Catch Up On Our Reporting From This Week

It was another busy week of reporting on the local government, upcoming events and more for the ELi team. Start your weekend by catching up with what happened in East Lansing over the last few days. 

Calls for transparency come after fatal police shooting. 

On April 15, East Lansing police shot and killed 21-year-old Isaiah Kirby, who police say is suspected of stabbing a local attorney. At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, some residents spoke about the need for transparency around the incident, asking for unedited footage of the interaction to be released and a town hall style event for city leaders to talk with residents. Managing Editor Luke Day wrote about Tuesday’s council meeting and a press release from Kirby’s mother and the family’s attorney. 

Chrissie Evaskis-Garrett chosen as East Lansing Public Library director. 

Chrissie Evaskis-Garrett, who has served as the library’s interim director since July 2025, was chosen by the library’s board as director after three finalists were interviewed for the position at a meeting on Wednesday. City Government Reporter Ayah Imran broke the news that Evaskis-Garrett had been chosen and introduced finalists before the meeting started. 

East Lansing City Council bumps meeting times up; to consider other rule changes later on. 

Following a stretch where several City Council meetings have often lasted late into the night, at times even reaching the next day, council opted to start meetings earlier. Starting with the April 28 meeting, discussion-only council meetings will begin at 6 p.m. and regular meetings will start at 6:30 p.m., Luke reports. 

Starting council meetings earlier is a change that was included in a larger package of proposals around meeting regulations, the rest of which will still be considered later on. Deputy Editor Anna Liz Nichols wrote about other potential changes, which include banning disruptive behavior like clapping and booing, and shortening public comment from five minutes to three. 

Increasing shelter space, training among ways to help the homeless community, advocates say. 

When East Lansing considered an ordinance change to ban public camping earlier this year, it exposed a lack of resources for the homeless community in East Lansing. Reporting Intern Kennedy DeMars spoke with local homeless service providers about what resources would give the greatest benefit, hearing about needs for more shelter space and training for law enforcement and city employees. Kennedy’s reporting can be read here.

East Lansing retires No Mow May, will instead promote native landscapes year-round. 

East Lansing will no longer encourage people to not cut their lawns during May, but instead will provide guidance about how to maintain native lawn spaces. Reporter Dustin DuFort Petty spoke with East Lansing Environmental Sustainability and Resiliency Coordinator Cliff Walls about what the change means. 

Mental health and wellness summit to return to ELHS. 

East Lansing Public Schools will host a mental health and wellness summit at the high school for the third consecutive year on Wednesday, April 29. The summit will feature several presentations, along with employees from local groups that provide resources. Get the full story in Dustin’s reporting.

East Lansing Insider Podcast: Budget season is here  

This week on the East Lansing Insider podcast, Anna and Luke talk about the city’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year and where the city sits financially today. The podcast can be listened to here or on streaming services like Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Additionally, a transcript can be read here.

There are three city meetings scheduled for next week. 

It’s a slow week in local government next week, as there are just three meetings on the docket. Tuesday (April 28), there is a discussion-only City Council meeting and the University Student Commission will meet. Then on Thursday (April 30), the Financial Health Review Team will gather. When meeting agendas are posted, they can be viewed here. 

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