• WHAT: See Callie Barr and Dr. Bob Lorinsor who are candidates for US Congressional District MI-01
• WHEN: June 26th @ 6PM
• WHERE: Cheyboygan Opera House / 403 Huron Street

>> Click here to download the detailed event flyer!

Mr. Fisher, Oil & Water Don't Mix, & tribal bands helped organize a caravan of supporters from Michigan & travelled to Cincinnati, OH in March to be present during oral arguments outside the Federal courthouse.  Attorney General Dana Nessel's Office argued that natural resources belong to the public under Michigan's public trust doctrine & that the case against Enbridge, Inc. belongs in state court jurisdiction, not federal court.  Attorney General Nessel won a restraining order from a state judge in June 2020, although Enbridge was allowed to restart oil transport in Line 5 through the Straits of Mackinac after complying with safety requirements.  Afterwards Enbridge filed suit in Federal Court.

Fisher presented maps which showed the numerous Enbridge pipeline tributaries routing oil through Wisconsin & Michigan to Canada.  He noted that oil currently being transported through Line 5 could be transported instead through an alternate oil pipeline.  But, because it is a longer pipeline route, it would cost Enbridge more money & time, i.e. loss of profits.  Fisher also presented a map of the potential extent of an oil spill based upon lake currents & prevailing winds.  The spill map extends over Lake Huron to Ontario, Canada, the Upper Peninsula, & the northern portion of Lake Michigan to Wisconsin.

People residing in the counties near the Straits of Mackinac are frightened of an oil spill occurring from Enbridge Line 5.  What would that world be like?  Miles of Lake Michigan & Lake Huron shoreline would require months of oil abatement & clean-up.  Meanwhile, our source for piped-in clean drinking water would switch to bottles, a distribution nightmare.  Commercial & recreational fishing would stand still.  Tourists would cancel their beach cottage vacations.  Small lakeside business owners would close shop.  Michigan’s economy could not take a hit like this.  Northern Michigan’s shoreline consists of mom & pop motels, general stores, small cottage resorts, campgrounds, modest homes, 2nd homes for some, boat harbor towns & marinas, mixed in with miles of pristine clear beaches, hidden historic shipwrecks, sand dunes, & old forests of pine, oak, birch & beech.  There is a ruggedness here, & grit.  All of this is in jeopardy.

For up-to-date information concerning the lawsuit against Enbridge, click on the website below:

www.oilandwaterdontmix.org

This Christmas collection drive was really about Mr. Boyd Byelich, a member of the non-profit One Box, who is passionate about delivering whatever goods he can (other than food) to the Ukrainian people affected by the Russian invasion & destructive attacks on their country. 

It started when Boyd first volunteered at a refugee center in Poland shortly after the war began, as thousands of Ukrainians fled their homes with only a suitcase & the clothes on their backs.  Boyd returned to Rogers City & started collection drives for all those items you would consider important possessions to live in temporary quarters & chilling weather, often without electricity.  Boyd uses his home & garage to store & organize merchandise in large shipping boxes according to need.  Medical kits, toothbrushes, men’s coats & boots, flashlights/candles, playing cards, & socks get shipped to the Ukrainian army.  Women & children’s shoes, socks, underwear, coats, mittens, sweatshirts, pants, toys, backpacks, blankets, & art/school supplies are sent to orphanages, shelters, refugee centers or frontline villages. 

Boyd has been to Ukraine over 9 times since the war began & has learned the relief distribution network & met with their dedicated relief workers.  He drives to Detroit from Northeast Michigan nearly every week to deliver boxes for shipment by boat.  It costs about $50-60 to ship One Box to Ukraine.  Boyd uses Ukrainian shipping companies, & the goods take about 30 days to arrive there.  Boyd said shipping requires hands on involvement & trusted personal relationships to avoid goods ending up on the black market.  He makes sure his shipment deliveries arrive in Ukraine or Poland at their right destination.  When Boyd travels to Ukraine, he meets with local relief groups to assess needs & develop good relationships.  Sometimes with donated monies he will go shop in a large city & bring back whatever certain groups or families need, such as laundry or kitchen appliances.  Boyd wears a bulletproof vest near the front lines.  He communicates with sign language & Google Translate.

Anyone wishing to help can search the Facebook group “One Box for Ukraine” for Boyd Byelich’s contact information, more details about needed donations, as well as a link to their GoFundMe account.

Boyd Byelich received a standing ovation, & several hundred dollars in checks, after he spoke at the November Alpena Democratic Party membership meeting. 

Pictured is Boyd standing second from right holding an American/Ukrainian flag with members of the Alpena County Democratic Party, & a stack of the boxed goods handed over to One Box for Ukraine by them.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE!  These before & after photos of 2 wooden swings that were replaced, & the steel frames painted, demonstrate what a little money, bright-colored Rustoleum paint & 2 afternoons of volunteer labor can do.  This was a community service project to benefit users of McRae Park & Alpena's north side neighborhood, which was completed by volunteers from our Alpena County Democratic Party.  Also, an adjacent park bench was sanded & stained with protective weatherproofing, 3 child swing-set frames were painted, & a bouncy-ride received a bright blue facelift.  Almost $550 was donated by Alpena County Democrats to a GoFundMe account set up for this project.

The idea for this community project arose during a discussion at one of ACDP's occasional social dinners in early 2023.  This is why our gatherings are so important - they help us find ways to take positive action.

McRae Park is regularly used by summer baseball leagues, pickleball & basketball players, & families enjoying the playground equipment.  McRae Park has suffered from visible neglect over the years, but it's gotten recent attention this year from our local Democrats, the Lions Club & the City.  Our ACDP submitted a formal Adopt-A-Park application to the City of Alpena.

Next year we plan to help the McRae Park Association paint their Community Building (built in 1948) & hopefully incorporate a wished-for wall mural.  Small improvements like this, along with repaving Second Avenue beyond Miller Street, should help attract more visitors & small business development to Alpena's north side.

In July 2023 we made wonderful plans to enjoy a shipwreck tour around Thunder Bay on Lady Michigan with Attorney General Dana Nessel. 

But stormy seas made that impossible. 

Instead we & Dana Nessel took shelter in our local pub, The Black Sheep. 

Over a beer Dana spoke casually with our group of about 30 Dems & discussed some current issues on our minds:  Line 5 & upcoming oral arguments in Federal Court, prison reform, literacy, the Michigan State shooting & her twins in college, gun safety reform, LBGTQ rights, & the fake electors indictment.  

Michiganders are so fortunate to have Nessel as our lead prosecutor.

In April 2023 the ACDP participated in a postcard campaign directed at President Biden, asking him to request the Department of Justice to send the Line 5 Federal Court case back to the State Court here in Michigan.  Several thousand postcards were sent to President Biden from northeast Michigan counties.

For up-to-date information concerning the lawsuit against Enbridge, click here.