Spartan Newsroom (https://news.jrn.msu.edu/category/news/community-news/ingham-county/meridian-township/okemos-meridian-township/)
Fresh International Market, previously the Oriental Mart, closed in September 2020 to renovate for four months and reopened in January 2021. The former Oriental Mart was the biggest Asian market in Meridian Township. It provided authentic Asian foods for local people. After the renovation, the market began to sell international foods.
With vaccines on the rise and an end to self-isolation in sight, HOMTV, Meridian Township’s government television station in Okemos, will broadcast its first live show of the year next week.
Some interns haven’t even been able to visit the newsroom. Bryanna Idzior, a senior at MSU and reporting intern at HOMTV, recently interviewed a source via Zoom while she was in the station. Other than the tour of the studio she received when she was first hired on, this was her first time in the newsroom.
“It’s kind of been amazing over the past year or so what journalists have learned what they can do remotely,” Idzior said. “Zoom has been a really great tool to get to speak with people.”
She will be a part of the team filming the Meridian News Now live show. They are planning on working after-hours at the station so that there are less full-time staff in the building to accommodate social distancing.
To illustrate the jigsaw puzzle that explains health and food disparities in low-income communities, comparisons between two low-income communities, Flint and Detroit, reveal a lack of grocery stores with affordable prices and the abundance of fast-food restaurant are key challenges linked to adverse health issues such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. “It basically confirmed that there’s a lot of junk food on kids’ menus in poorer neighborhoods of urban areas,” said Rick Sadler, assistant professor in MSU’s College of Human Medicine’s Division of Public Health — Flint campus, who co-authored in 2018 a study on how students who attend schools in urban areas with high levels of socioeconomic distress consume foods with low levels of nutritional value such as fast-food.
Fast-food frequency in Detroit
“The number of fast food restaurants are too many to count, but I would say more than 10,” said Detroit resident Darion Jackson. “It’s harder to find healthier options when all you’re surrounded with is fast food.”
This video recorded while driving through Detroit shows fast-food restaurants dominated city blocks. Kenneth Matthews, a Detroit resident, agrees with Jackson on the increasing number of fast food restaurant in the city. Systemic racism
Sadler credits systemic racism as the root cause for food disparities.
Carbon neutral by 2050
President-elect Joe Biden’s main goal in The Biden Plan is to stem climate change by reaching by 2050 carbon neutrality, which means emissions released are offset by being absorbed by an equivalent amount from the atmosphere.
To help achieve this goal, the President-elect aims to have U.S. electricity production carbon-free by 2035. “It’s attainable, yes, I think it is, but there are many prohibiting factors that could prevent it from happening,” said Bruno Takahashi, a research director at MSU’s Knight Center of Environmental Journalism and associate professor in the School of Journalism. A prohibiting factor could be Congress should it become Republican-controlled. Next month, the country will find out the Georgia Senate runoff results, determining party control. Despite the prospect of future administrations reversing the advancements Biden will potentially make, Takahashi is optimistic that the carbon-free goal is still attainable by 2050.
The Meridian Township Planning Commission discussed plans for a new bank that if approved for rezoning will be located at the Meridian Mall in front of Macy’s. The proposal states the building will encompass 2,500 square feet, feature two drive-thru tellers and one ATM lane. The bank will also include 25 parking spots and two access driveways that will connect to the southside of Mall Drive. Construction will begin in 2021.
The proposed location at 1982 Grand River Ave. Okemos, Michigan.
On this edition of Focal Point, we break down the results of the 2020 Election as of Friday, November 6. The MSU swim team makes its last dive, IM West reopens for the first time since the pandemic, and MSU’s football win against U-M results in a spike in COVID cases in Ingham County.
Thomas Gorman graduated in the spring from Okemos High School. After spending four years there, he knew there were some changes he wanted to see. So, he decided to do something about it. Gorman ran for the Okemos School Board in this election. Not only was this his first time on the ballot, but this was also the first general election he was eligible to vote in.
This story is about the new Supreme Court Judge Amy Coney Barrett and how the people of Ingham County are feeling about her controversial views on mainly climate change.
On this edition of Focal Point, President Donald Trump visits Lansing for the first time ever. Our team meets supporters and protestors at the rally. With admissions down at MSU, Jacob Lothamer investigates how the school is handling a $54 million loss in revenue. We preview MSU football’s massive matchup with Michigan and catch up with Jalen Watts-Jackson. Those stories and more on Focal Point.
Shade Moore investigates a ghost at Saddleback Barbecue in Okemos. During this halloween season, there was more than brisket, ribs and pulled pork on the menu. See how the customers and employees benefit from the “ghost” before it leaves for good!
The Meridian Mall Food Court entrance has the mall’s COVID-19 protective measures and protocols posted on it. (Photo/Isaiah Hall)
While there were challenges of operating a business during the pandemic, retailers in the Meridian Mall have been able to sustain their business because of its transition to new customer service approaches.
“The closures also provided an opportunity for innovation,” said Stacey Keating, senior director of public relations & corporate communications at CBL Properties, the Tennessee-based company that owns the Meridian Mall. “Many retailers quickly launched curbside delivery programs and restaurants ramped up their delivery and curbside takeout options. “New delivery and curbside programs are continuing to evolve and we expect this to be a trend into the holiday season and beyond. As restrictions were lifted and malls reopened, we’ve seen traffic slowly build, and retailers have reported that sales are healthy and conversion rates are high.”
Shoppers have more cash
Businesses in the mall credit part of the reason why the conversion rates — the percentage of users who visit the mall who purchase goods or services — are high is that people have more money in their pockets, said Kris Vezino, Meridian Mall Sunglass Hut Store manager.
