East Lansing

Proposed rezoning in East Lansing neighborhood draws protest from residents

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On Sept. 5, dozens of East Lansing residents filled the East Lansing City Council meeting to voice their concerns regarding a local developer’s intent to purchase and rezone seven properties on Grove Street and Burcham Road. 

The proposal, referred to as Ordinance 1520 in the city council’s agenda, would permit Hagan Realty, a local real estate agency, to rezone the area from a single-family district to a multiple-family district, with the developer intending to construct apartments. However, residents of the area worry the development could reshape the neighborhood into something unrecognizable. Following public comments by residents and the developer, the city council voted to delay the final decision to Sept. 19.

Business & Economy

Strange Matter Coffee comes to East Lansing

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Popular, local coffee chain Strange Matter fills the space left by Biggby at the MSU Student Union. 

“I’m excited to have another non-MSU food option at the Union,” said Grace Densham, an MSU undergraduate. “I’m especially pleased with the fact that it is a small, local business. It was really sad to see Biggby go and be replaced by vending machines for so long.”

Strange Matter owner Cara Nader, understands the difference small businesses can make. “We are small, but very efficient at what we do,” she said. “I can’t speak to other coffee shops in town, but we pay a livable wage.

Arts & Entertainment

East Lansing Art Festival amps up Downtown for spring

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The East Lansing Art Festival concluded on May 21 at 5 p.m. with giggling kids racing after bubbles spreading across the closed off, pedestrian friendly intersection. Photo by Sammy Pietrinferno.A ceramic artist demonstrated how to make a pinch pot for young onlookers outside the Marriott East Lansing at University Place on M.A.C. Avenue on May 21. Photo by Sammy Pietrinferno.Lead singer of Grace Theisen Band, Grace Theisen, guitar player, Adam Main, and violin player, Cori Beth Somers, took to the main stage to close out the weekend at the East Lansing Art Festival. Photo by Sammy Pietrinferno.The East Lansing Art Festival spanned Albert Avenue from the top of Abbot Road to Bailey Street and M.A.C Avenue in addition to the green areas around the MSU Union and the Human Ecology Building. Photo by Sammy Pietrinferno.A Rewind Jewelry artist places pieces out on display at his corner booth on M.A.C. Avenue in East Lansing on May 21.

Arts & Entertainment

VIDEO: MSU Dance Club performs ‘Spartan Strong’ tribute dance  

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The spring showcase comes around every year for the MSU Dance Club, but this year’s showcase was particularly memorable. Rachel Gross, a junior at Michigan State University, choreographed a dance titled “Spartan Song” in tribute to the lives lost and the students affected by the campus shooting that occurred in February of this year. The piece showcased 56 dancers, all of whom are Michigan State students. 

“I started to think about how I could process what happened,” Gross said. “Dance has just always been the answer for me.”

Campus News

VIDEO: MSU Tower Guard hosts 23rd annual Shamrock 5K Run-Walk-Roll

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Sabrina Seldon

Despite the rainy, cold weather, hundreds gathered outside the Michigan State University auditorium bright and early on Saturday, March 25. 

East Lansing residents, students, family and MSU faculty came out to support Tower Guard and the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD) on MSU’s campus. 

Tower Guard is an organization for sophomore students, dedicated to serving the RCPD through collaboration scribing for exams, creating accessible textbooks, holding tutoring and working towards promoting accessibility, inclusivity and service. 

Eric Swanson heard about the race through his daughter Alexa Swanson, who is a member of Tower Guard. “When she got into Tower Guard was when I first heard about the 5K, I wasn’t much of a runner, so I set a goal then that I was going to train to run it,” Swanson said. “I love the course. I mean, anytime you get to go along the Red Cedar and see the campus, it’s incredible. But what I like the most is that it’s a fundraiser for the RCPD.”

Swanson felt appreciative of the 5K’s purpose as he connected to it on a personal level.

East Lansing

East Lansing Public Library offers counseling in response to MSU violence

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Since February, counselors from the Community Mental Health Authority (CMH) of Clinton, Eaton and Ingham counties have been offering crisis support at the East Lansing Public Library (ELPL). Community members who need support following the Feb. 13 violence at Michigan State University can stop by the library Monday–Friday from 12:30–5 p.m. for free counseling, with no appointment required.

Arts & Entertainment
The exhibition, “The Nightly News II,” at the MSU Broad Art Museum on April 19, displays anonymous dreams via video, such as, “the moon extended and the earth fell into the sun.”

Pillow-making and dream journaling toward wellness at the Broad Art Museum 

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Partnered with the MSU Science Festival, the Spartan Wellness event,  “Student Night: Dreams” held on April 19, 7-9 p.m. consists of tables full of supplies for pillow-making, embroidering, and pillowcase decorating. The Museum’s website says, “sleep and the dreams it conjures have inspired artists and scientists for centuries. What fills your head at night?”