One day when I was the lead faculty of the Lansing Community College Writing Program, I was hanging around in the department lobby area where, at the administrative assistant’s desk, a group of students demanded to see the department’s  chairperson. They should have been in class, but there was no class because their professor was absent, again. more

Don’t disrupt Medicare Advantage Working as a family physician, I understand the importance of quality care – from childhood on through retirement. As a senior myself, I also know the … more

I saw Bath’s buck pole on TV and it sickened me. I think the reporters knew it would repulse the viewers. I understand we need hunters to keep the deer population down for the safety of drivers, but that has nothing to do with displaying for public view the dead bodies of these beautiful, harmless creatures. more

It looks like D.C. Republicans and state Sen. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, have found the perfect match in each other. more

As the prosecutor, I have worked — with the support and mandate of the voters — throughout my two terms on the consistent and intertwined issues of public safety, supporting victims, racial equity, smart reforms to the criminal legal system and reducing mass incarceration. more

Once every 10 years, following the decennial census, the boundaries that define legislative districts for the Michigan Legislature and Congress are redrawn to reflect changes in population, with the goal of ensuring that each district more or less contains the same number of people. One might expect this process to be a simple exercise in mathematics and map drawing. In reality, it’s anything but simple and more often than not, rife with political maneuvering that seeks to gain an electoral advantage for one political party or the other. more

We were as surprised as anyone by last week’s announcement that long-time Ingham County Treasurer Eric Schertzing plans to step down next June from the elected position he has held for the last two decades. With three years remaining on his four-year term, Schertzing says he is relocating to Washington, D.C., where his wife, Nancy, has plans to advance her career. more

A week after Democrats took a bath in Virginia and nearly lost the governorship in reliably blue New Jersey, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer put all of her public emphasis on her home state. more

The city of Lansing reported its 21st murder of the year in mid-September, and in many of these incidents, a firearm was the weapon used. Sadly, these violent crimes are happening across the counties that Crimestoppers of Mid-Michigan represents, as well as the state and nation. more

Having served in the Michigan State House, I am very familiar with the needs of my community. Now in my retirement, issues that I once advocated for as an ally on the House floor have become highly personal. One such concern is health care coverage for seniors. more

I too am one of the folks who thought it silly and excessive for the East Lansing schools to ban celebrations of Halloween and Valentine’s Day. While I can see it’s an expedient way for the school district to eliminate a handful of minor issues these celebrations may present, I also believe it is another example of a sacrifice of the joys the many for the feelings of a very few. more

This page of today’s City Pulse went to the printer before the polls closed in Tuesday’s city election. (Turn to Page 5 for the local election results.) Although we’re nearly certain who won the mayor’s race, in the interest of avoiding a modern-day “Dewey defeats Truman” moment, this editorial reflects on an agenda for Lansing’s next mayor no matter who was elected. more

Voters were clearly satisfied with that. Faced with a choice between vanilla, light-splash family man and a Type A wild child who moonlights as a foul-mouthed comedian, the former wins with those 60 and over. more

The ubiquitous political yard signs dotting front lawns of East Lansing homes started coming down today. It wasn’t that much different 50 years ago when the hotly contested races for East Lansing City Council were in full throat competition. Three upstarts, George Colburn, George Griffiths and Charles W. Wills, faced off against a 10-year veteran of Council, Mayor Gordon L. Thomas, incumbent Ccouncilman Wilbur Brookover (whose son George, was on the 2021 ballot) and three other candidates who were close to the business community for three open seats on the five-member Council. more

East Lansing holiday ban draws boos | LSD’s new superintendent shines | Lansing Township’s tax gambit | Election endorsements recap more

The Republican Governors Association’s political arm is running a five-digit internet ad this week that ties the lead in Benton Harbor’s water supply firmly around Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s finger. more

Usually, I start my column with an experience from my teaching writing at Lansing Community College. This month I am thinking about me when I was an East Lansing Public Schools parent.  more

Just when we thought Michigan’s maturing cannabis industry had more or less reached a stable plateau, where the rules of the road are well established and well understood, along comes a new round of saber-rattling by a consortium of the largest commercial cannabis operators, who are looking to shake things up by taking down licensed medical marijuana caregivers. more

Republicans such as Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey who oppose mandatory vaccinations for Covid-19 as an infringement on personal freedom should learn more about George Washington. more

In three weeks, Lansing voters who haven’t already returned their absentee ballots will head to the polls to elect Lansing’s next mayor. We’ve carefully weighed the choice between first-term incumbent Mayor Andy Schor and his challenger, 16-year City Councilwoman Kathie Dunbar, and are now prepared to proffer an endorsement.  more