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News | Michigan

MICHIGAN

Officials: change old batteries in fire alarms

Margaret Harding
October 25, 2005

East Lansing Fire Department officials are encouraging residents to change the batteries in their smoke detectors on Sunday, along with setting clocks back an hour for daylight-saving time. The vast majority of fire deaths occur in homes without a working smoke detector, and people might not smell smoke, a press release from the city of East Lansing states. Working smoke alarms can double the chance of survival in a house fire, the release states.

MICHIGAN

Word on the street

Do you think the recommendations made by the independent committee investigating the April 2-3 disturbances will have any effect on how decisions are made in the city? "I don't necessarily think that it will have a bearing on the city.

MICHIGAN

Bike ride to advocate for bicyclists' rights

Margaret Harding
October 25, 2005

A bike ride through the East Lansing and Lansing areas is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. on Friday at the Ranney Skate Park, located west of the Brody Complex. The ride is part of a worldwide event called Critical Mass, which is geared to promoting the rights of bicyclists and cyclists to use the road.

MICHIGAN

Lansing-area monastery holds 'rain' retreat

Melanie Thomas
October 24, 2005

Pairs of shoes sat outside the doorway at a meditation building of the Lansing-area Dhammasala Forest Monastery on Saturday as about 50 monks and visitors gathered to chant. Inside, a row of barefooted monks, who bowed in reverence toward a golden shrine, had begun their morning of meditation and chanting.

MICHIGAN

AIDS walk focuses on Hispanic patients

By Gabrielle Russon Special to The State News AIDS has become a pressing issue in the Hispanic community as the Center for Disease Control reported that members of the ethnic group comprised 19 percent of all AIDS cases in the United States in 2003, while making up only 14 percent of the population. On Saturday, a small group of Lansing-area residents marched a mile down Michigan Avenue toward the Capitol as part of the third annual Hope March to raise awareness about the seriousness of AIDS in the Hispanic community. The walk, which was organized by the Lansing Area AIDS Network, or LAAN, was intended to focus on the issues and prevention of AIDS among the Hispanic community, said Patrick Lombardi, director of development for LAAN. Thirty-one percent of all Hispanics said the AIDS virus was the second most urgent health issue in the country and reported the disease was a more pressing issue than obesity, according to a 2003 survey by Kaiser Family Foundation. The effects of the virus are visible on a local level in the Lansing community, Lombardi said. LAAN works with about 700 people inflicted with AIDS in 14 counties across the Mid-Michigan area.

MICHIGAN

E.L. weekend fire injures four

Lauren Phillips
October 24, 2005

Officials continue to investigate the cause of a fire in an Oakhill Avenue home Friday evening that injured four firefighters and caused more than $300,000 in damages to the house and its contents. Fire Marshal Bob Pratt said the fire started at about 6:45 p.m.

MICHIGAN

New Sparrow lobby adds convenience to care

Jennifer Toland
October 21, 2005

A new main lobby and emergency entrance opened to the public on Thursday at Lansing's Sparrow Hospital. The entrance, located on Michigan Avenue, is part of the first phase of the west wing building project at the hospital, said capital campaign Director Kevin Gray. The west wing will eventually be 10 stories and will include a new trauma center, a separate pediatric emergency room, surgical operating room, Intensive Care Unit and heart center. On Monday, a ribbon-cutting ceremony also represented the beginning of a campaign to raise $12 million to pay for the addition, Gray said.

MICHIGAN

Shoes symbolize violence survivors

Jennifer Toland
October 21, 2005

Shoes of all shapes and sizes were lined up on steps on the corner of Grand Avenue and Saginaw Street on Thursday with one mission: to spread the message about the number of people affected by domestic violence. The display was called "Walk a Mile in These Shoes" and was put on by EVE, Inc. or End Violent Encounters.

MICHIGAN

Governor hopeful treks across state

Kris Turner
October 20, 2005

Midland — With a casual manner, Dick DeVos circled a large banquet room filled with Republicans, hoping to garner votes for the 2006 gubernatorial election. Speaking at an event sponsored by the Michigan Republican Party on Friday, DeVos continued his tour of Michigan, trying to determine what people would like to see the next governor do differently.

MICHIGAN

New housing, retail project to emerge next year in Northern Tier

Construction has started on a Northern Tier condominium and retail development aimed at young professionals, families and empty nesters, and will be completed next fall, its developer said. The Gaslight Village project, located north of the intersection of Abbott Road and Lake Lansing Road, will include 60 condominiums and town houses, and five to eight retail shops, said Mark Rysberg, managing member of Rysberg Holdings LLC. A mixed-use building comprised of retail space and condominiums will be located east of Abbott Road and include 20, two-story condominiums.

MICHIGAN

Mayoral hopefuls debate city's future

Lansing mayoral candidates Tony Benavides and Sen. Virg Bernero, D-Lansing, both said Lansing's economy needs to be improved during a radio debate Tuesday morning. The debate was hosted by "The Morning Show" with Chris Holman on WILS (1320-AM). Bernero will challenge Benavides, the incumbent on election day, Nov.

MICHIGAN

Group wants smoke-free workplaces to benefit employees

Jennifer Toland
October 18, 2005

A group formed to represent bar and restaurant employees who are affected by smoking while at work, is urging local business to inform their employees of the impact being around smoking can have. The group, Breathe, or Bar and Restaurant Employees Advocating Together for a Healthy Environment, is part of the Campaign for Smokefree Air and is a "grassroots" coalition supported by several health organizations.

MICHIGAN

Students help repair cities

When buckets of donated house paint arrived at Mother's Hug Daycare, 219 W. Grand River Ave. in Lansing, a dozen shivering, but resilient, student volunteers sprang into action. The group covered the building's flaking gray paint — and sometimes each other — with a soft yellow.

MICHIGAN

New Mexican restaurant to be added to downtown

An East Lansing newcomer will join the ranks of other Mexican fast-food restaurants like Taco Bell, Big Ten Burrito, Panchero's Mexican Grill and Qdoba Mexican Grill on the Grand River Avenue front. Chipotle Mexican Grill, a Denver-based burrito, taco and salad restaurant, is slated for 539 E.

MICHIGAN

Students camp for homes

Kristen Daum
October 17, 2005

Huddled between blankets and tents, several students camped out this weekend to lease their top housing choice from the Community Resource Management Co. on Sunday. Sign-ups for next year's leases begin today at the company's offices, 243 W.