While Lindemann has yoked his power as drain commissioner to a passionate crusade for low-impact development and cleaner water, Grebner wants to pull the plug and drain the drama from the office.

“The Great Lakes basin has 20 percent of the available water in the whole world,” Lindemann said. “This is a major responsibility.” He blinked, as if distracted from a telescope trained on the Andromeda galaxy by a rat scurrying across the observatory. “You can’t get here and try to manage that through name-calling, innuendoes, threats and all the other crap that a lot of politicians like to pull, including Grebner.”

This year is no exception. Ingham County Circuit Judge Paula Manderfield and East Lansing District Judge David Jordon are hanging up their robes for good, and a combined eight attorneys filed by the Tuesday deadline to seek their seats. The top two finishers for each race in the nonpartisan August primary will face off in the November primary.

Presumably, selling the building would mean the end of Emil’s. But when contacted for comment, Paul Grescowle, the grandson of the original owners who runs the day-to-day operations at Emil’s, wouldn’t confirm anything. He said it is the building next door which is for sale, and that is owned by his mother, who also owns Emil’s itself. He also asked that we refrain from running this story, implying that it would stir up much ado about nothing. Can’t do that, but I will remind everyone about the awesome all-you-can-eat spaghetti-and-meatballs on Tuesdays.

Architecture critic Amanda Harrell-Seyburn says: This diminutive commercial building on the north fringe of Old Town is easy to dismiss as insignificant. But small commercial buildings, like this one, are one of the most endangered building types in our communities today.

The United Peckham Employees Association is a group of Peckham workers with help from labor activists — including the Lansing Workers’ Center and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers — that are trying to gain support for an independent union for the close to 1,100 disabled manufacturing workers.

Lindemann is the 20-year incumbent running for a sixth term managing the county’s numerous drains. It’s a deceivingly powerful position that comes with the ability to blow up million-dollar developments or tax entire communities without a public vote.

It’s easy to forget how many unique features there are in our communities when you travel the same routes day in and day out. If it isn’t on a main corridor or located right next door to work or home we miss it — out of sight, out of mind.

But since November, Bo and his family haven’t been sleeping due to a combination of fear and duty — they take turns staying up all night to keep intruders away. Several other neighbors in Summer Place report similar situations.

One of Malott’s main objectives in opening Zeppelin’s Music Hall was to give local teenagers a place to experience the Lansing music scene in a secure environment. It is the only venue in Lansing that gives teen bands an opportunity to perform for a live audience. Because it is usually an all-ages club (unless posted otherwise), Zeppelin’s does not serve alcohol.