In 2023, the East Lansing City Council passed a resolution declaring itself a sanctuary city. The resolution reaffirmed policies the city has been practicing for decades.
One local business owner is trying to get a state law changed that doesn’t allow dogs on restaurant patios.
East Lansing Environmental Specialist Cliff Walls answered questions via email about the city’s recycling program that used artificial intelligence to identify contaminants in recycling bins.
He talked about new city hires, preparing for the first big winter storm and why Council meeting minutes have not yet been approved.
The city manager responds to questions about Country Mills Farms, Council goal setting plans and an employee pay study.
DPW interim director confirms city workers had responded to incidents associated with the digging in Glencairn
Cathy DeShambo replied to questions about the recreation fee structures and provided a link to the department’s budget document.
There is more than meets the eye behind the costs for renovation of the Patriarche Park courts.
Ron Bacon and Jessy Gregg say they’re “undecided,” but Noel Garcia will be running for election in November. ELi explains how the race works and how to run.
Four months after the 3-1 Council vote to declare East Lansing a sanctuary city, ELi gives an overview of what’s happening in the city to prepare should a sudden influx of immigrants occur.
FOIA response shows fact-checking notes taken by Superintendent Dori Leyko.
Superintendent Dori Leyko has provided ELi more information about the hiring process that was used.
A single threat of violence led to the emergency closure of EL schools and locking of City Hall doors.
In-depth digging (and lots of capitalizations) raise concerns about this foundation.
City of East Lansing staff say more than 50 new “small cell” towers may be coming around town.
We took your questions about traffic patrols, downtown robberies and assaults, crime-solving and more to East Lansing Police Captain Chad Pride. Today, we bring you the answers.
We’ll be meeting with readers (and people interested in becoming ELi reporters) on Tuesday, Dec. 6, at Hooked.
A reader asked ELi to look into what’s going on with plans for a Trader Joe’s store in East Lansing. We investigated the public record and asked around, and now we bring you the results.
As this election cycle draws to a close, ELi answers a reader’s question about political signs.
It looks like the QD near Brody is closing. We answer a reader’s question about whether a marijuana dispensary could locate there.
In this edition of Ask ELi, we bring you answers on tax assessments, the sewer system, ELPD social workers, and unpaid parking tickets.
In the latest Ask ELi to Investigate, Emily Joan Elliott explores how the marshy environment of East Lansing can affect local homes.
![Ask ELi: A Fence on Campus, Basketball Hoops Unlocked, and Construction On Burcham Drive [UPDATED]](https://eastlansinginfo.news/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Schools-on-Burcham-768x429.png)
ELi’s Emily Joan Elliott brings a few pieces of news and a noteworthy PSA about construction on Burcham Drive.
Find out how you can be more involved in the City of East Lansing by applying to a board or commission. Clay Oppenhuizen reports.
Why is there so much variation in how daycares are implementing Covid-19 protocols and handling exposures? Clay Oppenhuizen reports for ELi.
What safety precautions are being taken for using rifles? What metrics are being used to determine if the cull was successful? We bring you answers to those questions and more.
ELi brings answers to a series of questions about how ELHS is handling Covid-19 after reports in early January that hundreds of students were absent.
Why are public health analysts and officials here and elsewhere starting to talk about Covid-19 as akin to the long-familiar seasonal flu among the vaccinated?
What happens to the deer that are culled? Have any deer had wasting disease? We answer these questions and more in this Ask ELi Grab Bag!
What’s been the result of marijuana retail sale regulation in the City of East Lansing? ELi’s Andrew Graham reviews the scene and tells you what’s coming.
The Supreme Court will hear arguments regarding the federal Covid-19 vaccine mandate today. What does this mean for workers employed by the City of East Lansing and East Lansing Public Schools?
What can residents do to prevent their mail from being stolen? And what can residents affected by the Comcast outage do to get a refund for loss of service? We bring the answers in this Ask ELi Grab Bag.
Are those Verizon towers in Bailey functioning? What happened to a little statue at the softball complex? And, of course, we bring you a couple of development updates in this Ask ELi Grab Bag!
ELi reached Comcast and was able to confirm the train accident was the source of the widespread outage in East Lansing and Meridian Township. A spokesperson says they expect service to be restored today.
It’s been over three months since East Lansing’s City Council decided to look for a new City Attorney, and five law firms have submitted proposals to take on the role. What’s going on with all this?
The federal Grand Jury returned a 21-page indictment in June 2020, including eight criminal counts, with some involving East Lansing businesses and real estate here and elsewhere. ELi explains.
East Lansing, including Michigan State University, occupies the Lands of the Anishinaabeg, and Indigenous faculty at MSU are drawing attention to that with a Land Acknowledgement statement. The City has sometimes adapted and used the statement, too. What is the history of this Land Acknowledgment? What might it mean moving forward?
Will fabric recycling return to East Lansing? Why is it so dark at Valley Court Park? How can you mitigate the risk of car break-ins? Find out the answers in this Ask ELi Grab Bag!
In the weeks and months following torrential rains that flooded portions of East Lansing and numerous basements, ELi has had several readers inquire about the ongoing Montgomery Drain Project and its potential future impact in mitigating local flooding. What do we know?
Emily Joan Elliott and Heather Brothers discuss City Council’s debate over a new labor contract for command officers in the East Lansing Police Department. The two then provide a weekly news round up.
The person who was injured “had either fallen or purposely jumped from the first floor” of the parking garage in East Lansing’s downtown, according to Deputy Police Chief Steve Gonzalez.
When will the access point to the Northern Tier Trail at Colorado Drive be complete? How does East Lansing handle dog attacks? How can you attend Council member Babock’s flooding town hall tonight?
On this episode, Managing Editor Emily Joan Elliott speaks to City Desk Reporter Andrew Graham about his recent reporting on flooding, including his investigative reporting and what comes next.
Are the kindergarten classrooms at Marble smaller or the class sizes bigger? What’s going on with bus routes, bond money, and Burcham Drive? We answer your questions about East Lansing Public Schools in this Ask ELi Grab Bag.
On the eastern edge of East Lansing, five homeowners have spent weeks trying to figure out why the Aug. 12 rains flooded their basements with sewage. Weeks later, like most residents, they still haven’t gotten satisfying answers. Andrew Graham reports.
With the election a little more than a month away, ELi is bringing you information designed to help you see the differences between candidates.
Alice Dreger, Emily Joan Elliott, and Andrew Graham cover some of the most recent Ask ELi’s that they have investigated. Give a listen to learn more about flooding, drains, construction, schools, and more!
Get details on Friday’s celebrations and find out what we’ve learned thanks to ELi readers about the history of racial integration in East Lansing.
What renovations are coming to the East Lansing Public Library? What programs are being offered? What is happening with contract negotiations with non-supervisory workers? Emily Joan Elliott reports.
Was that a warplane overhead? What’s happening with the old QD on Trowbridge? We bring you the answers to that and more!
A reader asked about an unusual listing for a house in the Whitehills neighborhood of East Lansing with an asking price of almost $1.4 million. As a result, ELi brings you the story of how a house became an “accessory structure.”
In 2019, Quality Dairy announced that it would outsource production of its French Onion Dip to another family-owned producer, but promised the recipe would be exactly the same. Since then, some in the community claim the dip tastes different. Can the recipe be exactly the same and still taste different? Managing Editor Emily Joan Elliott set out on a mission to find out the answers.
You can help us map out where problems are occurring so that we can do reporting on the East Lansing sewer system and management of it as our climate changes. How can you send us info on your property’s experience?
What’s happening at the corner of Cowley and Michigan Avenues, where an old office building was just demolished? And why has the fire department been busting holes in the roof of 314 Evergreen Ave.?
In today’s Ask ELi to Investigate, ELi Managing Editor Emily Joan Elliott digs into questions we’ve received about the East Lansing Public Library since her report on Monday regarding the library labor dispute.
Why no walk signal across Abbot Road? Could the Woodingham pump station be made to look and smell better? And what’s all that digging at the water plant off Burcham Drive? Ask ELi, and answers you shall receive!
What’s with those cell phone towers popping up in residential neighborhoods, dirty water coming from faucets in the Glencairn neighborhood, and a closed bike rack near the downtown Marriott? We answer all this plus one bonus-round question!
In this week’s Ask ELi grab bag, we answer four sets of reader questions! Did we pick yours?
If a proposed state law on rentals becomes law, what could it mean for East Lansing? When will the City Manager’s annual evaluation happen? And, when is the MSU Dairy Store reopening? Find out the answers in the latest Ask ELi Grab Bag!
Readers have been asking! So we asked Ingham County to give ELi an update, and now we bring you the news of what to expect when.
ELi answers readers’ questions about the ramped path that disappeared from Valley Court Park and the SUVs parked at MSU near Mt. Hope Rd. Plus, we explain what’s about to happen to Abbot Rd.
Why won’t the City ask MDOT to lower the speeds on Grand River Ave. and Saginaw St.? Does East Lansing have an anaerobic biodigster? And why are trees being cut behind the high school?
Anyone over age 16 in Michigan can now make an appointment directly with the Ingham County Health Department for a vaccine. Sparrow has walk-in hours for vaccines, and we provide you with information on other local vaccine providers.
What do you need to do? What are the deadlines? We bring you the details.
What’s the deal with strangely high East Lansing water bills that don’t seem to be explainable by system error?
Improperly disposing of electronics can have negative impacts on the environment for several reasons. So how can you properly dispose of these items?
When are the City Council elections? What’s with the Graduate Hotel pedestrian tunnel? Which vendors are coming to the market this Sunday? Answers to these questions and more.
Did the deer cull result in meat being delivered to local food banks? What’s up with parking at Bailey Park? What will happen with the Biggby lot on Grand River Ave? We bring some updates.
The East Lansing Tax Assessor’s Review allows property owners who may have an issue with their assessment or who just have a question to get answers and potentially remedy any actual miscalculations or errors. It ends on Friday.
Is it a comment on the topography? A reference to the middle school’s name? A tribute to a beloved educator? What we know is that people in East Lansing love their sledding hill!
We answer a reader’s question about a teeth-rattling section of the Lansing River Trail where it enters East Lansing, and ask Ingham County Commissioner Mark Grebner why he has the reputation of being a bit grouchy about the county trails millage.
Did workers aim to contain the spill as soon as it happened? What’s happening with the contaminated material collected so far? And what about possible cost increases?
The library is expecting to spend about $800,000 to do some “desperately needed” maintenance on various facilities. Why is this happening just a few years after $1.5M in renovations?
People are wondering why they are seeing flocks of robins in East Lansing yards. We bring the answer.
Why is there no walk sign across Abbot Road at that street’s southwest corner with Albert Avenue – where the apartments’ entrance for The Abbot is located? Alice Dreger explains.
Did Charlotte Brontë vote in the November 2020 election in East Lansing while residing at the Dublin Square pub? ELi’s Andrew Graham brings the answer and explains what it tells us about how Michigan’s voting system works.
The problem wasn’t actually on our end. Our publisher explains.
We explain what’s happening at two spots on Burcham Drive and two spots on Grand River Avenue in East Lansing in our latest “Ask ELi to Investigate” column.
We get this question every now and then, so here’s the answer with the investigative backstory.
Find out from ELi’s Andrew Graham what’s happening in Ranney Park, next to Marshall Music, and see drone photography from ELi’s Gary Caldwell.
What did East Lansing’s “Library on the Go” van cost, where did the funds come from, and what is it used for? A reader asked and we found out.
Styrofoam, cardboard, and more can be dropped at the City of East Lansing’s recycling center (with masks and physical distancing required).
Following questions from readers about when the deer cull begins, if it hasn’t already, Andrew Graham got back in touch with the City to find out the precise dates.
An ELi reader shared a legal notice indicating that a cell tower is proposed to be built on the south end of the Bailey Neighborhood. So what would be going where, exactly? Andrew Graham finds out.
How does ELi cover taxes and finances in East Lansing? Publisher Alice Dreger explains.
Want to have your questions about the community answered? Join us on Zoom Thursday evening!
An ELi reader wanted to know what the City is doing about potential lead contamination in service lines. Andrew Graham brings answers.
Confused about what’s legal where in the various parts of East Lansing when it comes to Covid-19? We have you covered!
Is the HUB adding more retail? Who gets the nicer side of a fence? When can I use the track at ELHS? Find the answers to all that and more in this week’s Ask ELi Grab Bag!
Which companies in East Lansing got big bucks from the federal Paycheck Protection Program? ELi’s Andrew Graham takes a look.
Has the Michigan Supreme Court decision really changed COVID-19 requirements here? Are hospitalizations on the rise? Is testing down? ELi’s Emily Joan Elliott turned to Ingham County Health Officer Linda Vail for answers to our readers’ questions.
What are they building just south of the Aquatic Center? When will Coolidge Road lose a car lane and gain two bike lanes? And what about Harbor Bay and the federal law? All in this week’s Ask ELi grab bag!
The cull is expected to occur soon and will be conducted by government-employed sharpshooters working in East Lansing parks.
Has recycling in East Lansing changed recently? No, but it may soon change for the better. Heather Brothers brings us the answers to your questions.
For National Voter Registration Day, ELi got in touch with City Clerk Jennifer Shuster to help answer questions from our readers.
What happened to the motorcycle parking on Albert Ave.? Is Breugger’s Bagels reopening? And what’s action that on Trowbridge Road? You ask. We answer.
It’s true: if you park in the old Biggby’s lot without permission, you may not find your car there when you come back.
Why are these eight people running? What issues do they see as urgent? We asked to bring you the answers.
The Abbot has received clearance to open, and move-in will start tomorrow.
What other jobs do your East Lansing City Council members hold? ELi’s Emily Joan Elliott reports.
Now we know: Younger people infected older people. The outbreak reached 18 counties in Michigan. And many were infected before the cluster was identified.
According to Ingham County Health Officer Linda Vail, the 22 cases include one employee. What can government officials do to compel masks and other interventions?
“There was one arrest made,” ELPD Captain Chad Connelly tells ELi.
Readers are asking what we can expect when MSU starts in-person classes back up in the fall. ELi’s Emily Joan Elliott reports what we know so far.
East Lansing playgrounds will remain off-limits until at least July 13, and the dog park until August 3 according to Tim McCaffrey, Parks & Rec Director.
ELi’s Alice Dreger reports on what video from Sunday seems to show and how East Lansing Interim Police Chief Steve Gonzalez is seeing the protests.
A reader wondered why one ELPD car was left in the middle of the parking lot as protestors approached on Sunday.
A reader asked: What’s the jurisdiction of ELPD versus MSUPD?
As we have another round of “free” yard-waste pick-up coming, we answer a reader’s question about what this is costing.
What’s it like getting tested? Where can you get tested? And why does everyone we hear from in our area seem to come back negative?
Various local organizations are stepping up to help people who need no-cost food to live without hunger.
Did a City worker really roll a recycling truck? Is the hybrid truck too expensive to fix? We asked.
East Lansing’s Environmental Services Administrator Cathy DeShambo has some suggestions about what to do while your house is overflowing with recyclables.
We bring news on how the Peppermint Creek fundraiser did for the local volunteer sewing army and also provide a general update on the homemade production of masks.
Stressed out in the midst of all this? Lonely? Feeling down? Here is what you need to know about people who can help in our area.
The DDA will meet Thursday to decide on criteria for $250K in grants to local businesses. We explain what’s been decided so far.
Our publisher pauses to answer the question, “How is ELi doing?”
What could earn you a thousand-dollar fine in East Lansing under the stay-at-home order? ELi explains.
Today, ELi brings answers to readers’ medical questions about the coronavirus: Are our area hospitals ready? What if they are overwhelmed? Will donated blood be safe? And more.
The Census Bureau is saying students who normally attend school here should be counted as living here for the census. But will they be?
ELi is getting lots of “small” questions related to life in the East Lansing area under the public health emergency. Send us your questions and we will keep answering them at this page.
“Social distancing even one day sooner will save lives,” says the dean of Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine. What does that look like for people in East Lansing?
Superintendent Dori Leyko explains the latest delay in the completion of building projects at both Donley and Glencairn elementary schools.