Rewind: News from the last 7 days

Bridget Brink, the former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, announced she is running as a Democrat to challenge U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District in next year’s election. Brink purchased a home on Moores River Drive in Lansing at the end of May with her husband, Nicholas Higgins, a foreign Service officer. She is a career diplomat who grew up in Michigan and resigned as ambassador over President Donald Trump’s policies regarding the war with Russia.

The East Lansing City Council has approved a tentative $7.8 million settlement to resolve a lawsuit over the 5% franchise fee it levied on its Lansing Board of Water & Light customers starting in 2017. The settlement is pending approval by Ingham County Circuit Judge Wanda Stokes. East Lansing resident Jim Heos sued the city in 2020 to challenge the fee, but the state Supreme Court ruled in February that the fee was, in fact, a tax and, therefore, would have required voter approval, which the city did not obtain. The city must establish a formula to determine individual refunds to residents, which Stokes must approve. Residents who paid BWL franchise fees in East Lansing between April 2, 2019, and April 30, 2025, are eligible for reimbursement.

Delta Township officials are discussing assessing property owners 1.5 mills to help it complete a tentative deal with Eaton County to fund police and fire service. Township Manager Brian Reed told the township board that state law permits certain types of local governments to fund police and fire services with a special assessment on real property, just as they would with a typical millage. Residents, however, will not have a chance to vote on it. “We need police services here, so it’s a matter of ‘we have to act,’” Reed told the Lansing State Journal. A 1.5-mill special assessment would generate about $2.7 million a year and help the township pay for police services for its 33,000 residents following the failure in May of a countywide 2-mill tax increase aimed at funding Sheriff’s Office road patrol in rural areas. Delta Township voters supported both of those millage proposals.

Stephanie Anthony, the director of the MSU Office of College Access Initiatives and a presidential adviser for relationship violence and sexual misconduct, claimed in a notice of intent filed with the Michigan Court of Claims that Vice Provost for University Outreach and Engagement Kwesi Brookins, her direct supervisor, repeatedly broke state and federal civil rights laws by discriminating against her and subjecting her to a hostile work environment. Anthony claimed Brookins made false reports alleging her misconduct to the university, withheld money intended to support her in her dual roles and retaliated against her for reporting discrimination and taking leave.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office executed a search warrant June 18 at the Lansing offices of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and a home in Farmington Hills, officials confirmed. The Detroit Free Press confirmed that investigators were at the home of a major MEDC grant recipient. Neighbors interviewed said the house belonged to Fay Beydoun, president of the nonprofit corporation Global Link International. The office would not disclose details about the investigation’s nature. Otie McKinley, an MEDC spokesperson, called the raid “unwarranted and unnecessary,” adding, “MEDC has been fully and voluntarily cooperating with the Attorney General’s investigation for more than two years.” MEDC awarded a $20 million grant to Global Link International, and The Detroit News reported that early expenditures from the grant proceeds included a $4,500 coffee maker, an $11,000 first-class plane ticket and $408,000 in salaries to two individuals over a three-month period.

Grammy-winning country music artist Billy Strings announced his mother’s passing from the stage of a show in Lexington, Kentucky, Friday, the night after his homecoming performance at the Charlotte Bluegrass Festival. Debra Apostol, who lived in Muir, Michigan, with Strings’ dad, Terry Barber, died in her sleep after his Charlotte show. Strings, who was born in Lansing, recalled his parents’ bringing him to his first bluegrass festival in Charlotte when he was 4. Barber, a bluegrass artist himself, had joined Strings on the stage Thursday. Strings asked his Lexington fans, instead of a moment of silence, to make as much noise as possible in honor of his mother.

Public safety
Lansing police said a man suffered a non-life-threatening stab wound on the 1400 block of Roselawn Avenue Saturday. Police did not identify the victim or a suspect they were seeking. … Firefighters from three departments fought a blaze at the St. Johns Motel Saturday. No one was injured, but the motel has been closed as the owners determine whether they can repair the damage.