Rewind: News from the last 7 days

The Rev. Jesse Jackson has died. The 84-year-old civil rights leader and presidential candidate was born in Greenville, S.C. He rose to prominence through a variety of activism, including the 1960 desegregation of the county’s library as part of the “Greenville Eight.” Jackson was an associate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and was in Memphis when King was assassinated in 1968. Jackson was one of the most recognized civil rights leaders, founding the People United to Save Humanity Coalition, marching with unions, joining with LGBTQ communities and leading international hostage negotiations as well as business protests and boycotts. 
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Jackson ran for president in 1984 and 1988, becoming the first Black candidate to appear on 50 state ballots (then-U.S. Rep. Shirley Chisholm was on the ballot for about a dozen states in 1972). He also campaigned at MSU in March 1988, speaking at Munn Arena, and visited the Lansing area other times, including in 2012 (see Raymond Holt photo, above) when he joined then-Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero and then-senator Gretchen Whitmer during a sit-in protesting Right-to-Work legislation in the Capitol Rotunda. Jackson had disclosed a Parkinson’s diagnosis nearly a decade ago and in his last years had disclosed a rarer brain disorder, progressive supranuclear palsy. Memorial plans have not been announced, but tributes have come in from hundreds of people.

Melting snow across the Lower Peninsula triggered statewide air quality alerts over the weekend with hazy skies, and similar conditions could return later this spring, according to WKAR. When temperatures warmed, the snow released particulate matter that had accumulated for months into the air all at once, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy meteorologist Alec Kownacki told WKAR. This winter’s heavy snowfall, warming temperatures, stagnant air, and regular emissions from vehicles all lined up to trigger the alerts, he said. The conditions are expected to improve this week, but poor air quality could return this spring.

The owners of the Tipsy Nickel Bar & Grille in Mason will be taking a few days to focus on their employees, following a Valentine’s Day fire during dinner service. Tim Warvel said his daughter, manager Brandy Warvel, noticed the blaze and firefighters arrived quickly to extinguish it. He told City Pulse that they will be focusing on their employees as the details unfold. On Monday, the Warvels were at the restaurant surveying damage. It’s not clear yet what the next steps will be, the Warvels said, but they said they intend to get their employees back to work soon.

Two teachers from Greater Lansing were among 10 named by the Michigan Department of Education as Regional Teachers of the Year, selected from nominations from students, staff and community members. Erica Gorzen, a visual arts teacher at Portland High School and Amanda Bush, an elementary teacher at Dansville Elementary, will be considered with other regional winners for Michigan’s 2026-27 Teacher of the Year award. The MDE organizes the Teacher of the Year program, underwritten by the Meemic Foundation, to honor and elevate the voices of teachers. The Regional Teachers of the Year make up the Michigan Teacher Leadership Advisory Council to bring their voices to a wider audience, including through direct work with MDE to provide input on proposed policies and initiatives and to help share valuable information and resources with their colleagues in their respective regions.

All registered voters in the City of East Lansing should be getting new voter identification cards in the coming weeks. The new ID cards will arrive in the mail and replace any existing voter ID cards. Everyone is getting new cards because the city is reducing the number of precincts from 17 to 13. Some voters will have a new polling location, but all will have a new precinct number.

A young child died and three others were injured after being attacked while out for a walk in a neighborhood near Waverly High School. Alexander Lamar Banks, Jr., 21, was arrested in connection with the assaults and has been issued multiple felony charges in the 56-A District Court, according to WLNS News, including one count of first-degree murder, three counts of assault with intent to murder, four counts of felony firearm, one count of carrying a weapon with unlawful intent, and one count of possessing a loaded firearm in or upon a vehicle. A statement said the child died at the scene, and a 37-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman were hospitalized in stable condition, and a 72-year-old woman was in critical condition. 
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“Preliminary investigation shows a vehicle driven by the suspect struck a family who was out for a walk,” according to the Sheriff’s Office. “The suspect then exited the vehicle and fired numerous shots at the members of the family. A bystander who attempted to help was also attacked and suffered serious injuries.” According to a probable cause affidavit, Banks told investigators that he had been receiving threats online telling him “he had to kill someone to save his family.” Officials sent out active shooter alerts in the immediate aftermath; those were followed by notifications that an arrest was made.

One person was shot in the foot near downtown Lansing on Monday afternoon. The shooting was reported near Chestnut and Hillsdale streets around 3:30 p.m., according to the Lansing Police Department. According to WLNS News, police said the accused shooter and the victim knew each other and the injuries were not life-threatening.

The three-time Quality Dairy Paczki eating champ likes the banana one and advises against the powdered ones (if you’re on a five-minute clock and eating six of them, at least). The annual eating contest got a lot longer and added a lot more calories this year: Going from three minutes and with the champs managing to pound down up to three paczki, the six contestants ate more and for longer. Their universal verdict: It’s harder than it looks to eat a bunch of paczki really fast. The Paczki boss, eating a full half dozen this year, continues to be Akiem Harshman, representing Judson Baptist Church. He was joined by runner-up, radio host DeSean Whipple, for Haven House. Also competing were influencer Halatu Musa, for Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence; radio host Terry Stevens, for VFW National Home; Lansing mayor’s office’s Mark Lawrence, for American Red Cross; and Riverwalk Theatre’s Brian Farnham, for Riverwalk Theatre. The charities received donations from QD and LAFCU. Fat Tuesday has come and gone, but you may be able to find some leftover paczki at various locations.