Rewind: News from the last 7 days

The Lansing City Council on Monday approved a $307 million budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year (which begins July 10), an increase of less than one percent compared to the current year. The budget includes $182 million in the general fund. City Council President Peter Spadafore said highlights and changes to the budget include three new detention officers, which will allow five police officers to move to patrol work, along with six officer positions with funding from state revenue sharing grants. Funding will continue for the Lansing Empowerment Network, Advance Peace and other community violence intervention programs. Spadafore also mentioned $41.4 million for road work and $1.5 million for sidewalk repair as part of the budget, plus an ongoing project to separate storm and sewer waters. The Fire Department budget will increase more than seven percent to $48.8 million, including three more firefighters, due to higher call volume. Additional revenue will come from a doubling of some building code violation fines.

The MSU Board of Trustees has approved a proposal to offer University President Kevin Guskiewicz a salary of $2 million annually, nearly doubling his current pay, along with other boosts. The raise was approved by six of the eight trustees, with Mike Balow voting no and Rema Vasser abstaining. The proposal, taking place in a hastily called Sunday night meeting, follows a year of cuts affecting the university’s academic and other staff. Guskiewicz received a 1.5% raise just over six months ago, which university officials said was in line with scheduled increases for MSU’s executives. The new contract, if signed, would make Guskiewicz the second-highest paid president among the 18 Big 10 schools, behind U-M’s Kent Syverud, who has a salary of $2 million and annual potential bonuses. It would also extend his contract two additional years, to 2031, and increase his deferred compensation to $250,000 per year. Some trustees had expressed concerns that Guskiewicz was being pursued by other schools and that he might be frustrated by disputes among board members. 

More than 8,500 Consumers Energy and Lansing Board of Water & Light customers were without power from severe storms that moved through Greater Lansing Monday afternoon. There were numerous reports of downed trees and power lines, and wind gusts — which reached at least 68 mph in the area — flipped over a small plan at Capital Region International Airport. There were no reports of injuries from the incident.

WILX-TV 10 and WSYM-TV FOX 47 have combined operations and are now both Gray Media Lansing stations. The deal was announced last fall and included the transfer of 10 local TV stations from Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group to Atlanta-based Gray Media. The first batch of FCC approvals happened earlier this year. The rest of the stations were approved, allowing the two local stations that cover Jackson and Lansing, among the other stations, to consolidate operations. The other mergers included stations in Alabama, Louisiana, Indiana, Illinois, and Mississippi. Gray Media Lansing will be overseen by Debbie Petersmark, a longtime broadcast veteran with deep experience leading local media operations. Petersmark has been with WILX for 25 years, serving as general manager since 2018.

Lansing’s Fire Marshal Jared Nisch has been chosen as the Fire Marshal of the Year by the National Fire Protection Association. He will be recognized during a Las Vegas NFPA gala on June 21. Nisch was recognized for his work in launching the first Lansing comprehensive smoke alarm initiative and for developing fire and other safety education programs for older adults, who are one of the city’s most at-risk populations. The award recognizes fire code enforcement professionals who show leadership and reduce risk. Lansing Fire Chief Carrie Edwards-Clemons said in a statement that it was a great honor for the city. “The recognition reflects the City of Lansing’s commitment to community risk reduction through collaboration among governmental partners, residents, the business community and nonprofit organizations.”

 

Sherman Lewis, an MSU Spartan Hall of Fame running back, died Friday at 83. Lewis was a first-team All-American running back for the Spartans in 1963 under coach Duffy Daughterty, as well as the Football News Player of the Year. He was also a Big 10 indoor track champion in the long jump and 300-yard dash. He was inducted into the MSU Hall of Fame in 2001. After a short pro football career, Lewis returned to the Spartans to serve as an assistant coach from 1969-82 under Daugherty and three other coaches. He moved on to the NFL where he was an assistant and/or coordinator for the 49ers, Packers, Vikings and Lions over 22 years, and part of three Super Bowl champions in San Francisco and Green Bay. He was the first Black offensive coordinator to win a Super Bowl title.

The Capital Area Transit Authority will be closed for Memorial Day, with no bus service. The Paratransit office will be open for planning trips the following day but will not accept same-day trips. To schedule a ride, call 517-394-2282, visit the MySpectran webpage, or use the MyRideCATA app. CATA routes and services will resume their regular weekday schedules on Tuesday, May 26. The bus service is being strained by increased fuel costs, CATA CEO Brad Funkhouser told FOX 47. Funkhouser said the bus system costs are going up by around $90,000 a month.

Two brothers killed in a single-car crash Sunday on northbound U.S. 127 near Interstate 96 were identified as DeMarcus and DeAndre Ware, both 39, of Holt. They were passengers in the vehicle a 28-year-old Lansing man was driving when it went off the road and crashed where the freeway crosses I-96, the Ingham County Sheriff’s Office said. The driver survived but was critically injured. The Ingham Regional Crash Investigation Team is investigating the crash and anyone with information can contact Sgt. Adam Jackson at (517) 676-8212.

The Bath community recently marked the 99th anniversary of the deadliest school attack in U.S. history. On May 18, 1927, a Bath school board treasurer and critic triggered a series of dynamite explosions that killed 45 people, mostly children, and injured dozens. The death toll in the small farming community remains hauntingly higher than any single U.S. school shooting, including the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007 that claimed 32 lives. Organizers of the Bath School Museum Committee are aiming to finish raising $5 million for a standalone museum that would include artifacts from the bombing and mementos from the last century. The current museum is located in the working school building, so access is tightly controlled and generally requires an escort.