Inflation. The “tripledemic.” A run on housing. Those are just a few of the national issues in 2022 that also affected Greater Lansing. 

While COVID is not over, it’s become endemic — like a cold or the flu.

Meanwhile, the economy continues to struggle from a labor shortage, supply chain issues, unionization movements in fast-food restaurants and the greatest inflation rate in four decades.

Three men were convicted and sentenced for plotting to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. A U.S. House panel laid the main blame for the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection on former President Donald Trump. Voters, including former Trump backers, rejected election deniers in Michigan in statewide elections, returning Democrats Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to office and electing Democratic majorities — albeit slight — to both houses of the Legislature for the first time in almost 40 years. 

The year that ends on Saturday also saw significant local news developments. Here is a look at some of them.

President Stanley quits MSU

Samuel L. Stanley’s troubled relationship with some trustees boiled over after he forced Sanjay Gupta, the popular dean of the Broad College of Business, to resign for failing to report sexual harassment as required by school policies. The board also swatted Stanley for certifying a report submitted to the Legislature about Title IX (sex discrimination) investigations and enforcement even though it had not been properly vetted.

Stanley struck back publicly in October by announcing his resignation in a YouTube video, in which he declared he had lost confidence in the board. He accused members of micromanaging day-to-day operations. He noted that faculty and staff had also overwhelmingly rejected the board in resolutions of no confidence. Stanley had replaced former Gov. John Engler, who served a stormy year as interim president after Lou Anna Simon resigned in 2018 in the face of the Nassar scandal. The board named Provost Christina Woodruff as Stanley’s interim replacement.

Lansing Township keeps Groesbeck, struggles with debt

Acting on a request by 122 Groesbeck residents whose neighborhood is entirely surrounded by Lansing, the city sought to annex them through a ballot referendum. But the courts sided with the township government’s argument that in order for the issue to go on the ballot, the city has to surround the entire township, which it does not.

If annexation had been approved, 2,200 people would have become Lansing residents, costing the township up to 25% of its property tax income, a loss the township could ill afford.

The township made progress in 2022 in warding off bankruptcy when it was able to strike a deal that allows it to share in some tax income due to Ingham County. The township also approved a plan to likely get out of debt in the coming year. The plan hinges on settling with the successors to developer Mike Eyde, whom the government owes $2.5 million in lease payments. The township’s financial problems stem from investing in the expansion of Eastwood Towne Center. 

Sparrow goes blue and maize

University of Michigan Health acquired Sparrow Health System. The U of M system, which is considered one of the nation’s best, will invest $800 million into Sparrow for infrastructure and expanded care. “The partnership with University of Michigan Health provides Sparrow the opportunity to take a greater leadership role in improving the health of the communities we serve,” Sparrow President and CEO James F. Dover said in a press release. 

The elections

First Ward Lansing Councilmember Brandon Betz resigned in February after a year of controversy. His appointed replacement, gym owner Brian Daniels, sought to remain, but eastside voters replaced him in November with activist Ryan Kost by 55 votes.

In the August primary election, Emily Dievendorf scored an upset when she won the Democratic nomination for Lansing’s newly redistricted state House seat. In November, she joined Democrats in sweeping the GOP in mid-Michigan to serve in the Legislature.

City voters approved a $175 million public safety proposal for bonds that will largely go toward a new facility on South Washington Avenue near Mt. Hope Avenue, the city’s geographic center. The new facility will house 54-A District Court, the Lansing Police Department and lock-up and the Fire Department headquarters. 

Grand Ledge was part of a movement that played out across the country in which far-righters tried to take over school boards. A trio of candidates was dubbed the “Kitty Litter Caucus” by local politicos for their repeated lies that the schools provided kitty litter boxes for youth who identified as cats. In Haslett, voters had a QAnon Moms for Liberty candidate on the ballot, as well as an anti-transgender candidate. All of the extremists lost. 

Prosecutor Carol Siemon retires

Ingham County Prosecutor Carol Siemon quit, effective Dec. 30. Her replacement, John J. Dewane, was tapped by the circuit court judges to replace her for the rest of her elective term, which runs through 2024. She cited personal reasons.

Local law enforcement officials, led by Ingham County Sherriff Scott Wrigglesworth and joined by Lansing Mayor Andy Schor, denounced Siemon’s efforts to address racial disparities in the justice system by limiting the use of the firearm felony charge. She also refused to charge for possession of guns, drugs or other arms that were found in a traffic stop. 

Siemon also struck plea deals that critics called too lenient, including Circuit Judge Rosemary Aquilina, who was angered in open court to the point of demanding Siemon’s resignation.

FRIB opens

In May, Michigan State University fired up the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, a $774 million building to research rare atoms. 

The facility will be funded mostly by the U.S. Energy Department. Studies from the facility could result in new medical treatments as well as items like micro batteries. It will also provide a peek into the explosion known as the “Big Bang” that set the universe in motion. 

Rentals remain a crisis in Lansing

Despite years of reform in the city’s Code Compliance office — and the highest number of premise inspectors in over a decade — the city continues to struggle with addressing substandard housing. A glaring, tragic result of this was the June fire death of 23-month-old Damian Shesshia, who lived with her mother in an unregistered rental property. Officials confirmed that the home, on Cavanaugh Road, had no fire alarms — something a rental inspection would have noted and required to be installed before greenlighting the home for rental. 

Following the death, City Pulse identified a house just west of Old Town with electrical issues that was not registered as a rental, where the tenants said they paid $1,200 a month plus utilities. They said the owner, Aibout Fady, failed to keep his word to deal with the electrical problems. Made aware of the situation by City Pulse, Brian McGrain, Lansing director of planning and economic development, acknowledged that the city had “fucked up” in regard to the registration renewals of Fady’s rental properties. The home in question was subsequently red-tagged. 

McGrain said the department was struggling to balance court hearings with identifying and inspecting out-of-compliance rental properties. He said that approximately 10% of the city’s housing stock are rentals, many of them illegal. 

BWL ends coal usage

In November, the Lansing Board of Water & Light retired its last coal-burning power plant, Eckert Power Station, replaced by cleaner-burning natural gas plants.

“In 2012, BWL burned 1.2 million tons of coal. Today, 10 years later, BWL’s coal consumption is zero,” said BWL General Manager Dick Peffley. The fate of the massive plant on the Grand River — nicknamed Wynken, Blynken and Nod for its three prominent smokestacks — is unknown.

Meanwhile, also in 2022, BWL documents came to light that showed that coal ash deposits on the grounds of the Erickson Power Station in Delta Township had been leaking heavy metal contaminants into local drinking water wells. “Coal ash” is a term describing what is left after a power plant burns coal to heat water to generate electricity. BWL planned to clean up the holding ponds for coal ash this year, but environmental activists said the plan was “inadequate.” They wanted groundwater testing to continue.

Police shooting at Meijer causes uproar

DeAnthony Thomas-Scott VanAtten was shot multiple times while running from East Lansing Police officers at the Lake Lansing Meijer. The officers were responding to a 911 call that a Black man with a gun had entered the store. Video from inside the store shows officers seeking VanAtten, who ran. Officers pursued, ultimately opening fire on him. Attorney General Dana Nessel’s team reviewed the shooting and announced in August that the officers had committed no crimes. VanAtten was charged with a series of crimes stemming from the incident and his status as a parolee. Activists raised concerns about racial animus in the shooting. The City of East Lansing is considering a resolution seeking to have all criminal charges against VanAtten dismissed.