Rewind week of June 10, 2026

Rewind June 10 2026

Michigan’s fatal overdose death rate has declined to almost half of what it was just five years ago. The latest state figures show that there were about 16.4 deaths per 100,000 people in 2025, compared to 30.8 in 2021. More than 3,000 people fatally overdosed in Michigan in 2021 and, despite dramatic improvement, more than 1,800 people fatally overdosed in Michigan in 2025. State officials credit better use of harm reduction services, expanded access to naloxone, better use of data and removing barriers to treatment as some of the big steps. “These are not just statistics. These are parents, children, siblings, friends and neighbors who are alive today because life-saving tools and services were available when they were needed,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive and chair of the Michigan Opioids Task Force, in a statement. There remains a substantial gap with urban counties having about 24% more deaths and Black overdose deaths being about twice the state average. Elizabeth Hertel, MDHHS director, said it is a meaningful improvement but not enough. “While this decline is encouraging, our work is not done,” she said in a statement.

Kostichek’s made it official on Monday: the oldest business in downtown Lansing won’t be reopening. The fine clothing store dates back to 1865 and has been run by four generations of the family. It closed following a July 2024 storm that led to serious damage. Rumors swirled for more than a year but in September another fine clothing store, the fifth location of Craig Ryan Fine Clothing, opened downtown. Some of the longtime Kostichek’s employees were part of the Craig Ryan opening, seen at the time as a quiet signal that the storied Lansing store may not reopen. There was no official word, however, and there was some hope of a revival until this week. Matt McLeod, the Kostichek’s store manager and a 50-year employee, told WILX-10 that the decision to close was not easy and reopening would have been a huge undertaking for the crew at their ages. The store has said anyone with an outstanding gift card or store credit has until July 31 to submit a refund request. Send emails to kositchek@sbcglobal.net  and include including phone, mail and email addresses.

Tornado season isn’t over and Michigan has already had more than its average tornado count for a full year, according to the National Weather Service. Over the last 30 years, Michigan has had an average of 14 tornadoes a year. This year, there have already been 15 tornadoes, Grand Rapids-based National Weather Service meteorologist Rebecca Hansen told WKAR.org. “We’re currently above average for that 30-year average. Most of the tornadoes have occurred in the southern half of the Lower Peninsula, or really just mainly south of US-10, across the state, with east and southeast Michigan, including the Detroit area, seeing the most at around six tornadoes. Otherwise, the Grand Rapids area, for our forecast area in western Michigan, we’ve seen four, and then along with northern Indiana, that covers several counties. In southwest Michigan, there have been four observed tornadoes in that area as well.” June is typically Michigan’s biggest month for tornadoes, so those numbers are likely to rise. Earlier this year, Ryan Harriott, president and founder of Michigan Storm Chasers, predicted a more active severe weather season in Michigan because of shifting climate patterns in the Pacific Ocean that influence weather across the United States, according to WKAR.

A bunch of yard signs popped up on MSU’s campus on Monday, praising the outgoing President Kevin Guskiewicz, nearly two weeks after he abruptly announced his departure and cited public conflicts with three members of the eight-person Board of Trustees. The signs “We (heart symbol) Kevin G” could be seen in person and on social media. Pat Gillespie, president of Gillespie Group and one of the area’s largest developers, told WLNS that he and about two dozen others launched the effort to show appreciation for Guskiewicz. The outgoing president announced on May 27 that he was leaving MSU and taking over the presidency of Clemson University, in South Carolina. Guskiewicz turned down a Hail Mary offer of $2 million a year from MSU, which would have doubled his salary, when he accepted the Clemson gig. Gillespie told WLNS: “He did amazing things while he was here, and we all wish he could be here longer, but if we’re going to send him off, we might as well send him off full of gratitude and let him know that we appreciate what he’s done.”

A 26-year-old East Lansing resident has died following a June 3 wreck. Gabrielle Knoespel was identified by East Lansing Police as a deceased passenger in a collision that seriously injured several individuals. The collision happened around 2 p.m. near Saginaw Street and Harrison Road. Knoespel was being driven by a 45-year-old woman, who remains in critical condition. A pair of 22-year-old East Lansing males from another car involved in the collision are in stable and critical condition, respectively. The ELPD is asking for anyone who may have witnessed the crash or has a camera in their car that may have recorded the crash, to contact ELPD Detective Katey Harrison at kharris@cityofeastlansing.com.

Federal officials have arrested a man and accused him of threatening to shoot Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and as many others as possible at the Michigan State Capitol on June 2. The alleged threats were made on May 9 through emails to the governor and to Michigan State Police, according to an indictment charging the man with transmitting a threat. The man was arrested in Hawaii, where the federal cases are filed. In a court filing seeking charges, an FBI agent wrote that the man “wanted to kill Governor Whitmer because she was a Democrat, and he had been conducting online research to plan a trip to Michigan to carry out his threat.” The man was living without a home on the Oahu island; he called FBI agents and said he had sent the threats and still planned to follow through, and that he was in a voluntary mental health program at the time, according to court records. Agents met with him at the hospital and he confirmed making the threats and said there was a 75% chance he would have “gone through with” his threats. The man has previously been convicted for threats against President George W. Bush in 2006 and former U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway in 2012, according to the FBI filing.

Lansing police have a person in custody after officers found a 19-year-old female who had been shot in the head Friday.  Officers responded to a call and arrived in the 2700 block of Moores River Drive, near Frances Park, around 3 a.m. “A person of interest is in police custody,” according to a statement from the Lansing Police Department, which added that the victim is in critical condition. Individuals with information about the shooting are urged to contact the LPD at 517-483-4600.