News Highlights from the Last 7 Days

Term-limited former Democratic state Rep. Leslie Love announced her candidacy for the U.S. Senate in 2024. Love represented Detroit in the state Legislature from 2015 to 2020. She was a member of the state’s National Resource Committee from 2021 until last week, when she resigned to pursue a Senate campaign. Other Democratic candidates in the race are U.S. Rep Elissa Slotkin, Dearborn businessman Nasser Beydoun and lawyer Zack Burns. While Slotkin has raised more than $3 million for her campaign as of April, Love said, “This election is about more than who raises the most money. This campaign is about giving people a choice. It’s about representation.”

 

Gregory Tracy, a Lansing police officer, was accused of retail fraud for allegedly switching the prices on boxes of sports cards. Tracy, 42, allegedly marked more expensive boxes of cards as less valuable to purchase them for cheap at local Meijer stores, then attempted to sell the cards to others. He is charged with one count of first-degree retail fraud and one count of organized retail fraud. Michigan State Police found video surveillance evidence of Tracy switching prices at Meijer stores at least 84 times between Jan. 9 and April 3. Meijer is believed to have lost at least $11,458. When he was interviewed, Tracy admitted to the retail fraud and said he had also switched prices at Walmart and Target stores. Police found stolen items from Meijer after searching his car and phone. He was placed on paid administrative leave until the investigation is finished. He waived his right to a preliminary examination on May 5, and his case will continue in circuit court. 

 

Michigan State University selected its new vice president for civil rights and Title IX education. Laura Rugless is an Army veteran and former lawyer who has worked in higher education and state and federal compliance for more than 15 years. Most recently, she served as the associate vice president for the Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and was formerly the school’s Title IX coordinator. She was also the executive director of equity and access services and Title IX coordinator at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. In her role at MSU, which was elevated from an associate vice president to vice president position, she will serve as the school’s Title IX coordinator, leading its civil rights and Title IX compliance. She will oversee the Office of Institutional Equity; the Prevention, Outreach and Education Department; the Resolution Office; the Office of Support and Equity; the equity review officer; and the Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator. Pending approval from MSU’s Board of Trustees, Rugless’ term will begin July 1.

 

The City of Lansing found it would be too expensive to open a 24-hour, year-round homeless shelter, the Lansing State Journal reported. Earlier this year, a Change.org petition by the grassroots accountability organization The People’s Council of Lansing asking the city to open a taxpayer-funded shelter received more than 200 signatures. Advocates claimed that overnight, privately owned shelters in the city are full or exceeding capacity and require users to leave during the day, except in extreme weather, causing many to be left out in the cold during the winter or in the heat during the summer. Mayor Andy Schor asked the Human Relations and Community Services Department to draft an estimate for the cost of a 24-hour, taxpayer-funded shelter run by the city. The department estimated that it would cost the city about $2.6 million to purchase and renovate a 5,000-square-foot space into a shelter that would serve 100 to 150 adults and $877,640 annually to operate it. “The cost to taxpayers and the city budget would be far too great to do that,” City spokesperson Scott Bean told the Journal. Instead, the city asked for $800,000 in funding from the state and federal governments to “utilize existing space and services offered by community partners,” Bean said.

 

The Federal Aviation Administration approved a petition from American Airlines to continue two nonstop flights between Lansing and Washington. The 7-year-old daily service, which was scheduled to expire in October, to the Ronald Reagan National Airport was extended five years, through October 2028. Mid-Michigan residents, government officials and business leaders sent around 900 emails and letters to the FAA and the U.S. Transportation Department urging renewal.

 

The Greater Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau launched its new digital Lansing Experience Pass. With the pass, users can receive discounts and accumulate points when they check in to attractions, museums, outdoor recreation spots, art venues and family-friendly activities in Greater Lansing. The points can be redeemed for decals, socks, playing cards, T-shirts and more. The pass is free and available all year. To sign up, visit lansing.org/experiencepass.