City Pulse

One of the last views of the Student Book Store

Michigan is getting its big tree again ... this lil (60 ft) fella is gonna be in front of the Capitol soon ...
It's still standing until around Nov. 5, and will be 'planted' on Nov. 7.
The tree lighting will be during Silver Bells (Nov. 20)

Happy 9/25 Day

(and try to sneak out a bit early if you're working a 9 to 5 today)

Image from Dennis Preston for a 2010 City Pulse cover.

Lansing venue aims to break world record for Longest Jam

Musicians from around the Midwest will gather at UrbanBeat in Lansing Sept. 28 through 30 to try to break the record for the world’s longest continuous jam session. The organizing committee is seeking musicians to volunteer to play; sign up at longestjam.com.

The current record is 57 hours, set in Granada, Spain, in August 2023. The World’s Longest Jam effort in Lansing has a goal of at least 60 hours. The event will be open to the public, with donations accepted to defray costs. More than 100 musicians are expected to participate.

Terry Terry, owner of UrbanBeat and producer of the event, said the idea for the record-breaking effort came after a jam session with friends.

Mike Rogers just narrowly avoided having an empty chair representing himself on a public stage for the second time in seven days.

The Republican nominee — unable to attend a U.S. Senate forum planned by a large coalition of Northern Michigan businesses this past Monday — hastily agreed to meet with the group on Oct. 23 instead, after the campaign gave the group the runaround for six weeks.

(read the full Kyle Melinn column in this week's City Pulse ... free and no paywalls so no excuses)

Remember, Rogers said no to a FOX 2 debate in Detroit the week prior with host Roop Raj. The station did the debate without Rogers anyway, basically giving El-Sayed an hour to share his thoughts in primetime to the state’s largest media market.

The Rogers campaign proceeded, behind the scenes, to accuse the Northern Michigan Chamber Alliance of running a partisan attack against Rogers.

If they were going to stick an empty chair on stage, they’d hold their own event in Northern Michigan, to spite the Chamber, and see “whose megaphone is louder.”

Ultimately, an intermediary brokered a deal in which Rogers would meet with the Northern Michigan businesses on Oct. 23 in exchange for no empty chair.

Who would think that a Republican candidate for any office would go to the brink of war with a coalition of northern Michigan business groups?

And, yet, that’s where we are in 2026. Community forums and debates — in which voters can size up candidates side by side — have become the exception, not the norm.

Gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson, during the primary, stiff-armed Roop Raj and FOX-2. She let her primary opponent Chris Swanson debate an empty chair for an hour. Why not? She was the frontrunner. Why give her opponents any oxygen?

Likewise, John James blew off nearly every Republican forum during the primary. Why not? He was the frontrunner. Why give his opponents any oxygen?

Which one are you taking your to dog on Saturday?
There's WoofStock in Charlotte and Paws on the Square in downtown Lansing.

More in our weekend ✅ list

Today is the final Cruise to Holt event of the year.
No entry fee, all are welcome to participate.
Beyond showing off their vehicle or simply viewing all the cars on display, you can enjoy food from Two Guys Nomadic Grill and a DJ.
Competitors will have a shot at one last Pick of the Week trophy.

If your news is free and local, with no paywalls and done by people who live here … your girl is City Pulse!