Enduring traditions, modern additions
For Gianna Taracks, brewing coffee isn’t just a job. It’s a craft. “It’s not just beans that you grind up and pour hot water over,” she said. “There’s …
LEO V. KAPLAN's Latest Articles
‘Taste and understand’ at new East Lansing cheese shop
When April Robart and her family lived in Kalamazoo, they loved visiting the local Cheese Lady location. “We would go out on an afternoon walk and go there to sample the cheeses,” …
Calls target Julie Vandenboom
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 1 — Some Lansing residents received phone calls over the weekend with an unusual request: Vote for someone other than Julie Vandenboom in the at-large City Council race. …
East Lansing voters, candidates split over property tax increase
As the Nov. 4 City Council election in East Lansing approaches, the city’s budget deficit has taken center stage — though without a clear solution. A 20% plurality of likely voters …
Make new looks out of old pieces at Better Aged
Dom Radashaw and Austyn Daggett first bonded over shoes. That interest eventually turned to clothes, and then, for Daggett, a vintage clothing store in Grand Rapids. Opened in 2022, the shop has …
Schor, Swope back proposed charter; Council candidates differ
Two years and $275,000 after narrowly approving the first review of Lansing’s City Charter since it was adopted in 1978, Lansing voters will choose Nov. 4 whether to accept the results. …
Candidates differ on how to help homeless residents
Lansing’s purchase last month of 50 ModPod housing units to serve as transitional housing for 66 homeless residents at a time promises to make a dent in the city’s homelessness problem, …
Candidates support preservation, but to differing degrees
If a property in a local historic district is at risk of “demolition by neglect,” Lansing’s code of ordinances allows the Historic District Commission to require owners to repair it …
Candidates agree garbage collection ordinance was premature
Last month, City Council members Ryan Kost and Trini Pehlivanoglu introduced a resolution to end private curbside trash collection, which would have established a city monopoly on garbage collection. …
Backlogs and bad actors: Candidates discuss red-tags
City Pulse reported last month that the city was making progress on red-tagged properties — but slowly. Additionally, it reported that a $165 monthly monitoring fee for red-tagged …