Catch Up With Our Reporting From This Week
Read about how East Lansing residents voted at Tuesday's election and more in our coverage from this week.
It was another busy week for the ELi team, as we covered Tuesday’s election and another high profile policing controversy.
Start your weekend by catching up with what happened in East Lansing this week.
East Lansing police under fire after video surfaces of officer striking restrained Black woman.
A video posted last weekend shows an East Lansing police officer punching a woman multiple times as she is face down, restrained by other police officers with her arms behind her back. The city posted a statement that says the video does not capture the entire interaction, but residents have said this is another example of East Lansing police using excessive force against a person of color. Managing Editor Luke Day and Deputy Editor Anna Liz Nichols wrote about what the video shows.
The controversial arrest video that shows an ELPD officer striking a woman.
Later in the week, the mother of the woman in the video said at a police oversight commission meeting that her daughter was not charged with a crime and that the family has asked ELPD to release information about the incident. Members of the oversight commission and others spoke with Anna about why the video is so troubling and other concerning trends surrounding the city’s police department.
East Lansing election results: Voters back charter amendments, tax proposals, progressive candidates.
Tuesday’s primary election saw high turnout in East Lansing, as voters supported charter amendments and four different county tax proposals. Local voters also supported progressive Democratic candidates in primary elections, including East Lansing native William Lawrence, who was backed by about 60% of East Lansing voters in a competitive U.S. House primary race. Luke recaps the results in his reporting.
Century-old home of longtime public servant comes on the market.
An iconic East Lansing home is on the market, as the owner of a 100-year-old house in the Chesterfield Hills neighborhood have listed their home for sale. Reporter Dustin DuFort Petty wrote about the unique features of the home and its history. The house was originally owned by East Lansing’s very first city manager. Read Dustin’s story here.
First-ever Red Cedar Roots Festival to bring same energy, culture as Folk Festival.
There has been a hole in the city’s summer event schedule ever since the Great Lakes Folk Festival was discontinued in 2018. Now, the city hopes to replicate the culture and energy the Folk Festival brought for years in the first-ever Red Cedar Roots Festival on Aug. 14 and 15. Find out about what to expect at the festival in Arts and Culture Reporter Sarah Spohn’s story.
Teacher pay keeps many educators working through the summer.
With teachers often entering the workforce saddled by college debt and pay not keeping up with the cost of living, many East Lansing teachers pick up second jobs to afford the cost of raising a family. Reporter Ayah Imran spoke with East Lansing teachers about their side hustles and how the school district’s pay scale doesn’t always keep up with inflation.
Construction timeline and other details about East Lansing’s next large apartment building.
In July, the East Lansing City Council approved a 12-story apartment building to be constructed in downtown East Lansing. Ayah spoke with the developers about what makes the project unique, what to expect during the two-year construction period and more. Get the details in Ayah’s reporting.
There are five city meetings next week.
Plenty is going on in East Lansing government next week, as five meetings are on the docket. Monday (Aug. 10), the City Council is holding a special meeting and the Human Rights Commission will gather. Tuesday (Aug. 11), the City Council will hold its regular meeting. Wednesday (Aug. 12), the Planning Commission will convene. Then on Thursday (Aug. 13), there is a Historic District Commission meeting. Meeting agendas can be found here.
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