Tolls or trolls at the bridge?

NEWS

Big changes coming to Bay City bridges

Vincent Khan

BAY CITY – On Nov. 7 the Bay City Commission held a meeting focusing mainly on updates for tolling systems coming soon to the Liberty Bridge and Independence Bridge.

Bay City is divided by the Saginaw River making the four bridges that connect the city essential for daily commutes. The Liberty Bridge is currently the only bridge closed for repairs.

Lynn Pavlawk, general manager for the Bay City Bridge Partners summarized the progress of the repairs and provided updates.

“Testing and commissioning are taking place right now at the Liberty Bridge,” Pavlawk shared. “Construction has been going well and as of right now all concrete has been replaced and we are on track to reopen the bridge at the end of the year.”

Tolling will start for the Liberty Bridge in the first quarter of 2023. Tolls will vary by vehicle, resident, and method of payment. The bridge will have a device that scans vehicles and calculates the toll amount owed.

Transponders are sticker-like devices placed on a vehicle’s windshield to pay the toll as it gets scanned by the device on the bridge. It will provide a cheaper toll to those that have them, as well as to residents of Bay City.

If you don’t have a transponder, then the device on the bridge will scan your license plate, calculate costs, and send a toll fee through the mail. This toll will also include administrative fees, unlike vehicles with transponders.

The transponders will be available during the fourth quarter of 2022. There is no cost for the actual transponder itself, but below is a photo of toll prices for vehicles crossing the toll bridge effective 2023.

Plans for replacing the Independence Bridge are behind by 24 months because of Covid-19, supply chain issues, and labor shortages. The original plan was to demolish the old structure and build a completely new one. Due to the drastic rise of inflation in the past year, the bridge is now only going to be renovated.

One of the main concerns for renovation, the deck of the bridge, was described by Pavlawk as in really bad shape. She shared that the control systems that raise and lower the bridge need to be replaced sooner rather than later. e commissioners meeting, Bay City residents asked questions to the council and expressed their opinions on the information about the city and or bridges with pleasure and displeasure.

One man said he plans on never using the toll bridges and called it a money grab by the city. He stated he will go out of his way to use the other bridges around the city.

Andrea Birney is currently running for third ward commissioner. She shared that they approved some neighborhoods $4,000,000 towards corrosive water line repairs and still have yet to see the money to carry through with repairs.

Bay City Bridge under ConstruCtion for tolls. nov. 2022; Photo Credit: onnie stone

Birney expressed that she has family and loved ones in these areas and claims that it's unacceptable that this issue has not been fixed yet.

If you have any questions pertaining to the Liberty Bridge, please come to LoLo Bee’s Lounge on Dec. 5 and Dec. 15 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. LoLo Bee’s is located at 106 South Linn Street Unit A in Bay City. A group of speakers will be ready to answer all questions the public has about the bridge.

What Michigan schools are doing to prevent shootings

Vincent Khan

School shootings are a distinctly American phenomena. Eighty to 90 percent of all the school shootings in the world happen in the U.S. In 2021, Michigan saw an all-time high in school shootings with 26.

Michigan has recorded 66 school shootings since 1970. Nearly 40% of these incidents occurred in 2022, when school shootings were in the middle of a twentyyear peak.

In 2020 there were 21 school shootings recorded; in 2021, that number climbed to 26.

One in 7 Michigan high school students has carried a weapon to school before. And 1 in 14 Michigan high school students was threatened or injured with a weapon on school property.

In the fi rst half of 2022 alone, there have been 12 reports of gunfi re on school grounds. Th e most prolifi c of these recent shootings came in Nov 2021 when Ethan Crumbley, 16, was accused of opening fi re at Oxford High School on Nov. 30 with a semi-automatic handgun that his father purchased for him as a Christmas gift days before the massacre.

Th is case appears to be the fi rst in the United States in which the parents of a teenage school shooter have been charged with crimes attributed to their child.

Crumbly recently pleaded guilty to murder and terrorism charges in a mass shooting last year at a high school in the Detroit outskirts that killed four of his classmates and left more than half a dozen wounded. "Ethan Crumbley's guilty plea is one small step forward on a long path towards obtaining full justice for our clients. We will continue to fi ght until the truth is revealed about what went wrong leading up to this tragedy," Ven Johnson, a lawyer representing several victims' families, said in a statement.

Bay City Central High School maintains its reputation as being one of the most diverse high schools in the Tri-City area. With the school being so diverse, it raises eyebrows towards the higher chance of students having controversy or bullying each other, which are some of the leading causes of school shootings.

School administrator Zach Schalk has been working at Central for six years and strongly feels about how students feel about the topic. When asked how the kids act when there’s a lockdown drill, he described their demeanor as “numb.” “Kids are used to the topic nowadays. Especially with social media, where they're so accessible to the topic, it helps make the topic less hard to hear or deal with for them. Th ey are well aware of the severity of the topic, and we try to set up an environment in the school where no kid feels like they have to go to those measures.”

What activities do you think help bring a positive light to the school?

“We have our Link Crew program, and one of their main activities is taking the special education students to events such as bowling. Groups like that have really helped mold a positive setting throughout the whole school.” Schalk also went on to say that the “counseling department for the school is fi t to deal with any problem a student may have outside of school and that they are loved and cared for by the school.

Th ere is currently one police offi cer always on duty at Central High every day. It is the same police offi cer year round, so the students have a familiar face to look towards. When asked if they think the school should add another police offi cer or metal detectors, both answers were replied with “no.” Schalk said that metal detectors might instill more fear in the students.

Schalk explained a new preventive tool in the school in case of an event.

“All classrooms have this new tool called a “boot.” It acts as a wedge against the door just in case someone tries to force their way through the classroom door.

An anonymous student of Central High from the class of 2021 reached out to comment on the topic: “We did 2-3 drills a year.” Th ey also said that “any time we had a lockdown drill, teachers would handle the drill with seriousness. As students, we took the drills seriously because we are so constantly reminded on the news how many school shootings there are in America.”

Although violence within schools doesn't happen oft en, anything can and will occur. Anyone can stop the violence by looking for warning signs.

ZaCk sChalk Photo Credit: vinCent khan

Know the warning signs

According to michigan.gov, here are signs students may show when they have intent to harm themselves or others: • Suddenly withdrawing from people and activities • Consistent bullying or intimidating others, or being bullied by others • Extreme mood or personality changes • Victim of constant social rejection • Talking about plans or actively making plans to harm themselves or others • Bringing a weapon to school – or threatening or talking about doing so • Bragging about or warning others about an upcoming act of violence • Recruiting others to join in a planned act of violence • Warning students to stay away from school or events • Expressing fascination with guns and/or school shootings • Expressing hopelessness about the future • Extreme, prolonged sadness or distress • Expressing or showing feelings of isolation • Bragging about access to guns or knives

Metaverse becoming a mega failure

Misty Barron

Over a year after billionaire Mark Zuckerberg rebranded his Facebook empire Meta Platforms, the company is reporting record losses. They’ve also admitted that the metaverse hasn’t caught on with its user base and seems confused about why it’s failing. Perhaps they’ve asked the wrong people.

The biggest problem with the metaverse is that there needs to be a clear consensus on what it actually is. Meta has yet to do much to help people understand their goals. Rather than providing well-defined explanations of what users can expect, the general public needs to be given more to work with.

In a recent interview with computer scientist and podcaster Lex Fridman, Zuckerberg explained the concept of his virtual world. "A lot of people think that the metaverse is about a place, but one definition of this is it's about a time when basically immersive digital worlds become the primary way that we live our lives and spend our time," Zuckerberg told Fridman. "I think that's a reasonable construct."

It might be a reasonable construct in Zuckerberg’s mind, but it does little to explain the metaverse. Attempts to define that it’s a virtual world where people socialize, buy and sell digital items, or build their own world are often met with pointing out those things already exist.

Not only do other metaverse-type worlds already exist, but many have become quite popular. World of Warcraft, Fortnite, and Second Life have thriving digital economies and users are already devoted to each platform.

When asked if she would try Meta Platforms, Kerrigan Reeve, an avid video gamer, responded, “Ew, no! Have you seen it? They just got legs for their avatars.”

Reeve, 33, from New Jersey, also owns a successful virtual store on Second Life's online platform. She believes her store would not be as lucrative if hosted in the metaverse. She said, “It’s obvious from the start they’re going to cater to corporations and not private content creators.”

Second Life is a vast 3D-generated virtual world and platform filled with user-generated content where people can interact with each other in real time. It also hosts a thriving in-world economy that can be converted back to real-life funds.

Second Life's users, or 'residents,' don't have a designated goal, and there are no traditional gameplay mechanics. The platform focuses on social interaction, user-generated content, and freedom. Essentially, Second Life is more akin to original Meta Platforms than a video game. Linden Lab officially launched the platform in 2003, before Facebook became public.

Heather Belov, who uses Second Life as a creative writing outlet, says its appeal lies in the world’s customization. “Players don't have to wait around for those in charge to fix things; they literally have the power to create what they want, when they want.”

Belov also believes that communitybased optimization is unmatched. “The only limitation in Second Life is your imagination, whereas Metaverse is comparatively basic and limited.”

The issues with Zuckerberg’s metaverse go beyond unappealing avatars and dull landscapes. Their promise of a utopia where companies replace the office within a virtual setting isn’t as popular with workers as it is with their employers. According to a study, 77% of employers expressed an interest in work environments like the metaverse, but only 57% of employees felt the same. Lisa Bose, 31, who first started dabbling in virtual worlds for a psychology class in college, says, “Having a class virtually was fun back then because it was new. But who wants to go to work in a virtual setting? Everyone wants to work remote to get away from the office, they’re trying to recreate it in our homes.”

Unprompted, Bose went on to speculate. “First, they made Facebook, which is a rip-off of MySpace. Now they’re trying to pretend the metaverse is a new idea. It’s been around forever. I don’t think Zuckerburg has any original ideas.”

The failure of Metaverse is, ultimately, that it is attempting to address a nonexistent problem. Facebook achieved popularity by providing a straightforward solution to staying connected. However, those who praise Metaverse are committing to problems that dont' exist.

office staff with virtual reality; Photo credit: adobe stock

Tips for vehicle safety this winter

Courtney Elisech

Michigan winters can be challenging for everyone, whether you have lived here your whole life or never experienced one. Here are some tips to ensure your vehicle is winter ready and a survival kit if you get stuck while driving. First, ensure your vehicle is ready for the change of season to prevent accidents and make winter driving more manageable. Use this list to ensure you are as prepared as you can be: Check the health of your vehicle battery now. The quick drop in temperature can dramatically affect the life and power of a battery. Replace your windshield wiper blades, they make ones specifically for winter, but even a new regular blade will make a difference. Lube up! Hit the locks and door handles with lubricant to stop them from freezing up and locking you in or out of your vehicle. Gas? Keep the tank half full for the winter. You don’t want to be stuck on a cold empty road without fuel. Double-check your tailpipe is clear of snow if you are stranded and have the car running. Be aware not to keep the vehicle running too long, warm up, and shut off. Tire check! The tires on your vehicle will drastically change your winter driving experience. Check the tire pressure regularly because the cold will make them lose pressure quickly, depending on the temperature. Secondly, ensure the tread on your tires is suitable for traction on the road, deeper tread reduces snow buildup on the tire. If you aren’t sure about these things, visit a tire shop, and they can help you. Firestone has always been great about checking tire pressure and filling if needed and recommending when tires should be replaced. It will always help to get your vehicle serviced at the beginning of the season to catch anything wrong before something happens on the road. The weather in Michigan can be a little chaotic. One day you’ll wake up, and it’ll be freezing with ice on the road; hours later, it can be warm and sunny, and by nightfall, 3 feet of snow will have fallen, and the roads will be treacherous. The cold can hurt you very quickly if you get stuck on the side of the road. Stay safe out there!

Winter survival kit for your ride

Grab a bag for your survival kit and fill it with the following: • Flashlight • Nonperishable food such as crackers, granola bars, etc. • Water bottles and/or sports drinks, pro-tip sports drinks don’t freeze as quickly as water • Second pair of footwear, such as boots • First aid kit • Blankets, including space/survival blankets • Extra clothing to layer on if needed, such as sweaters and long pants • A portable phone charger, solarpowered, would be best • Ice salt, kitty litter, or some sort of abrasive material • Ice scraper • Matches and a candle for heat • Small shovel • Jumper cables