Rewind: News Highlights From The Last 7 Days

Ted Lawson, secretary of Ingham County’s Democratic Party, died after being shot in the 1100 block of North Jenison Avenue Sunday afternoon. The longtime regional activist and member of Ingham County’s Board of Canvassers was out canvassing for Trini Lopez Pehlivanoglu, an at-large candidate for Lansing City Council, when he was shot just a few blocks away from his home at around 3 p.m. on Sunday. Lansing police said Tuesday they had taken a 15-year-old boy into custody in connection with the murder. Lawson, 63, is the ninth homicide victim in the city this year.  

Sixty Black educators who formerly worked at the Lansing School District voiced racism concerns at the district’s school board meeting Thursday. Claude Hogan claimed he faced unfair treatment while he worked there and was placed on leave without reason, prompting him to resign. Lansing School Board President Rachel Willis said some allegations were false and that the district is committed to hiring more teachers from minority groups. In 2020, the district authorized a third-party equity audit. The results, released in 2022, revealed that Black teachers felt more pressured to participate in equity programs than their white colleagues and that students of color were twice as likely to face suspension.

Michigan State University announced Monday that it will begin providing tuition-free enrollment for up to 6,000 Michigan residents next fall. The Spartan Tuition Advantage program will cover tuition for high school graduates whose families make $65,000 or less per year, with the inaugural group initially expected to include about 1,500 students and rising to nearly 6,000 in subsequent years. MSU says it will cover tuition for all Pell Grant-eligible candidates who meet the financial requirement and complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Recipients will have to find alternative grants or programs to cover room and board, textbooks and fees. Since 2006, MSU has provided more than $387 million in financial aid to nearly 12,000 Michigan residents.

2024 presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made a campaign stop at Lansing’s Doubletree by Hilton on Saturday. Kennedy, 69, an environmental lawyer, is the son of the late former U.S. Attorney General and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy. More than 200 people attended the event, where Kennedy spoke on issues that included housing and the economy. On Monday, Kennedy announced that he will run as an independent instead of as a Democrat, as he had originally intended. 

A 22-year-old Kalamazoo man was hit by a train in East Lansing on Oct. 4. The incident occurred just after 2 a.m. along Harrison Road, where the victim was found by the city’s Fire Department and taken to a local hospital in critical condition. … A 22-year-old-man was shot Thursday morning at Trappers Cove Apartments on the city’s south side. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital with life threatening injuries. … The Lansing Police Department took an unknown number of suspects into custody after an attempted bank robbery near Frandor Shopping Center on Friday. Officers caught up with a fleeing vehicle on the 2800 block of Cooley Street following a short pursuit.

The City of East Lansing will add the Mayor’s Youth Commission to its city government in November. Applications are being accepted for a commission of nine voting members, ages 14 to 18, who would serve one-year terms. Applicants must be city residents or attend a city school. The city’s website said the group’s purpose is to “engage the youth of the City of East Lansing by actively involving them in the functions of City government, schools and libraries,” and that the commission will act as an advisory board to the City Council. Mayor Pro Tempore Jessy Gregg was the first to suggest the idea of the commission about two years ago. 

The new Lansing City Hall will continue to bear the name of former Mayor David Hollister when the city makes the move to the former Masonic Temple building, possibly as soon as 2025. Last month, the city announced its intent to purchase the property at 217 S. Capitol Ave from the Boji Group and renovate it. The current facility at 120 W. Michigan Ave. was renamed in honor of Hollister in 2017. Hollister, 81, served as Lansing’s mayor from 1993 to 2003.