The forecast predicts that the high will be 19 and the low will be 11.
MSU to pay $150,000 to settle suit over unpaid legal fees
Michigan State University will pay a law firm $150,000 to settle a lawsuit in which the firm claimed the university failed to fully reimburse it for representing a trustee in connection to an outside investigation into her misconduct. The payment to Rochester-based Miller Law Firm will serve as compensation for its “claimed unpaid attorneys’ fees and costs” for a portion of its representation of former board chair Rema Vassar, according to the agreement, which was signed Oct. 27 and obtained by The State News through a public records request. Miller Law’s litigation against MSU was essentially a billing dispute, centering on MSU’s alleged refusal to pay Miller Law $242,653 for representing Vassar in the months after an explosive report into her misconduct was released.
MSU women’s club soccer wins national championship
Games every weekend. Practices three times a week from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Travel paid out of pocket. A typical college life is abandoned. But it’s not all hard for members of MSU’s women’s club soccer team. There are lifelong friendships made, a rediscovery of their love for the game, and — most importantly — a national championship secured. The more competitive of the two available women’s club soccer teams on campus, the team holds tryouts at the end of August, typically meeting 75–100 hopeful players and taking 25–30 of varying grade levels. From that moment, it’s a nonstop grind. From three late-night practices a week to two games most weekends, players have the opportunity to continue playing high-level soccer while maintaining a semblance of the regular life of which many athletes are deprived. Getting to win the national championship not only took tactics and skills on the field, but a special connection off it. For these players, everything circles back to having each other’s backs. With little player turnover in the past few years, many of the juniors and seniors have been able to grow together as teammates and friends — something that has evidently helped on the pitch, from kick off to the final whistle.
Four Spartans earn All-Region honors
Four members of MSU’s No. 9 women’s soccer team were named All-Region, with three making the 2025 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Women’s All-North Region First Team and the fourth joining them on the second team. In addition, six players earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors. The Spartans tied their 2022 record with three first-team All-Region selections and shared the most players on the first team with Ohio State. The players to earn this distinction were senior defender Maggie Illig, junior forward Kennedy Bell, junior midfielder Kayla Briggs, and redshirt-junior midfielder Emerson Sargeant. Six Spartans excelled in the classroom as well as on the field. To be named College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Honors, players must be at least a sophomore, be a starter or “significant reserve,” and maintain a 3.5 GPA. Illig, Bell, and Sargeant were all named, as well as juniors Bella Najera, Mimi Hallier, and Renee Watson. Each school is limited to six honorees.
More than a month after the pepper-spraying and arrest of two black men, Lonnie Smith and Mason Woods, both men have filed federal lawsuits against the city of East Lansing — specifically, Police Chief Jennifer Brown and Officer Anthony Lyon – alleging excessive force and libel for a misleading press release. More than a month after the incident, the city council has not responded to multiple calls for Chief Brown’s removal, and more than a month after the incident, community leaders and officials worry that they still aren’t being heard. On Sunday of MSU Welcome Week, Lonnie Smith attempted to break up an altercation between his friend and East Lansing resident, Mason Woods, and several other young men outside of Dave’s Hot Chicken. After the police were called, Officer Anthony Lyon deployed pepper spray within inches of their faces. Both men were arrested that night. Their charges weren’t dropped until Oct. 21, and the East Lansing Police Department later issued a press release that has been the subject of scrutiny from community leaders. The release included blurry and shaky body cam footage, no security camera footage and named both Smith and Woods. Smith’s attorney released the security footage supporting that the altercation was not a violent fight, and the lawsuits describe that both men neither knew of police presence nor received adequate care for injuries inflicted on them by the police. Nadia Sellers, Smith’s mother, spoke out at the Oct. 7 city council meeting. “The leadership Chief Brown displayed is dangerous,” Sellers said. “Not just to her officers, to the community, to visitors [in] East Lansing and to the badge.”
