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News | Michigan

MICHIGAN

Anti-gerrymandering forum draws capacity crowd at E.L. High School

Riley Murdock
February 20, 2017

A forum with the goal of educating and mobilizing voters to end partisan gerrymandering drew a capacity crowd at East Lansing High School’s cafeteria Sunday afternoon. ‘Gerrymandering’, or the practice of legislatures drawing congressional districts with the goal of disenfranchising opposing voters, has become a much-hated political practice whose detractors say essentially renders elections pointless.

MICHIGAN

4 East Lansing restaurants could keep 50/50 rule grandfathered status

Riley Murdock
February 20, 2017

At the request of East Lansing Mayor Mark Meadows, an ordinance draft put forth at the (date) Planning Commission meeting would allow four bars exempt from the city’s 50/50 rule to maintain their “grandfathered” status should they relocate or renovate. The 50/50 rule is an ordinance enacted by East Lansing City Council in the 80’s that requires businesses that sell alcohol to generate at least 50 percent of their revenue from food sales.

MICHIGAN

Ruth Beier: A life of no regrets and aiding her city

Riley Murdock
February 16, 2017

A native of Maryland, Beier studied economics at MSU as an undergrad, faced with a choice as a high school Junior when her parents decided to move to India. “I had to choose between going to India and going right to college, and one of the only colleges that I could get into without actually graduating was Michigan State,” Beier said. Despite this, Beier said she has an affinity for MSU, and after earning her Masters at Duke University she moved back to East Lansing in 1990, later settling here with her partner and their shared family of four children.

MICHIGAN

East Lansing facing serious financial issues

Riley Murdock
February 15, 2017

East Lansing has budgeted a -5.9 percent revenue growth for 2017 compared to a -2.6 percent expenditure growth, resulting in a $1,273,145 deficit that would be taken out of the general fund, according to the city’s Long-Term Financial Forecast. 

MICHIGAN

Students start "No Ban No Wall" T-shirt fundraiser

John LaVaccare
February 14, 2017

Political science senior Maisie Rodriguez, an MSU Intercultural Aide and student activist who is Mexican-American, said that President Trump’s reference to Mexican immigrants as “rapists” in his very first campaign speech was enough to permanently color her opinion of the businessman-turned-politician. “When Donald Trump, back in 2015, he started to call Mexican men rapists...that’s when I knew, like, okay, this guy’s a racist...So when he is calling my father a rapist, I knew exactly what he is saying when he is calling Muslims potential terrorists.