Wednesday, August 29,2012

Eyesore of the week

by Sam Inglot

Architecture critic Amanda Harrell-Seyburn says: Great outdoor places, particularly outdoor rooms, are as invaluable to a community as great buildings. An outdoor room is an open-air place defined by edges, hedges and a tree canopy or garden walls — or it could be the outdoor space beneath the canopy of a filling station from an earlier era.

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Wednesday, August 29,2012

Welcome Week a high time for dealers

by Sam Inglot

With a new school year comes Welcome Week. With Welcome Week come parties. And with parties, more often than not, comes pot. To get a sense of what this time of year means for all those illegal dealers out there, City Pulse sat down with two of them who used to do it.

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Wednesday, August 22,2012

Failing to unite the tribes

54B District Court judge candidates, along with East Lansing officials, are against district court consolidation

by Sam Inglot

East Lansing has no interest in consolidating its court system with those of Lansing and Mason, which could have saved $1.6 million a year for the county, according to a recent consolidation plan.

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Wednesday, August 22,2012

That's 'provisioning centers'

A House Republican introduces medical marijuana legislation that seeks to survive the "Grandma Test" and allow for locally controlled dispensaries, er, provisioning centers

by Sam Inglot

Although it probably won't make it into the final language of the bill, state Rep. Mike Callton said any proposed medical marijuana "provisioning center" should pass the all-important "Grandma Test."

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Friday, August 3,2012

Dems, Repubs seek Meridian Township clerk post

Two Democrats and Two Republicans will square off to fill a position long held by conservatives

by Sam Inglot

The township clerk is responsible for administering elections and handling requests for township records and is also a voting member of the Township Board of Trustees. Republican Mary Helmbrecht has served in the position since 1997.

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Wednesday, August 1,2012

It's hot in Delhi

Raising taxes and fiscal conservatives in little old Delhi Township

by Sam Inglot

Goodrich says his opponent is accusing him of pushing a fictional "rain tax" that Goodrich says isn’t being planned. The alleged tax would charge residents based on the size of the hard surface areas of their households, like driveways and roofs.

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Wednesday, August 1,2012

The students' court

Who will fill Judge Jordon's seat in East Lansing?

by Sam Inglot

Clement, 35, is a 2002 graduate of the Michigan State University Law School. He is a former Eaton County assistant prosecuting attorney and went into private practice six years ago. He is an adjunct professor at Cooley Law School, where he teaches classes on criminal law and evidence.

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Wednesday, July 25,2012

Last stop

The "current culture" of CATA drives international traffic expert from board position

by Sam Inglot

With a Ph.D in transportation from Michigan State University and nearly 50 years of experience in the field, Thomas Maleck is resigning from the local public transportation authority's board in disgust.

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Wednesday, July 18,2012

He said, she said, they said

Automated phone calls hit on name-calling claims; Jody Washington calls them a "public nuisance" and wants them to stop

by Sam Inglot

Recently, when asked to identify the gossiper, Washington said she could not reveal who had supposedly leaked the mayor’s comments to her.

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Wednesday, July 18,2012

Eyesore of the week

by Sam Inglot

Architecture critic Amanda Harrell-Seyburn says: Good economy, bad economy: vacant buildings happen. Blight isn’t vacancy, but it begins with poorly kept properties that are all too often the result of vacancy. Unoccupied properties can avoid blight if owners attend to the vital maintenance, like the roof and grounds. Buildings experience vacancy: It is the steps taken to maintain the property in the interim that matters.

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