Rewind: News from the last 7 days

Former Michigan House Speaker Tom Leonard, R-DeWitt, has entered the race for governor. Leonard, 44, a rep from 2013 to ’18, lost as the GOP nominee for attorney general in 2018 to Dana Nessel. Leonard is a partner at Plunkett Cooney law firm’s Lansing office, serving in government relations and public policy.  “A positive vision, hard work, and a lot of grit are what it’s going to take to turn this state around,” he posted on X.

The New Hope Community Center, one of Greater Lansing’s largest shelters, has reduced its daily meals by eliminating lunch while maintaining breakfast and dinner, the Lansing State Journal reported. Holy Cross Services operates the facility at the corner of Larch and Shiawassee streets. Its CEO, Steve Adamczyk, said reducing the meals was partially for financial reasons and reflects the lower demand for lunches during warmer months. He said the organization is seeing donations drop, along with having fewer veteran clients. He added that Holy Cross has continued to work to complete a 60-unit expansion project by the end of the year with the help of an $800,000 grant from the city of Lansing.

The MSU Board of Trustees voted Friday to raise’s tuition up to 4.5%, depending on the cap yet to be set by the state Legislature for in-state students. The tuition increase was part of the $3.69 billion operating budget the board passed for the fiscal year 2025-‘26.

Alison Gaudreau, a former MSU assistant vice president for university advancement, has filed a notice of intent to sue the school, claiming MSU fired her due to her reporting of sexual harassment and discrimination on campus. Gaudreau claims that MSU officials, including Vice President for University Advancement Kim Tobin, retaliated against her for reporting sexual harassment and discrimination happening in her office, violating state and federal civil rights laws. She’s seeking at least $122,000 for lost income and any other damages she’s eligible to receive.

Former MSU business Professor Iskandar Arifin, 50, was sentenced by Ingham County Circuit Judge Morgan Cole to at least two years in prison after he pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated possession of child sexually abusive material. The plea agreement dismissed five counts, including two additional charges of aggravated possession and three counts of using a computer to commit a crime.

The New York-based bookstore chain Barnes & Noble will open in Frandor Shopping Center in Lansing in November. Its Lansing Mall store will remain open. The company hasn’t announced how many people it will employ in the storefront that was home to Party City. Its website said it will include a café. The chain operates over 600 stores in 50 states. It will Frandor’s first full-service bookstore since Community Newscenter closed in 2008.

The International Association of Fire Fighters Local 421 has withdrawn its endorsement of incumbent Mayor Andy Schor over a dispute about retiree health care and the language in a 12-year-old labor contract. Union officials said that more than 100 retired Lansing firefighters, who had been paying between $0 and about $200 a month for healthcare, saw their premiums increase by $500 to $900 a month. The union filed a grievance, alleging the city had misinterpreted the 2013 contract. The retirees were protected because the city incorrectly calculated the costs to retirees until it uncovered the error, Schor spokesperson Scott Bean said. Local 421 President Brad Jorae said the union has not endorsed any other mayoral candidate.

Madison Mackenzie Wright of St. Johns, 20, faces criminal charges after police said she falsely reported two men assaulted her on the Fred Meijer Clinton-Ionia-Shiawassee Trail near the Business 27 overpass. St. Johns police said that Wright reported the attack 12 minutes after it happened and officers found no one when they searched the area about 30 minutes later. Wright’s claims “did not align with evidence accumulated to substantiate her statements,” officials said, and a follow-up investigation proved her statements false. Wright faces two felony counts of false felony report.