LANSING, GREENVILLE, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, LUDINGTON, HOLLAND, SOUTH BEND, THREE RIVERS, ALPENA & ALL POINTS.

 AEROTROPOLIS: Imagine a mega-concentration of aviation-related businesses with an airport at the center. That’s the vision that some economic development experts, the Wayne County executive and Detroit Renaissance are pushing for the Detroit Metro and Willow Run areas. Taylor’s mayor explains his city’s opposition. Backers include representatives from Lincoln Park, Detroit, Taylor and Lowell. By Charles Roltsch. FOR MICHIGAN CITIZEN, OAKLAND, MACOMB, MONROE, ROMEO, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS & ALL POINTS.

UNEMPLOYMENTBENEFITS: The state’s unemployment benefits fund is running short but state officials promise that all jobless workers will get what they’re entitled to because Michigan is borrowing from Washington. A laid-off worker at the now-closed Dura Automotive Systems plant in Mancelona says he may apply for benefits. Claims are up in Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties and statewide. By Nico Rubello. FOR TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU, GRAYLING, PETOSKEY, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

GLOOM: Michigan residents see lots of gloom and doom, a new survey finds, and suicides are up. More than half of those surveyed by MSU’s Institute for Public Policy and Social Research said they were worse off this summer than a year earlier—and that was before the national and global economic meltdown.  The head of a suicide prevention group, who lives in Brownstown Township, predicts more suicides ahead. By Alison Costello. FOR LANSING, MONROE, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

GREATLAKESPLAN: Environmental groups such the Superior Watershed Council in Marquette, hope to influence a pending proposal intended to protect the Great Lakes and its watersheds. The state’s Office of the Great Lakes, Michigan United Conservation Clubs and Lt. Gov. John Cherry are involved in the effort. Other hearings are set, including ones in Detroit and Petoskey. By Brittany Kinstle. FOR MARQUETTE, SPORTSMEN, PETOSKEY, LUDINGTON, UP NORTH, LUDINGTON, HOLLAND, SOUTH BEND, ALPENA, MONROE, CADILLAC, TRAVERSE CITY & ALL POINTS.

EVOLUTION: Religion-affiliated private high schools aren’t required to teach evolution. One in Sterling Heights doesn’t, while one in Muskegon does. A Grandville representative said he’d never vote for legislation that promotes evolution. A Grand Valley State professor says evolution is part of a required course for all students there. We also hear from an East Lansing public school biology teacher. By Ryan Secord. FOR LANSING, MACOMB, LUDINGTON, HOLLAND & ALL POINTS.

WATERTOOL: A test version of DEQ’s new water  assessment  tool is on line for public comment. The intent is to help businesses, property owners and government agencies plan better for how new wells may affect water quality and quantity. We hear from the St. Joseph and Montcalm county drain commissioners. A revised version for public use is expected in July. By Diane Ivey. FOR GREENVILLE, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, THREE RIVERS, STURGIS, SOUTH BEND & ALL POINTS.

COMMUNITYCOLLEGES: Community colleges across the northern Lower Peninsula face growing economic pressure--including the need to raise tuition—due in large part to insufficient state aid. Officials of Mid-Michigan and Alpena community colleges and Northwestern Michigan and North Central Michigan colleges explain how their institutions are dealing with the problem,  such as tuition hikes. An Evart lawmaker on the House Appropriations Committee gives his perspective on what the state can afford. By Courtney Bowerman. FOR CLARE, GLADWIN, ALPENA, TRAVERSE CITY,  LEELANAU, CADILLAC, PETOSKEY, UP NORTH & ALL POINTS.

AGTOURISM: Fall is prime season for many agri-tourism operations in the state, including ones in Romeo and Ortonville. To emphasize its importance, this year the governor redubbed October's traditional "Farm Market Month" as "Farm Market and Agricultural Tourism Month." By John Hudson. FOR ROMEO, OAKLAND, ROYAL OAK, MACOMB & ALL POINTS.

TURBINEMANUFACTURING: With a new law on the books mandating a renewable energy portfolio, wind turbine manufacturing could help Michigan diversify its economy and create jobs, according to the Michigan Economic Development Corp., Detroit-based NextEnergy, a Traverse City legislator and a Livonia company. By Nico Rubello. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, OAKLAND, ROYAL OAK, TRAVERSE CITY & ALL POINTS.

 MASSTRANSIT: High gas prices are strengthening the push for new mass transit services, such as the proposed Woodward light-rail project in Detroit, a commuter rail line between Ann  Arbor and Detroit and a mass transit project in Grand Rapids. Officials are looking for federal funds. A leading proponent is a Traverse City senator who says successful light-rail projects may serve as models for other communities in the state. By John Hudson. FOR OAKLAND, MACOMB, ROMEO, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS

ABANDONEDPETS: As economic woes worsen, Michigan residents are abandoning their pets at an escalating right, according to the Bingham Farms-based Michigan Humane Society, which runs shelters in Detroit, Westland and Rochester Hills, and the Huron Humane Society in Alpena. One litter of kittens was dropped off at a shelter in an empty beer case duct-taped shut so the animals couldn't escape. By Courtney Bowerman. FOR ALPENA, OAKLAND, ROYAL OAK, MACOMB, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

M24:  Lapeer County drivers have a long wait ahead before the southern 2.5 part of M-24 near the Oakland County line gets widened. MDOT officials and a North Branch lawmaker says there’s not enough money—it’s as simple as that. By Ryan Secord. FOR LAPEER, OAKLAND & ALL POINTS.

CNS

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