Rewind: News from the last 7 days

MSU fired second-year head football coach Jonathan Smith Sunday and announced shortly thereafter that it would hire former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald to replace him. Fitzgerald, 51, will be the fourth coach to lead the Spartans on the gridiron since Mark Dantonio stepped down in early 2020. He won 110 of 211 games at Northwestern over 17 years but was fired in 2023 due to a hazing scandal. Fitzgerald denied knowledge of the scandal and settled a wrongful termination lawsuit with the school in August.  Fitzgerald’s new deal is reportedly for five years, and his hiring requires approve from MSU’s Board of Trustees, which next meets Dec. 12. Smith won just nine of 15 games in two years and was winless in the Big Ten this fall until a victory over Maryland last Saturday.

A day after the Fitzgerald deal was finalized Monday, MSU announced a $1 billion fundraising campaign, entitled “FOR SPARTA: The Capital Initiative for MSU Athletics.” The initiative is part of the university’s broader Uncommon Will. Far Better World campaign and is intended to modernize its athletic program by investing in world-class facilities and experiences for student athletes, MSU President Kevin M. Guskiewicz said in a statement, and positioning it to “lead in an increasingly competitive landscape.” FOR SPARTA also seeks to offer the Spartan community “an elevated gameday experience” and Spartan Fund donors “the addition of new premium spaces and options.” MSU Athletic Director J Batt called it “the most ambitious initiative in Michigan State Athletics history.” More preliminary details of the plan can be found here: https://msuspartans.com/news/2025/12/2/general-michigan-state-launches-for-sparta-the-capital-initiative-for-msu-athletics.

The Gillespie Group kicked off the “Brick Row” redevelopment, which promises to transform the 600 block of Michigan Avenue into a mixed-use development including 15 housing units and 6 new retail spaces, on Monday. The Stadium District project has a planned completion date of Sept. 2026. A wall-breaking event at the former City Rescue Mission featured remarks from Lansing Mayor Andy Schor, state Sen. Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing, Gillespie Group founder and CEO Pat Gillespie, among others.

The city of Lansing has extended its Code Blue designation until 7 a.m. Saturday. The cold temperatures, coming before a large snowstorm could melt away, prompted the designation. A Code Blue alert opens up several city services and gives shelters and organizations more leeway to help people. Letts Community Center is open every night, from 6:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. and libraries and the CATA Transportation Center are available during the day. CATA busses can take people for free to any warming shelter. For a longer list of day and nighttime shelters, visit https://www.lansingmi.gov/990/Warming-and-Cooling-Centers.

Most of the Lansing area had between five and seven inches of snow during the season’s first major snowfall. Snowplows in the area have been given nicknames, including Big Penny, a state snowplow in the University region, which includes Lansing. Other state plows include Back to Drift-ember, Dr. Plow Good, Ice Ice Baby, Lake Scooperier, Luke Saltwalker, Melton John and Tom Blizzo. Lansing city plow names include Creedence Clear-Road Revival, Quality Plowy and Coldsmobile. You can track the state plows at https://mdotjboss.state.mi.us/MiDrive/map and the city plows at https://www.lansingmi.gov/486/Snow-Plow-Map.

Lansing man Douglas L. Gengler, 53, pleaded no contest to failing to stop at a personal injury accident resulting in death in November, MLive reported. Gengler struck and killed Edward L. “Fast Ed” Nichols, 55, with a delivery van owned by Tenpoint Expediting Services in Saginaw in December 2023. Prosecutors said he fled the scene after the incident. Under the plea deal, prosecutors dismissed charges related to a PlayStation 5 Gengler allegedly stole under a false identity, and his minimum sentence will not be higher than 38 months. The deal follows an out-of-court settlement for a wrongful death suit brought by Nichols’ estate. Gengler will be sentenced on Jan. 12.

Two large apartment complexes have been proposed for downtown East Lansing, East Lansing Info reported. Minnesota-based Tareen Development Partners are proposing a 12-story apartment building to be constructed at 520 Albert Ave., which is currently the Bailey St. parking lot. It would include more than 80 parking spots and more than 200 studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. The Ballein family, which owns the Student Bookstore and Harbor Bay Ventures, are also moving forward with “The Howard,” a planned 15-story, 361-bedroom apartment on Grand River Ave. The proposals are tentative and face a lengthy approval process.

EATRAN and CATA bus routes will be cut starting in mid-January. The cuts come after Delta Township voters rejected a millage that would have boosted public transit. The Capital Area Transportation Authority and Eaton County Transportation Authority are cutting off about 30 bus stops along West Saginaw Highway, Canal Road, St. Joseph Highway and Marketplace Boulevard. The expanded Spec-Tran service area will shrink back to its May 2023 boundaries. Other changes include an elimination of the CATA Rydz program in Delta Township. There are other changes to Route 3, including an earlier end to the day, and there are options for riders who would be affected: Check with CATA for more information.

 

The East Lansing Police Department has closed an investigation into the death of Meagan Turner. Her body was found in the Red Cedar River, east of Cedar Village, on Oct. 13. Officials said they found no evidence of foul play. A toxicology report indicated her blood alcohol level was .32%. Officials said, in a Monday news release, that updates have been shared with her family and the police have closed their investigation.

Makenna’s Books marked Small Business Saturday, and the birthday of Makenna Morse of Eaton Rapids by collecting books to donate to Little Free Libraries across Michigan. Morse died in an April car wreck and her love for reading has been carried on through the charity, which collects books and places them inside tiny libraries all over Michigan. The group has collected more than 2,000 books since starting and collected from a half dozen local bookstores this last weekend.

A Ferris State University professor has been arrested and described by the Department of Homeland Security as “a criminal illegal alien sex offender from Sri Lanka.” The department accuses Sumith Gunasekera of admitting, in 1998, to touching a minor. An Inside Higher Ed story quotes an official at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton, who said the case against Gunasekera had been archived so she couldn’t provide further details for that story. Ferris State officials told Inside Higher Ed that Gunasekera has been placed on leave and is believed to be in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.