Rewind: News from the last 7 days

MSU officials, including former President Lou Anna Simon, knew that William Strampel (pictured), former boss of Larry Nassar, had a pattern of inappropriate behavior toward women yet withheld that information from the public until recently. Strampel, then dean of the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, was first warned about his conduct in 2005. The review was included in more than 6,000 documents, withheld by the university since 2018, that will soon be released after the Michigan Attorney General’s Office announced Wednesday that it had closed its investigation and released a five-page summary of what the investigators learned.

The investigation into MSU Board of Trustees’ bullying and misconduct allegations, leading to the censure of three members, cost the university more than $2.3 million. MSU paid the Miller & Chevalier firm $2,043,000, according to the Lansing State Journal, to investigate claims that began when Trustee Brianna Scott alleged then-board Chair Rema Vassar bullied MSU administrators and other trustees and broke the board’s codes of ethics and conduct. MSU also paid the Miller Law firm $318,979 to represent Vassar.

Students were evacuated from Grand Ledge High School Monday after threatening graffiti was discovered on bathroom walls. Students and staff in the building for extracurricular activities were evacuated at 4 p.m. so Grand Ledge police could investigate the threat and clear the building, following a normal school day. Activities outside the building continued as normal. The only details released about the threats were that they were “vague” and “non-specific.” Law enforcement determined the building was safe to reenter at 8:45 p.m. Monday and was safe for classes on Tuesday.

Minnesota governor and Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz visited East Lansing Friday, speaking to supporters at the Graduate Hotel as well as volunteers at the Harris-Walz campaign office on Abbot Road. Walz and his daughter, Hope, were met at Capital Region International Airport by Lansing Mayor Andy Schor, U.S. House Democratic candidate Curtis Hertel Jr., Michigan Educational Association executive Aaron Eling and Pastor Neal Anderson of Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lansing. The campaign said it has opened 52 coordinated campaign offices across the state to mobilize and train volunteers and has signed up more than 35,000 volunteers since Aug. 1.

Ingham County 54B District Judge Molly Hennessey Greenwalt ruled Thursday the Attorney General’s Office presented enough evidence for political consultants Rob and Anne Minard to face a jury trial on a series of charges related to an alleged financial misconduct scheme. Prosecutors said he Minards, who worked for state House Speaker Lee Chatfield, stole over $600,000 from nonprofit organizations and political action committees. The Minards pleaded not guilty to all of the felony charges. They are to appear in Ingham County’s 30th Circuit Court for arraignment Sept. 25.

Emma Jane Huver, 27, was sentenced Monday to five years in federal prison in the death of her 2-year-old son, King Muhammad, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound Oct. 24. She pleaded guilty to a weapons offense in April. Huver, still awaiting a Sept. 30 trial in Ingham County Circuit Court for involuntary manslaughter, second-degree child abuse and various weapons charges, must spend three years on supervised release after leaving prison.

Bradley Corey, 27, was dealt an open murder charge Thursday in the shooting death two days earlier of Emily Hansen, 26, at Fountain Park Apartments on West Clark Road in DeWitt Township. He was in Clinton County Jail after he pleaded not guilty at arraignment. He is also charged with possession of less than 25 grams of cocaine and felony firearm possession. An open murder conviction could result in up to life in prison. A probable cause conference is slated for Sept. 26 and a preliminary exam for Oct. 3.

Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist helped kick off Lansing’s Hispanic Heritage Month Monday by noting its importance in a divisive presidential election year. He spoke at a noon ceremony at City Hall at which city and state proclamations were presented. Ballet Maria Luz, a local folklorico group, performed before an audience of more than 50 people. The festivities, which run through Oct. 15, recognize a slew of Hispanic countries’ independence days. To read the full story, click here.

CATA board members approved the $1 million purchase of the former Greyhound Bus Station property at 511 S. Washington Ave., near its downtown transportation center at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Lenawee Street, for a new administrative building. Construction is planned to begin in winter or spring 2025, with completion expected in January 2026. Officials said that the vision is for the new facility to house CATA offices, primarily for those interacting with customers, as well as providing a public meeting area, a resource center for customers, and possible space for another community partner