Rewind: News from the last 7 days

The financially struggling Lansing Art Gallery has suspended operations for at least the rest of September. Executive director Michelle Carlson resigned and five part-time and two full-time employees were laid off. Two employees remain.“We just have to tighten our belts and figure out how we’re going to move forward,” said board Vice President Amy Zander. Board President Rachel Beatty said the monthly operating budget has been cut from $20,000 to $6,000. The board plans to meet weekly and reopen the downtown gallery in October. Full story here.

Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz will appear in Lansing Friday. The Minnesota governor is scheduled to arrive at Capital Region International Airport at noon and participate in events in Lansing, with details to come. Walz will campaign in Grand Rapids Thursday.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited East Lansing Friday, touting the Biden administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act while speaking from an Interstate-127/Interstate-496 bridge construction site off Trowbridge Road. Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and a 2020 presidential candidate, was part of the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America Tour. He was joined by Lansing Mayor Andy Schor and U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, all wearing construction vests. Full story here.

The MSU Board of Trustees approved two major building proposals Friday in its first 2024-‘25 meeting: a 4,000-to 5,500-seat sports arena and a 200,000-square-foot plant and environmental sciences building. The sports arena, on Harrison Road south of the new Student Recreation and Wellness Center, will be home to volleyball, gymnastics and wrestling teams. The facility will meet requirements for Big Ten championships, athletic director Alan Haller said. The plant and environmental sciences building, at Farm Lane and Wilson Road, will provide lab space for food security and climate adaptation.

Delta Township Supervisor Ken Fletcher was arraigned in Eaton County District Court on two felony charges of using a computer to commit a crime and accosting a child for immoral purposes. Fletcher, who resigned the previous day after serving more than 15 in the elected post, pleaded not guilty. Court records said Fletcher “engaged in sexual conversations” on Grindr, an LGBTQ+ hookup app, with an undercover detective posing as a 15-year-old boy. A hearing to determine whether he should stand trial was tentatively set for Sept. 23. Township Clerk Mary Clark was named acting supervisor.

Lansing Police Officer Robert Olson was cleared of wrongdoing Friday by the state Attorney General’s Office from a non-fatal shooting incident in January in the 300 block of West Saginaw Street. Olson was said to be acting in self-defense when he fired seven rounds at Zachary Duling when Duling drove at him and struck him with a Chevrolet Cruze following a police chase. Duling suffered a grazing wound and was arrested the following day.

Lansing’s City Rescue Mission broke ground on buildings for a 440,000-square-foot facility in the 400 block of West Kalamazoo Street expected to shelter more than 300 people dealing with homelessness and other challenges and function as a temporary shelter for 50 more. Construction is expected to take up to 11 months and cost close to $10 million. The Christian nonprofit ministry is receiving state funds for the construction, with the stipulation the mission cannot use religious standards for serving people.

MSU paid $2.76 million in fines in July after failing to obtain approval from the U.S. Department of Education for more than a dozen academic programs as required under provisions put into place after the Larry Nassar scandal. MSU and the DOE reached a settlement in June that acknowledged the university violated provisions of the Higher Education Act of 1965. The DOE found that financial aid was provided to students in unapproved programs and had to be paid back to the department by Aug. 1, according to the settlement agreement. MSU spokesperson Mark Bullion said the amount was paid in full on July 19.

Public Safety

Meridian Township police asked for the public’s help Tuesday in a search for Baylee Psenski, a 13-year-old girl last seen Sunday at Meridian Mall. Anyone with information is asked to call the police at (517) 853-4800. … Johnny Estes was convicted of first-degree murder Tuesday in the 2022 shooting death of Daniel Cannarile. Ingham County Prosecutor John DeWane said he faces an automatic life sentence. … A reward of up to $25,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the July 5 shooting death in Detroit of MSU graduate Jordan Thornhill. The U.S. Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Detroit, Detroit police and CrimeStoppers are offering the reward.