Editorial: Chevy update stays, Oma’s not typical vodka and CPR legislation
This week, General Motors unveiled the new model of the Chevrolet Traverse, a crossover vehicle made at the Lansing Delta Township Assembly plant since 2010.
A $583-million redesign of the plant last summer will allow the new model to continue being made right here in Lansing, more good news in a growing list of GM investments in the region.
For the more than 3,200 employees – as well as leaders in the Greater Lansing business community and at GM – this represents a continued commitment to local partnership and innovation in manufacturing.
The 2018 Traverse base model will go on sale for a starting price of $24,000 ($5,000 less than the current model), along with more leg room for rear passengers and more cargo space than current models. It’s also projected to get better mileage. Innovations like these are indicators of advancement: for both the car and the region.
Lansing will build new generation Chevy Traverse
Not your typical vodka
Lansing resident Hedy Steinbart, 91, is a German immigrant who has been infusing vodka with her family since before coming to the U.S. in 1952. Jan. 16, Oma’s Cherry Infused Vodka will be for sale online, thanks to an entrepreneurial grandson who took a beloved family product and is turning it into a brand.
Learning the technique from her parents, Steinbart uses real fruit – in this case cherries from Traverse City – to soak in the vodka, infusing it with sweetness and taking away the burn. This is not the same as simple flavored vodkas that still burn; the way it is prepared makes it unique.
Steinbart, with help from her grandson, serves as one local reminder of the American Dream. Oma’s vodka illustrates the importance of shopping small and buying local. That helps keep the dream alive.
New legislation for CPR in schools
Of the over 357,000 people who suffer cardiac arrest outside of a hospital each year in America, only around 8% survive.
Michigan legislators seek to change that with a new law passed late last year to require that all Michigan school districts begin teaching cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrilation starting in fall 2017.
Simplified requirements show the benefits of having a single 30-minute demonstration some time between seventh and 12th grades, with estimates of having 100,000 new trained individuals each year.
This is a positive move for schools and for all of us who may need this lifesaving technique – for ourselves or our loved ones – at some point in the future.