Catching Underwater Looters

Laws protecting Great Lakes shipwrecks from looting vary from
state to state. But officials agree it’s nearly impossible to catch
underwater thieves… and only a handful of arrests are made each year.
Now, a Michigan case is encouraging officials to step up their efforts
to
save the shipwrecks. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Wendy
Nelson reports:

Cats’ Role in Public Health

Humans first domesticated cats in about 2000 B-C. Since then,
our view of felines has ranged from loving to loathing …depending on
the
time and culture. Now, a new book traces the history of cats …and
makes
some connections about their impact on human health. The Great Lakes
Radio Consortium’s Wendy Nelson reports:

Commentary – New Pollution Device for Cars

The automobile is a primary source of ground level ozone. As
Great Lakes Radio Consortium commentator Suzanne Elston has
discovered, a U-S company has developed a new product that may one
day have us breathing easier:

Lawsuit Targets Lead Paint Makers

The Environmental Protection Agency took aim at lead back in
the 1970’s banning its use in gasoline and house paint. Those actions
significantly reduced lead exposure. But the EPA still ranks lead
poisoning as one of the top environmental health concerns for children.
Now, one state is trying a new approach to deal with the problem… an
approach inspired by the recent tobacco settlements. The Great Lakes
Radio Consortium’s Wendy Nelson reports:

Corn Diesel Fuel Cuts Emissions

Diesel engines power everything from big rigs, to bulldozers, to buses.
But emissions from diesels can cause respiratory problems…and may be a
potential cancer risk. So the Environmental Protection Agency has
started targeting diesel engines with new regulations to cut their
emissions. Now, it looks like a new fuel – made partially with corn —
may help. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Wendy Nelson reports:

Commentary – NAFTA Used to Sue Province

Late last month (October) Sun Belt Water of California filed a $10.5
billion suit against the Canadian government under the North American
Free Trade Agreement. The company claims that it has been mistreated
because the province of British Columbia banned the bulk exports of
water. As Great Lakes Radio Consortium commentator Suzanne Elston points
out, the outcome of the suit will probably cost us all a lot more than
money:

Potato Farms Create ‘Super-Sized’ Problem (Part 2)

Ron D. Offutt is the biggest potato grower in the world.
His privately owned company raises 1.8 BILLION pounds of potatoes a
year. They go to make French fries for fast food chains like McDonalds
and big potato processors like J.R Simplot. But Offutt’s
success has a downside. Many people who live near his potato farms
worry about the pesticides sprayed on his fields…but they soon find
they’re up against a system much bigger than they are. The Great Lakes
Radio Consortium’s Mary Losure reports, in the second part of a two part
series:

Potato Farms Create ‘Super-Sized’ Problem (Part 1)

Ron Offutt grows more potatoes than anyone else in the
world. He grows them for the French Fry market. Press reports call him
the Sultan of Spuds and the Lord of the Fries—but his success has an
environmental price, as people in small towns near his potato farms have
learned to their dismay. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Mary
Losure reports in the first of a two part series:

Hikers Bare It All

Most of us remember going barefoot as a kid. The feel of warm sand, hot
pavement and early morning dew stays with us. But now that we’re older,
our feet seem more sensitive. We worry about stepping on something. Or
at least most people do. A growing number of hikers are trading in
their boots for bare feet. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Karen
Kelly recently caught up with one of these so-called "barefooters" in
New York’s Adirondack mountains:

New Push for Shoreline Regulation

Great Lakes regulators are worried people will start building closer to
the lakes because the water levels are lower. The Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Lester Graham reports…. they want local governments to
restrict building homes where the owners might regret it later: