Rewind: News from the last 7 days

Lansing City Council President Ryan Kost has proposed two amendments to ensure the city doesn’t get saddled with large bills if it red-tags an apartment complex and needs to put people into hotels, the Lansing State Journal reported. The first would require $2,500 in relocation coverage as part of the landlord insurance policies required for a city-issued certificate of compliance, while the other would allow the city to collect up to $85 a day for up to 30 days to cover relocation costs if the landlord didn’t get the coverage. The council referred the amendments to the city’s Committee on Public Safety, which plans to meet on May 27.

Michigan State University athletic director Alan Haller is leaving Sunday (May 11) after more than three years. Several media sources say he was fired, but the school did not specify if he was dismissed or resigned. Haller, 54, is an alum and Lansing native. In announcing his departure, President Kevin M. Guskiewicz stressed that “innovation, effective communications and community engagement are more important than ever.” Basketball coach Tom Izzo and deputy AD Jennifer Smith will be co-interim athletic directors during the search for Haller’s successor.

President Guskiewicz emailed faculty and students that federal changes are compounding the university’s existing financial challenges and that it has “reached the difficult conclusion that we must adjust our financial path. The next few months of financial planning will be demanding and difficult for some in our community, and we will need to make hard decisions that will impact people we care about.” Guskiewicz did not state where cuts might come but wrote that Lisa Frace, the senior vice president and chief financial officer, and her staff will communicate changes to department heads in the days ahead. He said MSU is looking at immediate cuts ahead of the new budget year that begins July 1 and “larger, longer-term savings.”

David Gaines Jr., 24, will be tried on an involuntary manslaughter charge based on video evidence in Caleb Shermoe’s death after Gaines allegedly punched him in East Lansing in January. Shermoe fell and hit his head on the pavement after being struck outside Raising Cane’s on East Grand River Avenue. He died several days later from blunt force trauma. Ingham County Prosecutor John Dewane argued at an evidentiary hearing that Gaines was the aggressor and assaulted Shermoe twice, first by shoving him and then by punching him about 30 seconds later. A video shot by a bystander showed Gaines lunging toward Shermoe and punching him in the face. Gaines was bound over to Circuit Court.

The Lansing Board of Education hired East Lansing-based Thrun Law Firm to investigate one of its members for violating board policies regarding speaking with district staff and other ethics concerns, the Lansing State Journal reported. Board President Robin Moore said the board decided to investigate due to concerns from district staff members. The firm found that the unnamed board member broke board policies concerning how and under what circumstances elected officials for the district can speak to staff, as well as ethics rules. The board did not discipline the member but voted 6-1 to clarify its expectations and add more professional development for board members.

Johnny Jones, who coached both the Lansing Everett High School boys and girls’ basketball teams to a combined three state titles, died at 75. His Vikings girls’ squads claimed championships in 2000 and 2001, while his boys triumphed in 2004. He coached the boys from 1980 to 2012, succeeding the late George Fox, who won a state title in 1977 with Earvin “Magic” Johnson, and the girls from 1995 to 2008. A public memorial ceremony will be noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 10, at the Everett gymnasium.

Former Lansing Police Department Lt. Ryan Wilcox, 45, was sentenced to 10 months of probation and ordered to pay $18,500 in restitution to the city after he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of embezzlement by an agent or trustee between $200 and $1,000. He had previously been charged with a felony count of false pretenses with intent to defraud, over $1,000 but less than $20,000. An investigator testified Wilcox spent time mowing lawns for money and working for another company while on the clock for the city, used his city vehicle and city-paid fuel to make personal trips to Chicago and used law enforcement databases for personal reasons.

Public Safety

MSU police are seeking the community’s help in identifying a person of interest (pictured) connected to an assault that occurred during a commencement ceremony at the Breslin Center Sunday, May 4. Those with questions or information should contact Detective Martha Brushaber at BrushaberM@police.msu.edu or 517-884-9414. … Lansing police are investigating what they called an “intentional” hit-and-run crash on the 2400 block of East Jolly Road that injured a 27-year-old Lansing resident. Police said the man had non-life-threatening injuries and that both parties “are known to each other.” They did not identify the driver and have not yet made any arrests.