City Pulse News Rewind: Deadly deja vu

City Pulse News Rewind is a look back at five noteworthy items that made the news over the last week.

Deadly deja vu

The death of Anthony Hulon in the Lansing city jail last April was all but forgotten — until Monday, when the Lansing State Journal broke the story that a wrongful death suit has been filed against the city, Police Chief Darryl Green and four police officers. The suit alleges that Hulon died while struggling against efforts by the officers to constrain him in a jail cell. According to the suit, the Ingham County medical examiner ruled that Hulon’s death was a homicide resulting from “positional asphyxia” — as did George Floyd of Minneapolis at the hands of police six weeks later. Like Floyd, Hulon, 54, of Haslett, could be heard saying “I can’t breathe” on a video showing his loss of life. As whispers spread of a City Hall coverup, Lansing Mayor Andy Schor offered no comment. The suit said the state Attorney General’s Office is considering charges.

COVID 19 redux

Michigan is still safer than much of the nation, but Gov. Gretchen Whitmer warned again Monday that the state is hardly home free from the surge. “As we’re navigating the next steps, if the numbers continue to increase, it’s possible we may have to turn the dial back,” Whitmer said about possibly reinstating lockdown orders. “We still have to take this virus very seriously.” Last week saw over 14,000 new cases — the highest total for a single week since Michigan experienced its first two cases last March. Last week’s daily average was 2,014, which is 25% higher than the peak in April. Meanwhile, Republicans in the Capitol authored a plan to give counties more control over fighting the virus. As of Tuesday, Michigan had recorded 164,274 total cases, including 7,239 deaths. That includes 4,538 cases and 65 deaths in Ingham County.

Football returns to MSU — after a fashion

The Spartans belatedly kicked off their football season Saturday with a home game, with parents and few others except for cardboard cutouts in the stadium and tailgating prohibited throughout campus. The Big Ten Conference reversed itself to allow the truncated nine-game season despite pandemic risks. The home team lost to Rutgers, 38-27.

RIP: East Lansing trail blazer Martha Bibbs

Her husband, James Bibbs, called her “superlady.” Indeed, Martha Merle Bibbs, who died last week at the age of 80, left her mark. She was the first Black person named personnel director of the Michigan Civil Service Commission, serving under Gov. James Blanchard. She was the first to chair the board for the former Black Child & Family Institute in Lansing, one of her many initiatives on behalf of women, children and families. A single mother till she married, Bibbs earned a sociology degree from MSU and completed the John F. Kennedy Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at Harvard. Services start at 10 a.m. today at Abundant Grace Church, 5750 S. Cedar St., Lansing.

Sheriff candidates lead the way in fundraising

Candidates running for office in Ingham and Clinton counties have spent at least a half-million dollars in this election cycle, according to campaign finance records filed last week. And while only next month’s results will show which of the candidates got the biggest bangs for their bucks, early reporting shows which of them have been bankrolling the largest campaigns. Leading the pack was Ingham County Sheriff Scott Wriggelsworth, who reported raising $98,000 to run for reelection next week, followed by Eaton County Sheriff Tom Reich, who raised nearly $95,000. They reversed themselves for biggest spender, with Reich doling out $70,550 and Wriggelsworth at nearly $59,000. In third was former state Sen. Rick Jones, who has spent more than $43,000 trying to unseat Reich. Fourth was former Ingham County Commissioner Carol Koenig, in a tough fight to be elected 30th Circuit judge in Ingham County. Rick Jones racked up the biggest campaign debt: $132,000 in his effort to win back his old job.