ELECTION 2024
VOTER GUIDE: Who is running for MSU trustee?
By Theo Scheer tscheer@statenews.com
Eight candidates are competing for two open seats on Michigan State University’s Board of Trustees this November, in an election that comes at a pivotal time in the university’s history.
MSU’s board is tasked with overseeing the president and making bigpicture decisions about the university’s finances and operations. Their terms last eight years, with two seats opening up every two years. The trustees are elected in statewide partisan races, and occasionally appointed by the governor if a trustees’ resignation or other circumstances result in a vacated seat during a term. Two open seats are up for grabs: Trustee Dianne
Byrum isn’t seeking a third term and Board Chair Dan Kelly, whose term is ending, wasn’t renominated by state Republicans.
Faced with relentless protests by students demanding divestment from Israel, scrutiny over its role in the Mel Tucker scandal, the lasting effects of disgraced ex-MSU doctor Larry Nassar’s abuse, and internal dysfunction, the board has often been embroiled in controversy.
In March, the board voted to ask the governor to consider removing two of its own members for violating university policies.
The decision came after an outside investigation found that Trustees Rema Vassar and Dennis Denno interfered in university investigations and lawsuits, accepted gifts from donors and encouraged
students to embarrass and attack their colleagues, among other things.
The candidates are well aware of the public mistrust of the board, though some are less familiar with the specifics of what caused it. Many candidates did not read the report that suggested Gov. Gretchen Whitmer consider the removal of Vassar and Denno, and some weren’t familiar with the details of other university issues.
Of the candidates that responded to The State News’ requests for comment, all want to keep tuition low, ensure student safety and promote transparency; most are ambivalent towards divestment and none support the removal of Vassar and Denno from the board.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Illustrations by Zachary Balcoff.
[VOTER
[VOTER
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2024
FALL TEAM
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
CONTACT THE STATE NEWS
(517) 295-1680
NEWSROOM/CORRECTIONS (517) 295-5149
feedback@statenews.com
GENERAL MANAGER Christopher Richert
ADVERTISING
M-F, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The State News is published by the students of Michigan State University every other Tuesday during the academic year. News is updated seven days a week at statenews.com.
State News Inc. is a private, nonprofit corporation. Its current 990 tax form is available for review upon request at 435 E. Grand River Ave. during business hours.
One copy of this newspaper is available free of charge to any member of the MSU community. Additional copies available at The State News office for a fee.
Copyright © 2024 State News Inc., East Lansing, Michigan
Project 2025 would alter curriculum, financial aid, Title IX enforcement at MSU
By Emilio Perez Ibarguen eibarguen@statenews.com
Over the nearly two-year span of this election cycle, one document has risen to the forefront of political debate. At Michigan State University, its contained proposals could potentially change how Title IX violations are investigated, make it harder to access financial aid and alter the curriculum for certain fields.
Project 2025, officially titled “Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise,” is a 922page book published by The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Within its pages is an outline for a radical transformation of the federal government led by a future conservative presidency.
An MSU law professor, Adam Candeub, is credited for one chapter in Project 2025 focused on potential changes to the Federal Trade Commission.
Since its original publication in 2022, Democrats have pointed to Project 2025’s proposed reforms as a blueprint for what a potential second Trump presidency would look like. In response, Trump and other Republicans have distanced
themselves from its content. Others have noted that several contributors to Project 2025 are former Trump administration officials.
The chapter most relevant to MSU is chapter 11, focused on reforming the Department of Education. Within the chapter, its author calls for abolishing the department, drastically cutting the availability of federal student loans and revamping university curriculums to serve “American interests.”
Chapter 11 of Project 2025, written by Lindsey Burke, opens with a straightforward mission statement: “Federal education policy should be limited and, ultimately, the federal Department of Education should be eliminated.”
ROLLING BACK TITLE IX PROTECTIONS
Title IX is a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance. Project 2025 calls for the next conservative administration to roll back current Title IX regulations to those established by Trump’s Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos.
The Biden administration’s rules, which only went into effect Aug.
1 of this year, added protections for non-binary and transgender students as well as eliminated the mandate for live hearings and crossexamination as parts of resolving Title IX complaints on college campuses.
These regulations, writes Burke, “trample women’s and girls’ athletic opportunities and due process on campus.”
After rolling back Title IX regulations, Burke writes, the next administration should work with Congress to further amend Title IX with “additional insistence that ‘sex’ is properly understood as a fixed biological fact.” In doing this, it would be more difficult for nonbinary and transgender students to file Title IX complaints when they’re discriminated against on the basis of their gender identity.
Additionally, Project 2025 calls for the Office of Civil Rights, the federal agency responsible for enforcing nondiscrimination laws such as Title IX, to drop all ongoing investigations. According to the federal government, the Office of Civil Rights is currently conducting 22 investigations into MSU for potential violations. Seven of those cases are related to Title IX.
PRIVATIZING STUDENT LOANS AND CLOSING COLLEGE OUTREACH PROGRAMS
In chapter 11 of Project 2025, Burke also argues that the next conservative administration should “overhaul the federal student loan program for the benefit of taxpayers and students.”
Burke recommends that all lending programs run by the federal government be privatized, meaning people would have to get their student loans from private lenders offering loans at market price. Project 2025 does specify that Pell grants, meant to assist low-income students in paying for school, should be preserved.
Many of the reforms outlined in chapter 11 are pursued in the name of cost-cutting, a recurring theme throughout Project 2025. Among the programs slated for elimination or privatization is GEAR UP, a college access initiative funded with federal dollars that helps disadvantaged students reach higher education.
At MSU, GEAR UP is carried out through the Office of College Access Initiatives which partners with local school districts to provide students with information on financial aid and college admissions. The program also helps prepare high school seniors for
undergraduate education and offers some scholarships.
Burke recommends eliminating GEAR UP entirely, writing that “it is not the responsibility of the federal government to provide taxpayer dollars to create a pipeline from high school to college.”
Director of the Office of College Access Initiatives Stephanie Anthony said that by eliminating GEAR UP, the future administration would rob students of a valuable avenue to college. Anthony added that the students most affected would be those without the financial support to get them to college alone.
“The purpose of a program like GEAR UP is to, as much as possible, level the playing field so that every young person has an opportunity to excel, to learn and grow,” Anthony said. “To eliminate GEAR UP would take that opportunity away for students.”
Undoubtedly, Anthony said, the students GEAR UP serves would also be negatively affected by the privatization of student loans.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer acts in a Tik Tok for the MSU Chicks Instagram page with current Kappa Alpha Theta members at the Alpha Kappa chapter of the Alpha Kappa Theta sorority in East Lansing, Michigan on Oct. 8, 2024. Kappa Alpha Theta was the sorority Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was a part of during her years at Michigan State University. Photo by Maya Kolton.
FROM COVER: Who is running for MSU trustee?
REBECCA BAHAR-COOK
Rebecca Bahar-Cook, a Democrat and CEO of a Lansing consulting firm, says she wants to bring the board together, increase student enrollment and lower tuition rates.
The former Ingham County commissioner and MSU alum says she’ll use her political experience to encourage collaboration.
Bahar-Cook is not open to discussions of divestment, saying the university needs to support Israel as long as it’s an ally. She does support the unionization efforts on campus, and said she would voluntarily recognize the unions.
While Vassar and Denno might have misstepped in their conversations with students, Bahar-Cook said, she thinks they shouldn’t be removed because they “didn’t derelict their duties, they didn’t bankrupt the university.”
GRANT BAKER
MIKE BALOW
Mike Balow, a Republican and parent of an MSU alum, wants to ensure transparency and promote dialogue at MSU.
MSU’s self-described “ninth trustee,” Balow is a constant presence at board meetings and university events. He narrowly lost the race in 2022.
Balow intends to have university staff reach out to everyone who signs up for public comment at board meetings to see whether MSU leaders can personally address their issues. He thinks trustees should be less secretive and hold meetings more often.
Balow says Whitmer shouldn’t remove Vassar and Denno, as their behavior wasn’t criminal and largely was well-intended, though he said telling students to smear their colleagues was inappropriate.
He has been a longtime advocate for bringing back MSU’s dissolved swim and dive team.
Grant Baker is a member of the Libertarian Party. Baker did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
JOHN SANGER
John Sanger is a member of the U.S. Taxpayers Party and ran unsuccessfully for trustee in the past two elections. Sanger did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
JANET SANGER
Janet Sanger is a member of the U.S. Taxpayers Party and ran unsuccessfully for trustee in the past two elections. Sanger did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
John Anthony La Pietra, a member of the Green Party, works as a lawyer in Marshall.
La Pietra supports MSU divesting from Israel. He also wants to protect the free speech of students who are calling for divestment and anyone protesting “other genocides and assaults on peoples,” La Pietra said.
He said he’d like to expand the MSU Extension program to further the university’s reach across the state, advocate for free tuition and better position Michigan against climate change by considering reducing usage of pesticides and expanding vegan dining options on campus.
While La Pietra hasn’t fully analyzed the report that recommended Vassar and Denno’s removal, he said he’s not sure if it’s a good idea to let Whitmer remove them.
“I’d be inclined to not let one public official override the voters on that,” he said.
A CHANGING BOARD
Candidates in this election have the benefit of distance from MSU’s troubled board as none of them have previously worked at the university.
Several voters told The State News that they’re happy to see fresh faces on the ballot, considering the university’s past.
“We’re really close to finally getting to a point where there’s no board members who were on the board at the time of (the Nassar scandal),” said Melissa Hudecz, an occupational therapist and Nassar survivor. “I am happy to see fresh faces and looking forward to what they can do.”
The desire to clean house at MSU may have
JULIE MADAY
Julie Maday, a former Novi City Council member and parent of an MSU alum, says she would offer stability and promote collaboration to the board.
A Republican, Maday said careless decisionmaking by university leadership has put MSU in avoidable situations, like the board controversy, the ousting of former business dean Sanjay Gupta, and the cutting of its swim and dive team.
To ensure the university’s affordability, she wants to prevent “wasting” money on avoidable lawsuits.
Maday would advocate against transgender women participating in women’s sports “if it ever came up,” she said.
She says she is not informed enough on divestment to offer a stance, but is willing to meet with students.
cost Kelly, the board chair, his renomination.
Matt Wilk, a Republican delegate, said he didn’t vote for Kelly at the Michigan Republican convention in August because of his proximity to the Nassar scandal, among other controversies.
“At the end of the day, you were there when all these bad things happened,” Wilk said of Kelly.
Kelly, for his part, told The State News in September that being on the board during the aftermath of Nassar “certainly was not the sole reason” he didn’t get the nomination.
“So, could it have played a part? You’d have to ask every delegate that voted,” he said. “It’s speculation one way or another, but I stand
THOMAS STALLWORTH
Thomas Stallworth, a longtime Detroit lawmaker and Democrat, wants to make MSU more affordable and safe. Stallworth, an MSU alum, says he would campaign the state government for more funding for higher education. He would try to reduce unnecessary spending within the university, namely litigation resulting from situations like the Mel Tucker scandal, by “building a culture that rewards the appropriate behavior and punishes the inappropriate.”
Stallworth says he will ensure that MSU is continuing to follow recommendations for improving campus safety after the February 2023 mass shooting, though he was at first not aware that an outside review, which provided safety recommendations, had occurred.
While Stallworth is not yet convinced divestment is the path toward a ceasefire, he says he’ll listen to student demands.
Though he hasn’t read the report that recommended Whitmer consider the removal of Vassar and Denno, Stallworth says he hasn’t seen any “egregious” behavior that warrants removal.
by my record with regard to supporting … survivors and what they’ve asked for.”
This election could also change the makeup of the board in a different way: should the two Democrats on the ballot both be voted in, the board would be without a single Republican member.
That would be the first time since 1909 — when MSU’s board switched from being appointed to elected — that there hasn’t been at least one Republican on the board, MIRS reported.
Currently, Kelly is the sole Republican. Administration Reporter Owen McCarthy contributed reporting.
Thomas Stallworth. Photo courtesy of Thomas Stallworth.
Rebecca Bahar-Cook.
Photo by Owen McCarthy. Mike Balow. Photo courtesy of Mike Balow.
Julie Maday. Photo courtesy of Julie Maday.
JOHN ANTHONY LA PIETRA
John Anthony La Pietra. Photo courtesy of John Anthony La Pietra.
The Michigan Supreme Court is Chosen by The People, the U.S. Supreme Court is Not
The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the state, making decisions on critical issues that impact everyone. It’s important to know the citizens of Michigan have the power to elect the people who are entrusted with this vital role in our state government.
During any given term, issues that come before the Michigan Supreme Court can include civil rights, environmental regulations, criminal justice, reproductive rights, gun safety, fair elections, and more. The justices who serve on the court help shape Michigan’s future, reviewing over 2,000 appeals every year and choosing the most complex, significant cases to help ensure a just and fair outcome.
Michigan is one of only 24 states that empowers voters to elect state Supreme Court justices, which is a civic duty as important as any choice you make on your ballot.
This is completely di erent from United States Supreme Court justices, who are nominated by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Although both the U.S. Supreme Court and the Michigan Supreme Court act as the final authority in interpreting laws and judicial rules at the federal and state level, respectively, there are other di erences, too.
Unlike U.S. Supreme Court justices, who serve for life, Michigan Supreme Court justices are elected for eight-year terms. Candidates for the Michigan Supreme Court must be a qualified elector, a licensed Michigan lawyer for five years, and under the age of 70 at the time of their election.
Seven justices serve on the Michigan Supreme Court at a time. When their term is complete, they can run for re-election if they meet the requirements. In 2024, Justice Kyra Harris Bolden is the only incumbent running for re-election. She is the first Black woman to serve on the Michigan Supreme Court, having been appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2022 when a vacancy on the court needed to be filled. That is part of the process in Michigan, and is the only time a Supreme Court justice is appointed and not elected.
Although Justice Bolden may not have been a household name at the time, she previously served in the state House for four years. During her time in the House, Justice Bolden sat on the Judiciary Committee and introduced bipartisan legislation designed to protect citizens’ rights. Before that, she was a litigation attorney. These are the kinds of qualifications that ensure that Michigan Supreme Court justices understand the rule of law, the importance of fairness and equity, and demonstrate the level of integrity and education this important role requires.
Supreme Court justices in Michigan must be nominated by a political party, but their political a liation is not included on voters’ ballots. So it’s essential to take time to understand the values and experience of candidates once they are o cially nominated, especially if you want to ensure a balanced court that will protect the rights and freedoms of everyone in Michigan.
This year, Michigan voters will choose who fills two open spots on the Michigan Supreme Court. The votes you cast can make an impact for a generation. That’s why it’s essential to understand how to vote for Michigan Supreme Court justices.
Even if you vote a straight-party ticket, you must individually cast your vote for justices in the non-partisan section of your ballot. It’s easy to find – if you know to be looking for it. So don’t stop at the top! Keep going through your entire ballot to vote for two Supreme Court justices in the non-partisan section.
Every election – and every vote – matters. Learn more about your voting rights, get more information about the Michigan Supreme Court, and check out what the non-partisan section of your ballot will look like. Visit www.misupremecourtrocks.com for all this and more.
- Abigail Slate, Deputy State Director of For Michigan
STUDENTS MULL OVER IMMIGRATION, ABORTION, WAR IN GAZA HEADING INTO ELECTION DAY
By Emilio Perez Ibarguen eibarguen@statenews.com
In one week, on Nov. 5, tens of millions of Americans will vote to decide whether Kamala Harris or Donald Trump will be the 47th president of the United States. At Michigan State University, students continue to mull over their values and positions on various issues as they prepare to cast their ballot.
Compared to voters in overwhelmingly liberal or conservative states like California and Texas, voters in Michigan find themselves in one of the most fiercely contested swing states in the nation. The results of the election will likely hinge on which party can win in Michigan, alongside Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona and a few other key battleground states.
At the same time, college students constitute a significant voting bloc with the potential ability to swing the election in either direction. In 2022, the Michigan Department of Education reported Michigan’s total college enrollment to be 487,548. That population is more than triple Joe Biden’s margin of victory in Michigan during the 2020 election.
How students ultimately decide to vote, then, could have an immense effect on the outcome of the election.
Kinesiology sophomore Cal Handyside
said he plans on voting and has spent time trying to “get through” to his roommate who believes their vote doesn’t matter. Handyside said that beyond his interest in defending abortion rights and preserving the Affordable Care Act, he’s motivated to vote because of Trump’s increasingly extreme rhetoric surrounding immigration.
“When Donald Trump says immigrants are poisoning the blood of America, that is quite literally Nazi rhetoric,” Handyside said, referencing Trump’s comments at a rally in 2023. “Hitler said that. That’s shocking that he has been allowed to have that kind of platform.”
For kinesiology freshman Thomas Kelly, who is planning on voting in his home state of Massachusetts, immigration represents one issue that is pushing him to vote for Trump “at this moment.”
“(Massachusetts) holds a lot of immigrants, and I think that’s kind of an issue, especially in the country,” Kelly said. “There have been killings, assaults and stuff. So that’s one issue I’m addressing.”
Throughout the campaign, Trump and other Republicans have highlighted violent murders and assaults committed by undocumented immigrants to attack Biden and Harris for being too soft on crime and illegal immigration. However, national data has indicated that there is little to no connection
between immigration and crime rates.
Kelly did criticize Trump for his “high ego,” and reliance on name value, something Kelly said has caused him to make irresponsible comments in person and online.
“I think he talks too much,” Kelly said. “I think he’s too loud and he makes himself look like an idiot. It reflects poorly on our country.” Communicative sciences and disorders sophomore Eliza Van Ee said she plans on voting for Harris because “she cares about people,” and fears that a second Trump presidency would limit her rights, as a bisexual woman, to “be with who I want to be.” Van Ee also pointed to Trump’s status as a convicted felon and his rhetoric around women of color as factors that turn her away from voting for him.
“The way he talks about women, I don’t like the way he talks about people of color, and he wants to make the rich richer,” Van Ee said. “He doesn’t care about creating a more harmonious country.”
Since Harris replaced Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket in July, one issue she has consistently struggled with, particularly with young people, is the current administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war. In the spring, over 100,000 people voted uncommitted in the Michigan Democratic primary as a protest against Biden’s ongoing support of Israel and some activists are still
deciding whether to withhold their vote as an additional protest.
Although finance sophomore Judy Fayed’s non-citizen status makes her ineligible to vote, she expressed sympathy with those who are vehemently against Trump but cannot bring themselves to vote for Harris. Fayed said that Harris’ commitment to supplying Israel with weapons is incompatible with her simultaneous promise to address Palestinians’ suffering.
“I’m literally Arab and it sucks to see your own people getting murdered every day and there’s nothing you can do about it,” Fayed said. “For them to be like ‘Yeah, we’re gonna keep doing that’ and then doing the whole ‘Oh, we’re gonna give aid’ bit. Guys, just shut up.”
Noting that “the bar is in Hell,” however, Fayed also said she understands those who choose to vote for Harris in order to prevent Trump from being elected.
When polls close next Tuesday, it’s entirely possible that the winner of the election may not be clear until days later. For students whose phones, emails and televisions have been inundated with political messaging, Nov. 5 will, at least, represent the end to a long and arduous election season.
“I realize the importance of (voting), but my entire feed is just ‘this politician did this, this politician does this,’” Handyside said. “It’s a little bit straining.”
Illustration by Grace Montgomery.
MSU student organizers push to cancel classes on Election Day
By Emilio Perez Ibarguen eibarguen@statenews.com
The last time Michigan State University students came out in droves to vote, for the 2022 midterm election, they did so on top of a full day of classes, work and extracurriculars. Some students, particularly those voting at Brody Hall, had to wait nearly four hours in line before casting their ballots.
For social relations and policy juniors Vasily Yevseyev and Addysen Russel, those conditions present an unfair barrier to voting. For students who work during the day or carry heavy course loads, Yevseyev and Russel said, these barriers to voting further discourage students from participating in the electoral process.
Their proposed solution? Get the MSU administration to recognize Election Day as a university holiday, meaning no classes would be held that day.
Yevseyev and Russel, co-founders of the MSU chapter of Un-Pac, said they met with a few university trustees in the spring to propose their election day holiday initiative. What they were told then, said Yevseyev, is that they lacked evidence showing sufficient student support for their proposal.
Since then, Yevseyev and Russel, alongside a handful of student volunteers, have begun to canvass academic buildings and residence halls across campus, collecting signatures to demonstrate student interest in their cause. Currently, the group has collected roughly 1,100 student signatures.
“Gathering signatures and gathering interests among the student body is key. But then also building power with faculty, who may be passionate about this, and with the unions, who many of their members are already volunteering around election season and may be interested in collaborating too.”
Stuart Baum 2019 President of Wayne State’s Student Senate
Russel said the group aims to amass 3,000 signatures by the end of the academic year. That does mean, however, that the group’s ultimate
goal of having classes canceled on election day would not be relevant until 2026, when the next general election will be held.
“Even if we don’t have our demands (met),” Yevseyev said. “Elections are still going to happen after this election, and by getting our name out there, we’re putting the idea into the student body’s mind.”
This is not the first time that students at MSU have attempted to lobby university administration over this issue. Most recently, in 2021, the Associated Students Of Michigan State University (ASMSU) recommended that the administration hold no classes on election day as part of a larger restructuring of the academic calendar. That proposal was ultimately rejected over concerns that the added day off would unbalance the calendar.
Georgia Frost, the president of ASMSU’s general assembly in 2021, said one large obstacle that prevented the university from accepting the proposal was that election day lacks recognition as a federal holiday. Frost said that it’s more difficult for the university to create rules and holidays that don’t fall in line within federal designation.
“(MSU) has much more leverage to have special programming and special accommodations for other federally recognized dates,” Frost said. “The fact that election day doesn’t have that means that they don’t have that to use as a launching point.”
However, Frost expressed skepticism over the university’s reasoning for blocking the proposal. For other dates such as fall break, she said, the university has had no problem moving around the calendar to make it work.
Ultimately, Frost chalked up ASMSU’s inability to get the election day proposal approved to a lack of “appetite” from the university. If the combined willpower of students, faculty and administration existed, she said, the proposal may have passed.
In 2019, just a few years before Frost’s ASMSU attempts, students at Wayne State University pressured their administration with a similar goal. The only difference? They succeeded.
Stuart Baum, president of Wayne State’s student senate in 2019, said their proposal to get classes canceled on election day was only one element of a larger voter enfranchisement package. Baum said their initial goal was to open an on-campus voting location and only later included the holiday initiative after hearing concerns from the student body.
In the years since then, the university has seen an impressively high amount of political engagement from its student body. In the 2020 election, according to Wayne State, more than 90% of students there registered to vote and 73.5% ultimately came out to vote.
What led to the proposal’s success, Baum said, was that the students, university and the city of Detroit all had aligning interests that generated
the necessary political willpower. The students were eager to make voting easier for themselves, the university wanted to affirm its commitment to civil rights and the city was interested in opening another polling location. Those overlapping interests made for a collaborative process rather than one mired in administrative infighting.
For the student organizers of Un-PAC, who are operating outside the confines of student government and thus don’t have a direct line to the administration, that amount of willpower might appear harder to generate. However, Baum said, the key to success still lies in building a coalition with those who have similar interests.
“Gathering signatures and gathering interests among the student body is key,” Baum said. “But then also building power with faculty, who may be passionate about this, and with the unions, who many of their members are already volunteering around election season and may be interested in collaborating too.”
Illustration by Morgan Struss.
Illustration by Grace Montgomery.
United States President
THE ISSUES
ABORTION
Ban or legal?
KAMALA HARRIS
CLIMATE CHANGE
Should climate change be a top priority?
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
How to ensure effectiveness and fairness in law enforcement?
ECONOMY
How to improve the economy and make daily life more affordable.
EDUCATION
Limit teaching about racism and gender identity?
ELECTIONS
Did Joe Biden win the 2020 Presidential election?
GUN LAWS
Loosen or tighten gun regulations?
HEALTHCARE
Repeal or expand the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare?
Legal. “Every woman should have the right to make decisions about her own body.” “This fight is about freedom.” With Biden, strengthened abortion pill access and abortion patient protections, overturned Trump Planned Parenthood federal funding ban. Would sign national abortion rights bill if Congress passed.
Yes. We’re seeing the climate crisis “every day…in real time.“ “We must do more.” Cast the deciding vote to commit $369 billion to climate and clean energy, the biggest investment in US history. Supported $1.2 trillion in infrastructure; includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions. No longer would ban hydraulic fracking.
Police are dedicated public servants. As a prosecutor increased felony convictions by one third. But “public safety requires community trust.” Has supported better training, banning choke holds, and prosecuting police misconduct.
Expand child tax credit. Give tax credits for affordable housing builders and subsidize first-time home buyers. Restrict price gouging on groceries and lower drug costs by negotiating prices. Supported bipartisan infrastructure bill.
No. In Florida “extremists… passed a law, ‘Don’t Say Gay,’ trying to instill fear in our teachers.” Now, “they want to replace history with lies,” teaching “that enslaved people benefited from slavery.” Children should be “taught the truth.”
Yes. “The [election] results were certified by state after state and reaffirmed by court after court.” “On January 6, we all saw what our nation would look like if the forces who seek to dismantle our democracy are successful.”
Tighten. “Every person deserves the freedom to live safe from gun violence.” Supported the bipartisan gun safety bill and required background checks for gun show & online sales.
Expand. “Health care is a right, not a privilege.” Cast a tiebreaking Senate vote to expand ACA & lower Medicare drug prices, including a $35 monthly insulin cost. Would link drug costs to costs that comparable wealthy nations pay.
Ban. “After 50 years of failure, I was able to kill Roe v. Wade.” Did so by appointing three anti-abortion Supreme Court Justices. It was “a miracle.” States should decide for themselves, potentially monitoring women’s pregnancies and prosecuting women for getting abortions. Abortion is “really not that big of an issue.”
No. Climate change is a “hoax.” The world will “start getting cooler.” Withdrew from the Paris climate pact. Will expand coal and oil production. “I want to drill, baby, drill.” Asked oil and gas executives to donate $1 billion so he could reverse Biden’s climate initiatives.
Police are “under siege.” Cut back active federal oversight of excess force, though supported a database to track it. Admires Chinese approach of quick trials and a death penalty for drug dealers so there will be a “zero drug problem.”
Increase taxes (tariffs) on imported goods. Cut housing demand with mass deportations. To lower prices, would deregulate businesses, rein in “wasteful federal spending” and unleash American energy. Opposed infrastructure bill.
Yes. Certify teachers who “embrace patriotic values.” Would “cut federal funding” for any school “pushing critical race theory, gender ideology.” Restricted diversity training for federal employees and contractors.
No. Called the election a “Big Lie” and a “Massive Fraud” that would justify “termination” of parts of Constitution. Called those who stormed U.S. Capitol “unbelievable patriots.” Would pardon them fully.
Loosen. To NRA, “no one will lay a finger on your firearms.” Plans to roll back Biden gun restrictions. Reversed Obama-era background checks for those with mental illnesses.
Repeal. “Terminate.” “Obamacare is a catastrophe.” As President, promised to replace it with “something terrific,” but repeal failed in the Senate by one vote. Supported an unsuccessful lawsuit to overturn it.
ISSUES
IMMIGRATION
How to handle immigration?
Support a path to citizenship for “DACA” participants brought to the US as children?
ISRAEL/GAZA
Response to Israel’s invasion of Gaza following October Hamas attack?
LABOR
Make it easier or harder for unions to organize?
LGBTQ RIGHTS
Limit or expand LGBTQ rights?
MARIJUANA
Ban or legal?
MINIMUM WAGE
Raise federal minimum from $7.25 an hour?
SOCIAL SECURITY
Cut Social Security or raise retirement age to stabilize program?
STUDENT FINANCIAL AID
Support lowering interest on student loans and/or forgiving them?
TAXES
Raise or lower taxes on the wealthy and corporations?
UKRAINE/RUSSIA
Support defending Ukraine against Russian invasion?
VOTING RULES
Make voting harder or easier?
HARRIS (D)
Supports “comprehensive immigration reform.” Backed the bipartisan Senate border security bill. Rejects mass deportation of undocumented immigrants. “We are a nation of immigrants…. let us all address [the issue] with the urgency and seriousness it requires.” Supports pathways to citizenship for DACA participants and undocumented spouses of citizens.
“We need” a cease-fire & a two-state solution. “Israel has a right to defend itself.” But “too many innocent Palestinians have been killed… Civilian suffering… [is] devastating.” Palestinians and Israelis both “are entitled to security.”
Easier. “Unions built” the American middle class. “We are fighting to protect the sacred right to organize.” Backs prounion laws. Walked UAW picket line. Build “an economy where every person, not just the wealthy,” can thrive.
Expand. In 2004, officiated some of the nation’s first same-sex marriages. Helped repeal California’s anti-gay marriage initiative. Biden administration protected LGBTQ medical patients from discrimination.
Legal. “Nobody should have to go to jail for smoking weed.” Legalize and regulate. Supports Biden’s easing federal prohibition.
Yes. Supports Congress raising the national minimum wage to $15. Biden administration raised to $15 for federal contractors.
No. Would protect and stabilize Social Security by making wealthier Americans pay into Social Security at the same rate as everyone else; they’d keep paying in above their current $168,600/year income cap.
Yes. Supported Biden forgiving $144 billion for over 4 million borrowers, after the Supreme Court blocked the Biden-Harris $430 billion forgiveness plan.
Raise. Voted against Trump tax cuts, which included the largest corporate cut in US history. Supported increasing corporate tax rates. To boost teacher salaries, proposed raising estate taxes on the very wealthy.
Yes. “Regarding Putin’s unprovoked, unjustified war against Ukraine… we are committed to… defend democratic values and stand up to dictators.”
Easier. Pass bills to protect voting rights and make voting and registration easier. Biden administration directed federal agencies to help people register.
TRUMP (R)
Illegal immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country.” Will use the National Guard and local police, with possible detention camps, to deport 15 to 20 million illegal immigrants. Opposed the bipartisan Senate immigration bill. Tried to end DACA; Supreme Court overruled. Would renew his Muslim ban and end automatic citizenship for everyone born in US
Has supported Israeli action, “get the job done.” Says Israel releasing images of bombed Gaza buildings loses “the PR war.” Gaza protesters are “raging lunatics and Hamas sympathizers.” Would deport student protesters.
Harder. Made it harder for unions to organize. Restricted federal employee collective bargaining. Praised employers who fire striking workers: “They go on strike…and you say… ‘You’re all gone.’” Striking Auto Workers were “sold down the river by their leadership.”
Limit. Weakened an Obama order protecting LGBTQ federal contractors from discrimination. Banned transgender military servicemembers and ended antidiscrimination protections for transgender patients.
Unclear. It does “significant damage.” Reversed Obama rule to not prosecute in states where legal, but ultimately didn’t prosecute.
No. A $15 minimum wage would “eliminate jobs.” Threatened to veto. Questioned need for a federal minimum wage: let the states decide.
Mostly yes. There’s “a lot you can do in… cutting.” Also flags bad management. Proposed $35 billion cuts in Social Security disability programs. But “will never do anything” to “hurt Social Security.”
No. Called student loan forgiveness “unfair” to those not attending college. Vetoed forgiving loans of defrauded students. Proposed cutting support programs for student borrowers.
Lower. His 2017 tax cut included the largest corporate cuts in US history and major tax cuts for the wealthy. Would extend and expand when they expire in 2025. Raising business taxes “will lead to the destruction of your jobs.”
Mostly no. To end the war, will push Ukraine to give up territory to Russia. Russia should “do whatever the hell they want” to NATO countries that don’t pay enough.
Harder. Has long supported stronger voter ID requirements. Sued to bar ballot drop boxes. Encouraged Republicans to vote early but said early ballots “get lost” or are “phony.”
guides.vote is a nonpartisan effort to show where candidates stand. We do not support or oppose any political party or candidate. We include candidates polling 15% or more; use the QR code on the right for online versions, including links to credible sources and other candidates. Vote411.org offers guides to local races and how to vote. For campuses, see Campus Vote Project’s state-specific guides to student voting rules.
EARLY VOTING HAS STARTED: HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL FIND ON YOUR BALLOT
By Emilio Perez Ibarguen eibarguen@statenews.com
Monday, Oct. 21, marked the first day of early voting in East Lansing. From now until Sunday, Nov. 3, people will be able to vote early from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in room 195A at the Communication Arts and Sciences building on MSU’s campus. The city will also open a second early voting location at the Hannah Community Center on Oct. 26. That location will operate daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m until Nov. 3.
While Oct. 21 is the last day to register via mail or online, people looking to vote can still register inperson at the county clerk’s office with proof of residency up until election day.
On election day, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Brody Hall, the MSU Union and IM Sports East and West. If a person is in line when polls close they are guaranteed the right to cast a ballot. A map of all polling locations within East Lansing can be found here.
The State News has prepared a guide to the ballot that covers federal, state and local races that voters will be asked to weigh in on. Additionally, the guide contains information on ballot proposals for both East Lansing and Ingham County that will be on the ballot.
FEDERAL
PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
At the top of the ballot, people will cast their vote for the offices of president and vice president of the U.S. Their options will include Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, the Democrats, and Donald Trump and JD Vance, the Republicans. Also on the ballot will be third-party candidates such as the Libertarian Chase Oliver and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. representing the Natural Law party.
proposals include expanding various tax credit programs, establishing a minimum income tax on billionaires and providing first-time homebuyers with down-payment assistance. Beyond economic policy, Harris has supported increasing Border Patrol presence at the U.S.-Mexico border, supported imposing term limits on Supreme Court justices and promised to sign a bill protecting access to abortion.
After failing to be reelected in 2020, Trump has promised to deliver a second term similar to his first with an agenda focused on cutting taxes for all, increasing tariffs on foreign-made goods and increasing security at the U.S. southern border.
the manufacturing of electric vehicles in the state, as well as reproductive rights.
Since replacing Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee in July, Harris has built much of her campaign around her “New Way Forward” plan she claims will create an “opportunity economy” for the middle class. Harris’
Harris has been vague about her position on the Israel-Hamas war, suggesting that she will continue to provide military aid to Israel while promising to “not be silent” about human suffering in Gaza.
Trump has said his administration would carry out the “largest deportation program in American history,” end birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants and lift restrictions on oil, natural gas and coal energy production.
Trump has repeatedly changed his stance on abortion; his campaign has recently said that he would not sign a nation-wide abortion ban and in recent weeks has described restrictive abortion bans as “too tough.” In the spring, Trump privately told advisers that he was leaning toward supporting a 16week national ban with exceptions, but was waiting for results from the Republican primaries.
U.S. SENATOR
After voting for president and vice president, people can then cast their vote for one of Michigan’s two seats in the U.S. Senate. Their options will include Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat currently representing Michigan’s 7th District in the U.S. House, and Mike Rogers, a Republican who represented Michigan’s 8th District from 2001 to 2015.
Slotkin and Rogers recently participated in a televised debate last Monday where they clashed on economic policy, particularly
Slotkin has repeatedly attacked Rogers for his record of opposing abortion rights while in the U.S. House, although Rogers has said he would respect the constitutional protections for abortion that were passed via ballot proposal in 2022. Conversely, Rogers criticized Slotkin for voting in-line with the Biden administration, arguing that her votes have contributed to inflation — which has come down recently after being high for much of the president’s administration.
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE - DISTRICT 7
Since Slotkin is campaigning to serve in the Senate, that leaves a vacancy in Michigan’s 7th district that Democrat Curtis Hertel and Republican Tom Barrett hope to fill. Hertel, a former state senator, has built his campaign around bringing electric vehicle manufacturing to Michigan, said he’d support the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and has promised to protect abortion rights.
Barrett, who served in the state senate with Hertel, has built his platform around the “four pillars of security” he argues are critical to maintaining America’s place in the world. His proposals include lowering government spending and taxes, promising to “make our streets safe again” and increasing security at the southern border.
STATE
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY TRUSTEE
Voters will be able to elect two of four candidates to serve on the Michigan State University Board of Trustees. Elected trustees will then go on to serve on the eight-member board for eight years.
As part of the board, trustees are responsible for making administrative decisions about the university, including electing the university’s president, appointing various administrators at the president’s recommendation and controlling the university’s funds.
This year, the candidates — two Democrats and two Republicans — include Rebecca Bahar-Cook, Thomas Stallworth, Mike Balow and Julie Maday. In October, The State News conducted interviews with all four major candidates and has compiled a voter guide viewable here.
MICHIGAN SUPREME COURT
There are two seats on the Michigan Supreme Court up for grabs this year. However, only one of those seats is for a complete eight-year term; the other seat will serve until 2029, the remainder of former Chief Justice Bridget McCormack’s term.
Although the election of the justices will be on the nonpartisan section of the ballot, both the Democratic and Republican party have nominated candidates for the full and partial term.
The major party candidates for the Michigan Supreme Court are: Kimberly Ann Thomas (Democrat, full term), Andrew Fink (Republican, full term), Kyra Harris Bolden (Democrat, partial term) and Patrick William O’Grady (Republican, partial term).
MICHIGAN
REPRESENTATIVEDISTRICT 73, 74, 75 AND 77
Every seat in the Michigan House of Representatives will be on the ballot for 2024. For people living on MSU’s campus, they’ll be voting for the representative of Michigan’s 73rd District.
The candidates for Michigan’s 73rd District (MSU campus, Okemos and Mason) are: Julie Brixie (Democrat) and Joshua Rockey (Republican).
The candidates for Michigan’s
74th District (Holt and southern Lansing) are: Kary Hope (Democrat) and Tom Izzo, a candidate with the same name, but not the same person as the notable MSU men’s basketball coach (Republican).
The candidates for Michigan’s 75th District (East Lansing, Meridian Twp. and Haslett) are: Penelope Tsernoglou (Democrat) and Frank Lambert (Republican).
The candidates for Michigan’s 77th District (Lansing) are: Emily Dievendorf (Democrat) and Cady Ness-Smith (Republican).
MICHIGAN STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
Voters will be able to elect two candidates to serve on Michigan’s Board of Education. As the governing body of the Michigan Department of Education, the board is responsible for managing public K-12 education in the state.
The candidates for State Board of Education are: Theodore Jones (Democrat), Adam Frederick Zemke (Democrat), Tom McMillin (Republican) and Nikki Snyder (Republican).
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN REGENT AND WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY GOVERNOR
This year, voters will also be able to vote for two members of the University of Michigan’s Board of Regents and Wayne State University’s Board of Governors. Since both institutions are public universities, their governing boards are publicly elected by the entire state of Michigan.
LOCAL
People voting in Ingham County will be able to vote for a variety of local offices. Listed below is a brief description of each offices’ responsibilities and duties as well as who is running for those offices.
The County Clerk, currently Barb Byrum, is responsible for maintaining records of births, deaths and marriages within Ingham County. Additionally, the Clerk serves as the chief election official of the county, meaning they are responsible for administering national, state and local elections. The candidates for County Clerk are Democrat Barb Byrum and Republican Joseph Werner.
The Ingham County Sheriff,
currently Scott Wriggelsworth, is responsible for maintaining custody of the County Jail, delivering legal documents to defendants and enforces the law in unincorporated areas of the county. The candidates for Sheriff are Democrat Scott Wriggelsworth and Republican Steve Fox.
The Ingham County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, currently headed by John DeWane, is responsible for prosecuting violations of felony and misdemeanor criminal laws committed inside of Ingham County. The candidates for Prosecuting Attorney are Democrat John DeWane and Republican Norm Shinkle.
The Drain Commissioner, currently Patrick Lindemann, is responsible for the construction and upkeep of public storm drains within Ingham County. The Drain Commissioner’s Office is also in charge of controlling soil erosion and sedimentation through issuing permits. The candidates for Drain Commissioner are Democrat Patrick Lindemann and Republican Brian Beauchine.
The Register of Deeds, currently Derek Quinney, is in charge of recording and indexing documents related to real estate within Ingham
County. These documents include mortgages, surveys and bills of sale.
The candidates for Register of Deeds are Democrat Derek Quinney and Republican Karla Skoczylas.
The Treasurer’s Office, currently headed by Alan Fox, is responsible for collecting and distributing tax money collected from township and city treasurers. The Treasurer is also responsible for investing the county’s idle tax funds. The candidates for Ingham County Treasurer are Democrat Alan Fox and Republican Bruce Little.
Voters will also elect a County Commissioner to represent them on the 14-member Board of Commissioners. The board is the governing body of Ingham County and can create laws that apply within its borders.
People can also vote on candidates for the Lansing Community College Board of Trustees and the East Lansing Public Schools Board.
BALLOT PROPOSALS
This year, voters will be asked to vote on four ballot measures — two for the City of East Lansing and two for Ingham County.
People will first vote on an amendment to the East Lansing city
charter that would bar the city from restricting “relationships of persons living together as a household or residing in home.” The amendment would allow for non-renting guests to stay in an East Lansing home subject to a rental license longer than 30 days without incurring a fine.
The second East Lansing ballot proposal is to renew a millage at 2.9895 mills (meaning $2.9895 per thousand dollars of taxable value) on real and personal property to fund public transportation services provided by the Capital Area Transportation Authority. The renewal would extend the millage until 2030.
For Ingham County, the first proposal is to increase a millage, which the county uses to expand housing availability to low- and moderate-income families and provide services for unhoused people, by 0.5000 of one mill.
The second county proposal is to increase the tax rate levied on “all persons engaged in the business of providing rooms for lodging purposes to guests staying less than 30 consecutive days.” The proposal would raise the tax rate from 5% to 8% where it would remain indefinitely.
Illustration by Zachary Balcoff.
FROM PAGE 3 : Project 2025 would alter curriculum
CHANGING CURRICULUM TO PROMOTE “AMERICAN INTERESTS”
Near the end of chapter 11’s policy proposals, there is a call for Congress to “wind-down” area studies programs at universities across the nation. Area studies, which take the form of the International Studies and Programs at MSU, provide students and faculty with opportunities to learn about the world through programs such as the African Studies Center and Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies.
Project 2025 argues that these programs and the research they support have the ability to “run counter to (American) interests.” Rather than fund those programs, Burke writes, the next secretary of education should allocate at least 40% of funding to international business programs that teach about free market economics.
Additionally, Project 2025 recommends that institutions, faculty and fellowship recipients should be required to certify that they intend to further serve those American interests.
In a statement to The State News, Vice Provost and Dean of International Studies and Programs (ISP) Steve Hanson defended the value of ISP’s academic offerings. By preparing students for global careers, sponsoring research across borders and
making MSU more attractive for international faculty and students, Hanson wrote, ISP and the education it offers is “essential” to American interests.
“Global engagement allows MSU to effectively participate in solving complex challenges that transcend national borders,” Hanson wrote. “This approach benefits MSU, Michigan, and the U.S. while also contributing to global well-being and understanding.”
FURTHER RESTRICTIONS BEYOND HIGHER EDUCATION
Beyond the changes contained in chapter 11, Project 2025 also makes calls for potential policies that would affect students at MSU, namely restrictions on abortion access and the civil rights of LGBTQ+ students.
Project 2025 references the Comstock Act, an 1873 federal law that criminalizes the interstate mailing of “obscene, lewd, or lascivious” materials as well as “every article or thing designed, adapted, or intended for producing abortion.” Project 2025’s author argues that the next administration should use this law to prohibit the distribution of medications such as mifepristone and misoprostol, which are
used in nearly two-thirds of all abortions.
Although Michigan passed a constitutional amendment protecting the right to abortion in 2022, it’s unclear how the federal government’s enforcement of the Comstock act would impact access to surgical and medical abortions in the state.
Additionally, the authors of Project 2025 make no attempt to disguise their disdain of transgender individuals. The book’s foreword, written by Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts, describes the existence of transgender people as inherently pornographic, an argument meant to justify policies minimizing the visibility of transgender people in society.
Project 2025 recommends the future administration return to the Trump-era policy banning transgender individuals from serving in the military, fund studies proving the short-term and the long-term negative effects of gender affirming care and revoke anti-discrimination protections for transgender people in the workplace.
WHY?
The policies envisioned in Project 2025 would impact the availability of student loans, the enforcement of antidiscrimination laws and alter the education students receive at MSU. Other proposed policies would affect students’ ability to obtain an abortion and strip current protections for transgender students.
The project’s authors provide a variety of justifications for the measures promoted, ranging from a need to dismantle a bloated, despotic federal government to restoring the “American family.” Sometimes the motive is as simple as cutting costs to save tax dollars.
For those whose jobs are connected to programs threatened with elimination, like Anthony, the motive for shuttering programs meant to expand access to education and create a more equitable society remains unknown.
“I have my own thoughts about it, but those are simply my personal thoughts, I personally don’t understand it,” said Anthony. “I mean, who really knows what lurks in the hearts and minds of men.”
Illustration by Morgan Struss.
Celebrity endorsements: Do they affect voter opinions?
By Amelia Fraser afraser@statenews.com
From Taylor Swift to Kid Rock, celebrities have been extremely vocal about their endorsements of this year’s presidential candidates. Their opinions live online, which allows fans to share their beliefs with their favorite celebrities. Could this be influencing voters on their way to the polls?
Young voters are active participants in politics separate from traditional news sources. Their opinions are shared via social media like TikTok and Instagram. In turn, they are then often shown highly opinionated content. A criminal justice junior, Trevor Wittke, thinks this is the first problem.
“People kind of rely on the media to get their opinions for them,” Wittke said. “It’s a lot of false information.”
Political science and pre-law freshman Q Lorenz agrees, and thinks this, in combination with a lack of experience, makes college students more susceptible to their own opinion being swayed by a celebrity. When one does not have a lot of experience researching a candidate, social media can make it far too easy.
“One of the most important things for our democracy is that you need to be educated,” Lorenz said. “You need to learn why you’re voting for somebody, what issues that matter to you the most and which candidate is actually doing something about them.”
Concerns of people not educating themselves after seeing celebrity endorsements were also acknowledged by a humanities, prelaw and art history junior, Sofia Weissflach. Weissflach recognized that it could go both ways; an endorsement may prompt someone
to research a candidate, or it could encourage a blind following.
“Celebrities are used in advertisements,” Weissflach said. “People could go buy something that (celebrities) are being paid to advertise without knowing if it’s actually good or not. So, I think that could happen in elections too.”
A major fan base for a musician can draw a lot of attention to their endorsement and a lot of support to the candidate they support, even though, typically, little is done to provide more information on the candidate or their policies. This is another source of concern.
“If you write songs, write songs. If you talk politics, talk politics,” Lorenz said.
Not only could an endorsement be dangerous for voters, in some cases, it has the potential to be dangerous to a celebrity’s career. Lorenz talked about how getting involved in politics is “not a good PR move” and can end up splitting a fan base.
Fans see it a bit differently. Weissflach is a Taylor Swift fan and follows her on Instagram, and her opinions on Taylor Swift did not change after her endorsement. Wittke has a similar view.
“Kid Rock, I grew up listening to the guy, (and) he endorsed Trump,” Wittke said. “Because they say something it shouldn’t affect what I think of them at the end of the day.” It all seems to come down to the celebrity and the fan. Weissflach said that she doesn’t care if a celebrity she likes endorses a candidate. What would be better than that though is if they encourage their fans to go vote. It takes a much more proactive approach.
“It’s very important to vote,” Weissflach said. “It’s a privilege to vote, it’s a right to vote, you should use it.”
Illustration by Grace Montgomery.
KAMALA HARRIS CAST THE TIE-BREAKING VOTE TO PASS THE LARGEST INVESTMENT IN CLIMATE ACTION IN HISTORY.
- 37% IN GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
+ 1.5M NEW JOBS
+ $3,562 INCREASE IN REAL DISPOSABLE INCOME PER CAPITA
THE OTHER GUY SAID CLIMATE CHANGE IS A HOAX INVENTED BY CHINA.
ELECTION DAY: NOVEMBER 5
THE HALLOWEEN CROSSWORD
By
ACROSS
1 Substitutes or other possibilities, abbrv.
5 Concerning with regard to, abbrv.
8 An unfilled space.
11 My say this instead of Hallelujah.
12 The product of L * W = _____
13 Follows “once” in the start of fantasy tales.
15 Horror movie starring Jamie Lee Curtis.
17 More than enough.
18 SZA album and distress signal.
19 A _____ on the back.
20 Suitable.
22 Give permission to.
23 Cohen, Colby and Obama to name a few.
25 Right-hand man.
27 International Society of Arboriculture, abbrv.
29 “It’s just a bunch of _____.”
33 Trains ride this system, abbrv.
34 One-fourth of a gallon, abbrv.
35 A random assortment of items, abbrv.
36 This beverage brand name is a misspelled NSNYC song.
37 To entertain.
39 Aims for inclusion, abbrv.
40 Delvey is an infamous one.
42 2000’s console.
43 Precedes “Royal Highness.”
44 On Elm St. and before Christmas, pl.
48 Multiple options.
49 This Jojo sang “Karma.”
50 Leaves a place.
52 Bed used at camp.
54 “Monsters _____.”
56 Outsourcing information technology, abbrv.
57 “I didn’t need to know that.”
60 Type of shapewear.
62 What lifts the leaves in Fall.
65 It’s station is on Shaw Ln.
66 Set-up.
67 Astley, for example.
68 Limb in which you walk on.
69 Descriptor for someone who’s lived a long time.
70 Beer you’d find in an English pub.
DOWN
1 You may hear these while watching a horror movie.
2 Laughing hysterically, over text.
3 Numbers in your contact list.
4 New York sketch comedy show.
5 May follow “you” in a text defense.
6 Many produce honey.
7 One half of “The Cancelled Podcast.”
8 You chew on this.
9 This drink is often paired with donuts.
10 Used by firefighters.
12 Covered with water.
14 Celebrities are examined for this type of worth.
16 A Greek exclamation.
17 Typically 18, 20 or 25%.
21 Out of fashion.
23 Utter words.
24 Obtain for oneself.
26 Presiding figure, abbrv.
27 Native of Iran.
28 Michigan is one this election.
30 _____ of measurement, abbrv.
31 Your followers are all social media _____.
32 ComArts_____.
36 To prohibit.
37 May be exclaimed in displeasure.
38 Missing in action.
41 Tuna in poké.
43 Three of these are often used by Kris Kringle.
45 Chocolate, caramel and cookie make up this candy.
46 Jumping for joy.
47 Don’t stay seated.
51 Brady, Holland and Cruise are a few famous ones.
52 Digits on the back of your credit card.
53 A colorful gemstone.
55 The clamp used for musical instruments.
57 Hindmost part.
58 No, not rats.
59 Annoys; irritates.
61 Persistently bother.
63 statenews.com, for example.
64 This association supports the Second Amendment.
Elma Mehmedovic. Edited by Zachary Balcoff.
