a newspaper for the rest of us www.lansingcitypulse.com December 5 - 11, 2018 1948... The black THROWN UNDER THE BUS neighborhood lost to INTERSTATE ...1968 496See page 12 2 www.lansingcitypulse.com City Pulse • December 5, 2018 CONGRATULATES • AEY Holdings LLC. (KIN), 3425 S Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. • Altum LLC. (Altum Provisions), 5829 Executive Dr. (Suite A) • Apex Ultra LLC. (Bazonzoes), 2101 W. Willow St. (Suite A) • Better Than Nature LLC., 820 W. Miller St. (Suite A) • Capital City LLC. (The Lansing Botanical Company), 3525 Capital City Blvd. • CSHM Services LLC. (Cornerstone Wellness), 3316 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. • Edgewood Wellness LLC., 134 E. Edgewood Blvd.* • HG Lansing LLC (HomeGrown Lansing)., 1116 E. Oakland Ave.* • HQ3 Enterprises (Pure Options), 5815 S. Pennsylvania Ave.* • N-East Services LLC. (Old 27 Wellness), 2905 N. East St.* *Denotes open for business ON BEING LICENSED BY THE CITY OF LANSING! 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Michigan Ave. Lansing, MI 48912 www.lansingcitypulse.com university is unwavering in spite of lapses, that would be excellent resources to this pro- • • • • mistakes, and setbacks, because I know that cess. Just as there are many capable Latino ADVERTISING INQUIRIES: (517) 999-5061 MSU always strives to improve and to be business, professional and political leaders, as PAGE or email [email protected] better, and to be a positive and progressive well as many Latino advocacy organizations, CLASSIFIEDS: (517) 999-6704 leader in every respect. The MSU website throughout this great state, that can provide 7 EDITOR AND PUBLISHER • Berl Schwartz proudly states “At MSU, we believe our dif- meaningful and important input to this [email protected] • (517) 999-5061 ferences are our strength. Diversity is power. process. And, from a credibility standpoint, Stober family gifts CADL with Lansing memorabilia ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR • Skyler Ashley Building inclusive communities is at the core having Latino representation is even more [email protected] • (517) 999-5068 EVENTS EDITOR/OFFICE MANAGER • Paul Shore of our values.” No one can legitimately argue critical in light of the committee’s decision [email protected] • (517) 999-6704 against the value and importance of diversity, to keep its deliberations closed to the public. PRODUCTION MANAGER • Abby Sumbler and it makes sense that MSU embraces this Latinos deserve and should expect a seat at PAGE [email protected] important guiding principle. So, how is it this table. If this is just an oversight, it can (517) 999-5066 17 STAFF WRITERS • Lawrence Cosentino that the 19 member selection committee for a and should be corrected immediately. Oth- [email protected] • (517) 999-5065 new president lacks any representation from erwise, it seems to me, it is a mistake that we The man behind the fish Kyle Kaminski • [email protected] the Latino community, (i.e. Chicano, Latino, may all suffer from for a long time. MSU can (517) 999-6715 Hispanic…). This contradicts the statements and must do better. Please do not make this a Dennis Burck • [email protected] (517) 999-6705 made in forming the committee that it would lost opportunity! PAGE be “inclusive, diverse and representative of Santiago Rios SALES EXECUTIVE the broader MSU stakeholders”. I cannot (The writer is the founding chairman of 20 Lee Purdy • [email protected] • (517) 999-5064 dispute the qualifications of the individuals the Capitol Area Cesar E. Chavez Com- Contributors: Andy Balaskovitz, Justin Bilicki, Daniel currently on this important committee. But, mission.) E. Bollman, Capital News Service, Bill Castanier, Come and see “The Wild Party” Mary C. Cusack, Tom Helma, Gabrielle Lawrence Johnson, Eve Kucharski, Terry Link, Andy McGlash- en, Kyle Melinn, Mark Nixon, Shawn Parker, Shruti Saripalli, Stefanie Pohl, Dennis Preston, Allan I. Ross, Have something to say about a local issue or an item that appeared in our pages? Cover Dylan Tarr, Rich Tupica, Ute Von Der Heyden, David Now you have two ways to sound off: Winkelstern, Paul Wozniak Interns: Tiera Terry 1.) Write a letter to the editor. Art • E-mail: letters@ lansingcitypulse.com Distribution manager: Paul Shore • (517) 999-6704 • Snail mail: City Pulse, 1905 Delivery drivers: Dave Fisher, Dale Gartner, E. Michigan Ave., Lansing, Design by Abby Sumbler MI 48912 Thomas Scott Jr., Richard Simpson, Gavin Smith • Fax: (517) 371-5800 • At lansingcitypulse.com 2.) Write a guest column: Contact Berl Schwartz for more information: [email protected] or (517) 999-5061 (Please include your name, address and telephone number so we can reach you. Keep letters to 250 NOW AT 10:00 A.M. words or fewer. City Pulse reserves the right to edit letters and columns.) SUNDAYS on City Pulse • December 5, 2018 www.lansingcitypulse.com 5 PULSE NEWS & OPINION Twenty will be licensed in the first round. Swope couldn’t offer a timeframe for when State to consider Lansing pot licenses the remaining 10 licenses will be awarded but suggested a few more shops could possi- said, noting city ordinances largely dictate • HG Lansing LLC. (Homegrown Lansing) bly receive the city’s greenlight before the end City clears way the regulatory scheme. “It’s been an amazing at 1116 E. Oakland Ave. of the year. amount of work. Luckily, I have a great staff • HQ3 Enterprises (Pure Options) at 5815 Five more will receive licenses next year. for final approval to help us get through it.” S. Pennsylvania Ave. Applications for the next round will be The 10 recently licensed dispensaries are • N-East Services LLC. (Old 27 Wellness) accepted in February. Friday could finally be it for up to 10 med- allowed to operate, but only at the discre- at 2905 N. East St. “If the goal is uninterrupted patient access, ical marijuana dispensaries provisionally tion of Michigan’s Department of Licensing Of those, Edgewood Wellness, Homegrown they need to get as many operating store- licensed by the City of Lansing last week. and Regulatory Affairs, which is barred from Lansing, Pure Options and Old 27 Wellness fronts up and running as soon as possible,” That’s the day that the state Medical mandating any licensing deadlines under an are open for business. Hank suggested, noting as many as 30 dis- Marihuana Commission is expected to con- order from the state Court of Claims. “It’s obviously a good thing that Lansing pensaries should eventually set up shop in sider final licensing for one or more local dis- Included on the list are four dispensaries has finally issued some licenses,” added Lansing. pensaries, a source said. Which ones will not that have been temporarily operating for Jeffrey Hank, an attorney and medical mari- The ten shops are set to hire 1,444 people be known until the commission publishes its months. Five more are vacant storefronts. juana advocate. “It’s still not really clear to me and invest $51.5 million locally, Swope said. agenda Thursday. Another has been “temporarily” closed for how these top businesses were selected. It’s He wasn’t able to provide documentation to City Clerk Chris Swope said the long-await- weeks for renovations. None have yet been kind of odd that a vacant building would be verify those figures, citing privacy laws that ed batch of local approvals — coming more considered for a license by the state, but selected over other businesses that have been protect the release of applicants’ proprietary than a year after the process started — ulti- Swope said his conditional go-ahead opens around here for years.” information. He also noted those totals mately allows applicants to pursue state the door for the upcoming opportunity. Swope maintained the 10 selected entre- include the entire scope of their business licensing, will enhance patient access to The 10 applicants recently granted local, preneurs had scored among the highest on a plans — not just dispensaries. medicinal bud and served as “definitely a conditional approval are: largely confidential, 100-point scoring met- “I believe that selecting these 10 applicants relief” for him and his office. • AEY Holdings LLC. (KIN) at 3425 S ric. An emphasis was also placed on those is the best decision for the city,” Swope said, “It just feels good to be able to move for- Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. who provided the largest economic benefit in noting applicants still need occupancy certifi- ward with the process,” Swope added. • Altum LLC. (Altum Provisions) at 5829 terms of jobs and citywide investment, as well cates before licensure. “It is a balance between But it’s difficult to know with certainty if Executive Dr. (Suite A) as those who worked to minimize any poten- the needs of patients to ensure continuity of the licensing system is working as intend- • Apex Ultra LLC.