This Week's File

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Nov. 25, 2008—Week 13

To: CNS Editors

From: Eric Freedman & Vic Rauch

http://cns.jrn.msu.edu

EARLY FILE THIS WEEK: Due to Thanksgiving, we are filing today rather than Friday.

MICHIGAN EDUCATION ASSOCIATION AHEAD: Correspondents will interview MEA President Iris Salters on Monday, Dec. 1. Topics may include state aid to public education, the future of charter schools, school districts where teachers still are working without a contract and MEA legislative priorities for 2009, when a bevy of union-backed new representatives take office.

HERE’S YOUR FILE:

FRAUDTRAINING: Tough economic teams make people more vulnerable to bogus investment schemes, experts say.  Already this year, the U.S. attorney in Grand Rapids announced indictments against three Lansing men, and the U.S. attorney in Detroit hammered a Bloomfield Hills man for securities fraud. The Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation is training law enforcement officers to identify and stop illegal investment practices. Elder Law of Michigan and AARP are educating the public on the problem as well. By Diane Ivey. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, LANSING, OAKLAND, ROYAL OAK, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

GAYADOPTION: A Lansing lesbian couple would like to adopt a child but say murky state law makes that difficult, if not impossible. An ACLU lawyer in Detroit says there’s no explicit prohibition against gay adoptions but some state judges interpret the law as limited to married couples. A Southfield legislator’s bill to legalize second parent adoptions has languished in committee for several years, and Midland-based group sharply criticizes the idea, saying it would promote homosexuality in children. By Alison Costello. FOR LANSING, OAKLAND, HOLLAND,  ROYAL OAK, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

DONATIONS: Charities are reporting a drop in donations while demand for their assistance is rising. The Michigan Nonprofit Association attributes that pattern to the state’s troubled economy. We talk to Goodwill Industries of Northern Michigan, Goodwill Industries of Central Michigan’s Heartland. St. Vincent’s Catholic Charities and City Rescue Mission in Lansing. By Courtney Bowerman. FOR TRAVERSE CITY,  ALPENA, PETOSKEY, UP NORTH, GRAYLING, SOUTH BEND, CADILLAC, LANSING & ALL POINTS.

TOBACCOMONEY: Ten years after major tobacco companies agreed to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to the states, anti-smoking advocates say Michigan isn’t spending its share as intended. The money’s going to pay for college scholarships and Medicaid, not for tobacco prevention and control, which the critics say would reduce health care costs in the long run. A Monroe County public health nurse says programs are needed in schools and for pregnant women. By Alison Costello. FOR MONROE, LANSING, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

WATERWORKSHOPS: To help farmers, industry, golf course managers and other users of large amounts of water, MSU-sponsored workshops about the state’s new water withdrawal regulations are on the horizon for Howard City, Clinton Township and West Olive. An Ottawa County Extension agent says it will benefit area blueberry, corn and nursery plant growers. The new system results from the Great Lakes Compact that Michigan approved earlier this year and will work with an online assessment program intended to ease the Department of Environmental Quality’s burden of reviewing applications. By Brittany Kinstle. FOR MACOMB, HOLLAND, LANSING, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, SOUTH BEND & ALL POINTS.

ODOMETERFRAUD: Odometer fraud in Michigan has grown more than twice as fast as the national average, and the unscrupulous sales technique has hoodwinked both dealers and consumers. There’s even computer hardware sold on the Internet that lets sellers hack into digital odometers and roll back the mileage. A Southfield plaintiffs’ lawyer says his client may have been cheated by a Rochester Hills dealership, which denies the allegation. We talk to Troy-based Detroit Auto Dealers Association and the Better Business Bureau in Southfield. By John Hudson. FOR OAKLAND, ROYAL OAK, MACOMB, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

NEWECONOMYINDEX: Despite gloomy economic news, there may be light ahead for Michigan’s economy, at least in the long term, according to a new report by two foundations that ranks the state 17th nationally. Strong points include the comparatively high level of immigrants moving into the state, leadership in online governmental services and aggressive research and development. On the down side: a brain drain of young entrepreneurs. Monroe County is actively recruiting Ohio R&D firms, and a Traverse City senator sees strengths in tourism development, film industry incentives and downtown redevelopment. We also hear from a MSU economist. By Nico Rubello. FOR TRAVERSE CITY, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, MONROE, PETOSKEY, UP NORTH & ALL POINTS.

DOUBLECANDIDATES: As goes Delaware, so might Michigan. Thank Vice President-elect Joe Biden for that. His state is one of the few that lets candidates run simultaneously for president or vice president and U.S. House or Senate. A Macomb County lawmaker wants to give ambitious Michigan politicians the same option of two bites of the electoral apple. An Oakland University political scientist is no fan of the idea, saying aspiring politicians would “have it both ways.” By Eric Freedman. FOR LANSING, MACOMB, OAKLAND, ROYAL OAK, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

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