Rewind: News Highlights From The Last 7 Days

One person was killed and seven were wounded during four separate shootings in Lansing Sunday. 
Five people were wounded, two critically, in a mass shooting outside Logan Square Plaza on the city’s south side. The victims are all male and include three 26-year-olds, one 24-year-old and one 15-year-old. Four of them were admitted to the hospital, and two have been released. No arrests have been made. Additionally, 22-year-old Lansing resident Jose Manuel De Jesus Flores was shot and killed on the 700 block of East Kalamazoo Street. A 16-year-old male suspect was taken into custody. Furthermore, a 22-year-old man was shot in the shoulder at a home on the 1400 block of Robertson Avenue. He was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Finally, an 18-year-old man was shot near the intersection of Everettdale Avenue and Donald Street. He was taken to a hospital and is being treated, but he is expected to survive. No arrests have been made. Assistant Police Chief Robert Backus said police are making progress on the cases but are still seeking help from the public. Anyone with information should call the Lansing Police Department at 517-483-4600.

Damonte Latrell Johnson, the self-proclaimed “General” of the Lansing-area gang Money Bound Mafia, was sentenced to 7.25 years in federal prison for felony firearm possession.
Johnson, 27, must also spend three years on supervised release after prison. Mark Totten, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Michigan, said Money Bound Mafia has been involved in a variety of criminal activities in the Lansing area, including illegal weapon possession, non-fatal shootings and homicides. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has been working with the Lansing Police Department’s Violent Crime Initiative, the Michigan State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to identify and prosecute members of the gang and other individuals associated with the crimes.

The Lansing City Council took the minimum action, short of doing nothing, against one of their own over an ethics complaint.
The Council ordered Jeffrey Brown to go to ethics school for overstepping his authority in asking Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin for U.S. funding for projects, among other accusations against the at-large member. Five Council members and the mayor brought the complaint, based on hearsay that Brown was using his position inappropriately with constituents and vendors. The Ethics Board paid an outside attorney to investigate, which turned up what was classified as “indirect” violations of the city ethics ordinance.

Electric scooters are being pulled from the Red Cedar River at alarming rates, the Lansing State Journal reported.
More than 100 scooters have been fished out of the river near the Bogue Street bridge. The scooters typically have lithium batteries, which can catch fire when introduced to water. “It is known much more remain,” Mike Stout, president and founder of Michigan Waterways Stewards, told the Journal. “I am aware of three separate campaigns that have yielded over 110 scooters from the Red Cedar River this year alone.” Cal Lowing, a Grand Rapids-based magnet fisher who has been putting together groups to clean up the river, said more than 90% of them are Spin scooters, a company Michigan State University has an exclusive agreement with. It’s unclear why so many scooters are ending up in a 40-foot stretch of the river, but a Lansing-based magnet fisher told the Journal that students are likely throwing them over the railing.

Lansing City Council approved plans to add a new social district on the city’s east side.
Lansing has three social districts in downtown, Old Town and REO Town, which were created during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide additional space during indoor capacity limits. Now, a fourth, the Red Cedar/South Frandor Social District, will comprise most of the Red Cedar development project and part of the Frandor Shopping Center along Michigan Avenue. Patrons will be able to take food and alcoholic beverages they purchase from participating restaurants and bars anywhere within the district, including outdoor events. Participating businesses will have to apply for a social district liquor permit to be able to sell alcohol to go. Two businesses are eligible for a permit, Hooked and Old Bag of Nails Pub, but more are expected to join them.

Keeping with the trend of “Barbiemania” following the release of the “Barbie” movie, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office unveiled a Governor Barbie doll.
The doll wears a pink pantsuit, similar to outfits Whitmer has worn, as well as a Michigan necklace. Whitmer’s digital and creative director, Julia Pickett, is calling the doll “Lil’ Gretch,” based on Whitmer’s nickname, Big Gretch. The doll can be seen on Whitmer’s Instagram page speaking from a podium, standing in front of the Capitol and driving a hot-pink convertible with a caption stating that she’s “fixing the damn roads.” The doll is also pictured signing an education bill, the same one Whitmer signed July 20. “Barbie’s been an icon and a reminder that it’s so important to support one another and create systems that allow more people to achieve their own dreams, no matter who they are, what they look like or what they wear,” Whitmer wrote on Instagram.