Rewind: News from the last 7 days

Lansing Mayor Andy Schor made it official Tuesday: He will run for a third term as Lansing mayor. “After seven years, I still believe that Lansing’s Time is Now, and I also believe that the best is yet to come,” Schor’s written announcement said. “I look forward to getting out on the campaign trail and talking to residents and asking for their vote for four more years leading our community into the future.” In a kickoff event at Gregory’s Soul Food in north Lansing, Schor highlighted 15 developments he wants to see through or advanced if elected again. Among them: construction of a new city hall; the sale of the current City Hall with its transformation to a hotel; the Public Safety & District Court Complex in south Lansing; and the relocation of the Capital Area Transportation Authority headquarters to downtown. Schor, 49, a Democrat, is Lansing’s 52nd mayor. He has served since 2018 after being a state legislator and an Ingham County commissioner.

The MSU Board of Trustees plans to vote Friday on a Budget Committee recommendation to demolish the 1959 IM West athletic facility in spring 2027, the Lansing State Journal reported. The $200 million, 293,000-square-foot Student Health and Recreation Center, which is expected to open in May 2026, will replace it. The board said the 66-year-old IM West would be too expensive to repurpose. Demolition would cost about $45 million.

New Lansing City Council President Ryan Kost said he plans to hold up mayoral appointments until Andy Schor provides a public list of applicants for the three dozen-plus boards and commissions for which he makes appointments. Schor said he plans to address the issue at next week’s Council meeting. The mayor nominates candidates to the Council. Kost said that Council presidents have not received transparency when they asked for it. Schor said creating a public list of applicants would likely require redactions, at least of personal information and details.

Gail Kleine, who took on various leadership roles with the Lansing School District and local nonprofits for many years, died Jan. 26 at 82. She helped create a district-wide parent-teacher association, served 12 years on the school board and chaired a 1979 millage campaign that renewed school funding during a period of tax revolt. Kleine led the nonprofit Child Abuse Prevention Services in Ingham County for 14 years and helped create the Michigan Children’s Trust Fund for child abuse prevention. She was honored in 2006 by the Ingham County Women’s Commission as its first Everyday Heroine for working to help end child abuse and neglect.

The Lansing City Clerk’s Office will accept passport applications at the Salus Center, an LGBTQ+ services organization at 408 S. Washington Square, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 13, March 13 and April 10 and possibly beyond. “Given the hostile climate created by current national politics, we are noticing that more queer people are focusing on securing their legal documents,” said Lansing City Clerk Chris Swope. “Providing passport services in a welcoming space like the Salus Center is a great opportunity to serve the community.” Anyone can walk in during these times to apply for a new passport, receive form assistance, or renew an existing passport. All must apply in person, even if they are minors.

The City of East Lansing has settled with Davies Claims Solutions and the domestic arm of Lloyd’s of London in an attempt to get reimbursed over a 2023 settlement with Country Mills Farms of Charlotte. Country Mills owner Stephen Tennes had sued the city for banning him from its farmers market in 2017 because of his religious beliefs. He had publicly announced that he would not host same-sex weddings at his farm and orchard. The settlement document does not include details, and City Manager Robert Belleman also declined to provide them. The city paid about $42,000 in damages and another $783,800 to cover Tennes’ legal costs.

Andrew Garza of Lansing, 54, faces 22 charges, including impersonating a police officer and wearing body armor while committing a violent crime, after an incident in which shots were fired at police during a pursuit. The most serious was discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle, a potential 10-year felony. He is also charged as a habitual offender, fourth offense designation, due to three prior felony convictions in Ingham County between 2014 and 2024. Garza, denied bond at his arraignment, is scheduled for a probable cause conference Thursday and a preliminary examination on Feb. 13.

Five defendants face two counts of assault with intent to murder, discharge of a firearm from a motor vehicle causing serious impairment, carrying a concealed weapon and three counts of felony firearm after a shooting near the intersection of Willow Street and Grand Avenue left an unnamed 21-year-old man with critical injuries. Garrard Young, 19; Dauvion Forrest, 19; Anthony White Jr., 20; Dayjian Lenoir, 21; and Tshara Lynch, 35, were each charged in the incident. The charges are subject to change if the man who was shot does not survive. All five have probable cause conferences scheduled for Feb. 6.