What's Going on in East Lansing?
Here's what was reported on this past week and what's ahead this week.
Another busy week has come and gone, with Michigan State University celebrating homecoming and several major developments in city government.
ELi published Investigative Reporter Alice Dreger’s story on why so many employees have left the city ranks. The wide-reaching investigation took months to complete and shines a light on internal communications from city hall. The full story can be read here.
This special investigative report was made possible by donors to the ELi Investigative News Fund. Join them today!
There were a couple major developments at City Council this week.
Reporter Dustin DuFort Petty broke down why Council denied Hagan Realty’s request to rezone seven properties on Grove Street. Once again, several residents from the area spoke out against the project before Council eventually passed on the rezoning request.
Additionally, the meeting marked the start of a new era in the city, as Robert Belleman’s contract to become the next city manager was approved. Council members welcomed Belleman to the city ranks, and he encouraged East Lansing residents to get to know him before making judgements after he was removed from his last position as Saginaw County controller.
In the schools, City Desk Editor Luke Day brought a story about the East Lansing Parent Advocacy Team (ELPAT). The group consists of adults who hope to assist the district in moving past last year’s troubles and into a brighter future. ELPAT contributors can frequently be heard from at Board of Education meetings if there is an important vote.
Four city meetings and the ELIPOC workshop are on the calendar for next week.
Looking ahead, there will be four city meetings next week. There is a planning commission meeting scheduled Wednesday (Sept. 27). The next day (Sept. 28), there are three meetings on the docket, as the Downtown Development Authority, Brownfield Redevelopment Authority and Building Board of appeals will all gather. When meeting agendas are released, they can be found here.
Besides the regular city meetings, next Saturday (Sept. 30) the East Lansing Independent Police Oversight Committee will be hosting a “Best Practices for Use of Force in Policing” community workshop from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will be held at the Hannah Community Center and is open to anyone who lives in or visits East Lansing.
For live news updates from this past week including previews of some upcoming events, check out the ELi Now column on the East Lansing Info website. East Lansing Insider members get these updates directly to their emails before they hit the ELi website.
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