Catch Up With Our Reporting From this Week
It was a busy week for the ELi team.
It was another busy week for the ELi team, as we co-hosted a City Council candidate forum, reported on school test results and more.
Start your Saturday by catching up with our work from this week.
City Council candidates talk East Lansing’s sanctuary city status, downtown safety, budget and more at candidate forum.
The six candidates competing for two spots on the East Lansing City Council spent about 90 minutes sharing their ideas about how to solve some of the city's most pressing problems. Find out where candidates stand on the proposed parks millage, development and more in Managing Editor Luke Day's story.
View the forum here.
DDA announces sale of long-held Evergreen properties.
Since the Downtown Development Authority acquired about $5.6 million in debt to purchase properties on Evergreen Avenue in 2009, the properties have proven to be difficult to sell and been a drain on the DDA's budget. This week, the city announced the DDA sold the land at a significant loss to a company that plans to build rental units or condos. Find out more in our reporting here.
ELPS M-Step scores better than state average, lag behind Okemos, Haslett.
Last spring, students took the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP) assessment. Reporter Dustin DuFort Petty analyzed those test results and found that more East Lansing students scored proficient or better than the state average, but ELPS lagged behind neighboring school districts Haslett and Okemos. Read more about Dustin's findings here.
Developers are still hoping to build affordable housing near Valley Court Park.
When the city allowed developers to build the Graduate Hotel and The Abbot apartments, developers were also supposed to add a new building full of affordable apartment units. While the upscale hotel and pricey apartments were constructed, the affordable project has remained stalled for years. At this week's City Council meeting, a new developer that has taken over the affordable housing project said they are still optimistic it can be built. Find out more in Luke's story.
Meet Mr. East Lansing.
In any given week, Matt Apostle’s duties might include presenting to City Council about block grants, coordinating a commission of civic leaders or setting up tables and chairs for a weekend event. Apostle’s official title is community and economic development specialist but because his work brings him into interaction with seemingly every corner of the community, “Mr. East Lansing” might be more fitting. Find out more about Matt and the work he does in Dustin's story.
“Mekong Voices” exhibit at Broad Art Museum highlights global struggle for freshwater justice.
Until Feb. 22, 2026 the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum will host an exhibit that serves as a reminder that fresh water is the life blood of many communities. "Mekong Voices" amplifies the stories and lived realities of communities surrounding the Mekong River, which flows through six countries: China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Read more about the exhibit in City Government Reporter Ayah Imran's story.
Library board prepares to search for a new director.
At this week's Library Board of Trustees meeting, the board approved a request for proposal that seeks search firms to help the library find a new director. The process won't be cheap, as the interim library director estimated it will cost at least $55,000. Get the whole story in Ayah's reporting.
There are seven city meetings scheduled for next week.
City government will remain busy next week, as several meetings are on the docket. Tuesday (Sept. 23), City Council will hold two meetings, and the University Student Commission and Green Code Study Committee will each gather. Wednesday (Sept. 24), there is a Planning Commission meeting. Then on Thursday (Sept. 25), the Downtown Development Authority and Building Board of Appeals will each convene. When meeting agendas are posted, they can be found here.
Additionally, the East Lansing Board of Education will meet on Thursday (Sept. 25), instead of its regurlar meeting day of Monday. School board meetings are temporarily being held at the MacDonald Middle School auditorium. When that meeting agenda is posted, it can be found here.
The East Lansing Insider radio show and podcast is back!
After a three-year hiaitus, the East Lansing Insider podcast is back! The show, which is a collaboration between ELi and Impact radio, will initially air Sunday at 9 a.m. on 88.9 FM Impact radio. Then early next week, the show will be up on our website and available to listen to on streaming platforms. This week, Luke and Deputy Editor Anna Liz Nichols discussed the upcoming election slate.
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