Above: An East Lansing yard waste bag, but you can use any type of yard waste bag for Monday. Read on.

UPDATE: The City of East Lansing is offering another no-fee yard-waste pickup on Monday, July 18. Large-debris pickup will also continue through this coming week.

Because many East Lansing residents are dealing with cleaning up a large number of small branches and leaves as well as big limbs in the wake of yesterday’s storm, the City will provide a no-fee yard waste pickup on Monday, July 11.

Above: a tree brought down in Chesterfield Hills today; photo courtesy of Jenny Flynn

In the aftermath of a serious summer storm this afternoon, East Lansing residents are being warned to be careful of downed power lines and unstable trees.

Today’s storm, which brought significant hail and rain, uprooted major trees and caused power outages throughout the East Lansing area. Power lines that are down should be assumed to be live and dangerous. Report downed power lines by calling 911.

Above: Image of portable wifi device, courtesy of East Lansing Public Library

If you’ve ever been in a location without Wi-Fi, you might know how annoying it is to try to post that vacation picture or respond to an important email. Fortunately, the East Lansing Public Library now has hotspot portable Wi-Fi devices that can be rented out by patrons.

“May You Never Hunger, May You Never Thirst” is the motto of Pagans In Need, an organization located in the Metro Detroit area, dedicated to serving the many diverse needs of its’ clientele. PIN recently opened a food bank in Lansing, which is filled and maintained by supporters of the organization, and is stocked with food and clothing for those who might need a little extra help.

Editor's Note: this article originally ran on July 3, 2015. We thought it was worth running again because the information is still useful, and because of the special caution required in light of the City's recent ban on open fires due to dry conditions.

The fourth of July marks the date when the Declaration of Independence was adopted in the United States, but over the years the holiday has become most closely associated with elaborate displays of fireworks.

When East Lansing’s City Council voted unanimously to offer a much less lucrative tax abatement than the developer of a local solar project asked, some were worried that the Council’s decision would kill the project. But asked by ELi about whether the project proposed by Inovateus Solar is going forward, the City Manager’s office confirmed this morning that it is.

Due to dry conditions,the City of East Lansing’s Fire Department has imposed a ban on open burning until further notice. 

According to a press release issued by ELFD, “it is currently not safe for recreational/open burning due to the extremely dry weather. The Department of Natural Resources has issued a Very High Fire Danger for Lansing and surrounding areas."