What's Been Going on in EL?
And here's what's ahead for this next week.
It is evident the holiday season is upon us as decorations and lights go up all around East Lansing. We did not send out an East Lansing Insider Saturday mailer last weekend due to Thanksgiving, so here’s a recap of the stories ELi has brought over the last two weeks.
Here’s what was reported on during Thanksgiving week.
Reporter Mya Gregory reported on the Nov. 15 East Lansing Public Library board meeting. At that meeting, the board discussed the ongoing search for a permanent library director.
Mara Logan covered the Nov. 16 Downtown Development Authority (DDA) meeting. That meeting featured a presentation from East Lansing Police Department (ELPD) officer Katey Harrison, who shared concerns about violent incidents regularly occurring downtown late at night on weekends.
Amid the conflict between Israel and Hamas, Dustin reported on the Interfaith Gathering of Solidarity held at the Eastminster Presbyterian Church on Nov. 16. The annual meeting gathered religious leaders from the Greater Lansing Area to denounce hate and spread love and support across faiths.
On Nov. 22, City Editor Luke Day brought an analysis on this year’s City Council election. The analysis includes information on which candidates East Lansing neighborhoods favored, the trends that allowed Erik Altmann and Mark Meadows to reclaim seats on Council, and the wide margin over the field that Kerry Ebersole Singh carried.
And here are the stories ELi featured last week.
As we move forward in the season of giving, reporter Dustin DuFort Petty brought us a story about one of East Lansing’s most important resources for those in need, Haven House. The homeless shelter for all types of families is celebrating 40 years of serving the Greater Lansing community. The shelter receives more than 80% of its funding from families and individuals, allowing it to provide essential services for those in need of a place to stay.
Luke reported on the November East Lansing Independent Oversight Commission (ELIPOC) meeting. The meeting saw feedback from the community about use of force recommendations that were developed in a community workshop in September.
Luke also recapped Tuesday’s (Nov. 28) City Council meeting. The nearly four-hour long meeting heard from more than 20 speakers in public comment who addressed potential rental restriction overlays in the Glencairn neighborhood and alleged racial bias that some feel influenced Council’s decision to elect Kerry Ebersole Singh mayor pro tem over Dana Watson.
Mara reported on the Monday (Nov. 27) East Lansing Board of Education meeting. At that meeting, school officials promoted a program that collects donations to help ELPS families in need. The principal and a teacher also shared about a mural at Whitehills Elementary School created by students as part of social justice focused activities.
No lack of meetings this next week.
Looking ahead, December kicks off with a full week of city meetings. Monday (Dec.4), the transportation commission will gather. Tuesday (Dec. 5) will see meetings for the Downtown Management Board and City Council. Wednesday (Dec. 7), the East Lansing Independent Police Oversight Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals will convene. Then on Thursday (Dec. 8), a Housing Commission meeting will be held. When agendas for these meetings are released, they can be found here.
Here are some activities and events to add to your calendars.
The Greater Lansing United Nations Association is teaming up with the Peace Education Center to host a “Write for Rights” writing party at 2:30 p.m. Sunday (Dec. 3) at University United Methodist Church. The event is part of their Human Rights Day program. At least three MSU Humphrey Fellows will discuss human rights as it relates to their countries - Burundi, Guyana and Pakistan. Also, the United Nations response to the crisis in the Middle East will be discussed.
The East Lansing Department of Parks, Recreation and Arts (ELPRA) is hosting a holiday food drive to benefit the Greater Lansing Food Bank this season. The goal for this year’s holiday food drive is to collect 1,500 pounds of food. Donations should be dropped off inside the East Lansing Hannah Community Center (ELHCC), 819 Abbot Road, through Dec. 15. Here’s more information from the city.
Tickets are on sale for the All-of-Us Express Children’s Theatre presentation of “A Christmas Carol.” There will only be two performances of this show: Friday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 16 at 3 p.m. Both shows will be in the Albert A. White Performing Arts Theater in the Hannah Community Center. Read more details here.
ELi’s annual campaign continues through December. Help us meet our $200,000 goal!
ELi has again been accepted to receive matching funds through NewsMatch, a national campaign to support nonprofit news organizations. ELi has $35,000 in matching funds, of which $13,000 is from NewsMatch. But we need your help to obtain these funds!
If you donate by Dec. 31, we will be able to DOUBLE the impact of your giving with matching funds! Commit to a monthly donation and we will see it matched at the ANNUAL rate. That means a $5/month commitment puts us $120 closer to the goal.
Subscriptions to East Lansing Insider also get matched. You can subscribe to East Lansing Insider here at $10/month or $100/year. Doing so will get you the news emailed to you faster than it becomes available at our website.
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