Rewind: News from the last 7 days

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The Lansing City Council is considering a proposal to increase parking rates at most of the city’s 4,200 spaces. Rates would increase for 63 of the city’s 160 street meters to $1.50 per hour, matching 81 already charging that amount, while the 16 meters in Old Town would remain 75 cents an hour. Rates for additional hours and expired meter fines would also be raised varying amounts, while monthly ramp rates would increase $3 or $4. The city is trying to encourage drivers parking for longer periods to use garages and free up more street spaces. The full list of proposed increases can be found here: https://lansingmi.portal.civicclerk.com/event/5993/files/agenda/8864, attachment #35.

More than 250,000 Michiganders voted during the first weekend of early in-person voting and more than 1.5 million absentee ballots have been received, accounting for a quarter of registered voters, said Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson Monday. Voters can cast ballots at their designated voting location (https://www.michigan.gov/sos/elections/voting/early-in-person-voting) through Nov. 3. Those with absentee ballots should hand-deliver them to the clerk’s office or a secure local ballot drop box to avoid postal delays.

Five members of MSU Hurriya’s coalition were arrested Friday following a sit-in by more than 30 students and faculty members at the Hannah Administration Building, calling for MSU to cut financial ties with Israel. They were charged with trespassing after they tried to remain in the building after hours, following three warnings to vacate. Philip Zecher, the university’s chief investment officer, said MSU has no active flow of money to Israel and instead receives dollars from Israel because of a 2023 State of Israel bond purchase by an MSU representative.

MSU attorneys have asked a federal judge to dismiss former football coach Mel Tucker’s lawsuit against the school. Tucker filed the lawsuit in August, 11 months after he was fired following Brenda Tracy’s allegations that he had sexually harassed her. He claimed MSU ran an “improper, biased, and sham investigation” and discriminated against him based on race. MSU’s outside attorneys said Tucker “seeks to transform a meritless breach-of-contract claim into an $80-million-dollar conspiracy,” that he contended “fail on the face of the pleadings” and that the school and its employees are protected by qualified immunity laws.

MSU trustees Friday approved a formal conflict-of-interest policy that tightens rules on gifts and is a response to past misconduct allegations. MSU spokesperson Emily Guerrant said the policy revisions started before the investigation into allegations, but that not having a formal policy made situations harder to evaluate.

Former MSU student Connor Mui is suing the Lambda Phi Epsilon fraternity and its former leaders over claims they had forced him to use a dangerous amount of marijuana and do intense physical workouts during hazing as a pledge. His suit claims that he was hospitalized in 2021 after the marijuana use, then later compelled to do intense calisthenics with a forced lack of sleep, which caused muscular deterioration and exertional rhabdomyolysis, a life-threatening medical condition.

Lansing city charter review commissioners voted unanimously to retain the existing strong mayor form of government, the first action the body has taken on whether to change the 46-year-old charter since it was elected in May. Many commissioners noted that they’d still like to narrow the qualifications and better define the role of the mayor’s executive assistant.

National retailer Best Buy said it will close its 46,000-square-foot store next to the Lansing Mall in 2025 and move to a 30,000-square-foot store under construction at Delta Crossings, just west of Interstate 96/69. Best Buy, which also has a store west of Meridian Mall in Okemos, opened the westside store in 2002. The store’s employees, the number of which was not reported, are not expected to be impacted by the move, the company said.

St. Johns native Jayci Simon, 19, was named Silver Bells in the City grand marshal for the Nov. 22 parade. She will be joined by partner Miles Krajewski of Yankton, S.D. They were the first Americans to medal in 2024 Paralympic badminton competition in Paris. Simon, who stands just under 4 feet tall, was born with acromicric dysplasia, a rare genetic disorder that causes short stature leading to dwarfism. She was also featured this fall in the St. Johns homecoming parade as well as a parade and ceremony at Lansing Community College.

Public safety:
People were asked Tuesday to avoid the area of Shaw and Farm lanes on MSU’s campus due to a natural gas leak, which occurred after a construction crew struck a gas line. No classes were immediately impacted, but construction workers were evacuated from the area. … Three vehicles, including a Dean Transportation school bus, were involved in a crash Tuesday at South Royston Road and East Clinton Trail in Eaton County. No students were on the bus at the time, but an unnamed number of others suffered minor injuries. … A 66-year-old man was arrested in connection with a stabbing Sunday on the 600 block of East Jolly Road in Lansing. A 32-year-old man was treated for a non-life-threatening wound to his shoulder.

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