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.

Feb. 20, 2009 – Week 5

To: CNS Editors

From: Eric Freedman & Sheila Schimpf

http://cns.jrn.msu.edu

MICHIGAN JOURNALISM HALL OF FAME REMINDER: For reservations at the annual awards ceremony and dinner, please contact Linda Hartwig (hartwigl@msu.edu) at the MSU School of Journalism.

HERE’S YOUR FILE:

GREENCHEMISTRY: State agencies and Michigan corporations are taking the lead to develop innovative products using “green chemistry,” ranging from bio-diesel that uses no petroleum to complex molecules. A chemist-lawyer-turned-legislator from Huntington Woods talks about the potential benefits of green chemistry to the state economy. We also hear from experts at Dow Chemical, DEQ and the Agriculture Department. GM, Afid Therapeutics in Lansing and Herman Miller in Zeeland are among in-state companies actively exploring the field, as are MSU scientists. A September symposium on green chemistry is planned for Detroit. By Joe Vaillancourt. FOR OAKLAND, ROYAL OAK, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, HOLLAND, LANSING, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

GOVERNORMACKINAC: Given the condition of Michigan’s economy, a $3 million check made out to the state would be welcome. That’s the estimated value of the governor’s summer residence perched atop a hill overlooking Main Street and the Straits of Mackinac on Mackinac Island. But selling it appears legally impossible, even if the cash-strapped state wanted to do so. Legends about the 11-bedroom, 9 ½-bathroom house still circulate around the island, and summer visitors can drop by on Wednesday mornings for a tour. By Alison Costello. FOR TRAVERSE CITY, PETOSKEY, MARQUETTE, LANSING & ALL POINTS.

            w/GOVERNORRESIDENCEPHOTO: Governor’s residence on Mackinac Island. Credit: State of Michigan.

RETRAINING: Community colleges are busy retraining displaced workers from automotive and other industries for new careers. Programs at Oakland and Macomb community colleges are experiencing higher enrollment, with particular interest in training for health, road construction, computer networking, film industry and paralegal jobs, among others. The governor, who recently cited two men from Bay City and Fraser as success stories, wants $40 million more for No Worker Left Behind retraining. A UAW official in Lansing says autoworkers need a “plan B” for their futures. By Danielle Emerson. FOR OAKLAND, ROYAL OAK, MACOMB, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, LANSING, GRAND RAPIDS & ALL POINTS.

PREVENTIVEHEALTH: Amid rising unemployment and a bleak economy, many state residents are jeopardizing their health by foregoing preventative and elective medical procedures, including mammograms and colonoscopies, experts warn, including those with Metro Health in Grand Rapids, Traverse Health Clinic in Traverse City and the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department. We hear from a cancer survivor in Grawn and the director of the Department of Community Health. Even for people with jobs, higher insurance premiums, reduced coverage and higher co-pays are a deterrent to seeking health care. By Jack Johnston. FOR TRAVERSE CITY, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, PETOSKEY, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, UP NORTH & ALL POINTS.

COLORPHASEBEARS: Have you ever pitched a perfect baseball game or won the lottery? Your odds of shooting a color-phase black bear are just as daunting, although a hunter in Ontonagon County was that lucky last September. DNR has no data to confirm that the number of color-phase bears in the state has increased, and a hunter from Marquette says they’re rare in Michigan but more common in western Canada. We also talk to the Michigan Wildlife Conservancy in Bath. For news and outdoor desks. By Joe Vaillancourt. FOR MARQUETTE, LUDINGTON, CADILLAC, PETOSKEY, ALPENA, CLARE, GRAYLING, GLADWIN, TRAVERSE CITY, LANSING & ALL POINTS. 

TOURISM: A pickup jammed with 13 people took advantage of the “sardine special” at Shanty Creek’s Schuss Mountain: $50, or $3.84 each, bought them all ski lift tickets in an illustration of how some Michigan tourism businesses are going creative to draw visitors despite the tough economy. A Wayland RV sales manager says more people want to vacation closer to home, so RV show attendance and sales are strong. And an upscale RV resort is still slated to open in May in Muskegon. We also hear from Travel Michigan, the S.S. Badger car ferry, the Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau and a West Branch legislator who wants fishing and hunting to lure more tourists. By Jack Johnston. FOR PETOSKEY, UP NORTH, TRAVERSE CITY, SPORTSMEN, LUDINGTON, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, GREENVILLE, GRAYLING, CLARE, GLADWIN, CADILLAC & ALL POINTS.

VEHICLESAUDIT: The state agency responsible for loaning out state cars and reimbursing state employee travel expenses may have improperly paid out as much as $1.4 million, including $200,000 for “excessive car wash services,” the Auditor General’s office says. The report, covering a 2 1⁄2-year period, said the Office of Vehicle and Travel Services failed to follow state guidelines on reimbursement and failed to properly document many of its payments. A former Macomb County legislator, now head of a taxpayer group, said the findings are no surprise. By Thomas J. Morrisey. FOR LANSING, MACOMB & ALL POINTS.

QUITSMOKING: While the Legislature struggles to compromise on the scope of a smoke-free workplace bill, the Department of Community Health is offering help to smokers who want to quit. We also hear from a Detroit ex-smoker who opposes both smoking and a state ban and from a Farwell legislator who says the government should let consumers decide whether to patronize restaurants and bars that allow smoking. By Gabriel Goodwin. FOR CLARE, GLADWIN, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, LANSING, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS & ALL POINTS.

MEDICALADVISORY: A new Medical Advisory Board is examining medical condition that affect a person’s driving ability in an effort to make the roads safer. Secretary of State Terry Lynn Land appointed the nine-member panel to recommend vision, mental and physical standards and to suggest improvements in how drivers are evaluated. An AAA safety expert in Grand Rapids, he Michigan State Medical Society and the Office of Highway Safety Planning discuss the initiative. By Tim Weatherhead. FOR LANSING, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS & ALL POINTS.

MENTALHEALTHWEST: Experts at the St. Joseph County Mental Health Board and North Lakes Community Mental Health worry about the shortage of services to treat mental illness, especially with the governor proposing a 2.3 percent cut in state funding. Those hit hardest will be patients without Medicaid or private insurance, they say. By Tim Weatherhead. FOR STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, SOUTH BEND, TRAVERSE CITY, GRAYLING, CADILLAC, UP NORTH & ALL POINTS.

MENTALHEALTHRECESSION: Economic hard times are worsening mental health problems, but services to address those problems are inadequate and money to treat them is shrinking. Experts from the Depression Center at the University of Michigan, the Southfield-based Mental Health Association and the state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers warn that the situation is getting worse. Michigan is among eight states that don’t require private health insurers that cover physical ailments to also cover mental illness. By Thomas J. Morrisey. FOR MICHIGAN CITIZEN, LANSING & ALL POINTS.

BOOZE: A new law prohibiting shipment of wine and beer to Michigan consumers takes effect March 31, and microbreweries will be hit hardest, the Michigan Restaurant Association predicts. Although the law will still allow retailers such as wineries and breweries to make home deliveries with their own employees or distributors, many such enterprises can't afford that option. The president of New Holland Brewing Co. in Holland is also unhappy, but the Liquor Control Commission defends the law as fair and as a way to curb smuggling of alcoholic products into Michigan without paying state taxes. By Alison Costello. FOR HOLLAND, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS & ALL POINTS.

CNS

Download a Microsoft Word version of this budget here.