This Week's File

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Oct. 31, 2008—Week 9

To: CNS Editors

From: Eric Freedman, Vic Rauch & Dawn Parker

cns.jrn.msu.edu

MDOT AHEAD: Your correspondents will interview Kirk Steudle, the state Transportation Department director, on Monday, Nov. 3. Possible topics include bridge and highway safety; proposed projects; border crossings; state and federal funding; and mass transit.

HERE’S YOUR FILE:

FARMENERGY: Brook Ridges in Newaygo County and Scenic View Dairy in Fennville are among the farms turning to innovative technology called anaerobic digestion so they can use manure and organic waste to become energy self-sufficient. Surplus electricity and natural gas can be sold to Consumers Energy, Michigan Gas Utilities and other power companies. We also interview a key Michigan State researcher, an Ottawa County Extension agent and the manager of an Ohio company that works with Michigan farmers to implement the technology. By Brittany Kinstle. FOR SOUTH BEND, THREE RIVERS, HOLLAND, STURGIS, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, LUDINGTON, GREENVILLE, MONROE, LANSING & ALL POINTS.

WINTERBUSINESS: Restaurants in Northern Michigan are being hit particularly hard this year by rising energy costs. One in Hillman will close for the winter for the first time in 13 years, and another in Traverse City is working on energy conservation. DTE Energy and Consumers Energy both predict a hike in natural gas costs. The Small Business Association of Michigan has a program that lets members lock in natural gas costs. We also hear from the Michigan Restaurant Association. By Nico Rubello. FOR TRAVERSE CITY, ALPENA, LUDINGTON, PETOSKEY, UP NORTH, GRAYLING, CADILLAC, MARQUETTE, LEELANAU & ALL POINTS.

WINTERROADS: Road commissions in Clare, Gladwin and Alpena counties, like their counterparts across the state, are working to head off the type of salt shortage that hit them last winter. At the same time, officials say they're worried about the rising costs of road salt at a time when state aid for local road maintenance is dropping. By Courtney Bowerman. FOR CLARE, GALDWIN, ALPENA & ALL POINTS.

COLLEGEFRESHMAN: Despite economic hardships, many public universities in the state took in more freshman this fall than last, among them Grand Valley, MSU and Central. Wayne State, however, experienced a 5 percent drop in freshman enrollment, a decline that might reflect reduced money for recruitment in out-of-state urban areas such as Chicago and Cleveland. By Alison Costello. FOR MICHIGAN CITIZEN, HOLLAND, GREENVILLE, CLARE, LANSING, OAKLAND, MACOMB, ROMEO, ROYAL OAK & ALL POINTS.

CHILDABUSE: There's been no shortage of heart-wrenching stories about dead foster and adopted children, including high-profile incidents in Centreville, Williamstown Township, Detroit, Canton Township and Westland. An Office of Children's Ombudsman report and a federal court settlement are spurring changes in the way the Department of Human Services runs its protective services program. We also talk to children’s rights advocacy groups in Holland, Mount Clemens and Lansing. By John Hudson. FOR STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, SOUTH BEND, LANSING, OAKLAND, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, MACOMB, ROMEO, ROYAL OAK & ALL POINTS.

POVERTYSUMMIT: The upcoming statewide poverty summit is intended to help legislators, citizens, advocates and students learn ways to fight the Michigan’s rising poverty rate. The Department of Human Services, which is organizing the Nov. 13 event in Detroit, said the goal is to help Michigan cut poverty in half and reduce child poverty by 60 percent in 10 years. We also talk to leaders from Southwest Michigan and Genesee County. By Diane Ivey. FOR MICHIGAN CITIZEN, OAKLAND, MACOMB, ROYAL OAK, SOUTH BEND, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, LANSING, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS & ALL POINTS.

ENERGYRESEARCH: Michigan’s three major research universities received $80 million last year in federal and state grants for alternative energy research, according to a new report. Beneficiaries include a solar energy project at Michigan State and groundbreaking work with smart sensors at the University of Michigan. By Charles Roltsch. FOR LANSING, OAKLAND, MACOMB, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS & ALL POINTS.

NOCHILDLEFTBEHIND: Newly announced changes in the federal No Child Left Behind program are aimed at reducing the dropout rate among high schoolers. Detroit’s Cass Tech foresees no problem in meeting the goals, but other Detroit high schools are far below the standards. By Alison Costello. FOR MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

CORRECTIONSMONEY: Calls to cut Corrections Department spending, including a new Auditor General report, are spurring competing proposals for what to do with the money. For example, business groups, including the Grand Rapids and Detroit chambers of commerce and Detroit Renaissance, want the savings used to cut business taxes. The department says it’s addressing concerns about overtime costs and new hires, but says it will take legislative action to reduce the number of inmates and the length of their sentences. By John Hudson. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, LANSING & ALL POINTS.

COLLEGEADMISSIONS: This fall, Northwestern Michigan College admitted 151 new students, up from last fall’s 133 and 108 in 2006. Most of the state’s community colleges reported increases, as did large public universities, including MSU. Alpena County Community College is an exception with a small decline. By Nico Rubello. FOR TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU, ALPENA, LANSING & ALL POINTS.

CRIMEANDECONOMY: Law enforcement agencies in Clare and Gladwin counties report a rise in crime, especially theft and alcohol-related offenses, they say are tied to high unemployment rates and the state's troubled economy. By Courtney Bowerman. FOR CLARE, GLADWIN & ALL POINTS.

PENSION: Michigan $52 billion investment portfolio has been hit hard by recent stock market tumbles—down $2 billion in October, and down $7.5 billion last year. But it’s in better shape than the pension programs in a number of other states, and the Treasury Department says diversification has helped shelter the state’s fund, and the department says payments to retirees aren’t in jeopardy. The Michigan Pension Rights Project is fielding lots of worried calls, however. About 580,000 teachers, judges and other public employees are in the fund. For news and business pages. By Charles Roltsch. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, LANSING & ALL POINTS.

ARCHITECTURE: What do the Fox Theatre, the Lapeer County Courthouse, Meadowbrook, the Grand Hotel and the Capitol have in common? What connects the Herman Miller Design Yard to Traverse City State Hospital, the Niles railroad station, Bay View and the Superior Dome? All are among the state’s top 150 architectural achievements, a new book says. Among the others: Frank Lloyd Wright houses in Okemos and Kalamazoo, a Leelanau County farm and copper miners’ homes in Calumet. The president of the Michigan Architectural Foundation, a Detroit architect, said many other structures deserve recognition as well, especially those built in the past 30 years. By Eric Freedman. FOR OAKLAND, MACOMB, MARQUETTE, LAPEER, LANSING, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, HOLLAND & ALL POINTS.

FARMBILLREVISION: A newly approved but temporary change in the farm bill will make an undetermined number of Michigan farmers eligible for additional federal aid for crops grown on parcels of less than 10 acres. A Van Buren County farmer is one of the beneficiaries. But the benefits are good for this year only, so the Michigan Farm Bureau is lobbying Congress for an extension. By Brittany Kinstle. FOR SOUTH BEND, THREE RIVERS, STURGIS, HOLLAND, LUDINGTON, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, GREENVILLE & ALL POINTS.

CNS

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