What's New in East Lansing?
Here's what went on last week and what's ahead this week.
Go Green! Go White! It’s rivalry weekend in East Lansing as the Michigan State University Spartans host the University of Michigan Wolverines 7:30 p.m. tonight at Spartan Stadium. Even in the toughest of years, this is a game that can go either way.
For the ELi team, another busy week of reporting has come to a close.
The biggest news of the week came out of Tuesday’s (oct. 17) City Council meeting when it was decided that workforce housing will not be built over the parking lot at 530 Albert Street. Reporter Dustin DuFort Petty recapped the meeting and documented why retaining the surface parking lot may be a temporary victory for the many residents who spoke out against the project.
In other city news, Reporter Mya Gregory delivered a rundown on a $204 million project along US-127 from I-96 to I-496. While the Michigan Department of Transportation said the proposal is intended to make the roadways safer, some residents of impacted neighborhoods have concerns that the opposite effect will be experienced.
City Desk Editor Luke Day’s story about fair housing discrimination shed light on renters who have been unfairly treated in East Lansing. A presentation given to City Council at the Oct. 10 discussion-only meeting revealed that people with disabilities file about two-thirds of discrimination complaints.
Luke also watched the Oct. 11 Planning Commission meeting to find out the latest about proposals to replace the University Marathon gas station on the corner of Abbot Road and Saginaw Street, and repurpose a Lansing Board of Water and Light (BWL) property on Stoddard Street into a training facility. The BWL proposal was tabled to allow more input from residents, while the new gas station was passed along to Council for a final decision.
On Wednesday (Oct. 18), ELi published a feature story from Dustin where Interim City Manager Randy Talifarro gave insight into his stint in the city’s top position. Talifarro, who left for his retirement home in Arizona after Robert Belleman was hired as city manager, stepped into the position during a time marked by staff departures and the challenge of stabilizing the city’s workforce.
The week has shaped up to be light on meetings.
The East Lansing Board of Education will meet Monday (Oct. 23) at 7 p.m. Meetings are held on the lower level of the high school. The agenda can be found here.
City government initially looked to have a busy meeting schedule this week, but the calendar got lighter with some cancelations. Groups still meeting are Planning Commission on Wednesday (Oct. 25) and the Building Board of Appeals on Thursday (Oct. 25). A special Tuesday (Oct. 24) City Council meeting has been canceled, as have the Thursday (Oct. 26) meeting of the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and Brownfield Redevelopment Authority.
Join ELi for an evening at the Robin Theatre watching a movie about investigative journalism!
This Wednesday (Oct. 25), ELi is inviting readers to the Robin Theater in Lansing for a movie night. We are hosting a watch-party showing of “Vengeance,” an action-packed, fun movie about investigative journalist Ben Manalowitz. Tickets for the event are $15 and additional donations are appreciated.
The watch-party is part of ELi’s ongoing fundraising efforts and kicks off our November and December sustainability campaign. Here's how you can donate.
ELi Now's live news updates this week includes the current top story coming out of the Tuesday (Oct. 17) City Council meeting. City Attorney Tony Chubb announced that the city is working to pull the license of Spin, which means the scooter company would not be allowed to operate in East Lansing.
Other ELi Now highlights include details about Thursday's (Oct. 26) Safe Halloween event and the Premier Dance Studio's ribbon cutting event on Oct. 1.
Have something you want featured in ELi now? Contact us! ELi Now will start fresh Monday (Oct. 23) and keep you updated with live news reports through the next week.
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