This Week's File

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April 17, 2009 -- Week 12

To: CNS Editors

From: Eric Freedman and Sheila Schimpf

http://cns.jrn.msu.edu

MANUFACTURERS AHEAD: Your correspondents will interview Charles Hadden, president of the Michigan Manufacturers Association, on Monday, April 20. Potential topics include future directions/trends for manufacturing in the state; retraining and employment prospects for displaced workers; reuse of closed industrial sites and environmental problems at such plants; and development of export markets for Michigan-made products.

HERE'S YOUR FILE:

SMALLSCHOOLS: While large school districts fight to stay afloat amidst ongoing economic turmoil, smaller districts are even more vulnerable because of the migration of students, fewer programs and teachers to cut and lower reserves. We hear from two small Southeast Michigan districts, Harper Woods and New Haven, and from the director of the state Rural Education Association who is also superintendent of a small district in Marshall. By Danielle Emerson. FOR MACOMB, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, OAKLAND, ROYAL OAK, SOUTH BEND, BLISSFIELD, CLARE, GLADWIN, GRAYLING, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS & ALL POINTS.

ABANDONED BOATS: Caught between a bad economy and expensive storage and scrapping costs, desperate boat owners are turning to desperate measures to dispose of unwanted vessels, including abandonment and even scuttling or setting them adrift. The results include legal, navigational safety and environmental problems, say experts, such as the owners of Traverse City and Harrison Township marine salvage companies. The Grand Traverse County sheriff notes it’s a civil matter, not a crime, to fail to pay storage fees. By Thomas J. Morrisey. FOR MACOMB, OAKLAND, TRAVERSE CITY, PETOSKEY, MARQUETTE, ALPENA, UP NORTH, GRAYLING, GLADWIN, CLARE, HOLLAND, LUDINGTON, CADILLAC, GREENVILLE, SOUTH BEND, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, ROYAL OAK & ALL POINTS.

ILLEGALIMMIGRANTS: Most children of illegal immigrants in Michigan are U.S. citizens, a new national think tank study shows. Many work along the Lake Michigan shore in agriculture, or in the service sector in the Grand Rapids area, according to an MSU research center. The state Education Department doesn’t track the citizenship of pupils because all are entitled to public education. We also hear from a national anti-immigration group and the Michigan League for Human Services.  By Alison Costello. FOR MICHIGAN CITIZEN, HOLLAND, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, LUDINGTON, SOUTH BEND, TRAVERSE CITY, LANSING, PETOSKEY & ALL POINTS.

WOLVES: Great Lakes gray wolves come off the federal endangered species list on May 4, allowing livestock and pet owners to use lethal force under state law against wolves that attack their property. There are more than 500 wolves in the U.P. and an indeterminate number in the northern Lower Peninsula. We hear from a DNR research biologist in Marquette, the Farm Bureau and two Michigan Tech wolf experts. By Tim Weatherhead. FOR MARQUETTE, CADILLAC, TRAVERSE CITY, PETOSKEY, LUDINGTON, ALPENA, CLARE, GRAYLING, GLADWIN, UP NORTH, HOLLAND & ALL POINTS.

         w/WOLVESPHOTO: Gray wolf. Credit: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

MENTORMICHIGAN: A Mentor Michigan initiative launched by the governor when she was attorney general is matching adult volunteers with children in need of role models. Participants include the National Guard, Municipal League, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the state Community Service Commission. An Ottawa County mentee, ex-U of M football coach Lloyd Carr and an AmeriCorps volunteer talk about the program. By Gabriel Goodwin. FOR MICHIGAN CITIZEN, LANSING, HOLLAND & ALL POINTS.

DIESELCARS: Interest in diesel vehicles is slowly growing, according to a new study by a Farmington Hills marketing research firm. Hybrids get the buzz, but improved technology makes diesels more environmentally friendly and cost-effective. A Holland dealership says the benefits of buying a diesel car depend on individual customers’ driving patterns and intended length of ownership. By Thomas J. Morrisey. FOR OAKLAND, HOLLAND, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, ROYAL OAK, MICHIGAN CITIZEN  & ALL POINTS.

PBB: The 1974 PBB—polybrominated biphenyl—scare caused widespread public safety concerns because of the unknown effects of the chemical on humans and livestock. Thirty-five years later, experts say there were no serious health effects, but the incident with tainted animal feed led to tougher food safety laws and improved agribusiness practices. The feed was mixed in Battle Creek, and contaminated animals were buried in Mio. The Agriculture and Community Health departments, Calhoun County health official, Farm Bureau official and a Michigan State toxicologist explain why. By Joe Vaillancourt. FOR ALPENA, GRAYLING, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, SOUTH BEND, LANSING & ALL POINTS.

NUCLEARENERGY: DTE Energy is awaiting federal approval to build Fermi 3, a new nuclear plant in Newport on Lake Erie, but the future of nuclear-generated energy remains up in the air, say experts and officials from the Public Service Commission, Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth, University of Michigan and Michigan Environmental Council. In addition to Fermi 2, the state has nuclear plants in Bridgman and South Haven, while one in Charlevoix closed in 1997. By Jack Johnston. FOR MACOMB, LANSING, SOUTH BEND, HOLLAND, LUDINGTON, OAKLAND, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, TRAVERSE CITY, ROYAL OAK, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.

BANBPA: Legislators from East Lansing and Ann Arbor want Michigan to ban the chemical BPA from plastic products for children, such as baby bottles and toys. Toxicology experts from the Department of Community Health and Wayne State explain the potential health risks posed by BPA. By Danielle Emerson: FOR LANSING, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, OAKLAND & ALL POINTS.

TAXIDERMYRULES: The Department of Natural Resources has adopted new rules for sanitation, waste management, fees and record-keeping for licensed taxidermists. The move follows the discovery last year of a deer in Kent County infected with chronic wasting disease. Taxidermists in Six Lakes and Lake Orion and a DNR wildlife expert discuss the changes. For news, outdoors and sports desks. By Joe Vaillancourt. FOR GREENVILLE, OAKLAND, ROYAL OAK, LUDINGTON, CADILLAC, ALPENA, MARQUETTE, BLISSFIELD, LANSING, LAPEER, SOUTH BEND, HOLLAND, GRAYLING, CLARE, GLADWIN, TRAVERSE CITY, PETOSKEY & ALL POINTS.

SEALAMPREYS: A research breakthrough that uses pheromones to trick sea lampreys and lure them into traps may be a major advance in the battle against the invasive destroyer in the Great Lakes. Michigan State researchers and the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission are optimistic about the new approach, which they say will be less expensive than use of costly lampricides. It will be tested this summer on 10 streams leading into lakes Superior, Huron and Michigan. By Jack Johnston. FOR HOLLAND, LUDINGTON, ALPENA, MARQUETTE, SOUTH BEND, CADILLAC, PETOSKEY, TRAVERSE CITY, LANSING & ALL POINTS.

w/SEALAMPREYPHOTO: A sea lamprey attacks a fish in the Great Lakes. Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

CNS

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