Spartan Newsroom (https://news.jrn.msu.edu/category/news/community-news/page/2/)
News from communities across Greater Lansing
The one-day music festival called Snoopfest featured 10 “DIY” bands, who performed along with other local artists and featured local vendors. Drawing inspiration from house show culture of the ’70s through early 2000s, the DIY music scene has historically been a haven for the LGBTQIA+ community, with its ethos revolving around inclusion, safety and underground emo-punk music.
It is a brisk March day, and Azaadiika park is finally waking up for spring – birds are flitting through the trees, joggers and dog-walkers are making their way through the winding trails, and a myriad of plant life is starting its journey towards blooming for the season. But there is something there that doesn’t quite belong – a pervasive and ever-growing army of buckthorn trees, an invasive species that has long been a disruptive force in the park’s ecosystem.
“The tree itself takes a few years to grow, but it sends little seeds, and then it sprouts little trees, and those little trees can completely cover a landscape,” says Heather Majano. “So much so, that you could actually take a weed whipper out and just weed whip tiny little buckthorn trees and not have to worry about removing any other plant because that’s all there is.”
Three large piles of buckthorn branches line a trail in East Lansing’s Azaadiika Park on Saturday, March 9. The branch piles, which have been cut down and placed there by Stewardship Program volunteers, will serve as habitats for some of the park’s smaller animal inhabitants. Majano, who graduated from MSU with her master’s degree in forestry in 2015, has spent the majority of the past 12 years working as the coordinator for East Lansing’s Environmental Stewardship Program, an initiative focused on reducing the negative impact that invasive species have on East Lansing’s natural environments.
The program, initially founded in 2009 by former Parks and Recreation Commissioner Mike Vasievich, devotes most of its energy towards on-the-ground conservation efforts, inviting community volunteers to meet at designated locations on the second Saturday of every month –both to learn more about the impacts of invasive species, and to help remove or repurpose as many invasive plants as possible.
“I’ve talked to some people who are not as familiar with plant identification, and when they look out in the woods or in a field, they see green, [and think] green is beautiful.
The Holt Farmers’ Market isn’t just any farmers’ market. The compact former Delhi Township Fire Department building, which only allows 23 tables inside, serves as a space for startups and young businesses to grow and thrive. Ofilia Diaz, the proud owner of a Mexican restaurant called El Burrito, is a testament to the transformative power of the Holt Farmers’ Market. Located just a few doors down from the market, her journey from a dream to a successful business was made possible by the support and opportunities provided by the market. “She just started selling hot food right there at the farmer’s market,” market manager Chuck Grinnell said.
High Caliber Karting and Entertainment has been a leading force in the entertainment business regarding accessibility with the implementation of their ‘Handicapable’ go-kart.
Over the last two years, a concerning pattern has emerged in college towns like East Lansing and across the country: an unrelenting increase in rent prices. Worries about the community’s overall economic well-being have been heightened as price increases have made it difficult for many residents and students to obtain affordable housing.
Two new projects have been approved by the City Council that could change traffic patterns for many in the Greater Lansing area. The projects mainly focus on Trowbridge and Hagadorn roads and switching them from four-lane to three-lane roads, with improved crosswalks and biking lanes.
In October 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, 23-year-old Alexa Hecksel officially opened Clean Refillery. Clean Refillery, located in Lansing, is an eco-friendly, “low-waste” personal products store, where people can both refill products such as laundry detergent and shampoo and recycle their frequently purchased bottles and containers.
Michigan State University has always been a huge center for sports but it was first known primarily as a football school, winning six national titles between 1951 and 1966. It wasn’t until Magic Johnson led the Spartans to their first basketball national championship in 1979 that they began getting recognition for their basketball program. Once Tom Izzo became head coach of the basketball program in 1995 and led the Spartans to their second national championship in 2000, the Spartans would be put on the map as a basketball school.
In East Lansing, Rental Restriction Overlays allow for neighborhoods to restrict rental properties in their parts of the city, making it more difficult for low-income people to find housing and limits rights of homeowners.
House Bill 4673, one of two “right to repair” bills currently being considered by Michigan legislators, is intended to make it easier for farmers and their independent mechanics to get access to parts, documentation and important software needed to restore the expensive machines back to full functionality.