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Current State #23 | February 13, 2013

Current State — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 18:30:52 +0000

Today on Current State: City Pulse's Andy Balaskovitz on the latest Lansing city council squabble, potential sale of city's Board of Water and Light; Neighbors in Action features ePIFanyNOW; solutions to record low water levels in Great Lakes ; an "owl prowl"; and Business Leaders for Michigan CEO Doug Rothwell.

Latest Lansing City Council squabble, privatizing Water & Light

Current State — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 18:08:00 +0000

The Lansing city council is having an intense squabble involving technology and transparency. Two unresolved issues appear to be at the heart of the dispute.

First, did a city employee erase information from the city-issued laptop of council person Kathie Dunbar?

Second, should a full council session involving “computer usage”-- presumably related to the incident -- have been closed to the public and the media?

Neighbors in Action: ePIFanyNOW

Current State — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 17:54:59 +0000

Each Wednesday in our Neighbors in Action segment, we feature a person or an organization that is working to make our community a better place.

This is a listener-generated segment, meaning that each week, the person or organization we highlight will be nominated by you.

For this week, we look at ePIFanyNOW, which organizes at least two events a year where everyone and anyone is invited to gather together and pass kindness forward. Started in 2009, the events have drawn so much interest that last year, ePIFanyNOW was featured on the CBS Evening News.

Lakes Michigan and Huron reach record low water levels

Current State — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 17:28:04 +0000

This month Lake Michigan and Lake Huron hit record low water levels. The receding water is causing environmental and economic problems in the Great Lakes Basin.

To offset the water levels, Governor Rick Snyder has proposed a $21 million budget to dredge harbors. Patrick Doran, director of conservation for the Michigan Chapter of the Nature Conservancy and Jon Allan, director of the Office of the Great Lakes, discuss dredging and the future of the Great Lakes’ water levels.

Prowling for owls in the dark Michigan woods

Current State — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 17:16:51 +0000

Meridian Township’s Harris Nature Center offers a variety of winter evening tours, including walking tours, by snowshoe and by cross country skis.

WKAR’s Peter Whorf takes us on a recent Saturday night “Owl Prowl," where guided night tours through the Center's woods could lead to an owl-spotting.

Business Leaders for Michigan outline priorities for 2013

Current State — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:55:51 +0000

The organization Business Leaders for Michigan calls itself the state’s “business roundtable.” It’s comprised of the top executives of Michigan’s largest corporations and universities. The organization develops strategy and advocates policy that its members believe can grow the state’s economy.