New rules in the City of Kalamazoo are intended to protect natural areas. Invasive carp might be getting closer to Lake Michigan. Western Michigan University's medical school has new money available for scholarships. The state kicks off an ad campaign to promote the skilled trades. Battle Creek wants to overhaul a dangerous intersection. Lawmakers propose bills that would require candidates to state their financial interests, already a requirement in most states.
Kalamazoo City commissioners have approved two ordinances designed to protect natural features. They change zoning rules to protect waterways, wellheads, and other environmentally sensitive areas. Western Michigan University biology professor David Karowe says that will also help prevent deforestation.
“By allowing deforestation in any capacity, what we really are doing is stealing the future from our children and grandchildren,” he said.
Not everyone was happy about the new ordinance. Haji Tehrani had planned to develop property near Asylum Lake that will be re-zoned. Tehrani says he thought the change would only affect part of the property:
“Now it is all in NFP, in contrast to your own master plan or any conversations we had with you. That doesn’t seem right.”
Kalamazoo officials say the new ordinance does not ban development in “natural feature” areas. But they say it will hold developers to a higher standard of environmental protection. The city will appoint an advisory board of experts to help make decisions on future projects.
(Michigan Radio) There's another warning sign that invasive Asian carp could be getting closer to Lake Michigan. Environmental DNA of two species of Asian carp has been found in Lake Calumet, near Lake Michigan. Molly Flanagan is with the Alliance for the Great Lakes. She says environmental DNA comes from things like fish scales - but not necessarily the actual fish.
“I think this is troubling news that they've found bighead and silver carp eDNA in Lake Calumet, that's just a few miles from Lake Michigan. It's a clarion call that we must take quick action to stop Asian carp from getting into Lake Michigan and into the Great Lakes,” she said.
Flanagan says Congress needs to authorize construction of better barriers to keep Asian carp out of the lake. It's expected those bills will be introduced next year.
(Mlive) The state has a plan for getting more people interested in learning a trade. Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist announced yesterday (Monday) that Michigan will spend $3 million on an ad campaign to promote careers in skilled labor. It’s intended to reach 90 percent of residents through TV, social media and outdoor advertising. Gilchrist says the state has in his words a “big gap to fill” when it comes to trades. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports that Michigan businesses are already struggling to find qualified workers jobs fields such as healthcare, manufacturing and information technology. As baby boomers retire that gap is expected to widen. The state will likely need to fill more than half a million skilled jobs by 2026.
Some Kalamazoo Public School graduates will get help if they want to pursue a career as a physician. The Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M-D School of Medicine says it has a new 500-thousand-dollar scholarship. The money was raised by Western Michigan University Trustees Ken Miller and his family. It will give preference to K-P-S high school graduates who go through the med school's Early Introduction to Health Careers program. It's designed to get students thinking about health care careers while they're still in school.
(Mlive) Michigan is one of just two states that lets candidates run for and take office without disclosing the basics of their finances. But Mlive reports that would change under legislation that a bipartisan group of lawmakers recently submitted in the state Hosue. Most states require public officeholders to share some details about their financial interests to avoid self-dealing. While Michigan legislators aren’t supposed to advocate for issues where they could benefit, critics say it’s not enough to trust without verifying. The bills would require candidates to disclose their income sources, investments, property ownership and other information.
(Battle Creek Enquirer) Battle Creek hopes to redesign a major intersection where a pedestrian was struck and killed last year. The city is applying for grants to turn the crossing of North Avenue and Emmett Street into a roundabout. Officials say that would make it easier for cars and pedestrians to see each other. The Battle Creek Enquirer reports that more than 250 crashes have occurred at North Avenue and Emmett since 2000, including 57 times when someone got hurt and the fatal crash that killed a 41-year-old employee of Bronson Battle Creek Hospital as she left work last October. City Engineer Carl Fedders says there are, in his words, “a ton of near misses” at the intersection. If the city gets the grants for a roundabout, the soonest it would start on it is likely 2021.