May 28, 2026

 EASTLAKE, OH – Rafe Schlesinger set a career high with nine strikeouts in a combined seven-hit shutout, and the Lake County Captains (23-21) blanked the Lansing Lugnuts (19-26), 10-0, on Sunday afternoon at Classic Auto Group Park.

Aaron Walton swatted a grand slam and Jace LaViolette added a solo home run for Lake County, while Ali Camarillo went 3-for-4 with three singles and a stolen base, and Rodney Green, Jr. added a pair of singles and a pair of running catches in deep center field for Lansing.

The rest of the Nuts’ lineup was largely silenced by Schlesinger over the first five innings, Logan McGuire in the sixth and seventh, Xavier Martinez in the eighth, and native Michigander Cam Schuelke in the ninth, stranding nine runners on the bases in their second shutout loss of the year.

Luke Hill gave Lake County the lead for good with a three-run double off Lugnuts starter Nathan Dettmer in the third inning; Dettmer gave up nine hits, five walks and five runs in all across five innings, striking out two.

LaViolette knocked his eighth homer of the year to left-center off Jack Mahoney in the sixth inning for a 6-0 lead.

Walton closed out the scoring in the eighth, following a pair of HBPs and a walk with a drive to the mini golf course in left-center off of Riley Huge.

The Midwest League is off on Memorial Day, followed by a six-game homestand for the Lugnuts against the West Michigan Whitecaps from May 26-31. For tickets and more information, call (517) 485-4500 or visit www.milb.com/lansing. 

(courtesy story)

By Kim Ward 

EAST LANSING, Mich. - A new free elementary science curriculum now available nationwide could reshape how young students learn science — and a Michigan State University professor helped lead its development.

Amelia Wenk Gotwals, a professor in MSU’s College of Education, played a central role in developing OpenSciEd, an open-access K–5 science curriculum aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards, or NGSS, as well as key components of Common Core math and English language arts standards. The materials are now freely available to educators across the United States and globally.

Gotwals co-led development of all K–2 materials with Tanya Wright, former MSU professor, and served as head of assessment for the full K–5 curriculum, leading the design of tools to help teachers evaluate student learning.

“This work was always about supporting teachers and students in real classrooms,” Gotwals said. “We wanted to create materials that reflect how students actually learn and not treat science, literacy and math as separate silos.”

The effort was supported by an $8 million grant from multiple foundations, with approximately $1.8 million awarded to MSU. Gotwals served as principal investigator for the university’s portion of the project.

Before its national launch in spring 2026, the curriculum was piloted by more than 900 teachers across nine states, including Michigan. All units were externally reviewed by the National Science Teaching Association and earned the NGSS Design Badge, recognizing them as top-rated instructional materials aligned with national science standards.

The work builds on more than a decade of research and collaboration. Gotwals’ efforts trace back to the 2013 rollout of NGSS, when she and Wright identified natural overlaps between science learning and literacy development.

“Students are reading, writing, speaking and listening as part of doing science,” Gotwals said. “We saw an opportunity to support teachers with materials that bring those pieces together.”

That idea led to the creation of SOLID Start — Science, Oral Language and Literacy Development from the Start of School — a K–2 program first piloted in a Michigan school district in 2014. Developed alongside educators and tested in classrooms, SOLID Start provided a foundation for the broader OpenSciEd effort. The program, which includes curriculum materials, tools and professional learning resources, remains freely available online.

“We don’t want materials that only work in ideal situations,” Gotwals said. “We want something that works in real classrooms.”

The new elementary curriculum builds on earlier OpenSciEd materials developed for middle and high school students. Gotwals contributed to those earlier efforts as well, helping design assessment systems during the initiative’s early phases. But her leadership is most evident in the K–5 materials, developed since 2022 through close collaboration with teachers nationwide.

“We worked with educators across the country to understand what teaching looks like in different contexts — from Michigan to Louisiana to Washington,” Gotwals said. “Teachers were our collaborators. Their insights shaped everything.”

By making the curriculum freely available, the initiative aims to expand access to high-quality science instruction, particularly for districts with limited resources.

“OpenSciEd provides teachers with materials they may not otherwise have access to,” Gotwals said. “When districts don’t have to spend on curriculum, they can invest in professional learning and other supports that help teachers implement these materials effectively.”

Ultimately, Gotwals hopes the curriculum will help students build stronger connections to science from an early age.

“When teachers feel confident using these materials, it changes how science is taught,” she said. “And that can change how students see themselves as learners and thinkers.”

(courtesy story)

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has issued a Grant Funding Opportunity (GFO) for anti-trafficking organizations to expand or enhance direct support and specialized services to victims of human trafficking. 

The focus of the initiative is to strengthen and expand anti-trafficking services provided by established victim service organizations. Funding will support a broad range of critical services that support survivors of labor and sex trafficking; ensuring survivors have access to holistic, trauma-informed care that promotes long-term safety, healing and overall well-being.  

Eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) nonprofits, private and public entities, local health departments, federally recognized tribes, a group of federally recognized Michigan tribes or Urban Indian Health Clinic programs and universities.  

The grant period begins Oct. 1, 2026, and ends Sept. 30, 2027. MDHHS expects to award approximately $2.1 million. Project director requests to access the application are due by 5 p.m., Thursday, June 18. Grant applications must be submitted electronically through the EGrAMS system by 3 p.m., Wednesday, June 24. 

A pre-application conference will be held to provide instruction on using the EGRAMS system at 1:30 p.m., Monday, June 1. It will last approximately 90 minutes and can be accessed at https://bit.ly/3RkpCLp. At the conclusion of the conference, a recording of the webinar will be posted on the EGrAMS system.  

For more information or to apply, visit the EGrAMS website and select the “About EGrAMS" link in the left panel to access the "Competitive Application Instructions" training manual. The complete GFO and resource documents can be accessed under the ‘Current Grants’ section within the “Bureau of Community Services” link and by selecting the “HTPC-2027” grant program.   

(courtesy story)