Lansing Roundup: University of Michigan President Santa Ono Named Finalist for University of Florida Post; Local News Updates

By Rich Herl | 1320 WILS News | LANSING, MI — May 5, 2025

The University of Michigan may soon be searching for a new president, as Santa Ono has been named the sole finalist for the top job at the University of Florida. The UF search committee announced Monday evening that Ono will be presented to the Board of Trustees for consideration. Ono, who became U-M’s president nearly three years ago after serving as president of the University of British Columbia, has overseen key initiatives during his time in Ann Arbor.

In Lansing, the City Council is set to hold a public hearing Monday night on Mayor Andy Schor’s proposed $307.4 million budget for the 2026 fiscal year. The council must approve the budget within the next two weeks. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

Commuters in the Lansing area should brace for multiple road closures this week due to freeway construction. Jolly Road will be closed at US-127 from 6 p.m. to midnight on both Monday and Tuesday for bridge deck work. Beginning Wednesday at 9 a.m., several ramps and lanes will close at the I-96/Lansing Road interchange. Closures will last through the summer, with some lasting until late August.

In East Lansing, reconstruction has begun on the Harrison Road bridge over the Red Cedar River. The project, located between the Breslin and Kellogg Centers, will maintain one lane of traffic in each direction and is expected to wrap up by mid-August.

In a poignant development, U.S. Army Air Force Sergeant James Schwartz, who died in a World War II POW camp in 1942, has finally been laid to rest in Williamstown Township. Schwartz, a native of Webberville, was just 21 when he died. His remains, buried in the Philippines for decades, were exhumed and identified in 2019.

Gas prices have jumped significantly across Michigan. AAA reports Lansing-area prices have risen about 25 cents in the past week, averaging $3.27 per gallon as of Sunday. The statewide average sits at $3.20, a 16-cent increase.