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that federal and state regulators feared that BWL is polluting drinking water with dangerous
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  PULSE                                                                                                                                                        NEWS & OPINION
Experts skeptical of BWL’s ‘naturally occurring’ boron claim
Regulators order tests                             water wells that BWL has so far tested.                   Site tests detected boron levels be- wells located near and away from the
                                                      Significant questions about the tween 2.48 mg/L and 4.17 mg/L. coal ash site is a quite simple task and
on 60 more wells after                             problem’s scope also remain: BWL still Michigan hasn’t set specific health lim- (regulators and BWL) should provide
                                                   doesn’t have a handle on the pollution its on the amount of boron allowed in that data rather than using ‘literature’
chemical found in six                              plume’s size or location, precisely how drinking water, though groundwater to prove their point,” he added.
   Regulators have ordered the Lansing many drinking water wells are contam- limits of 0.5 mg/L are in place — but                                               EGLE said it’s up to BWL to deter-
Board of Water & Light to test anoth- inated in the nearby vicinity or how that is based on plant toxicity, not hu- mine the boron’s source and that EGLE
er 60 drinking water wells for boron long its neighbors have been drinking man health, officials at EGLE said.                                                will “vet” BWL’s science and enforce
and other contamination suspected to contaminated water supplies.                                            The EPA has an unenforceable state regulations.
be stemming from the Erickson Power                   BWL repeatedly claimed to be “pro- “health advisory” drinking water limit                                  Experts who reviewed the data also
Station’s toxic coal ash ponds.                    actively” investigating the pollution,                                                                      expressed some skepticism of BWL’s
   The decision comes as BWL has be- but the utility knew about toxins leak-                                                                                   theory because available evidence sug-
gun to claim the boron may be natural- ing from its ponds as early as April “There needs to be a serious                                                       gests the coal ash pond’s boron is be-
ly occurring in mid-Michigan’s Sagi- 2020 and never alerted the public or                                                       investigation                  hind the contamination.
naw aquifer from which the wells draw, its neighbors.                                                                           that would                        Evans said the boron may be natu-
not leaking from coal ash. It’s possible              It only began testing after the En-                                                                      rally occurring in the deeper aquifer
that the boron is naturally occurring, vironmental Protection Agency and                                                        include water                  but said it’s already clear that the shal-
experts who have reviewed test results Michigan Department of Environ-                                                          quality tests.”                low aquifer is contaminated from the
and aquifer data said, but they said the ment, Great Lakes and Energy De-                                                                      — Avner ash, and she stressed that BWL and
evidence — at least so far — suggests partment began enforcement action
BWL’s coal ash is the source.                      on the pollution and BWL’s failure to
                                                                                                                    Vengosh, Duke University EGLE                       are legally obligated to “aggres-
                                                                                                                                                               sively test wells until they determine
   Though drinking water wells are be- respond. EGLE officials told City Pulse                                               expert on coal ash the extent of the contamination.”

        COVID-19 IN REVIEW
ing tested, public health advocates said that BWL is not acting proactively;                                                                                      It’s also extremely rare to find nat-
that’s insufficient.                               the agency is actually requiring BWL of 6 mg/L for adults and 3 mg/L for urally occurring levels of boron as
   Water samples from around the to test and provide drinking water to children. Boron is linked to develop- high as what has been detected in the
aquifer must be analyzed for chemical impacted homes and businesses as part mental and reproductive toxicity, low drinking water wells, Vengosh said.
markers that will clearly determine the of a draft consent order that will legally birth weight and testicular shrinkage.                                     And though the aquifer from which the
boron’s source, but state regulators ha- mandate the utility to take the steps it’s                          Naturally occurring?                             wells are drawing does have a history
ven’t required BWL to take that step, taking.                                                                EGLE spokesman Hugh McDiar- of high levels of naturally occurring bo-
and the state and utility may instead                 Regulators said BWL violated a lit- mid wrote in an email that the agency ron, a “statistically valid” sample of wa-
                                                                                                                                                                                                    Photo by Nicole Rico
base their analyses on previously pub- any of state and federal clean water is “not sure if the elevated boron in the ter collected from around the aquifer
                                                                                                                        Eerily quiet downtown East Lansing at noon Monday, May 25, 2020.
lished scientific literature.                      rules, and it faces the possibility of residential wells is due to contamina- around 20 years ago found those levels

Rewinding two years of pandemic survival in Greater Lansing
   That would leave the boron’s source fines or other penalties. Among vio- tion from the Erickson site or not” be- near Williamston — not near the plant,
in doubt, experts said, and could al- lations at the state level are a failure cause boron is also a naturally occur- he noted.
low BWL to use its theory to shield it- to prevent groundwater contamina- ring element that has been detected at                                                 Evans also said BWL’s monitoring
self from any responsibility to actually tion, obtain proper licenses and keep a higher-than-normal levels in the Sagi- wells that check for the “background”
clean up the water contamination.      Tri-county  properregion
                                                            distancetracks
                                                                        between the  two-year
                                                                                          ponds and tally:       88,000 cases, 1,200 deaths
                                                                                                          naw aquifer.                                        levels of toxins near Lansing showed
   “It could be that those claims are groundwater. The state also cited the                                  The aquifer once held salt water, much lower levels of boron than what’s
true, but given       that two
                It’s been     we years
                                   are talking     utility company
                                        since COVID-19      was de- for   eneda failure     to install
                                                                                  public health           whichstatewide.
                                                                                                    precautions    can have higher levels 1,300ofcases
                                                                                                                                                    boron.
                                                                                                                                                        and 15indeaths.
                                                                                                                                                                 the drinking water wells. Meanwhile,
about human      health   and   people  are  liv-  proper
             tected in Michigan. Since then, more than 2    pond    liners,  which     are  designed      McDiarmid
                                                                             Michigan State University called off in-per- pointed     to  scientific liter-   monitoring
                                                                                                                                             Retail associations advised storeswells to
                                                                                                                                                                                      placed
                                                                                                                                                                                         stop ac-between the
ing here, wemillion
              can’t leave    it as an academ-      to  prevent   pollution    near    the   Erickson      ature   that   found     naturally    occurring
                        residents — including at least 88,000 son classes. Students celebrated at local bars. cepting empty beer and soda containers. Toilet  pond     and   wells   show     elevated     levels
ic question.people
              There in needs    to be a serious    Power   Station    site.                               levels  as high   as  6.4   mg/L.    Determin-
                           Greater Lansing — have caught the By Thursday, Lansing Mayor Andy Schor sus- paper and paper towels start to become scarce         of  boron,    suggesting    the   presence       of a
investigation   that   would     include  water       Federal    rules   also  required       utilities   ing  the  source    will  require   “additional
             virus, and nearly 35,000 Michiganders have pended employee travel. Residents were asked as local residents needlessly hoarded supplies.          plume.
quality tests,”    said Avner
             reportedly      died Vengosh,      a to test water
                                    from complications       tied toin 2017,   but BWL
                                                                          to watch            did not
                                                                                         Council          investigation,”
                                                                                                    meetings   from home.    heCops
                                                                                                                                 said.       On April 1, Ingham  But without
                                                                                                                                                                        County the     appropriate
                                                                                                                                                                                    reported    its testing,
Duke University      geochemistry
             their infections.         and  wa-    do  so until   2020.                                      “To  do  this,  BWL     is  installing  addi-
                                                                          stopped responding in person to certain crimes first COVID-19 death: a homebound man inand extent
                                                                                                                                                              the   contamination’s      source
ter quality researcher      who    studies  coal      “BWL’s    three-year
                The two-year death toll in Ingham, Eaton and to reduce         delay in    sampling
                                                                                         exposure.        tional was
                                                                                                       Michigan   monitoring
                                                                                                                       tracking wells
                                                                                                                                   50 his onsite,  as wellwithmay
                                                                                                                                               mid-50s               never be known.
                                                                                                                                                                 underlying      health issues.
ash ponds across      the  country.                the   groundwater,       in  violation      of   the
             Clinton counties topped 1,200 this week. As we cases by Saturday — three in Ingham County.   as  searching      for   additional     existing       “The
                                                                                                                                          Two weeks later, Beaumont      lawHealth,
                                                                                                                                                                               requires
                                                                                                                                                                                      thethem
                                                                                                                                                                                            state’sto test, so
   Meanwhile,       others    have    also   ex-   federal
             move past the grim second anniversary of the    rule,   endangered         nearby     res-   data  for  boron    occurrence     in the  Sagi-    why
                                                                             Over the next few weeks, executive or- largest healthcare system, announced it was      are  they  going   to the  library when
pressed concern        over   drinking    water    idents,”
             pandemic, let’s take a look at how we got here.  said   Lisa   Evans,      an   attorney     naw   aquifer,  and   other   potential   sourc-
                                                                          ders from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer shuttered nearing capacity with nearly 450 COVID-19 or testing
                                                                                                                                                              they   need   to be  sinking   wells
wells’ “unhealthy” lithium levels, which with national environmental      restaurant dining     group     es movie
                                                                                                     rooms,  of boron    in the area,”
                                                                                                                      theaters,   sa- he     added.in its hospitals.
                                                                                                                                          patients            drinking water?” Evans said.
are just inside2020
                  the federal water quality Earthjustice, which                 has    been     moni-        But  Duke’s
                                                                          lons, libraries, casinos, gyms and just about ev-Vengosh      said  the investi-       Meanwhile, BWL’s spokeswoman,
standard, and could be naturally occur- toring the issue. ery               “BWL’s       subsequent       gations   should
                                                                               other venue. Business leaders were quickly     also  include   water   sam-
                                                                                                                                             Wednesday, April 15Adamy,
                                                                                                                                                              Amy               said it of
                                                                                                                                                                       — Thousands       will  no longer an-
                                                                                                                                                                                            beep-
ring.                                              failure to  comply     with   the   federal   rule’s
                Thursday, March 10 — The coronavirus ar- up in arms over the newly restrictive rules.     pling   that   checks    for  salinity,  isotope    swer    questions   from
                                                                                                                                          ing vehicles swarm downtown Lansing, jam-      City   Pulse.
   Officials discovered     in  early February     mandate
             rives in Michigan with the first two cases in     to  immediately      determine       the   ratios   and   other    markers     that  would
                                                                             By month’s end, Whitmer ordered closed all ming up intersections, blocking roads andplease visit
                                                                                                                                                                 (For   more    on  this  story,
that boronsoutheast
               suspectedMichigan.
                              to have Theleaked    nature   and   extent
                                               announcement was other      of thebusiness
                                                                                    pollution,     and clearly
                                                                                               operations           tell“not
                                                                                                            that were     whether
                                                                                                                              neces- thecrowding
                                                                                                                                            boron came        www.lansingcitypulse.com.)
                                                                                                                                                      the Capitol  lawn to protest Whitmer’s
from the coal     ash   ponds     had contam-      warn   nearby    residents,    is  at  the  core   of  from   ash  or  was
             made just after polls closed for the primary elec- sary to sustain or protect life” and directed res- directives. naturally    occurring,                                     — TOM PERKINS
inated six tion
             out of     six  nearby   drinking     the  present   problem.”
                    and almost immediately triggered height- idents to stay home. The state tracked at least “Evaluating      the    water     quality   of
                                                                                                                                                                                    See COVID, Page 6
Two years of pandemic survival - in Greater Lansing A special issue - www.lansingcitypulse.com
6                                                                            www.lansingcitypulse.com                                                          City Pulse • March 9, 2022

                                                                          Skyler Ashley/City Pulse                                                                           Berl Schwartz/City Pulse
A protester climbs atop his car in downtown Lansing                                                  Ignoring mask requirements, Michigan State University students in line to enter
at the “Operation Gridlock” protest on April 15, 2020.                                               Harper’s Restaurant and Brew Pub in East Lansing the first night bars could
                                                                                                     reopen on June 8, 2020. Harper’s cracked down after complaints.

COVID-19                                         A trickle of revised executive orders
                                              over the summer made small social
                                              gatherings legal again, though those
from page 5
                                              mandates were rarely enforced. Shut-
   By then, health officials had tracked      tered sections of the state’s economy
nearly 30,000 cases and 2,000 deaths          were allowed to reopen. Cranes were
in Michigan. About 500 people tested          also back in the sky above Lansing.
positive for the virus in Greater Lan-        Companies wasted no time getting their
sing; the local death toll rested at 17.      builders and manufacturers back to
   Ingham County Sheriff Scott Wrig-          work — though many companies and
gelsworth reported that most local en-        offices were still reluctant to restart
trepreneurs had fallen in line with state     business as usual while viral fears lin-
orders, though a few businesses were still    gered.
“pushing boundaries” on restrictions.            An outbreak in the South Lansing
   On April 30, thousands more protest-       Asian community showcased racial
ers arrived at the Capitol, rallying in the   disparities tied to the pandemic. Her-
rain against Whitmer’s orders before          bruck’s Poultry Ranch and the Mei-
unsuccessfully attempting to breach the       jer warehouse were identified as the
House floor.                                  epicenter. Health officials also tagged
   By the summer months, disputes over        Harper’s Restaurant and Brewpub, in
emergency powers had reached a boil-          East Lansing, as a viral hotspot.
ing point after Whitmer refused to dele-         Sparrow Health System opened a                                                                                                  Photo by Nicole Rico

gate to lawmakers her executive powers        testing site at the Frandor Shopping                   Jon Howard, Flat, Black & Circular manager, reopened the East Lansing
to declare and extend a state of emer-        Center. A legal battle between Whit-                   vinyl and CD shop after weeks of being closed. He and his customers
gency in Michigan.                            mer and the Legislature over her public                were required to wear masks and capacity was limited.
   George Floyd’s murder in May also          health protections continued. And by
created a renewed disdain for police of-      July, at least two dozen other bars and                   Whitmer’s executive authorities had    be a few months until they were avail-
ficers, heightening societal tensions and     restaurants were ordered to again limit                also then been defeated in court, but     able to anyone who wanted them.
political discourse on both sides of the      capacities.                                            the state Department of Health and
aisle.                                           An unusually quiet Welcome Week-                    Human Services enacted new restric-         2021
                                              end followed at MSU. City Pulse count-                 tions to slow the spread — another
   Monday, June 8 — Michigan is riding        ed at least 70 local businesses that had               “three-week pause” on social gather-         Greater Lansing (and much of Michi-
high: Caseloads are decreasing and state      closed through August. And by Septem-                  ings, along with more dining room         gan) escaped an anticipated holiday-re-
officials recorded for the first time that    ber, Ingham County was back in “crisis                 closures for bars and restaurants. It     lated case surge. State officials were still
more than half of all patients have re-       mode” again after tracking the highest                 was crippling for the industry, but the   on high alert after the first B117 variant
covered from the illness. It was a slight     case transmission rates anywhere in the                rules appeared to serve their purpose.    case was detected in January.
sign of hope and a trigger for freedom.       state.                                                 County health officials remained hope-       Early vaccine supplies were carefully
   Some bars and restaurants reopened                                                                ful while daily caseloads — as high as    prioritized after the holidays to those
for the first time, though many were            Thursday, Nov. 12 — The pandem-                      10,000 in mid-November — sharply          most at risk, but City Pulse discovered
still closed or limited to carryout orders.   ic reached new levels of uncontrolled                  declined into December.                   that Schor and City Councilmen Pe-
Massive crowds again formed at Harp-          spread following a tumultuous election                    The first emergency use vaccine au-    ter Spadafore and Brandon Betz had
er’s Restaurant and Brewpub in East           cycle, surging past 220,000 COVID-19                   thorizations from the FDA were issued     jumped the line — an issue that became
Lansing.                                      cases and 7,700 deaths.                                before Christmas, though it would still                            See COVID, Page 7
Two years of pandemic survival - in Greater Lansing A special issue - www.lansingcitypulse.com
City Pulse • March 9, 2022                                                     www.lansingcitypulse.com                                                                                             7

COVID-19
from page 6

less controversial as supply caught up
with demand.
   Despite the circulation of more con-
tagious variants, caseloads only tum-
bled into February — triggering state
officials to again reel back epidemic
restrictions in March to allow for larg-
er household gatherings and expanded
capacity limits at bars, restaurants and
other venues.
   The shift was met about a week later
with yet another rise in caseloads: the                                                                   Photo by Nicole Rico                                                       Photo by Nicole Rico
state’s “third wave.”                        Lansing Mayor Andy Schor, pictured with his son,                                    Scott Keith, the president and CEO of Lansing Entertainment
                                             Ryan, as both worked at home during the early                                       and Public Facilities Authority, inside an empty Jackson Field
   Wednesday, March 10 — The virus’          days of the pandemic.                                                               on June 1, 2020. All Lansing Lugnuts games, and other spe-
one-year anniversary in Michigan was                                                                                             cial events, were on hold due to the virus.
marked by a statewide death toll of
17,000 — including 276 people who had        children ages 2 to 4 to wear face coverings         Mask mandates stayed contentious.                      Vail tied the increase in cases and hos-
died in Ingham County.                       while in gatherings at schools, camps and        Several lawsuits were filed against sev-               pitalizations to networks of unvaccinat-
   In an interview with City Pulse, Whit-    other childcare facilities. Political tensions   eral districts across the country over                 ed people. Fully vaccinated individuals
mer looked back at the year with relent-     lingered, as did a dangerous pattern of          decisions on COVID-19 protocols that                   then represented only about 25% of all
less optimism.                               misinformation about the safety and effi-        fall — including a now-dismissed case                  cases of COVID-19. And since January,
   “What happens in the next couple of       cacy of COVID-19 vaccines.                       from an “anti-masker” father at Dewitt                 fully vaccinated people represented only
months is going to decide how well we                                                         Public Schools who wanted the mask                     about 1.7% of cases and 0.02% of deaths.
actually rebound,” she said. “As we come        Monday, May 25 — The curve flat-              mandates dropped.                                         About a week later, the first Michigan
out of this, I know I'm going to continue    tens.                                               At the onset of that “fourth wave” in               case of the omicron variant was detected
trying to engage in dialogue with people        With at least 55% of Michigan residents       October, Sparrow Hospital nurses pick-                 in Michigan. The state ended up track-
who don't automatically see the world        ages 16 and older vaccinated against the         eted in Lansing, calling on administra-                ing a total of about 1 million more cases
the same way as me. I want to learn          coronavirus, the state reeled back precau-       tors to fix staffing shortages and poor                in 2021 — bringing the statewide total
from them.”                                  tions and allowed all in-person work to          working conditions as cases rose.                      caseload to about 1.5 million since the
   Later that month, the state again re-     resume across all sectors of employment.            “The pandemic has shown us the                      pandemic arrived in the state. Ingham,
stricted indoor gatherings to no more        The daily commute resumes for thou-              flaws in our healthcare system and how                 Clinton and Eaton counties collective-
than three households at a time while        sands of people. The return to in-person         vital it is that these flaws be fixed. Spar-           ly accounted for about 65,000 of those
case rates pushed to new extremes. East      work across all sectors marked the first         row executives cannot keep choosing to                 cases and 1,000 deaths.
Lansing also ordered masks in outdoor        official milestone of Whitmer’s “MI Vacc         skate on thin ice with our staffing lev-
spaces across most of the downtown           to Normal” plan, triggered by at least           els,” said Katie Pontifex, a local nurse                  2022
area. The county followed suit with          4.45 million Michigan residents having           and president of the Professional Em-
fresh capacity limits.                       received both doses of vaccine.                  ployee Council.                                           Tuesday, Jan. 25 — The Ingham
   By April, anyone over age 16 could get       The following weeks saw curfews and              By November, both McLaren and                       County Health Department tracked
vaccinated. The state set a goal to jab at   capacity limits lifted at restaurants and        Sparrow hospitals were again at or close               enough cases to represent about one
least 70% of the population — a finish       bars. Restrictions on face masks also loos-      to full capacity.                                      infection for every five county residents
line that still remains uncrossed with a     ened: Fully vaccinated people were no               Lansing Mayor Andy Schor lifted a                   while the omicron variant spread.
vaccination rate of about 66%.               longer required to wear masks or socially        universal mask mandate at City Hall in                    January marked a month-long aver-
                                             distance in most settings. Most local busi-      November, a controversial move that he                 age of about 555 new COVID-19 cases
   Thursday, April 15 — The “third           nesses stopped requiring them at all.            reversed days later after local health offi-           tracked daily — the single highest rate
wave” of the pandemic makes Greater             Lingering uncertainties (and overall          cials pushed back.                                     of case positivity since the pandemic be-
Lansing among the metropolitan areas         hesitancy to get back to work) also pro-            Every Michigan county ranked “high                  gan in March 2020.
with the fastest climbing rates of coro-     duced staffing shortages at a vast num-          risk” under the CDC’s standards for covid                 Over the last few weeks, caseloads
navirus transmission in the country.         ber of local employers. Experts estimated        transmission as winter arrived. In Ing-                and positive rates plummeted near all-
   “We are not through this. Don’t give      that the Lansing area alone saw more             ham County, that spike was evidenced by                time lows.
up now,” said Ingham County Health           than 22,000 new job postings in August           more than 1,000 COVID-19 cases and 10                     Face masks became less common —
Officer Linda Vail.                          — up about 44% from over the prior year.         related deaths tracked in one week.                    either through optimism or pandemic
   Mass vaccination efforts railed on at                                                                                                             fatigue.
MSU facilities and the Ingham County           Wednesday, Sept. 22 — The FDA au-                Wednesday, Dec. 1 — County health                       And as of last week, about 73% of In-
Fairgrounds. The Lansing City Council        thorizes booster vaccines for older adults       officials were “troubled” and “perplexed”              gham County residents who are eligible
announced it would meet virtually un-        and others at higher risk of COVID-19            by a recent increase in cases across In-               to receive the vaccine had one, officials
til caseloads begin to decrease. A brief     complications while the Delta variant            gham County, a statistic that also was                 said. Some age groups fared better than
pause on the Johnson & Johnson vac-          begins ratcheting up caseloads.                  borne out across Michigan.                             others: About 98% of those over age 65
cine created continued concerns over           While a handful of Michigan schools              Percent positivity rates had doubled                 were vaccinated. But only about 39% of
vaccine hesitancy after it was found that    had closed due to widespread illnesses,          since October. Greater Lansing was in                  children between ages 5-11 were vacci-
some women developed blood clots af-         teachers hoped digital learning would            trouble — again. “I didn’t expect a surge              nated, in part because those shots were
ter getting their shots.                     keep schools on schedule for yet another         this time around,” Vail said. “I figured               only available since mid-November.
   Before month’s end, the state ordered     virtual year of education.                       with the vaccine we’d be OK.”                          — KYLE KAMINSKI
Two years of pandemic survival - in Greater Lansing A special issue - www.lansingcitypulse.com
8                                                                              www.lansingcitypulse.com                                                          City Pulse • March 9, 2022

Dates that matter in Michigan’s response to COVID
By KYLE MELINN                                    fast enough for Republicans. For some
  Within the two years since the corona-          in her own party, she moved too fast.
virus blew into Michigan, Gov. Gretch-              Along the way, the following dates
en Whitmer has gone from aggressively             provide the best review of the dates
managing a response to barely acknowl-            that mattered in Michigan's response to
edging its existence.                             COVID-19.
  The vaccines allowed Whitmer to                   March 10, 2020—State's emergen-
push personal responsibility as the best          cy management folks report the first
way to keep folks safe from dying or              two presumptive cases of COVID-19 in
falling seriously ill from COVID. Still           Michigan two hours after gubernatorial
the Governor was consistently criticized          candidate Joe Biden was declared Mich-
with playing politics with her decisions.         igan'spresidential primary winner.
  She never loosened up restrictions                The cases in Oakland and Wayne

                                           NOTICE

    THE CITY OF LANSING BOARD OF REVIEW WILL HOLD AN ORGANIZATIONAL
    MEETING ON TUESDAY, MARCH 8TH AT 2:00 PM.

    THE BOARD OF REVIEW OF THE CITY OF LANSING WILL MEET IN REGULAR SESSION
    TO HEAR APPEALS ON:
    MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2022 AND TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2022 – 9AM TO 12 PM & 1:30
    PM TO 4:30 PM;
    WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2022 – 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM AND 5:30 PM TO 8:30 PM;
    THURSDAY, MARCH 17,2022, AND FRIDAY MARCH 18TH FROM 9AM TO 12 PM & 1:30
    PM TO 3:30 PM AT LANSING CITY HALL, 124 W MICHIGAN AVE, 3RD FLOOR.
                                                                                                                                                                                         Courtesy
    IF YOU WISH TO APPEAL YOUR ASSESSMENT OR SIMPLY WANT MORE INFORMATION,
    PLEASE CALL THE ASSESSING OFFICE AT 517 483-7624. APPOINTMENTS ARE NOT
                                                                                             Gov. GretchenWhitmer (left) and her chief medical executive, Dr. Joneigh
    REQUIRED BUT STRONGLY RECOMENDED TO AVOID WAIT TIMES. TAXPAYERS MAY                      Khaldun, at a news conference on May 29, 2020.
    SUBMIT AN APPEAL IN WRITING. ALL WRITTEN APPEALS MUST BE RECEIVED BY
    THURSDAY, MARCH 17TH, 2022. PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR FORMS AND
    INFORMATION AT WWW.LANSINGMI.GOV                                                                                                           all Michigan K-12 school buildings
                                                                                             counties spark questions about the
              2022 Ratios and Tentative Multipliers                                          announcement’s timing. Anecdotally,               closed from March 16 to April 6. The
                                                                                             Michiganders were coming down sick                order triggers the first of 95 executive
                        Clinton County                                                                                                         orders Whitmer signed in 2020 as a
                                                                                             more than a week before.Now, two
     Property Class     Tentative Ratio      Multiplier                                      years later, the Department of Health             way to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
     Agricultural                    46.37            1.0783                                 and Human Services is chronicling                 Schools stay closed for the rest of the
                                                                                             14 COVID cases from March 1, 2020,                academic year.Within days, every
     Commercial                      47.47            1.0533
                                                                                             and two COVID deaths from February                "non-essential" industry is ordered shut
     Industrial                      47.39            1.0551
                                                                                             2020.                                             through government action.
     Residential        N/C
                                                                                               March 12, 2020— Whitmer orders                                               See State, Page 9
     Timber Cutover     N/C
     Developmental      N/C

                                                                                                                                  NOTICE TO
                        Eaton County                                                                                   RESIDENTS AND PROPERTY OWNERS
     Property Class      Tentative Ratio     Multiplier                                                                  CHARTER TOWNSHIP of LANSING
                                                                                               NOTICE TO RESIDENTS AND PROPERTY OWNERS IN THE CHARTER TOWNSHIP
     Agricultural        N/C                                                                   OF LANSING OF THE INTENT OF THE TOWNSHIP TO CAUSE THE DESTRUCTION
     Commercial                      47.23            1.0586                                   OF NOXIOUS WEEDS IN SUCH CASES WHERE RESIDENTS, AND/OR PROPERTY
                                                                                               OWNERS FAIL TO CONTROL OR ERRADICATE SUCH WEEDS ON THEIR
     Industrial                      43.36                1.1531                               PROPERTIES.
     Residential                     45.54            1.0979                                   This notice is published in lieu of notice to individual property owners. In the event that
                                                                                               any property owner shall fail or refuse to destroy any noxious weeds by cutting them or
     Timber Cutover      N/C                                                                   by other means of control before the first day of May, 2022 or fail to keep them cut and/
     Developmental       N/C                                                                   or controlled at any time thereafter during the growing season, the Commissioner of
                                                                                               Noxious Weeds of the Township shall have the duty of entering such lands, and such
                                                                                               weeds will be caused to be cut or destroyed by the Township. The owner or owners
                        Ingham County                                                          of such lands shall pay the expense incurred in such destruction to the Township. The
                                                                                               Township shall have a lien against such lands for such expense, which lien shall be
     Property Class      Tentative Ratio     Multiplier                                        enforced in the manner now provided by for the enforcement of tax liens against the
                                                                                               lot to be charged and will be collected as in the case of general property tax against
     Agricultural        N/C                                                                   lot or lots in question in the event the charges involved are not paid by the owner,
     Commercial                      46.43            1.0769                                   agent, or occupant of said lot within thirty (30) days from the date of billing to said
                                                                                               person by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested. Charges will be made
     Industrial                      47.25            1.0581                                   in accordance with Section 52.5 of the Code of Ordinances of the Charter Township of
                                                                                               Lansing.
     Residential                     46.44            1.0767
                                                                                               This notice appears by authority of Public Act 359 of 1941 of the State of Michigan and
     Timber Cutover      N/C                                                                   the Code of Ordinances, Title V, Chapter 52 of the Charter Township of Lansing.
     Developmental       N/C                                                                   Maggie Sanders, Clerk
                                                                             CP#22-056         Charter Township of Lansing                                                      CP#22-063
Two years of pandemic survival - in Greater Lansing A special issue - www.lansingcitypulse.com
City Pulse • March 9, 2022                                                                www.lansingcitypulse.com                                                                                         9

   March 23, 2020 — Michigan be-                    nue from the Capitol to near Frandor at             Michigan Capitol Commission to ban                ordering schools shut. Some general
comes the 11th state to lockdown or                 one point.                                          long guns from the Capitol.                       policies remain in place, but any school
stay-in-place. The three-week order                    The day prior, one public survey                    May 20, 2020 — Michigan’s unem-                closings or mask mandates were han-
bans all out-of-movement to operations              found 71% of Michigan voters approv-                ployment rate in April soars to a record          dled — from that point on — by county
that weren’t necessary to “sustain or               ing of Whitmer’s handling of the coro-              22.7%. The number is later revised to             health departments, local governments
protect life.” Whitmer ends up extend-              navirus outbreak. April 16 was the high-            24%.                                              or school districts.
ing the order to April 30, May 28 and,              est number of COVID-related Michigan                   May 21, 2020 — Attorney General                   Aug. 22, 2021 — Board of Educa-
finally, to June 19.                                deaths reported for any day of the pan-             Dana Nessel bans Trump from visiting              tion member Pamela Pugh, the former
   Police are told to issue $1,000 tickets          demic at 164.                                       another indoor Michigan facility after            chief medical adviser of Flint, asks the
to anyone caught violating the execu-                  April 29, 2020 — The Legislature                 he shows up unmasked to the Ford plant            administration to impose a mandato-
tive order, but relatively few were ever            declines to extend the governor’s emer-             in Ypsilanti. Trump visited Michigan              ry mask rule in every Michigan school
issued. At the time, an independent                 gency executive order authority anoth-              five times in one week as the election            building. She accuses the governor of
501(c)3 nonprofits called “Act Now Co-              er 30 days, spurring Whitmer to sign                neared, but all events were outdoors.             putting politics before safety. Hertel
alition” projected that if Michigan had             new EOs the next day anyway, claim-                    June 19, 2020 — The Unemployment               says it is now up to local control.
poor compliance with the “Stay Home,                ing a 1945 state law gave her the pow-              Insurance Agency reported that 93% of                Sept. 29, 2021 — A $70 billion bud-
Stay Safe” order, 59,000 people could               er to do it without lawmakers’ OK. The              everyone eligible for benefits were ap-           get, the largest in history, is signed into
die. As of March 6, 2022, Michigan’s                move ignites a showdown. The gover-                 proved and most of the remaining 7%               law, bolstered by an extra $5 billion in
death toll from COVID was 32,118.                   nor wins short term, but the Legisla-               who were not were suspected of fraud.             federal COVID-19 relief money and
   March 27, 2020 — President Donald                ture ultimately prevails before the state           The beleaguered agency struggled to               a huge influx in the sales tax collected
Trump’ steady stream of insults toward              Supreme Court in October. Lawmakers                 keep up with new claims during the                from online sales. Only 16 months pri-
Whitmer reaches a peak when he re-                  later repeal the ‘45 law.                           height of the pandemic, costing Direc-            or, state budget estimators projected a
ferred to her as “the woman in Michi-                  April 30, 2020 — A couple dozen                  tor Steve Gray his job.                           massive $6.2 billion budget hole.
gan” and tweets “Gretchen ‘Half ’ Whit-             armed protesters roamd the Capitol                     Jan. 22, 2021 — DHHS Director                     Jan. 3, 2022 — Omicron peaks in
mer.” At the time, Whitmer was being                and the state Senate gallery during                 Robert Gordon abruptly resigns after              Michigan. A total of 24,788 cases were
considered as Biden’s running mate                  the now-infamous “pro-liberty patri-                conflicting with the governor behind              reported while 23,117 were reported
Whitmer responds by wearing a “That                 ot” rally. While some now frame it as a             the scenes over stricter COVID-19 or-             the day after, likely a result of New Year
Woman From Michigan” T-Shirt on                     “dress rehearsal” for the Jan. 6, 2021,             ders. Whitmer pushes to loosen youth              parties spreading this highly contagious
The Daily Show.                                     U.S. Capitol insurrection, police force             sports restrictions sooner than Gordon            but less deadly variant.
   April 15, 2020 — Between 3,000                   was only used to remove two protesters              wanted amid stiff public pressure. Eliz-             Jan. 12, 2022 — Michigan’s auditor
and 4,000 pickups, 18 wheelers and                  from the House gallery. Four protesters             abeth Hertel, of East Lansing, replaces           general reports 8,061 COVID deaths
cars jammed Lansing’s streets leading               are later charged with plotting to kid-             him.                                              came from nursing homes or other
to the Capitol to protest the governor’s            nap Whitmer. The jarring presence of                   March 12, 2021 — Records show the              long-term care facilities, making up
“Stay Home, Stay Safe” order. Operation             weapons inside the Senate chambers                  governor flew to Palm Beach to visit her          about a quarter of all Michigan-related
Gridlock stretched down Michigan Ave-               during a politically tense time spurs the           ailing father. Outside the “Stay Home,            COVID deaths. The number became a
                                                                                                        Stay Safe order,” Michigan never had              flashpoint for Republicans, who claim
                                                                                                        any travel restrictions, per se, but extra-       DHHS was purposely undercounting
                                                                                                        neous travel was frowned upon.                    the results, but the auditor’s percentag-
                                        Vehicle Auction
                                    Tuesday, March 22, 9am                                                 May 23, 2021 — A complaint is filed            es were right around the 34% of COVID
                            2010 Toyota Yaris JTDJT4K35A5286037                                         against the Landshark in East Lansing             deaths that DHHS reported back in
                                Swift Towing, 2347 N. Cedar, Holt                                       after a photo of Whitmer seated un-               June 2020. Also, the auditor used a
                                             No calls
                                                                                       CP#22-064        masked with 12 other guests surfaces on           much broader definition of long-term
                                                                                                        social meetings. At the time, restaurants         care facilities than DHHS, which had
                                                                                                        were limited to only seating six guests           been sticking with federal definitions in
                                                                                                        per table.                                        their reporting.
                            NOTICE TO PUBLIC OF AVAILABILITY
                                    CITY OF LANSING                                                        June 22, 2021 — The governor ends                 (Kyle Melinn is an editor and reporter
                            CONSOLIDATED PLAN, FY 2022 – 2026                                           COVID-era restrictions 463 days after             for the Capitol news service MIRS.)
                            ANNUAL ACTION PLAN, FY 2022-2023

  Notice is hereby given that the City of Lansing proposes to present notice of availability on
  the Five-Year Consolidated Plan, 2022-2026 and the Annual Action Plan for FY 2022 (7/1/22-
  6/30/23). A draft of the document will be available for public review and comment during the
                                                                                                                                             CITY OF LANSING
  30-day comment period from March 10 – April 8, 2022
                                                                                                                                        NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
  Copies of the document and the proposed use of Community Development funds are                          NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Public Hearing will be held on Monday, March 14, 2022 at
  available for review at the City Clerk's office, Ninth Floor, City Hall, 124 W. Michigan Ave.; the      7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 10th Floor Lansing City Hall, 124 W. Michigan Ave.,
  Capital Area District Library, 401 South Capitol; the Department of Economic Development                Lansing, MI for the purpose of considering:
  and Planning Office, 316 N. Capitol, Suite D-1, Lansing, MI or on the Development Office
  website at: www.lansingmi.gov/development                                                                  An Ordinance of the City of Lansing, Michigan, amend the Lansing Codified Ordinances
                                                                                                             by amending Chapter 696, Section 696.07, to provide requirements for owners of
  All written comments submitted by citizens of Lansing will be considered and reviewed for                  firearms to report the theft thereof and provide penalties for failure to make a report.
  possible inclusion in the final Five-Year Consolidated Plan, 2022-2026 and the Annual Action
  Plan for FY 2022 to be submitted to the Department of Housing and Urban Development                     Persons with disabilities who need an accommodation to fully participate in these meetings
  (HUD) no later than May 14, 2022. A summary of all comments received will be attached to                should contact the City Council Office at 517-483-4177 (TDD (517) 483-4479) 24 hour notice
  the final document.                                                                                     may be needed for certain accommodations. An attempt will be made to grant all reasonable
                                                                                                          accommodation requests.
  For information regarding the Consolidated Plan/Annual Action Plan Action Plan please
  contact:                                                                                                For more information, please call 517-483-4177. If you are interested in this matter, please
                                                                                                          attend the public hearing or send a representative. Written comments will be accepted
  Doris Witherspoon, Senior Planner                                                                       between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on City business days if received before 5 p.m., on the day of
  City of Lansing, Michigan                                                                               the Public Hearing at the City Clerk’s Office, Ninth Floor, City Hall, 124 West Michigan Ave.,
  Department of Planning and Neighborhood Development                                                     Lansing, MI 48933 or email city.clerk@lansingmi.gov.
  316 North Capitol, Suite D-1
  Lansing Michigan 48933-1236                                                                             Chris Swope, Lansing City Clerk, MMC/MiPMC
  Telephone (517) 483-4063                                                                                www.lansingmi.gov/Clerk
  doris.witherspoon@lansingmi.gov                                                       CP#22-060         www.facebook.com/LansingClerkSwope                                                 CP#22-061
Two years of pandemic survival - in Greater Lansing A special issue - www.lansingcitypulse.com
10                                                                           www.lansingcitypulse.com                                                   City Pulse • March 9, 2022

Lansing Legend:
Dr. Surae Eaton-Sangster
By AUDREY MATUSZ                            equipment to us as far as microscopes,
   One thing they don’t tell you about      medical beds and ophthalmoscopes. Dr.
being a doctor is that your job doesn’t     Roux was my supervisor at the center
end once you retire. Dr. Surae Ea-          and one day he said, “Surae, you can’t
ton-Sangster, 72, is one of Lansing’s       practice medicine without a license.” It
most remembered family doctors. She         was that impetus that made me want
sees her time working at Sparrow as a       to return to school. I applied to Howard
blessing and continues to view her pro-     and Michigan State, got into both, and
fession as a means to connect with her      decided to come back to Michigan State
greater community.                          where my support system was.
   How long have you lived in Lansing?         How long did the Center for Black
   I was born at Sparrow Hospital. I was    Education last?
gone for 17-18 years but been back for         I’d say at least five or six years. In the
38 years or so.                             end, we ran out of funding, and all went
   What got you into family medicine?       our separate ways. D.C. really changed                                                                                            Courtesy
   I went to Howard University plan-        things for me. I tell my kids today, I          Dr. Surae Eaton-Sangster
ning to go into physical therapy, howev-    used to not see white people for weeks.
er Howard did not offer such a program      It was my first time seeing abject pov-         churches. Protect Michigan was only          nephew who had a stroke a few years
(laughs), but I was accepted to How-        erty. Coming from Lansing, to see the           commissioned for a year, but we ended        ago and needs a lot of advocating in
ard! I knew I would figure it out. It was   dichotomy of poverty there was just an          with 88% vaccination rate for ages 65+       hospitals.
the ‘60s and the peak of the civil rights   eye opener for me.                              statewide.                                      The reason flu season was basical-
movement and I ended up with a group           Where were you during the King as-              What was the biggest barrier in out-      ly nonexistent in 2021 was because we
of students who would lead demonstra-       sassinations?                                   reach?                                       were wearing masks. I was at a Mich-
tions and organize student sit-ins. Then       I don’t know if I want that on tape             Probably the biggest barrier in terms     igan State basketball game, and they
I suddenly decided that I didn't need       (laughs). It was a wild time up and             of COVID outreach was technology.            have discontinued mask wearing, which
to go to school. I dropped out. I want-     down Georgia Avenue and 14th Street.            Because in most cases you had to reg-        surprised me. I still wore my mask. We
ed to help people in my community and       All the main streets in D.C.                    ister to get a vaccine, and that registra-   went from you couldn’t get in without
helped start a space called the Center         Has your opinions on rioting changed         tion was online. At least in Ingham and      your immunization card and wearing a
for Black Education. We took over an        over time?                                      Eaton County we primarily focused on         mask to just “come on in.” But it’s still
old house in a ghetto of D.C. and offered      As I’ve matured, I no longer think           African American churches and setting        an issue because you don’t know who
a lot of programs: educational, child-      there is a reason for rioting for civil dis-    up walk-in clinics, such as the Lansing      is vaccinated, and even if they are, they
care and of course a medical program.       cord or as an outlet. For several reasons.      Mall.                                        could be asymptomatic carriers.
Howard medical students and faculty         It’s often in our own communities where            What clubs are you in?                       Can community help you stay health-
volunteered and a local doctor donated      we’re destroying businesses. We’re ri-             I’m the treasurer of the Greater Lan-     ier?
                                            oting for our own gains, like stealing          sing Area Club of the Negro Business            It does! I think I’ve always enjoyed
                                            TVs for own personal reward. Certain-           and Professional Women’s Club Inc. It’s      exercise. I play pickleball at least once
                                            ly, demonstrations are something we             a chapter of a national organization that    a week and like going on walks with
                                            should continue to do, but rioting does         has been around since 1935. My moth-         friends. My son’s a runner and my
                                            not lead to any progress at all.                er started the Lansing club in 1982,         daughter owns a spinning gym studio
                                               What was the pandemic like for you?          which is known as the Greater Lansing        while working for the Pacers. My sister
                                               Last January, the governor developed         Area Club. GLAC, as well as the nation-      is amazing, she’s 83 and still runs 5Ks.
                                            a program called Protect Michigan for           al association, does a lot of community      She just did the Turkey Trot and came
                                            COVID though Michigan Department                outreach like back-to-school backpacks       to Thanksgiving dinner with her first-
                                            of Health and Human Services. It was            for kids. Every year we have a Founder’s     place medal. She is my inspiration.
                                            divided into 19 workgroups. I was the           Day, which is coming up next month,             We lost quite a few people in the Lan-
                                            chair of the senior health workgroup,           and we give out the Sojourner Truth          sing area to COVID and the individuals
                                            which had people from different coun-           award to recognize some outstanding          that we lost were primarily unvaccinat-
 Audrey Matusz, the author of this          ties working in nursing homes or AAA            individual in the Lansing area. We also      ed. I didn’t take care of COVID patients,
 series, is a former arts and culture       (Aging Assistance Agency). Within Clin-         have a community service award and           however, experts on TV did speak often
 editor of City Pulse who was born          ton, Eaton, and Ingham we would put             other things based on what people have       of premorbid conditions and people
 in Lansing and grew up in Okemos.          on clinics and with both AARP and the           done in the community.                       didn’t do so well when they had obesity,
 She is a graduate of the Residential       Protect Michigan workgroup. We cre-                What was 2020-‘21 like for you as a       cardiovascular disease, hypertension —
 College of the Arts and Humanities         ated phone trees and called people to           care provider?                               things that are often preventable with
 at Michigan State University. She is       collect questions people had about the             First, my husband has a chronic lung      good health maintenance. A sense of
 a digital and instructional designer       vaccine. We focused on Southeast Mich-          condition and needs a lung transplant,       spirituality is also important for good
 for the Michigan Victim Advocacy           igan, which was a void in the number of         so my biggest concern was keeping him        health, whether you call that God or
 Network.                                   vaccinated people. In Ingham County,            away from COVID. I do a lot of consul-       not. You need to feel connected to the
                                            we focused on housing clinics in Black          tation with friends and family. I have a     world.
City Pulse • March 9, 2022                                                                     www.lansingcitypulse.com                                                                                                          11
City Pulse • March 2, 2022                                                                         www.lansingcitypulse.com                                                                                                                11

                                                                                                                    to have any chance to win reelection                     immunity evidently doesn’t last very

   24 months
  Maybe             ofproblem
        Peffley is the Covid
                                                                                                                    this year.
                                                                                                                   tively”       Of course,
                                                                                                                            tested               we want
                                                                                                                                      six drinking         wellsherintothe   long.
                                                                                                                                                                               claimed to be in compliance with
                                                                                                                    win. It
                                                                                                                   area.   ThewasRepublican
                                                                                                                                    a sweetheart   alternatives
                                                                                                                                                          move forare   a        As a result,
                                                                                                                                                                               federal            some
                                                                                                                                                                                           coal ash         experts
                                                                                                                                                                                                         rules,      butnow      say said
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           experts
                                                                                                                    a disturbing
                                                                                                                   utility  company   mixcaught
                                                                                                                                            of Trumpianin the tools
                                                                                                                                                                  midst      itthose
                                                                                                                                                                                will take
                                                                                                                                                                                        rules better
                                                                                                                                                                                                 werethan violateda 90%      vacci-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          back    in 2017
                                                                                                                   ofand  self-aggrandizing,
                                                                                                                      a possible     cover up. nouveau riche                 nation
                                                                                                                                                                               when rate,BWLplus       those
                                                                                                                                                                                                  failed    to testwhofor have    ac-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                               contam-
     Lansing Board of Water & Light                            building a media firewall around
           This week marks the second                             and turn everyone into compliant                  weirdos
                                                                                                                      Except,  running
                                                                                                                                 it wasn’t. vanity
                                                                                                                                                BWL    campaigns
                                                                                                                                                          wasn’t pro-        quired
                                                                                                                                                                               ination. immunity by getting a COVID
  general manager Dick Peffley is start- Peffley and other top executives
        anniversary of the first COVID-19                         sheeple.                                          that
                                                                                                                   activelypump
                                                                                                                              doingup   their   inflated
                                                                                                                                        anything.             sense          infection,
                                                                                                                                                                                  BWL has    to conceivably
                                                                                                                                                                                                  also repeatedly     reachmadeherd
  ing to have some real problems on his to answer our questions. She has
        diagnosis in Michigan. It’s been a                           The pandemic brought out both                  ofThe
                                                                                                                        their                                                immunity.
  hands,    even     though                                                                                                 company, instead, hadstate
                                                                                                                               qualifications       to  run      actually      claims about the investigation
        long,    strange     andhepainful
                                     refusesride.to look
                                                       The learned       well
                                                                  the best   infrom    longtime
                                                                                 America     and theLansing
                                                                                                       worst.       government. Still, we think she could                        Experts also say that COVID will
  downincalculable
          and acknowledge             that he’s      still                                                         been    ordered     by  state    regulators        to       process that directly contradict
                           loss of human         life, the public The relations     practitioner
                                                                       list of heroes                 Steve
                                                                                          is long, starting         and should have stayed the course,                       soon transition from pandemic to
  holding     them. devastation, the collapse of Serkaian,                                                         get  a  handle    on   the   pollution        situa-        statements from EGLE. In other in-
        economic                                                  with ourexecutive
                                                                              frontlinedirector
                                                                                           healthcareof public
                                                                                                         workers saved more lives, and won reelection                        endemic, slowly fading into the back-
     State   environmental           recordsthe abject affairs at BWL and a holdover from                          tion. Moreover, those reactive results                      stances, Adamy and Peffley have only
        comity      among Americans,                                                                                                                                         ground but still claiming victims like
  released     in January
        failures                 revealed
                     of our political         that
                                           leadership          the Bernero days.                                   spelled out some really bad news:                           downplayed the issue.
                                                                                                                                                                             other diseases we don’t think about
  Peffley   hasofknown
        — all                  for us
                     it has left    nearly    two
                                       shell-shocked,                                                                                                                        veryEvenmuch.  BWL Board Chairman
  yearstattered
          about dangerous
                     and torn. chemical                                                                                                                                        David
                                                                                                                                                                                 We’re sure it—will
                                                                                                                                                                                          Price        someone           who should
                                                                                                                                                                                                            be a thrilling        if
  contamination
           The goodleaking news is from       the large
                                      we finally      may                                                                                                                    misplaced validation for the—COVID
                                                                                                                                                                               definitely      be   in  the    know           wasn’t
  toxicbecoal    ash aponds
            seeing        glimmer thatofsurround
                                           light at the                                                                                                                        informed
                                                                                                                                                                             deniers      when of the    contamination
                                                                                                                                                                                                   the ailment          is finally
  the Erickson
        end of thePower pandemic Station     in Delta
                                        tunnel.     Case                                                                                                                       problems        before
                                                                                                                                                                             declared to be no worse      January.   thanHe  thewasflu.
  Township
        numbers   — which       for decades
                       are dropping                may
                                           precipitously.                                                                                                                    Oftold   the ponds
                                                                                                                                                                                  course,              weren’t
                                                                                                                                                                                              this means          thatcontaminating
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         lots of
  haveMask        mandatesnearby
         also poisoned           are falling     away like
                                           drinking                                                                                                                            groundwater,
                                                                                                                                                                             people      will continuewhichtowas    get also
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          sick, directly
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 and
  water autumn
          supplies   leaves    on aprivate
                         feeding      blusterywellsday.                                                                                                                        contradicted
                                                                                                                                                                             the   most vulnerable   by regulatory
                                                                                                                                                                                                              will continue  docu-to
           It feels like
  and municipal              we are in the home
                         systems.                                                                                                                                              ments.
                                                                                                                                                                             die,   just like the flu.
        stretch,
     High    levels  but
                       of we    have toboron,
                           lithium,        wonder   TDSif we                                                                                                                      And when
                                                                                                                                                                                 Sadly,             presented
                                                                                                                                                                                           the pandemic            willwith
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          neverEGLE’s
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   be
        are setting ourselves
  and molybdenum              have beenup for    yet anoth-
                                              leaching                                                                                                                         statements,
                                                                                                                                                                             over    for thoseAdamywith thehas         still insisted
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   misfortune         of
  fromerthedangerous
                three ponds  variant,
                                   since yet2020
                                              another and                                                                                                                    acquiring
                                                                                                                                                                               the agency    theismysterious
                                                                                                                                                                                                     wrong. and debil-
        spike    that   again    overwhelms
  still neither BWL nor state regulators            our                                                                                                                      itating     long formPeffley
                                                                                                                                                                                  Meanwhile,             of COVID.           Signif-to be
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    still claims
  knows hospitals.
            how long    We’ve
                            the been
                                  problemherehasbefore and                                                                                                                   icant    resources       need     to   be
                                                                                                                                                                               “proactively” investigating the situa-    dedicated
  existed — though the plant, whichnot
        had   our    hopes     crushed,     so  let’s   is                                                                                                                   totion
                                                                                                                                                                                 studying
                                                                                                                                                                                       despite why     it happens
                                                                                                                                                                                                   having       knownand         howthe
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             about
        plan the pandemic closing ceremo-                                                                                                                                    toissue
                                                                                                                                                                                 treatatit.the Erickson Power Station as
  off Canal     Road in Eaton County, has
        nies just yet.                                                                                                                                                           We also
                                                                                                                                                                               early          need2020,
                                                                                                                                                                                        as April      to recognizerecords   andshowed.
  operated the ponds since 1974.
           Worldwide, the official estimate is                                                                                                                               redress      the  disparate
                                                                                                                                                                                  While the state has ordered   impacts       of the
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  at least
     When City Pulse broke that news,
        that 6 million people have lost their                                                                                                                                pandemic
                                                                                                                                                                               another 60     on wells
                                                                                                                                                                                                  communities
                                                                                                                                                                                                           to be tested,  of color
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 BWL
  Peffley and his PR team quickly
        lives to COVID-19, but the true num- — nurses and doctors and EMTs and                                                                                               by   pouring      some
  jumped
                                                                                                                    by standing
                                                                                                                   BWL               firm six
                                                                                                                           only tested      on herwells.principles.
                                                                                                                                                            And all of         still  doesn’t     haveofathe  handlebillionson in
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                the
        bersinto      action — except
               are undoubtedly           much  thelarger.        Instead
                                                                  support of    an —
                                                                             staff  interview,
                                                                                       but it also Peffley
                                                                                                     includes          The executives leading our local                      federal aid into support for fami-
  damage      control      wasn’t    centered       on         responded     only   in  a  polished    op-ed       them came back for potentially dan-                         pollution plume’s size or location,
        A recent review by The Economist                          the everyday workers who drove the                healthcare systems were another                          lies and children who continue to
  assessing      environmental          and public             in which    he repeatedly       questioned          gerously high levels of boron.                              how many drinking water wells are
        estimated       the global death         toll at          trucks that    kept critical    supply chains disappointment. It is beyond our                             struggle with the aftereffects of the
  health                                                                                                              That’s a six for six, Dick.                              contaminated in the nearby vicinity
        14 risks.
            million   Instead,
                        to 23.5itmillion.
                                      was about Here in        assessments
                                                                  moving, the   from   environmental
                                                                                  grocery     store workers ex-     comprehension that neither Sparrow                       economic meltdown. Some of the
  protecting
        Michigan,  BWL’snearlypublic    image.
                                   35,000     lives have perts    who and
                                                                        didinsisted
                                                                             their bestthatto drinking    water
                                                                                               keep the shelves       Michigan doesn’t set health limits
                                                                                                                    nor McLaren proactively required
                                                                                                                                                                               or how long its neighbors have been
                                                                                                                                                                             heaviest burdens of the pandemic fell
     Andbeenthat’s
                lost,simply
                        but many not more
                                       the typecontinue is safe        and that
                                                                  stocked,   and BWL’s water supplies              on  boron in drinking water,     their em-  though        onsipping      on andamong
                                                                                                                                                                                  the youngest          showering    us asin    boron
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             schools
  of leadership
        to suffer the  we consequences
                            need at a publicly  of the         continue
                                                                  the food toser-
                                                                               “meet or exceed” all reg-           groundwater        limits    of   0.5   mg/L
                                                                                                                                                    ployees to get    are      water.
                                                                                                                                                                             and families struggled to cope with
  owned     utility company.
        disease.                                               ulatory  safety
                                                                  vice industry                                                                      in  place.
                                                                                                                                                    vaccinated. Of   EPA          Fromdisruptions
                                                                                                                                                                             massive        Day One, BWL      in thehas       not been
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         education-

                                                                                              The CP                  Edit
     In a What
           January   haveop-ed,     Peffleyover
                             we learned        attacked
                                                     the past standards.
                                                                  personnel                                                                          also
                                                                                                                                                    all  the has    an
                                                                                                                                                                people       al enterprise. They will need our health
                                                                                                                                                                               forthcoming          about      this    public     sup-
  City 24
        Pulse’s
             months?credibility
                           That’s for     sounding
                                     a tricky    ques-           While
                                                                  who put tech-
                                                                              up                                                                     unenforceable
                                                                                                                                                    who conceiv-               calamity
                                                                                                                                                                             port    to get—  backdenying
                                                                                                                                                                                                       on track   ouremotionally
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         reporters
  the alarm       about the
        tion because             potential
                            it’s clear   that afor    con- nically
                                                  signif-         with true,
                                                                        unap-                                                                        “advisory”
                                                                                                                                                    ably    could lim-         an opportunity
                                                                                                                                                                             and    academically.to conduct basic
        icant    swath    of   Americans
  taminated groundwater and drink-             learned            preciative
                                                               his statements   and                           Opinion                                it of   6 mg/Lbe
                                                                                                                                                    and should                 interviews       and then
                                                                                                                                                                                 In the meantime,           thefailing
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    rest ofto theanswer
        absolutely      nothing.
  ing water supplies — even outright  Drowning        in          sometimes
                                                               completely                                                                            for   adults
                                                                                                                                                    required        toand
                                                                                                                                                                       get     several
                                                                                                                                                                             world         emailed
                                                                                                                                                                                       is still  a giant questions.
                                                                                                                                                                                                             incubatorThe     for latest
        misinformation           and
  denying that drinking water could    parading       the         abusive
                                                               ignored the  cus-                                                                     3
                                                                                                                                                    the mg/L
                                                                                                                                                           jab,    for
                                                                                                                                                                  hospi-       PR variants
                                                                                                                                                                             new     tactic seems        to be centered
                                                                                                                                                                                                 that could         be mild, but   on
        righteous indignation
  be contaminated                         that stems
                             despite experts                      tomers for
                                                               potential    while   putting themselves
                                                                                contamination                and children.
                                                                                                     at dozens                  BWL’s
                                                                                                                    tal personnel      who well
                                                                                                                                              aretests
                                                                                                                                                    charged detected
                                                                                                                                                                   with        simplynot.
                                                                                                                                                                             maybe         ignoring
                                                                                                                                                                                               That’s City
                                                                                                                                                                                                         why it’s  Pulse     altogether
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       imperative
        from     a  dangerous
  who have suggested otherwise. The combination        of         their families    in jeopardy     by
                                                               of private wells that provide drinking   working     caring
                                                                                                                   boron     for
                                                                                                                            levelsthe   sick
                                                                                                                                     between  —    not
                                                                                                                                                   2.48  making
                                                                                                                                                            mg/L      and    for
                                                                                                                                                                               and thehoping
                                                                                                                                                                                        U.S. and  theour     global partners
                                                                                                                                                                                                        problem          — or at least to
        ignorance       and    defiance,
  experts similarly poured cold water        scores    of  our    in close  contact    with    the
                                                               water for hundreds of people near   public.          people
                                                                                                                   4.17  mg/L.sick  —   top   the   list.                    accelerate      distribution
                                                                                                                                                                               public awareness            of the  of vaccines
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       problemand     —
        fellowlatest
  on BWL’s         citizens    remain convinced,
                           contention        that the                For the
                                                               Erickson.    Hisfirst 18 months,
                                                                                  statements        wedidn’t
                                                                                                  also   were          Where doshows
                                                                                                                      Research       we go thatfromboron
                                                                                                                                                       here? Earlyis         treatments
                                                                                                                                                                               just evaporates.around the planet.
        despite
  pollution      is overwhelming
                    occurring naturally   evidence to the offer   deeply
                                                                     much  impressed      with Gov. Gretch-
                                                                              acknowledgement           that        in the pandemic
                                                                                                                   harmful     to plant we  lifewere     told we
                                                                                                                                                  at lower       levels.         As   we hopefully
                                                                                                                                                                                  We’re     reluctantapproach
                                                                                                                                                                                                            to say this     thenext
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 end
        contrary, that
     Groundwater              the pandemic
                           feeds    drinking water                en Whitmer’s
                                                   is a hoax, a problem             resolve. We’ll
                                                                             even existed,      muchfollow
                                                                                                        less        could achieve
                                                                                                                   Boron    has alsoherd beenimmunity
                                                                                                                                                  linked toafter  devel-     ofstatement
                                                                                                                                                                                 our long national
                                                                                                                                                                                                given thenightmare,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 inadequate      let’s
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     lead-
        that COVID-19 is no worse than the                        the science, she said, and she did. At            a certain   portion
                                                                                                                   opmental and reproductiveof  the   population
                                                                                                                                                              toxici-        do   everything
                                                                                                                                                                               ership     also tiedwe to canhis  topredecessor:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     close the
  supplies. At best, it was unclear then                       explain why BWL officials seemed
        flu, and that it’s all part of a conspir-                 least until she embraced the political ty,        waslowvaccinated.
                                                                                                                             birth weight Omicron         pushed that
                                                                                                                                                 and shrunken                door
                                                                                                                                                                               But behind
                                                                                                                                                                                      if Peffley usandandthe ensure restthat    this
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           of his    team
  whether contaminated groundwater                             to have alerted nobody of the public
        acy by Democrats and the Washing-                         winds that counseled pulling back                 day   farther
                                                                                                                   testicles.       out  due    to  its  incredibly          tragic    and    senseless      chapter
                                                                                                                                                                               don’t start prioritizing public safety       in our
  was reaching drinking water drawn                            health concerns.
        ton deep state to divide our country                      on statewide mandates if she hoped                high   transmissibility
                                                                                                                      Peffley,  apparently,and     hasn’tbecause
                                                                                                                                                              been our       nation’s
                                                                                                                                                                               over their  history
                                                                                                                                                                                               public is never
                                                                                                                                                                                                          image,     repeated.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        then perhaps
  by wells. Meanwhile, utility docu-                             About a month later, without hav-
  ments didn’t show any plans to test                          ing directly addressed any problems,                drinking from those taps. His ballsy                        it’s time for him to seriously consider
  drinking water and BWL spokes-                               the PR campaign continued with the                  PR campaign only continues.                                 resigning from the post.
        Have something to say about a local issue or an item that appeared in our pages? Now you have two ways to sound off:
  woman Amy Adamy was too busy                                 announcement that BWL had “proac-                      EPA documents showed that BWL
      1.) Write a letter to the editor.
      • E-mail: letters@ lansingcitypulse.com • Snail mail: City Pulse, 1905 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing, MI 48912 • Fax: (517) 371-5800 • At lansingcitypulse.com
   Have  something
    2.) Write             to say
              a guest column.      about a local issue or an item that appeared in our pages? Now you have two ways to sound off:
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  1.) Write a letternumber
      and telephone  to the so
                            editor.
                               we can reach you. Keep letters to 250 words or fewer. City Pulse reserves the right to edit letters and columns.)
  • E-mail: letters@ lansingcitypulse.com • Snail mail: City Pulse, 1905 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing, MI 48912 • Fax: (517) 371-5800 • At lansingcitypulse.com
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