skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

MI Could Benefit from Huge Public-Lands Bill in U.S. House

play audio
Play

Friday, February 22, 2019   

LANSING, Mich. - Hundreds of Michigan parks, beaches, campgrounds, piers, public pools and wilderness areas have been created or improved through the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The program could be extended permanently if a huge public-lands package in Congress becomes law.

The Natural Resources Management Act already passed the Senate overwhelmingly and is expected to get a vote in the House next week.

Over more than 50 years, Michigan has received $329 million in funding from the LWCF. Jason Meekhof, Upper Great Lakes chapter coordinator for Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, said the program touches every Michigander.

"We all spend our summers in some way connected to the water, whether it's on a boat, or going to the beach. Fall is oftentimes filled with hunting and angling. The outdoors is one of the reasons you live in Michigan," he said. "LWCF helps to make sure that that is available for everyone."

Congress let the fund lapse in September. It spends no taxpayer dollars, instead using revenues from offshore oil and gas leases in federal waters. Many of the most popular parks in Michigan have benefited, including Petoskey, Holland and Ludington state parks.

Since its inception, the fund has directed $8.2 billion to support public lands nationwide. Tracy Stone-Manning, the National Wildlife Federation's vice president for public lands, noted that this is a bipartisan issue since everyone wants to preserve the nation's heritage.

"You can argue, rightfully, that our country would look really different if we hadn't had this program," she said, "if, 50 years ago, Congress didn't have enough foresight to say, 'Hey, hold on a second. We need to make sure that Americans get outside and enjoy the outdoors.' And that has made our country a better place."

The bill also aims to support the thriving outdoor-recreation economy, which in Michigan generates more than $26 billion a year and supports 232,000 jobs.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021