The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Thursday, January 29, 2015 — 3A
NEWS BRIEFS
YPSILANTI, Mich.
Basketball team
mourns student and
player lost in crash
The men’s basketball team at
Eastern Michigan University has
honored two students who were
killed in a car accident over the
weekend.
A moment of silence was held
Tuesday before a game against
Ohio University to mourn the
loss of women’s basketball player
Shannise Heady and Eastern
Michigan senior Jordan Hopkins.
The two students died Sunday
morning after Heady lost control
of her vehicle in Ypsilanti Town-
ship and crashed into an oncom-
ing vehicle.
Fans in the student section
wore T-shirts and players wore
sweatbands honoring Heady with
her No. 32.
FLINT, Mich.
Bottled water given
out in Flint amidst
system transition
Flint residents have been quick
to take advantage of a bottled
water giveaway program, the lat-
est response to persistent quality
problems during the transition to
a new municipal water system.
Michigan Radio says it took
about half an hour Wednesday
morning for volunteers to give out
about 200 cases of bottled water.
Mike Sargent of the group Flint
Strong says it’s a Band Aid but
better than nothing.
Flint switched off its pipeline
from the Detroit Water and Sew-
erage Department in the spring
and has been getting its tap water
from the Flint River.
TAMPA
Domestic cat, hit
by car and buried,
emerges from grave
Bart the cat was hit by a car,
buried and seemingly crawled
back from the dead.
Earlier this month, a car hit
the 1 ½-year-old cat in Tampa.
Bart’s owner was so distraught,
he couldn’t stand the thought of
burying him, so he asked neigh-
bor to dig a shallow grave.
Five days later, on Jan. 21, a
matted and injured Bart emerged,
meowing for food.
“At first it blew me away,” said
Dusty Albritton, the neighbor
who buried Bart. “All I knew was
this cat was dead and ‘Pet Sema-
tary’ is real.’
BILLINGS
Warmer weather
halts response to
Yellowstone spill
Authorities say the struggle
to recover 30,000 gallons of oil
from a pipeline spill into Mon-
tana’s Yellowstone River could
grind to a near-halt in coming
days.
Warmer weather has made
the ice on the river increasingly
dangerous. That means crews
trying to recover oil trapped
beneath the ice will soon be
pulled off.
SEOUL
US research shows
North Korea could
be building reactor
North Korea may be attempt-
ing to restart its main nucle-
ar bomb fuel reactor after a
five-month shutdown, a U.S.
research institute said Thurs-
day.
If true, the finding, which is
based on recent commercial sat-
ellite imagery, will be an added
worry for the United States and
the North’s neighbors at a time
of increasing animosity over
recent U.S. sanctions against
the North and Pyongyang’s fury
about a U.N. push to punish its
alleged human rights abuses.
—Compiled from
Daily wire reports
ity because many members
of the community lack medi-
cal health insurance, and as a
result, opportunities to engage
in conversation with experts
about their health.
As the CEO of the Arthur
Ashe Institute, Browne works
to promote health equity,
particularly
for
minority
communities. Browne began
her lecture Wednesday recit-
ing a quote from Arthur Ashe
himself, which provided a
central theme for the rest of
the talk.
“Start where you are, use
what you have, do what you
can,” she said.
Browne said that mantra
guides the Institute’s strategy.
The Institute works to pro-
vide community members in
Brooklyn with tools, informa-
tion and resources necessary
to encourage residents to gain
knowledge and empowerment
to manage their health.
Rachael Podesfinski, a Pub-
lic Policy graduate student,
said she believes in what the
Institute stands for.
“It’s so great that the Arthur
Ashe Institute actually lives
their creed by community
empowerment and by work-
ing with the community mem-
bers,” she said.
Browne
also
discussed
efforts through the Institute’s
ACCESS program, which tar-
gets previously, incarcerated
individuals returning to their
community. The program is
designed to narrow gaps in
access to health care.
Browne said the opportu-
nities now available to people
under the Affordable Care
Act’s Medicaid expansion will
work to cover people who are
up to 138 percent of the pov-
erty level, while the new insur-
ance marketplace will provide
subsidies to those up to those
who are up to 400 percent of
the poverty level.
However, Browne empha-
sized in order for these new
changes in policy to make a
difference, they must include
treatment options for mental
health and substance abuse.
Still, the Institute faces
other challenges including the
time it takes to train commu-
nity members to serve as advo-
cates.
Podesfinski also noted the
unique
qualities
associated
with working with minority
communities.
“It’s important that we have
that holistic lens as we move
forward in our work,” she said.
“It’s not just about the quan-
titative work that we keep
touting. It’s also about human
compassion and looking at his-
torical racism in underrepre-
sented communities.”
LSA senior Joel Adu-Brim-
pong said Browne’s speech
had the power to expand the
ways in which communities
approach health challenges.
“It can broaden people’s
horizons about what some peo-
ple are doing and what people
can do,” he said.
loid formation,” she said.
Though it is possible that the
research could lead to treatment
for Parkinson’s, Chapman noted
that this notion is “within the
realm of optimistic thinking,”
but added that there is much
more research to be done.
“Understanding
what
the
potential therapeutics for a par-
ticular disease are just the first
step,” he said. “We still have
lots of work to do to provide a
cure.”
To accomplish that goal, the
EPA is working with states to
create
individually
targeted
emission reduction goals. The
poll also addressed policies and
restrictions states could employ
to comply with the Clean Power
Plan.
Eighty-four percent of the
942 survey participants sup-
ported
the
requirement
of
energy efficiency standards for
new homes and appliances. Sev-
enty-nine percent approved of
renewable portfolio standards
— policies that would increase
the generation of electricity
from renewable resources.
Nic Clark, the state director
for Clean Water Action, said he
was not surprised by the high
support for environmental ini-
tiatives.
“Resoundingly, when we go
out and talk about issues of our
changing climate, such as emis-
sions from coal-fired power
plants,” Clark said, “people
really see it as a no-brainer and
are very supportive of measures
to reduce our impact on our
changing climate.”
In his State of the State
address, Republican Gov. Rick
Snyder announced the creation
of a new state energy agency.
He will give a speech in March
focused on energy and his plans
for the new agency.
“It needs to be an adapt-
able policy because of the lack
of federal policy and the chal-
lenges of a global market place,”
he said in his address. “We need
to focus in on important things,
such as, eliminating energy
waste and the conversion from
coal to natural gas assets of the
state of Michigan and renew-
ables.”
Currently, Michigan is work-
ing under the Clean, Renewable
and Efficient Energy Act, signed
into law in October 2008, which
mandates that Michigan elec-
tricity suppliers include at least
10-percent renewable energy
sources by 2015.
Though the survey showed
most
Americans
support
actions for energy efficiency,
people had differing opinions
about what their individual
states should do. Forty-three
percent of Americans want
their state to wait to implement
new policies until there was
more knowledge on the Clean
Power Plan, and to see how
other states pass legislation to
handle the standards. Another
41 percent feel adopting new
standards should not be up to
the states, and instead they
should all cooperate with the
federal government on a Clean
Power Plan program.
Conversely,
a
9-percent
minority feels their state should
refuse to cooperate with the
new standards and instead
band with other individual
states to jointly sue the federal
government over the ordeal.
According to the survey data,
both Republicans and Demo-
crats see value in the plan to
reduce emissions, but differ in
their view on how to address
the issue at the state level. Fif-
ty-two percent of Republicans
support waiting until other
states pass legislation, and then
modeling their state plans off
of those piloted by other states,
while 52 percent of Democrats
support making the initiative a
more federally guided project.
In Michigan, both legislators
and special interest groups see
Snyder’s state energy agency as
a start, but are unsure of what
the proposal will bring.
State Rep. Jeff Irwin (D–Ann
Arbor) said Snyder has made
some strong statements on
conservation and energy, but it
remains to be seen what, exact-
ly, he will do with his opportu-
nity to lead on the issue.
“I think there really is an
opportunity for a bipartisan
compromise and a real coming
together of the parties on con-
servation, which is not the most
sexy element of energy policy,
but is probably actually the
most important,” Irwin said.
Irwin said energy policies
not only help the environment,
but by creating initiatives that
put people back to work and
help save citizens money, help
the economy as well.
Clark, of Clean Water Action,
also noted the ways in which
combatting
climate
change
could be beneficial for eco-
nomic reasons, pointing to the
large sums of money Michigan
spends annually to repair dam-
age caused by extreme weather.
While they were happy to
hear Snyder was showing posi-
tive support to the cause, Clark
and Irwin both questioned how
much change he would actually
bring.
“The
governor
announc-
ing his plan to address this is
great,” Clark said, “but we need
real-world action now.”
Irwin added that this issue
could be an opportunity for
bipartisanship.
“I think there may be some
real, bipartisan, coming togeth-
er on efficiency and conserva-
tion, which certainly can lead
to a reduction of emissions,”
Irwin said. “But when it comes
to focusing on a purely envi-
ronmental goal, like reducing
emissions, I think it’s going to
be very, very difficult to get the
attention of the Republicans.”
He also pointed to the influ-
ence fossil fuel companies have
over the Michigan legislature.
“When you get over to the
other issues, such as trying to
wean ourselves off of dirty fuel,
that is going to be harder,” he
said.
The survey results reflected
Irwin’s viewpoint: 59 percent
of Americans opposed increas-
ing taxes on fossil fuels used to
produce electricity.
rier. It stops the growth of metal
appendages that can create
unwanted pathways for electri-
cal currents to travel through,
ultimately disrupting electron
flow to the battery’s circuit. The
disruption can cause potentially
dangerous accidents.
Kevlar’s heat resistance can
also help make batteries safer
because the membrane material
is more likely to survive a fire
than types of materials.
Chemical Engineering Prof.
Nicholas Kotov wrote in a
release that unlike previously
used materials, Kevlar is an
insulator.
“This property is perfect for
separators that need to prevent
shorting between two elec-
trodes,” Kotov said.
To market their product, the
researchers
founded
Elegus
Technologies in Ann Arbor.
University alum John Hen-
nessy, Elegus CEO and co-
founder,
said
the
project
emerged from the University’s
Masters in Entrepreneurship
program.
“A lot of people want to make
thinner and thinner batteries,
but the components to do that
are very hard to make,” Hen-
nessy said. “If you can safely
make a battery thinner and put
more energy in it, that’s very
desirable.”
The battery fires on the Boe-
ing 787 were thought to have
started by lithium atoms trans-
forming into “dendrites” — fern-
like structures that can poke
through the battery membrane.
If these dendrites reach the
electrode, the electrons have
a path into the battery and can
short out the circuit.
The Kevlar membranes devel-
oped at the University are large
enough to let individual lithium
ions pass, but small enough to
block the tips of the fern struc-
tures.
Dan VanderLey, who helped
found Elegus through the Uni-
versity’s of Entrepreneurship
program, wrote in a release that
the material is special because it
can be made very thin.
“We can get more energy into
the same battery cell size, or we
can shrink the cell size,” Vander-
Ley said. “We’ve seen a lot of
interest from people looking to
make thinner products.”
Mass production for the bat-
tery is expected to begin at the
end of 2016. So far, 30 companies
have requested samples of the
material.
take place when Michigan and
Michigan State meet at Joe
Louis Arena for the second
time this season in the “Duel
in the D”. With both teams rid-
ing waves of momentum — the
Spartans have won six of eight,
while the Wolverines have won
seven straight — Friday’s show-
down should allow hockey fans
to reminisce about the early
2000s.
Martin has little time to pon-
der his childhood, though, as he
has been thrust into consistent
action for much of his rookie
campaign. In impressive fash-
ion, he has responded by post-
ing nine points in 17 games.
With
Martin’s
allegiance
already pledged to Michigan,
senior forward Zach Hyman
said Martin rarely receives
heat for hailing from East Lan-
sing. Nevertheless, it’s a place
that the freshman defenseman
keeps in the back of his mind.
“It is exciting that it is my
hometown,” Martin said, “and I
have a little bit of extra excite-
ment to beat them.”
There was never a lot of
thought about attending Michi-
gan State and lacing his skates
each weekend in the bowels of
Munn Ice Arena. Instead, Mar-
tin felt the need to branch out
and explore.
“My parents really encour-
aged me at a young age, even
when I wasn’t sure if I was
going to play hockey or not, to
travel out, go down south, go
do a different state, get out of
East Lansing,” Martin said.
“They were never against it, but
they definitely wanted me to
explore, see new cultures, meet
new people elsewhere, because
East Lansing is a small town
and everyone seems to know
everybody.”
In the midst of what has been
a memorable freshman season,
Martin seems to have found a
second home. He cited Michi-
gan’s prominence paired with
Michigan State’s demise in the
late 2000s as a secondary rea-
son he ultimately chose Ann
Arbor over his hometown.
“Ann Arbor — it’s East Lan-
sing on steroids,” Martin said.
The transition from East
Lansing to Ann Arbor isn’t as
far-fetched as one might think,
either. Martin’s great grandfa-
ther was once the president of
the M Club, and Martin’s aunt,
who currently resides in Ann
Arbor, made a persistent push
for her nephew to check out the
campus and eventually enroll at
Michigan.
“She definitely had an influ-
ence on me at an early age,”
Martin said.
A culmination of familial
influences and a craving for a
fresh scene gradually built the
foundation for Martin’s deci-
sion. On Nov. 20, 2013, the
Michigan hockey program offi-
cially announced that his let-
ter of intent had been signed,
and the memory of rooting for
Michigan State as an elemen-
tary-school kid was reduced to
just another childhood memo-
ry.
His small white-and-green
shirts from those hockey nights
in East Lansing with his family
are tucked away somewhere.
Martin dons distinctive maize
attire these days, and he rare-
ly misses an opportunity to
remark on how honored he feels
to play at Michigan.
Rivalries pull at the heart,
for better and for worse, within
every sports fan. This one has
been pulling at Martin since he
was growing up, walking the
streets of Michigan State’s cam-
pus and roaming the halls of the
local high school.
Now, as he walks around
Yost Ice Arena just days before
the Spartans and Wolverines
are set to meet for the 301st
time, he smiles and remembers,
because this rivalry won’t be
fading anytime soon.
RIVALRY
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BATTERY
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URBAN HEALTH
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SURVEY
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BACTERIA
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INDIANAPOLIS
(AP)
—
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said
Wednesday he regrets the “con-
fusion” caused by a memo about
his
administration’s
planned
state-run news website and will
kill the project if it doesn’t respect
the role of an independent press.
Pence’s comments followed
criticism from around the coun-
try about the proposed “Just
IN” site and came as the Repub-
lican governor’s staff worked
to portray it as a project aimed
at bettering organizing and
presenting news releases from
state agencies.
Pence told WIBC-FM that
a memo describing the site as
a news outlet with a managing
editor and editorial board was
“poorly crafted” and did not
meet his expectations.
“It is not appropriate to
describe the objectives of a
clearinghouse website of press
releases
with
news-related
terms,” he said. “I regret the
confusion here.”
The Indianapolis Star first
reported Monday that inter-
nal documents about the site’s
launch detailed a plan to have
state communications officials
write news stories and distrib-
ute them through “Just IN.” That
plan said the site would include
stories and news releases writ-
ten by state press secretaries for
the public and the media and at
times would break news.
The site isn’t expected to be
in operation until mid-February
and terminology such as “man-
aging editor” and “stories” will
be replaced with “content man-
ager” and “news releases” to
clarify the source of material,
said Christy Denault, Pence’s
communications director.
The site would replace the
state’s current online listing of
agency news releases, she said.
The notion of stories prewrit-
ten for the media set off a wave of
criticism from journalists around
the country, who used headlines
such as “Pravda on the Plains”
to liken the Indiana endeavor to
state-run media in Russia and
China. A Twitter account paro-
dying the site had more than
1,700 followers by Wednesday.
Though Pence has fueled talk
of a possible 2016 White House
run, such parodies likely aren’t
reaching much beyond news
media watchers and political
junkies, said Kelly McBride, a
vice president of the Poynter
Institute, a Florida-based jour-
nalism think tank.
But she said the site could
be used to promote a political
agenda if it has certain features.
“They’ll build audience by
having some sort of personality
on the site — and that’s how it
could easily become an arm of
politics,” McBride said.
Denault said the website plan
was still being finalized and
that organizers hope to discuss
it with the Hoosier State Press
Association and Society of Pro-
fessional Journalists before the
site launches.
Indiana’s state news
agency causes uproar