Catch Up With Our Reporting From This Week
It was another busy week for the ELi team.
It’s Saturday! Start your weekend by catching up with all that’s gone on in East Lansing this week.
East Lansing City Council to meet with advocacy groups to discuss proposed camping and loitering bans.
The room was full for this week’s East Lansing City Council meeting, as dozens of advocates called or wrote in to eviscerate city leaders for considering bans on public camping and loitering in parking areas that advocates said would criminalize homelessness. City Council did approve an introduction of the ordinances – but will also send two members to speak with advocacy groups about their issues with the proposed rules. Deputy Editor Anna Liz Nichols covered Tuesday’s meeting.
After watching Minneapolis protests, local groups are preparing for a surge in immigration enforcement.
After thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were deployed in Minneapolis, neighbors mobilized to provide necessities for immigrants afraid to leave their homes and alert others of ICE activity. Lansing-area groups went to Minneapolis and brought lessons they learned home. Get the whole story in Reporters Dustin DuFort Petty and Ayah Imran’s story.
East Lansing officials can’t talk about the city’s biggest policing controversy in years without risking the city’s insurance coverage.
For five months, the public comment portion of City Council meetings has been filled with residents condemning the city’s response to an incident of alleged police brutality that is now subject to civil lawsuits filed in federal court. Through it all, city leaders have said very little about the incident. After this week’s City Council meeting, City Manager Robert Belleman explained to ELi that speaking about the incident could put the city’s insurance coverage at risk. Managing Editor Luke Day brings the details.
East Lansing Human Rights Commission says records fee hampers police brutality investigation.
While leading officials have said little about the incident of alleged excessive force, the city’s Human Rights Commission has pushed forward with an investigation into the officers involved. The investigation hit a snare when the city said the commission will need to pay nearly $900 for body camera footage and records requested. Ayah covered this week’s Human Rights Commission meeting.
Council approves area’s first Sheetz location before putting a moratorium on new gas stations.
The first Lansing-area Sheetz location has been approved, as the East Lansing City Council backed the project at this week’s meeting. Sheetz, a 24-hour gas station, restaurant and convenience store has gained a large following in other states, but just recently began opening Michigan locations. Right after council approved Sheetz, it put an eight-month moratorium on new gas stations in the city, worrying the market is saturated. Read Luke’s report here.
Greater Lansing looking to draw more girls into sports with events this week.
In honor of Girls and Women in Sports Day, this week the Lansing Sports Commission held events to showcase prominent women in athletics and introduce girls to new sports. Anna reported on this week’s events, and why participation in sports is so important for many kids.
ELHS Robotics Club turns problems into progress.
For members of the East Lansing High School Robotics Club, adapting as problems arise is critical for success. Ayah spoke with the team about the robot they built to compete in competitions, and how they continue to tweak its code to improve throughout the season. Her story can be found here.
East Lansing Insider Podcast: A conversation about the NAACP and Black History Month.
To kick off Black History Month, NAACP Lansing Branch President Harold Pope spoke with Anna about the branch’s history and why it’s so important to celebrate Black history. The podcast can be listened to here or on streaming services like Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Seven city meetings are scheduled next week.
The ball will keep rolling in city government next week, as there is a full slate of meetings. Monday (Feb. 9), the Downtown Management Board has a pair of meetings. Tuesday (Feb. 10), City Council has a discussion-only meeting. Wednesday (Feb. 11), the Planning Commission will gather. Then on Thursday (Feb. 12), the Financial Health Review Team, Community Development Advisory Committee and Historic District Commission will each gather. Meeting agendas can be found here.
McKenna-Wicks, Flores and Carlson join ELi’s Board of Directors.
The East Lansing Info team is growing! At our most recent board meeting, Marie McKenna-Wicks, Kit Carlson and Amanda Flores were approved as new board members, bringing decades of community involvement. Additionally, MSU student Kennedy DeMars recently started as a reporting intern. Get to know the newest members of our team.
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