Catch Up With Our Reporting From This Week

It was another busy week in East Lansing, as the ELi team reported on local schools, city meetings and more. Start your weekend by catching up with our reporting from this week. 

Threat to “Shoot up” MacDonald Middle School sparks police investigation. 

Last weekend, MacDonald Middle School parents were alerted that an individual believed to attend a different school district threatened to “shoot up” the middle school, and police were investigating the matter. School was held with an increased police presence this week. Reporter Dustin DuFort Petty wrote about the threat and follow up communication from the school district where it was said officials do not believe the threat was credible. 

Unannounced immigration raids spark safety concerns. 

With immigration raids popping up without warning across the country, law enforcement and elected officials have raised safety concerns as community members don’t know if they are witnessing a deportation effort or if they should report a crime. With some instances of criminals posing as immigration agents, some believe the city should have standardized protocols for residents to verify the presence of immigration agents. Read about safety concerns and proposed remedies in Deputy Editor Anna Liz Nichols’ story. 

Faith over fatigue: Muslim students embrace Ramadan amid busy schedules.

During Ramadan, a roughly month-long holiday, Muslim students spend more time reading the Quran and praying, and fast from sunup to sundown. Muslim students who spoke with ELi said the religious practices can add challenges on top of their day-to-day responsibilities, however the holiday also brings an increased sense of community and can even help sharpen focus. Get the full story in Reporter Ayah Imran’s reporting. 

Massive apartment proposal faces questions about parking, tax incentives at City Council meeting. 

A massive 13-story apartment proposal had a public hearing at the City Council meeting on Tuesday. Developers said they would need a tax incentive to meet a diverse housing requirement – though the city could amend the requirement. Council also asked questions about a lack of parking for residents and how the project would impact nearby businesses. Read Managing Editor Luke Day’s recap of the public hearing here. 

ELHS theater students embrace uniqueness in upcoming “Mean Girls” performance. 

Each day from Thursday, March 12 through Sunday, March 15, the East Lansing High School Performing Arts Department will put on a performance of Mean Girls, originally a popular teen comedy movie that has been adapted to a musical. Read Reporting Intern Kennedy DeMars’ story about why this musical was popular with theater students and what goes into putting on a performance. 

Council roundup: City approves deer cull, schedules six charter amendments for votes, funds emergency housing. 

It was a busy council meeting Tuesday night, as city officials scheduled three charter amendments to be placed on each the August and November ballots. Additionally, council approved the city’s annual deer cull and amended the budget to provide funding for emergency housing, if temperatures plunge to unsafe levels again. Read Luke’s coverage here. 

East Lansing Insider Podcast: Ramadan in East Lansing. 

Dustin hosts a special Ramadan episode of the East Lansing Insider podcast, talking about the importance of the holy month for East Lansing Muslims. The episode can be listened to here, or on streaming services like Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

There are seven city meetings scheduled for next week. 

City government will stay busy, with several meetings on the docket next week. Monday (March 9), the Human Rights Commission, Board of Review and Seniors Commission will each meet. Tuesday (March 10), City Council will two meetings – one a closed-session gathering and the other a discussion-only meeting. The Board of Review will also convene. Then on Thursday (March 12), the Historic District Commission will meet. When meeting agendas are posted, they can be found here. 

Additionally, the East Lansing Board of Education will have a meeting on Monday (March 9). That meeting will be held in the district’s new central administration building at 6160 Towar Ave. starting at 7 p.m. An agenda can be found here. 

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