Half of Eat Lansing library’s funding is on line in election

A 10-year millage renewal for the East Lansing Public Library will be on the ballot Nov. 8.

Kristin Shelley, library director, explained the significance of the mill citizens vote on.“One mill alone won’t even pay our payroll,” Shelley said. 

Shelley noted this election’s mill is an operating millage. “It pays for staff, programs, the collection, maintenance and facilities of this building. And most recently we were able to replace the front sidewalk, and install a brand-new HVAC system. That is all thanks to millage money.” 

MSU students protest Candace Owens’ campus event

Two political groups faced off Oct. 13 at Michigan State’s Business College Complex on Shaw. The catalyst was an appearance by conservative political activist Candace Owens. 

Students United Against Fascism member Spencer Leslie lays down the ground rules for the protest to remain peaceful before igniting the first chant of the evening.Protestors begin to gather outside of Michigan State University’s Business College Complex.As Candace Owens took the stage upstairs, protestors began to fill the downstairs lobby. Tensions begin to rise as more protestors arrive.Protestors gather at the bottom of the stairway shouting their chants upward.Many protestors ascend the stairs to bring their chants closer to the event. One of the many signs carried by protestors as they chanted.

Challengers allowed, expected at county’s polling locations

Jack ArmstrongThe MSU Union will serve as a polling location for East Lansing residents in the upcoming Nov. 8 elections. The City of East Lansing is planning for election challengers to be at every city polling location Nov. 8, according to City Clerk Jennifer Shuster. The city has seen an increase in election challengers and poll watchers since the 2020 presidential election.

Young man stands near ballot box outside East Lansing City Hall.

Absentee ballots booming in 2022

The Nov. 8 elections are more than a month away, and East Lansing City Clerk Jennifer Shuster’s office is busy preparing absentee ballots.

Shuster said she and her team expect about 12,000 absentee voters this year, an increasing demand spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. Voters can fill out a ballot at home and deposit it at a local dropbox or with the clerk’s office, avoiding in-person polling locations.

Q&A with Delta Charter Township Clerk Mary Clark

With the Nov. 3 election on the horizon, clerks across the state of Michigan are preparing to make the voting process as smooth as possible. On top of executing her regular duties, Delta Charter Township Clerk Mary Clark has been raising awareness about the election process and the disinformation often surrounding it. 

Hundreds gather to protest Roe v. Wade decision

Sara Gothard attempted to hold back tears while protesting at the Michigan State Capitol building on June 24. “I knew it was going to come, I just didn’t expect it today,” Gothard, 44, said. “How can you be prepared?”

Gothard and hundreds of other people gathered at the Capitol to protest the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the previous 50-year precedent of Roe v. Wade. This ruling leaves the decision of whether abortions are legal up to individual states. 

“This [ruling] impacts everyone,” Gothard said. “It impacts children, it impacts families, it impacts people’s ability to live their lives and have freedom.