March 27-April 2, 2013 OFFICIAL Sunday, April 7th 57th Michigan Antiquarian Book & Paper Show PROGRAM 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Books, Postcards, Prints, Maps, Photographs, GUIDE Lansing Center • Downtown Lansing Magazines, Newspapers and More! INSIDE 2 www.lansingcitypulse.com City Pulse • March 27, 2013 PERFORMING ARTS Broadway Celebrating the Golden Age Beat of Broadway in dance. Thursday, March 28 at 7:30PM Directed by Vickie Diebold MSU’S WHARTON CENTER Thursday & Friday, Sir James Galway is joined by a stellar ensemble in this very special performance with works by April 4-5, 8pm Mozart, Debussy, Henry Mancini and more. Saturday, The living legend April 6, 2pm of the flute. Dart Auditorium, $5/10 Admission Info: 517-483-1488 $15 Student lcc.edu/showinfo & Youth Tickets! • Tickets: 517-372-0945 WHARTONCENTER.COM 1-800-WHARTON 30TH ANNIVERSARY lansingarts.org/events Media Sponsor Generously sponsored by ProAssurance Casualty Company. City Pulse • March 27, 2013 www.lansingcitypulse.com 3 Your Vote, DOWNLOAD THE Your Choice! WEB APP TODAY! MUSIC OF THE ‘80S IS IN THE LEAD! FREE Love it? Vote to keep it ahead. CONCERT Hate it? Vote to change it. Read the entire issue on WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5 7PM ADADO RIVERFRONT PARK your iPhone or iPad* Scan code or visit www.lansingsymphony.org for unlimited voting! VOTING STARTS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27 - MONDAY, APRIL 8 Download it from the Apple App store SPONSORED IN PART BY Saturday, April 13 at 1:30PM & 4PM Join the zaniness and laughter that never ends! Three former Cirque du Soleil stars juggle, stilt-walk and pratfall their way through pandemonium and slapstick. “Pure family fun.” -The New York Times TICKETS JUST $ *Not on an iPhone or iPad? Go to www.lansingcitypulse.com on any mobile device! WHARTONCENTER.COM • 1-800-WHARTON 30TH ANNIVERSARY Generously sponsored by Granger; Jackson National Life Insurance Company; Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts; and Mid-Michigan MRI. 4 www.lansingcitypulse.com City Pulse • March 27, 2013 VOL. 12 Feedback ISSUE 33 ‘This is absurd’ After reading the story, “Buried Cases” ‘Head in the sand’ Legislature (517) 371-5600 • Fax: (517) 999-6061 • 1905 E. Michigan Ave. • Lansing, MI 48912 • www.lansingcitypulse.com in the March 13 issue of City Pulse, by Steve Kudos to Walt Sorg for another ADVERTISING INQUIRIES: (517) 999-5061 Miller and Rich Tupica, I was very disturbed in-depth and brilliant piece on the PAGE CLASSIFIED AD INQUIRIES: (517) 999-5066 by the notions that information from the Medicaid expansion issue, something or email [email protected] cold case files could not be made available all Michiganders should be up in arms 6 (to the media) for reasons like: “…files are about. Not only is the Legislature on the EDITOR AND PUBLISHER • Berl Schwartz [email protected] • (517) 999-5061 scattered, with no readily available master verge of denying medical care to hun- MANAGING/NEWS EDITOR • Andy Balaskovitz list of victims. Anything really old is in stor- dreds of thousands of their fellow citi- Your tax dollars are going to clean up [email protected] • (517) 999-5064 age somewhere and cost [to] pull them is zens, the net result, as Sorg suggests is Confined Animal Feeding Operations ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR • Allan I. Ross expensive. That the cases are sitting boxes higher insurance premiums for the rest [email protected] • (517) 999-5068 and microfiche reels [and] we can’t have of us and a massive hole in the general PAGE PRODUCTION MANAGER • Rachel Harper one of our data people (pull them).” fund budget which will result in addi- [email protected] • (517) 999-5066 This is absurd. With today’s technologies tional harsh measures affecting all of us. 12 CALENDAR EDITOR • Dana Casadei for imaging, optical character recognition, The Legislature's inaction is not only fis- [email protected] • (517) 999-5069 image comparison and data base manage- cally irresponsible, it is a dereliction of STAFF WRITERS ment, there is no reason (except cost) that their duty to provide for the general wel- As the Lansing School District cuts elementary arts instructors, Lawrence Cosentino [email protected] • (517) 999-5063 these data from the boxes of files and micro- fare of their constituents. Obamacare community groups re-evaluate their roles Sam Inglot film can’t be put into a digital data base for has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme [email protected] • (517) 999-5065 the police & media use. It doesn’t take a “… Court and the continual denial of this by PAGE detective sergeant,” to pull this data, as indi- the Michigan Legislature is hard to com- MARKETING/PROMOTIONS COORDINATOR/ SOCIAL MEDIA CONSULTANT • Rich Tupica cated by the LPD Public Information Officer prehend. Such "liberal" stalwarts as Jan 26 [email protected] • (517) 999-6710 quoted in the story. In fact, it can easily be Brewer and Rick Scott have realized it is done by an entry-level clerk using simple foolish to turn down money that would ADVERTISING MANAGER Shelly Olson Community-supported agriculture cropping copier technology and intuitive software otherwise go to other States to help them [email protected] • (517) 999-6705 programs. Since privacy and data sensitivity provide for their vulnerable residents. up across mid-Michigan ADVERTISING are a valid concern, these programs allow for Our "head in the sand" Legislature is Denis Prisk high levels of image redaction techniques. punishing all of us for the sake of their COVER [email protected] • (517) 999-6704 Police officers researching old cases can eas- purist ideology. Contributors: Justin Bilicki, Bill Castanier, Mary C. Cusack, Tom ART Helma, Terry Link, Kyle Melinn, Dennis Preston, Paul Wozniak, Amanda ily conduct key word searches, visually over- Harrell-Seyburn, Ute Von Der Heyden, Judy Winter, Shawn Parker lay images where the software compares for — Robert Nelson Delivery drivers: Richard Bridenbaker, Dave Fisher, Karen differences, annotate and share files with East Lansing Navarra, Noelle Navarra, Brent Robison, Steve Stevens Interns: Darby Vermeulen, Hannah Scott, Dylan Sowle, other investigators in real time. Can these BUDGET WOES by RACHEL HARPER Justin Anderson, Marisol Dorantes capabilities help? Editor & Publisher Berl For the City Attorneys’ office to quote a CITY PULSE ON THE AIR Schwartz cost of $613.00 then $306.50 and then have Have something to say about a local issue the LPD sergeant say that he doesn’t have or an item that appeared in our pages? Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero 7 p.m. Wednesdays the time to help is confusing to me. If this Former Mayor David Hollister Now you have two ways to sound off: is about time & cost than technology can be Alice Brinkman, founder of REACH Art Studio of great help. It is past time that our City 1.) Write a letter to the editor. Bill Mathewson, Michigan Municipal League general counsel • E-mail: [email protected] THIS WEEK Council authorize the budget that will help • Snail mail: City Pulse, 1905 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing, MI 48912 our fine police department move into the • Fax: (517) 371-5800 21st century and acquire the technology to 2.) Write a guest column: Contact Berl Schwartz for more information: help solve some of these “Buried Cases.” If [email protected] only one case is solved and brings closure to or (517) 999-5061 one family, it is worth every dollar. (Please include your name, address and telephone number so we can reach you. Keep letters to 250 words or fewer. City Pulse reserves the right to edit letters and columns.) — Mark A. Bates Lansing This week on lansingcitypulse.com … BERNERO’S BUDGET, MARCH 25: The good news is that Lansing’s deficit is $4 million less than originally projected. The not-so-good-news is that Lansing residents may now have to pay for fire hydrants and streetlights to make up the remaining $5 million shortfall. NIOWAVE VOTE ON HOLD, MARCH 22: The long-awaited City Council vote on Niowave’s personal property tax exemption was tabled so that a local architecture firm can render some plans to improve the façade. MSUFCU GIVES $1M TO BROAD, MARCH 21: Michigan State University Federal Credit Union gave $1 million to the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum to help fund an annual series of lectures, performances and educational programs called the MSUFCU Artist Series. ON LSD, MARCH 21: The teachers in the Lansing School District have a new five-year contract. However, it didn’t come without sacrifice. Dozens of layoffs are expected and teachers are giving up planning time and pay increases. LCC HOUSES ON PATH TO DECONSTRUCTION, MARCH 21: The three houses purchased by Lansing Community College last year are slated for deconstruction, much to the dismay of a historic preservation group. Check out these stories and more only at lansingcitypulse.com City Pulse • March 27, 2013 www.lansingcitypulse.com 5 PULSE NEWS & OPINION ‘We’re not doing enough’ Mayor Bernero budgets for a cold-case detective C Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero It was written by Rich Tupica and Steve cluded that we’re not doing enough,” OF THE WEEK announced Monday that he wants to cre- Miller. Bernero said Monday. “We need to do ate a new position in the Lansing Police The original intent of the article more to get to the bottom of these cases Department dedicated to unsolved was to publicize unsolved homicides in and give the families hope.” homicides. He cited a March 18 City order to assist the Police Department. Bernero’s recommendation is part Pulse cover story as his inspiration. But when police officials said they did of his fiscal year 2014 budget, which The story, “Buried Cases: Lansing not have a list, the story shifted to why he presented to the City Council on Police lack organization with unsolved not.