Rewind: News from the last 7 days

Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Lansing Friday, her sixth appearance in Michigan as the Democratic nominee for president but first here. Details of where, what time and whether it will be a rally have not been released. Support from state GOP politicos grew Tuesday when former Michigan Republican Congressman Joe Schwarz endorsed the Harris-Walz ticket. “Now more than ever, we need a principled leader who unites us — not someone who is divisive and who threatens to end democracy,” he said. Schwarz, 87, is a Battle Creek physician and former state senator long associated with moderate Republican positions.

The Lansing City Council unanimously resolved Monday to oppose any move of Capital Area District Libraries from its downtown location. Council members Peter Spadafore and Adam Hussain said the community relies on web access and other resources there. Executive Director Jenny Marr said last week that CADL remains “committed to maintaining a strong presence downtown” but didn’t rule out moving from the 60-year-old facility. “Any discussion about a potential relocation has been driven by a desire to increase and improve access to library services while remaining ardent and responsible stewards of public tax dollars,” she said, referring to maintenance costs.

MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz said Friday he is restructuring the campus Police and Public Safety Department, effective Nov. 11. Former Lansing Police Chief Mike Yankowski will be its chief and director, with Guskiewicz “recombining” previously separate roles. Guskiewicz also announced Vennie Gore as the new vice president for administration, plus new titles for the university’s top spokespeople and a method to find the next provost.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has asked Attorney General Dana Nessel to advise her on demands that she remove former MSU board chair Rema Vassar and Trustee Dennis Denno, The State News reported. The board voted in March to refer them to Whitmer for removal, but there had been no reported action since. It is not yet clear what specific information Whitmer has asked Nessel to review or when she asked her to review it.

About 100 Catholics and supporters rallied outside the governor’s mansion in reaction to a viral video in which Whitmer placed a Dorito in podcaster Liz Plank’s mouth while promoting the CHIPS Act, legislation signed by President Biden regarding investments in domestic manufacturing. CatholicVote organized the event. Attendees, who recited the rosary, said the video was blasphemous and mocked the Holy Communion sacrament. Whitmer spokesperson Stacey Larouche provided an apology from the governor, saying, “A video about the importance of the CHIPS Act to Michigan jobs has been construed as something it was never intended to be and I apologize for that.”

More than 750,000 former, current or even potential Lansing Community College students may be eligible for a portion of a $1.45 million class action settlement tied to a data breach. Mailers declaring “You are Eligible for a CASH PAYMENT” were received last week by some of those impacted. Compromised data, including names and Social Security numbers, could have been accessed by an “unauthorized actor” between December 2022 and March 2023, said the mailers and documents submitted to federal court. Those who file a claim by Dec. 30 are eligible for a cash payment in an undetermined amount based on how many file.

Real estate agent John DeMarco, 64, of Lansing, was sentenced Friday in Shiawassee County Circuit Court to up to 20 years in prison for sexually abusive activity involving a child. He pleaded guilty Aug. 29 to persuading, enticing or knowingly allowing a child to engage in sexually abusive activity for the purpose of producing sexually abusive material.

Police are investigating shots fired and damage to a window at U of M Sparrow Hospital Sunday. An unoccupied vehicle was struck several times by bullets, along with the window in an unspecified area. No injuries were reported, and U of M Sparrow officials said the incident was not related to the hospital.

Police arrested a Lansing man, 36, after a bullet narrowly missed a sleeping child in a Delhi Township mobile home. A suspect allegedly fired several rounds from a handgun, striking two vehicles, the outside wall of a home and a mattress a child was sleeping on. No injuries were reported.

A sculpture dedicated to the late artist and Creole Gallery owner Robert Busby, known as the “Mayor of Old Town,” was destroyed by vandals Thursday. A sign in his memorial garden was also stolen. Donations to repair the sculpture and replace the garden sign can be made at iloveoldtown.com. Busby died in 2007, beaten by a handyman he had befriended and housed.