News Highlights from the Last 7 Days

An FBI search is underway for a 2-year-old Lansing girl that authorities believe was kidnapped after her abductor stabbed the child’s mother. A suspect was arrested, but Wynter Cole Smith was still missing Tuesday. Police said she had braided, shoulder-length hair and wore a white T-shirt with rainbows at the time of the abduction.

 

Look for former state Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr. of East Lansing to announce soon that he is seeking the Democratic nomination for Congress to replace Rep. Elissa Slotkin. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office announced Friday that he was leaving his post as legislative director, which restricted him from personal political activities. No other Democrats have put their names forward for a run in the 2024 primary to represent the 7th District, which includes all of Ingham and Clinton counties and portions of Eaton. Former Republican state Sen. Tom Barrett of Charlotte is also expected to announce that he will make a second try for the job after Slotkin defeated him last year. Slotkin, a Democrat, is stepping down in a run to replace Debbie Stabenow in the U.S. Senate. 

 

City of Lansing officials broke ground on the Ovation downtown performing arts center and announced a $1 million, five-year partnership with Michigan State University Federal Credit Union for naming rights. “We need a place with national acts coming,” Mayor Andy Schor said. “Now we are breaking ground to do that.” The city has raised $18 million for a complex that will feature a performance hall, administrative offices and a partially enclosed third-floor bar and restaurant at the corner of Washington Avenue and Lenawee Street. The hall will seat 1,400 or 2,100 standees. Spring 2025 is the targeted completion date.

 

Lansing was a big winner in the record $82 billion state budget for the next fiscal year. By one count, it received more than $65 million. It included $40 million for the Lansing Housing Commission to improve five residential complexes; $9.4 million for airport-area road improvements; $6.2 million to restore the historic Moores Park Pool, which has been closed since 2019; $5 million in infrastructure improvements at the Lansing Center; and $1.7 million to create an amphitheater at the Brenke Fish Ladder in Old Town. Lansing Mayor Andy Schor praised the mid-Michigan delegation for its efforts, led by Sen. Sarah Anthony and Rep. Angela Witwer, who chair the Appropriation committees in their respective chambers. 

 

Smoke from Canadian forest fires once again threatened health in mid-Michigan, where air quality measured 244, perhaps the worst in the state, which in turn was among the worst nationally. The state also issued an ozone alert for southwest and western Michigan, adding to the woes. By Monday, air quality in the Lansing area returned to “moderate” as the smoke moved eastward.