January 27-February 2, 2016 AMBROSE UNDER FIRE Ex-local official Local history exhibit uncorked caught up in Flint at City Hall.---- p. 8 crisis.----p. 5 AN EVENING WITH Savion Glover & Jack DeJohnette Friday, February 19 at 8pm Tap legend Savion Glover and iconic jazz drummer Jack DeJohnette join up for a once-in-a-lifetime concert in two sets as they take the audience on a journey of beautiful music and dance. $15 STUDENT WHARTONCENTER.COM • 1-800-WHARTON TICKETS 2 www.lansingcitypulse.com City Pulse • January 27, 2016 GRAND OPENING! $5 OFF any $30 purchase $2 OFF a Buy one Entree $10 purchase or more GET ONE FREE Offer valid with coupon through 3-31-2016 $4 OFF a $20 purchase or more Buy one entree, get one HALF OFF! Offer valid with coupon through 3-31-2016 Offer valid with coupon through 3-31-2016 Offer valid with coupon through 3-31-2016 Authentic Chinese Fondue Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine Authentic Asian Cuisine Carry out, Dine & Deliever All you can eat! Dine in, Delievery & Takeout Kasutamu Lin’s Express PHO Vietnamese Cuisine 235 Albert Ave., East Lansing 235 Albert Ave., East Lansing 350 Albert Ave., East Lansing (517) 575-6325 (517) 960-2783 517 574-4919 linsexpresseastlansing.com phoeastlansing.com City Pulse • January 27, 2016 www.lansingcitypulse.com 3 Bobby McFerrin’s historic collaborations with artists like Yo-Yo Ma and Questlove are based on his love of pure adventure, joy and play. Now Bobby meets Michigan artists live onstage. Come see (and hear) what happens! $15 Student Tickets! : Wednesday, February 17 at 7:30pm BOBBY MCFERRIN Get ready for the glamour of the red carpet and enjoy BOBBY MEETS MICHIGAN! some of the best-loved movie scores of all time! Thrill to the music of James Bond 007, Chicago, The Wizard of Oz Saturday, February 6 at 8pm and more with vocalists. Variety Series Sponsor Media Sponsor Media Sponsor Ireland’s musical ambassadors for over 50 years. Their foot-stomping beats Enchantment eatre Company and jovial spirits will leave audiences feeling positively Irish! presents TM TICKETS JUST 12 $9 Saturday, February 27 at 1:30pm & 4pm Using whimsical puppets, fantastic masks, gorgeous scenery and original music, the magical world of Peter Rabbit and friends comes to life in this fun-filled family performance! Thursday, March 3 at 7:30pm Variety Series Sponsor Media Sponsor Generously sponsored by Granger; Jackson National Life Insurance Company; Generously sponsored by Demmer Corporation; and Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and National Endowment for the Arts and White, Schneider, Young & Chiodini P.C. WHARTONCENTER.COM • 1-800-WHARTON 4 www.lansingcitypulse.com City Pulse • January 27, 2016 VOL. 15 Feedback ISSUE 24 not been affected by this, implying that his Ballenger is what’s wrong with Michigan (517) 371-5600 • Fax: (517) 999-6061 • 1905 E. Michigan Ave. • Lansing, MI 48912 • www.lansingcitypulse.com Tuesday night’s during a round table experience (a sample of one) trumps docu- discussion of governor Snyder’s State of the mented evidence of contaminated water PAGE ADVERTISING INQUIRIES: (517) 999-6704 State address on WKAR TV, political com- throughout Flint and the documented test- or email [email protected] mentator Bill Ballenger made several state- ing of children’s blood for lead both before 6 EDITOR AND PUBLISHER • Berl Schwartz ments that illustrate how far Michigan’s has and since the switch from Detroit water to [email protected] • (517) 999-5061 Flint River water. fallen from the level of social, political, and ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER • Mickey Hirten [email protected] • (517) 999-5064 economic prominence it held when I moved Finally, Mr. Ballenger flatly rejects scien- Former journalists sing different tune in Snyder’s office tific evidence that does not concur with his ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR • Ty Forquer here in the 1970s. Mr. Ballenger’s complete- [email protected] • (517) 999-5068 ly partisan and unscientific approach to the own beliefs. In a comment to fellow panel member, he emphatically stated that the PAGE CREATIVE DIRECTOR • Jonathan Griffith Flint water crisis demonstrates how little [email protected] • (517) 999-5069 physiological impact of lead poisoning may even supposedly knowledgeable commen- 14 PRODUCTION MANAGER • Allison Hammerly tators are willing to move this state fully be ameliorated although it has been settled [email protected] • (517) 999-5066 into the 21st century. science for at least 50 years that the impact STAFF WRITERS • Lawrence Cosentino First, Mr. Ballenger identified the Flint of lead on children’s mental and physical Dierks Bentley to play Common Ground Music Festival [email protected] development is irreversible. According to Todd Heywood water crisis as mainly a political phe- [email protected] nomenon which has been overblown and the Centers for Disease Control and Pre- vention (CDC), “No safe blood lead level in PAGE ADVERTISING • Shelly Olson, Suzi Smith, Prince Spann hyped-up as a political stunt to undermine [email protected] the current state administration. He had children has been identified. Even low levels 26 [email protected]:30 a.m. Saturdays it on good authority that the issue was not of lead in blood have been shown to affect [email protected] anywhere near as serious or pervasive as IQ, ability to pay attention, and academic GRAPHIC DESIGNER • Nikki Nicolaou has been described. achievement. And effects of lead exposure Local entrepreneur offers healthier snack options Contributors: Andy Balaskovitz, Justin Bilicki, Daniel E. Bollman, Capital News Service, Bill There aren’t, ac- cannot be corrected.” (http://www.cdc.gov/ Have something to say Castanier,$ Mary C. Cusack, $ Tom Helma, Gabrielle nceh/lead/tips.htm) Mr. Ballenger, this is about a local issue cording to him, that COVER Johnson, Terry Link, Andy McGlashen, Kyle Melinn, many people affect- why we don’t use lead water pipes anymore Mark$ Nixon, Shawn Parker, Stefanie Pohl, Dennis or an item that appeared Preston, Allan I. Ross, Rich Tupica, Ute Von Der ed by this, and the and why lead-based paint has been prohib- Heyden, Paul Wozniak in our pages? ited in housing construction across the en- ART impacts are not that CrowdsourcingDelivery drivers: Dave Fisher, Ian Graham, Dick Radway, Now you have two ways to serious. tire nation for decades. Richard Simpson, Thomas Scott Jr. sound off: Second, Mr. Bal- To put this all in a perspective that Mr. Cover design by JONATHANA GRIFFITHGUIDEIntern: TO LNaseimANSING-AREA Omeish ONLINE FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGNS Ballenger may understand, while the Flint Card courtesy of the ARCHIVES OF MICHIGAN 1.) Write a letter to the editor. lenger’s comments • E-mail: letters@ totally rejected the water crisis may certainly provide an op- lansingcitypulse.com portunity to make some political points by CITY PULSE Editor & Publisher use of evidence- on the • Snail mail: City Pulse, 1905 the opposition to Republican control of all Berl E. Michigan Ave., Lansing, based decision- Schwartz MI 48912 making in favor of branches of Michigan’s state government, AIR • Fax: (517) 371-5800 anecdotal evidence the reality of this public health crisis can- Now airing on 2.) Write a guest column: in addressing public not simply be dismissed as a political ploy Contact Berl Schwartz for 10:30 a.m. Saturdays more information: health issues such or through the rejection of settled scientific [email protected] evidence. Mr. Ballenger may be entitled to 89 FM or (517) 999-5061 as the Flint water crisis. Mr. Ballenger his opinions, but he is not entitled to his (Please include your name, address and telephone number noted that he is a own facts. so we can reach you. Keep letters to 250 words or fewer. Flint resident and City Pulse reserves the right to that the water at —Laurence Rosen edit letters and columns.) his residence has East Lansing City Pulse • January 27, 2016 www.lansingcitypulse.com 5 PULSE NEWS & OPINION How did Ambrose end up making deci- sions that contributed to the water crisis? Ambrose's river Matt Grossmann, an associate pro- fessor of government at Michigan State Former Lansing official key player in Flint crisis University, attributed it to the emergency manager law itself. OF THE WEEK With angry residents toting bottles of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. “As a general criticism of the emergen- and jugs full of muddy-colored liquid, “We have a continuing commitment to cy manager law, the fact is local elected Flint’s City Council approved a resolution maintain water safety and to improve wa- officials are better equipped to respond in March 2015 calling on the city’s emer- ter quality, and have dedicated resources to the concerns of citizens,” he said. “The gency manager to “do all things possible” to assure this commitment will be made.” emergency manager is laser focused on to switch from the Flint River as the city's Ambrose argued that a switch back to saving money rather than other concerns water source. That was nearly a year af- Detroit water would cost Flint residents that would come forward.” ter the city had shifted its source from the an additional $12 million a year but do- He said the Flint water crisis was a Detroit River to save money. ing so was unlikely to address the water succession of failures, bureaucratic and But emergency manager called the issues. legal, and that he was not prepared to as- resolution “incomprehensible.” He de- “Changing the source of the city’s wa- sess any blame to one specific person yet. fended the water as safe. ter would not necessarily change any of Ambrose’s role in the crisis is likely to That emergency manager was Jerry the aesthetics of the water, including odor leave him spending a lot of time in the of- Ambrose, well known in Lansing.