Rewind: News from the last 7 days

Gwen Walz, wife of Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz, spoke Tuesday at Lansing Community College West on the “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom” tour. Speakers included sexual assault survivor and reproductive rights advocate Hadley Duvall, Lansing Mayor Andy Schor, U.S. House Democratic candidate Curtis Hertel Jr. and Attorney General Dana Nessel. The 50-stop tour is “in key states and touching blue communities and red ones, with support for reproductive rights transcending party lines,” the Harris-Walz campaign said. Walz’ husband visited East Lansing Sept. 13. Read the full story here:  https://www.lansingcitypulse.com/stories/gwen-walz-touts-reproductive-freedom-in-delta-township-stop,111256

Marcell Marshall, 17, was arrested by Lansing police Monday for the Sept. 17 shooting of two 16-year-old Sexton High School students near the intersection of Riddle and Allegan streets. He will be charged as an adult. Both students suffered non-fatal wounds, with one having been released from hospital care and the other reported in stable condition Monday. The students were with friends and allegedly approached by Marshall, who all knew each other. One accused Marshall of stealing their property, leading Marshall to shoot both before running away, police said. Bond was denied. Meanwhile, an 18-year-old man was shot in the leg Tuesday afternoon near Moores Park, police said, who called his injuries non-life-threatening.

The Lansing School District has joined some 200 districts in suing Meta, TikTok, Google and Snap Inc. for not providing “adequate warnings” to children about the dangers of social media. William Shinoff, the district’s attorney, said that each district is suing the social media companies independently, which gives them a chance to see how jurors react to each lawsuit and puts more pressure on the social media companies to make changes. The suit was filed in federal district court in California, where the defendants have headquarters.

Dart Container has laid off about 250 employees, including some 160 in its headquarters in Mason. The company said the layoffs, representing 2% of its workforce of 13,000, were needed to “balance administrative costs with current sales volumes and remain price competitive.” Dart, which makes food packaging products including paper and plastic cups, plates, lids and cutlery including the red Solo cup, said it’s providing severance, a stipend for those enrolled in Dart medical plans and services to help in job searches.

The grand opening for the new 1 million-square-foot Amazon.com fulfillment center at 6500 W. Mount Hope Highway in Delta Township was set for today, following more than three years of construction. The center will be used to receive and consolidate inventory into bulk shipments before transport to nearby fulfillment centers. It employs more than 1,200, who average $22 an hour.

Waverly High School teacher Robert Herzing, 32, was arrested and charged with accosting a child for immoral purposes, third-degree criminal sexual conduct and using a computer/internet to communicate with another to commit a crime. The arrest outside the Delta Township Library followed more than four months of Herzing communicating on Grindr and via text messages with an Eaton County detective posing as a 15-year-old boy. The school district said it was not made aware by the county Sherriff’s Office until September that Herzing was the subject of a criminal investigation.

Jerry and Tamal Flore, of Dewitt, were bound over to stand trial in Clinton County Circuit Court on a combined 26 criminal child-abuse felony charges, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced. The Flores, charged in December 2023, are accused of adopting children for financial gain and subjecting the children to abuse under the guise of discipline, dating back to 2007.

Taron Gentry, 29, of Eaton Rapids, was arraigned on one count each of resisting and obstructing police and resisting and obstructing police causing injury and three counts of mail fraud. An Ingham County deputy suffered a shoulder injury during a struggle with Gentry near the intersection of Featherstone Drive and Kinglet Court while arresting him. Gentry is suspected of stealing mail from mailboxes.

Colleen Kelly O’Connor, 58, of East Lansing, was sentenced to six months in jail and 18 months’ probation in the 2022 death of Lois Kathryn Cary, 82, who went outside during blizzard conditions and died from exposure while residing at Vista Springs Imperial Park at Timber Ridge Village on Park Lake Road in Bath Township. O’Connor failed to prevent Cary from going outside, the attorney general said.