Catch Up With Our Reporting From This Week
It was another busy week in East Lansing!
The leaves are changing color and it’s starting to feel spooky in East Lansing as we enter October.
Start your weekend by catching up with ELi’s reporting on local happenings and city government over the last week.
State lawmakers urge East Lansing to reconsider limits to HRC in letter to City Council.
The East Lansing City Council faced pushback from residents earlier this year when the body moved to declaw the city’s Human Rights Commission. Now, two state legislators in Reps. Penelope Tsernoglou and Julie Brixie are joining the calls for the council to reconsider the revisions. Managing Editor Luke Day reported on a letter Brixie and Tsernoglou wrote to the city.
ELPS Superintendent Dori Leyko to retire.
Dori Leyko, who has served as superintendent of East Lansing Public Schools for a decade, announced this week that she will retire at the end of the school year. Leyko’s tenure saw significant change within the district, including the rebuilding of East Lansing’s elementary schools and the passage of a large safety bond. Reporter Dustin DuFort Petty wrote about Leyko’s retirement.
‘Presidential level turnout’ expected in East Lansing as absentee ballots are mailed for midterms.
Voting has already started for November’s midterm elections, where a host of federal and state elections will be decided on, along with several proposed city charter amendments. Deputy Editor Anna Liz Nichols spoke with City Clerk Emily Gordon about how she is preparing for the election and what is on the ballot. Anna’s reporting can be read here.
Meet East Lansing school board candidates.
There are four seats on the East Lansing school board up for grabs at the Nov. 3 election and only three candidates will be on the ballot. Since the deadline passed for candidates to be named on the ballot, three residents have filed to run write-in campaigns. Dustin reached out to candidates and asked about budget priorities, tech in school and student safety. Read their responses here.
Majority of Bailey Street Parking Lot blocked off amid development dispute.
Since city officials told the owners of about 70% of the Bailey Street Parking Lot that they would like the land developed in 2022, several projects proposed for the area have stalled. After the City Council moved to deny an apartment complex in July, the owners of the lot moved to block their spaces off. Dustin wrote about why the spaces are now unavailable to the public.
East Lansing plans ‘Data Week’ ahead of new data center regulations.
Since March, there has been a moratorium on data center development in East Lansing. With city staff preparing to present rules to regulate data center construction, staff will host a “Data Week” from Oct. 19-23. Events are still being scheduled, but Principal Planner Landon Bartley said attendees can expect to learn about data centers, data science, AI and more. Get a full rundown in Reporter Ayah Imran’s story.
Emerging opioid cychlorphine can be hidden in other drugs, MSU warns.
Cychlorphine, an opioid that is 10 times stronger than fentanyl, has been linked to more than 50 deaths in 2025 and 2026, and local officials recently warned that the drug can be mixed with other substances.
“While we have not heard reports of this substance in our community yet, it does not mean it is not here. When someone uses unregulated substances, they may not be getting what they think they are. Even if you have used a drug before, an overdose can happen unexpectedly,” the Ingham County Health Department said in an emailed statement to ELi.
Anna wrote about cychlorphine and the risks the drug presents.
East Lansing officials talk about infrastructure, upcoming election at community forum.
East Lansing Mayor Pro Tem Chuck Grigsby and Councilmember Kerry Ebersole Singh held a forum last week that allowed the council members to engage in conversations with residents. Among the topics of discussion were a proposed charter amendment to switch election years from odd- to even-numbered years and large infrastructure projects to reduce flooding in the city. Ayah covered the forum.
East Lansing Insider Podcast: Should East Lansing be concerned about its income tax?
It will be another four years before East Lansing’s income tax expires, but city officials are already looking ahead to a renewal vote, as the tax plays a critical role in local finances. Could voters reject the tax when it comes up for renewal? Luke thinks that’s a real possibility.
Hear Anna and Luke discuss hurdles that tax could face to be renewed and the impact a rejection could have in this week’s East Lansing Insider Podcast. Listen to the podcast here or on streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
There are seven city meetings scheduled for next week.
October kicks off with a busy week in city government. Monday (Oct. 5), the Transportation Commission, Human Rights Commission and Seniors Commission will each meet. Tuesday (Oct. 6), the City Council will convene. Wednesday (Oct. 7), the Police Oversight Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals will each gather. Then on Thursday (Oct. 8), there is a Historic District Commission meeting. Meeting agendas can be found here.
Thank you for supporting our work.
ELi is a nonprofit news service that is able to operate due to the generosity of our readers. To support our work, consider subscribing to an East Lansing Insider Membership. Subscribers have stories emailed directly to them even before they are published to our website. Here is a list of ways you can help ELi continue our work.
