sign outside of the school district offices
News

UPDATE: Lansing voters OK $130 million school bond issue

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Editor’s update: On May 3, voters in the East Lansing school district approved a $129.7 milli0n bond proposal essentially renewing the same rate they have been paying since the adoption of a 2016 bond issue. According to the Ingham County Clerk, the vote was 8,960-3,639. That is an approval rate of 71%. This article, published in advance of the election, explains how the district plans to use the money. LANSING — Amid crumbling walls and overheated classrooms, class goes on in Lansing, On May 3, voters will decide whether fixes will be made.

News

PACE program’s outreach director on elder care options

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There are many things to be considered when loved ones can no longer care for themselves alone. However, nursing homes and long-term care can be expensive and being in an unfamiliar place can be frightening. Michelle Rincon, community outreach director for Senior CommUnity Care of Michigan PACE, talks about the alternatives for elderly people wanting to spend their last years with family members who still want to be involved in their loved ones’ lives. Q: What are the origins of the PACE program? A: So, it started out in California, in San Francisco, in a Filipino community where they realized that there wasn’t enough alternatives for aging adults.

News

Stress Busters tackle children’s mental health in Lansing

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How can you know you’re having a mental health crisis if you don’t even know what one is? In addition to the trials of growing up, today’s children also have the strain of the pandemic such as constantly switching school formats or losing loved ones, said Jennifer Kronkite, prevention and outreach therapist for Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham counties. However, younger children do not have the vocabulary or the knowledge to recognize what depression or anxiety may look like, or what good coping mechanisms are. Every Tuesday at the South Lansing Library, Stress Busters teaches children how to recognize their feelings and learn healthy coping mechanisms. Jody Nelson of the youth engagement services of Clinton, Eaton and Ingham counties said these are recurring programs separated by age groups to accommodate different ages. The groups are fairly new, formed within the past few months.

News

Lansing schools equity audit finds areas for improvement

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The Lansing School District has created a new meaning of equity for its students, teachers and community. Nearly two years ago, the district started an audit to determine what changes need to be made to make the school environment safer and to better center race, bias and power in the curriculum. In its Mar. 17 meeting, the board included a new definition of equity. “Equity is the removal of systemic barriers and creation of policies, practices and cultures that achieve fairness, justice and liberation for marginalized students, families, community members and educators in our educational system.” Sarah Odneal, diversity, equity and inclusion director for the district, said she is excited to make the curriculum more reflective of the city.The presentation brought out observations by students and staff.

News

Planned project remembers Lansing’s past; builds its future

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Eric Helzer and Christopher Stralkowski holding the photo of new development

In a city where there are construction projects are frequently announced, one in southern Lansing wants to have a different kind of impact.The project involves a building to help the community with health services and financial empowerment, according to presenters Eric Helzer and Christopher Stralkowski. They made their proposal Feb. 28 The other part of the property will include housing for veterans. Helzer and Stralkowski said they are humbled to be part of a project that will benefit the city and provide some needed services.The property at Pleasant Grove and Holmes has an important history. It is being developed on the former site of a school that civil rights leader Malcolm X attended.

Campus News

MSU facilities team keeps campus afloat during storm

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As heavy snow hits the Lansing area, staff and students at Michigan State are working through the storm. 

On the third day of in-person classes, some classes were moved back to virtual for the day, while others remained in-person. Student Kaitlyn Sterk had none of her classes canceled, and that during her commute she almost fell four times. Struggling to walk on the slippery sidewalks on her way to get coffee with friends, student Nora Smith described the sidewalks as “horrible,” saying she had fallen on the sidewalk multiple times. 

As the snow accumulates, MSU’s Infrastructure Planning and Facilities worked to prepare for the snow. 

Facilities employee for campus apartments Jeff Trommater said that usually during snowstorms they plan to plow every few hours. What was not usual for a regular snow was that they fitted their trucks with plows the night before in preparation. Despite the roads– Trommater said himself that his 30-mile commute was rough– everyone showed up to work.