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a newspaper for the rest of us www.lansingcitypulse.com August 29 - September 4, 2018 City Pulse’s Summer of Art: “Everybody’s Hanging Out for No Reason!” by Henry Potter. See page 12 for story.
2 www.lansingcitypulse.com City Pulse • August 29, 2018
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Utility companies spar amid recent lawsuit 8/19 LEARN TO SKATE WITH THE VIXENS
The Lansing Board of Water & Light claims Lightspeed The Lansing Derby Vixens are looking for fresh recruits to join
Communications is liable for damage to an under- their ranks. Learn to skate, hit and block from some of Lan-
ground electrical line. sing’s toughest women with loaner equipment on hand. Just
don’t forget to bring a mouthguard
8/16 DEWITT OX ROAST
The ox is gone but the purpose still remains. Enjoy an Southside bar loses liquor license
ox burger, local vendors and carnival rides in the annu- The owner of Binni’s Bar and Grill plans to accept defeat after
al benefit for the DeWitt Memorial Building. state regulators revoked his liquor license.
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City Pulse • August 29, 2018 www.lansingcitypulse.com 3
HAPPY SUMMER’S
END!
Mackerel Sky will be closed to celebrate the Labor Day Holiday
And then to accommodate a major plumbing project in our building
We will be closed:
On Sunday, September 2, through
Thursday, September 6.
We look forward to seeing you on
Friday, September 7!
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4 www.lansingcitypulse.com City Pulse • August 29, 2018
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5 EDITOR AND PUBLISHER • Berl Schwartz
publisher@lansingcitypulse.com • (517) 999-5061
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS Halfway house plans on hold ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR • Skyler Ashley
EAST LANSING PLANNING COMMISSION skyler@lansingcitypulse.com • (517) 999-5068
EVENTS EDITOR • Ella Kramer
Notice is hereby given of the following public hearings to be held by the East Lansing Planning ella@lansingcitypulse.com • (517) 999-6704
Commission on Wednesday, September 26, 2018 at 7:00 p.m., in the 54-B District Court, Courtroom
2, 101 Linden Street, East Lansing. PAGE PRODUCTION MANAGER • Abby Sumbler
production@lansingcitypulse.com
1. A public hearing will be held to consider an application from Abbot Road
Investors, LLC to reconstruct a parking lot to add additional parking spaces at
17 (517) 999-5066
STAFF WRITERS • Lawrence Cosentino
910 Abbot Road. The subject property is located in the RM32, City Center Multiple lawrence@lansingcitypulse.com • (517) 999-5065
Residential District. Lansing bakery to open second location Kyle Kaminski • kyle@lansingcitypulse.com
(517) 999-6715
Call (517) 319-6930, the Department of Planning, Building and Development, East Lansing City Dennis Burck • dennis@lansingcitypulse.com
Hall, 410 Abbot Road, East Lansing, for additional information. All interested persons will be given
an opportunity to be heard. These matters will be on the agenda for the next Planning Commission
meeting after the public hearing is held, at which time the Commission may vote on them. The Planning
PAGE (517) 999-6705
SALES EXECUTIVE
Lee Purdy • lee@lansingcitypulse.com • (517) 999-5064
Commission's recommendations are then placed on the agenda of the next City Council meeting. The
City Council will make the final decision on these applications. 11 Tom Mellen • tom@lansingcitypulse.com
(517) 999-6710
The City of East Lansing will provide reasonable auxiliary aids and services, such as interpreters for the Contributors: Andy Balaskovitz, Justin Bilicki, Daniel
Avenue Cae to host Misfits cover band E. Bollman, Capital News Service, Bill Castanier,
hearing impaired and audio tapes of printed materials being considered at the meeting, to individuals
with disabilities upon request received by the City seven (7) calendar days prior to the meeting. Mary C. Cusack, Tom Helma, Gabrielle Lawrence
Individuals with disabilities requiring aids or services should write or call the Planning Department, 410 Johnson, Eve Kucharski, Terry Link, Andy McGlashen,
Abbot Road, East Lansing, MI 48823. Phone: (517) 319-6930. TDD Number: 1-800-649-3777.
Jennifer Shuster
Cover Kyle Melinn, Mark Nixon, Shawn Parker, Stefanie Pohl,
Dennis Preston, Allan I. Ross, Dylan Tarr, Rich Tupica,
Ute Von Der Heyden, David Winkelstern, Paul Wozniak
City Clerk
CP#18-210
Art Interns: Shruti Saripalli
Distribution manager: Paul Shore • (517) 999-5061
Delivery drivers: Dave Fisher, Yvonne LeFave,
By Henry Potter Thomas Scott Jr., Richard Simpson, Jack Sova
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City Pulse • August 29, 2018 www.lansingcitypulse.com 5
PULSE NEWS & O P I N I O N
Addiction treatment facility faces roadblocks ther on the topic.
Plans stall for using house “It just seems like we could do bet-
at School for the Blind ter with our choices for what we put
over there,” said Walnut Neighborhood OF THE WEEK
Officials behind a proposed residential Association President Dale Schrader. “I’m
treatment facility will need to head back trying to stay neutral here, but I just wish
to the drawing board following resistance it was something better than that. In the
from would-be neighbors, an expired pur- past, it seemed like people looked at this
chase agreement and a red light from City neighborhood like some kind of a ghetto or
Council. something.”
Residents in Lansing’s Walnut Addiction treatment professionals said
Neighborhood last month were irritated to debates like those on Pine Street are all too
discover Mid-Michigan Recovery Services familiar. Dani Meier, chief clinical officer
had plans to renovate a former School for for Mid-State Health Network, previous-
the Blind building on Pine Street into an ly said widespread “not-in-my-backyard”
expanded men’s treatment facility. Some mentalities surrounding substance abuse
contended it would be bound to attract treatment often hinder the introduction of
undesirable people into the neighborhood. new residential programs.
A petition that sought to kill the deal 2018. At least 46 Ingham County residents “Some of this hesitation or resistance
tallied more than 100 signatures but an have died from an accidental overdose so was certainly in regards to some neighbor-
expired purchase agreement with the far this year, according to reports. hood rumblings,” added Ingham County
Ingham County Land Bank ultimate- But solutions to the growing opioid epi- Treasurer Eric Schertzing. “The Land Bank
ly nixed the proposal regardless. And a demic are few and far between. Lamson said is torn between being a simple property 816 Hickory St.,
request to rezone the property and for a MMRS could seek another purchase agree-
special land use permit wasn’t even con- ment, but it would be sure to draw ire from
owner with the fiduciary responsibility to Lansing
derive money from these properties and
sidered by Lansing’s Development and the local neighborhood. Largely unfounded those bigger public policy issues.” Officials with the City of Lansing
Planning Committee. stigmas surrounding substance abuse are Other local residents who opposed the agree: The neighborhood would be bet-
“This basically means we have to start difficult to defeat, she said. Adding new facility — including Risper and Ingham ter off without the home at 816 Hickory
over at step one and submit our purchase services can be an uphill battle. County Commissioner Bryan Crenshaw — St. They plan to tear it down this year.
agreement over again,” said MMRS’ exec- “People with substance abuse disorders gathered at the recent committee meeting A couple reportedly escaped a blaze
utive director, Jessica Lamson. “I can’t tell are labeled as junkies or addicts,” Lamson to voice their concerns. Crenshaw suggest- that engulfed the 1895 home in 2016,
you whether we’re planning on moving for- added. “There’s a certain connotation that ed MMRS had misrepresented the amount but their dog died. The house, vacant
ward now.” comes with that. There’s this stigma that of community feedback officials had gath- since the fire, needs about about
The former Superintendent’s House, 1141 suggests everyone who struggled with sub- ered before pushing the proposal forward. $135,000 in repairs to be made safe.
N. Pine St., remains listed for $299,900. stance abuse has a criminal element to Lamson insisted she and her staff have The City Council earlier this year voted
MMRS in August offered to transform the them. People are just intimidated by the reached out for months to neighborhood to demolish the building. Reports indi-
space into a substance abuse treatment unknown.” groups, hosted community meetings and cate the owner, Charles McCants, hasn’t
facility but first required a special land use Local resident Kris Reader wrote anoth- tried to solicit public input as plans solid- attended public hearings to decide the
permit and a shift to residential zoning. er facility “dumping on” his neighborhood ified. She’s not sure how much more could property’s fate.
MMRS officials last week took the would cause drug dealers to gravitate to the have been done to quell concerns from Code enforcement officials have
request to the City Council but the purchase area and almost certainly spell an increase local residents, she said. MMRS had aimed declared it dangerous. The scorched
agreement — with a deadline of July 31 — in criminal activity. Others claimed they to be “as transparent as possible.” porch is crumbling. Windows are
had already expired by the time the zoning were sexually harassed by patients from a Studies to indicate crime increases when boarded up. Empty wine bottles and
request made it to the table. Without a val- nearby facility. Another man said a recover- substance abuse facilities move into neigh- other litter have collected around the
id purchase agreement, MMRS didn’t have ing alcoholic asked him to buy him booze. borhoods simply don’t exist. And there was yard. Neighbors suggested the deterio-
any right to pursue the request, officials And perhaps Rina Risper’s sabre has no reason residents should’ve expected that rating structure also poses a danger to
decided. And the plans were stalled. been rattling the loudest. The publisher of to change with the introduction of anoth- children.
“We’re deeply in need,” Lamson added. The New Citizens Press newspaper helped er program, Lamson emphasized. Still, the Attempts to contact the owner were
“There are residential needs out there for organize the petition efforts and previous- damage may already have been done. No unsuccessful.
people struggling with substance abuse dis- ly claimed her opposition wasn’t about any other purchase agreements are on the table. (This writer would’ve tried knocking
orders. The whole state consistently runs perceived stigmas but was instead focused Lamson said MMRS might consider on the door, but the roof looks as if it
with waiting lists on these places because on striking a balance within her neighbor- looking at a different location but they’d could collapse at any moment.)
there aren’t enough beds. We’re just trying hood. be hard-pressed to find another building
to expand those services and fill a need in She claimed another residential facility as suitable for residential treatment as the
the community.” would be one too many within her neigh- former Superintendent’s House. Officials KYLE KAMINSKI
A recently released report from Sparrow’s borhood, citing the now-shuttered Lansing there plan to meet in the coming weeks to “Eyesore of the Week” is our weekly look at
Department of Forensic Pathology indi- Teen Challenge building on Willow Street. decide their plan going forward. Visit lan- some of the seedier properties in Lansing. It rotates
cates the region continues to struggle with State records, however, indicate that facili- singcitypulse.com for continued coverage. with Eye Candy of the Week and Eye for Design. If
you have a suggestion, please email eye@lansingci-
opioid abuse as drug-related overdose ty hasn’t been licensed to operate in years. — KYLE KAMINSKI typulse.com or call Kyle Kaminski at 517-999-6715.
deaths remain steady into the first half of Risper has since declined to elaborate fur- kyle@lansingcitypulse.com
6 www.lansingcitypulse.com City Pulse • August 29, 2018
Uncertainty pervades medical marijuana market
serve their ability to gain licensure through
judicial review,” Calkins added. The case isn’t
yet scheduled for a hearing. City officials hav-
cities, like East Lansing, are still hesitant to he suggested. en’t yet filed a response to their complaint.
Unlicensed shops face jump into the market. But concerns, in the meantime, continue Sixteen state licenses — including seven
“We are concerned that processing those to grow as those in the business face contin- for dispensaries — have been fully approved
Sept. 15 closure applications will be difficult by the current ued uncertainties in an industry in which since the regulatory scheme was first enacted.
Local medical marijuana businesses may deadline,” Schor wrote in a recent letter to they’ve already invested millions of dollars. Another 52 have received pre-qualification
need to close their doors in September or Gov. Rick Snyder. “The City of Lansing is Some contended the deadline would bolster but will still be unable to operate after Sept.
risk ever receiving a license as a state-im- also working through our licensing approval black market sales while their attempts at 15. More could be approved at an upcoming
posed deadline threatens to curtail the process and we want to ensure patients have legitimate business enterprises are mired in meeting, but officials said access to medica-
entire industry statewide. access to medication until such a time that complex, bureaucratic delays. tion isn’t a dire concern.
Emergency rules governing the fledgling licenses can be issued.” “I don’t know if it’s a licensing bureau Harns estimated about two-thirds of med-
pot market — already twice extended by Swope said it’s a “near impossibility” to job to forecast the economic side of things,” ical marijuana patients live within 30 miles
Michigan’s Department of Licensing and approve local licenses ahead of the deadline. Harns added. “We’ve reached a point of hav- of one of the licensed facilities. Another 75
Regulatory Affairs — have allowed entre- He wants to ensure those who might suc- ing product out there. We’ve done what it’s percent live within 60 miles. It might be a
preneurs to conduct business while officials cessfully appeal their denials will still have taken to ensure medical marijuana patients longer drive than what some cardholders
sift through hundreds of their outstanding space to operate. And the state’s Medical still have access to their medicine. At some would like, but they’ll still have access to
licensing applications. But that temporary Marihuana Facility Licensing Board will point, we have to come to a transition into a their medication as the market continues to
amnesty is scheduled to end Sept. 15. only meet for one more round of possible regulated market.” expand existing offerings, he said.
And some said the complex regulatory licensures, on Sept. 10, five days before the Among those vying for state licens- Officials at the City of East Lansing offered
framework surrounding the industry simply deadline. es include two proposed dispensaries in a similar perspective. The City Council there
can’t keep up with the pace. “It’s a whole new regulatory structure,” Lansing, Huron Wellness Solutions and remains deadlocked on its willingness to
State regulators won’t grant full licensure Swope added. “I wish it could be faster and Superior Wellness Solutions. Both have since engage in the process. Mayor Pro-Tem Erik
to a business until they receive a nod from easier, but with what was adopted into state filed lawsuits against the city after they were Altmann suggested Lansing’s pot shops are
their local municipalities. LARA still needs law and the city ordinance, I’m not sure it originally denied local licenses and their sub- only a short drive down the road.
to sort through nearly 1,000 applications could be. We’re building a structure around sequent appeals fell flat at Lansing’s Medical “The whole regulatory system that Lansing
and Lansing Clerk Chris Swope has yet to a very intense and heavily scrutinized issue, Marihuana Commission. has tried to put into place has been cum-
approve a single license for a dispensary as and we’re just moving forward just as quick- Attorney for the two dispensaries, Nikolas bersome and expensive, and it’s not some-
his staff navigates through appeals and a ly as we can.” Calkins, acknowledged the ongoing litiga- thing we can afford to do in East Lansing,”
veritable maze of ongoing lawsuits. Local entrepreneurs — in the absence of tion is “absolutely clogging” up Lansing’s Altmann added. “Certainly, these places are
Lawmakers and city officials — including a formal state license — are asked to close system for granting licenses but represents a going to open up again. Eventually these
Lansing Mayor Andy Schor — have urged their doors after next month. Failure to necessary step to ensure they’re being doled licenses are going to go out. I just don’t see
officials to extend the deadline. Those who respect the deadline will likely play a role in out fairly. He contends “arbitrary and capri- this as an immediate issue.”
were denied licenses still aim to squeeze their ability to ever receive approval, accord- cious procedural errors” unfairly denied his Council members opted to table a dis-
into a limited number of openings through ing to LARA spokesman David Harns. The unnamed clients their licenses. cussion about enacting a medical marijua-
ongoing appeals and litigation. And other deadline simply can’t be extended forever, “Our clients have decided to at least pre- See Pot, Page 7
Proposals could reshape historic Lansing home
that doesn’t currently exist in Lansing.”
A graduate from Michigan State University,
Vitale has also worked for Coldwell Banker
labor of love.” ovations. Hubbell Briarwood for the last 18 years. He
City fields two ideas The Colonial Revival house sits between Realtor Joe Vitale, the former president also owns 27 properties in the Greater Lansing
Cooley Gardens and the new Central of Preservation Lansing, outlined plans to area and serves on the city’s Demolition
for Cooley Haze House Substation that the Lansing Board of Water develop the property into a “architectural and Board.
& Light is building on the southwest corner building material salvage retail store and edu- Kathy Kraft , an artist from Jackson, offered
The Cooley Haze House has a taker. Two, of Washington Avenue and Malcolm X Street cational learning area.” His intent: Preserve $10,000 for the property with goals to turn
actually. along I-496. The city has maintained the the historic exterior of the home while open- it into her “dream home.” The land could be
Two proposals were submitted last week to home for decades and last year took necessary ing up a shop to sell off salvaged materials worth more, but between the cost of repairs
repurpose the historic city-owned property steps to repurpose the property. from recent demolitions. and the realistic selling price of her existing
on Malcolm X Street next to Cooley Gardens, Eugene Cooley, son of 19th century “Grant money is available to help people place, it was the best price she could afford to
Voters last year authorized the sale, but Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice learn how to reglaze windows, restore plas- offer at the time, she said.
nobody showed an interest when city officials Thomas M. Cooley, built the three-story ter, restore wood work,” Vitale wrote, noting “I’m doing this to save that house,” Krafft
first sought proposals. home for his son, Frank, at the turn of the each room will focus on different materials. said. “I’d also like to live there. That’s my only
A local real estate agent proposes turning 20th century. The home sat among rows of “We will have the skills and the space available motivation. I just love old houses. I always
the former home, which last served as the palatial estates on Main Street in a neighbor- to help homeowners in Lansing and historic have and I always will. If I’m awarded this
Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame, into a retail hood that was home to the city’s wealthiest preservationists learn skill sets they can take home, I’ll do my best to keep it and restore
store for salvaged building materials. An art- and most elite addresses. into the community.” it. Every home should be lived in and every
ist from Jackson would like to turn the prop- The building was also home to Dr. Harry Vitale, who offered $20,000, wants to home should be loved. I know how much
erty into her next residence. Haze and Michigan Gov. G. Mennen ensure the home finds its place on the National effort went into building it.”
Officials will still need to review plans, Williams and headquarters for the Michigan Historic Registry. He further charted plans Kraft’s proposal is specifically contingent
but those involved are confident “something Baptist Convention before the city acquired to have renovation handled by licensed con- on the ongoing sale of her current home. She
good” is sure to take shape. the property in 1978. It housed the Michigan tractors, creating a business opportunity and said she has been interested in carpentry from
“It’s going to cost anybody a significant Women’s Hall of Fame until last year, when it ensuring the Cooley Haze House avoids dem- an early age and estimated the renovation
amount of money to bring this place up to moved into the Meridian Mall. olition and remains a placemaker within the project could take up to 10 months. Her plan
speed,” explained Lansing Park Board mem- A restriction outlined in a June request local neighborhood. is to preserve as much of the original structure
ber Rick Kibbey. “It really has got to be a labor for proposals calls for any would-be owners “Cooley Haze is a building that I would as possible by following the original vision of
of love for somebody. The economics are just to maintain the historic facade on the home, consider to be kind of endangered at this the architect.
not going to work out on the front end. It but the city has allowed for developers to let point,” Vitale added. “The goal is to save the — KYLE KAMINSKI
might amortize over 20 years, but it has be a their imaginations run wild for interior ren- property and create a business and resource kyle@lansingcitypulse.com
City Pulse • August 29, 2018 www.lansingcitypulse.com 7
Goodbye, copper beech
Historic Turner Dodge tree sion that swallowed up the original 1858
house built by his pioneer father-in-law,
will soon come down James Turner.
The towering copper beech tree that A copper beech was a perfect grace note
has sheltered Lansing’s historic Turner for a grand mansion where many famous
Dodge mansion for over 100 years will be friends and colleagues, including reform-
taken down this fall. No date has been set er William Jennings Bryan, came to visit.
for the operation. Dodge was a prominent Democratic leg-
Take a last look, but Lansing’s parks islator, politician and advocate for labor,
director, Brett Kaschinske, warned not to a friend of presidents and senators. The
get too close. The tree has dropped some copper beech was already a favorite of
serious tonnage in recent years, owing to groundskeepers and gardeners, but it Lawrence Cosentino/City Pulse
heart rot in the trunk. became even more famous after featuring A magnificent copper beech tree has graced Lansing’s Turner Dodge Mansion for at
The beech’s wine-red leaves, its ele- prominently in a 1892 Sherlock Holmes least a century, but rot is setting in.
phantine trunk (59 inches in diameter) story “The Copper Beeches.”
and expansive, peacock-like spread — For about 95 percent of its life, a beech your arm straight out,” Fucciolo ting for it,” he said.
wider and taller than the house itself is one of the sturdiest trees around. But explained. “It would take more strength “It brings out a lot of emotion,”
— have sheltered passers-by, wedding as they age, the combination of heavy, and tension to hold that gallon of milk Kaschinske said. “We don’t put out a
guests, concert goers and many other vis- dense wood and advanced decay is a rec- outward from your body than if you were press release on a tree, but we did for
itors to the Turner Dodge mansion for at this tree. That tells you where this tree
least 100 years. stands.”
On a windless day in late July, the tree Taking down the tree will be a formi-
dropped a major limb that weighed nearly dable job, but the openness of the area
a ton. No one was hurt, but it was a wake- will make it easier than taking down trees
up call for the city. An even larger limb near grave markers in cemeteries or near
fell two years ago. Several years before electrical lines or buildings.
that, almost half the double-trunked tree The parks board is already discuss-
came down. What’s left of the rotted sec- ing what will go in the tree’s place.
ond trunk can still be seen, spiking about Kaschinske said he wants to try to rear a
20 feet into the air. seedling from the old tree, but it’s a tricky
Most sources place the life expectancy proposition.
of beech trees at 150 to 200 years, with “It’s not like starting a silver maple,”
some specimens reaching 300 years. If Kaschinske said.
the Turner Dodge tree were in a field or Fucciolo said the seed crop needs to
forest, it could possibly go on living for be at a constant temperature of 40-41
quite a while, dropping heavy branches degrees for about 90 days to germinate.
every so often, with little consequence to “It would be much easier to put in
humans. another copper beech,” Kaschinskie said.
But this tree’s fate is to be hugged, “But we’re going to try.”
literally, by a rustic circular bench that — LAWRENCE COSENTINO
may be the most inviting sitting spot in cosentino@lansingcitypulse.com
the city. Google the Turner Dodge House
and you’ll find dozens of photographs of
wedding parties standing directly under
the recently fallen branch. (In one case, a
Pot
harpist is parked at Ground Zero.) Lawrence Cosentino/City Pulse from page 6
About 20 feet of the limb that fell last In July, the tree lost a limb weighing close to a ton, the latest in a series of lost limbs.
month was 16 inches thick or thicker. na ordinance while Mayor Mark Meadows
Consulting a forester’s chart, forestry and finishes a leave of absence. City Council
grounds supervisor Dominic Fucciolo ipe for disaster. last week was largely split on the deci-
said a 1-foot-long section of a 16-inch “Yes, they are beautiful trees, but it to hold it closer to yourself or even lift it sion; Altmann suggested Meadows might
diameter beech log weighs 75 pounds. might just be too dangerous,” arborist straight over your head.” be able to serve as the tiebreaker when he
Add the smaller branches and foliage Alex Ellis said. “Old beeches commonly The circular bench around the tree has returns from Europe sometime in October.
on the end, and the entire limb was prob- develop heart rot, which is decay in the long been a topic of debate in the parks “Maybe we’ll be spared the details
ably close to a harp-crushing one ton. trunk.” department. The bench kept would- of what’s going to happen in Lansing,”
Fucciolo doesn’t know how old the tree Beeches in groups grow upward, but a be initial carvers away from the trunk, Altmann added. “I can’t imagine why
is, but he said it’s at least “approach- beech standing alone in a park-like area, but may have constricted the trunk and we would want to step into a regulatory
ing the century mark.” It’s not native to like the Turner Dodge tree, spreads its encouraged the rot. framework that’s in flux like this. I just
Michigan, being a European variety of lower branches horizontally. It will soon be a moot question. don’t want to get involved in an industry
beech, so it must have been planted. It makes for inviting climbing, but Fucciolo said taking down the beech that seems to cause a lot of trouble and has
If the tree is 100 years old, it was prob- the weight distribution doesn’t favor the was a hard decision to make. a lot of other people getting sued.”
ably planted by the Frank Dodge fami- limb or the climber. Two more horizon- “We thought about keeping people out Visit lansingcitypulse.com for previous
ly, the second generation of illustrious tal branches still extend from the Turner of the fall zone by erecting some sort of and continued coverage of the burgeoning
Turner Dodge owners. In 1900, Dodge Dodge tree, as if beckoning a wedding barrier, but the esthetic, the purpose, the medical marijuana industry.
hired Lansing architect Darius Moon to party to take its chances. function doesn’t seem like it would be fit- — KYLE KAMINSKI
build the stately Georgian Revival man- “Pick up a gallon of milk and extend kyle@lansingcitypulse.com
8 www.lansingcitypulse.com City Pulse • August 29, 2018
Slotkin, Bishop mix it up in 8th District race
start discussions on the topic and did so
by accepting an invitation from WDIV-
TV’s show “Flashpoint,” in Detroit.
Lansing is see- $38,500 this week alone, according to confirmation appointment as the assis- Details on two other debates are yet to be
ing the first round federal disclosure filings. tant secretary of defense for internation- announced, but Slotkin announced has
of Elissa Slotkin At the same time, the former national al security affairs in 2014. already accepted an invitation to attend a
TV commercials security official is going up with at least The now-late U.S. Sen. John McCain Lansing Community College Forum Sept.
this week as the 50 spots worth $9,691 on the Detroit called Slotkin and another appointee 18 and a Livingston County event Oct. 4.
Democratic 8th CBS affiliate, with similar buys on the “totally unqualified” at this hearing, “Rep. Bishop is playing games with
Congressional NBC and ABC affiliates, part of what the according to The Hill. McCain was agi- the voters and using tactics that people
District candidate Slotkin campaign is calling a “robust” tated because he felt Slotkin was “totally have come to hate from career politicians
opens up her sub- buy on network and cable. non-responsive” in answering his ques- in Washington,” she said. “A real leader
stantial campaign The spot introduces the CIA analyst tions on foreign affairs. answers a challenge when issued, clearly,
coffers to pay for as a service-minded public servant who How much of McCain’s objection was quickly and with seriousness. I look for-
an estimated 100 did three tours in Iraq for two different based on Slotkin, herself, as opposed to ward to publicly debating Rep. Bishop
spots here worth presidents. A smiling Slotkin is shown his general frustration with the Obama now that he appears willing to do so.”
posing in separate photos with former administration’s handling of Iraq, ISIL On the TV front, the Bishop camp is
presidents George W. Bush and Barack and international conflicts is subject to serious about getting his message out,
Obama. debate. too. The two-term incumbent purchased
“I approve this message because we However, then-U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, this past spring more than $200,000
need members of Congress who remem- D-Detroit, committee chairman at the in ad time in metro Detroit broadcast
ber it’s about service to country, not time, declined to vote on the appoint- media the week before the Nov. 6 general
themselves,” she said. ment out of concerns he didn’t have the election. That’s on top of 68 trackable TV
The ad marks the earliest network votes for confirmation. Levin has since spots purchased on WILX and a radio
Commercial & television ad from a Lansing-based endorsed Slotkin, saying she “will bring spot that’s already out.
More significantly, the pro-Donald
Residential Democratic congressional candidate in at
least 17 years and comes on top of digital
to Congress a point of view which I
believe will contribute significantly to the Trump SuperPAC, the America First
ads Slotkin released Aug. 10. national security of our country and our PAC, recently announced they are spend-
Fully Insured Less than an hour after Slotkin’s state.” But the non-vote opens up Slotkin ing $12.5 million across 10 House races
campaign released her new TV ad, to criticism. and two Senate races, with Bishop get-
incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike Bishop’s “When the voters of the 8th District ting $854,000 of that.
Call Joan at: (R-Rochester) campaign was out with a
sharp rebuke, noting that the U.S. Senate
review Elissa Slotkin’s record, they
will reject it just as the Senate Armed
The Bishop camp is kicking things into
overdrive on the organizational front, as
(517) 881-2204 Armed Services Committee denied her Services Committee chaired by former
Sen. Carl Levin did when they reviewed
well. At the Michigan Republican Party
convention last weekend at the Lansing
her qualifications in 2014,” said Bishop Center, the 8th Congressional caucus was
adviser Stu Sandler. one of the only caucus groups to meet
Bishop and Slotkin are on a path to prior to the main festivities.
presumably talk about this and other Bishop was the centerpiece of the
issues on the debate stage. Bishop took event, based on the observations of
the uncommon approach last week people in the room, where he was seen
of challenging his opponent to three talking individually and shaking hands
debates after Slotkin had challenged him with as many delegates and alternates as
to debates moments after her primary he could get in front of.
win against Chris Smith.
Sandler said Bishop wanted to jump- (Melinn, of the Capitol news service
MIRS, is at melinnky@gmail.com.)
STATE OF MICHIGAN
PROBATE COURT STATE OF MICHIGAN
INGHAM COUNTY PROBATE COURT
CIRCUIT COURT INGHAM COUNTY
FAMILY DIVISION CIRCUIT COURT
FAMILY DIVISION
NOTICE OF HEARING
NOTICE OF HEARING
FILE NO.
18-771-GA, and 18-776-CA FILE NO.
18-1027-GA
In the matter of Jewel Carrier.
In the matter of Eric Klomparens.
TO ALL INTERESTED
PERSONS: Any interested TO ALL INTERESTED
persons. PERSONS: Any interested
persons.
40 TAKE NOTICE: A hearing will
be held on 09/13/2018 at 9:30 TAKE NOTICE: A hearing will
AM, at 313 W. Kalamazoo be held on 09/06/2018 at 11:00
St., Lansing, MI 48933 before AM, at 313 W. Kalamazoo
Judge Economy for the following St., Lansing, MI 48933 before
purpose(s): Judge Garcia for the following
purpose(s):
A petition was filed to name Mid-
Michigan Guardianship Services A petition was filed to name Tri-
as guardian and conservator for County Guardian Services as
an incapacitated individual. Michaels guardian.
If you require special If you require special
accommodations to use the accommodations to use the
court because of a disability, court because of a disability,
or if you require a foreign or if you require a foreign
language interpreter to help language interpreter to help
you fully participate in court you fully participate in court
proceedings, please contact proceedings, please contact
the court immediately to make the court immediately to make
arrangements. arrangements.
Date: 08/23/2018 Date: 08/23/2018
Talaina Cummins Steven Marchlewicz
5303 S. Cedar St. 5303 S. Cedar St.
Lansing, MI 48909 Lansing, MI 48909
517-775-5450 (517)-887-9659
City Pulse • August 29, 2018 www.lansingcitypulse.com 9
Medical
Marijuana
Card Clinic
517.339.9900
ARTS & CULTURE ART BOOKS FILM MUSIC THEATER
Crisp bacon and straight talk with jazz legend Freddy Cole
‘Keep it rolling’ know what strikes a person about a song.
It may be the lyric, it may be the music.
By LAWRENCE COSENTINO Can you please bring me a piece of bacon
Singer and pianist Freddy Cole, master that’s stiff and good? I love bacon crispy.
interpreter of jazz and blues standards and
younger brother of jazz legend Nat King How did you get started?
Cole, came to East Lansing Wednesday I don’t know. I ask myself that question.
for an intimate concert benefiting the Jazz Have I started yet?
Alliance of Mid-Michigan.
The next morning, Cole, 86, was up at When you were young, you had some pret-
8 a.m., contemplating breakfast on the ty illustrious guests coming to your house
back porch of the home of jazz patrons — Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Billy
Gregg and Lois Mummaw. Between bites, Eckstine.
he graciously took questions from City They would drop in but they weren’t
Pulse’s Berl Schwartz and myself, along coming to visit me. I wasn’t thinking
with Mike Stratton, host of WLNZ radio’s about music. I was thinking about going
Sunday night jazz showcase, “The Vinyl to school, doing chores, playing baseball.
Side of Midnight.” Louis Armstrong and my older broth-
er, Eddy, were very good friends. They
Last night you played a lot of standards called me ‘Little Cole.’ It kind of kept me
that aren’t familiar to most people. How in check, being young and starry-eyed in
do you choose your songs? New York. Those were some real good
I don’t walk around looking for songs. days, being around 50th Street, where
Most times, believe it or not, songs come the guys hung out all day. They had bars
to me on the golf course. We’re playing and everything all down midtown. Like
golf and all of a sudden a song will drop that George Benson song, “There’s music
out of the sky. I remember one time I was everywhere, give me the night.”
in Las Vegas, with Joe Williams. We were
playing golf at the Desert Inn. Joe would There’s a lyric in one of your songs, ‘The
be singing and I’d be like, ‘Joe, shut the violin will cry…’
fuck up. I’m trying to make this putt.’ [Cole sings.] “And so will I, mademoi-
selle.’ I like the song.
What would you say makes a great song, Photos by Linda Vail
a song that lasts 50, 60 years? You’re a romantic. Some singers would
Singer and pianist Freddy Cole worked his understated magic at an East Lansing concert
I wish I knew. I’d be rich. You never See Cole, Page 11 benefiting the Jazz Alliance of Mid-Michigan.
CATA debuts a free midday bus route from downtown to Old Town
By DENNIS BURCK the next contenders for the free route, ple and the other retail operations in Old
Could the days of panicking over the pending the success of the trial. Town.”
lunch hour rush parking nightmare be “This idea has been floated by the busi- The Potent Potables Project, which over-
numbered? The odds are closer in your fa- ness community and riders for the last sees the Creole, Punk Taco, Zoobies and
vor, should you be commuting via bus be- couple of years,” Funkhouser said. Cosmos, stands to gain big if passengers
tween Old Town and downtown. Having looked at other “open door” from downtown come for lunch.
CATA’s free Grab & Go Express pro- bus services in Grand Rapids, Funkhous- “This is a big win for our community,”
gram expands Route 17 for people running er contends free rides are a proven way to said Tim Daman, Lansing Regional Cham-
midday errands and grabbing lunch. New lessen traffic and increase commerce to lo- ber of Commerce president and CEO. “It’s
routes will run weekdays between 10 a.m. cal business. a solution that should get workers out of
and 2:45 p.m. — from downtown to Old And some Old Town businesses are their offices during the workweek, and in-
Town — with 26 stops. Departures will openly optimistic about his plan. crease foot traffic in storefronts and busi-
leave every 15 minutes. Tate Skiba, general manager of Meat nesses.
“People working downtown during the BBQ in Old Town, said he hopes it brings Lansing’s regional neighborhoods are
day will now have direct transportation to new faces into the neighborhood. growing in popularity. Funkhouser said
Old Town and vice versa. That’s huge for “It is a little hidden district, and there this is the first step in a better connected
our commercial corridors. The Grab & Go is no easy way to bike or walk here. Hav- Lansing.“We’re looking at how to connect
Express trial is a great option for residents ing a free system down here really opens the neighborhoods in our city like a string
and visitors alike,” said Mayor Andy Schor. it up,” Skiba said. “Old Town has a lot to of pearls.”
Grab & Go Express was approved by the offer now, besides what we had in the past. According to the press release, CATA is
CATA board of directors for one year. De- Maybe they can come for lunch and then already in the process of adding new stops
pending on how the trial goes, CATA will bring back their families for dinner.” to Washington Square to facilitate addi-
choose to close, maintain or expand the Lisa McMahon, director of marketing at tional traffic.
route. the Potent Potables Project, said Punk Taco “This is the first step in beginning to cre-
CATA CEO Bradley T. Funkhouser said hosted a group from the inaugural ride. ate better mobility across the region. All Dennis Burck/City Pulse
REO Town and the Stadium District are “We think it will be helpful for peo- boats rise on high tide.” A downtown Grab & Go Express bus stop.
10 www.lansingcitypulse.com City Pulse • August 29, 2018
Flint artist fixes vandalized ArtPath sculpture — again
Water under the bridge (Top)Flint art-
ist Jjenna Hupp
By LAWRENCE COSENTINO Andrews adjusts the
Tuesday afternoon at half past 2, Flint head of a crushed
artist Jjenna Hupp Andrews was hunched plastic figure along
under the Kalamazoo Street bridge, along Lansing’s River Trail
the downtown River Trail, untangling a
Tuesday.
cluster of mangled bodies, re-attaching
arms and unsticking a baby from a wom-
(Bottom) Andrews
an’s head.
Crunch, crunch, crunch, went the buck-
restores a baby’s
led plastic bottles the bodies were made of. arm to its body.
“This hand’s totally flat and her hips are
smashed,” she said.
She bent over a second figure. “They
worked on this one, bent the wire. Now I
have to figure out how the arm goes back in.”
Andrews came to Lansing to repair her van-
dalized sculpture, “There Once Was a Land
Flowing With,” part of ArtPath’s innovative
array of public sculptures installed along
the trail in early July.
The sculpture is a semi-fluid study in
water’s primal role in human life, with
strong references to the Flint Water Crisis
and the importance of Lansing’s own
stretch of the Grand River.
It’s also in a very public space where many
people walk and bike and others frequently
find shelter.
Over the last few weeks, several of
Andrews’ human figures, formed of metal Lawrence Cosentino/City Pulse
mesh and plastic water bottles, were taken the child from “Pieta” was found hanging
from their places and mashed together into from a noose.
a grizzly-bear-sized, semi-transparent blob. “That’s not just fun vandalism,” Andrews
The “Flint Pieta,” a woman with a child said, shaking her head. “They had to bring
in her arms in the manner of Christian por- a rope.”
traits of Mary holding the dead Christ, was The “Pieta” child figure is still missing.
taken entirely from its “pedestal” (a plastic On her July 20 visit, Andrews gave the
kiddie pool) under the bridge and crunched array of figures a second iteration, turning
into the cluster of bodies several feet away. them into embattled survivors. She moved
“They put them in interesting positions,” the wounded figures together and joined
Andrews said. their hands. She hunched the “Pieta” moth-
She took the carnage in stride. er further, until she seemed to be staring at
“This time, it seems more like stupid or her empty lap. She re-positioned another
drunk kids, playing around,” she said. smashed figure, a child, in a fetal position,
It wasn’t so funny in mid-July, when a as if he were traumatized.
first, more disturbing round of vandalism It was not a pleasant task, but Andrews
brought Andrews to the site. got an unexpected feeling of renewal from
“That time, it was malicious and hateful re-positioning the figures.
and very specific,” she said. “They smashed “At first it felt like being kicked in the gut,
in faces and heads, removed feet and hands, but as I re-adjusted the figures and worked
kicked in the women’s backs.” with what they did, the rebirth from the
In the earlier round of vandalism, a wom- vandalism added another meaning,” she trout streams are losing trout.” the figures, reading “Homeless. Please
an lying on her side was twisted over a fence said. She began to think seriously about water Help.” ArtPath organizers asked Andrews if
and her feet were missing. Another, sitting Andrews first turned to water as a theme from many points of view. she wanted it removed and she said “No.”
figure — a woman with a fetus visible in in 2004, when she lived in Mount Pleasant “It’s not just politics,” she said. “There is Many people thought it was an intentional
her belly through the clear plastic — was and taught at Delta College and U of M a spiritual dimension — baptism, purifica- part of the work.
left with a smashed side and a beer can in Flint. “That’s not far from where Nestle is tion. Water is part of us, it’s our life and gives “I thought it was cool. They added to it,”
her womb. pumping water from the watershed,” she us our identity, especially in Michigan.” she said.
Two local trail strollers told Andrews that said. “The rivers and wells are going dry and But traditional media seemed inadequate “The fact that people are interacting
to the task. She hit upon the idea that water with it is great, even though the way they’re
bottles, melted and shaped with the help doing it isn’t so great sometimes.”
of a heat gun, were the ideal medium to She knew the site was a busy River Trail
embody the manifold links between people link and a frequent hangout for people tak-
and water. ing shelter, but didn’t expect so much inter-
“I love art supplies and traditional media, action.
but too many things go to waste in our Wrapping up Tuesday’s triage, she pains-
society,” she said. “What are you going to takingly popped out a crushed hand and a
do with water bottles? There are so many.” flattened knee.
Later, the water bottle took on more sig- As she worked, the prolonged rattling and
nificance for Andrews when it became an crunching of plastic drowned out the traffic
emblem of the poisoning of Flint’s water noise from Kalamazoo Street overhead.
supply. “Oh, they hooked them together,” she
She decided that the theme of water said, twisting two bottles apart. “It’s juve-
would also be a natural fit for a sculpture nile stuff.” She attached a missing leg to
that would go along Lansing’s River Walk. the child and restored it to its former pose,
Andrews encourages constructive engage- playing in the “river” of bottles.
ment with her sculpture. She loves street She stood up to take a stretch.
art and deliberately positioned her “Flint “Art is an easy target to take your frustra-
Pieta” near some conspicuous graffiti under tion out on,” she said. “It was horrifying but
the Kalamazoo street bridge, including a I don’t think it was necessarily personal.”
swinging Spider-Man figure and a merry Anyone who notes further vandalism on
greeting, “Happy Grandparents’ Day.” this or any of the other Art Path sculptures
Soon after the sculptures were in place, can notify Katrina Daniels at the Lansing
someone put a cardboard sign next to one of Art Gallery at (517) 374-6400.City Pulse • August 29, 2018 www.lansingcitypulse.com 11
Dennis Burck/City Pulse
"A Nod to Robert Busby," written by Therese Wood, laser engraved into the sidewalk in front of the Michigan Insitute for Contemporary Art gallery on Turner Street in Old Town.
Four Lansing neighborhoods adorned with sidewalk poems
By SKYLER ASHLEY odes to subjects familiar to anyone with a streets. As we thought about it, we knew scene altogether.
Keeping rhythm with Lansing’s recent working knowledge of Lansing history. But the poems had to hit a certain note in terms “He was a visionary kind of person. Where
plunge into public art, another installa- Hinrichsen said the goal was to give a nod to of how they spoke about place,” Hinrichsen other people saw old buildings with nothing
tion is completed — the Lansing Sidewalk locals, as well as a brief introduction to the said. going on, he saw a place where there could
Poetry Project. Selected from 76 pub- neighborhood for out of towners. The chosen poets penned their tributes be art, jazz and great food. He made that
lic submissions, eight poems are perma- “It’s not open mic poetry, it’s not print with the same mentality. “Mi Pueblo,” locat- happen, and people have built on that since
nently engraved into their own personal poetry, it’s poetry that’s going out on the ed next to the Brenke Fish Ladder, by Cruz he’s been gone,” Wood said.
concrete slabs belonging to four Lansing Villarreal, a writing assistant at Lansing Wood is optimistic that visions, such as
Neighborhoods: Old Town, REO Town, the Community College, pays homage to Old the late Busby’s, are likely to gain more trac-
Stadium District and the east side. Town’s deep Latino history. tion, thanks to Mayor Andy Schor’s push to
“If you think about Lansing and its cul- “It’s where many of the migrants during get the arts involved in city government.
tural footprint, those four neighborhoods the sugar beet era moved into during the “Detroit and Grand Rapids have more of
stand out. They have ‘40s,” Villarreal said. “It’s kind of cool to keep a balance between sports and arts. Bringing
Lansing Sidewalk a mature ethos to that history from disappearing, because it’s more arts freelancing and giving more
Poetry Project them,” Lansing poet an important part of Lansing.” opportunities to people to engage in the art
Celebration laureate Dennis But Villarreal also wanted to celebrate the gives us more balance.”
Thursday, 6 to 8 p.m. Hinrichsen said. unity within Old Town. As the Lansing Sidewalk Poetry Project
Lansing Art Gallery &
Education Center “REO Town and the “You know what a fish ladder is, right? It’s prepares for its gala and reception Thursday,
119 N. Washington Sq., Eastside seem to be a bunch of pools. The fish, they congregate Hinrichsen is also hopeful the trend of pub-
Ste. 101
www.lansingpoet.com up and coming; they in those pools and they work their way up; lic art will continue.
seem to be a nice then they move on. It’s very representative “This makes Lansing an attractive place
place to focus cul- of what is actually happening in Old Town.” to live; it isn’t just another crap ass build-
tural energy.” Therese Wood, a registered nurse case ing going up,” Hinrichsen said. “Your life is
Hinrichsen and the eight other judg- manager living in East Lansing, used her almost an artistic gesture against this back-
es were tasked with finding poems that poem “A Nod to Robert Busby,” located on drop. Any kid from any economic strata can
embodied the so-called spirit of each neigh- Turner Street, to remember his influence look at it, and be changed by seeing the pos-
borhood. The eight engraved works are Hinrichsen in shaping Old Town, and the Lansing art sibilities of making art out of one’s life.”
Cole out there, and he found out I was in town,
and came by with Barbara, and took us out
for dinner. Great little time that night. The
thing. You’ve got to learn how to listen. If
you can’t listen, you can’t play.
It doesn’t show in the music. When you
play a set, the transitions between songs
are so smooth and fast.
from page 9 last time I saw him was in New York, at Do you still play golf ? One thing I dislike is when you go to
the Hilton Hotel on 7th Avenue. He called I haven’t played in two years. My back is hear someone and they stand there and
glide over a lyric like that, or wink at the me by my nickname that my brother used messing with me. You see how I’m walking talk — what their husbands did that day
audience, but you get inside the song. to call me. I can’t tell you what it is! — stumbling and fumbling. It’s embar- and they went shopping and this and that.
That’s exactly right. I learned that from rassing, but what are you going to do? My We went somewhere and a guy got up and
watching Brazilian singers. They live a It must be both a curse and a blessing father used to tell us about posture. He said, ‘I don’t need your resume. Sing.’ It’s
song. The song lives through them. You having such a famous brother. Did you try said, ‘You’re bent over all the time.’ Sure just aggravating. There’s more tunes I can
feel it. consciously to style yourself differently enough, it’s here to bite me now. play if I just keep it rolling.
from Nat?
You didn’t work from sheet music last Fortuately, no. I’ve always done what I
night. Is it hard to remember the lyrics to wanted to do, rightly or wrongly. That’s
so many songs? the way I live. My father used to say, ‘Every
Sometimes it is. But you’ll never know tub has his own bottom. You got to sit on
it. You can feel it right away if somebody’s yours.’
not being professional. They stop and
make up some words. What inspires you, charges you up?
Listening to music, watching a good
That happened with Frank Sinatra in his game of golf.
later years. Did you ever work with him?
No. He came to my parents’ funeral. My What do you listen to?
wife and I had an anniversary in Atlantic All the time, some kind of music has to Expires 9-28-18
City, when the first casinos were starting be on. You never close your ears to any-12 www.lansingcitypulse.com City Pulse • August 29, 2018
Three decades of reporting with WKAR’s Scott Pohl
By DAVID WINKELSTERN His reporting duties about Lansing’s commencement speaker for MSU. Pohl
Scott Pohl doesn’t put bumper stick- mayor have been easier since Virg Benero did a phone interview and got to meet him
ers on his car. He never displays political left the office. “Andy Schor seems very at the ceremony. Pohl and radio colleague,
yard signs at his Dimondale home. When open and available and generous with his Jody Knol, traditionally read the gradu-
the WKAR radio personality uses social time,” Pohl said. ate’s names as they receive diplomas.
media, he errs on the side of caution. Pohl’s first radio job was at a small sta- “Of all the commencement speakers
“I’m very careful about what I say on tion in Albion that would broadcast Tiger we’ve seen,” Pohl said, “He’s the only one
Facebook and Twitter,” Pohl said. With baseball games on both AM and FM fre- who got up from his chair and shook the
sarcastic glee he added, “On Facebook I quencies. His task was to turn off the FM hands of every graduate. A real gentle-
refer to myself as, ‘Just another enemy of signal when the games ended. “I listened man.”
the people here to do my job at 5 in the to a lot of Tigers’ baseball,” Pohl said. Another idol was author John Irving.
morning.’” WALM-AM hired Pohl while he was “‘A Prayer for Owen Meany’ is my
Pohl, 61, is the general assignment news carrying groceries for a store that also favorite book,” Pohl said. During a phone
reporter for Michigan State University's employed the wife of one of its DJs. interview before Irving’s 2009 Wharton
campus radio station. “Whatever they Through her, Pohl got to know the guy. “I Center speaking engagement, Pohl men-
assign me to do that day is what I do,” Pohl told him I was interested and he invited tioned he had read the novel for WKAR’s
said. me out,” Pohl said. “I was off and running.” Radio Reading Service. Irving wondered
He joined the WKAR staff in 1984. Pohl grew up on a potato and onion how Pohl did the main character’s unique
For 15 years he was the host of WKAR’s farm between Albion and Concord. He voice. Pohl mailed Irving a sample tape.
“Morning Edition” and continues as a sub- went to a one-room school. “I like the qui- He met Irving at a reception after his
stitute host. et,” he said. “I love big cities but I wouldn’t lecture. “I was told specifically, he doesn’t
Besides a weekly, Thursday interview want to live in one.” like to sign autographs,” Pohl said. “So I
feature, Pohl covers the MSU Board of He attended Jackson Community did not bring my dog-eared copy.” Instead,
Trustees and president’s office, local press College from ’77 to ’79, then came to MSU Irving agreed to sign the beloved book if it
conferences and interviews with Michigan David Winkelstern/City Pulse to earn a B.A. in telecommunications was mailed to him. “That was my biggest
politicians. “More local than state level,” Scott Pohl recording his daily audio at one with a theater minor. While at the uni- fan boy story,” Pohl admitted.
he said. of WKAR's recording booths. versity, Pohl worked part time at WFMK Last season he played Father Dewis in
Pohl was in Judge Rosemarie Aquilina’s Radio as a weekend jock and at WKAR’s Riverwalk Theatre’s adaptation of “Buried
courtroom the first day Nassar survivors developments.” TV station as a floor director for “Off the Child.”
began testifying. “It’s a tough story; it’s an Pohl said the MSU trustees and pres- Record.” “It was the first time I ever performed
emotional story. It’s hard not to have your ident were more accessible in the past At WKAR, Pohl has interviewed a few in anything,” Pohl said. “It was great fun.”
own emotions get caught up in a story like to one-on-one meetings with reporters. idols. One was Ernie Harwell, the long This season he will produce Riverwalk’s
that,” he said. “I think anyone who was in “They changed the layout since the inter- time Tigers’ game announcer — the same “Freud’s Last Session.”
that courtroom with Larry Nassar would im Engler Administration began,” he said. fellow Pohl went to bed as a kid listening Pohl hasn't set any retirement plans, but
tell you those were really powerful, emo- “They’re more isolated and aren't making to on a transistor radio under his pillow. he has given it some thought.
tional days.” themselves available.” “Everything you’ve heard about Ernie “Besides not having to get up sometimes
“Since I cover the university, I’m a little That means usable sound bites are more Harwell is true,” Pohl said. “He welcomed at 3:30 a.m., retirement would also mean
reluctant to talk about my feelings,” Pohl likely to come from protesters. “They’re me into his home. The sweetest man you’ll the opportunity to be more myself in pub-
said. “But I will say, these are interesting very accessible,” Pohl said. “I share things ever meet.” lic and say what I think about things,"
times to be a reporter on this campus. I because I am a reporter — not because I’m Meeting Dan Rather was another treat. Pohl said. “Letting the cork out of the wine
would say I’m pretty proud of the station’s for this, or against that,” he said. “I’m just “He is someone I have great admiration bottle.”
coverage of the Nassar case and ongoing trying to inform folks.” for,” said Pohl. Rather was the 1996 spring
This week’s cover artist: Henry Potter
What music do you listen to while draw-
ing?
If it’s a conscious decision, like I’m about
to put something on literally right now,
By SKYLER ASHLEY scary things are, because you think that I’d put on something I’m kind of feeling.
Henry Potter, the last cover artist of this they’re all soft and smooth and stuff, but Right now it’s house music, because I
year’s “Summer of Art” project, grew his then when you use the computer, things don’t want to think too hard. Usually
interest in art by sculpting clay figures as a will start to fall apart and digital distortion that is not the case. Earlier, I was listening
kindergartener. Potter, 20, would have the will start happening. to the Velvet Underground, Parquet Courts
figures “fight” each other and would tear Things will start getting bent and it’ll — rock style, a nice Talking Heads type feel.
them apart to make unique new shapes. start looking pretty nasty with these claws But for the most part, if I’m trying to just
But, he grew tired of that. Potter began coming out. I was thinking, ‘Whoa, these do work and keep going, keep getting stuff
playing drums and made his way to draw- are getting kind of sharper now. These are done, I just like the kick four on the floor.
ing. After experimenting with different more like lizard demon things. I’m not sure
styles in high school, and eventually decid- if they’re as smooth and nice as I thought What projects are you working on now?
ing his work up until then “made no sense,” they used to be.’ I’m doing a big Art Prize project called
he developed a new aesthetic based on his So I’ve been drawing, trying to find a bal- ‘Bottles and Cans,’ where I have 2,800 lit-
childhood clay figures, which is demon- ance between the smoothness of the sala- tle tiny paintings that people can buy for
strated by his piece on the cover. mander nice guys, and the sharp claws of $1 each at this architecture firm called
the lizard demon guys. TowerPinkster in Grand Rapids. It’s an
Massage & Wellness
Where did the monster direction come architecture firm and we’re going to fill
from? What do you mean by ‘smooth?’ up the whole ground, bottom floor of that
They’re kind of fun. It’s kind of cute how Smooth is like, have you seen those building with a lot of bottles and cans.
Japanese vinyl toys — Kid Robot? It’s so Henry Potter’s work can be viewed on his
smooth, round and bold. I try to do that in Instagram account, @hennyfreewill.
WELCOME BACK two dimensions. It’s almost digital, but it’s
Give the gift of serenity
been done with somebody’s hands.
STUDENTS! It’s almost like a Chinese character. It’s
Potter
Enjoy discounts on sErvicEs about the gesture; making this art and then foot — square drawings with a sharpie This week marks the end of the
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it has this positive energy to it. But when
things get hasty, it will get this angle and
marker. I take a picture of the drawing and
then uploaded it to Photoshop. So it’s this
third year of City Pulse’s “Summer
of Art” project in cooperation with
Single sessions starting at this edge to it. So it depends on the mood large image, and then I fill it in.
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This year, City Pulse featured original
incorporate themselves into the monsters,
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(and Seniors/Military) ticular time of day, the fill bucket tool on
art on its by nine local artists. Their
and $65/hr. for VOTED and it really depends on how I’m feeling at Photoshop is affected by the gradient of the
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works will be auctioned at the Arts
GE” Council’s annual holiday fundraiser in
6 years in a row I take the picture of my drawing, it’ll effect
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ity different panels — huge drawings. They’re an announcement next spring on the
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all freehand — probably two foot by two ing colors the image. 2019 “Summer of Art.”
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