Rewind: News from the last 7 days

U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte announced a one-hour telephone town hall at 7:10 p.m. Monday (March 10). His office said the number will be available soon via social media. The announcement follows protests accusing Barrett of hiding from constituents. A spokesperson said the town hall was in the works before the protests, however. Constituents will enter a queue to ask their questions, which Barrett’s D.C. office said will not be screened. A livestream will be available, but attendees can only ask questions over the phone. Activist groups were unsatisfied with the announcement, insisting that the meeting would be less personal and that Barrett’s responsibility to constituents involved in-person meetings. 

The Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office has charged MSU student Hope Duncan, 18, of Eastpointe, with false reports or threats of terrorism and using a computer to commit a crime. A screenshot of the anonymous post from the MSU Class of ’28 Snapchat account read, “There’s going to be another shooting at Michigan State. I’m so glad, this school definitely deserves it and everybody here should die.” MSU Police arrested Duncan on the 800 block of Chestnut Road in East Lansing and transported her to the Ingham County Jail. A judge set her bond at $20,000 in 54B District Court and scheduled her next court date for March 20. MSU also kicked Duncan out of school. Her attorney, Mike Nichols, said the post was not illegal and that a judge should dismiss the charges. WLNS-TV News anchor Sheri Jones has announced her retirement after 35 years at the station. She said her last day will be May 9. “On camera, what you see is what you get: someone who is caring, warm, and most of all — genuine,” said WLNS news director Jam Sardar. “Behind the camera, she treats everyone from the governor to the custodian with interest, respect and grace.” Jones has been inducted into the Michigan Broadcasting Hall of Fame and the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame and won awards from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters and The Associated Press Managing Editors. She was also the scriptwriter and narrator for an Emmy-winning documentary, “We Can Do It! A Celebration of Michigan Women.” Jones said she plans to write, travel, spend more time with her father and family and continue to be involved in the community.

The MSU Feb. 13 Permanent Memorial Committee has narrowed down plans for the memorial to three artist-submitted designs and two campus locations: Sleepy Hollow between Beaumont Tower and the Music Practice Building, and the Old Horticulture Garden near the Student Services Building. The proposals, by artists from New York and Los Angeles, include a round, reflective pond; a trio of “Circles of Reflection” of different sizes and purposes; and a memorial comprising “Camp Circle” and “Memory Windows.” After a survey available until March 31 closes (spartanstogether.msu.edu/memorial), the memorial committee and the Public Art on Campus Committee will suggest a final design. Officials expect construction to begin this spring or summer.

Lansing School District Superintendent Ben Shuldiner is one of three finalists for Clark County School District superintendent in Las Vegas, WLNS-TV reported. After a first round of interviews, the district’s trustees voted for Shuldiner and two others with Clark County schools experience. He said he will be in Las Vegas for a March 10 public forum, three days before the board plans to choose.

MSU’s Health Sciences Council, acting under President Kevin Guskiewicz’s One Team, One Health initiative, has issued a 61-page report examining proposals to merge its College of Human Medicine and College of Osteopathic Medicine. Guskiewicz said one approach is to create a united College of Medicine, making MSU the only U.S. university to do so. He said another would be creating a College of Health Professions. He added that if changes are approved, they would be two to three years away and wouldn’t impact current students. The two schools graduate about 500 physicians a year.

Michigan State Police have arrested Zachary James Whaley of Lansing, 34, and charged him with four felonies for sending sexually explicit text messages to a girl in North Carolina: child sexually abusive activity, accosting a child for immoral purposes and two counts of using a computer to commit a crime. A North Carolina sheriff’s office detective contacted MSP about the case after a parent reported their child’s internet activity to authorities. Safe & Just Michigan, an advocacy organization that works on adult criminal justice issues, fired Whaley from his job as a communications specialist. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.