Capital News Service

Capital News Service is a wire service with more than 26 local Michigan newspaper subscribers. Each week, reporters for the service publish an article that covers a broader issue in Michigan, primarily through the lens of local and state politics. While the stories may touch upon other topics, they are always "locally written." That's the key to getting stories published by other newspapers, making sure they have sources and issues salient to the community.

Capital News Service is also a class at Michigan State University, although it's treated more like a newsroom, as the deadlines are strict and the work published is read across the state. Check out some of the headlines below to see my work with CNS.

Michigan Police, civil rights groups at odds over military equipment for cops​

County sheriff departments will have renewed access to military surplus like aircraft, helicopters and camouflage after the Trump administration lifted a ban on the equipment. While police say access to the equipment will allow them to do their jobs more effectively, human rights groups say the move sends the wrong message to law enforcement.

Published Sept. 8 for all points

Reviving addicts doesn't cure them, sheriffs say​

A drug is saving the lives of hundreds of Michigan opioid addicts. But experts say it’s no solution for the epidemic sweeping the state and that it may even encourage further drug use among addicts. We talk to the Ingham County sheriff, the Department of Corrections and health experts from U-M and Southwest Michigan Behavioral Health.

Published Sept. 15 for Lansing City Pulse, Sturgis, Three Rivers, Metro Times and all points​

State expected to catch Zika mosquitoes in nets and it did

State and local authorities are ramping up surveillance for the species of mosquitoes that causes the Zika virus in the wake of their discovery in Wayne County. They are also on the lookout for piles of tires and other areas where standing water can serve as breeding grounds for the insect that carries a disease that can cause birth defects. We hear from state, Wayne County and Kent County health officials and experts at MSU, Michigan Environmental Council and DEQ.

Published Sept. 22 for Metro Times, Grand Rapids Business and all point

Bill would create a council for beer, wine and liquor makers

Craft liquor distillers and beer makers could tap into a new source of funds for research and promotion under a plan to expand the state wine council’s mandate. A bill already reported out of committee would create the Michigan Craft Beverage Council that would include craft beer brewers, liquor distillers and winemakers. We talk to the bill’s sponsor from Oshtemo Township, representatives of beer, wine and liquor makers and the state.

Published Sept. 29 for Grand Rapids Business, Marquette, Big Rapids, Lansing City Pulse, Metro Time, Sturgis, Three Rivers and all points

State agencies unite to reduce mental illness in jails

Up to 64 percent of county jail inmates in Michigan have some form of mental illness. That has police scrambling to increase training to learn how to handle people who should be in mental hospitals instead of behind bars. Advocates say cooperation among agencies is at an all-time high. We hear from and about law enforcement and mental health experts in Oakland, Cheboygan and Kalamazoo counties, Clinton-Eaton-Ingham counties, AuSable Valley and Northern Lakes Community Mental Health, as well as the ACLU and Sheriffs’ Association.

Published Oct. 6 for Cheboygan, Grand Rapids Business, Metro Times, Lansing City Pulse and all points

Michigan school enrollments projected to drop

Public school enrollment in Michigan will decline by more than 5 percent by 2025, according to one projection. It is one of only nine states facing that fate. That means even less revenue for struggling schools, whose expenses don’t drop in proportion to lower student counts. Officials say not enough young people are staying and having children in Michigan. We hear from an Allegan Schools official.

Published Oct. 6 For Holland, Grand rapids Business and all points

Lack of contractors slows lead removal from Flint and other Michigan homes

Michigan received $24.8 million in Medicaid funding to abate lead- contaminated buildings last January, the first state  to tap that source for lead cleanup. But a lack of contractors, awareness and reluctance to fill out paperwork has made it difficult to put those dollars to work. That has an impact in West Michigan, not just Flint. 

Published Oct. 13 for Ludington, Manistee, Holland, Big Rapids, Traverse City, Petoskey, Cadillac, Grand Rapids Business, Lansing City Pulse and all points.

Community colleges seek access to wage information

Community colleges are seeking wage information from Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency to help figure out if their programs are working and how to change them so they do. But unlike the state’s universities, they are barred by law from accessing the information that they say is helpful for them to meet the needs of students.

Published Oct. 20 for Traverse City, Petoskey, Cheboygan and all points

Learning curve for school superintendents can be steep

As the job of school superintendent gets tougher, the pool of applicants for the roughly 80 positions that open a year is increasingly inexperienced. It’s a dilemma that can be felt by teachers and students. Since 2013, the number of experienced superintendents applying for the role has fallen from 33 percent to 25 percent. At the same time, the number of applicants looking for a job as a superintendent almost doubled from 20 a year to 35. State school officials are trying to improve the situation with training and mentorship programs. We talk to supervisors in Gladwin County and elsewhere.

Published Oct. 27 for Galdwin and all points

Burnout, training and retirements challenge nursing shortage

A high burnout rate caused by too many hours caring for too many patients is compounding Michigan’s shortage of nurses, advocates say. That’s not good for patient care and it could get worse. Forty percent of the state’s nurses are eligible to retire within the next 10 years. Lawmakers, including ones from Kalamazoo and Mount Pleasant, are looking at capping patient load and working hours and requiring hospitals to report nurse to patient ratios. But replenishing the nursing pipeline is complicated by a disagreement between the state’s universities and community colleges over which can provide the most cost-effective training to boost their numbers. We talk to nursing and hospital associations and the MSU Nursing College dean.

Published Nov. 3 for Grand Rapids Business, Lansing City Pulse and all points

Legal strings attached to airbow

Lawmakers are considering allowing disabled people to hunt with an air-powered crossbow under an Iron Mountain representative’s proposal. The idea is to create more hunting experiences for hunters who cannot pull back the string of a traditional crossbow. Bur some hunting groups, including Michigan United Conservation Clubs, say it may kill too much game and that there are already plenty of programs for disabled hunters in the state.

Published Nov. 3 for Marquette, St. Ignace, Alcona, Traverse City, Cheboygan, Petoskey, Bay Mills, Montmorency, Lake County, Ludington, Manistee, Cadillac, Big Rapids, Greenville, Sturgis, Three Rivers, Gladwin, Crawford County, Herald Review, Holland, Oceana and all points

Bill would let counties veto state land purchases

Some counties are unhappy about public land purchases and so a proposed bill would grant local governments more power when DNR buys land, while also making sure the state pays its tax bill on time. Critics say the bill restricts statewide land management decisions. Counties with more than 40 percent of state land: Crawford, Dickinson, Cheboygan, Luce, Roscommon and Kalkaska. We talk to a senator from Escanaba, U.P. Sportsmen’s Alliance, Association of Counties, DNR and Michigan Environmental Council.

Published Nov. 10 for Marquette, Sault Ste. Marie, Crawford County, Cheboygan, Bay Mills and all points

New ways with wood open up building opportunities

 A construction technique that makes wood so strong it could replace steel and concrete as building materials for skyscrapers and other large buildings could bring new markets for Michigan trees, fight climate change and produce new jobs. Michigan has the trees, but the state needs a production plant and savvy architects and builders to take advantage of the fledgling industry, experts say.

Published Nov. 17 for Marquette, Sault Ste. Marie, Big Rapids, Cadillac, Cheboygan, Gladwin, Petoskey, Lake County, Manistee, Ludington, Grand Rapids, Crawford County, Coeana Alcona, Montgomery, Traverse City and all points

Policies that protect high school athletes under scrutiny

Michigan high school sports officials are angered by a national report by the Korey Stringer Institute that ranks the state 41st in terms of protecting student athletes from injury. They say that Michigan loses points for not requiring athletic trainers be onsite for contact sport practices, as well as having an undeveloped athletic emergency action plan. MHSAA officials say the study tried to take a one-size-fits-all approach and ended up with a one-size-fits-nothing. 

Published Nov. 21 for all points

Drones raise issue: Who controls prison airspace?

State officials say that Michigan prisons are buzzed by drones almost weekly as people try to get cell phones, drugs and other contraband to inmates. State lawmakers want to ban flights over prisons, but they’re stepping on the toes of the FAA which regulates the nation’s airspace.

Published Dec. 1 for Marquette, Greenville and all points

Survey: dune supporters include storm waters, ecologists, campers, economists

While Michigan's dunes are certainly scenic, they're also valued as vantage points to view Great Lakes storms. Respondents to the first-ever "How you dune" survey also credit them with benefits to the local ecology and economy. The survey is a first step in building an organized constituency of dune supporters.

Published Dec. 8 for Traverse City, Petoskey, Ludington, Leelanau, Holland, Oceana, Sturgis, Three Rivers, Cheboygan, Manistee, Alcona, Marquette, Sault St. Marie, Harbor Springs and all points

Michigan Michigan particularly vulnerable to federal budget cuts

Michigan programs are especially vulnerable to looming federal budget cuts as 42 percent of its budget comes form the federal government. That's the second-highest in the country, behind only Mississippi, according to the Michigan League for Human Services. Funds for health care, roads and other public services are at risk. we talk to local government groups and policy experts.

Published Dec. 8 for Grand Rapids Business, Lansing City Pulse and all points