Rewind: News from the last 7 days

Terry McKane, Lansing’s mayor from 1982 to ‘92, died at 84. A history teacher at Sexton High School, he was elected to the City Council for the Third Ward in 1971 and served there until he was elected mayor. McKane proposed an early retirement deal in 1992 for city employees not covered by a union, believing it would save the city money. After the Council adopted it, McKane and then-City Clerk James Blair took early retirement. The city attorney concluded they were ineligible, prompting them to sue the city in Ingham County and federal court unsuccessfully. McKane, who most recently resided in Midland, is survived by his wife of 56 years, Virginia, and three children, as well as eight grandchildren.

The East Lansing City Council postponed adopting changes to its Police Department and Independent Police Oversight Commission. The Council delayed making changes to Ordinance 1533 in favor of a second reading and possible adoption Oct. 21. The city has faced public opposition against the ordinance and concerns about the lack of safety downtown late on weekend nights. The commission, which the Council created in 2021, is responsible for police accountability. Council members Dana Watson and Mark Meadows requested the delay, and the Council passed the motion unanimously, with the city attorney confirming that there were no legal concerns with deferring the vote.

MSU has announced a 2025 fall enrollment of 51,838 students, down from its record of 52,089 last year but its second-highest total ever. The total includes students from all 83 Michigan counties, all 50 states and 139 countries. There are 10,720 new undergraduates, including 8,200 from Michigan, and 1,365 transfer students.

The American Bar Association has placed Cooley Law School on probation and scheduled a February hearing at which the school’s president and dean, James McGrath, will seek to demonstrate why the ABA should not withdraw Cooley’s accreditation status. An ABA council placed Cooley on probation Sept. 19 due to noncompliance with Standard 316, which requires at least 75% of graduates who sit for the bar exam to pass within two years of graduation. McGrath stated that the issue arose because a small number of 2024 graduates did not take the exam before this July. However, he said, after the July 2025 exam results are known, Cooley will be able to prove compliance.

The Lansing Foodies, partnering with the Lansing Lugnuts and the MARK Advocacy Group, a Lansing nonprofit, have revived the Lansing Chili Cook-Off, set to take place at Jackson Field on Saturday. The Lansing Board of Water & Light launched the event in 1998 and held it for more than two decades, through 2019, at Adado Park and then Jackson Field. However, the BWL announced it wouldn’t return in 2022 after a two-year pandemic break. The cook-off, from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., features 14 restaurants and vendors, as well as entertainers on three stages and a variety of activities for kids and adults. The community can purchase tickets for the event at lansingchilicookoff.com or at the stadium the day of the event.

Pennsylvania resident James Glendon, 58, faces eight misdemeanor counts from a November 2024 incident when a semitruck plowed into vehicles stopped for a utility project on Interstate 96 near Webberville, killing four. The 55th District Court has charged Glendon with four counts each of committing moving violations causing death and serious injury. The former charge is punishable by up to a year in jail, while the latter carries a maximum penalty of 93 days in jail. Ingham County Prosecutor John Dewane said Glendon was out of state and is trying to get him back to Michigan for an arraignment. Glendon and Koleaseco Inc., the Grand Rapids-based company for which he was working, have been named in lawsuits filed by crash victims or their families.

Police said they expect two Delta Township minors to face charges in connection with a bomb threat called into a Meijer store in Burton, near Flint. After Burton police evacuated the store, a Michigan State Police bomb team responded and led a search of the building. Investigators determined the Delta minors made the call from Flint, where they were visiting family. They told officers they made the prank call because they were bored. Police investigated whether there might be any connection between the false bomb threats and the attack on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in nearby Grand Blanc Township but determined there was not.

An Ingham County Circuit Court jury has convicted Dennis Whaley of Lansing of killing his girlfriend, Christine Cambric, and her cousin, Jason McKenzie, in their basement in April 2024. Whaley, who used an AR 15-style rifle in the shootings, will face a term of up to life in prison when he appears before Judge Wanda Stokes for sentencing Dec. 2. The jury also convicted Whaley of two counts of felony firearm possession.