Lansing State Journal

Lansing State Journal June 6, 2004 Sunday LOCAL; Pg. 1B Mich. to pay up to $1.4M for 'trap trees' Statewide effort meant to contain ash borer spread By Sally Trout and Delhi and Meridian town- cut the trees, chip them and Lansing State Journal ships, where infested ash burn the chips. trees will be cut down starting In an unprecedented move, this week. The tree trapping will occur in Michigan will spend up to $1.4 three stages: million to trap emerald ash It's a crucial time in the control borer bugs throughout most program because adult borers * The first stage is under way of the state. are emerging and will be lay- with selection of trap trees, ing eggs on the tree bark. removal of bark sections and The state departments of Ag- Larvae tunnel into the tree, application of sticky material. riculture and Natural Re- cutting off the flow of food sources will convert some ash and killing the tree within * These trees will be moni- trees into trap trees by re- three years. tored in July and August for moving sections of bark and beetle evidence. applying a sticky material Michigan is at the center of called tanglefoot. the beetle problem, but other * All trap trees will be cut, outbreaks are present in chipped and disposed of this The number of trees used in Ohio, Virginia, Maryland and, fall and winter. each area will vary based on most recently, Indiana. Wind- the likelihood of the beetle's sor, Ontario, also is experi- State survey crews will locate presence. encing a borer outbreak. trap tree sites primarily along road rights-of-way. "Trap trees are great, because In Michigan, the beetle has they are simple, effective and spread in a westerly arc to DNR staff and students from don't spread the pest," said Michigan Technological Brad Wurfel, DNR spokes- 13 quarantined counties, in- University will work on the 4 man. "The trees will tell us cluding Ingham, Shiawassee million acres of state lands and there's a problem before it's and Livingston, plus about 12 97 state parks. too late." isolated areas statewide, such as Delta Township and Pot- In some cases, trees on pri- While the state has used trap terville. vate land will be used as trap trees to fight other tree pests, trees, with the it has never before done it State agriculture department owner's.permission. statewide, Wurfel said. No trap Director Dan Wyant said in a trees will be used in the core press release the trap trees Contact Sally Trout at 377- Detroit area, because the in- are critical. 1040 or [email protected]. festation is established there. "Creating and monitoring Ash borer facts The $1.4 million cost will come these detection trees will pro- out of about $17 million the vide us a series of sentinels, Experts believe the small, me- federal government is giving an early warning system, of tallic-colored beetle hitch- the state to help contain the outlying pocket infestations," hiked to Michigan in packag- ash borer. Wyant said. ing materials from Asia. Beetle facts: That money also will pay for If trap trees show a new infes- work in areas in south Lansing tation, the state will most likely CompetitivEdge 1-888-881-EDGE www.clipresearch.com Electronic Clipping * Size: Slightly smaller than a * www.michigan.gov/mda penny * Unchecked: If efforts to stop the beetle fail, all ash trees in * www.emeraldashborer.info * Infests: Only ash trees North America could be at risk. Inside * Larvae: This stage of beetle On the Web kills trees by tunneling into * A map showing affected tree cores and cutting off the * More information on the em- counties in Michigan. Page flow of food. erald ash borer and efforts to 3B control it are available on * Adults: Emerging now, ca- these Web sites: pable of flying about 1/2 mile CompetitivEdge 1-888-881-EDGE www.clipresearch.com Electronic Clipping PR Newswire June 15, 2004, Tuesday Visteon Promotes Engineering Excellence Through Fu- tureTruck Competition DEARBORN, Mich., June 15 Visteon Corporation (NYSE: VC) is proud to be a major sponsor of FutureTruck 2004, a program that challenges teams of engineering students from 15 top North American universities to re-engineer 2002 Ford Explorers to reduce emissions and achieve at least a 25 percent improvement in fuel economy. Managed by the Argonne National Laboratory's Center for Transportation Research and led by Ford Motor Co. and the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, FutureTruck helps develop hundreds of highly skilled engineers. The competition builds the students' awareness of fuel-saving technologies and prepares them to lead the auto industry in the 21st Century. The teams must achieve the fuel-economy and emission goals without sacrificing the performance, utility, safety and affordability of the sport- utility vehicles they are modifying. The competing students are employing a variety of technologies, including advanced propulsion systems, lightweight materials, hybrid-electric designs and such alternative fuels as hydrogen, ethanol and biodiesel. After months of work, teams will take their vehicles to Ford's Michigan Proving Ground in Romeo, Michigan, on June 15 and 16 for a comprehensive safety evaluation, and a battery of static and dynamic testing. An overall winner will be selected based on those tests. The overall winner will be named at an awards dinner on the evening of June 16. In ad- dition, Visteon will give its own award to the team whose vehicle represents the most innovative use of electronics. The participating universities are: -- California Polytechnic State University -- Cornell University -- Georgia Institute of Technology -- Michigan Technological University -- Ohio State University -- Penn State University CompetitivEdge 1-888-881-EDGE www.clipresearch.com Electronic Clipping -- Texas Tech University -- University of Alberta -- University of California - Davis -- University of Idaho -- University of Maryland -- University of Tennessee -- University of Wisconsin -- Virginia Tech -- West Virginia University Visteon Corporation is a leading full-service supplier that delivers consumer-driven technology solutions to automotive manufacturers worldwide and through multiple channels within the global automotive aftermarket. Visteon has about 72,000 employees and a global delivery system of more than 200 technical, manufacturing, sales and service facilities located in 25 countries. SOURCE Visteon Corporation CONTACT: Robin Pannecouk, +1-313-755-9121, [email protected] , or Greg Gardner, +1-313-755-0927, [email protected] , both of Visteon Corporation URL: http://www.prnewswire.com CompetitivEdge 1-888-881-EDGE www.clipresearch.com Electronic Clipping The Associated Press State & Local Wire June 14, 2004, Monday, BC cycle Upper Peninsula Briefs HOUGHTON, Mich. Shortly before his trial was to begin, a Michigan Tech University student reached a plea bargain in the hit-and-run death of a fellow student. Christopher Lee Haddix, of Midland, pleaded guilty Monday to two felony counts of failing to stop at an accident scene where a death and serious injury occurred. They carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Haddix also pleaded guilty to operating under the influence of alcohol, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison. Sentencing was scheduled for July 8. Police and prosecutors said Haddix was drunk when he struck Jeremy Larsen, 20, of Scottville, with his pickup truck before dawn on Sept. 28, 2003. The truck also ran into Dominic J. Longhini, 23 of Marquette, whose leg was injured. Both were crossing a street near campus. Court documents said Haddix's blood-alcohol content was 0.22 percent the morning after the incident, nearly three times the legal driving limit. Larsen and Longhini also had been drinking, the documents said. Haddix's attorney contended that the victims' drinking and the dark, rainy conditions were bigger factors than his client's intoxication. Haddix is being held in the Houghton County Jail, accused of violating bail conditions by drinking and assaulting a police officer April 2. He has been charged with assault and resisting arrest. MARENISCO, Mich. (AP) - A 61-year-old man died in an apparent boating accident on Lake Gogebic, police said. Andrew Peter Ballone, 61, of Marenisco, was found in the water by two anglers Saturday afternoon as his unoccupied boat circled nearby. No injuries were apparent except two small cuts, said Bruce Mahler of the Marenisco Township Police Department. An autopsy was planned. Relatives told police Ballone was alone when he took the newly acquired craft for a test run. The boat was undamaged. ONTONAGON, Mich. (AP) - The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has granted $7.37 million in loan assistance to Ontonagon to refinance bonds for a regional water project. CompetitivEdge 1-888-881-EDGE www.clipresearch.com Electronic Clipping The refinancing is expected to save the village about $5 million over 30 years. "The end result will hopefully be lower rates for our Ontonagon water customers," village council member David Schmidt told The Daily Mining Gazette of Houghton for a story Monday. Voters in April agreed to refinance the water project bonds for 30 years at 2.125 percent. The new bonds will replace older ones that would have run for 40 years at 4.5 percent. Water system users will pay off the new bond about eight years earlier than the original bonds. SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. (AP) - The inaugural running of the Sault Ste. Marie and K e - wadin Casinos River Rampage boat race is scheduled for this weekend. Up to 60 teams are expected to participate, said Angela Nebel, executive director of the Sault Area Chamber of Commerce. Races in three divisions will take place Saturday and Sunday on the St.

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