This Week's File

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Nov. 14, 2008--Week 10

to: CNS Editors

from: Eric Freedman & Vic Rauch

www.cns.jrn.msu.edu

IN-DEPTH AHEAD: Next Friday, Nov. 21, will be our third in-depth file of the fall.

THANKSGIVING WEEK: We will file Tuesday, Nov. 25, of Thanksgiving week.

HERE'S YOUR FILE:

ASHBORER: The Agriculture Department has lifted the emerald ash borer quarantine in the Lower Peninsula but experts predict no quick solution to the threat of the destructive invasive beetle. A U.S. Forest Service researcher is working on biological weapons, such as stingless wasps that attack the borers. The Department of Natural Resources warns against transferring infested wood. By Diane Ivey. FOR CADILLAC, MONROE, OAKLAND, MACOMB, LUDINGTON, HOLLAND, SOUTH BEND, MARQUETTE, TRAVERSE CITY, PETOSKEY, UP NORTH, ALPENA, SPORTSMEN & ALL POINTS.

  w/ASHBORERPHOTO: Emerald ash borer. Credit: David Cappaert, Michigan State University

GUNSALES: Fear that President-elect Obama and the increasingly Democratic Congress will enact tougher gun control laws is spurring firearms sales in Michigan, gun shop owners in Lapeer and Mason say. A gun owners’ advocacy group is worried, but a gun control group says tightening gun regulations isn't at the top of the new administration's to-do list. By Nico Rubello. FOR LAPEER, LANSING, SPORTSMEN, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, OAKLAND & ALL POINTS.

MARIJUANACONFUSION: The new voter-passed proposal to legalize use of marijuana for medical reasons is sowing seeds of confusion among law enforcement officials. The initial murky period begins when the law takes effect on Dec. 4, which is before rules and regulations are in place. Rulemaking can take another 120 days, the Department of Community Health says. We hear from the Lowell police chief and the executive director of the Michigan Sheriffs' Association. The Marijuana Policy Project says transition problems have been rare in other states that previously adopted similar medical marijuana laws. By Brittany Kinstle. FOR GREENVILLE, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, LANSING & ALL POINTS.

OVERCROWDEDJAILS: Overcrowding remains a serious problem, jail officials in Clare, Alpena and Gladwin counties say. The Michigan Sheriffs' Association notes that the public continues to demand tougher criminal laws but is unwilling to pass millages that will pay to expand and construct facilities. The Michigan Council on Crime and Delinquency says judges should rely more on alternative sentences and less on jail, especially for less serious crimes. By Courtney Bowerman. FOR CLARE, GLADWIN, ALPENA, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

MERCURY: University of Michigan researchers have found a way to track harmful mercury emissions from coal-burning plants, making better regulation of the hazardous substance possible. Politicians disagree on whether promises of “clean coal” are realistic for the state’s proposed new coal-fired generating plants. The Michigan Environmental Council notes that emissions could come from in-state, out-of-state or foreign sources. By Alison Costello. FOR LANSING, OAKLAND, MACOMB & ALL POINTS.

SHALLOWPOCKETS: The biggest spender won in 105 of the 110 state House districts on Nov. 4. But what did the other five, those with shallower pockets, do to win despite a financial disadvantage? Those few victors come from Farmington Hills, Portage, Monroe, Midland and Rockford. We also hear from the Michigan Campaign Finance Network. By John Hudson. FOR OAKLAND, ROYAL OAK, MONROE, SOUTH BEND, LANSING, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

BORDERWAR: Toledo, Mich.? Marquette, Wisc.? It could have been if the 1835 Toledo War between the young state of Ohio and the would-be state of Michigan had turned out differently, according to a new book by an Ann Arbor writer. A Northern Michigan University historian explains how the congressionally brokered deal that resolved the war gave Michigan the western two thirds of the Upper Peninsula, with its unexpected wealth of iron, copper and lumber. And a University of Toledo political scientist observed that Ohio would have gone for John McCain on Election Day if Michigan still owned the disputed 468 square miles south of Monroe County. By Eric Freedman. FOR MONROE, MARQUETTE, LANSING, OAKLAND, MACOMB, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

w/BORDERWARMAP: Toledo Strip in 1835. Credit: Archives of Michigan

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