ELi brings you this rundown of what is happening today, to keep you informed about delays and closures along with opportunities for public grieving and private support.
Emily Joan Elliott and Al Hargrave Jackson discuss Covid 19 and continuing efforts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in East Lansing Public Schools. Give a listen!
The School Board unanimously approved a new curriculum for teaching about HIV and AIDS, a high school-led trip to Germany, and a new contract with the teachers’ union. Al Hargrave Jackson reports.
The School Board unanimously voted to adopt five new policies on Monday as it reviews and revises its new policy manual. Al Hargrave reports on the policy changes.
The City announced yesterday that beginning on Mar. 14, masks would be optional inside City-owned buildings with some exceptions, including public meetings.
Superintendent Dori Leyko announced an almost identical policy nearly two weeks ago, but the Board held an official vote due to language in the recently approved policy handbook. What did the four trustees present have to say about the policy?
Andrew is joined by Emily Joan Elliott to talk about the current stages of the pandemic, how different things are now from early 2020, and where things might be headed next. Listen in!
ELPS will continue to require masks through at least mid-April. The Board also discussed a new Black American history course, standardized testing, and more.
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The ELPS School Board weighed the benefits and setbacks of increasing options for public comment at its Feb. 14 meeting.
Why is there so much variation in how daycares are implementing Covid-19 protocols and handling exposures? Clay Oppenhuizen reports for ELi.
First-graders from Robert L. Green Elementary expressed their thanks for Sparrow’s healthcare workers through handwritten cards. Sarah Spohn reports.
The team of up to 25 medical staff will arrive on Feb. 7, making Sparrow the sixth Michigan hospital to receive such assistance. The news comes as Ingham County reports some if its highest daily case counts, over 200 people hospitalized, and 18 deaths last week.
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.
Food trucks and a continued suspension of meetings for the City of East Lansing’s boards and commissions: we bring you a quick rundown of some things we’re keeping an eye on.
No other members of City Council appear to have contracted Covid-19 after Jessy Gregg attended Thursday’s meeting – one day after being exposed to Covid but testing negative on an at-home test. The four other members of Council will discuss the City Attorney candidates among other things this evening.
ELi’s Andrew Graham interviews a teacher and two students from East Lansing High School about their in-the-halls experiences with Covid-19. Listen in.
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?
The ELPS School Board unanimously voted to make Kate Powers president in 2022, as the district faces high numbers of absenteeism at ELHS and challenges from the more transmissible Omicron variant.
Ingham County has hit its highest caseload for one week, but rates of vaccination remain static. The Health Department will pivot at some point to approach Covid-19 more like the flu. But right now, 28 people here are on ventilators because of the coronavirus.
On this episode, Andrew and Chuck are joined by Emily Joan Elliott to delve into the current state of the pandemic. Give a listen!
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?
With the arrival of Omicron, how will the district balance protecting students from both Omicron and the detrimental effects of social isolation, just as students were adjusting to in-person learning?
Hundreds of students are reported absent at East Lansing High School, while the City cancels meetings and restricts access to the public library. Meanwhile, the City Manager defends the absence of a vaccine mandate for City workers, including police officers and ELFD paramedics.
The plan calls for remote (online) education for the first three weeks of the semester. Learn more from ELi.
ELi’s mission is to bring East Lansing the news. Here’s a look at what we think we’ll be helping you to know about and understand in context in 2022.
MSU announced today that it will require students, faculty, and staff to get a Covid booster for the upcoming semester. On Wednesday, the Parks and Rec Commission drafted a letter to the City Manager and Council, asking for the City, which has no plans for a vaccine mandate of its own, to change course on the issue.
At its first meeting since the school shooting in Oxford, Michigan, the ELPS School Board discussed student safety and a host of other issues, including finances, a new policy handbook, and curriculum changes. Al Hargrave delivers your School Board round up.
The local healthcare infrastructure is showing signs of extraordinary stress, as Covid numbers here are surging upward, the flu is spreading, and Sparrow Hospital healthcare professionals –exhausted by the pandemic experience – are seeking better working conditions. Emily Joan Elliott reports.
ELPS continues to grapple with issues related to returning to school during a pandemic, including vaccinating students, addressing mental health stressors, and messaging good student conduct. Here’s the School Board meeting round up.
Local officials fear that big parties related to football and Halloween will add additional stress to an already strained hospital system. Alice Dreger reports.
The controversy surrounding MSU’s request for faculty and staff to volunteer their personal time to work in dining halls is only the tip of the iceberg locally in terms of tensions between employees and management. What else is happening around town?
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.
The relatively high Covid numbers at Glencairn Elementary dominated discussions, but the School Board trustees also discussed how to use remaining bond money, a financial audit, and more. We bring you a round up.
A lawsuit settlement, hair discrimination, food trucks in neighborhoods, controversially-confidential legal opinions, and more at this week’s East Lansing City Council. Catch up with ELi!
At a media briefing on Tuesday, Vail praised ELPS and MSU for Covid mitigation efforts and provided a general update on Covid in Ingham County, including increased hospitalizations.
All students, staff, and faculty must be vaccinated against Covid-19 before the start of the fall semester – a move that has effects for not only MSU but also the wider East Lansing community.
The ELPS Board of Education held a public hearing about changing the name of Pinecrest Elementary to honor Dr. Robert L. Green, a local civil rights leader. Others called in to voice concerns over possible Covid-19 protocols. We bring you the meeting roundup.
Vaccination of this age group helps protect people who come into contact with them, including those at much higher risk of illness and death, such as pregnant women. No appointment is necessary at some sites. Find out more from ELi.
The ELPS Mental Health Advisory Committee partnered with a team at MSU to create a new website that provides mental health information and resources. It is part of a multi-pronged approach to help students.
The clinic is open to everyone in the community, age 18 and older, at no cost to recipients. Stop by with your photo ID, consent form, and insurance card (if applicable.)
A former patient shares his experience of being hospitalized for Covid, and a Sparrow physician shares what it’s like to work with Covid patients. Both want to see more people get vaccinated.
Some students at ELHS have already received a vaccine, and more plan on it. What is preventing some from receiving a vaccine? ELi’s Adan Tomas Quan reports.
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.
Covid-19 has been present in East Lansing for over a year. How has it changed our community? Where does our community stand now in terms of the virus?
You can make appointments through the MySparrow portal now. Read on for more information about that and the arrival of the U.K. variant on campus.
MDHHS announced on Friday that all Michiganders 16 and older with underlying conditions will be eligible for vaccine beginning Mar. 22. All Michiganders will be eligible on April 5.
The Ingham County Health Department canceled vaccination appointments today due to the snowstorm overnight. Those with appointments on Feb. 16 will be contacted by either phone or email to reschedule over the next three days.
Checking for appointments and waiting for emails has begun to feel like a full-time job, filled with anxiety and confusion. Emily Joan Elliott reports on what seniors have to say what has caused some of the confusion.
The library has tentative plans to reopen on Mar. 1. In the meantime, staff are implementing public health protocols and conducting a cultural diversity audit on the library’s collections. Heather Brothers reports.
Our latest East Lansing Insider podcast, recorded today, focuses on the science of Covid-19, including the vaccines and variants. ELi’s Emily Joan Elliott interviews Dr. Aron Sousa of MSU’s College of Human Medicine.
Ingham County Health Department is vaccinating 2,000 people a week and could increase this number if it were to receive more vaccines. Emily Joan Elliott reports on the initial rollout of vaccinating Phase 1B and what to expect next.
Here is how you can sign up to receive the vaccine through the Ingham County Health Department.
East Lansing is averaging three deaths a week from Covid-19 as the number of individuals needing ventilators seems to be rising. Emily Joan Elliott reports on this and the arrival of vaccines in the area.
Social distancing has been a key component of keeping safe during the pandemic, but ELPD and ELFD personnel often work in groups and interact with the public. What precautions have they been taking?
After hearing about the resolution from Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Administrator Elaine Hardy, Council voted to approve the resolution. Emily Joan Elliott reports.
Retired MSUPD Police Chief Jim Dunlap spoke with ELi’s Emily Joan Elliott about his participation in the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine trial.
Want to weigh in on cultural arts grants, a resolution declaring racism a public health crisis, money problems in Parks & Rec and in the parking system, and traffic on Highland Ave.? ELi’s Emily Joan Elliott tells you which East Lansing City meetings will cover what this week.
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.
MSU College of Human Medicine to offer free flu vaccines and explains the importance of the flu shot during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Says the Health Department: “more stringent and mandatory restrictions will be imposed if students do not comply and break the transmission cycle.” ELi’s Emily Joan Elliott reports.
East Lansing has got young people desiring freedom, police who have been told generally to back-off enforcement, public health experts who are wary of using sticks instead of carrots, a relatively new university administration, and a very new City Council. And numbers that are rising. ELi’s Alice Dreger reports.
Ingham County Health Officer Linda Vail is now plainly calling on students to stop partying, warning that “Sicker, older people will get it and die.” ELi’s Emily Joan Elliott reports.
Many restaurants and bars downtown will now refuse service to anyone not wearing a mask. What else is happening to prepare for fall?
Managers of East Lansing restaurants and bars tell ELi they’re doing what they can to keep their employees and customers safe.
As Harper’s closes for cleaning, ELi hears from the owners about what they say the City has done wrong. What’s going to happen here come fall?
News on The Abbot, The Graduate, affordable housing, Coleman Road, the new elementary schools, MSUFCU’s downtown project, and marijuana sales locations. We also tell you where in East Lansing the state’s wetland protection agency plans a new office building that would disturb a wetland.
“It’s going to be scarier for the city than I think it is for campus,” Beier said about MSU’s decision to reopen in the fall.
A resident and an employee have tested positive for COVID-19, but the cases are unrelated.
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.
A local nurse tells ELi she is afraid “that people are not taking this seriously and putting our lives at risk” as healthcare providers. ELi’s Emily Joan Elliott reports.
Why do death rates tell us more than test results can? What will save lives as the virus spreads? ELi’s Emily Joan Elliott brings you the latest important information from MSU epidemiologist Nigel Paneth.
At Burcham Hills, elimination of communal activities is one of the protections in place during the coronavirus emergency. ELi’s Emily Joan Elliott spoke to residents about their concerns.
An MSU epidemiologist and resident of East Lansing tells ELi he has never seen such a public health threat in his life. And he’s worked in public health for over 40 years. Read why Dr. Nigel Paneth is alarmed.