Community

The East Lansing City Clerk’s office is currently in need of Election Inspectors to work in polling locations around East Lansing on March 8, 2016. The work is paid and helps to support local democracy.

Inspectors’ half-day shifts run from either 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. or 2:00 p.m. to closing (usually 9 p.m.). Full-day shifts run from 6 a.m. to closing. The City pays Election Inspectors $60 for half-day shifts and $120 for all-day shifts.

A new year can be a catalyst for change, and for some families, decluttering and simplifying is a goal. Donating useable items to charity, selling them, or recycling items are options, as is freecycling: offering up for free goods that are no longer wanted.

The East Lansing Board of Education, in response to concerns about the uncertainty of costs associated with reopening Red Cedar Elementary School, has created a financial advisory committee to be made up of citizens with expertise in educational finances.

The creation of the Financial Advisory Committee was moved by Board member Karen Hoehne and seconded by Kath Edsall. It passed five to two, with Board members Hillary Henderson and Kate Powers voting against it.

During a joint press conference with Detroit Public Television in Detroit, MSU President Lou Anna Simon announced that WKAR TV will not take part in the upcoming FCC Broadcast Incentive Auction, and WKAR and DPTV will join in an initiative that will, among other things, provide 24/7 children’s programming for viewers in Detroit, Lansing and the rest of the state.

Just one year ago, the East Lansing community was commemorating the 60th anniversary of WKAR-TV, MSU’s public broadcasting station. As the station’s 61st birthday approaches on January 15, celebrations have fallen to the wayside and business negotiations have taken precedence.

The wait is over (at least part of it):  East Lansing Public Library (ELPL) will open its doors again on Monday, Jan. 11. The library closed in December to prepare the building for a pending renovation project.

According to a press release, “when the library reopens next Monday, the first phase of the renovation project will be underway and a third of the floor space and approximately half of ELPL’s collection will be accessible to patrons. There will also be a limited number of public computers.”

It was standing room only last night in a lecture hall in MSU’s Communication Arts and Sciences (CAS) Building for the first of two public forums held by the University to address the possible sale of WKAR-TV’s broadcasting spectrum.

Image of MSU’s Communication Arts Building, courtesy of MSU

Local PBS station WKAR-TV may be leaving the airwaves forever, but not before two public forums intended to educate and give voice to the community regarding MSU’s option to sell off the station’s broadcast spectrum for what could come to hundreds of millions of dollars. The first of those forums takes place tomorrow night, Monday, January 4^th, at 7:00 p.m.

The ripples of East Lansing Board of Education’s decision to re-open Red Cedar Elementary next fall are being felt throughout the community.

The Board now has eight months to figure out the costs, staffing and student population for Red Cedar. Several Board members expressed their concern about the cost of the plan, and indicated they are prepared to change the opening date if it becomes fiscally difficult to reopen by the fall.

The Rally to Condemn Hate Speech took place last night, and the turnout was loud and large. The median on Grand River Avenue off of Abbot Road was filled to the brim with protestors uniting to condemn the statements made by those who refuse to accept refugees into the United States.

Image: notecards from “True Comics” collection at the MSU Library

Are you having a difficult time finding unique gifts for your Spartan fan this holiday season? Wondering what to get your parent, loved one, or friend who can’t fit one more piece of Spartan apparel in their dresser or closet? Look no further than MSU’s campus for some different gift ideas.