What's Been Going on in East Lansing?
Read our reporting from the past two weeks.
It’s Saturday!
If you’re behind on local news, start your weekend by catching up with ELi’s reporting from the last couple of weeks.
Federal funding cuts hit U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in East Lansing.
President Donald Trump’s administration has promised to cut federal spending and make the government work more efficiently. However, funding cuts thrust upon a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in East Lansing have caused the office to operate less efficiently, one employee told ELi. Read Reporter Dustin DuFort Petty’s story about how spending cuts have hurt the FWS office and the impact it has had on the office’s ability to carry out important environmental work.
Divide between ELPD, Police Oversight Commission, has never been more evident.
For basically its entire three-plus years of existence, there has been tension between the East Lansing Independent Police Oversight Commission and the police department it oversees. This divide has perhaps never been more evident than at the March ELIPOC meeting, where Interim Police Chief Jen Brown said some commissioners “hate cops” and ELIPOC members continued to question ELPD’s evaluation of its own policies. Read Reporter Ayah Imran’s story on the March ELIPOC meeting here.
Checking in with the charter review committee.
Last year, City Council established a committee to conduct a thorough review of the city charter and recommend changes, which could then be passed on to voters to decide whether or not to implement. With the committee a few months away from wrapping up its work, Committee Chair Diane Goddeeris filled ELi in on the 19 changes the committee has recommended so far - and others that may be recommended soon. Read Managing Editor Luke Day’s story on the Charter Review Committee here.
Planning Commission discusses proposed gas station, Indian pizza restaurant, Sauna Park.
There were a trio of projects discussed at the Planning Commission meeting on March 26. A sauna park that was previously approved to temporarily open was back asking for an extension, a new Meijer gas station is proposed for the corner of Lake Lansing Road and Abbot Road, and developers hope to open a unique new Indian-style pizza restaurant later this year. Read Luke’s story on the Planning Commission meeting here.
Council approves sauna park extension; resumes talks about speeding, loud cars.
With the Planning Commission recommendation in hand, council granted the one-year extension to the sauna park, which would operate in the empty lot next to Crunchy’s on Grand River Avenue. Council also restarted talks about noisy cars and speeding in East Lansing neighborhoods - though a solution to the problem seems far away. Read Luke’s recap of the April 8 City Council meeting here.
Library Board Approves Budget.
As the next fiscal year looms, city officials are busily trying to plot out how resources will be allocated. The East Lansing Public Library Board of Trustees approved a budget at its March meeting. The library board also learned about some of the ELPL programming for teens and discussed the Books, Bites and Bids event. Read Ayah’s story about the meeting here.
Seven city meetings are scheduled for next week.
There’s a full slate of city meetings on the docket next week. Monday (April 14), the Human Rights Commission gathers. Then on Tuesday (April 15), there will be a discussion-only City Council meeting and the University Student Commission will meet. Wednesday (April 16), the Library Board of Trustees and Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission will each convene. Thursday (April 17), the Arts Commission and Age Friendly Communities each meet. When meeting agendas are posted, they can be found here.
Additionally, the East Lansing Board of Education will meet Monday. BOE meetings take place at 7 p.m. downstairs in the high school. When that meeting agenda is posted, it can be viewed here
ELHS, Okemos HS, CMU musicians to hold collaborative concert.
Musicians from East Lansing High School, Okemos High School and Central Michigan University will team up to hold a collaborative concert at ELHS Tuesday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. The event will feature the orchestra programs from the three schools, and is free to attend.
Recycle Rama scheduled for April 26.
The region’s largest one-day recycling event is returning, as East Lansing is co-sponsoring “Recycle Rama” on April 26. Community members can bring electronics, unwanted or expired medications and other hard-to-recycle materials to the Ingham County Health Department parking lot at 5303 S Cedar Street in Lansing.
“This event continues to demonstrate the power of regional collaboration,” a city press release quotes Cliff Walls, East Lansing’s sustainability and resiliency manager, as saying. “We’re proud to help bring together municipalities, businesses and volunteers to create an accessible and impactful day of environmental action.”
For more information about the event, and volunteering opportunities available for Recycle Rama, read the city’s full press release.
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