Wednesday, April 10,2013

The chief is leaving

Lansing Police Chief Teresa Szymanski reflects on nearly 26 years at the LPD

by Andy Balaskovitz

Wednesday, April 10 — Consolidating the Lansing Police Department into one building is the biggest goal she never accomplished, Teresa Szymanski said today, reflecting on her three years as Lansing Police chief.

Wednesday, April 10,2013

Banning fracking in Michigan

Signature-gathering campaign to ban fracking starts this week

by Sam Inglot

Tuesday, April 9 — Friday kicks off a six-month signature-gathering campaign for a group that’s trying to ban fracking in Michigan.

Wednesday, April 10,2013

The easy way

by Walt Sorg

"He took the easy way out." That's former Mayor David Hollister's blunt assessment of Mayor Virg Bernero's latest budget proposal, a document released just days after the Hollister-led Financial Health Team issued a detailed, dramatic plan to deal with Lansing's short- and long-term budget issues.

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Wednesday, April 10,2013

Eye sore of the week

by Dylan Sowle

Architecture critic Amanda Harrell-Seyburn says: A simple retaining wall, like this one, is a reminder of the tenuous relationship between humans and the environment. Despite the engineering and strength we use to keep nature at bay, it pushes back and, at times, literally bursts through.

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Monday, April 8,2013

Kids in the Hall

Budget hearings round 2: More BWL details, LEPFA and human resources

by Andy Balaskovitz

Monday, April 8 — Lansing Board of Water and Light General Manager J. Peter Lark was in the house tonight to give more details on potentially new ways to pay for streetlights and fire hydrants in the city.

Monday, April 8,2013

Son of a president

Steve Ford, son of President Gerald Ford, gives lecture in Lansing

by Sam Inglot

Monday, April 8 — Before a crowd of several hundred people, Steve Ford, the youngest son of President Gerald Ford, spoke at the Lansing Town Hall Celebrity Lecture Series today in South Lansing.

Saturday, April 6,2013

Lansing radio battles through the static

Corporations call the shots in the new age of broadcasting

by Rich Tupica

How times have changed. After a number of corporate buyouts, much of the local on-air talent in Lansing (and beyond) is gradually being replaced by nationally syndicated shows that are recorded and produced in other regions of the country. Yet, somehow radio is still clinging to the “live and local” ideal.

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Friday, April 5,2013

Grand River oil spill update

A ‘monster rain’ is needed to wash away excess hydraulic fluid

by Sam Inglot

Friday, April 5 — A “monster rain” is needed to wash the excess hydraulic fluid that spilled into the Grand River earlier this week into absorbent booms, an official with the Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council said today.

Thursday, April 4,2013

MSU students to administration: Divest in big oil

The launch of a new environmental campaign calls for MSU to disinvest in oil companies contributing to climate change

by Sam Inglot

Thursday, April 4 — The gathering may have been small, but the message was big. MSU Fossil Free, a re-launched student environmental group at Michigan State University, called on the school to divest the millions of dollars it has pledged to oil companies.

Wednesday, April 3,2013

Sloshing toward justice

Inside and outside the U.S. Supreme Court's gay marriage plunge

by Lawrence Cosentino

WASHINGTON — Last Tuesday morning, while the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on California's anti-gay-marriage Proposition 8, a quiet contingent from a South Carolina Baptist church, about 50 strong, made its way to the roiling press area at the center of the steps. A forest of signs went up: "Kids do best with a mom and dad."

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