Rewind June 24, 2026

East Lansing City Council voted unanimously to make changes to the city’s Human Rights Ordinance during its Tuesday, June 16 meeting. The changes will reduce the Human Rights Commission’s ability to receive, review and investigate complaints and accusations of discrimination within the city. Many such complaints against city officials and employees will instead be directed to the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or to the courts. These modifications to the commission’s reach are intended, proponents said, to help shield East Lansing city officials, as well as all its departments and employees, from any complaints filed against them by the HRC. The changes followed an HRC investigation that found East Lansing police officers had violated the civil rights of two Black men who were pepper-sprayed by an officer last year. The ELPD identified the two men by name in a press release, which the commission called a violation of city policies. The commission said the city should pay $50,000 to each of the men to cover reputational harm, along with other issues and psychological expenses. It also concluded that reputational damage and racial discrimination took place. The city’s commission has been around for about 60 years.

The Lansing State Journal announced last week that it would be moving from its downtown Knapps Center location to the Marshall Street Armory, less than a half mile from the City Pulse headquarters, and next door to Lansing Eastern High School. The State Journal previously operated for 65 years out of a building at Lenawee Street and Grand Avenue, which has since not been redeveloped. The Knapps Center is a restored former department store with Art Deco/Art Nouveau features. In the LSJ announcement, Executive Editor Al Wilson said that while the paper has been downtown for decades, it serves the region, and that and the location between the Capitol and MSU was key. He added that the Armory fits their office space needs. “After 10 years in one of Lansing’s historic downtown buildings,” Wilson said, “we’re excited to be moving into another historical landmark, The Marshall Street Armory.” The former National Guard armory was closed about 20 years ago and has been restored. It is now the headquarters for the Gillespie Group and has office space for several nonprofits.

A 19-year-old who was shot in a June 5th incident on the 2700 block of Moores River Drive died last week, Lansing Police said, and has been identified as Lovaya Rodriguez. Jovanathan Jamar Mitchell has been charged with open murder, carrying a concealed weapon, reckless use of a firearm and felony firearm possession. He was arraigned in 54A District Court on June 17, with a previous assault with intent to murder charge having been updated to murder after Rodriguez died, according to a statement from police spokesperson Jordan Gulkis. 

Charges were filed Monday in a June 19 non-life-threatening shooting of a 40-year-old man on the 3400 block of W. Mt. Hope Avenue, according to the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office. Thomas Michael Evans Jr., 22, of Woodhull Township in Shiawassee County, has been charged with two counts of assault with intent to murder, one count each of resisting and obstructing police and discharging a firearm at a building, plus other lesser counts and charges. Evans is also charged with an alleged incident at the same location May 18, with one of the same alleged victims. 

The East Lansing City Council voted in a special meeting June 16 to approve a separation agreement with the city manager, Robert Belleman, after he had resigned. Belleman was not present during the closed session, which happened before the regularly scheduled meeting. “We and former City Manager Robert Belleman have mutually agreed to part ways, and we have accepted his voluntary resignation. We wish him well in his future endeavors,” said Mayor Erik Altmann during the meeting. Altmann said city employees and taxpayers deserve high-standard government and high-quality services and “that is why we acted quickly to open a new chapter for our community.” Belleman, who was hired in 2023, became embroiled in controversy and faced strong criticism after accusations of sexual harassment and abusive conduct in the workplace were made by an East Lansing grants coordinator during a previous City Council meeting. Less than a month ago, the city released an existing independent investigation, conducted when the employee raised the concerns internally last year.

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Starting this week, East Lansing is being led on an interim basis by Annette Irwin, the recently retired director of the city’s Planning, Construction and Housing department. Interim City Manager Irwin takes over for John Newman, who had been acting city manager since May 27, when Belleman was placed on paid administrative leave. “I think we are all acutely aware of the upheaval that comes with a leadership transition,” Altmann said during last week’s council meeting. “At the same time, we are equally aware that our priority moving forward is the well-being of city staff, because nothing gets done in this city without them.”

Officials broke ground Monday on a new $60 million UM Health-Sparrow surgical center, at 909 E. Michigan Avenue, just west of the hospital across Pennsylvania Avenue. The new center will include four operating rooms and an MRI unit, according to the health care system. It is expected to open in 2028 and has capacity to expand in the future. The new hospital is part of an effort to move outpatient procedures out of the 100-year-old UM Health-Sparrow St. Lawrence campus and ease capacity at the Lansing hospital.

Lansing City Council members voted Monday to set a data center moratorium hearing for July 13, according to WLNS News. The hearing will help council members determine if they want to establish an ordinance to set a six-month moratorium on new data center proposals and follows the withdrawal of the Deep Green data center proposal in April amid deep opposition from the public.

Voting will begin in Michigan’s Aug. 4 primary elections this week. At stake this year are some of the biggest races in the country, with eyes on Lansing, including the gubernatorial race, an open U.S. Senate seat and the race for the 7th Congressional seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, a Charlotte Republican. Absentee ballots are available this week and ballot boxes across Michigan will be open for votes, which are expected to make up a majority of those cast in the primary election. Early voting sites will be open starting Saturday in Lansing at the city’s Elections Office at 701 W. Jolly Rd. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and at Foster Community Center at 200 N. Foster Ave. from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Lansing Elections Office will be open two hours later, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., on July 29. Early voting is open in East Lansing at the Hannah Community Center (819 Abbot Rd.) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., starting Saturday. Check your voting information, polling place and more at Michigan’s official site here: mvic.sos.state.mi.us/Voter/Index