Michigan Headlines: MSU Layoffs Announced, MEDC Investigation Escalates, and Tragedy Strikes in Brighton

LANSING, MI – Michigan State University is preparing for layoffs due to rising operating costs and anticipated cuts in federal funding. MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz informed staff via email that some positions at the East Lansing campus will be eliminated. While the exact number of affected jobs is not yet known, the university says it will work closely with employee unions and may offer voluntary retirement incentives.

In Lansing, new details are emerging following a raid nearly two weeks ago at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) headquarters. According to The Detroit News, the State Attorney General's Office has accused the MEDC of obstructing an investigation into a $20 million grant awarded in 2022 to Global Link International. The MEDC claims investigators improperly seized privileged information during the June 18th raid.

Lansing police have also issued corrections regarding a Sunday night shooting on the city’s north side. Authorities now say no one has been arrested in connection with the incident in the 700 block of West Willow, contradicting earlier reports that two individuals had been taken into custody. The teen victim is expected to survive.

Meanwhile, Lansing police have identified both the victim and the suspect in a fatal shooting that took place early Saturday morning on Beaujardin Drive. Twenty-six-year-old Timothy McGovern was found with multiple gunshot wounds and later died at a local hospital. Twenty-two-year-old Elijah Larkin has been arrested in connection with the case. The investigation remains ongoing.

In other news, dozens of activists from Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids arrived in Lansing Monday as part of a 75-mile, five-day march from Grand Rapids. The group rallied at the State Capitol to raise awareness and funds for children in Gaza, calling for an end to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

Tragedy also struck in Livingston County this week. A 23-year-old road crew worker was killed Monday after being struck by an excavator bucket at a construction site on Grand River Avenue near I-96 in Brighton. State police say the incident appears accidental, though the investigation is ongoing.

On the legal front, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to weigh in on a jurisdictional dispute involving the controversial Line 5 pipeline. The high court will decide whether a lawsuit aiming to shut down the pipeline segment under the Straits of Mackinac should proceed in state or federal court.

Finally, Sienna Heights University in Adrian has announced it will close in 2026. Citing declining enrollment and rising operational costs, the private Catholic institution—which has served students for more than a century—plans to wind down operations over the next academic year.