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             East Lansing faces a
             student-lite autumn
                                                     SEE PAGE 13
East Lansing faces a student-lite autumn - SEE PAGE 13 - Creative Circle Media Solutions
2                                                www.lansingcitypulse.com                          City Pulse • September 2, 2020

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East Lansing faces a student-lite autumn - SEE PAGE 13 - Creative Circle Media Solutions
City Pulse • September 2, 2020   www.lansingcitypulse.com   3
East Lansing faces a student-lite autumn - SEE PAGE 13 - Creative Circle Media Solutions
4                   www.lansingcitypulse.com                                                                   City Pulse • September 2, 2020

                                                                                                                                 VOL. 20
                                                                                                                                 ISSUE 4
                                 (517) 371-5600 • Fax: (517) 999-6061 • 1905 E. Michigan Ave. • Lansing, MI 48912 • www.lansingcitypulse.com
                                                                                             ADVERTISING INQUIRIES:    (517) 999-5061
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                                                                            PAGE             CLASSIFIEDS: (517) 999-6704

                                                                               8           EDITOR AND PUBLISHER • Berl Schwartz
                                                                                             publisher@lansingcitypulse.com • (517) 999-5061
                                                                                           ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR • Skyler Ashley
                                                Welcome Weekend with East Lansing's mayor skyler@lansingcitypulse.com • (517) 999-5068
                                                                                           EVENTS EDITOR/OFFICE MANAGER • Suzi Smith
                                                                                              suzi@lansingcitypulse.com • (517) 999-6704
                                                                             PAGE          PRODUCTION • Abby Sumbler
                                                                                             production@lansingcitypulse.com
                                                                               28            (517) 999-5066
                                                                                            STAFF WRITERS • Lawrence Cosentino
                                                       CADL's reading challenge: Read Woke lawrence@lansingcitypulse.com • (517) 999-5065
                                                                                             Kyle Kaminski • kyle@lansingcitypulse.com
                                                                                             (517) 999-6710
                                                                             PAGE           SALES EXECUTIVE
                                                                                             Lee Purdy • lee@lansingcitypulse.com • (517) 999-5064
                                                                               34           Contributors: Andy Balaskovitz, Justin Bilicki, Capital
                                                                                            News Service, Bill Castanier, Ryan Claytor, Mary C.
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                                                             Illustration by Abby Sumbler

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East Lansing faces a student-lite autumn - SEE PAGE 13 - Creative Circle Media Solutions
City Pulse • September 2, 2020                                                    www.lansingcitypulse.com                                                                                 5

 PULSE                                                                                                                                   NEWS & OPINION
        New EL mayor shows courage
       East Lansing’s new mayor,                                                                                             to regulate

                                                                         The CP                    Edit
    Aaron Stephens, got off to a                                                                                             overnight park-
    good start as the city’s top dog by                                                                                      ing in Lansing,
    showing the kind of courageous                                                                                           the City Council
    leadership we’d love to see in                                                                                           created a permit
    more of our region’s elected offi-                                                  Opinion                              system that
    cials. Rather than simply defer-                                                                                         would allow
    ring to the state and local health                                                                                       city residents
    departments, Mayor Stephens                                    in Fiscal Year 2021,                                      to purchase an
    issued an emergency order of his Stephens                      which started July 1,                                     overnight park-
    own that requires masks to be                                  and again in Fiscal                                       ing pass. Fewer
    worn both indoors and outdoors                                 Year 2022. The extra                                      than six months
    in the city’s downtown business district. A week later,        cash will help cushion                                    after the new permit system was implemented, the city
    the East Lansing City Council affirmed and extended            the blow of COVID-                                        is now considering scrapping it altogether and moving
    the mayor’s decree. It’s a smart move at a time when           related financial distress that is expected to wreak      to lift the longstanding prohibition on 2 a.m. to 5 a.m.
    East Lansing is bracing for the return of at least some        havoc on the city budget over the next few years. The     overnight parking on city streets. We support lifting the
    MSU students and the likelihood that they will set off a       agreement includes a provision that will bring the city   parking ban, but we also recognize that it will be more
    surge in COVID-19 infections. Keep up the good work,           even more money if the BWL sees unexpected growth         difficult to clean up after a major snow storm due to
    Mayor Stephens.                                                in revenues derived from water, steam and energy          vehicles left overnight on city streets. To make it work,
                                                                   sales.                                                    the city will have to be more forceful in asking residents
    What took so long?                                                                                                       to remove cars from the street to facilitate overnight
        We were pleased                                            The Bad: Racial equity gag order unwise                   plowing and ramp up ticketing and towing of vehicles
    and frankly a little                                              We were disap-                                         that interfere with plowing operations. The city’s flipping
    shocked to see the                                             pointed to learn that                                     and flopping on this issue highlights yet again the lack
    East Lansing City                                              Mayor Schor is asking                                     of decisive leadership that continues to bedevil the
    Council appoint two                                            the members of his                                        mayor and Council. We also hope the repeal of the
    highly qualified African                                       new Racial Justice                                        parking permit system comes with a refund for those
    Americans to fill the                                          and Equity Alliance to                                    who purchased the soon-to-be-useless permits at $125
    vacancies created                                              sign a confidentiality                                    a pop. We suggest a full refund as a goodwill gesture
    by the unexpected                                              agreement that would                                      to those citizens who wasted their time doing their part.
    resignations of former Watson                 Bacon            prohibit them from
    Council members                                                publicly discussing                                       Cover Your Damn Nose
    Mark Meadows and Ruth Baier, both of                           matters under consideration by the group. We under-           OK, people, this isn’t hard.
    whom are white. Ron Bacon and Dana Watson become               stand the argument that secrecy enables more candid       When wearing a mask, cover
    the first Black city residents to serve on the Council         conversation, but it’s not a good look for city govern-   your damn nose. Research
    in a half century. We have to ask: What took so long?          ment. Although the alliance is not technically covered    indicates that 90 percent of
    It’s not as though there are no Black people in East           by the requirements of the Open Meetings Act, secretly    your breathing volume passes
    Lansing. Bacon and Watson are both deeply engaged              deliberating on some of the most vital and contentious    through the two nostrils locat-
    in their community and bring a fresh perspective to            issues facing the community only serves to amplify        ed immediately north of your
    the Council. We look forward to their contributions and        the mistrust that already permeates the relationship      mouth. Wearing a mask that
    hope they will run for full terms at the next city election.   between city government and racial justice advocacy       only covers your piehole is like
                                                                   groups. Transparency matters now more than ever.          wearing no mask at all. While
    The Good: Schor scores BWL budget help                         Allowing the public to see and participate in the pro-    we’re at it, if you’re a fan of masks with outflow vents
       The City of Lansing’s financial struggles will be a         ceedings builds the trust and buy-in that are essential   that make exhaling easier, you’re also part of the prob-
    bit less taxing thanks to an agreement inked in June           to healing wounds and moving forward together as a        lem. Such vents are typically unfiltered and allow the
    between the city and the Lansing Board of Water &              community. We encourage Mayor Schor to abandon            pathogens in your breath to escape into the wild, which
    Light that increases the utility’s return on equity pay-       the confidentiality agreements.                           defeats the major purpose of wearing a mask in the
    ment to the city for the next two fiscal years. Mayor                                                                    first place. The sooner we all start following the rules,
    Schor deserves credit for negotiating the deal, which          The Ugly: Overnight parking permits flop                  the faster we will get COVID under control and return to
    will enhance the city’s bottom line by nearly $2 million         After struggling for months to devise a sensible plan   some semblance of normalcy.

      Send letters to the editor on this editorial or any other topic to letters@lansingcitypulse.com.
                                                                      Please limit them to 250 words
East Lansing faces a student-lite autumn - SEE PAGE 13 - Creative Circle Media Solutions
6                                                                            www.lansingcitypulse.com                                         City Pulse • September 2, 2020

          Blue Brigade working for
         turnout in ‘most important                                                                       LETTERS
             election in my life’
    By JACK G. DEVINE
    (The writer lives in Dimondale.)
       Until now the
                                               Rep. Elissa Slotkin, State Rep. Sarah
                                               Anthony, and many more. There
                                               will be a tribute to Gov. Gretchen
                                                                                                        to the editor
    most important                             Whitmer and to the first-line work-           Vote like it counts …                    Submit letters & opinion
    election in my life                        ers for keeping us safe during the
    was my first. It                           pandemic. Also participating are Ben          it does                                         pieces to:
                                               Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben                What an opportunity to express
    was 1968, and I
    was stationed in                           & Jerry’s Ice Cream and friends of
                                                                                             yourself through your vote. After        letters@lansingcitypulse.com
                                                                                             all, voting is a right. The time in
    Thailand. Of the                           Bernie Sanders. Among the many                the voting booth, filling out your
                                               musicians involved are locals Root                                                   Center, Intercultural Association
    roughly 3,500                                                                            ballot at home, dropping it off at a   of Michigan, St. Vincent Catholic
    Americans sta-                             Doctor and singer Sunny Wilkinson.            designated drop box, or sending
                          Devine                                                                                                    Charities Refugee Services,
    tioned with me,                               We must all be aware that compla-          it by mail is minimal compared to      Presbyterian Church of Okemos
    about 800 voted.                           cency in the face of such dictatorial         what it will mean to our democ-        and Red Cedar Friends.
    Thousands of lives were at stake,          behavior is surrender. We must not            racy. So, do yourself and your            Of course, we must all act year-
    but the carnage continued for seven        surrender to someone controlled by            country a favor … take a moment        round to build peace in our world
    more years. Now we have lost more          Putin. Recent reports demonstrate             of your time and vote like it is as    — and each one of us has the
                  than 180,000 lives to a      not only how he is Putin’s puppy, but         important is it really is.             ability to do that. This month can
                  virus because of a failure   also Putin’s partner, and practically            Chris Tarpoff                       provide the impetus.
     OPINION of leadership at 1600             Putin’s agent. What is being discussed
                                                                                                East Lansing                           This year’s PeaceQuest will
                  Pennsylvania Avenue in       during their numerous phone con-                                                     feature a number of events.
    Washington, D.C.                           versations? Responsible presiden-                                                    Due to the coronavirus pandem-
                                                                                                                                    ic, many of them will be virtual
       Today our government and our            cies have followed the Presidential
    society are under attack from the          Records Act — which mandates                  Working for peace —                    or remote. Among the planned
                                                                                                                                    events: The popular Peace Pole
    Chaos Administration. The damage           the preservation of all presidential          all year long                          Pursuit, a peace-themed outdoor
    being done is real. Whether it is the      records. Where are the summaries of              Greater Lansing is heading into     poetry reading, virtual seminars
    absolute fecklessness to stop Russia       those conversations? What has been            a month of events that will rec-       and discussions, virtual sing-
    from paying bounties on the killing of     promised to Putin?                            ognize the annual United Nations       alongs, a class on how to make
    members of the U.S. Armed Forces,             The Chaos Administration hides             International Day of Peace, which      a peace pole, film presentations,
    or the deployment of a new version         its behavior in “secrecy” when taking         is on Sept. 21.                        and many others.
    of the Gestapo & SS, it will take years    such actions as when it was extort-              PeaceQuest Greater Lansing             See the full calendar of events
    to repair and rebuild governance           ing Ukraine while Russia was killing          2020 will highlight the efforts of     and details at https://peace-
                                                                                             individuals, organizations and         questgreaterlansing.org/.
    based upon competence and mutual           Ukrainians. It fires inspectors gen-
                                                                                             governments that take action to           After September, greater
    respect. That is why this election is      eral without cause. It removes U.S.           end conflict and promote peace         Lansing must continue individu-
    now the most important in my life,         attorneys when it suits its fancy. And        — and encourage others to do           ally and organizationally to take
    and why I am working with, among           it “classifies” investigations into such      the same.                              actions that build peace in our
    others, a marvelous group known as         demeaning behavior as trying to force            This year marks the 72nd anni-      community and globally.  
    the Blue Brigade.                          the British to move a golf tournament         versary of the UN’s Universal             CALL your representatives —
       It is a Lansing area group of wom-      to property owned by the president.           Declaration of Human Rights,           local, state and national — to tell
    en who are willing to do the grinding      The levels of corruption are many and         affirming the individual rights of     them what you as their constitu-
    grass roots work of politics. Whether      we will be learning about them for            all people. It was adopted on Dec.     ent want them to support.   
    it is getting petitions signed, making     years to come.                                10, 1948, by member states of             DISPLAY signs and/or peace
    campaign calls, raising money, or             Each of us has a personal respon-          the United Nations, including the      poles that encourage peaceful
                                               sibility to stand against such a freak        United States.                         actions.  
    knocking on doors the Blue Brigade
                                                                                                The Greater Lansing United             JOIN and SUPPORT organiza-
    is there to help reasonable and ratio-     show. It is like a soap opera that has
                                                                                             Nations Association (gluna.org),       tions that are involved in peace
    nal people get elected. This year is       direct effects on our lives. I challenge      which held International Day of        efforts.  
    different for reasons known to us all.     every fellow citizen/voter to know            Peace events for decades, was             And, most importantly, VOTE.
       Subsequently, the Blue Brigade          as much about the workings of our             joined in 2014 by several other        Vote for people who will support
    will motivate the electorate through       government as they know about                 organizations that also work to        the rights of our citizens, strive
    a virtual VOTE Michigan Rally on           their favorite sports team. It will go a      promote peace locally and glob-        for justice and equity, and guide
    September 12, 2020, that will be           long way to getting us on the path of         ally. So “PeaceQuest Greater           the United States in welcoming
    streamed on Facebook and YouTube.          decency.                                      Lansing” was formed and has            refugees who are forced to leave
    Thereafter, the rally will be avail-          As a Vietnam veteran, a political          since grown to be a month of           dangerous situations.   
    able for viewing until Nov. 3. For         scientist and a retired civil servant, I      events — all in September — with          This list of actions continues as
    more details visit their website at        urge all of you not only to watch the         a focus on peace.                      well. Do all that you can do!
                                                                                                PeaceQuest 2020 is planned             LYNN BARTLEY
    VoteMichiganRally.com.                     VOTE Michigan Rally, but to also
                                                                                             by the representatives of                 (The writer is the president
       The rally will feature Robert           get your friends and family to do the
                                                                                             the following organizations:           of the Greater Lansing United
    Reich, a former labor secretary under      same. And, of course, to vote and save        Greater Lansing United Nations         Nations Association.)
    President Clinton; U.S. Sens. Gary         our democracy from the fascists, the          Association, Peace Education
    Peters and Debbie Stabenow; U.S.           fools, and the crooks.
East Lansing faces a student-lite autumn - SEE PAGE 13 - Creative Circle Media Solutions
City Pulse • September 2, 2020                                                              www.lansingcitypulse.com                                                                               7

  REWIND                    NEWS HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE LAST 7 DAYS
                                                                                                                                                                 FOR
                                                                                                                                                                 DESIGN
                                                                                                                           By BERL SCHWARTZ

                                                                                   tion after the Lansing School District postponed open-
                                                                                   ing day to Tuesday, Sept. 8. They were set to return
                                                                                   virtually, but an employee tested positive who had been
                                                                                   in a number of buildings setting up learning labs. While
                                                            Photo by Nicole Rico   students were to remain at home, plans for faculty to
                                                                                   offer instruction from school buildings were postponed
                                                                                   to allow for yet another deep cleaning. Superintendent         Last month’s Eye for Design
        The brave or the foolish: MSU                                              Sam Sinicropi said the delay might have happened             was identified correctly by Anson
              students return                                                      anyway because of a shortage of laptops and other            Grimes as the Michigan Library
  As classes resume at Michigan State University,                                  digital equipment that the district is supplying students.   and Historical Museum, 702 W.
downtown East Lansing offered a modified summer                                                                                                 Kalamazoo St. (picture below) in
look. The vast majority of the student body opted to stay                                                                                       downtown Lansing. The gates,
                                                                                                                                                which were the detail featured, rest
put rather than live on or off campus for their virtual fall
semester. East Lansing Mayor Aaron Stephens (back
                                                                                                Last excuse for not                             beneath the recognizable arch, and
                                                                                                                                                can best be seen from the opposite
to the camera) attempts to convince coeds walking on                                           exercising nearing end                           side of the building along Allegan
Albert Avenue Saturday night to don masks, a require-                                Look for Gov. Gretchen                                     Street.
ment mandated by the City Council in downtown’s core.                              Whitmer to allow gyms                                          This month’s Eye for Design
(For more on this story, see P. 8.)                                                in Mid-Michigan soon to                                      can also be found in downtown
                                                                                   reopen soon, along with                                      Lansing. The stained-glass window,
                                                                                   movie theaters, bowling                                      which is likely original to the late

                                                            ?
                                                                                   alleys and related venues,                                   19th-century structure, is set into
                                                                                   subject to mask wearing and                                  the Ionia sandstone exterior wall.
                                                                                   social distancing. The gover-                                On a recent day, the awning-style
                                                                                   nor allowed them to reopen                                   window was open. Its tilt design
                                                                                   in other regions in June but,                                protects the interior from rain.
                                                                                   based on COVID-19 cases,                                       If you know where this Eye for
Randy Talifarro Michael Tobin David Purchase Mike Mackey   2020-
2012-2018       Acting: 2018, Acting: 2018- 2019-2020                              has kept them off limits in                                  Design can be found, email carrie-
                2019, 2020    2019
                                                                                   central and south Michigan.                                  sampson@micourthistory.org and
                                                                                                                                                you could win an Eye for Design
                Musical chairs at                                                             In other pandemic-related news:                   mug.
             Lansing Fire Department                                                  — Sparrow Health System reportedly is not going           — CARRIE SAMPSON
  Lansing Mayor Andy Schor brought back a former                                   to follow new federal guidelines that recommend not
Fire Department chief, Greg Martin, while he searches                              testing those who remain asymptomatic after being
– again — for a permanent replacement. Schor hired                                 exposed to the virus.
Floridian Mike Mackey just last year to replace Randy                                  — Whitmer attacked a U.S. Justice Department
Talifarro, who quit in 2018 and a year later blasted the                           demand for information on COVID-related incidents at
mayor for alleged racism. Mackey announced his deci-                               nursing homes. She labeled it “political” because the
sion soon after seven current and former city employ-                              only states singled out are all run by Democratic gover-
ees jointly sued the mayor, the city and the firefighters’                         nors. The governor said Michigan will comply.
union, claiming they were victims of racial bias. Mackey                              — Another milestone: Michigan will reduce report-
said his return to family in Florida is just coincidence,                          ing COVID-19 cases and fatalities to six days a week
even though most of the plaintiffs, including Talifarro,                           from seven, starting Sunday. “At this time, reporting on
are or were working for the Fire Department and anoth-                             Sunday rather than Monday is not critical to our under-
er firefighter, Michael Lynn, has a separate suit against                          standing of the virus,” said Robert Gordon, director of
the city.                                                                          the state Health and Human Resources Department.
                                                                                   “This change will allow staff who have not had a real
                                                                                   day off since February to get some relief and allow the      “Eye for Design” is our look at some of
        Lansing schools delay opening                                              department to prioritize more valuable data reporting,
                                                                                                                                                the nicer properties in Lansing. It rotates each
                                                                                                                                                with Eye candy of the Week and Eyesore of the
  More than 10,000 children have an extra week’s vaca-
                                                                                   including school outbreak information.”                      Week.
East Lansing faces a student-lite autumn - SEE PAGE 13 - Creative Circle Media Solutions
8                                                                                              www.lansingcitypulse.com                                                  City Pulse • September 2, 2020

MSU students off to quiet start amid pandemic
East Lansing mayor
‘cautiously optimistic’
after low-key Welcome Weekend
  East Lansing Mayor Aaron Stephens
has never seen such a quiet Welcome
Weekend at Michigan State University.
And he knows that things can get row-
dy. It was only three years ago that he
was a student there himself, running
for election in a shared apartment on
Kedzie Street.
  By chance, he returned to his old
digs on Saturday night, this time as a
24-year-old mayor helping guide a city
                                                                                                Photo by Nicole Rico
of nearly 50,000 residents (and thou-
sands more college students) through a
                                                        Stephens
global health crisis. Music blared from                   I invited myself to tag along with
the backyard, echoing down the other-                   Stephens as he patrolled East Lansing                                                                                                Photo by Nicole Rico
wise silent street.                                     Saturday night to ensure that MSU
                                                                                                                       East Lansing Mayor Aaron Stephens hands out disposable face masks to
  “Let’s just hope it’s another house,”                 students who still live near campus
                                                                                                                       party goers in downtown East Lansing on Saturday night of Welcome Weekend.
Stephens said before he pulled off a                    were off to a safe and socially distant
rubber glove, shuffled a box of dispos-                 semester. His main purpose: Pass out
able face masks beneath his arm and                     face masks and remind residents about                          much of the downtown business dis-      shirts was flowing down the dimly lit
squinted concerningly into his cell-                    a new mayoral order that they be worn                          trict.                                  sidewalk. The music was growing loud-
phone.                                                  while both indoors and outdoors across                            Stephens pointed out his old bed-    er.
                                                                                                                       room windows as he approached his
                                                                                                                       old house. A swarm of green and white                          See Welcome, Page 9
                                    NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
                                  East Lansing Planning Commission

    Notice is hereby given of the following public hearing to be held by the East Lansing Planning
    Commission on Wednesday, September 23, 2020 at 7:00 p.m., in the 54-B District Court,
    Courtroom 2, 101 Linden Street, East Lansing.

      1. A public hearing will be held to consider a site plan and special use permit application
         from 3225 West Road, LLC to build two new buildings; a four-story, 107-room hotel, and a
         4,015 sq. ft. medical marihuana provisioning center. The property is zoned RA, Residential
         Agricultural District.

      2. A public hearing will be held to consider a lot split application from 3225 West Road, LLC,
         for the property located at 3225 West Road to create two parcels from the existing
         4.50-acre property which is located in the RA, Residential Agricultural District.

      3. A public hearing will be held to consider Ordinance 1477, an ordinance to amend the
         Zoning Use District Map of Chapter 50 – Zoning – of the Code of the City of East Lansing
         to rezone the property at 3225 West Road from RA, Residential Agricultural District, to
         B-4, Restricted Office Business District.

      4. A public hearing will be held to consider an application to modify a site plan and special
         use permit from Gateway of East Lansing, LLC for the property at 300 West Grand River
         Avenue to convert retail space on the first floor to six dwelling units. The property is zoned
         B-2, Retail Sales Business District.

    Call (517) 319-6930, the Department of Planning, Building and Development, East Lansing City
    Hall, 410 Abbot Road, East Lansing, for additional information. All interested persons will be given
    an opportunity to be heard. These matters will be on the agenda for the next Planning Commission
    meeting after the public hearing is held, at which time the Commission may vote on them. The
    Planning Commission's recommendations are then placed on the agenda of the next City Council
    meeting. The City Council will make the final decision on these applications.

    The City of East Lansing will provide reasonable auxiliary aids and services, such as interpreters
    for the hearing impaired and audio tapes of printed materials being considered at the meeting, to
    individuals with disabilities upon request received by the City seven (7) calendar days prior to the
    meeting. Individuals with disabilities requiring aids or services should write or call the Planning
    Department, 410 Abbot Road, East Lansing, MI 48823. Phone: (517) 319-6930. TDD Number:
    1-800-649-3777.

    Note: This hearing is currently scheduled to occur as a regular public hearing at the meeting. If, at
    the time of this hearing meetings are still not permitted under an Executive Order of the Governor
    and an Executive Order permitting meetings electronically allows for an electronic meeting, this
    hearing will occur electronically and a notice of the means of participation in that hearing will be
    published in compliance with the Open Meetings Act and any relevant Executive Orders.

    					Jennifer Shuster
    					City Clerk			                                                                          #20-203
East Lansing faces a student-lite autumn - SEE PAGE 13 - Creative Circle Media Solutions
City Pulse • September 2, 2020                                                              www.lansingcitypulse.com                                                                             9

Welcome
                                                      many students are living off campus in
                                                      East Lansing.
                                                        Most of the parties Stephens and
                                                      I visited were casual affairs, and a
from page 8
                                                      major departure from usual Welcome
                                                      Weekend sidewalk crowds. Several
   “Well, this doesn’t look all too great,”           20-somethings played beer pong in a
Stephens said, reaching back for his                  front yard. A dozen people gathered on
cellphone.                                            a front porch to pass around a blunt.
   The Kedzie Street home, in addition                Another group dragged a couch on the
to its nostalgic charm for Stephens, was              front yard to play videogames. Most
host to one of the more conspicuous                   took Stephens’ advice to keep things
parties on Saturday. Most of the other                calm.
festivities were strikingly calm com-                   “Thanks for not having a giant party,”
pared to prior years on campus, but a                 Stephens called over to a small gather-
few had teetered on the cusp of com-                  ing as we walked.
plete chaos.                                            But for those who balked? Stephens
   And in a city that’s already been                  has Police Chief Steve Gonzales on
ordered by the Ingham County Health                   speed dial. As he strolled neighbor-
Department to strictly limit outdoor                  hoods, he was also shooting off text
gatherings to only 25 people, Stephens                messages with addresses of homes
viewed it as his civil responsibility to              with the largest crowds and the loud-
head out back, reminisce on good times,               est music — indications of a COVID-19
count heads and hand out as many face                 outbreak in progress.
masks as possible.                                      Gonzales rolled up Kedzie Street in
   But even the mayor can’t stop some                 an unmarked SUV to assure Stephens
parties. Stephens walked away minutes                 he would send more patrols. All told,
later, defeated.                                      East Lansing cops responded to 77
   “People are generally responsible,                 noise complaints over the weekend.
but there needs to be education, guid-                Most of them were fairly small and only                                                                                     Photo by Nicole Rico

ance and more personal responsibility,”               a few received citations for violating               Stephens also checked In on several crowded and noisy house parties on
Stephens explained. “It’s hard, but safe              crowd control restrictions.                          Saturday to remind students about social distancing and the 25-person limit on
decisions have to be made. It just takes                Gonzales didn’t have an exact count                outdoor gatherings.
one big house party to really kick off                on the number of citations issued this

                                                                                                               TE 3  Rick Jones for
the spread and set us all back in East                week, but was comfortable Monday
Lansing.”                                             labeling the weekend as “significantly
   Fewer than 3,000 students are                      less busy than in years past.”                          O  .
                                                                                                             V OV Eaton County Sheriff
expected to live on campus this semes-                  “Of course I feel like a narc,” Stephens
ter as MSU shifts to an almost entire-                                                                        N
                                                                                                                 It’s time for a change
ly virtual curriculum. It’s unclear how                                             See Welcome, Page 10

                                   NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
                                    East Lansing City Council

  Notice is hereby given of the following public hearing to be held by the East Lansing City Council
  on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 at 7:00 p.m., in the 54-B District Court, Courtroom 2, 101

                                                                                                             I want deputies
  Linden Street, East Lansing:

     A public hearing will be held to consider a site plan and special use permit application from

                                                                                                              to have better
     Neumann/Smith Architecture for the property at the northwest corner of Abbot Road and
     Albert Avenue (City Parking Lot #4) to construct a seven-story office building, including
     a MSFCU Branch Credit Union, community space, general office space, leasable tenant

                                                                                                                training in
     spaces, related support and service spaces, and related sitework. The subject property is
     zoned B-3, City Center Commercial District.

                                                                                                              de-escalating
  The City of East Lansing will provide reasonable accommodations, such as interpreters for the
  hearing impaired and audio tapes of printed materials being considered at this meeting, upon
  notice to the City of East Lansing, prior to the meeting. Individuals with disabilities requiring
  reasonable accommodations or services should write or call the City Manager’s Office, 410 Abbot
  Road, East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 319-6920, TDD 1-800-649-377.                                            possible violent
  Note: This hearing is currently scheduled to occur as a regular public hearing at the meeting. If, at
  the time of this hearing meetings are still not permitted under an Executive Order of the Governor
  and an Executive Order permitting meetings electronically allows for an electronic meeting, this
                                                                                                                situations
  hearing will occur electronically and a notice of the means of participation in that hearing will be
  published in compliance with the Open Meetings Act and any relevant Executive Orders.

  Note: This hearing is currently scheduled to occur as a regular public hearing at the meeting. If, at
  the time of this hearing meetings are still not permitted under an Executive Order of the Governor

                                                                                                             Fair and equal treatment for all people
  and an Executive Order permitting meetings electronically allows for an electronic meeting, this
  hearing will occur electronically and a notice of the means of participation in that hearing will be
  published in compliance with the Open Meetings Act and any relevant Executive Orders.

  					Jennifer Shuster                                                                                                               Paid for by CTE Rick Jones Sheriff
  					City Clerk			                                                                          #20-204                                PO Box 115, Grand Ledge, MI 48837
East Lansing faces a student-lite autumn - SEE PAGE 13 - Creative Circle Media Solutions
10                                                                                          www.lansingcitypulse.com                                                          City Pulse • September 2, 2020

 RFP/21/009 Covid-19 Economic Recovery Resource Developer as per the specifications
 provided by the City of Lansing. The City of Lansing will accept proposals electronically @ the
 MITN site (www.mitn.info) or 124 W. Michigan Ave, Lansing MI 48933 until 2:00 PM local time in
 effect on September 15, 2020. Complete Specifications and forms required to submit proposals
 are available by contacting Stephanie Robinson @ 517-483-4128 or stephanie.robinson@
 lansingmi.gov.        					                                                           #20-201

 B/21/011 VARIABLE FREQUENCY DRIVES FOR FY21 as per the specifications provided by the
 City of Lansing. The City of Lansing will accept sealed bids electronically on line at www.mitn.info
 or at the City Of Lansing Purchasing Office, at 124 W. Michigan Ave 8TH Fl, Lansing, MI 48933
 until 2:00 PM local time in effect on September 15, 2020 at which time bids will be opened.
 Complete specifications and forms required to submit bids are available by contacting
 Stephanie Robinson at (517) 483-4128, or stephanie.robinson@lansingmi.gov or go to
 www.mitn.info. The City of Lansing encourages bids from all vendors including MBE/WBE
 vendors and Lansing-based businesses. 				#20-202

               NOTICE OF DAY OF REVIEW OF DRAINAGE DISTRICT BOUNDARIES
                        AND DAY OF REVIEW OF APPORTIONMENTS
                        (In accordance with P.A. 40, of 1956, as amended)

             Notice is Hereby Given that a Day of Review will be held on Tuesday, September
 8, 2020, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please take notice that the meeting will be conducted following the                                                                                                Photo by Nicole Rico
 guidelines of Michigan Governor’s Executive Order 154, and all other Executive Orders that may
 be applicable at the time of the meeting. Due to the requirements in the Executive Orders, the           East Lansing Mayor Aaron Stephens hands out disposable face masks to stu-
 meeting will not be held in person, but instead will be held by remote electronic access. For those      dents at Michigan State University in downtown East Lansing on Saturday night of
 seeking to participate through online video conferencing, participants can access the electronic
 meeting through the following Zoom link:                                                                 Welcome Weekend.

                                                                                                          Welcome
                                         Join Zoom Meeting                                                                                                        Officials — at least for now — are more
                              https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86177153144                                                                                               focused on education. Gonzales said
                                     Or Dial: +1 312 626 6799                                                                                                     the only documented violations have
                                     Meeting ID: 861 7715 3144                                            from page 9                                             all been handled with verbal warnings.
                  Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kc3QZbdn6z                                                                                       And since Stephens made the rules,
 In lieu of using the remote electronic access, any interested person may also participate in the                                                                 he feels an obligation to help ensure
 meeting by calling the Drain Office at (517) 676-8395 on September 8, 2020, at any time from             said as we walked. “It’s not like I want to             they’re followed. His nightly buzzkill
 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
                                                                                                          be here doing this. It’s just too import-               patrols also included free disposable
            At that date and Zoom location, the Ingham County Drain Commissioner will hear the            ant right now to stress the importance                  face masks for anyone who wanted one.
 proofs and allegations and carefully reconsider and review the description of lands within Ingham        of staying safe and reinforcing good                       Most passersby happily accepted
 County comprising the Drainage Districts for the Drains listed below, and will determine whether
 the addition or deletion of lands will more accurately define the boundaries of the land benefitted      behaviors. None of us know what this                    them and carried on, either because
 by the Drains and is just and equitable pursuant to Section 197 of 1956 PA 40, as amended. The           could look like in a few weeks or a few                 they were unaware of the mayoral mask
 Drain Commissioner will also review the apportionment of benefits for assessment purposes. The
 Drains are located and established in the following municipalities, and a general description of the
                                                                                                          months.”                                                mandate or simply because they forgot
 lands proposed to be added or deleted, in whole or in part, include the following:                          Stephens was elected to his first City               to bring a face covering with them. A
                                                                                                          Council term as a junior at MSU in                      group of motorcyclists briefly pushed
     DRAIN NO.     DRAIN NAME                           MUNICIPALITY                      SECTION         2017 and was elected by the Council as                  back about “constitutional rights” that
                                                                                          NUMBERS         mayor pro tem in November. He was                       supposedly allowed them to skirt the
     B 01-00       BANK INTERCOUNTY DRAIN               LANSING TOWNSHIP                  7, 18, 19       thrust into the city’s top job this sum-                pandemic-related safety restrictions,
     B 18-00       BRIGGS EXTENSION                     LANSING TOWNSHIP                  7, 18, 19       mer following the resignation of Mayor                  but Stephens wasn’t there to pick a
                   INTERCOUNTY DRAIN                                                                      Ruth Beier.                                             fight.
          Maps of the proposed Drainage District boundary revisions may be found on the
                                                                                                             Among Stephens’ first mayoral moves                     “It’s actually for your safety as well as
 Ingham County Drain Commissioner’s website (dr.ingham.org).                                              was a mandatory mask policy in the                      mine,” Stephens tried to explain as he
                                                                                                          city’s Downtown Development District,                   was dismissed.
            The Ingham County Drain Commissioner will have the tentative apportionments against
 parcels and municipalities within the Drainage Districts available to review. Drain assessments will                                           which mir-           One student (who readily identified
 be collected in the same manner as property taxes. If Drain assessments are to be collected in                   STATE OF MICHIGAN             rored on-cam-     himself as a Trump supporter) attempt-
 installments, they may be paid in full with any interest to date at any time to avoid further interest            PROBATE COURT
 charges. The entities to be assessed at large are the municipalities listed above, as well as Ingham            COUNTY OF INGHAM               pus policies at   ed to explain to Stephens how the coro-
                                                                                                                   PUBLICATION OF
 County for benefit to county roads, and the State of Michigan Department of Transportation for                  NOTICE OF HEARING              MSU’s cam-        navirus was a “hoax” and that health
                                                                                                               Files: #20-000800-GM-P33
 those Drainage Districts that include state highways. The lands to be assessed are those generally                   #20-000802-GM-P33         pus this fall.    department statistics were greatly
 described as being within the Sections set forth above.                                                              #20-000803-GM-P33
                                                                                                                                                Unless din-       exaggerated. Stephens entertained the
                                                                                                           In the matter of:
            Persons with disabilities needing accommodations for effective participation in the            Cherie A. Bungart                    ing, medical-     conversation, but only by first having
                                                                                                           Nevaeh L. Bungart
 meeting should contact the Ingham County Drain Commissioner at (517) 676-8395, or the Michigan            Albert Bungart                       ly exempt, or     him wear a mask.
 Relay Center at 711 (TTY) at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting to request mobility, visual,
 hearing, or other assistance.                                                                             TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS
                                                                                                           including: Elisha Hilaski and Albert
                                                                                                                                                under the age        Another student ignored Stephens’
                                                                                                           Bungart, whose address(es) are
                                                                                                           unknown.
                                                                                                                                                of 5, those       outstretched box of masks, shot him a
            You are Further Notified that persons aggrieved by the decision to add or delete
 property to or from a Drainage District may seek judicial review in the Ingham County Circuit             TAKE NOTICE: A hearing will be
                                                                                                                                                without       a   skeptical glance and leaned (not-so-qui-
 Court within ten (10) days of the decision, and persons aggrieved by the decision with regard to          held on October 8, 2020, at 10
                                                                                                           a.m. before Shauna Dunnings,
                                                                                                                                                mask    could     etly) over to his friend as they passed.
 the apportionment of benefits for assessment purposes may appeal to the Ingham County Probate             for the following purpose:
                                                                                                                                                face a $25        “Who’s that douchebag?” he asked.
 Court within ten (10) days of the Day of Review.                                                          guardianship hearing.

                                                                                                           9/2/2020                             fine.                “Well, maybe that part is true,”
 			Patrick E. Lindemann                                                                                   Monica Kunecki
                                                                                                                                                   No t i c k -   Stephens laughed. “But I’m just trying
                                                                                                           443 Emerald Ave NE
 August 13, 2020		 Ingham County Drain Commissioner                                                        Grand Rapids, MI 49503
                     		                                    		                                #20-197       616-477-4645                         ets      have     to save lives out here.”
                                                                                                                                 CP#20-205
                                                                                                                                                been issued.      — KYLE KAMINSKI
City Pulse • September 2, 2020                                               www.lansingcitypulse.com                                                                                              11

 Slotkin opponent’s family business                                                                                                CITY OF LANSING
                                                                                                                              NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

paid workers $100K over racial slurs                                                         NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Public Hearing will be held on Monday, Monday, September
                                                                                             14, 2020 at 7 p.m. during the regularly scheduled City Council Meeting, via ZOOM Conferencing,
                                                                                             Meeting ID 840 5989 1689 for the purpose of considering:
   The old family                               fees.                                           An Ordinance of the City of Lansing, Michigan, to amend the Lansing Codified Ordinances
maintenance business                              Republicans could question the rel-           by by amending Section 890.01, to reform guidelines for poverty exemptions for real property

                                     POLITICS
                                                                                                and to remove true cash value of a principal residence as a criteria for eligibility, consistent
of 8th Congressional                            evance of the charge seeing Junge’s             with state law.
candidate Paul Junge                            debatable connection to an event that
paid out $100,000 to                            happened 22 years ago. They could            Governor Whitmer declared a statewide State of Emergency due to the spread of the novel
                                                                                             coronavirus (COVID-19). To mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and to provide essential protections
three former work-                              note that, for example, that incum-          to vulnerable Michiganders and this State’s health care system and other critical infrastructure, it
ers who claimed they                            bent U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly,      is crucial that all Michiganders take steps to-limit in-person contact, particularly in the context of
were insulted with                              worked for the CIA when it was               large groups. Therefore, the public hearing will be conducted via audio/video conference.

numerous racial slurs                           allegedly waterboarding detainees.           The public hearing will be electronically in accordance with the Open Meetings Act in an effort
at the workplace and                              “Paul had no knowledge of this inci-       to protect the health and safety of the public. A Michigan Executive Order provides temporary
                                                                                             authorization of remote participation in public meetings and hearings. Members of the public
were fired when they complained                 dent, or even the court case until a         wishing to participate in the meeting may do so by logging into or calling into the meetings using
about it, according to court records.           reporter brought it to his intention,”       the website or phone number and Meeting ID provided on the August 31, 2020 meeting agenda.
   The revelation comes as Junge has            a Junge campaign spokesperson said.          (Note: this option requires downloading Zoom software. If you have not already installed the
                                                                                             software, this may take a few minutes)
made one of his calling cards during            “Paul opposes racial discrimination of
the campaign how his family business            any kind, and believes we must come          Persons with disabilities who need an accommodation to fully participate in these meetings
                                                                                             should contact the City Council Office at 517-483-4177 (TDD (517) 483-4479) 24 hour notice
created “hundreds of jobs.”                     together as a nation to confront not         may be needed for certain accommodations. An attempt will be made to grant all reasonable
   Junge was the business develop-              only bigotry and hate, but also the vio-     accommodation requests.
ment and division manager at All Star           lent riots that have perverted the cause
                                                                                             For more information, please call 517-483-4177. If you are interested in this matter, please attend
Maintenance in San Diego, Calif., his           of equality.”                                the public hearing or send a representative. Written comments will be accepted between 8 a.m.
father’s business from 1995-2000,                 However, it’s Junge who brought up         and 5 p.m. on City business days if received before 5 p.m., on the day of the Public Hearing at the
                                                                                             City Clerk’s Office, Ninth Floor, City Hall, 124 West Michigan Ave., Lansing, MI 48933 or email
and is not mentioned directly in the            his family company’s prolific job-cre-       city.clerk@lansingmi.gov.
suit involving three former employees,          ating record into the debate. In fact,
Warren McCowan, Johnny Luna and                 Junge’s first TV advertisement leads         Chris Swope, Lansing City Clerk, MMC/CMMC
                                                                                             www.lansingmi.gov/Clerk
Steve Guerrero.                                 with this.                                   www.facebook.com/LansingClerkSwope
   The suit in U.S. District Court in New         “I’m Paul Junge. I served as a pros-       							                                                                                #20-206
Mexico was concluded in 2002 after              ecutor and helped build my family’s
Junge had left the business to pursue           business, creating jobs” are the first
a career in TV journalism. However,             words Junge says in the ad.
back in 1998, All Star Maintenance                Democrats could argue that if the
was hired to paint residences at White          Republican nominee wants to own All
Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
   McCowan, Luna and Guerrero, all
of Hispanic heritage but who lived in
                                                Star’s record, he’s got to take the bad
                                                with the good.
                                                  The court case had yet to make the
                                                                                                                                              EQUAL RIGHTS.
New Mexico, claimed they were fired
for complaining about the discrimi-
nation they endured while working in
                                                Democratic Congressional Campaign
                                                Committee’s research book on Junge
                                                that MIRS found online online. A
                                                                                                                                          EQUAL PROTECTION.
the hostile environment.
   They claimed they were “repeat-
edly” referred to by one All Star
                                                DCCC spokesperson declined com-
                                                ment on the settlement.
                                                  Speaking of the TV ads, Junge made
                                                                                                                                             EQUAL ACCESS.
                                                                                                                                             EQUAL JUSTICE.
Maintenance carpenter as “sp*cs,”               a $100,000 buy this week to air his
“stupid fucking Mexicans,” “burrito             positive, get-to-know-you, 30-sec-
eating mother fuckers,” and “south-of-          ond spot in the Detroit and Lansing
the-border friends.” Another All Star           broadcast and cable markets.
employee on the job site referred to an           His press release includes this jab at
African American colleague as a “stu-           the first-term incumbent: “These are
pid (n-word).” Others testified that            challenging times, and unlike Elissa
they, too, heard the offensive language.
   Although the All Star employee
                                                Slotkin’s partisan liberal record of
                                                voting with Nancy Pelosi 96% of the
                                                                                                These are the principles I stand for.
                                                                                                                    Stand with me.
handbook from 1996 calls for a racial           time, I will put politics aside and put
harassment-free workplace, the field            America first.”
manager conceded in court that he                 By comparison, Slotkin, has $3.2
didn’t do enough to spot the offensive          million in ad time reserved up for
comments. Instead, when McCowan,                the remainder of the election, accord-
Luna and Guerrero complained, he                ing the Michigan Campaign Finance
fired them, according to court records.         Network. She announced her second
As a result, the court in 2002 ordered          General Election ad over the week-
that all three be paid $15,000 for              end, which focused on her efforts to
enduring the hostile work environ-              produce personal protection medical
ment and $20,000 each for being                 equipment in Michigan.
fired for complaining. All Star later             (Kyle Melinn of the Capitol news
paid out another $100,000 later to              service MIRS is at melinnky@gmail.                                  Paid for by the Committee to Elect Landis Lain
cover the former employees’ attorney            com.)                                                                      PO Box 10002, Lansing, MI 48901
12                                                                 www.lansingcitypulse.com                                         City Pulse • September 2, 2020

       ONLINE REAL ESTATE AUCTION
                 WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 16, 2020 @ 10:00 AM
                                 By Order of the County Treasurer of Ingham County
                                      INCREDIBLE LOW RESERVES!!
                          Below are a few of the many properties offered in this incredible auction!

      Starting Bid: $19,567.79     Starting Bid: $13,048.43       Starting Bid: $7822.13         Starting Bid: $17,155.22          Starting Bid: $15,853.47
     3419 Turner St, Lansing     1519 Biltmore St, Lansing     3017 Sheffer Ave, Lansing      1540 Roosevelt Ave, Lansing       1428 Knollwood Ave, Lansing

     Starting Bid: $37,269.50    Starting Bid: $18,196.98          Starting Bid: $23,468.88         Starting Bid: $40,265.65        Starting Bid: $33,872.78
744 N. ML King Jr. Blvd, Lansing 409 Pearl St, Lansing          831 N. Chestnut St, Lansing       922 N. Walnut St, Lansing        909 E. Saginaw, Lansing

    Starting Bid: $31,580.06    Starting Bid: $20,275.75          Starting Bid: $8,744.17           Starting Bid: $34,510.50       Starting Bid: $14,941.17
 217 N. Fairview Ave, Lansing 1119 Bement St, Lansing            409 Clifford St, Lansing          519 Clifford St, Lansing     915 W. Lapeer St 1, Lansing

     Starting Bid: $21,478.98    Starting Bid: $7,609.78            Starting Bid: $13,705.90 Starting Bid: $22,893.91  Starting Bid: $11,199.27
1919 S. Washington Ave, Lansing 1338 Gray St, Lansing             1107 Bensch St, Lansing 2213 Donora St, Lansing 4912 Pleasant Grove Rd, Lansing

                                                              Detailed information on parcels to be offered & terms of sale can be obtained on the internet at
        A deposit of $2,000 in certified funds is
              required for bid approval.                                                www.BippusUSA.com
                                                               Eric Schertzing, Ingham County Treasurer, 341 S. Jefferson St, Mason, MI (517.676.7220)

                                                                                      Detailed Info
                                                                            888-481-5108 or Visit Our Website!
                                                                                      John Bippus AARE CAI CES GRI Broker/Auctioneer
City Pulse • September 2, 2020                                                   www.lansingcitypulse.com                                                                                13

                    YES WE ARE...                                                                                        Sorry, we are

          OPEN!
Brace yourself: The    At least 70 businesses
                                                                                                         C LO S E D
students aren’t coming gone or paused
By SKYLER ASHLEY                               ing rush of a new                           By KYLE KAMINSKI                          comprehensive tabs.
and COLE TUNNINGLEY                            semester.                                   and SHAUNA STOCKEN                          “Downtown Lansing is a great
   EAST LANSING — In the midst of                “The      conse-                             Not all businesses have managed to place for a business, just not so much
a skeletal Welcome Week following quences to down-                                         keep their doors open as the coronavi- during the pandemic. It’s the reason a
Michigan State University’s decision to town are going to                                  rus continues its spread across Greater lot of places still haven’t reopened yet
keep classes entirely online, downtown be devastating.                                     Lansing. Decreased foot traffic at many downtown,” said Cara Nader, owner of
East Lansing businesses are staring There are no ifs,                                      downtown Lansing and East Lansing Strange Matter Coffee.
down the prospect of shopping dol- ands or buts about                                      businesses — and the sales volumes to       Strange Matter Coffee straddles the
drums that extend far beyond the sum- it. It’s going to be                                 go with it — have plummeted in recent line between open and closed after it
mer months. Factor in a canceled foot- overwhelming for Ballein                            months.                                   switched to curbside sales and delivery
ball season and                                                                                                                                                         at its Michigan
suddenly busi-                                                                                                                                                          Avenue loca-
ness owners                                                                                                                                                             tion and closed
are looking at                                                                                                                                                          its downtown
a year in which                                                                                                                                                         location         on
they will have                                                                                                                                                          Wa s h i n g t o n
to hustle harder                                                                                                                                                        Square, alto-
than ever.                                                                                                                                                              gether.
   “As a busi-                                                                                                                                                             With many
ness that caters                                                                                                                                                        usual down-
almost exclu-                                                                                                                                                           town employees
sively to the                                                                                                                                                           still working
university — I                                                                                                                                                          from home and
sell green and                                                                                                                                                          no clear return-
white         s t u ff                                                                                                                                                  to-work date
and I sell col-                                                                                                                                                         in site, Nader
lege textbooks                                                                                                                                                          said closing one
— I go where                                                                                                                                                            location helped
the universi-                                                                                                                                                           cut necessary
ty goes. If the                                                                                                                               Kyle Kaminski/City Pulse
                                                                                                                                                                        costs after a
u n i v e r s i t y ’ s Strange Matter Coffee closed its downtown Lansing location on Washington Square (right) last week, but the local chain is still                 68% decrease
not open, I’m offering curbside sales and deliveries from its cafe on East Michigan Avenue (left).                                                                      in downtown
not open,” said                                                                                                                                                         foot traffic com-
Greg Ballein, manager and co-owner some businesses, and they’re just not                      Empty shopping malls already strug- pared to this time last year. The East
of Student Book Store.                         going to make it,” he said. “The lack of gling to retain customers in the Amazon                                     Michigan Avenue
   Student Book Store is one of many people downtown is devastating and age have piled on to an ever-growing                                                        location is still
shops located smack dab on Grand beyond noticeable.”                                       list of at least 70 local businesses that                                tracking a 35%
River Avenue, the main shopping strip            Officials at Michigan State University have either permanently or temporari-                                       decrease over that
of East Lansing. Ballein’s store not said they only expect 2,800 students ly closed since March in Lansing, East                                                    same timeframe,
only normally attracts thousands of to live on campus, down from about Lansing, Okemos and other places in                                                          but it’s enough
students in need of textbooks, but it 14,500 students in a typical year. But Ingham and Eaton counties. (For a                                                      to keep the doors
also entices passersby with its Spartan- City Manager George Lahanas and complete list of closed businesses, see                                                    open.
flavored merchandise. Ballein says he Mayor Aaron Stephens have both P. 20.)                                                                                           “I’ve had to
can’t overemphasize how important it claimed they’ve seen an increased                        And those are just the ones we could Nader                            rethink my entire
is for him to capitalize on the open-                                    See Open, Page 14
                                                                                           find. It doesn’t appear anyone keeps                                           See Closed, Page 17
14                                                                      www.lansingcitypulse.com                                                        City Pulse • September 2, 2020

Open
                                                                                                                                              and June and suppliers could not keep
                                                                                                                                              up. When July hit, everything coming
                                                                                                                                              from other countries was stuck. It’s
                                                                                                                                              an industry-wide problem we’ve never
from page 13
                                                                                                                                              seen before.”
                                                                                                                                                 Still, MacGregor is bracing for the
demand at apartment complexes and                                                                                                             sting of not having a ready-made cus-
rental homes across the city after MSU                                                                                                        tomer base of students and newcom-
officials started discouraging students                                                                                                       ers to East Lansing, who come check
from living on campus. Neither the                                                                                                            out his shop while they hang out and
city of MSU officials could offer any                                                                                                         peruse downtown.
statistical evidence of the increased                                                                                                            “When the students get here in
off-campus housing demand, but the                                                                                                            late-August, we stay busy with in-store
speculation provides some hope for                                                                                                            sales until mid-October — depending
businesses concerned about decreasing                                                                                                         on the weather,” MacGregor said. “We
sales. Stephens also said the city plans                                                                                                      move to online through the winter,
to reopen an outdoor dining district                                                                                                          and when spring hits we see another
downtown before the winter.                                                                                                                   big influx of in-store sales. This year is
   In order to deal with a closed store-                                                                                                      going to be quite a bit different.”
front from March to June, Ballein                                                                                                                MacGregor said he is concerned for
said Student Book Store had to pump                                                                                Skyler Ashley/City Pulse   the businesses that can’t cater to an
up sales through its website and           Customers at Student Book Store make purchases through sheets of protective                        online sales model, worrying they will
increased communication with its cli-      plastic.                                                                                           not make it without the usual foot traf-
entele through social media and email      go well for us this summer, with the       of its sales digitally since the pandemic               fic. “Essentially, all small retail in East
marketing. Student Book Store also         outbreak we had here locally,” Ballein     took hold. Owner Jim MacGregor said                     Lansing is going to be affected very
received emergency funding through         said.                                      the pandemic has caused massive sup-                    badly. It will be a different atmosphere
the Paycheck Protection Program and           Some were more fortunate in their       ply-chain interruption, and the result-                 going forward.”
the Michigan Work Share program.           ability to adapt to online sales. Action   ing lack of stock to line his shelves is                   Another factor taken for granted is
   But increased e-commerce and loans      Board Sports, a skateboard and long-       keeping him from re-opening his doors.                  the staff and faculty of MSU, who, like
aren’t enough to replace Student Book      board shop located downtown on               “When the coronavirus hit and                         the students, won’t be coming back to
Store’s usual business model. “Things      Grand River Avenue, has yet to re-open     everybody was stuck at home, we saw
fell apart for us downtown. It did not     its open storefront and has handled all    unprecedented demand in April, May                                                 See Open, Page 15

                                                                                           NOW (re)OPEN
                                                                                           NEW HOURS
                                                                                            Tuesday–Saturday, 12–5pm
                                                                                              Reserve your free tickets online

               254 W Grand River Ave • East Lansing
                  www.crunchyseastlansing.com
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                Facebook.com/crunchyseastlansing                                           broadmuseum.msu.edu
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City Pulse • September 2, 2020                                    www.lansingcitypulse.com                                            15

Open
                                                    Massage & Wellness
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from page 14

East Lansing in their usual numbers.               MADE-IN-MICHIGAN PRODUCTS ABOUND IN OUR STORE!
   “Faculty and staff are constant-                           Home & Design • Health & Wellness • Accessories • Art Prints
ly downtown during the day, taking
lunch, going downtown to grab things.
Their dismissal is not a good situation
for anybody in East Lansing,” Ballein
said.
   The lack of sports is an entirely dif-
ferent problem. The MSU basketball
team is a perennial contender for a
deep NCAA Tournament run, while the
football team is oft-poised for a stab at
the College Football Playoff National               STATE GEAR OF ALL KINDS
Championship. That kind of sports
success generates the hype that attracts
thousands to East Lansing, which in
turn puts money in the cash registers of
local businesses. Sparty’s absence leaves
behind a punishing financial void.
   “When you have a winning program
like that, it makes people want to affil-
iate themselves with not only Michigan
State but East Lansing and come down
here and patronize,” Ballein said.
   It’s not just shops like Ballein’s that
will be hit hard. Without game day,
East Lansing restaurants owners must
also prepare for decreased foot traffic
and shrunken revenue.
   Sultan’s Mediterranean recently
opened a new location in East Lansing.
Owner Bassam Mahmoud has had his
restaurant open for 25 years and decid-
ed to relocate in July. The new location
has only been open for a few weeks.
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   “I was trying to downsize my busi-
ness,” he said. “The rent was too high,
and then COVID-19 happened in
March, so I decided to find another
place so I could pay less rent.”
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16                                                                           www.lansingcitypulse.com                                                   City Pulse • September 2, 2020

Open
                                                                                                              first served. I’m focused on    country, Wasserman said. “Business
                                                                                                              the well-being of my cus-       has been terrible,” he laughed. “We’re
                                                                                                              tomers and staff.”              doing 40 to 50 percent of what we
                                                                                                                 Being a new business         thought we’d be doing. It’s frustrat-
from page 15                                                                                                  in East Lansing hasn’t          ing. But you can take a little grain of
                                                                                                              been easy for SNAP, but         salt with that. We’re all in the same
exposure. “We’re across from MSU on                                                                           Wasserman said his land-        boat. We don’t see things lightening
Grand River Avenue now,” Mahmoud                                                                              lord has been understand-       up until spring.”
said. “My old location was kind of hid-                                                                       ing about how difficult it is      Wasserman has seen businesses
den away from the main traffic, but                                                                           to survive during the coro-     around East Lansing close. Espresso
the new one is much more visible.”                                                                            navirus outbreak. “We’re        Royale, a popular East Lansing café
  With less students, staff and facul-                                                                        one of the new kids on the      for several decades, closed its doors
ty coming to MSU, Mahmoud is con-                                                                             block. But we’ve been very      permanently in June. But he acknowl-
cerned. “I used to cater for meetings                                                                         lucky that they worked          edgeds that cities across the country
                                                                                    Skyler Ashley/City Pulse
for different departments. This will                                                                          with us to make sure we         are in the same situation. “We all just
                                           The businesses of East Lansing face a precari-                     could sustain ourselves,”       have to work together on the business
definitely affect my business.”            ous situation as Michigan State University moves
  Rob Wasserman, owner of SNAP                                                                                Wasserman said. “We’re in       side,” Wasserman said. “Both land-
                                           all classes online and postpones major sporting                    here for the long haul. As      lords and retailers. Some people are
Pizza, a newly opened pizza restau-
                                           events.                                                            long as everyone’s working      getting greedy and think we should
rant in East Lansing, understands
that businesses everywhere are suf-        town. Running an operation or a busi-                              together, it’ll be fine.”       do business as normal. But if we’re all
fering. “I think we’re taking it day-by-   ness is not an easy thing to do in this           The       COVID-19       outbreak has affect-    understanding, things should be fine.”
day like everyone else around here in      environment,” he said. “First come,          ed      other        SNAP    locations   across the      Wasserman is cautiously optimis-
                                                                                                                                              tic. “Those that can be business sav-
                                                                                                                                              vy and sustain ourselves during this

     VOTE CAROL KOENIG
                                                                                                                                              time period will reap the benefits of
                                                                                                                                              that to a certain degree. That’s the
                                                                                                                                              most important thing. Obviously,
                                                                                                                                              treading water is all you can do at this
                                                                                                                                              moment.”

        FOR CIRCUIT COURT                                                                                                                        Michael Krueger, owner of Crunchy’s
                                                                                                                                              Bar, laughed when asked if he was
                                                                                                                                              dreading the upcoming fall semester
                                                                                                                                              at MSU. “Looking forward to it and

                       General Election - Nov. 3                                                                                              dreading it,” he said. “It stinks not to
                                                                                                                                              have fall sports and those things, but
                                                                                                                                              I’m also looking forward to an influx

                        or by absentee ballot                                                                                                 of people coming into town.”
                                                                                                                                                 Krueger said his main objective is to
                                                                                                                                              keep his customers safe. He said that
                                                                                                                                              many students live off-campus any-
                                  I believe we can always do more to improve our justice system.                                              way, so his main customer base prob-
                                  As an attorney and County Commissioner, I’m working for                                                     ably won’t be present.
                                                                                                                                                 “Unfortunately, we’re still stuck at
                                  justice on behalf of the people of our county. In this grass-roots                                          50 percent capacity, so we can’t make
                                  campaign, it’s an honor to be supported                                                                     any real money. The people who regu-
                                                                                                                                              larly frequent Crunchy’s just won’t be
                                  and endorsed by people I’ve worked with,                                                                    in town,” Krueger said. “Without triv-
                                  including:                                                                                                  ia night, karaoke night or Crunchy’s
                                  • Andy Schor, Mayor of Lansing                                                                              comedy night, there simply won’t be
                                                                                                                                              as many crowds gathering at the bar.”
                                  • Rep. Julie Brixie                                                                                            Krueger said that irresponsible stu-
                                  • Prosecutor Carol Siemon                                                                                   dents could hurt the East Lansing
                                                                                                                                              economy. “The East Lansing econo-
                                  • Treasurer Eric Schertzing                                                                                 my looks bleak right now,” Krueger
     • Drain Commissioner Pat Lindemann                                                                                                       said. “Lots of students aren’t wearing
     • Guillermo Lopez, Lansing School Board                                                                                                  masks, and it makes people not want
                                                                                                                                              to come here.”
     • Jessy Gregg, East Lansing City Council                                                                                                    While 2020 continues to prove
     as well as many of my colleagues on the Board of                                                                                         tough, Ballein offered advice for those
                                                                                                                                              who want to help mediate the hard-
     Commissioners - Democrats and Republicans                                                                                                ship on small businesses.
     For more info including a complete list of                                                                                                  “Try to keep your business local and
                                                                                                                                              remember that masks are required. So
      supporters: carolkoenigforjustice.com                                                                                                   wear your mask, come patronize East
                                                                                                                                              Lansing and keep the businesses alive
      Paid for by Carol Koenig for Justice, 690 N.                                                                                            that you love and appreciate. That’s
        Hagadorn Rd., East Lansing, MI 48823                                                                                                  what I’ve been doing.”
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