Catch Up With Our Reporting From this Week
Read about safety issues discussed at the library board of trustees meeting, exciting ELi staffing updates and more!
It looks a lot different in downtown East Lansing today than it did a week ago, as Michigan State University students have returned for the school year.
The past week was another busy one for the ELi team, start your weekend by catching up with our reporting.
Behavioral problems are at the center of the library board of trustees meeting.
As youth behavioral issues continue to be a problem at the East Lansing Public Library, library officials have said they need outside help. At Wednesday’s library board of trustees meeting, the board heard two proposals for potential fixes: One would install mental health specialists in the library after school hours and the other could add security personnel to the library. Read Reporter Ayah Imran’s story on the proposals here.
East Lansing BWL customers are eligible for significant payments after “franchise fee” lawsuit. How many will submit claims?
East Lansing residents who have purchased electricity through the Lansing Board of Water & Light in recent years are eligible to receive reimbursement payments that are estimated to be over $500 after the city settled a lawsuit over a “disguised tax” in BWL bills. However, notices sent about the settlement were criticized by some officials as looking like a “scam,” bringing the question of how many class members will file a claim. Read Managing Editor Luke Day’s story about the settlement here.
Peoples Church puts faith into action by funding independent living for adults with disabilities.
Peoples Church in East Lansing raised $300,000 to help restore a home in Lansing and fund other programs that will allow area adults with disabilities to live independently. Church members teamed up with other area nonprofit organizations on the project, and even volunteered their time to work on the home renovations. Read Reporter Dustin DuFort Petty’s story about the initiative here.
Parks and Rec Commission discuss communication around millage proposal.
This November, East Lansing voters will decide whether or not to approve a Parks and Recreation millage that will raise property taxes by two mills, if approved. At Wednesday's Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission meeting, members discussed the city’s strategy to provide information about the proposal, including a plan to send postcards to 14,000 East Lansing households with registered voters. Read Dustin’s story about the meeting here.
ELi selects new executive director, adds award winning reporter to staff.
Tedda Hughes has been named ELi’s new executive director, bringing extensive nonprofit and community leadership experience. Additionally, award-winning journalist Anna Liz Nichols and former ELi Intern Ayah Imran will join our reporting staff in full-time roles. Read about these staffing changes and more in this update from Luke.
From left: Anna Liz Nichols, Ayah Imran and Tedda Hughes will each play key roles at ELi going forward.
A slow week in city government awaits.
There’s only one city meeting scheduled for next week, as the Building Board of Appeals will meet Thursday, Aug. 28. When that meeting agenda is posted, it can be found here.
There will also be an East Lansing Board of Education meeting on Monday (Aug. 25) at 7 p.m. School board meetings are being held in the MacDonald Middle School Auditorium. When a meeting agenda is posted, it can be found here.
Reminder: Submit your questions for City Council candidates.
Wednesday, Sept. 17, ELi and the Lansing Area League of Women Voters will team up to host a City Council candidate forum where the six candidates will answer questions. Wondering where candidates stand on a certain topic? Let us know! Prior to the forum, we’re collecting questions from the community to ensure we’re asking about the things most relevant to the community. Read about the forum and access the link to submit a question in Luke’s story.
ELi to team up with Impact radio to host weekly podcast and radio show. We want to hear from you!
Next month, ELi will begin working with 89FM Impact radio to produce a radio show that will air on Sundays and be available as a podcast afterwards. We want to hear from you! The first show will center on November’s City Council election, and we're wondering what you think of this year’s candidates and what priorities you think candidates should have. Have thoughts on city matters not related to the election? We want to hear those too. Email Luke at luke@eastlansinginfo.news and your comments/questions may be discussed on air.
MSU students will be welcomed back to East Lansing at ExtravaGRANDza event tonight.
Community members are invited to the annual ExtravaGRANDza event held in downtown East Lansing tonight, Saturday, Aug. 23 from 5-8 p.m. The festivities will include a scavenger hunt with more than $4,000 in prizes, live music, appearances from Sparty and Zeke the Wonderdog and much more! To find out more about the event, read the city’s full press release.
Shaarey Zedek to offer an introduction to Judaism course.
Congregation Shaarey Zedek will once again offer its annual intro to Judaism course this fall. Course participants will learn about Jewish holidays, life cycle events, prayer and much more. The class costs $40 for people who are not Shaarey Zedek members. To find out more about the course and what dates and times sessions will be held, contact Rabbi Amy Bigman at rabbibigman@shaareyzedek.com.
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.
