The Chronicle News No. 17 November 01 - November 15, 2022

My Two Cents: The Brawl at the Big House

By Warren Williams

As a lifelong Spartan, let me first say I am becoming increasingly disturbed by new revelations supported by video of the “Brawl at the Big House” Saturday night between players from Michigan and Michigan State.

What I’m seeing is vicious and COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE behavior. And I must concede, it ‘could have been’ criminal!

Here’s what long-time Detroit Sports Columnist Bob Wojnowski writes today in a very thought-provoking opinion piece in the Detroit News:

“It’s not about the tunnel. It’s not about taunting and trash-talking. It’s not even necessarily about the rivalry, although Michigan-Michigan State has reached peak toxicity levels. It’s about cowardice. And misguided, misdirected hate.”

I believe ‘Wojo’ is mostly right here. That stuff in the tunnel had nothing to do with the Michigan/MSU rivalry. NOTHING. Where I beg to differ is on the possible motivation for that ‘explosion’ we saw Saturday night in the tunnel.

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Rather than “cowardice” I saw “calculation.” This wasn’t about heartbreak or frustration over a football defeat. It looked like a personal vendetta.

Why would those Spartan players “go off” as they did at just those two Michigan players? And why did it appear that the

Author and mom of 9 creates grassroots publishing company, producing 30 authors within a year

By Kristen Freeman

In February of 2022, Dezarea DelacruzJones, author and mom of a blended

family of 9, created and founded her own publishing company “Author Overnight Publication and Design” to help women

write and publish their stories. In just 8 months, she has published 30 authors.

Delacruz-Jones said, “It has little to do with me. We all have stories. No matter who you are, you have something of value to share with the world.”

In 2020, she published her experiences as a young girl growing up in Lansing in the book “Unravel and Break Free from Trauma.” She attended Lansing’s Eastern High School, and her family

owned and operated a notable local restaurant chain, Famous Taco, first opened by her late grandmother. Growing up in an entrepreneurial family and following other creative business notions throughout her life, DelacruzJones says the launch of her publishing house was organic and true to her passions.

After owning both an apparel and a consulting/coaching business at different times in her life, she senses

Graphic by The Chronicle News

BLACK HISTORY DID YOU KNOW???

Thomas Fuller, an African sold into slavery in 1724 at the age of 14, was sometimes known as the “Virginia Calculator” for his extraordinary ability to solve complex math problems in his head.

He was asked how many seconds there were in a year and a half, he answered in about two minutes, 47,304,000.

Again he was asked how many seconds

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a man has lived who is 70 years, 17 days and 12 hours old, he answered in a minute and a half 2,210,500,800.

One of the men was working out the problems on paper and informed Fuller that he was wrong because the answer was much smaller. Fuller hastily replied, “’Massa, you forget de leap year.” When the leap year was added in, the sums matched. maize & blue guys approached the MSU players? Why were the “Michigan men’ not among their victorious teammates? The behavior of the Spartan players CAN NOT be excused. Let’s be clear about that.

Expulsion from the team and from the university should be among the things

now seriously considered. And, as I now must admit, criminal charges could be warranted. Again… .I’m wondering about the actual motivation for the attack.

Ultimately, such violent behavior can’t go unpunished. It was inexcusable! But why did it happen? Why just those

TWO Michigan players? Why just that handful of Michigan State players? Are there ‘aggravating factors’ that should at least be considered?

This was not a free-for-all ruckus like the “Malice at the Palace” between the Pistons and Pacers back in the fall of 2004. Again, Saturday night’s tunnel

incident appeared more to me like calculation rather than spontaneity.

Hopefully, further investigation into this incident will shed more light. It would be good to have all the facts.

One of the best things about our community is the number of different cultures that live in our neighborhoods. We are lucky to be able to experience an array of traditions, customs and lifestyles.

At Palmer, Bush & Jensen, we understand and offer services for all cultures. We know our differences are what make us unique.

GOP’S Cheney comes to Lansing to campaign for Democrat Slotkin

The national media is still talking about Liz Cheney’s landmark trip to Lansing yesterday to support Democrat Rep. Elissa Slotkin. It marked the first time ever for the Wyoming Congresswoman and daughter of former Vice-president Dick Cheney to cross party lines for an endorsement.

“If we want to ensure the survival of our republic, we have to walk away

from politics as usual,” Cheney said yesterday in Michigan’s capital city.

Slotkin is a two-term House member competing against Republican state Sen. Tom Barrett of Charlotte in Michigan’s redrawn 7th Congressional District, which includes Lansing.

TIME TO OWN YOUR OWN HOME.

My Two Cents -“Stop the Violence”

By Warren Williams someone who once spent 5 years as the Chief Spokesman/Public Information Officer for Michigan’s prison system (MDOC), I can tell you without hesitation -bad actions have bad consequences! (Several years ago when I did the research, there were more black men in Michigan’s prisons than in its colleges!)

What went down in the tunnel fight Saturday night between Michigan State and Michigan players is the latest example of an epidemic of violence in inner-city America. Every day in this country, an average of 8 (eight) young black men are killed in neighborhood violence.

Black men between the age of 18 and 30 are just 3% of the U-S population. Yet, they are nearly a third (32%) of ALL AMERICANS SHOT TO DEATH EACH YEAR.

Here’s another reality of black life in this country – Homicide/murder is the “LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH” for African-American children (under age 18) -- responsible for 48% of deaths each year. For white children, homicide

is the 4th leading cause after accidents, suicide, and cancer….responsible for 5% of deaths yearly.

On average, we have FIVE TIMES (5x’s) as many black children killed each year in neighborhood violence (1100) as black folks killed in police encounters (215). To me, that FACT makes a ‘joke’ of the whole notion of a BLM (Black Lives Matter) movement. The only lives that matter enough for folks to get riled about are those taken by the cops.

Black children killed by stray bullets on playgrounds (like 7-year-old Janari Ricks in Chicago) or while sleeping in their cribs (like 6-month-old Delric Miller in Detroit), don’t matter enough to prompt nationwide protest marches or wall-to-wall media coverage.

This crazy violence, this wanton killing of us by us, has got to STOP.

African-Americans are only 14% of the American population. Yet, we are 53% of all murder victims each year. We MUST DO BETTER!

Photo courtesy Connecticut Post/AP

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that this endeavor “is different.”

On balancing her aspirations while juggling the wants and needs of her family, Delacruz-Jones said, “These days, I find my peace and self-care doing what I love, helping others to share their stories.”

After her first book was published, she felt that it fell short of her creative expectations. Upon reexamination, she felt it inadequately communicated her

voice. She wanted to ensure that other aspiring authors were published with more authenticity.

Delacruz-Jones remembers thinking, “Once I publish, I had no idea what to do from here.”

Because her author experience lacked the guidance, support, and coaching she believe she needed an author, this unique business was born. In her publishing business, she ensures that her authors

are well-supported, well-coached, and valued. Along with publishing authors on Amazon and various other platforms, she also founded and leads an international virtual community, “Sis, Get Up,” consisting of over 2000 women. Sometime this month, (November 2022), she plans to launch an additional exclusive group for her published authors.

With that membership, folks can expect to gain daily encouragement,

motivation, business insights, and marketing strategies to help on their publication journey.

When asked, “what should people know during this time?” Delacruz-Jones replied emphatically, “Your gifts and your talents are needed.”

Visual Artist Mila Lynn with Hip Hop Artist & Music Producer Torrey Gray. Bring Lansing’s Inktober Trilogy to a Close

(Lansing, MI) – Visual Artist Mila Lynn & Hip Hop Artist & Music Producer Torrey Gray will bring their Inktober Trilogy to a close with The Inktober Finale Show: A Night of Art & Music. The event will take place on Friday, November 11th from 7pm-11pm at the Knapp Center in Downtown Lansing, and will feature performances by Torrey Gray, hors d’oeuvres provided by Veg Head, as well as a Silent Art Auction. Tickets are available for $25 and can be purchased via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/theinktober-finale-tickets-457442973247

For the third & final year, Mila & Torrey collaborated on the Inktober project that they originally brought to Lansing in 2020 as part of the Inktober Challenge created by New York Times Best Selling Illustrator Jake Parker. As in previous years of the project, Mila created 31 all new pieces of art that were generated using daily prompts provided by Jake Parker’s Official Inktober Event as well as an additional 32nd Prompt that Mila & Torrey would create to tie the project together. Torrey Gray once again created a new piece of music, this year collaborating with musicians from around the world, for each daily prompt that accompanied a daily time lapse video of Mila creating each piece of artwork. For those keeping score, that is 96 visual art pieces & 96 pieces of music created in total over the life of the project.

Throughout the entire month of October, all of the artwork created by Mila Lynn each day was on display at Veg Head, Lansing’s newest plant based eatery. This year’s pieces were painted on vinyl records as opposed to using

traditional pen & paper. Over the years, other artists from the community have also been involved in and/or inspired to create, drawing their inspiration from Mila & Torrey’s project. In 2021, Christina Castilla created 31 heart themed art pieces, & Autumn Hopkins created 31 different pairs of earrings. This year, Poet Morgan Madden & Visual Artist Kylee Kellett collaborated to create original paintings & poetry based off of this year’s prompts. All of these artists, as well as other artists who have participated, credit Torrey & Mila with inspiring them to take part in the project.

“It’s been a lot of hard work, but also extremely rewarding,” says Lynn. “It’s nice to look back and see all that we have done over the life of the project.” For Torrey, the project has hit him on an even more personal level. In 2021, Torrey adopted a dog that he named Crispy, after a prompt from last year’s Inktober. “Mila drew Crispy on one of the records for a piece this year,” says Gray. “I guess Crispy has become the unofficial mascot for Inktober.” At the Finale Event, Mila & Torrey look forward to seeing the community come out one last time to experience their Inktober project. “It’s going to be nice to get together with our friends, colleagues, and community to reminisce on what the project has been all about,” says Lynn. Mila & Torrey’s Inktober project has helped build the art community here in Lansing, and while this chapter may be coming to a close, we are excited to see what the two artists have in store for the future.

About Inktober: Inktober is a month-long art challenge

created by Artist Jake Parker in 2009 that is focused on improving skill and developing positive drawing habits. Every day for the month of October anyone participating in the Inktober challenge creates an ink drawing and posts it online. Inktober has grown into a worldwide challenge with artists from around the world participating every year. Starting in 2016, Jake Parker created the Official Inktober Prompt

List with a different word assigned to each day of the month. Some of the prompt words for 2022 include Gargoyle, Bouquet, Ego, & Farm. Be sure to use & follow the hashtags #inktober, #inktober2022, #mindofmila & #definedetroit on Instagram to check out all of the campaigns throughout the years.

Karmanos Receives Renewal Of Membership In Prestigious Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium

Elisabeth Heath, M.D., FACP, leader of the Genitourinary Oncology Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) and member of the Phase 1 Clinical Trials MDT at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, has received grant renewal from the U.S. Department of Defense to continue membership in the prestigious Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium (PCCTC) program.

The Prostate Cancer Clinical Consortium Award is a peer-reviewed, competitive grant. Peers include scientific researchers at universities and cancer centers across the nation. Karmanos

has been part of the consortium since 2008. The award allows our physicians and researchers the opportunity to participate in numerous clinical trials, translate laboratory findings to the clinic and offer cutting-edge clinical trials to prostate cancer patients in Metro Detroit. The budget amount for the new four-year grant renewal is $1,847,997.

Dr. Heath will continue to direct Karmanos’ involvement in the consortium. Dr. Heath is the associate center director of Translational Sciences, professor of Oncology at Wayne State University (WSU) School of Medicine

and the Patricia C. and E. Jan Hartmann Endowed Chair for Prostate Cancer Research at Karmanos and WSU.

“This grant has provided us with the opportunity to offer cutting edge clinical trials in prostate cancer,” said Dr. Heath. “We appreciate the collaboration and partnership with other PCCTC member sites and colleagues to advance science in prostate cancer.”

Dr. Heath’s co-principal investigator is Frank Cackowski, M.D., Ph.D., medical oncologist, member of the Genitourinary Oncology MDT and assistant professor

of Oncology at WSU.

The Prostate Cancer Clinical Consortium Award was established in 2005 to support the collaborations and resources necessary to rapidly execute Phase II or Phase I/II clinical trials of therapeutic agents or approaches for the management or treatment of prostate cancer. The overarching goal of the award is to combine the efforts of leading investigators to bring to market novel therapeutic interventions that will ultimately decrease the overall impact of prostate cancer.

More Spartan Football Players Suspended for Involvement in the “Brawl at the Big House”

Four more Michigan State football players have been suspended following the Brawl at the Big House between Spartans and Wolverines Saturday night.

In a joint statement late Tuesday from athletics director Alan Haller and coach Mel Tucker, the suspensions of senior Jacoby Windmon, senior Brandon Wright, junior Justin White and freshman Malcolm Jones were revealed.

The players are off the team “effective immediately.” This action coming two days after MSU suspended junior Angelo Grose, sophomores Itayvion “Tank” Brown and Khary Crump, and

freshman Zion Young. According to the latest statement from Michigan State officials:

“We are transparently working with law enforcement and the Big Ten Conference to evaluate additional facts and evidence surrounding the events in Ann Arbor. We will continue to take appropriate action in this matter as we learn more. The student-athlete suspensions will remain in place until the investigations are complete. The health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches, personnel, and the Spartan community is our number one priority.”

Tune into the Sunday Chronicle Episode #36 as we chat with Executive Director Capital Area District Libraries (CADL) Scott Duimstra. We will discuss the “Student Success Initiative”, the “Library of Things” Muralmatics, and the evolution of CADL to meet public needs throughout the pandemic.

Tune into Stacks 92.1 Sunday at 7:00 AM.

The Sunday Chronicle is dedicated to compelling talk, uplifting stories, and inspiration from across the Greater Lansing Region.

#communityknowswhatcommunityneeds

“Defending Black Votes” up for Debate in Washtenaw County

After advocacy from the Defend Black Voters coalition, the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners will be meeting tonight at 7:00 pm to consider and vote on a resolution to ensure accountability of county vendors funding voter suppression. Community leaders will speak in favor

of the resolution. This policy, if passed, would continue a streak of corporate accountability measures won by the Defend Black Voters Coalition at the Wayne County Commission and Ann Arbor City Council.

This groundbreaking measure uses the strongest language of any vendor accountability resolution to date, and would instruct the county administrator to review purchasing processes to ensure that the political activity and political spending of vendors “reflect the values of Washtenaw County government related to the importance of

protecting free and fair democracy and civil rights.”

Such a practice would be the first of its kind in the country.

Learn about LCC’s Technical Careers Division programs that lead to careers in trades, technologies and public services. Attendees will have the opportunity to network with local employers, speak with faculty, learn about campus resources, and have a hands-on experience with highlighted programs.

8:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. · Friday, Nov. 11, 2022 LCC West Campus, Room M119 5708 Cornerstone Dr., Lansing, MI 48917 Featured Programs

+ Building Construction/ + Drones Construction Management + Police Academy

+ HVAC + Electrical Technology

+ Robotics

Scan the QR code or register to attend at lcc.edu/techforwardmoc

This event is free and open to the general public. Parking is free at the LCC West Campus lots, or CATA Route 12 runs between the Downtown and West campuses.

If you have any questions or need ADA accommodations, please contact Nicole ReinhartHuberty at 517-483-1104 or reinhan@lcc.edu