This Week's File

NOTE: CNS articles are for the exclusive use of CNS member news organizations. Any other use is prohibited under federal copyright laws.

To download the text of a story, follow the link for that article and highlight the text. Copy the text (under the Edit menu of your browser) and paste it into your text editing program.

Friday, Oct. 17, 2008--Week 7

to: CNS editors

from: Eric Freedman & Vic Rauch

 cns.jrn.msu.edu

PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES AHEAD: Your correspondents will interview Michael Boulus, executive director of the Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan, on Monday, Oct. 20. Possible topics include financial pressures facing the 15 four-year institutions, enrollment and financial aid trends, universities’ role in economic development, influx in international students, tuition and state aid patterns, innovative programs and infrastructure needs and plans.

HERE'S YOUR FILE:

FORECLOSUREMORATORIUM: U.S. Sen. Barak Obama and a state senator are pushing separate plans for a moratorium against foreclosures of homes for owners making good-faith efforts to repay. A Detroit-based group is holding rallies across the state in favor of Sen. Hansen Clarke’s legislation that is stalled in committee. Co-sponsors include Democrats from Warren and Detroit, but a Monroe Republican senator criticizes the proposal, as does the Michigan Mortgage Brokers Association. By Nico Rubello. FOR MICHIGAN CITIZEN, MACOMB, ROMEO, OAKLAND, ROYAL OAK, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS & ALL POINTS.

DECLAREDVICTORY: With Democrats and pollsters predicting Michigan’s electoral votes in the Obama column,  there’s speculation that Gov. Granholm will be on the short list for a U.S. Supreme Court seat in the next four years.  And U.S. Sen. Levin says Obama’s decision to shift staff  and advertising from Michigan to more touch-and-go battleground states is normal in the closing weeks of national campaigns. A Lansing Democratic lawmaker says Democrats still must persevere. But Republican lawmakers from Lapeer and Grandville say Granholm isn’t qualified for the high court and caution not to count McCain out yet. By Ryan Secord. FOR LANSING, LAPEER, HOLLAND, GREENVILLE, OAKLAND, MACOMB, ROYAL OAK, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

             w/DECLARECVICTORYPHOTO. Sen. Barak Obama speaks at a Michigan State University rally. Credit: Nick  Robinson, Capital News Service.

INCARCERATEDMENTALHEALTH: Southfield-based advocacy groups say Michigan does a poor job in treating prison and jail inmates for mental illness, while the Corrections Department says all incoming prisoners are screened for such problems. A University of Michigan study of state prisoners is underway, with similar research about county jails planned for next year. By Alison Costello. FOR OAKLAND, ROYAL OAK, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, LANSING & ALL POINTS.

SELECTMICHIGAN: The 5-year-old Select Michigan program is paying off for farmers working to sustain their businesses and consumers seeking locally grown food, Agriculture Department and MSU experts say. A Rochester farmers’ market is one of the beneficiaries, and apple and peach growers also report significant gains By Charles Roltsch. FOR OAKLAND, ROYAL OAK, GREENVILLE, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, SOUTH BEND, HOLLAND, TRAVERSE CITY, LUDINGTON & ALL POINTS.

GREENFARMS: Farmers in Gladwin and Sanborn Township near Alpena are among the 600 certified by the Michigan Agricultural Environmental Assurance Program that encourages environmental stewardship. We also talk to the state Agriculture director and Michigan Farm Bureau. By Courtney Bowerman. FOR ALPENA, GLADWIN & ALL POINTS.

FOODTEXTS: News about the latest food recalls is now a few keystrokes away with a new state Agriculture Department text message and e-mail alert program. It’s part of an effort to raise public awareness about food-borne illnesses and the importance of food safety. The Tuscola County Health Department likes the idea of using technology to warn the public of such hazards. By Diane Ivey. FOR LAPEER, LUDINGTON, HOLLAND, THREE RIVERS, STURGIS, GREENVILLE, TRAVERSE CITY & ALL POINTS.

MASCOMADEVELOPMENT: A renewable energy company is moving forward with plans for a $250 million  biofuel plant at a former Air Force base in the Upper Peninsula. The Mascoma Corp. project, which has state and federal funding and a Marquette business partner, will convert forest debris like woodchips, leaves and roots into ethanol, creating 50 jobs at the facility and about 200 more in the Kinross area. By Brittany Kinstle. FOR MARQUETTE, CADILLAC, LUDINGTON, TRAVERSE CITY, UP NORTH, ALPENA, CLARE, GLADWIN, UP NORTH & ALL POINTS.

INFOTECH: A Southfield company has snared $1.8 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture contacts to design and run agricultural data Web sites. The deal reflects Oakland County’s push for information technology and communications jobs. By John Hudson. FOR OAKLAND, ROYAL OAK, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

CNS

Download a Microsoft Word version of this budget here.