Rewind the news, week of September 16, 2026
The Lansing Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) is wrapping up programs implemented with funding through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The EDC has just under $600,000 left to continue operations, with the majority going towards corridor improvement authorities. One of the programs due to sunset is the Lansing Supporting Empowered Emerging Developers (SEED) Academy, which provides comprehensive training on basic development topics for emerging real estate developers. According to the website, the SEED Academy prioritizes ventures in Lansing’s key corridors and underserved areas. Two cohorts of developers have graduated from the program already, and applications for the third and final cohort close on September 18. The LEDC is working to find funding to offer future cohorts because of the high demand for training, said LEDC executive director Kris Klein.
Residents of the Tyden Lofts apartment building in Hastings were evacuated last week after health officials received information about a potential ricin exposure. Presumptive testing indicated the toxic substance was indeed present. Exposure can come from someone who has ricin on their body or clothes or it can take the form of fine powder in the air. Ricin poisoning does not spread from person to person through casual contact. The Barry-Eaton District Health Department said there is no threat to the public and that all affected areas have been contained. Exposed residents were isolated at Corewell Health’s Pennock Hospital ER. Residents residing on the second and third floors of the building were allowed to return home Monday, but testing, cleaning and remediation is still taking place on the first floor..
Lansing Fire Chief Carrie Edwards-Clemons received the 2026 Trailblazer Award from the NAACP Lansing Branch. Edwards-Clemons joined the Lansing Fire Department in 2024 and has had a 26-year fire service career in years serving in the Flint area. She was named chief earlier this year, the first woman to lead the 169-year-old fire department.
An East Lansing Police Department officer was assaulted with bear spray by a passenger in a moving vehicle Sunday while on foot, according to a statement from the police department. The statement says other officers witnessed the attack in the early morning hours of Sept. 13 and that officers had previously been alerted to reports of a similar-looking vehicle being used to spray a chemical substance on others in downtown East Lansing. The vehicle was stopped by police and three people under 18 were taken into custody while parents/guardians were contacted. The youth accused of spraying the officer was transferred to a youth detention center, according to police. Police said they found a stun gun, several canisters of pepper spray and a half-empty bottle of bear/mountain lion spray, believed to be used in the incident against the officer.
Aaron Paul Mousseau, 32, has been bound over for trial in connection with the February 2026 murder of Vincent Beeman. Beeman was found deceased in his apartment on Burneway Drive, located in the Eaton County portion of the City of Lansing. At the time of the homicide, Mousseau was residing with Beeman in the same apartment. The bind-over decision followed a preliminary examination during which 56A District Court Judge Adrianne K. VanLangevelde determined that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to establish probable cause that Mousseau killed Beeman. A probable-cause finding is a lower evidentiary standard than what is required for a conviction.
A 13-year-old has died from injuries from a Sept. 5 collision that killed her 12-year-old brother. The siblings were riding bikes near Williamston when they were struck by a Ford Explorer. The driver, identified as a 64-year-old Williamston woman, was not injured in the crash and remained at the scene. Michigan State Police have said they are looking for a white pickup truck that was behind the driver, to provide witness statements. A GoFundMe effort — launched by the family’s church — has received more than $155,000 in pledges as of Tuesday afternoon (https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-shepard-family).
The demolition of the Student Book Exchange has begun in downtown East Lansing. The building dates back to 1960 and has sold countless student textbooks before ending book sales in the last year or two in favor of clothing and Michigan State University gear. In place of the SBX will be a 12-story residential tower with almost 300 apartments. The building will be made using mass timber techniques, which have been championed by MSU. Greg Ballein, whose family runs the SBC, told the Lansing State Journal previously that the new building will be named in honor of his late father, Howard Ballein, who first operated the bookstore located at 421 E. Grand River Ave.
MSU and U-M researchers have received a $1 million grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to start a 3-year research project, called “Decarbonizing the Hood: Conditions, Perceptions, Principles and Evaluation of Equitable Urban Energy Transitions.” The project will look at how cities can reduce carbon emissions through clean energy investments, while ensuring those living in such communities where such projects are created have a say in the process and receive the benefits of them. Researchers, students and community partners will come together in the project to study six urban decarbonization initiatives across Detroit, Chicago and Columbus, Ohio.
Cynoda Jonelle Sparkling of Lansing, 35, has pled guilty to aggravated identity theft and wire fraud involving more than $400,000 in federal or state relief funds. She stole or tried to steal 124,995 from the Paycheck Protection Program, $17,000 from the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, and $262,248 from the unemployment insurance programs from several different states, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey. He said Sparkling applied for loans in her own name as well as others using stolen identities. She is expected to be sentenced on Nov. 30 and faces a minimum of two and as many as 20 years in prison. Sparkling’s case was part of a joint effort nation-wide during the summer that involved more than 160 cases, 80 newly charged defendants and nearly $250 million in taxpayer dollars.
