Catch Up On Our Reporting From This Week

It was a pivotal week in East Lansing, as the City Council green lit a 12-story apartment building to be constructed downtown.

Start your weekend by learning about plans for East Lansing's newest high rise, the automated cameras ELPD plans to use to crack down on parking violations and more!

"The Howard" approved to be East Lansing's next high rise apartment.

The East Lansing City Council approved plans for a 12-story apartment building that will house nearly 750 tenants at its meeting on Tuesday. At the same meeting, the City Council denied an application to build a 10-story apartment building where the Bailey Street surface parking lot currently sits. Managing Editor Luke Day reported on the meeting.

Also at this week's City Council meeting, the council approved a request from The Graduate hotel to expand its rooftop bar to nearly double the occupancy. Approval for the expansion came about a year after it was initially pitched.

East Lansing's legal costs surged during the last fiscal year.

According to financial records ELi obtained through records requests, East Lansing spent more than $1.5 million on legal services last fiscal year, twice as much as the city spent on legal services three years earlier. The increase came after the city began contracting with a new firm for legal representation at a higher hourly rate. Reporter Ayah Imran breaks down the trend.

Trust, growth and taxes: The challenges awaiting East Lansing's next city manager.

With the resignation of former City Manager Robert Belleman, East Lansing will embark on a months-long search for a new top employee. The next city manager will take over a city in the midst of several controversies, with uncertain financial footing and questions around the development process. Luke wrote about why the next city manager will be arriving at a critical juncture for East Lansing and summarized the challenges they will face.

Only three candidates file for four open school board seats.

With the filing deadline passing this week, only three candidates filed for four seats that will be up for election in the November East Lansing school board election. Reporter Dustin DuFort Petty wrote about who is running and leaving the board, and spells out the processes that can be followed to fill the remaining seat.

East Lansing plans to use automated cameras to boost parking enforcement.

The East Lansing Police Department received permission from the City Council to deploy cameras that will automatically take photos of cars that violate parking rules, so offenders can be ticketed in the mail. Before the cameras are put up, the state will need to approve integration between the new company and the local court system. Get the details in Reporting Intern Adan Tomas Quan's story.

Recent fatal car crashes renew calls for safer East Lansing roads.

After a string of injuries and a death related to car crashes on busy East Lansing roads, the city's Transportation Commission requested state officials to meet with the city to improve safety. Deputy Editor Anna Liz Nichols spoke with local officials about their concerns, and with an expert from MSU about why it can be hard for cities to dictate their own road rules.

East Lansing Insider Podcast: A conversation about East Lansing's farmers market.

On this week’s episode of the East Lansing Insider podcast, Anna talks with East Lansing Community Events Specialist Colleen Armitage about how the East Lansing farmers market comes together and its impact on the local community. Listen to the podcast here or on streaming services like Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

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