Church Stops Mall Sprawl

In recent year many of us have watched residential areas fill with
shopping malls gas stations and parking lots. We appreciate their
convenience, but it changes the landscape and once development starts
many residents feel helpless to stop it. The Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Karen Kelly reports on one man who took a stand against
developers in his hometown:

Living Next to Wild Neighbors

People moving out to wooded lots in the suburbs are finding those lots
are already inhabited. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham
reports some homeowners are battling nature, but others are finding
ways to live in harmony with it:

Where the Rubber Meets the Road

The phrase "where the rubber meets the road" is taking on new meaning
in some states. Ohio, for example, is testing rubber in the mix of
asphalt it uses to repave roadways. Ohio and other states say this is
one way to recycle old tires. But, as the Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Julie Grant Cooper reports, researchers aren’t sure it’s
cost effective:

Wild Horses on the Auction Block

In the early seventies, Congress ruled that the Bureau of Land
Management had to manage wild horses and burros because the horses had
historical significance. But that federal protection created a
population explosion. So the government has maintained an adoption
program to thin out the population. Over the next 6 months the program
will be at various sites in the Great Lakes Region. The Great Lakes
Radio Consortium’s Tom Scheck reports:

We Are What We Eat

The Food and Drug Administration has recently re-opened the issue of
labeling foods that have been irradiated. As The Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Suzanne Elston points out, by focusing the debate on
labeling, were ignoring a much bigger issue:

Selling Great Lakes Water

Ever since last year’s attempt by a Canadian company to sell Lake
Superior water to Asia, the issue of Great Lakes water diversion has
been a hot topic. The International Joint Commission has been asked by
the U-S and Canadian governments to prepare a recommendation on the
issue by August. Over the last three weeks, they have been holding a
series of hearings throughout the Great Lakes region to try and gauge
public sentiment. So far, an overwhelming majority of people have been
speaking out against selling or diverting water, but as the Great Lakes
Radio Consortium’s Mike Simonson reports, that doesn’t necessarily mean
the I-J-C will prohibit the practice:

The Cost of Alternative Fuels

While many motorists have enjoyed the lower gasoline and diesel fuel
prices the last couple of years… those lower prices have made
alternative fuels such as natural gas relatively more expensive. The
Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports… the managers of
one bus fleet are wondering if running less polluting buses is worth the
cost:

Landfill Bioremediation Shows Promise

A new method for dealing with old landfills may mean good news
for the environment… and for local governments’ bottom lines. The Great
Lakes Radio Consortium’s John Roberts reports: