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News | Michigan

MICHIGAN

Students enjoy tour through Capitol

Sarah Frank
February 28, 2003

Lansing - As they walked through the Senate wing of the state Capitol, 25 elementary students gasped in awe at the massive beauty of the building's rotunda. "The rotunda is for us, the constituents," Capitol tour guide Dan Reynolds told the fourth-graders. "It's supposed to make us feel proud - does it make you feel proud?" With mouths open wide, the class stared up through the rotunda's wooden balconies to the high blue ceiling painted with gold stars and answered with a resounding, "yes." The students and teacher Bill Lenyz traveled from Nellie Reed Elementary School in Vernon, about 40 minutes northeast of Lansing, to attend the tour earlier this week. Sixteen capitol tours are led per day, and people have been touring the building since 1979.

MICHIGAN

Leaders offer solutions

Brian Charlton
February 27, 2003

Community leaders say they are looking at long-term solutions rather than quick fixes for the budget troubles in East Lansing Public Schools.Hampered by funding dilemmas, the Board of Education has been left with the duty of putting back together the pieces of the district's long-term puzzle."We can reinvent the schools," said Bill Donohue, secretary of the school board and an MSU communication professor.

MICHIGAN

State leadership celebrates Black History Month with music at Capitol

Joey Guillen
February 27, 2003

Lansing - With a choir swaying right to left behind her, 9-year-old Taylor Fowlkes belted out "Still I Rise" in front of a packed Capitol Rotunda on Wednesday. "I was nervous, then when I got into the middle part, I just got happy," she said. Fowlkes' performance was part of the annual Black History Month Celebration, which included dancing, a jazz performance and an appearance by Gov.

MICHIGAN

Granholm: Tax hike not a possibility

Joey Guillen
February 26, 2003

Gov. Jennifer Granholm has considered a long list of possibilities to solve Michigan's budget problems, but one possibility she will not consider is a tax hike. "The governor has made it very clear in every public briefing that she has no intention of raising taxes," Granholm spokeswoman Elizabeth Boyd said. Next week, Granholm will present a balanced budget proposal to offset next year's $1.7-billion general fund deficit.

MICHIGAN

Consumers spend, invest less

Sarah Frank
February 26, 2003

Consumers may be less confident to spend and invest during "sluggish" economic times due in part to a weak labor market and the looming war in Iraq, according to a recent consumer survey.The Consumer Confidence Index, a survey of consumer expectations and present conditions, fell to the lowest level since October 1993.

MICHIGAN

Study: One-fifth of drinkers aren't 21

Underage drinkers account for one-fifth of all alcohol consumption in the U.S., according to a recent national study.The study, conducted by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, reported youths between the ages of 12 and 20 years old amount to 19.7 percent of alcohol consumption in the nation.The study, which was released in Tuesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, said the total of underage drinking amounts to about $22.5 billion in sales.The results came from a 10-month analysis of three sets of data, including figures from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, which involved more than 50,000 people aged 12 and older polled in 1999.The article, "Alcohol Consumption and Expenditures for Underage Drinking and Adult Excessive Drinking," also used figures from several national and federal institutions."The value of this survey points to a huge problem that has been around for some time," National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism spokeswoman Ann Bradley said.

MICHIGAN

Activists to receive LBGT awards

Allison Lucy
February 25, 2003

History junior Ebon Pinson said a lot of people don't tend to understand lesbian, bisexual, gay or transgender people. "They have their own biases and prejudices," Pinson, founder and president of MSU Same Gender Loving Students of Color, International students and Allies said, adding the misunderstanding is the reason he spends so much time trying to straighten out misconceptions. "Many people don't understand that LBGT is a culture," he said.

MICHIGAN

Survey: greeks succeed

Aaron Foley
February 25, 2003

A survey of 500 of the Forbes Super 500 showed almost a quarter of its CEOs were members of greek organizations in college.MSU Greek Life adviser Amy Radford said when most students join a fraternity or sorority, they might not realize the benefits it might offer in the long run."Students tend not to see beyond MSU," she said.

MICHIGAN

eBay criticized for offensive language

The world's largest online auction house is coming under fire for allowing some racially offensive language to remain in its item listings.Last week, the National Alliance for Positive Action protested Internet auction site eBay and asked the company to stop listing items they believe are racially offensive and degrading to blacks.The alliance is opposing eBay's decision to continue to sell a number of books, card games, prints and musical compilations listed with or including racially offensive titles.Earl Ofari Hutchinson, president of the National Alliance for Positive Action, said he and several other groups are planning rallies to protest eBay and are requesting the company to either remove all offensive items or provide disclaimers on the Web site.Hutchinson said those items include cast-iron banks that are caricatures, described on the Web site using a racial slur and shown with large red lips, dark skin and rolling eyes."No response has been made from eBay," Hutchinson said.

MICHIGAN

Chess: Simply child's play

Benita Mehta
February 24, 2003

Lansing - The sound of chess pieces hitting the game board was all that could be heard while players had looks of intense concentration on Saturday during a children's chess tournament. The players were as young as 5 years old.

MICHIGAN

Capitol Update

Joey Guillen  and  Sarah Frank
February 24, 2003

State Rep. proposes changing distribution of public school funds State Rep. Mike Pumford, R-Newaygo, proposed what he calls a more fair distribution of cuts to public schools than Gov.

MICHIGAN

Bio fuel creators could get tax break

Sarah Frank
February 21, 2003

Michigan could soon take advantage of its natural resources and jump on the alternative energy bandwagon, due in part to legislation approved in the state House on Thursday.The bill, introduced by state Rep.

MICHIGAN

E.L. approves golf course design

Brian Charlton
February 21, 2003

A new upscale golf course is set to attract golfers to the East Lansing area. The East Lansing City Council approved an overall site plan of Eagle Eye Crossings, a 232-acre 18-hole golf course, which will soon be an attraction in the Northern Tier, between State and Stoll roads, west of Chandler Road.

MICHIGAN

Small group of Lansing residents protest council

Benita Mehta
February 21, 2003

Lansing - John Pollard said he thinks Lansing City Council is in desperate need of a change."This is by far the worst city council in the past 30 years, or maybe in Lansing's history," said the Lansing resident, who has been attending meetings for about 20 years.Pollard is organizing a recall to remove city Councilmembers Geneva Smith and Larry Meyer - and he's gathered about five dedicated supporters.Pollard said the recallers are not happy with the entire city council, but are targeting Smith and Meyer because they're the only two council members who are able to be recalled at this time."I don't have anything personally against them," he said.