Risk & Associates County Civil - October 2020

Risk & Associates County Civil - October 2020

COUNTYCIVIL.COM

OCTOBER 2020

Supporting Cancer Victims in These Times

A REFLECTION ON BREAST CANCER AWARENESS THROUGHOUT MY LIFE

B reast Cancer Awareness Month has always been an important reminder to me about the ways we need to further support cancer patients and research to cure the disease or at least better their lives. When people learn that they have cancer, it’s terrifying for them and their loved ones. If you know me very well, you know that I tend to give back to the community through personal means, quietly and one-on-one. But breast cancer research is something entirely different to me. It’s a cause I’ve supported continuously, because I really believe in what they’re doing. The research and the progress they make is important, no matter how big or small. Cancer is an incredibly destructive disease, and it requires a lot of work to survive and overcome. I learned that lesson when I was fairly young. My first loved one who died of cancer was my grandfather. It was untreatable at the time, so seeing the destruction it had on his health was shocking as a teenager. It made a heck of an impression on me, and I became more attuned to how victims of cancer have to live their lives.

The research and the progress [breast cancer groups] make is important, no matter how big or small.

Then, in my 20s, I lost a close friend to breast cancer. She was also in her 20s. I met her while working with her father at a municipality although we were in different branches. She was a very bright woman, and losing her made me realize that cancer does not discriminate. It doesn’t care about our age, race, beliefs. Even though the disease is more common in women, breast cancer can affect men, too. I’ve known a man who passed away from it. Cancer can affect anyone. How do we become better allies for these people? Many people try to empathize, but we shouldn’t fool ourselves: It can be tough to understand what they’re going through right away, especially if this is the first time you’ve had someone in your life go through something so physically and emotionally draining. And while there’s been dramatic improvements to cancer treatment in the past 20–30 years, the fear of cancer is often permanent within these people.

That’s why the best thing you can do is offer your helping hand, all the time. Even if you’re forced to be physically distant. Be a fantastic friend, and stay as honest, open, and candid as you possibly can. Most of all, don’t say you’ll be there just because it seems like the right thing to say — be there. Make sure they know that all they’d need to do is pick up the phone, and you’d drive however long it takes to see them. Regularly offer your support, and try to make time and donate money to your favorite breast cancer group. Supporting their resources will only help these cancer patients to be as comfortable as they can.

Thanks so much for reading, friends. Until next time,

-Rick Risk

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LOOKING FOR WAYS TO SPOOKIFY YOUR FAMILY’S HALLOWEEN?

TRY THESE FAMILY-FRIENDLY CLASSIC MOVIES!

‘CASPER’ (1995) A young ghost peacefully haunts a mansion in Maine until a specialist arrives to communicate with the ghost and brings along his teenage daughter. The ghost, Casper, falls in love with her, but — his spectral state aside — his troublemaking ghost uncles start to complicate everything! Don’t miss out on this sweet children’s story as Casper soon discovers what it means to think about someone else more than yourself. ‘IT’S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN’ (1966) Nominated for an Emmy in 1966, both adults and kids have loved this TV movie for decades, and we promise it certainly hasn’t lost its charm in 2020. Follow the Peanuts gang as they go pumpkin hunting, go trick-or-treating, and get into all kinds of shenanigans on the night of the Great Pumpkin’s return. Have you seen all these, or are they on your rewatch list? Pop these charming films into your DVD player or stream them on your TV — you might find yourself and your little ones returning to them year after year.

Sharing movies with your kids can be a special way

to make memories and future references — and holidays are an especially great time to do it. While horror movies can be too spooky for young kids, that doesn’t

mean movies have to be off the agenda for your Halloween celebration. Not to mention that they can still be movies that you enjoy too! Here are some of our favorite classics that you may or may not have thought about in a while. ‘HOCUS POCUS’ (1993)

This classic’s sequel is currently in production, so this is a great time to watch the original! In an old abandoned house in Salem, Massachusetts, a teenager accidentally frees a coven of evil witches. With the help of his sister and a new friend — plus a magical cat! — they’re forced to find a way to stop these witches from becoming immortal. It’s a classic Disney Halloween film that takes you on a crazy ride. Get everyone caught up so the whole family can look forward to the release of “Hocus Pocus 2.”

HALLOWEEN LAWS ACROSS THE U.S Spooky City Regulations

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA: NO SILLY STRING

Halloween can be a mischievous holiday. The most innocent of us reserve it for backyard parties and trick-or-treating, but some like to get a little rowdier than others. That’s exactly why various city councils across the U.S. have passed some seemingly unusual laws to regulate spooky festivities. REHOBOTH BEACH, DELAWARE: NO SUNDAY TRICK-OR-TREATING If Halloween falls on a Sunday, children in Rehoboth Beach are required to trick-or-treat the night before. The explanation in the city code is simple, but ambiguous: to prevent children and their guardians from going door to door on Sunday evenings. Rehoboth Beach law also forbids children from roaming the streets on Halloween “with the intent to cause trouble,” but what exactly that means is ambiguous as well.

teenagers who are past the eighth grade — generally older than 13 — from going door to door on Halloween. WALNUT, CALIFORNIA: NO MASKS WITHOUT PERMITS In a simpler time, no paperwork was required to celebrate Halloween to the fullest. But in the city of Walnut, no one can wear a mask or other disguise on public streets without a permit from the sheriff. The law doesn’t specify any exceptions, so residents are left to assume that everyone from age 5–100 must abide. Whatever your Halloween celebrations might look like this year, it’s important to have fun, but remember to abide by any rules or laws your city might have in place in an effort to keep citizens safe.

The Los Angeles City Council has banned Silly String and all other brands of aerosol string from use on Halloween in the Hollywood area. From midnight on Oct. 31 until noon on Nov. 1, no one is allowed to spray, sell, or distribute Silly String in public locations. Use of Silly String got so popular in the city on Halloween that the mess left behind became a strain on sanitation workers, and the city sympathized with them. BELLEVILLE, ILLINOIS: NO 8TH-GRADERS Trick-or-treating is most often viewed as an activity reserved for younger generations, but how do you determine what age is “too old” for this type of generally good-natured fun? Well, the city of Belleville settled the ambiguity by passing a law restricting

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As Planned by a Former Olympian and Scientist THE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT THAT DEFIED THE PANDEMIC

That’s exactly what it’s called — The Basketball Tournament, also known as TBT, has given sports fans a lot of hope in an otherwise raging pandemic. Despite several positive COVID-19 tests in players and staff before and after the tournament, one of the biggest U.S. success stories comes from this relatively unknown competition that features 24 teams. How did they do it? The planning of former Olympic swimmer (and now public health expert) Tara Kirk Sell of Johns Hopkins University was a big part of it. According to Science magazine, Sell specializes in reducing the health impacts of large-scale events like disasters and terrorism. She “advised TBT on issues like transportation, lodging, hygiene, and how to test players, coach, and staff” for the coronavirus. She considers the TBT to be, in some ways, a natural “culmination of her professional life.” She believes the emotional power of sports can inspire and advance public health, especially considering star athletes can have similar backgrounds to minorities in disadvantaged communities. She’s a strong advocate that sports must be considered as much a part of the national public health strategy as funding for vaccines. At least for the time being, Sell says, sports competitions can provide a “model environment” for studying how interactions of humans in close quarters can be handled safely.

The TBT safety plan was rigorous, both in its implementation and its development. It had gone through 18 iterations

before it was agreed upon as the best and most effective. To give an idea of how thorough it was, players would take six COVID-19 tests over the course of an 11-day tournament and respond to a mobile online questionnaire twice a day to ensure symptoms did not develop between tests.

And it worked. “With each passing day, we saw more and more scenarios that [Sell] anticipated come to light,” Jon Mugar, CEO of TBT, tells Science, “and with each passing day, we felt safer because of it.” More sports organizations may copy Sell’s procedures.

From all of our sports fans in County Civil, we applaud everyone at TBT

for their wonderful, successful efforts!

APPLES CALENDULA CANDY HALLOWEEN HORROR MASKS

OPAL POPCORN SCARY SCREAM

TREAT TRICK

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2383 Tamarack St., Lake Odessa, MI 48849 616-374-7170 | COUNTYCIVIL.COM R isk & A ssociates

Rick Risk is Founder and President of Risk & Associates, a legal support service provider in Michigan, and has assisted hundreds of attorneys, municipalities, courts, Sheriff Offices, businesses, and others with their strategic process needs.

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

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Supporting Cancer Victims in These Times Looking for Ways to Spookify Your Family’s Halloween?

3

Weird and Wacky Halloween Laws

The Basketball Tournament That Defied the Pandemic False Halloween Myths Perpetuated by the Media

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Razor Blades and Pot? HALLOWEEN MYTHS THE MEDIA LOVES TO SCARE US WITH

For many people, Halloween is the time of year when certain spooky myths and superstitions come alive. It’s when we hear stories of black cats and bad luck or ghosts in the attic. But there are some recent myths that often get

There are also news stories of THC-laced candy being found during warranted searches. However, that’s as far as the story goes, at least when it comes to Halloween. In 2019, police in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, warned parents to be on the

perpetuated by both mainstream and social media — stories that frighten parents and create an anxious, fearful atmosphere. RAZOR BLADES AND POISON For a long time, the “razor blades in candy” has been a go-to media story. Every year around Halloween, you’re sure to see your local news running a segment that encourages parents to check their kids’ candy for tampering so their children don’t swallow razor blades or poison. There have been zero substantiated cases of any child or parent finding a razor blade hidden in the chocolate and nougat. There has, however, been one lone case of a child being poisoned. In 1974, a father hid cyanide in his son’s candy in Texas, leading to the child’s death. It was discovered that the father was attempting to collect life insurance to ease his $100,000 debt. THC THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the primary psychoactive compound found in cannabis, and it’s the chemical that makes people high. In more recent years, there have been an increasing number of stories spread on social media about THC-laced candy or edibles being found in kids’ candy bags.

lookout for THC-laced candies after they found some in a bust. While the warning was certainly valid, nothing ever came of it. Should you check your child’s candy? Most definitely! It’s always good to check just in case, though the danger is negligible. That said, kids should never take unwrapped or

homemade treats while trick- or-treating. This has less to do with hidden razors and

more to do with simply not knowing what’s in those items, such as potential allergens.

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