July 25, 2026

The New Citizens Press

News For, By and About People

Headlines

Featured Stories

Excuse me, are you listening? 11-7

Rina Risper011 mins

Dear Readers, 
 
Passion. Passion. Passion.  I know that I have not been honest with myself.  How many of us actually admit that we have issues?  My issues are ones that I make up myself.  Your issues are probably as negative as mine.  How we may differ is that when I take a mental break I try to make sure I clock back in, in a timely manner.  It is like being late from lunch.  Even though you are only a few minutes late, you are still late!  The guilt may last for an hour.  Your coworkers may look at you as though you came back from lunch with mustard on your shirt.  Your boss has the “silly rabbit you are late” look on her face. 

Read More

April is Poetry Month: Advice from a Dead Man Walking

Rina Risper08 mins

HBO Def Poet, Amir Sulaiman, pays a visit to the Islamic Center of Greater Lansing for a 
free performance.    Courtesy photo
 

By Dua S. Aldasouqi
 
E. LANSING, MI — Renowned poet and activist, Amir Sulaiman, flew into Michigan from California on April 13 to perform at the Islamic Center of Greater Lansing. He was there to give a short free show. The Center gym was packed with over 150 members of the Center and local Greater Lansing Area residents. Amir Sulaiman is also an accomplished writer, educator, and recording artist. He is a two time HBO Def Poet (an HBO television show, a play off of “Def Comedy Jam” with poets).

Read More

Fast Facts

Rina Risper05 mins

Official Poetry Month logo on www.poets.org
 

By Public Services Librarian Jessica T.
 
Held every April since 1996, National Poetry Month is a time when publishers, booksellers, libraries, schools and poets celebrate the importance of poetry in American culture. The goals of National Poetry Month are to highlight the legacy and ongoing achievement of American poets, and to encourage people to enjoy the pleasures of reading this unique literary form.

Read More

Wolfgang Puck: Go bananas!

Rina Risper07 mins

For deep-frying, pick firmer fruit whose peels have only just turned yellow.
 
By Wolfgang Puck
Tribune Media Services
 
  My recipe for Banana Fritters seems a perfect way to raise some smiles at the table.
 
  At face value, bananas are among the funniest of fruits. A cheerful yellow color when ripe, they have a shape that even looks like a smile. Peeling them can be, in itself, a silly process, sort of like a fruit striptease. And the peel itself, of course, is a staple of slapstick comedy – so take care not to drop it on your kitchen floor!

Read More

Your Other 8 Hours: Deducting Hobby Expenses: Think Business

Rina Risper07 mins

By Robert Pagliarini, 
Tribune Media Services
 
Hobbies are a great way to spend the other eight hours, but they are terrible from a tax perspective. Why? You are not allowed to deduct hobby expenses for tax purposes. This makes sense. If you could deduct hobby expenses, almost everything would be deductible — trips to the zoo, your subscription to Professional Photographer magazine, even that new digital camera you’ve had your eye on.

Read More

Ask Tamara: Can Men and Women Be Just Friends?

Rina Risper07 mins

Dear Tamara:
 
My husband has a close relationship with a female friend whom he communicates with often. They talk on the phone, text each other and communicate quite a bit on Facebook. I am growing more and more uncomfortable with their close friendship. My husband has assured me that they are just friends and that I don’t have anything to worry about. I have tried to be open minded about their relationship, but it really bothers me. I do not understand why they have to communicate so much. Should I insist that he cut off this friendship?
 
His No.1 Friend

Read More

Interpersonal EDGE: Avoid Hero Worship with Mentor

Rina Risper06 mins

By Dr. Daneen Skube
Tribune Media Services
 
Q. I have a mentor at work that I profoundly respect, and I’ve tried to have her be my role model. The problem is that we have dramatically different personalities, and I just can’t make some of her habits work for me. Do you have any advice on how to learn from a mentor who is very different than you?
 

Read More

Retire Smart: Building retirement confidence

Rina Risper07 mins

By Jill Schlesinger
Tribune Media Services
 
 
 The Great Recession of 2008-09 blew up many a retirement plan, and now we have the data to prove it and finally understand just how damaging the boom and bust cycle has been. The Employment Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) Retirement Confidence Survey was published this month and the news is grim.

Read More

Financial Takeover: Leaving a Legacy

Rina Risper010 mins

 

Two things are guaranteed in life-taxes and death. One of the most difficult challenges for families to handle is the death of a loved one. There is a painful void and a long, healing process that takes place. There is also a realization of a harsh but undeniable truth: In most cases, when a loved one dies, so does his or her income.

 

 

 

Read More

Teenagers Lead Peaceful Protest at the Capitol

Rina Risper05 mins

Above: Malcolm Xavier Clay, 4-years-old attended the rally with his family.
 
Left:  Jamie Lynn Crawford,Todd “TJ” Duckett and Brianna Black stand in front of the Capitol during a rally focusing on youth. 
 
By Nadine Defensor 
 
LANSING, MI — Two 18-year-olds led a nonviolence rally at the capitol last month, to demand justice for Trayvon Martin, an unarmed African-American 17-year-old who was shot and killed in Sanford, Florida on February 26. 
 
The man who shot the teenager was neighborhood watch volunteer, George Zimmerman, who had told the police that he shot Martin in self-defense. 
 
Zimmerman has not been charged with a crime.

Read More