Kevin Lavery

The financial health team commissioned by Lansing mayor Virg Bernero to come up with cost-cutting measures is preparing to release its final plan. 

The team is outlining broad changes to the city’s pension and retiree health care systems.  One recommendation would be for the city to transfer pension management to the Michigan Employees’ Retirement System, which could save the city an estimated $700,000 annually. 

Team member Eric Scorsone says Lansing’s biggest challenge is tackling $450 million worth of unfunded employee legacy costs.

The Michigan Nurses Association is supporting legislation that would require minimum nurse to patient staffing ratios.  Nurses say the measure will save lives and help avoid costly mistakes.

The Safe Patient Care Act would require a one-to-one nurse to patient ratio in critical care and surgical units, one to three for non-trauma units and one to four in pediatrics.  Supporters say hospitals often purposely fail to meet adequate staffing levels to save money, instead imposing mandatory overtime on their nurses.  

Barring an act of Congress today, big cuts to a host of federal programs will take effect at midnight.  In Michigan, public interest groups are  describing how large a hit the state might take.

Forty years ago, 200 members of the American Indian Movement took over the town of Wounded Knee, South Dakota.  The group was protesting the federal government’s failure to honor various treaties with native tribes.  The location was symbolic.  In 1890, as many as 300 Lakota Indians were killed at Wounded Knee by the U.S. Army.  The standoff lasted 73 days, and claimed three lives.

Tomorrow, East Lansing voters will decide on a school bond issue to upgrade outdated equipment.  Officials say hundreds of phones, computers, cameras and clocks in the city’s schools are becoming obsolete.  The district is asking residents to approve a millage that would not exceed 1.26 mils over the next five years. The measure would raise more than $5 million for the upgrade.  

WKAR’s Kevin Lavery visited East Lansing High School to talk with the district’s director of technology, Christian Palasty, who says there’s a sizable amount of equipment to replace.

A team of video storytellers from Michigan State University is wrapping up a two-month journey around the world.  The crew is documenting the work of MSU researchers in countries such as China, Brazil and Malawi as they tackle challenges ranging from malnutrition and disease to human organ trafficking.  The project is called Spartans Will.360.  

WKAR’s Kevin Lavery caught up with team leader Jim Peck by phone in Dhaka, Bangladesh a few days ago to learn more.

The Michigan Public Service Commission is holding a series of public forums around the state to gather input on Michigan’s future energy policy.  Lansing was the first stop on that tour. 

The public service commission regulates the state’s utilities.  It wants to hear the public’s suggestions and concerns about the direction of Michigan’s energy policy.  The commission says its main focus areas are renewables, energy efficiency and electric power choice. 

The Lansing City Council has approved putting the former Waverly golf course up for sale.  The focus now moves to how the city and Lansing Township will work together on any future redevelopment. 

Long before movies were invented, people living in the 19th century were fascinated with a simple device that brought photographs to life.  The stereoscope allowed two images to be viewed as one three-dimensional portrait.  Photos from that era depicted nearly every aspect of life, from the familiar to the exotic.

On Sunday, the MSU Museum opens an exhibit that pays tribute to stereoscopes and the world of 3-D technology.  Many of the items were part of the personal collection of the late Val Berryman, a beloved museum curator who passed away in January. 

Environmental advocates are calling on Michigan State University to properly dispose of large deposits of coal ash buried for years beneath the campus.

The group Clean Energy Now says tons of residual toxic ash produced by MSU’s coal-fired power plant were found during a 2007 excavation.  Some ash was sent to a landfill, but the group asserts more than 90,000 cubic yards of ash were improperly relocated on university property. 

Clean Energy Now’s Nick Clark says buried coal ash poses an immediate public health hazard.

Today on Current State, a discussion about no-fault auto insurance reform, the historic Hill Auditorium at U-M turns 100, a play about Lansing's Urbandale neighborhood and a chat with concert pianist Paul Barnes.

Governor Rick Snyder and other Republicans are calling for reforms to the state's landmark auto no fault insurance law.  They claim the law, which provides for unlimited lifetime medical benefits, often from brain and spinal cord injuries, has led to excessive rates for Michigan drivers.

On Monday, Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero portrayed, in his words, a city “powered up” for the year ahead.  For his annual State of the City address, Bernero chose a refurbished railroad depot in the shadow of the city’s rising co-generation power plant which will come online this summer. 

But while Bernero acknowledged Lansing’s financial challenges, he steered clear of details.

Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero will deliver his eighth State of the City address Monday night.

Bernero will speak at the historic Grand Trunk Western Railroad train depot, a century-old landmark that’s undergoing a major refurbishment by the Lansing Board of Water and Light.  The mayor will tout the progress of the co-generation power plant that’s rising to life nearby in Lansing’s REO Town neighborhood, as well as other successes.  

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder delivered his third State of the State address before state lawmakers at the Capitol Wednesday evening.

Immigrant families in mid-Michigan are supporting a new national campaign pushing for comprehensive immigration reform.

The campaign includes a reform provision that would allow deported immigrants to be reunited with their families in the U.S.  Advocates say that’s a key part of creating a path to citizenship.  Maximo Anguiano with Action of Greater Lansing says it’s time to bring the undocumented into American society.

A coalition of mayors, law enforcement officials and faith leaders is demanding Congress enact three specific gun control measures. 

Lansing mayor Virg Bernero and Flint mayor Dayne Walling are part of a national campaign to end gun violence.  They want Congress to require criminal background checks for all gun sales, a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines and a federal ban on gun trafficking.  Mayor Walling says Flint has seen the counter argument to the assertion that guns don’t kill.

Twenty-eight new state lawmakers have been sworn in as members of the Michigan House of Representatives.

Among the Lansing-area lawmakers of the 2013 freshman class are Democrats Tom Cochran, Andy Schor, Sam Singh and Teresa Abed.  Republican Tom Leonard represents part of Clinton and Gratiot counties. 

Cochran says he’s optimistic about the coming session.

2012 is coming to a close, and the city of East Lansing is ending the year on firm footing.  Standard and Poor’s – one of America’s top bond rating agencies – has rated the city’s general obligation bonds as AA+.  Fitch Investors Service is renewing its AAA rating on those bonds. 

WKAR’s Kevin Lavery sat down with East Lansing City Manager George Lahanas to talk about the city’s financial health and to look back on some highlights from 2012.  Lahanas says the city has worked hard to strengthen its fund balance.

For most of us, the 2012 election is fading into memory as thoughts of the holidays take over.  But for those preparing to take office, this week marks a milestone: roughly the midpoint between Election Day and Inauguration Day. 

If you’re one of the 28 new Michigan House members who’ll soon be making decisions on behalf of the roughly 2.5 million of us who live in your districts, you may want to listen to Gary Randall’s sage advice.

The “Sense of Place” grants are meant to spur the visibility and aesthetic appeal of the Lansing area. 

The Lansing Art Gallery will receive just under $57,000 to commission up to 10 sculptures from local artists to be installed in Wentworth Park in downtown Lansing.

The Lansing Host Lions Club is working with the Potter Park Zoo to build a so-called “sensory garden” at the zoo that also includes sculptures. 

The Lansing Symphony Association will use its grant to produce a symphonic pops concert in 2013.