Mayor Andy Schor’s first public act of his third term was the endorsement of Interim Chief Carrie Edwards-Clemons to lead the city’s Fire Department. Schor announced in a news release Monday that he had picked her and that he will urge the Board of Fire Commissioners to approve her as chief. She has been with the city for two years, serving as assistant chief for administration and was recently named as interim chief following the departure of Chief Brian Sturdivant, who was hired in 2022 following a string of interim chiefs. Edwards-Clemons previously served in Flint and in the private sector. In a Facebook post, the Lansing Professional Firefighters union thanked Schor for the appointment and said they are ready to work together with Edwards-Clemons.
The Greater Lansing Old Newsboys celebrated the end of its 101st year Monday with an annual victory dinner that revealed it had raised a record $220,087 in 2025. The group is a non-profit charity whose sole purpose is to provide footwear to children in Ingham, Eaton and Clinton counties. The year-long fund drive was highlighted by its annual Sales Day – always the first Thursday in December – where dozens of volunteers hawked thousands of copies of the “Lansing Spoof Journal” around Greater Lansing. More than 6,000 children have already received vouchers for shoes and socks during the 2025-26 school year. ONB’s Sales Day Chair Jill Bowen thanked the “remarkable sponsors, compassionate donors, and dedicated volunteers who made sales day a resounding success.”
East Lansing’s City Hall is undergoing renovations at the first floor and will lead to disruptions for several months. The City Clerk’s customer service window has been moved to the second floor of City Hall and is expected to stay there until March. It will then be moved back down to a new customer service window and more functional space. The city’s Treasury Department’s customer service windows will be moved elsewhere on the first floor for about a month, starting on Jan. 20. Income Tax staff will be able to meet with residents during the disruptions. The renovations are part of a $242,281 contract approved during an East Lansing City Council meeting in December.
Michigan’s top librarian, Randy Riley, has died. Riley had worked with the state library system since 1989 as reference librarian, head of Special Collections and interlibrary system coordinator. Riley was a regular in City Pulse pages, from his appointment as State Librarian in 2014 to his advocacy in 2024 of the photography of Detroit artist Norman Zadoorian. The East Lansing Public Library said, in social media posts, “Randy was an important part of our East Lansing community, and the State of Michigan as a whole. Sending our care and support to his family and the Library of Michigan team.”
Michigan State’s men’s basketball victory over USC Monday was marred by an unusual incident as head coach Tom Izzo ejected former player Paul Davis from the alumni “Izzone” during the annual winter break celebration of the Breslin Center’s famous student section. With six minutes to play, official Jeffrey Anderson stopped play after Davis had shouted something he viewed as inappropriate. The broadcast then showed Izzo appearing to yell, “what the fuck are you doing?” at Davis while the ref asked MSU event staff to remove him, and Izzo said “get the hell out of here.” Davis, who played on Izzo’s 2005 Final Four team, finished watching the game from a suite on the concourse level. At a post-game press conference, Izzo said he loved Davis, but “what he said, he should never say anywhere in the world.”
Meridian Township is preparing for a month-long deer cull in select parks, wildlife preserves and on some private property with permission. The second phase of the annual cull, which began in 2011, will run from Jan. 13 to Feb. 16. The township credits the cull with reducing the number of deer-car collisions in half. It is intended to reduce the population of deer, since large numbers can more easily spread disease and compete for resources. The venison, which came from about 300 deer last year, is donated to local food banks.
The Michigan State Police reported they are assisting with an officer-involved shooting investigation that happened on Dec. 30 in Eaton Rapids. The shooting happened following a police chase and crash, with a 30-year-old driver being killed after police said he did not obey commands and warned that he had a gun, according to the Lansing State Journal. The shooting remains under investigation.
State and federal flags in Michigan were ordered to be at half-staff on Tuesday in recognition of David Haverdink, a West Michigan fire chief who died in the line of duty in late 2025. Haverdink was the chief of the Hamilton Fire Department for nearly four decades. He was struck by a vehicle while assisting on M-40 in Allegan County on Dec. 23 and died on Christmas Day. Flags will return to normal positions today…