May 4, 2026

The New Citizens Press

News For, By and About People

Headlines

Rina Risper

Natural Savvy: Fruit and Vegetables: Americans Fall Short

Rina Risper09 mins

 Danica Teresa Harris, 7 1/2 months old, enjoying a Honey Crisp Apple at The Country Mill in Potterville, MI. Her mother, Dalia Luera-Harris, said it was her first apple and she loved it! Courtesy photo 

 

 

By Joanne Capano, Naturally Savvy

Science continues to unveil the health benefits of following a whole foods diet that includes more fruits and vegetables. Indeed, it seems as if we’re always reading or hearing about a new study that links the reduction of certain health risks, such as heart disease and cancer, to the nutrient compounds found in fruit and vegetables.

 

 

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My Answer – 9-20

Rina Risper04 mins

By Billy Graham
Tribune Media Services
 
Q: I am a policeman and a Christian, and I have to admit I get discouraged sometimes because it doesn’t seem like I’m doing much good. The crime rate (especially drugs) is just as bad in our community as it was when I started 10 years ago. My wife says maybe I ought to do something else. Should I? – K.R.

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Excuse me, are you listening? 9-20

Rina Risper06 mins

Dear Readers,

 
Yes, it has been some time since I have written an “Excuse me, Are You Listening?” column.  For my new readers, I welcome you to experience my brain.  I am grateful that I can take a break from writing and then come back.  Entrepreneurship is great because you can take a break.  For my loyal readers, I have missed you immensely.  I guess I needed to be at peace before I moved into my next space. My mother who was in a serious accident last year was in Michigan when I wrote this column.
 

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Kidnapping in Nigeria and its Root Causes

Rina Risper016 mins

By Ijeoma Daberechi Odoh 

The current situation in Nigeria could be likened to an inferno drawing both the old and the young; the rich and the poor; and the local and the international communities to itself. Hardly a day passes in Nigeria without kidnapping incidents making the headlines. Kidnapping is now a lucrative venture with some jobless youths manning the business. No one is safe anymore.

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On the Road with MoJo Table-for-Two Reviews: Hey Cupcake!

Rina Risper05 mins

The cupcake business is riding high at Hey Cupcake! 

1600 South Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78704

Price Range: From $2.75 each 

Great customer service

Courtesy photo

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Weighing Yourself Can Be Misleading

Rina Risper06 mins

 

By Eric Heiden M.D.
Tribune Media Services

Jen had been obese, had gastric bypass surgery and lost 80 pounds. She was walking five or six times a week — about 25 miles — and had started doing marathons. Then she started lifting weights twice a week to add some resistance training to her routine to help reduce her abdominal fat and her risk for heart disease. Suddenly, she started gaining weight. Jen got stressed and stopped lifting weights. When she came in for her next checkup, exercise performance physician Max Testa, M.D., asked her, “Why did you stop lifting weights?”

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Retire Smart: The Medicare Prescription Drug Rebate: When, How – and Watch Out For the Scammers

Rina Risper08 mins

By Mark Miller
Tribune Media Services

Are you a senior enraged about health care reform? If so, allow me to interrupt the ranting for a moment to alert you that, um, your check may be in the mail.

One of the new-and largely ignored-improvements in the health care reform law that benefits seniors is the closing of the notorious “doughnut hole” in Medicare prescription drug plans. But the changes will occur over a period of years, and there’s been some confusion over the first step-a $250 rebate that is being sent out to most people who fall into the hole this year.

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Getting and Keeping Your Garden in Shape for Next Spring

Rina Risper06 mins

 Fall is an ideal time to clean up your garden, improve your soil and take other steps to prepare for next spring’s 

planting.
TMS Photo

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    Go Girl, Run and Tackle

    Rina Risper06 mins

     Left to Right: John Dann, coach; Ricky Vasquez 

    (parent assistant) and Deon Hollis, coach, stand behind Charvé Chappell, 8-year old starter for the Lansing Cowboys football team.
     
    When Charvé  made the football team, she joined a handful of girls playing football in the Lansing area.   
     
    Below:  Lansing Cowboy’s also has a cheerleading squad.

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    Cultural Awareness: Climbing the Academic Ladder

    Rina Risper016 mins

    First generation born American, Jane Le Skaife and her husband

    married in Vietnam years after meeting in college. Courtesy photo.

    By Jane Le Skaife

    Nguoi Viet 2
     
    People are usually perplexed to learn that I spent the first five years of my schooling as an English as a Second Language (ESL) student, especially considering I was born here and I can speak English confidently without an accent. Their bewilderment soon turns into understanding when I explain that my parents were refugees from Vietnam, and Vietnamese was the only language spoken in our household.

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