City Pulse

09/25/2025

Ahead of November’s election, City Pulse sat down with Lansing candidates for 30-minute Zoom interviews on key issues impacting our city — from homelessness and historic preservation to red-tagging and the proposed city charter.

Incumbent City Clerk Chris Swope, who is running unopposed, weighed in on the charter commission. Aurelius Christian did not respond to interview requests.

This year, City Pulse conducted 30-minute Zoom interviews with city of Lansing candidates for ahead of the November election. City Pulse asked candidates about historic preservation, the proposed …

09/24/2025

Last year, readers crowned Riverwalk Theatre as Lansing’s “Best Local Theatre Organization” in our Top of the Town contest.

Who’s getting your vote this year?

09/24/2025

Check out the current issue of City Pulse. Available online now and on stands today.

Due to a delay in the renovation of Old Town’s Fish Ladder Music Park, which was originally scheduled to open this month, Lansing 5:01’s 10th Dam Jam Music Festival will return to the event's original …

09/22/2025

Our annual Top of the Town contest is coming October 1st!
Last year, readers crowned Ruckus Ramen as Lansing’s “Best Ramen ” in our Top of the Town contest.
Who’s getting your vote this year?

09/22/2025

Lorenzo Lopez shares how food, family, and tradition shaped Lansing’s Mexican-American community — and how perfecting his mom’s mole meant everything.

Growing up here in Lansing, one of the things I looked forward to coming home from school were the homemade flour tortillas my mother would make. They were warm, and we would heap butter, potatoes …

09/21/2025

🇲🇽 Lansing’s Latino Roots Run Deep
From sugar beet fields to factory floors, Emilio Garcia and other early Mexican migrants helped build Lansing’s Hispanic community — starting in Old Town in the 1940s.
Their stories of mutual aid, faith, and resilience laid the foundation for churches, community centers, and cultural landmarks that still shape Lansing today.

Emilio Garcia helped settle Lansing. Garcia was about 14 when he moved here from Mexico around 1940 with his two brothers, recalled his son Joe. “They would travel here, work for …

09/20/2025

🎸 This year’s Michigan BluesFest brings 25+ acts to 3 stages — from soulful singers like Twyla Birdsong to the raw energy of Just Magnetic. From gospel to punk-infused power chords, it’s all blues, and it’s all live.

How many kinds of blues are there? It will take an extended weekend in Old Town, and three stages packed with music, to properly address this crying question. From the gospel-soaked lyricism of …

09/19/2025

Phillip Bahar Named New Director of MSU Broad Art Museum
Fresh from leading the Chicago Humanities Festival, Phillip Bahar is bringing big ideas — and a massive network — to East Lansing. With a track record of drawing top-tier artists, authors, and activists, he plans to energize the Broad with events, partnerships, and community outreach.

Phillip Bahar has one hell of a Rolodex — if people still use such things. (He calls it “a long list of digital contacts.”) That’s not the only asset that led to …

09/19/2025

Our annual Top of the Town contest is coming October 1st!
Last year, readers crowned as Lansing’s “Best Coffee Shop (non-Biggby)” in our Top of the Town contest.
Who’s getting your vote this year?

09/18/2025

Our annual Top of the Town contest is coming October 1st!
Last year, readers crowned Dagwood’s Tavern & Grill as Lansing’s “Best Bar Food” in our Top of the Town contest.
Who’s getting your vote this year?

09/18/2025

A landowner behind Piazzano’s struck a deal with the city to clear tents from his property — part of Lansing’s largest homeless encampment. He plans to pave and fence the area.

The owner of a north Lansing building supply company cut a deal Tuesday with Lansing officials on a plan to push a piece of Lansing’s largest homeless encampment off his land, which is roughly …

09/17/2025

Our annual Top of the Town contest is coming October 1st!

Last year, readers crowned Good Truckin’ Diner as Lansing’s “Best Breakfast” in our Top of the Town contest.

Who’s getting your vote this year?