Rewind: News from the last 7 days

The Lansing Board of Water and Light announced a two-year plan to raise its electric and water rates starting Oct. 1, increasing bills for average residential customers by more than $10 per month. Customers could see increases of 6.95% in electric, 9.23% in water, 9.75% in steam utility and 2% in chilled water. BWL will conduct a public hearing at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday (Aug. 20) at 1201 S. Washington Ave., then its board will vote Aug. 27.

McLaren Health Care confirmed that while the disruption to its computer and telephone systems was caused by a “criminal cyber-attack,” it has not determined if any patient or employee data was compromised. The Grand Blanc-based health system was still working Tuesday to fully restore operations at its 13 Michigan hospitals and medical offices, including Lansing, eight days after the attack. McLaren spokesperson David Jones said there is no timeline for when McLaren’s tech systems will be completely restored.

The Ingham County Community Health Centers Board voted unanimously Thursday to close the New Hope Community Health Center, 4430 N. Larch St., and lay off about 15 employees. The closing will reduce a $4 million deficit to about $3 million. The Forest Community Health Center and Allen Community Health Center will take over New Hope’s services. The board has not determined how it will make up the remaining deficit, with the fiscal year concluding Sept. 30.

The MSU Union’s former food court area and classroom spaces on the first floor of Berkey Hall, both closed off after the Feb. 13, 2023, mass shooting, will reopen after Labor Day, MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz said. He added that the spaces will no longer be used for food service or classes, but for socializing in an “open and peaceful setting,” small-group meetings, reflection and student services.

Michigan State Police are investigating the death of a 1-and-a half-year-old boy in the 4900 block of Plains Road in Eaton Rapids Monday. The parents called authorities to report they had found their son “unresponsive” in his crib.

WLNS-TV has requested a zoning to install a 6-foot-tall chain-link fence topped with barbed wire to section off the main entrance and parking circle on the north end of its headquarters at 2820 E. Saginaw St. in Lansing. WLNS general manager Marci Daniels told City Pulse Wednesday that the proposal was the result of a set of new “critical infrastructure” recommendations from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Zoning ordinances prohibit chain-link fences, barbed wire or any fence over 4 feet tall. The Lansing Board of Zoning Appeals held a hearing last week and is expected to vote at its September meeting.

The designer of a quiz that displayed an image of Adoph Hitler before MSU’s home game vs. UofM last October sued MSU for unauthorized use of the trivia. Netherlands-based Carsilius Media, owner of the Quiz Channel, claimed the university engaged in copyright infringement and invasion of privacy - false light, naming its board of “regents” as defendants. The quiz, displayed on the scoreboard about 80 minutes before kickoff, showed an image of Hitler as part of a question about the German dictator’s birthplace. The image appeared to match an image shared in an episode on “The Quiz Channel,” a YouTube channel that posts a variety of quizzes.

Public Safety

A crash Friday at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Olds Avenue between a mid-sized CATA bus and another vehicle injured seven, including two children. Four of the five occupants of the bus required hospital treatment for minor injuries. … Jacqueline Garrow, a former mail carrier from Lansing, was sentenced Monday to probation for stealing mail. She was accused of stealing rebate cards from intended recipients along her USPS route and redeeming them at a Menards in Lansing. … Billy Joe Hicks, 43, was struck and killed Wednesday on the east side of Homer Street, north of Vine Street, when a Ford F-150 pickup went off the road after colliding with a Chevrolet Traverse at the intersection with Vine, Lansing Township police said. Hicks was later was pronounced dead at U-M Health-Sparrow. … A 63-year-old Perry man died Monday after his vehicle went off Haslett Road and struck a tree near M-52 in Locke Township. Police said excessive speed appeared to be a factor, but alcohol did not.