Rewind: News from the last 7 days

The Lansing City Council voted unanimously to sell City Hall to Chicago developer J. Paul Beitler for $2.78 million, allowing him to redevelop the 10-story, 129,000-square-foot building into a 183-room hotel. It will officially change hands once the city moves into the $40 million, 75,000-square-foot city hall facility set to be built at the corner of Grand Avenue and Lenawee Street. The new city hall construction is expected to start next winter and will take 14 months. “I am thrilled that we can now move forward with a proposal that is another piece of downtown Lansing’s transformation,” said Mayor Andy Schor. “Selling City Hall to Beitler Real Estate and seeing us realize the vision to turn the building into a hotel and dining destination is fantastic for our city.”

The food safety and biotech company Neogen is asking the City of Lansing and the Michigan Economic Development Corp./Michigan Strategic Fund for more brownfield tax credits in exchange for further investment to expand its campus. The city and the Lansing Economic Development Corp. said their partnership with Neogen has resulted in a $135 million investment and 55 jobs. The company would demolish a building at 720 E. Shiawassee St., build a 35,000-square-foot building and acquire and renovate a building at 703 E. Michigan Ave.

The Navy’s Expeditionary Fast Transport ship, the EPF-16, will be named the USNS Lansing, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro announced on the Capitol, joined by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Mayor Schor. The craft is a shallow draft, all aluminum, commercial-based catamaran capable of short-distance personnel and cargo lift, the Navy said, that provides “high-speed mobility, bridging the gap between low-speed sealift and high-speed airlift.” The ship is being built and is in the first steps of the commissioning process.

MSU Health Care announced Thursday that it has launched the Neuro Care Network in a joint operating agreement with U-M Health-Sparrow to offer local neurological services, including inpatient and outpatient neurology, neurosurgery, electrodiagnostic, and infusion service lines from both institutions. Due to this collaboration, new service lines are also anticipated and will be announced as they are ready for patients. The network will comprise practitioners from both entities providing services at both facilities. More info is available at https://healthcare.msu.edu/.

Michael Jonathan Wetmore, 46, of Lansing, was arraigned Monday on charges that he threatened retired Eaton County Judge Julie Reincke. The charges include a felony charge of false report or threat of terrorism and a misdemeanor charge of malicious use of telecommunications services. Wetmore faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Prosecutors said he called the Eaton County Sheriff’s Office Friday and made statements threatening Reincke’s life. He is scheduled for a probable cause conference on July 31.

Parents and community members packed a Lansing School Board meeting Thursday at Eastern High School after learning the district planned to eliminate K-8 library positions and create more art, music and physical education time slots, as announced in a May newsletter. Officials shared a plan during the meeting to cut the number of certified librarians from seven to five in exchange for adding 34 assistants to their staff, supporting literacy, instruction and library usage. Officials said a plan was still being determined, but the libraries would remain open.

Scott Sylvester, 40, was sentenced to prison for 50 to 75 years for sexually and physically assaulting a woman in Lansing Township in 2022. A jury convicted him of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, aggravated stalking, aggravated domestic assault, witness intimidation and interfering with electronic communications. While that case was pending, Sylvester was charged with sexually assaulting another woman identified as his girlfriend.

Public safety

Lansing police said two people were shot Sunday on the 200 block of West Huron Street, next to Riddle Elementary School, in a shooting that started on a basketball court. Police said an 18-year-old man was shot in the shin and a 28-year-old man was shot in the elbow and abdomen. … also Sunday, a man was shot in the leg in Kensington Mobile Home Community on the 4200 block of Jolly Road. Lansing police said the shooting was believed to have stemmed from a domestic dispute. … A 34-year-old man suffered life-threatening injuries in a shooting Saturday at Adado Riverfront Park. Lansing police said they believe the shooting was an isolated incident and no suspect has been identified. … A reported gas leak closed a Speedway station on South Cedar Street in Lansing Tuesday. No injuries or causes have been reported.