Rewind: News from the last 7 days

(This story has been updated.)

Charter Commission didn’t violate campaign finance rules

The Michigan Department of State has dismissed a complaint by Lansing City Council President Ryan Kost, who alleged that the Lansing Charter Commission violated campaign finance law by using persuasive language in an informative mailer.

Kost said at a Sept. 29 council meeting that language on the mailer, such as “seeks to strengthen transparency and accountability in city government,” was persuasive. He filed the complaint the next day.

Lansing City Clerk Chris Swope, who also is the Charter Commission’s clerk, learned the complaints were dismissed without investigation because they were not considered violations, according to a press release provided to City Pulse.

Councilmember Carter voted for property owned by sister-in-law

Lansing’s mayor and city attorney declined to comment on a concern that City Councilmember Tamera Carter had violated ethics rules when she voted to rescind a make safe or demolish order for a property owned by her sister-in-law, 6 News reported.

Carter said she had spoken with the city attorney before Monday’s council meeting and had been told there was no “conflict of interest or appearance of conflict of interest.”

Carter had previously recused herself from voting on the make safe or demolish order in April, as well as having done so for another property owned by her sister-in-law.

Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina extended her previous order for residents of the homeless encampment, on private property near Dietrich Park, by 90 days while Lansing city officials continue to work to find housing. The judge initially ordered the 50-plus residents of the encampment to depart by Nov. 14. Back in May, the city sued 113 W. Michigan LLC of Jackson and JAJ Property LLC of West Bloomfield Township, seeking to have them remove the encampment’s residents and clear the debris. The judge dismissed the first company from the suit, saying it is working with the city and that little of their property is involved. City Attorney Matthew Staples said the city is “doing everything we possibly can” to come up with alternative housing and other resources.

Rehmier Westmoreland, 17, has been charged as an adult with murder and weapons counts after he was arrested in connection with a fatal Nov. 11 shooting in an apartment on the 2000 block of Georgetown Boulevard in southwest Lansing. A court document said Daviahn Latham, 18, was shot numerous times at close range. Judge Kristen Simmons has ordered Westmoreland held without bond. The judge scheduled Westmoreland for a probable cause conference on Nov. 26 and a preliminary exam before Simmons on Dec. 4 in 54A District Court.

Michigan Auto Law, a Farmington Hills-based law firm that handles vehicle crash claims, has released a ranking of the 10 most dangerous intersections in Ingham County based on Michigan State Police crash reports for 2024. The firm said the intersection of Saginaw and Homer streets, located in Lansing Township on the east side of U.S. 127, was the most dangerous (for the fourth year in a row) with 66 crashes. Grand River Avenue and Howard Street, also in Lansing Township, were No. 2 and Grand River at S. Hagadorn Road was No. 3. The complete list can be found at https://www.michiganautolaw.com/blog/2025/11/14/ingham-countys-most-dangerous-intersections-2024/.

The Lansing City Council’s Committee on Development and Planning asked city attorneys to add language to its 15-foot easement agreement with Consumers Energy – for utility work taking place on Fenner Nature Center and Evergreen Cemetery property – that any changes or modifications, such as the removal of historic trees, will require the council’s review. Several residents had expressed concerns about the possible loss of the trees at Fenner and Evergreen during the meeting, right before council members voted to create the easement for Consumers to replace a natural gas line running from Aurelius Road to east of nearby Fidelity Road. Mt. Hope Ave. resident Joanne Galloway, whose property would be affected, helped to spark the change with her Facebook posts and advocacy at public meetings.

The Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP) has named Mason High School Assistant Principal Tara Becker-Utess as the 2026 High School Assistant Principal of the Year. The award recognizes exceptional assistant principals who demonstrate collaborative leadership, commitment to instructional excellence, and meaningful engagement with staff, students and families. Becker-Utess, in her fifth year in the position, began her career as a math and social studies teacher in Charlotte before the Ingham Intermediate School District hired her as a county math consultant. A 2005 graduate (B.A. Secondary Education) of Western Michigan University, she is also a part of Michigan’s Leadership for Equity and Transformation Fellowship, run by the MASSP.

Okemos Public Schools Superintendent John Hood has announced he is retiring after seven years in the role and 30 years with the district. In a letter to the community, he said he will step down on March 25, 2026. Hood joined the district in 1995 as a sixth- and seventh-grade teacher at Chippewa Middle School. He later served as principal at both Edgewood and Wardcliff elementary schools, then as assistant superintendent for instruction. Hood earned his master’s degree in K-12 Educational Administration from MSU in 1996.

The NCAA is forcing MSU’s football program to vacate 14 victories from 2022-24 — including five earned under new coach Jonathan Smith — due to the participation of three ineligible players. It also placed MSU football on three years of probation for violations during former head coach Mel Tucker’s tenure, because former staff members “arranged for and provided impermissible recruiting inducements and benefits and unofficial visit expenses” and because Tucker’s staff “engaged in impermissible contacts with prospective student-athletes.” MSU released a statement that the program will be fined $30,000 plus 1.5% of its budget. It will also be subject to restrictions on official visits, unofficial visits, recruiting communication, recruiting-person days, and off-campus recruiting contacts and evaluations during the probationary period.

Police have identified Dirk Spillemackers, 83, as the man found dead in a house fire Friday in Aurelius Township, west of Mason. Fire crews found Spillemackers when they responded to the blaze in the 400 block of South Aurelius Road. The cause of the fire, which appeared to render the home a total loss, remained under investigation. Ingham County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Andy Daenzer said there was no indication of foul play. The Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information about the fire to contact 517-678-8255.

A late-night fire on Monday severely damaged the Frosty Korner ice cream shop at South Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and West Barnes Avenue on Lansing’s south side. Fire officials said the blaze started with an underground natural gas leak. Lansing Fire Chief Brian Sturdivant told the Lansing State Journal that firefighters had to call in an excavator to battle the flames because they needed to dig below grade to reach the source of the leak, but it was unclear what had ignited it. The building was closed for the season, and no injuries were reported.

“Sandy,” the mechanical horse featured in Meijer stores around Michigan (including Greater Lansing) that is fed by a penny, will continue to provide rides to children despite the U.S. Mint having discontinued production of the single-cent coins. Meijer spokesperson Erin Cataldo said the horses are going nowhere fast, as usual. “We have been taking steps behind the scenes to ensure kids can enjoy riding Sandy for years to come,” Cataldo said. The company, she added, will share more details soon. Pennies remain valid currency. Many local businesses, including Quality Dairy, are urging customers to either leave or exchange pennies so they can make change because many banks have stopped distributing the coins. Purchases will now be rounded to the nearest nickel, although billions of pennies remain in circulation.