Rewind: News from the last 7 days

Voters elected nine members to the first-ever Lansing Charter Revision Commission out of 36 candidates. Former state Rep. Joan Bauer led the field, followed by former City Council President Brian Jeffries and Lansing School Board member Guillermo Lopez. The others were Elizabeth Boyd, a former press secretary for Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm; DEI consultant Lori Adams Simon; UAW Local 4911 President Muhammad Qawwee II; former City Council member Jody Washington; Jazmin Anderson, equitable economic development director at LEAP; and Ben Dowd , associate director of the Community Economic Development Association of Michigan. Voter turnout was just 12.46%, with 11,176 ballots. The commission begins meeting May 21. 

 A Title IX lawsuit in Grand Rapids will continue against the Mason Public Schools after a U.S. district judge dismissed complaints against Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum and her husband, a Sheriff’s Office detective. The suit challenges the district’s reinstatement of Byrum’s son after he had been expelled for allegedly sexually assaulting a female student.  Judge Robert Jonker also dismissed complaints against Mason High School Principal Lance Delbridge and Assistant Principal Nicholas Toodzio. Jonker also denied a motion by the boy's parents to award them attorney fees. Brandon Wolff, the attorney representing the girl and her family, said he intends to sue Bryum and husband Brad Delaney in state court. Byrum told the Lansing State Journal the lawsuit was “frivolous, false and utterly irresponsible.” It marked the first time she has been identified as a defendant in media other than City Pulse. 

 Holt High School basketball coach Muhammad El-Amin, 36, was fired after being placed on administrative leave following his arrest in a child sex trafficking sting. El-Amin was arraigned in 54-A District Court on felony counts of child sexually abusive activity, computers-internet-communicating with another to commit a crime and accosting children for immoral purposes. He will face a probable cause hearing Friday and a preliminary hearing May 24. The 2005 Holt graduate, who helped the school win a state championship in 2005, was hired to coach the team in 2023. 

 The Lansing Board of Water & Light sued Siemens Energy for three faulty natural gas turbines it purchased for $50 million two years ago. The turbines are part of BWL’s $500 million, natural gas-fired Delta Energy Park, which went online in 2022. BWL’s complaint said the turbines have frequently broken and required tens of millions of dollars in repairs due to compressor defects and failures. A Siemens spokesperson denied the allegations and said the company has been working with BWL to address its concerns. 

 Multiple suspects are in custody after a Lansing man was killed Sunday in the 2100 block of Georgetown Boulevard in south Lansing. The unidentified 25-year-old man may have been taken from his home before he was killed, said Lansing police, who reported a “serious physical altercation between a victim and multiple suspects” and called it a homicide but have not reported the cause of death or the number of suspects and arrests. It was Lansing’s sixth homicide this year, all since April 10. 

 Tyrone Lekese Hooper, 25, of Lansing, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison on two weapons convictions that were tied to incidents where children shot themselves with guns found in his apartment. He pled guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition in January after they were found in his car and home in 2022. Both children survived the shootings. 

 An unidentified 24-year-old man sustained non-life-threatening injuries in a shooting Sunday in the 200 block of West Barnes Avenue in Lansing. Police found multiple vehicles struck by bullets, and WLNS News 6 obtained a video that showed two men firing at least 29 gunshots over 12 seconds. No suspects had been reported identified as of Tuesday. 

 Public Safety :

A trailer full of Special Olympics equipment was reported stolen. The trailer was last seen at the Beekman Center in south Lansing and its contents were needed by athletes for a competition last weekend. ... A 33-year-old Lansing woman was in critical condition Thursday after a two-car crash that shut down part of Oakland Avenue. The driver of the other vehicle, a 45-year-old man accused of speeding, suffered minor injuries. … A house fire Sunday in the 4800 block of Hughes Road in south Lansing displaced four residents. No injuries were reported.