Wednesday, February 29,2012

Casino referendum brewing

Could Sault Tribe members put a stop to the downtown casino deal?

by Andy Balaskovitz

The chairman of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians is worried his members will overturn the tribe’s vote to support a downtown Lansing casino, putting an end to over a year’s worth of confidential negotiations and month-long buzz over Kewadin Lansing Casino.

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Wednesday, February 29,2012

It's personal

Facts are subjective in the political saga between Virg Bernero and Kelly Rossman-McKinney

by Andy Balaskovitz

Last week’s political theater staged by Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero was the latest act in a professional relationship with PR executive Kelly Rossman-McKinney that shows things are getting personal.

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Wednesday, February 22,2012

Eyesore of the week

by Andy Balaskovitz

Architecture critic Amanda Harrell-Seyburn says: It’s easy to dismiss simple houses as not having a specific style, but the fact is, nearly all buildings fall into a stylistic category. Case in point: 1112 Bensch St. is a variation of American folk architecture known as “Gable-front”

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Wednesday, February 22,2012

Budget 'challenge'

Is it time to reopen the defined benefits/defined contributions debate as pension and retiree health care costs add to deficit? The Bernero administration says yes.

by Andy Balaskovitz

Randy Hannan, chief of staff for Mayor Virg Bernero, said while "time will tell" if the city’s pension and retiree health care systems are unsustainable, "everything is on the table" when asked about reconfiguring those systems to look more like the private sector.

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Tuesday, February 21,2012

Who gets the jobs, if they come?

Casino opposition says non-Sault Tribe, Lansing-area residents shouldn’t expect many of the 2,200 jobs promised as part of the Lansing Kewadin casino. Proponents disagree.

by Andy Balaskovitz

James Nye, a spokesman representing two tribes that oppose Lansing’s casino plan, is suggesting most of the 2,200 jobs — with a Lansing-area hiring preference — promised by the city as part of the Kewadin Lansing casino proposal “would likely never be available” to non-Sault Tribe, Lansing-area residents.

Tuesday, February 21,2012

Kids in the Hall

Casino hearings set; more questions from Council

by Andy Balaskovitz

Tuesday, Feb. 21 — Depending on public turnout, March 12 may be a long night for the Lansing City Council. At its meeting Monday, the body set four public hearings on various aspects of the Kewadin Lansing casino proposal for that date.

Sunday, February 19,2012

Council Night

Setting dates to discuss casino agreements and encouraging Meijer to keep free publications

by Andy Balaskovitz

Friday, Feb. 17 — The Lansing City Council is scheduled to set four public hearings on the administration's casino proposal at its meeting Monday night.

Wednesday, February 15,2012

Sound off on casino

City Council announces public input sessions on Kewadin Lansing casino proposal

by Andy Balaskovitz

Wednesday, Feb. 15 — The Lansing City Council has announced a pair of public forums on consideration of the Bernero administration's downtown casino proposal.

Wednesday, February 15,2012

Husband and wife

Why is the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration investigating Shannon Wiggins? Her husband's probation violation hearing may offer some clues.

by Andy Balaskovitz

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration executed a federal search warrant late last month at her eastside clinic. A spokesman for the federal agency could “neither confirm nor deny” that her second clinic on the north side and her Okemos home are also part of the investigation.

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Monday, February 13,2012

Recovering from the loss

Coping with the loss of a daughter, Lori Black opens up about the final hours of Shayla Johnson’s life and why she thinks the media haven’t accurately portrayed her family

by Andy Balaskovitz

“This is pretty much what my life has become,” Lori Black says while walking into the dining room of her west Lansing home. She’s carrying two stacks of paper. The first is about 3 1/2 inches thick with court hearing notifications. The second stack, of Lansing State Journal newspapers dating back to July 2010, is a little thicker.

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