Rewind: News from the last 7 days

 

Classes were cancelled Monday and Tuesday at Lansing Christian School in response to a staff walkout after 10 teachers and staff were told their contracts would not be renewed for 2026-27, WKAR News reported. The cancelation was announced in an email from Head of School Jeremy Zajicek. Some staff members, who are calling for Zajicek’s and the Board of Trustees’ resignations, have alleged that when they asked why their contracts weren’t renewed, Zajicek responded that Lansing Christian is “an at-will employment school.” A letter sent to the trustees by staff indicated 86% of staff support a vote of no confidence. One staff member said Zajicek removed the word “diversity” from the school’s Mission Statement and canceled Black History Month and Hispanic Heritage Month events. The staff member also cited growing tensions between staff and board members.

The MSU Research Foundation and the Michigan Economic Development Corp. announced Adrenaline Interactive as the grand prize winner of the 2026 PitchMI competition, awarding CEO and founder Max Albert $1 million, during an April 7 ceremony at Grewal Hall in Lansing. The company, which lets advertisers place dynamic in-game ads inside video game titles such as Fortnite and Roblox, was declared the winner by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in front of a crowd of several hundred people. PitchMI (pronounced “Pitch-Me”) is one of the nation’s largest founder-focused “Shark Tank”-style startup competitions, designed to identify and invest in Michigan’s most promising startups. It aims to highlight Michigan’s innovation economy and founders across industries, including space tech, healthcare, clean technology and gaming.

Lansing Police said officials recovered a body from the Grand River on Thursday afternoon, later identifying the body as the remains of a 49-year-old St. Johns man, according to WILX. An individual walking south on the Lansing River Trail near the Brenke Fish Ladder in Old Town saw the body and called police, said Lansing Police Public Information Director Jordan Gulkis. The Capital Area Dive Team gathered the remains and turned them over to the medical examiner’s office. Additional circumstances of the man’s death were not released.

Metro Detroit native and New Jersey law student Jamie Ding is having one of the most exciting Jeopardy! runs in recent memory. He has won 22 straight times, starting on March 13 and including this past Monday, as he faced two other Michigan natives. Erik Bubolz, originally from Okemos and now a Washington D.C. attorney, and Catherine Hoffman of Clarkston both competed against Ding Monday, making for an all-Michigan trio of contestants. Ding, a 2009 graduate of Grosse Pointe North, has now accumulated more than $672,000 in prize winnings, the 6^th best in the history of the show.

Bishop Earl Boyea, who has led the Lansing area Catholics for 18 years, has tendered his resignation, as expected. Catholic bishops are expected to offer to resign at their 75th birthday and Boyea notified his congregation and the pope about his upcoming departure. Boyea was selected by Pope Benedict XVI as the 5th bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Lansing in 2008. Included in the diocese are Clinton, Eaton, Genesee, Hillsdale, Ingham, Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston, Shiawassee and Washtenaw Counties. The process typically has the departing bishop submit three possible candidates, who may be nominated by the nuncio to the Dicastery for Bishops in Rome, with screenings happening along the way. The pope will select one of the names, giving the name to the nuncio and the candidate will be asked to accept. The timing of the process could vary.

The Lansing School District broke ground on April 7 on the construction of the Lewton Global Studies Spanish Immersion School, expected to open in the fall of 2028. Lewton, the only Spanish immersion school in mid-Michigan, will educate preschool through 8^th-grade students. With classes taught entirely in Spanish to promote bilingualism, the school will teach about 500 students. Lewton students are taking classes at Woodcreek Elementary School while the new building is being built (the former Lewton was demolished last year). Interim Superintendent Jessica Benavides, Principal Dan Gowell and Sergio Keck, deputy superintendent of special populations, were among the district leaders who attended the ceremony. The groundbreaking came after voters supported a $130 million bond proposal in 2022 and the school board approved a $26.69 million bid package in January.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will speak at MSU’s Spring 2026 graduation ceremony, set for Friday, May 1 at the Breslin Center, according to an April 10 announcement by university president Kevin Guskiewicz. Whitmer earned both her bachelor’s and law degrees from MSU. Speakers for two other graduation ceremonies that day at Breslin were announced, as well: Christopher Fernandez, a member of MSU’s School of Human Resources & Labor Relations Advisory Board, will speak at the master’s and educational specialist ceremony at 9 a.m.; Ann Austin, distinguished professor for the Department of Educational Administration in the College of Education, will speak at the doctoral ceremony at 2:30 p.m.

Eaton County Election Administrator Kimberly Morris was appointed by Eaton County Circuit Judges Janice Cunningham and Kelly Morton to serve the remainder of Diana Bosworth’s term as county clerk and register of deeds. Bosworth, the clerk for more than 13 years, has announced she plans to retire at the end of the month, before the expiration of her term in December 2028.

A 62-year-old man was struck Thursday night by a vehicle traveling north on South Cedar Street near Jolly Road, then taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The vehicle was driven by a 32-year-old man who police said was uninjured. Police believe that speed and alcohol were not factors in the crash.

Another crash involving a pedestrian in Lansing occurred Sunday night at the intersection of East Saginaw and North Larch streets. A 32-year-old man was struck by a vehicle driven by a 23-year-old woman and taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

A combination of melting snow from last month’s record-breaking storm and heavy rainfall has caused numerous crises in northern Michigan. Cheboygan residents near the Cheboygan River dam were asked Monday by the county sheriff’s office to be on standby to evacuate as water levels were close to spilling over the dam and causing it to fail. If an evacuation is ordered, residents will receive an IPAWS (Integrated Public Alert and Warning System) alert on their phones. The MSP Emergency Management & Homeland Security Division created a webpage at which to receive the latest information, michigan.gov/cheboygandam. Meanwhile, a section oof the Tunnel of Trees on M-119, a 20-mile scenic drive route between Harbor Springs and Cross Village in Emmett County, collapsed due to excessive rainfall and snow melt.

Central Michigan University’s enrollment has dropped by 10,000 students in the last decade, close to where it was in 1970 at 14,000 students, according to Central Michigan Life. The news outlet quotes Jennifer DeHaemers, vice president of student recruitment and retention at CMU, talking about competition, slow changes to modernize online learning and overall education changes. CMU and other schools in Michigan grew complacent with numbers at the peak, 25,500 students in 2015 for Central, DeHaemers said.