Fatal shootings in Lansing have dropped 47% in the 20 months, Ingham County prosecutor John Dewane said. He cited 18 fatal shootings in 2023 through August 2024, compared to 34 in the same period in 2021-‘22. Non-fatal shootings fell 4% from 128 to 123. Overall, shootings dropped 13% drop from 141 to 162. Among the reasons, Dewane cited the work of Advanced Peace Lansing, which started two years ago, and a policy change in his office target violent and gun-related. More details are available at https://advancepeacelansingingham.org/statistics/.
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Lakewood High School for Emily Root and her daughters, Amalia and Shiloh, killed in a crash Thursday near Grand Ledge. The Roots’ van was driven through a stop sign at Cochran Road and Mt. Hope Highway, where a semi-truck hit it. The truck’s driver and a third child, Kylie, suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Emily Root was the hospitality manager at Woldumar Nature Center in Delta Township; her husband, Kyle, is a firefighter for the Lake Odessa Fire Department. The department set up a fund for the Root family at Union Bank locations. There is also a Venmo link, https/venmo.com/u/firedepartmentrootfamily (code 1402), and Risen Bread Bakery has started a gofundme account.
Jack Lipton, former MSU Faculty Senate head, is suing the Board of Trustees, alleging members Dennis Denno and Rema Vassar engaged in vindictive actions against him after he made comments critical of the board, the Chronicle for Higher Education reported. The suit, filed Tuesday, accuses the board of violating Lipton’s First Amendment rights and seeks Vassar and Denno’s resignation from the board, an order banning further retaliation and an unspecified amount of money for damages. “Vassar and Denno began encouraging MSU student groups to label Dr. Lipton a racist (and) publicly attack him in the media,” it says…