Detroit Finds

It’s no secret that today’s kids use their phones more than any other generation before. Whether it’s texting, using social media, or contributing to the four billion searches Google gets daily, kids are almost always on their phones. And while there are concerns with phone and Internet use among kids, a new study has found that texting and social media may be key to keeping children connected to their divorced parents.

With between 40 and 50% of marriages ending in divorce in the U.S., there are a lot of kids who have to manage seeing just one parent at a time. And this Kansas State University study shows that utilizing technology can help parents and their kids stay in contact when they’re not living together.

Study co-author Mindy Markham, an associate professor at KSU, and her colleagues looked at data from almost 400 divorced mothers and fathers who had kids between the ages of 10 and 18. The data showed three different types of co-parenting styles — conflicted, moderately engaged, and cooperative. Other factors that were considered included parental knowledge of the child, warmth and closeness from the parent, and inconsistent discipline.

Surprisingly, the researchers found that the co-parenting styles didn’t make as big of a difference as one may think. However, the frequency of communicated had a major impact.

When parents talked or messaged with their child once a month or less, the researchers found them to have less knowledge about their child. But the more contact children had with their parents, the stronger the relationship was.

Markham explained, “Preteens and teenagers probably have their own devices and are able to text, email or video chat with their nonresidential parent so the child can take more ownership of the relationship. I think frequent communication, whether it is in person or using communication technology, is really critical to making sure that the parent-child contact stays in place.”

According to psychologist Judy Malinowski, who was not involved with the study, “For young people, texting, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram — those are their preferred form of communication. What matters is the connection. Adults might not see something like texting as connecting, but kids view it as high-value connection.”

Unfortunately, children with divorced parents don’t always get to see both of their parents as often as they’d like. In fact, when children don’t live with their fathers, only 22% of fathers see their children more often than once a week.

When a child has their own way of communicating with the parent they aren’t with, they eliminate the risk of getting stuck in the middle of an argument between their parents — which is common when divorced couples do not have a cooperative relationship. With a divorce costing, on average, between $15,000 and $42,500, financial stress can further hurt an already fraught relationship. Additionally, parents don’t have to hesitate to call because they don’t have to go through their ex-spouse in order to talk to their child. This is beneficial for both the child and the parent.

So while parents often have concerns regarding how frequently their child is using their phone, in situations like divorce, texting and social media can play an integral, positive role in keeping children connected to their parents.

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Detroit Tigers (2-2) at New York Yankees (1-2)

Time/Place: 6:35 p.m., Yankee Stadium
SB Nation site: Pinstripe Alley
Media: Fox Sports Detroit, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Tyson Ross (8-9, 4.15 ERA) vs. RHP Domingo German (2-6, 5.57 ERA)

Gameday reading

Washtenaw County Community Mental Health is about to expand its mental health and substance abuse services. 

Starting May 1, a WCCMH team will offer ongoing treatment services to any county resident who is unable to  find a community provider in a timely manner. That's regardless of their insurance type or ability to pay for services.

"This will be a team that can respond to a crisis," said Trish Cortes, executive director of WCCMH. "And not only just respond to the crisis, but also help stabilize individuals until we can get them an appropriate provider."

Previously, WCCMH provided ongoing treatment only to residents with Medicaid coverage due to budgetary constraints.

"Now we're able to extend our full service array to those individuals who either don't have a form of insurance at all or whose private insurance doesn't provide the level of services that they need," said Kelly Bellus, clinical director of WCCMH.

Bellus said this will reduce inpatient hospitalizations, repeat ER visits, and incarceration.

"If we can intervene with them earlier and help them have their needs met, then we can prevent some of those things," said Bellus.

Bellus said even when clients have health insurance, they can face waitlists and delays in accessing an authorized provider. And she said health insurance doesn't cover many needed case management services like help wth getting housing or transportation.

The kinds of treatment services WCCMH says it will be able to provide include individual and group counseling, medication prescription and management services, peer support services, substance abuse recovery and support services, and veteran support services.

Cortes said the expansion is possible because of mental health millage dollars that first became available in January.

In November 2017, Washtenaw County residents voted two to one in favor of an eight year Community Mental Health and Public Safety Preservation Millage.

Cortes said the mental health portion of the millage is expected to generate about $6 million each year.

Since January 2019, WCCMH has hired and trained a number of new staff members so they'll be ready for the service expansion. Cortes said she expects the number to be 20-25 by May. The new staff will make up an interdiscplinary team with expertise in nursing, social work, crisis services, psychiatry, peer counseling, and addiction treatment.

Satellite sites in Western Washtenaw County and Whitmore Lake are expected to be added through the year to the existing offices in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.

Crain's reports that the Detroit Economic Growth Corp., the quasi-public entity that must approve district development plans, confirmed that no plans have been submitted for Ilitch-owned land on the northwest corner of Woodward Avenue and Interstate 75.

DEGC spokesperson Charlotte Fisher told Crain's, "There is no plan before the [Downtown Development Authority] for the development of this parcel but we are currently in ongoing discussions with [the] developer to identify next steps."

It doesn't appear that there will be any consequence for the billionaire Ilitch family, even though the DEGC already granted the Ilitches a one-year extension in June 2018.

This is, of course, nothing new. The Ilitches have failed to redevelop most of the District Detroit, and has missed deadlines for multiple other properties, including the Hotel Eddystone.

The Ilitches received nearly $400 million in direct taxpayer assistance to build an arena and a neighborhood around it that would sizzle with restaurants, bars, retail, residential, and nightlife. Instead, the District Detroit is a wasteland of blighted buildings, parking garages, and surface parking lots. What little development the district has seen — parking garages and a new headquarters for Little Caesars pizza — has not been what the Ilitches promised taxpayers in exchange for the money.

When one factors in other changes to its taxes, the Ilitch family's public incentive package is worth at least $740 million if the arena is open for 48 years, as the Ilitches say it will be. And though it continues missing deadlines, the family is still asking for more taxpayer money.

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - A Grand Rapids nonprofit that helps adults with developmental disabilities uses Founders Brewing Co.'s spent grain to make dog biscuits.

Beer City Dog Biscuits formed in 2018. With the assistance of Founders, it provides vocational training and employment to people who have developmental disabilities.

Employees are able to be part of all levels of the business, including baking and packing treats, processing orders and helping sell the biscuits.

The organization uses the proceeds from the treats -- made with the nonalcoholic, donated spent grains  -- to support its goal.

Spent grain is what is left behind after brewing beer. It contains proteins and minerals, and it is recycled in various ways by different breweries.

To find a store that sells the biscuits or buy treats online, click here.

Copyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.

By William J. Ford

Melanie Campbell flew to her native Florida to personally feel, hear and see the 20 Democratic presidential candidates debate on health care, race, foreign affairs and other topics Wednesday and Thursday.

The president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation in northwest D.C. said while she appreciated the diverse field of candidates onstage, she lamented that several key issues weren’t broached in the second round of debates Thursday, such as two important Supreme Court rulings earlier that day on gerrymandering and the 2020 Census citizenship question.

Additionally, Campbell said, there should have been more focus on voting rights, especially with past controversies in Florida.

“Why the moderator didn’t get into it? That was a concern with the people sitting around me,” she said during a phone interview after midnight Thursday. “That will have long-term implications.”

The candidates who debated Wednesday included New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker; former Obama administration official Julián Castro; New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio; former Maryland Rep. John Delaney; Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard; Washington Gov. Jay Inslee; Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar; former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke; Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan; and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Thursday featured Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet; former Vice President Joe Biden; South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg; New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand; California Sen. Kamala Harris; Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper; Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders; California Rep. Eric Swalwell; motivational speaker and author Marianne Williamson; and tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang.

Campbell said Castro “had command of that stage” Wednesday.

She said Thursday’s debate moved faster and was “a little bit more feisty,” especially when Harris (D-California) challenged Biden’s previous stance on busing.

“Sen. Harris was able to bring in racial justice perspective into the conversation,” said Campbell, who hasn’t endorsed any candidate. “You got to hear her tell her personal stories. That’s what I felt in the room from all kinds of folks. I felt Vice President Biden wasn’t ready and didn’t seem to be ready about the concerns of the whole issue dealing with bipartisanship and working with folks who are segregationists and busing.”

Political pundits and commentators posted similar thoughts on social media.

“I’ve watched the debates from start to finish again,” activist and journalist Shaun King tweeted Friday. “I think the two biggest winners were Julián Castro & Kamala Harris. I think the two biggest losers were Beto O’Rouke & Joe Biden.”

As for Campbell, she said voters shouldn’t focus on the number of candidates running, but on their respective positions and how they propose to improve the Black community.

Also, she said, pay attention to any future Republican presidential debates.

“I do believe it is a historic moment we are in,” Campbell said. “It is not just a generational shift, but young people need to feel this and know what’s going on. This is important.”

This article originally appeared in the Washington Informer. 

As with every year, the Detroit Lions’ undrafted rookie signings seem to have drummed up some excitement with the fanbase. Undrafted free agents (UDFAs) make for great underdog stories and provide fans with hope at positions left unaddressed in the draft or players that were surprisingly looked over.

Admittedly, there are some actual reasons for Lions fans to be hopeful of this year’s class of post-draft signings. Wisconsin’s Beau Benzschawel may not only contend for a roster spot, but could theoretically even be a long-term solution at right guard. The fact that he had offers from over 20 different teams shows just how high of a UDFA priority he was.

Additionally, the Lions gave San Diego State offensive tackle Ryan Pope $145,000 guaranteed, suggesting he had a lot of suitors too. Throw in a raw talent like defensive end Malik Carney, and you have three players that could realistically make the 53-man roster—a pretty impressive haul for one year of UDFAs.

But not everyone is impressed. Thor Nystrom from Rotoworld ranked all 32 teams’ UDFA classes based on his own pre-draft prospect rankings. The Lions came out just 17th in his rankings. (Hey look, he used RAS!)

Nystrom doesn’t say much about the Lions’ class, only that he’s surprised Benzschawel didn’t get drafted.

“Per reports, Benzschawel had contract offers from half the league or more — the Vikings were among teams burning up his phone line when the draft concluded on Saturday night,” Nystrom wrote. “I was lower on Benzschawel than some, but I still found it odd he didn’t get drafted.”

Benzschawel placed 150th in Nystrom’s class rankings, while Carney (220), Stetson tight end Donald Parham (288) and Pope (300) all just barely cracked his 300.

Obviously this is just one analyst’s opinion, but it’s always interesting to see how the national media perceives the Lions’ moves.

According to the Detroit Tigers, they have placed infielder Josh Harrison on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder contusion. In a corresponding move, Harold Castro has been recalled from Triple-A Toledo.

In an additional move, to make room for Castro on the 40-man roster, Matt Moore has been transferred to the 60-day IL.