The East Lansing City Council is scheduled to continue its discussion on an ordinance that could reshape an area redevelopment project at its Tuesday night work session. The work session is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 410 Abbot Road.
A newly vacant spot in the city was occupied by a bit of country Saturday afternoon. Hundreds of community members occupied the space once filled by the East Lansing Barnes & Noble, 333 E.
Students were provided with an alternative viewpoint on celebrity habits, the Obama administration and other issues gripping the nation Thursday evening in Wilson Hall during a presentation from conservative author Jason Mattera.
Students and community members are preparing for a visit from members of the controversial Westboro Baptist Church, who will rally from 8:15-8:45 a.m. Monday at the Union. The group, which is widely known for picketing military funerals in protest of America’s acceptance of homosexuality, also plans to picket at 7:15 a.m. Monday at Eastern High School, 220 N. Pennsylvania Ave., in Lansing, and Central Michigan University at 2:00 p.m.
East Lansing officials spent more than $26,000 in their search for a new city manager before hiring an internal candidate for the vacant position, records show. Pennsylvania-based executive search firm Affion Public was paid $18,000 as part of its contract with the city for the search, while other expenses totaled $8,077 as part of the search process.
They don’t do it for any kind of recognition, but the city of East Lansing decided to recognize some of the “unsung heroes” who contribute to enhancing the way of life in East Lansing at the 24th annual Crystal Awards, Thursday evening. This year, the Crystal Award Selection Committee selected four winners from a group of 32 individuals, organizations and businesses. The 32 candidates were nominated by members of the community and winning the awards were Marsha Bristor, Dr. Dale Bartlett, the Summer Circle Theatre and the Eric ‘RicStar’ Winter Music Therapy Camp.
MSU is inching closer to losing millions in state funding next year as an argument with lawmakers over the university’s student health care requirement escalates.
Students planning to travel along Amtrak’s Blue Water route early next week may experience some service disruptions, the passenger railroad announced in a service notice. The route — which runs from Chicago to Port Huron, Mich. — typically departs from East Lansing at 8:28 a.m., but all stops will run two hours earlier to accommodate work along the track. The change will take place from Monday through Wednesday, with additional work occurring over the next two weeks.
The Taste of East Lansing festival will be held from 5-8 p.m. on Saturday at Parking Lot 1 off of Albert Avenue in the Ann Street Plaza. The event will be hosted by the Community Relations Coalition and will feature a silent auction, live music, raffle and children’s activities.
April snow showers could mean trouble for many fruit growers throughout Michigan after a frost affected some fruit populations earlier than usual, MSU experts said Tuesday. Although the warm spell in Michigan this March was welcome weather for many students, the subsequent snow flurries and below freezing temperatures that occurred for a few subsequent days in April were particularly damaging to perennial fruit populations in the state, MSU Extension educator Amy Irish-Brown said.
A semesterlong class project became a business venture for local business startup Shirtmob when four students conducted surveys to find out where the company’s target clientele stood.
In 1988, East Lansing was named a Tree City USA for the first time. Now, in 2012, the city is sticking to its roots for its 25th consecutive year as a Tree City USA, a national honor given to communities by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service.
Construction on a Lansing outpatient cancer treatment center is expected to start before this fall following a state approval process that drew accusations of tampering by local health care entities. A certificate of need for Compass Health Care’s Compass Cancer Center, 1525 W. Lake Lansing Road, was approved earlier this April by the Michigan Department of Community Health, a move that should allow construction to start before this fall.
In 1988, East Lansing was named a Tree City USA for the first time. Now, in 2012, the city is sticking to its roots for its 25th consecutive year as a Tree City USA, a national honor given to communities by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service. “It’s a great honor, in particular because it’s our 25th year that we’ve been able to receive this designation,” said David Smith, environmental specialist for the city of East Lansing. “It shows that not only the city, but our residents have a commitment to the positive aspects of having trees in our community.”
Funding for local and major street projects and subsequent repairs is set to fluctuate across the next few years in East Lansing, based on budget projections presented Tuesday to the East Lansing City Council. East Lansing Director of Public Works Todd Sneathen and Finance Director Mary Haskell presented documents to the council at City Hall, 410 Abbot Road, prior to its regular meeting, detailing changes that project a deficit at the start of the next fiscal year in the city’s fund for major street repairs.
The former site of the East Lansing Barnes & Noble once again is slated to be teeming with life this weekend, but only for a short time.
Law enforcement members throughout East Lansing and MSU are working to keep tradition alive by upping the presence of ceremonial honor guards in their departments. This May, the MSU Police Department and the East Lansing Fire Department will host trainings for officers interested in being a part of an honor guard, a ceremonial unit often used to honor fallen officers or to represent police, fire or military units in public presentations, such as parades.
East Lansing police Sgt. Mark Vande Wouwer has rescued children from burning buildings and pursued criminals on foot, and now he’s being recognized for his work.
The East Lansing Public Library was packed Friday night as residents and city leaders gathered at a fundraiser to offer vocal and financial support for the center, stressing the institution’s importance to the community. More than 200 people attended the library’s Books, Bites and Bids silent auction at the library, 950 Abbot Road, the topper on a week of events that ran in conjunction with National Library Week.
Just in time for summer, a new ice cream shop will open its doors for business at 2850 E. Grand River Ave., in Okemos, on April 20. The shop, Twisters Soft-Serve Ice Cream, will be the eighth in a franchise that was started 12 years ago by owner Joe Spadafore, his brother and his father.