Texas Governor Greg Abbott releases statement on horrific church shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas Sunday.

Photo taken by WLWT Channel 5 News Cincinnati.

By Editor & Publisher Jeff Brown.

Tragically, 26 people were killed Sunday in a shooting inside of a church in Sutherland,Texas. According to local law enforcement, the shooter has been identified as Devin Patrick Kelley age 26. Many others inside the church were wounded. The suspect was found dead inside his car, not far from the scene of the shooting.

Governor Abbott has released the following statement on the shooting in Sutherland Springs, TX.

"While the details of this horrific act are still under investigation, Cecilia and I want to send our sincerest thoughts and prayers to all those who have been affected by this evil act. I want to thank law enforcement for their response and ask that all Texans pray for the Sutherland Springs community during this time of mourning and loss."

Harvest Festival in Detroit east side neighborhood takes on soggy night and Statue of Liberty?

Photo Purple Walrus Press.

By Editor & Publisher Jeff Brown.

The Farnsworth neighborhood Harvest Festival held on Moran Street on Detroit's east side in the Motor City Saturday night, November 4, was at once interesting, intriguing and well worth the drive from Ypsilanti, even in the driving rain. In other words, I'm glad I braved the the weather and unexpected traffic jam on 94 E. to make it on time for the annual neighborhood festival.

The Harvest Festival was held in a vacant lot near the corner of Farnsworth and Moran, which is located off  of East Grand Boulevard in Detroit. As far as food and drink on the rainy Sunday evening, there was plenty. Several tables, under canopy, were set up in the lot in close proximity to a outdoor wood burning stove. Apparently, the wood burning stove stays put there in the vacant lot all year round. The lot definitely seems to be a neighborhood gathering area.

Lets talk food. Two tables were stacked with fresh pieces of wood-stove made and delicious mounds of pizza slices, topped with olives, artichoke, tomatoes, mushrooms, green pepper and mozzarella. This was no ordinary pizza, this stuff stuck to your ribs. Another table featured a steaming hearty lentil soup. Perfect for an outdoor harvest festival on a rainy night in the Motor City. I sound like Anthony Bourdain! Scratch that...Bourdain is much cooler than I am.

A couple hours later came the event that everyone, well, almost everyone was waiting for. Word was that once darkness descended on the Detroit east side neighborhood, a giant previously constructed, um,  structure, was to be erected and set afire in a different vacant neighborhood lot located a block or two away. To be honest, this caused me a little concern. I mean, burning a pre made structure in a vacant lot? Well, I guess I've always been a cautious person and the whole burning thing was a bit out of my comfort zone. Go ahead and call me a square, it's ok. I should say that I was told that every year folks do notify the Fire Department before the burning part of the festival. That, I like.

So suddenly, the soon to be burned wood structure/figure appeared in the lot and it looked a heck of a lot like, ummm, the Statue of Liberty? Word was from one person I spoke to that, yes, the roughly three stories tall figure was meant as a representation of the Statue of Liberty. Well, there is quite a likeness. The figure was built by local Detroit artist Joe Weertz, who resides in the neighborhood. It was so interesting and striking to look at that I hated to see it burn. It took several attempts, but soon the figure of the Statue of Liberty was ablaze. I took a few more steps back. Honestly, I wasn't sure what to make of the fact that the figure was set on fire. Was the burning a political statement of some sort? Did the fact that the burned figure structure was meant to represent the Statue of Liberty signify a political message relating to policies under the Trump administration? In essence, was the burning figure making a political statement through art? I asked a couple people who said they didn't know. I wanted to speak to the artist who built the figure in order to find out what the burning of the figure structure was supposed to represent but I was unable to track him down. What the figure and subsequent burning of the figure represented is up to ones own artistic interpretation. I was reminded of the fact that the beauty of art lies in individual interpretation. Whether art offends or not, is in the eye of the beholder. Nonetheless, the event was interesting to observe...from a safe distance!

There was another key event at the Harvest Festival...Hayrides. Yes, hayrides! Two tractor pulled wooden wagons offered hayrides, with hay and everything, to anyone who wanted to hop on. This was very popular with the kids of course! The tractor hayride wound its way through several blocks in the east side neighborhood and judging from the smiles on the faces of hayriders, much fun was had and that is a good thing.

Photos Purple Walrus Press.

Statue of Liberty structure.

Statue of Liberty structure ablaze.

Moran Street building.

Store front on Moran Street.

U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell releases statement on House Republican's Tax Plan.

By Editor & Publisher Jeff Brown.

Thursday, November 2, 2017, House Republicans displayed their new tax bill, but the plan has raised a few eyebrows.

U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) has released the following statement on House Republican's tax plan.

"Working Americans should be at the heart of tax reform. Families in Michigan and across the country are looking to Congress to enact tax reform that provides real relief for childcare and education expenses, makes homeownership affordable and accessible and promotes retirement security. Instead, the GOP tax plan released today gives a multi-trillion dollar tax break to the wealthy and big corporations at the expense of working Americans who need it most.

“Particularly concerning is that this tax reform bill represents a one-two punch for the American people. After adding trillions to the debt in tax breaks for the wealthy, this plan paves the way for devastating cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and the programs families, children and seniors depend upon for health care and retirement security. This is unacceptable. Democrats fully support tax reform that puts working families first, promotes economic growth and makes our tax code simpler and fairer, but I will not support tax reform that adds $1.5 trillion to the deficit only to benefit the wealthy. Working families must benefit.”

Activist Melissa Mays on the Flint Water Crisis.

Photo politicscentral.org

Contributed to Purple Walrus Press by Melissa Mays of Flint.

Good morning everyone! Enjoy some of my sass as I talk about living in the #FlintWaterCrisis and fighting back. I just read what I said and sugar coated, it is not. Please call your Senators and Congressional Reps and demand they fund infrastructure for Flint. We need new mains, interior Plumbing and fixtures replaced. It's 1285 days since we've had clean water. And counting. Also, "Flint" airs again this Friday (11/3) on Lifetime at 8 pm EST

Read this article about Flint Water Crisis activist Melissa Mays that is written by Melanie McFarland of Salon.com.

Generally by the time Lifetime has gotten around to making a movie based on a true story, the headline-generating event in question typically has concluded. Not so with “Flint,” the cable channel’s fictionalized depiction of the Flint water crisis. When it debuts Saturday at 8 p.m. keep in mind that people like Melissa Mays and Nayyirah Shariff, activists depicted in the film by Marin Ireland and Jill Scott, are still contending with toxic water being piped into their homes.

Although Flint is in the process of replacing an estimated 20,000 lead-tainted water lines, that work isn’t required to be complete until 2020. In the meantime, Mays told Salon, “the longer they're waiting to pull the pipes out, the bacteria's worse, all the different cancer-causing byproducts are worse.”

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The water caused the spread of Legionnaires' disease, a potentially fatal lung infection.

Showering hurts, Mays said. “In Flint, the shower smells of chemicals. It burns your eyes, your nose. We have two shower head filters, and it still burns,” Mays said. “If you get a rash, every time the water touches it, it burns all over again . . . I cut my finger cooking and I almost put my hand under the sink, and you have to stop because it burns like fire. But also there's bacteria in there, which causes MRSA. We have a lot of skin infections.”

Even without wounds, Mays said, the water “makes your hair feel like straw, like you've had a ton of hairspray on it. Your skin starts to peel off your face. We're not even taking hot showers anymore because the bacteria and the cancer-causing byproducts are released into steam and you breathe it in. That's how people have died.”

The Case of the Ypsilanti Missing Sidewalk Next to Dom's Bakeries.

Photo Purple Walrus Press.

By Bob Resch. Purple Walrus Press.

I must admit to having a sweet tooth.  I'm a coffee and donut guy.
I've tried to break the habit but have been a miserable failure!!  I
assuage my guilt of consuming calories with exercise...especially
walking.   Dom's Donuts on Washtenaw Avenue is a favorite destination
for my craving.

Numerous times my journey through Normal Park takes me to Cross Street
then Anna Street.  As I prepare to make a left hand turn at Washtenaw
Avenue, I am met with,  not a sidewalk, BUT A 75 FOOT DIRT PATH NOT
MORE THAN TWO FEET WIDE  AND INCHES FROM A BUSTLING WASHTENAW AVENUE!
 Next to this dirt path is a short retaining wall that's just about to
topple from the weight of the hillside.  My instincts tell me: THIS IS
AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN!!

It's risky business if a pedestrian or bike rider doesn't time the
break in the eastbound traffic from the light at Mansfield.  If you
do, this allows you to traverse the 75 feet with relative
ease.....providing you're a normal healthy person.  If you don't time
the break in traffic, you're subject to traffic whizzing by at close
to 50mph. The wind whip from an AATA bus is a little disconcerting
especially since it's only about 3 feet from the curb.  Needless to
say this is NOT handicap accessible.

Recently, I was standing at the corner of Dom's parking lot surveying
the various elements to this story when a gentleman named Rodney, who
lives a block away, came out of Dom's with, you guessed it, a coffee
and a bag of donuts.  I introduced myself, and asked him if the
'missing sidewalk' bothered him. Rodney, who's lived here 33 years,
proceeded to tell me, very pointedly, that if he could, he would get a
couple of his friends and dig out the retaining wall and at least
widen the path.   WOW!!   I told him I was trying to find a solution
which brought a smile to his face.

My next move was to contact City Council member Beth Bashert who
informed me that Washtenaw Avenue is not City property, it is owned by
MDOT, so the City needs to co-ordinate with them, and then,  the
engineering people take it from there.  Money has to be allocated in
the budget as well. There are also questions concerning grade and
easement ( the use of someone's land for a specific purpose).  She
calls her explanation " a short version of the steps to greatness" and
she thanked me for bringing this issue to her attention.

I've heard Beth Bashert is a diligent, hardworking, results oriented
person and I believe that with her involvement, this fix will happen
sooner than later.

I can only imagine how big a smile the completed project will bring to
Rodney's face and many other Ypsilantians!