Rewind: News from the last 7 days

Adrian Wilkerson, 36, of Lansing, was charged Tuesday with open murder in the shooting death of Christopher Bonilla Sr., 45, also of Lansing. The shooting took place Sunday during a confrontation in the Centerfolds nightclub at 5910 S. Pennsylvania Ave. Police performed lifesaving measures on Bonilla before he died of his injuries at U-M Sparrow Hospital. Wilkerson was ordered held without bond at his arraignment and will face a probable cause conference Feb. 27. Courts convicted him of felonies for carrying a concealed weapon in 2007 and 2008 and for witness retaliation in 2018.

John Polderman, the court-appointed receiver of the former Sycamore Townhomes, has filed a motion with the Federal District Court asking its permission to borrow about $15 million to rehabilitate the complex. Arbor Realty, the mortgage holder, proposed an 18-month timeline to renovate the property, plus 18 to 24 months to lease the property to fully operational status. Management would vacate the complex before the start of the renovation and offer tenants relocation services. Both the title owner, Woodside Meadows Apartments LLC, and the city will have an opportunity to file a response to the receiver’s motion and brief. “I applaud these actions taken by the receiver,” said Mayor Andy Schor. “I am confident that the court will carefully and quickly consider this latest proposed plan and do what’s right for the residents.”

Lansing School District Superintendent Ben Shuldiner declared he’s “not actively searching for a new position” after he was named one of the top six candidates for superintendent of the Clark County School District in Las Vegas. “I am so proud of the work we are doing here and know that there is much more to be done,” wrote Schuldiner, Lansing’s superintendent since July 2021. “However, the Clark County School District opportunity, when presented to me, was a ring I felt I had to throw my hat into.” The first round of interviews for the six remaining candidates will next week, followed by a second round March 10 and 11. The districtis the fifth-largest in the nation, with more than 300,000 students in almost 400 schools.

Waverly Community Schools Board of Education passed a resolution this month “affirming commitment to a safe, inclusive and supportive school environment for all students regardless of immigration status,” reported the Lansing State Journal. Waverly joined the Lansing School District in pushing back against President Donald Trump’s executive order allowing immigration officers on school property. Ingham Intermediate School District Superintendent Jason Mellema said the resolution does not change any policies. Law enforcement officials are not allowed unrestricted access to school property for student safety and security, and once on school property, their present is subject to the superintendent’s discretion. Only officers with a valid warrant can detain students.

MSU agreed to pay Former Broad College of Business Dean Sanjay Gupta roughly $422,000 in legal fees and named him “Dean Emeritus” and cochairman of its new Green and White Council the day after dropped his lawsuit against the university and agreed not to sue again. Public records obtained by the Lansing State Journal from MSU through the Freedom of Information Act show that under the terms of the settlement, Gupta will earn a salary of $640,000, including almost $70,000 for his role with the Green and White Council, under a five-year contract. He also is eligible for an annual bonus of $75,000. MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz also named MSU alumnus Matt Elliott, a former Bank of America executive to the council. “The Green and White Council will refine our efforts to meet current workforce demands and anticipate emerging industry needs to help shape our state’s future economy,” Guskiewicz said.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has appointed Patti Tremblay, a member of her executive team and the outgoing director of legislative affairs in the Governor’s Office, to the Ingham County Circuit Court bench. She will serve part of the term vacated by Judge Joyce Draganchuk, who retired in December and will officially take the bench on March 3. Her term will expire on Jan. 1, 2027. Tremblay has served as a deputy legal counsel and deputy director of legislative affairs in Whitmer’s office and worked in the Michigan House of Representatives for nearly two decades. She has a bachelor’s degree from MSU and a law degree from its College of Law.

MSU men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo won his 354th Big Ten game to become the winningest coach in conference history as the Spartans beat the University of Illinois in Champaign, Illinois Saturday, 79-65. In his 30th year as head coach, Izzo surpassed the late Bobby Knight’s total of 353 victories achieved at the University of Indiana between 1971 and 2000. Izzo’s first Big Ten victory came against Knight’s Hoosiers in 1996. Izzo, 70, is now 354-173 in Big Ten play in 30 seasons. He has won 727 of 1,027 games overall since replacing Jud Heathcote in 1995 after serving as his assistant from 1983 to 95.