In 2019, Michigan State University alum Tremaine Phillips was appointed to the three-member Public Service Commission, making him one of the country’s youngest public service commissioners at age 33. more

When it comes to freedom of expression, students are like other Americans – divided. more

School staff shortages are on the rise, according to Wendy Zdeb, the executive director of the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals. more

Mayor Andy Schor is off to a strong start in his second term as the city’s chief executive officer, buoyed by GM’s announcement of a $2.5 billion electric battery plant to be built in the Lansing region and the mayor’s own unveiling of plans for a new performing arts center in downtown Lansing. What’s next? more

Plans from former Lansing City Councilman Brandon Betz to expand the local licensing cap on the number of marijuana growing facilities, microbusinesses and consumption lounges that are allowed within the city limits have dissolved following Betz’ abrupt resignation last month. more

Ernie Boone, 79, is a self-starter. While living across the street from Sexton High School, he taught community journalism, ran a neighborhood paper with his wife and helped raise his four kids. He is the embodiment of Black pride. A sports writer for the Michigan Bulletin, Boone has covered athletics for 60 years — longer than many papers have had Black writers on staff. His career included a stint at the Lansing State Journal at a time when Black journalists on mainstream newspapers were few and far between. more

But hiding behind this humble country church veneer, critics said, is a loose confederacy of similar minded people. Driven by an idea of life drawn from the pages of the King James version of the Bible, which they believe to the only word of God without error or omission, the leaders of these churches are deities of sorts, who nurture a cult-like sphere of influence prone to extreme sexism, purity constructs, bans on interracial or inter-religious marriages and education that fail to address anything beyond the insular communities in which they live. more

Emily, who asked City Pulse not to use her real name in this story for fear of retaliation from church members, moved to northern Michigan with her husband and young family in tow. more

Ruthie Heiler wants to understand the years of sexual abuse she endured at the hands of a teacher at an Up North Independent Fundamental Baptist church. She also wants justice.  more

Rebekah Chatfield remembers the first time Lee Chatfield allegedly abused her like it was yesterday — long before Lee became a state lawmaker, several years before she married his brother.  more

When Webster Township in Washtenaw County was attacked by ransomware, officials had to implement a new website, new emails and new anti-virus and ransomware software to resolve the problem. more

Michigan ranks eighth in the country for potato production and contributes about $1.2 billion annually to the state’s economy, according to the Michigan Potato Industry Commission.  more

The state-funded grants provide matching incentive funding up to 10 cents per meal to purchase and serve Michigan-grown fruits, vegetables and legumes. more

Following the Oxford High School shooting last November, the state House approved a five-fold increase in grant money to hire school resource officers, even as school districts remain divided on the cops-in-schools issue. more

Lansing Mayor Andy Schor wants to relocate, renovate or reconstruct City Hall. more

Art Austin, 79, is a retired GM employee and still tough as nails. He’s a drag racer who might brag about a perfect driving record, a hard earner who couldn’t run the risk of missing his son’s basketball game. He doesn’t hoard memorabilia from his past, making his recollection of the freedom and friends that fueled his life his most prized possessions.  more

For the last eight years, a familiar annual cycle has been constantly repeating itself in Lansing. more

In response to a rapid increase in gun violence and homicide in Lansing, a newly formed nonprofit organization wants to open a shelter and home in the former Teen Challenge Center on Lansing’s northwest side for men transitioning out of foster care, prison and homelessness.  more

A settlement reached between the Department of Health and Human Services and St. Vincent Catholic Charities means the Lansing adoption agency can continue its discriminatory practices of refusing to work with LGBTQ couples. more

The 2020 U.S. Census reported 13.7% of Michigan is Black or African American.  more