City Pulse News
Lansing Charter Township is holding a special election Aug. 5 to confirm its 2012 franchise agreement with the Lansing Board of Water and Light, which likely runs afoul of Michigan law because it was not then passed by voters.

Supreme Court decision hangs over Lansing Township special election

After East Lansing settled for $7.8 million over a 5% fee on Lansing Board of Water & Light bills deemed to be an illegal tax, Lansing Township is trying a different approach to keep a similar …
Bridget Brink (center) touring war damage in Ukraine. She served as the United States ambassador from 2022 until three months ago. She resigned to protest President Donald Trump’s approach of “appeasing an aggressor.”

Winning In MI-7 Is Difficult.

Bridget Brink has tackled difficult things before. A few times. Being named the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine two months after Russia’s 2022 ramped up invasion of the country was difficult. …
Sponsored Content

Summer Nights, Music Lights: Lansing’s Concerts in the Park Returns!

As the sun sets and a warm breeze drifts through Lansing’s parks, something magical begins to stir. Families unfold lawn chairs, kids chase bubbles through the grass, and the sweet sounds of …

Rewind: News from the last 7 days

The Gillespie Group agreed to purchase the City Rescue Mission’s six adjacent buildings on the 600 block of East Michigan Avenue. The mission’s men’s shelter is relocating to …
FOOD

TOP 5 MEXICAN CHAIN RESTAURANTS

Based on your votes in City Pulse’s 2024 Top of the Town contest. Bon appétit! Acapulco Mexican Grill Lansing Colorful eatery serving familiar Mexican dishes with …

New Daily Bagel a morning oasis for hungry downtowners

From breakfast sandwiches to deli-style lunch options, The New Daily Bagel offers fast, on-the-go, hearty fare perfect for downtown Lansing workers.
I write this column having just inhaled a No. 7 from one of my favorite downtown Lansing lunch spots: The New Daily Bagel. I could tell you that it was research for …
Courtesy Poppa’s Cookbook
Poppa’s Cookbook owner Eric King awaits customers at the Rathbun Accelerator Kitchen during his opening day on July 2.
Poppa’s Cookbook expands into Rathbun Accelerator Kitchen
Five years ago, Eric King, 51, started a battle he knew he couldn’t win. To keep his cooking skills sharp, he challenged his friend Gregory Winfree to a chili cookoff. King wasn’t …
Opinion

There’s no real oversight for lawmaker-lobbyist marriages

Here’s a statistic you probably didn’t know before you started reading this column: Among Michigan’s 147 state legislators, four are married to registered lobbyists. That means in …

Owners bring Music Instrument Swap closer to home

Around 20 years ago, a trip to the Chicago Drum Show changed Shawn VanSteeland’s life. “I was like, ‘This is awesome, we should do it in …

Greater Lansing music scene directory

The Lansing area is awash with resources for performing and recording musicians, burgeoning artists looking to hone their craft, live music fans, record and CD collectors and beyond. If you consider …

Williamston’s ‘Incident at Our Lady ...’ brings heartwarming nostalgia

If you, like me, grew up in a working-class Catholic home in the 1970s, you’ll find Katie Forgette’s memory play, “Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help,” at Williamston …

Megaliths and ‘meep moops’

You should never say never, but it’s a safe bet that no two artists have ever kneaded their brains together the way Mark Chatterley and his daughter, Teagan, did to create their joint exhibit, …

‘Simpsons’ illustrator returns to Capital City Comic Con

Bill Morrison knows a thing or two about satire. The St. Clair Shores-based College for Creative Studies alumnus has served as executive editor of Mad magazine, an illustrator for “The …

One Grand Read takes flight with Black birder’s memoir

In May 2020, Christian Cooper, a dedicated birder, was on his home turf in New York’s Central Park looking for the elusive mourning warbler when he came across a “bird” he had never …

Public Art of the Week

The busy brushes of Brian Whitfield The paint brushes of local muralist Brian Whitfield never get a chance to dry out, and that’s a good thing. Whitfield, who is noted for his many …

‘There’s always room for more’

Local rapper and event planner J.Plantana is well-versed in being the change she wants to see in the world. From center stage to behind the scenes, she’s making waves in the area’s …

A new sound for ‘The Sound of Music’

For Evolve Theatrics’ 20th anniversary show, co-founder Helen Hart wanted to direct something special. Being a fan of old-school musicals, she felt “The Sound of Music” would be the …

Artstorm 2025

Murals find their way on to some unusual spaces, including street crosswalks, communication boxes and walls and windows in the downtown. And now drain grates and catch basins will be getting a …

Queer-centric Old Town a perfect fit for Lansing Pride

Along with the east side, Old Town is known as an epicenter for Lansing’s LGBTQ+ community. But it hasn’t always been that way. Though Cheryl VanDeKerkhove, a …

More than gathering spots: Lansing’s third places

As someone who enjoys tinkering with bikes and fixing things around the house, Scot Wright has watched craftspeople do “some pretty amazing things” on YouTube. But four months ago, …

Green Door takes semi-breather as owners search for a buyer

The Green Door, an eastside Lansing institution for more than three decades, serving up the blues and a wide variety of other music while also thriving as an old-school neighborhood bar and grill, is …

From sidekick to protagonist

  Local author RJ Erskine begins his new paranormal thriller, “The Coigreach,” like many other books in the genre: A young, enigmatic traveler has car trouble and settles in a …

The Green Door to close on weekends as co-owner announces search for buyer

MONDAY, June 23 — The Green Door, a Lansing institution on Michigan Avenue for more than three decades, serving up the blues and a wide variety of other music while also thriving as an …

‘The Book of Mormon’: not your mother’s Broadway musical

It’s been 14 years since “The Book of Mormon” premiered on Broadway and won the Tony Award for best musical, so at this point, no one should go in expecting a family-friendly production.

Another string, another thing

The stars are dotted across the night sky in a grand, continuous scroll, but if you look closer, you see that each dot burns with its own chemistry and life story. Peter Bernstein, one of the …

‘Every saxophonist’s dream’

King Ghidorah, the golden, winged monster of “Godzilla” fame, comes at you with three fire-breathing heads. This year’s Summer Solstice Jazz Festival features a Ghidorah of a …

‘So much sunshine’

It’s high time for “Summertime,” in more ways than one. Tiffany Gridiron, a spellbinding singer in the tradition of Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Nancy Wilson, is the …

By popular demand, Deadtime Stories gets a sequel

Deadtime Stories wasn’t made with a sequel in mind. “Owning a small business is not for the weak, especially these days,” owner Jenn Carpenter said. “So, there was no …

How crime novelist Elmore Leonard changed his biographer’s life

(This is the second in a two-part series on Detroit’s famed writer.) C.M. Kushins was 11 when his mother gave him a copy of “Get Shorty.” It led to a life of writing. He writes …

The ‘heartbeat’ of the Wharton Center

Bonnie Knutson, a professor of business at Michigan State University and a longtime patron of the school’s Wharton Center for Performing Arts, is positive that her love of theater and the arts …

A sunburst of jazz

You can pack a lot of fun into two of the longest days of the year. Michigan State University guitar maestro Randy Napoleon, in his first year as artistic director of this weekend’s Summer …

Before the wrecking ball: Lansing's long-lost rock ‘n’ roll palace

Long before the Lansing Civic Center was reduced to rubble in 1999, the 6,500-capacity arena at 525 W. Allegan St. stood as a beating heart of live music in Michigan’s capital city. For …

Public Art of the Week

Chalk another one up The public art season is upon us. Last weekend was Chalk of the Town in Old Town, where artists competed for the best chalk art installation. First place in the over-18 …

A stitch in the right direction

Pamela Loewen didn’t set out to build a gallery. The first two times the Williamston quiltmaker needed more space in her home studio, she added onto her house. The third time, she looked …

Remembering Elmore Leonard, a prolific Detroit storyteller

(This is part one of a two-part article on the legendary Elmore Leonard. Next week, I will interview his biographer.) How cool is cool? Well, Detroit crime writer Elmore Leonard was …

A guide to 2025 Juneteenth celebrations in Greater Lansing

MSU Juneteenth Commemorative Celebration With the theme “A Juneteenth Renaissance: Bridging Freedom’s Legacy and Tomorrow’s Vision,” MSU’s fifth annual Juneteenth …

‘Coming out’: More than just a story

As LGBTQ+ historian Tim Retzloff says in the following pages, the coming-out story has a “stock structure.” Reflecting on his own, which he wrote in the early 1990s, he explained it was …

Linda Sarnelli: Once deeply closeted, now proudly out as a woman

(The author is a local transgender advocate and sits on the Lansing Pride Board of Directors.) My story is a long one — 60+ years. I had a desire to wear dresses at age 6. This was 1960, …

Samuel Smeltzer: Learning to be out through loving acceptance

(The author is a local activist for legal marijuana and LGBTQ+ rights.) I always felt different. As a little kid I never fit in with the “regular” kids and spent years trying to …

Lorenzo Lopez: ‘I would not change a thing’

(The author is a longtime local activist for the LGBTQ+ and Latino communities.) “Coming out” is a process by which an individual recognizes his or her sexual orientation and openly …

Tim Retzloff: ‘Coming out is a continuous process’

(The author is a historian who teaches history and LGBTQ+ studies at MSU as a fixed-term assistant professor.) In late 1991 or early 1992, I took training to be part of the speakers’ …

Susan Wyche: Overcoming a mother’s ‘disastrous’ reaction

(The author is an associate professor in MSU’s media and information department who studies the use and design of technology in Africa.) Coming out is a lifelong process. For me, it began …

Frank Vaca: My grandmother’s acceptance shaped my life

(The author is a local advocate for LGBTQ+ and disability rights.) Years ago, I came out to my aunt when she asked if I was talking to a girlfriend or boyfriend on AOL. I chose honesty, and told …

Cheryl VanDeKerkhove: ‘Coming out’ is never ending

(The author is a longtime LGBTQ+ community activist, currently co-leading the LGBTQ+ and allies community group the Crowded Table Coalition.) My coming out story? Which one? I’ve come out …

LCC’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’: free highbrow entertainment

Those who think the only culture to be found in Lansing is on yogurt shelves in local markets should reconsider. Lansing Community College is once again offering free theater by none other than …

‘A space of joy and freedom’

On paper, the members of Michigan State University’s Groove Doctors 3 are a tad overqualified for what started as a non-paying Tuesday night gig at the Peanut Barrel. Vocalist Mike Lawrence teaches …

June theater productions:

“Fools” June 5-8 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday 4 p.m. Sunday MSU Summer Circle Theatre 542 Auditorium Road, East Lansing www.theatre.msu.edu “The …

‘The SpongeBob Musical’ swims into Riverwalk Theatre

“You either die a SpongeBob or live long enough to become a Squidward.” I don’t recall who started that internet meme, but it has long since achieved immortality among older fans of …

Decades later, Terri Jewell’s work lives on at MSU

Almost 30 years ago, Terri L. Jewell, a Lansing Black lesbian poet and author, committed suicide at the age of 41. Her life is still memorialized in the Stephen O. Murray Keelung Hong Special …

‘This story deserves the most we can give’

There’s a story Michael Dease wants to tell, and now he can tell it his way. The Michigan State University-based trombone professor, composer and educator was awarded a prestigious …

Filling the cup at Titus Farms, one market at a time

Rebecca Titus, owner and CSA manager of Titus Farms in Leslie and winner of Best Farmer in City Pulse’s inaugural Top of the Town People Contest, has been attending farmers markets her whole …

2025 area farmers markets

Allen Farmers Market Year-round Summer season: Through Oct. 29 3-6:30 p.m. Wednesdays Allen Neighborhood Center 1629 E. Kalamazoo St., Lansing …
Lansterdam

The green graveyard expands

Multi-state cannabis operator TerrAscend Corp. will shutter all 20 of its Michigan dispensaries, including the Gage location on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd in Lansing, as it exits the state’s market completely.

The ground continues to shift beneath Michigan’s cannabis industry, and the latest vibration is a seismic one. Multi-state operator TerrAscend Corp. is making a complete withdrawal from the …

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