Daily Grit by Wes Thorp

Reading the news: Another shooting on Lansing's southside overnight

I just read this story on the WLNS.com website about a shooting on Lansing's southside where an occupant of one vehicle shot into another and wounded a 19-year-old.

It raises lots of questions about the current debate over gun control.  How would tighter laws affect the ownership and use of guns by those who are the street shooters?  They use illegal pistols to shoot in a variety of public settings, day and night.

If one was driving home a little after midnight and was near an event like the above, how would you protect yourself?

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Gas is $3.20 per gallon this morning at this Admiral Station on South Waverly

We walked by this gas station on South Waverly Road and West Holmes Road about 9:30 a.m., today and saw the price at $3.20 per gallon.  I don't recall the last time I saw it this low.  Do you remember?  There was not a line at the pumps.  What's causing the change?  This is a picture I took with my iPhone.

 

Check the price of gas on the sign at this station this morning on South Waverly and West Holmes.

This is what we paid for gas yesterday in East Lansing, Michigan

I filled-up yesterday on our way to have supper with friends and at a Speedway in East Lansing, this is what we paid per gallon.  It makes me glad we don't drive a big car or a SUV.

 

In mid-Michigan, raise the limit on your credit card before filling-up

 

I'm smiling this morning with pride because of the Lansing Fire Department

Our city, Lansing, Michigan, has been going through some tough times the past few years.  It's easy to get negative.  But check out this CBS story about the Lansing Fire Department.  It makes me proud.  These are neat people.

 

It's 5:15 a.m. and it's raining hard outside here in mid-Michigan

I just opened our front door and saw the rain really coming down here in mid-Michigan with pools of water on our front sidewalk.  In a few minutes, I'll make a basement water check.  Temperature, according to a WILX.com is supposed to reach the 50s today.  Guess I won't be using my snow blower today.

How is our mild weather affecting the usual Michigander travel to Florida?  When we were there earlier this month, the weather was better than ours, but not much.

Lansing is only the 13th most miserable city in the United States, according to Forbes magazine

I remember when the city of Lansing was highly-regarded for it's quality of life.  That has changed, according to Forbes magazine which says our city is the 13th most miserable in the country.  What factors go into making a city liveable vs. miserable?

 

 

Are voters being bullied into believing that Lansing City Council-member Carol Wood is an obstructionist?

There's a kind of, sort of campaign going on right now for Lansing (MI) City Council.  Why do I describe it that way?

The main target seems to be incumbent Council-member Carol Wood who asks questions when the city administration makes proposals.  She wants to know the "who, what, when, where, how, why and so what" of their proposals often made at the last minute before some deadline.

I've watched city council meetings on local television for the past three years and I have talked to her on many different occasions.  

Nobody during this campaign period is giving evidence of her being an obstructionist.  There's lots of name-calling and lots of ridicule, but there's not a serious discussion.

Check this WKAR Radio story describing how the city hall establishment and local Chamber of Commerce are fighting her and City Council-member Derrick Quinney with the obstructionist label.

 

 

Some basics about Lansing's proposed "aerotropolis" next to Capital City Airport

The city of Lansing is trying to create an "aerotropolis" around the Capital City Airport where businesses can be created to take advantage of being next to an airport.  The airport straddles two local units of government, the city and a township.  From WKAR Radio, here's a good story about the basics of the effort.

What will keep the city of Lansing, Michigan's Capital city from unravelling?

Check this story from the Lansing State Journal about the financial morass that the city of Lansing finds itself in and the decision voters face next month to raise the millage on property taxes to pay for police and fire protection.

The city's struggling as more and more people leave Lansing either through foreclosures or for a variety of other reasons including the perception that its schools are at best mediocre and, at worst, sub par.  

Now Mayor Virg Bernero is telling residents to either pass the millage or face further cuts in the police department.  That's as the city faces more and more perceived crime involving violence

There seems to be a huge disconnect between residents and city hall, the mayor and city council.  

What's the answer?  I wish I knew.  Maybe a crisis of some sort.  

City of Lansing watchdog shines light on individual City Hall salaries

There's been plenty of buzz about the salaries and the hourly pay of Lansing City Hall employees.  However, our daily newspaper-the Lansing State Journal-has failed to shed any light on the facts.  Now comes a local man-Steve Harry-who got the information through a freedom of information request and then made it accessible to the public on the web.

Check this news story from WILX.com and check his website where this info is released and check the other information he presents about local and state government.

What do you think?  Helpful?  Do we as taxpayers have a right to that information? 

We paid $3.32 per gallon for gas at Sam's Club on Lansing's southside

I'm curious about gas prices in other parts of Michigan, the Mid-west and the country.

Today, super-wife and I were at Sam's Club on Lansing's southside where they were selling gas for $3.32 per gallon.

The pumps were crowded and customers seemed to have a smile of their face.  This is in an area in need of an economic boost.  Lower gas prices help.

Lansing gas prices go down to $3.66 per gallon tonight

So are the falling gas prices here to stay on the southwest side of Lansing (MI)?  Coming home from church tonight we filled up at this Shell station on the northwest corner at the Waverly and Old Lansing Roads and paid $3.66 per gallon.  Any of you understand this reduction?  What's causing it?  How long is it going to last?  I invite your comments.

Lansing's Sharon Emery stared down stuttering demons and has won

Read this column  by the Lansing State Journal's John Schneider who writes about his wife overcoming a major challenge in her life, stuttering.  Tens of thousands got an appreciation from the move The King's Speech for how this can affect one's life and how it makes communication a real slog.

His wife, Sharon Emery, spoke at the local TEDx conference for more than 15 minutes.  Check how in her life she has grabbed the stuttering monster and pinned it to the ground.

She shows that obstacles can be overcome. 

Is her TEDx talk online?

More than half of the city of Lansing's employees "say no" to living where they work

As the city of Lansing, Michigan's State Capital, struggles with its future as a desirable place to live, more than half of the City Hall employees, including police and fire have chosen to live outside the city, according to today's story in the Lansing State Journal. 

What does this mean?  They get their paychecks from a city where they don't want to live.

Mayor Virg Bernero keeps telling residents that they live in a "world class city."  Do his employees at city hall know that?  Do they believe it?  Why?

 

It did snow in Lansing (MI) last night

LATEST:  It's light out here and it's snowing hard and sticking a little. 8:27 a.m.

It did snow last night here in the heart of Michigan, but with much less than the three to five inches predicted by The Weather Channel.  Nevertheless, we are looking at the end of April.  There ought to be a law that snow and cold stop in our state after the beginning of the month.  Here's a pic taken from our front door a few minutes ago:

 

The city of Lansing (MI) struggles to get a stressed municipal budget passed

As Michigan's economy continues to redefine itself, its cities are struggling to pay its bills and Lansing is no exception.  Falling property values and dramatically reduced state aid threaten basic city services like police and fire protection and road repair.

Tonight, the Lansing City Council held a hearing to gain citizen input and to build a consensus for a new spending plan.  What happened and how did it affect a city conversation on issues that will affect its future for generations to come.

In my--The Lansing Blog--I share my observations about the interaction between residents and those who represent them.  Click here for the post.

Lansing City Council-member Carol Wood reflects on her mom's murder three years ago

I've talked to and read about many who have lost loved ones to murder.  They are left with a deep pain that never goes away.  And it's a trauma that seems to be more and more common in our culture today.

Lansing City Council-member Carol Wood lost her mom Ruth Hallman to murder three years ago to a killer who has been blamed in a series of serial murders inside the city.

Her mom was regarded as an icon of compassion and love for those who needed help.  She was a difference-maker.  She and Carol were close.

This is a story worth reading and sharing.  It helps one to understand the pain and suffering left behind.

Carol opens her heart and shares how she is processing such a huge loss.  

Click here to read what she wrote.

Lansing home invasions skyrocket for first six months of 2010

Police recorded 573 breaking and enterings. For January to June of this year, that number jumped to 640.

via www.wlns.com

Are private residences in Lansing becoming more vulnerable to emboldened thieves who break into your home whether or not it's occupied.

According to Darren Cunningham of WLNS.com, home invasions in the city have risen almost 12 percent for the first six months of this year, from 573 last year to 640 this year.

Is this just a blip on the local crime horizon or is it an indicator of a longer term negative trend?

How about the baby Robins in our yard?

We've seen all kinds of Robins in our yard this year, including babies.  Did you realize that the babies stay in the nest for only two weeks and then they go for a two week school with their parents outside of the nest.  For the rest of the story, check this post from the Wild Birds Unlimited store in our area.

Are you a bird watcher?  How many different birds have you seen?

How long will it take Lansing (MI) City Hall to respond to water main break on our street?

UPDATE: The response from the city of Lansing to my concerns was impressive.  I write about it in my neighborhood blog, Southwest Lansing and my neighborhood.

Two houses down there has been water gushing up on a city street from a valve linked to the water main.

My neighbor called more than 12 hours ago and city workers only place a orange traffic cone over it.

In this day of scarce financial and natural resources like water, it seems like a waste where the continued leak could get worse and develop into a problem affecting the whole neighborhood.

Taking this video and writing about it on this blog and on my neighborhood blog is part of my due diligence as a resident to let city officials know that this needs attention.  What's an appropriate amount of time to wait for a response resulting in a fix to the problem?