You are on eastlansinginfo.org, ELi's old domain, which is now an archive of news (as of early April, 2020). If you are looking for the latest news, go to eastlansinginfo.news and update your bookmarks accordingly!
You are on eastlansinginfo.org, ELi's old domain, which is now an archive of news (as of early April, 2020). If you are looking for the latest news, go to eastlansinginfo.news and update your bookmarks accordingly!
Today, I’m writing to ask fans of ELi to do two easy things that will help us keep spreading the news and information about East Lansing that we can only get from ELi.
First, though, I want to briefly highlight some of what ELi is doing--and going to be doing--for our community.
Election coverage: As you probably know, East Lansing had an important election this week involving two charter amendments—one on marijuana and the other on public land sales. (Both passed.) We are proud to have brought you useful news and voter guides on both charter amendments in advance of the election, and we look forward to following up on what happens as a result of these changes to our City Charter.
We’re now gearing up to bring you full coverage of the November City Council elections. Three seats will be up for grabs, and from what we are hearing, we expect there will be at least five candidates running. ELi is already bringing you candidate profiles from Karessa Wheeler (see the first and the second).
We will also be bringing you additional news to help educate you before you vote—including useful compliations on how those running for re-election have voted on various issues and where candidates are getting their financing from. That way, when you go to the polls, you’ll have more than those standard glossy mailers to figure out who accords with your beliefs about and desires for your city.
Gardening and Farmers’ Market info: This week we launched our new gardening feature, Digging In, with a fascinating feature from Chris Root on how to eat dandelions. Coming up we’ve got stories for you on how to think about the earth and rain in your garden, as well as stories on specific plants. (Remember: You can also be a writer for us!)
Come June, when the Farmers’ Market opens in Valley Court, we’ll be bringing you a weekly feature that tells you about vendors and how to cook what they’re bringing week by week. (Managing Editor Ann Nichols and I still haven’t figured out what to call that feature. Got an idea? Let us know!)
Embedded reporters: Ann has built up for us a remarkable team of embedded reporters—including MSU student reporters who focus on their interests in sports, the environment, music; permanent residents who report on meetings they attend and places they eat and shop; MSU faculty who write from their disciplinary knowledge; local religious leaders who tell us about what is happening in their faith communities. All told we have had over embedded 50 reporters work for ELi! This model means not only a wide variety of stories you won’t get anywhere else, but knowledge and passion conveyed in those stories.
And more: We’re planning more long-form investigative pieces like The Mercurial Trail, as well as important educational pieces on tax increment financing (TIF), which is lately the source of rare split-votes in Council and many citizens speaking up to Council. And we’re hoping to soon have a dedicated schools reporter who can provide a “School Board Capsule” akin to our “Council Capsule.” (Want to be that person?) There is so much more coming from ELi in the months ahead!
So what can you do? Here’s where I ask you to do those two little things!
And as always, be in touch with your story ideas, what you’d like to write about, your questions, and more! Thank you!
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