Incumbent, student up for seat on board

The race to represent part of East Lansing and MSU on the Ingham County Board of Commissioners is between an MSU student and a board veteran. The board is the governing body of Ingham County and is responsible for legislative and administrative functions of the county. MSU is in district 10, which also includes central and southern East Lansing and is currently represented by Democrat Mark Grebner. Challenging Grebner is history senior Zach Hodyna, a Republican who said he's interested in representing students on the board. Below is a brief description of each candidate and why each wants to win in the general election on Nov.

Student wins journalism awards

"Sam Howell clutched the arms of his wheelchair, lips pursed, eyes wide with determination. "He was going to stand." These two sentences lead into a story that catapulted journalism senior Melissa Domsic into more than $17,000 worth of scholarships for her reporting.

Flu vaccine production may be more efficient

Producing a vaccine for avian bird flu and other influenzas may become a faster, cheaper process because of technology from an MSU animal science lab.

Command post cabana

A four-wheel, hitch trailer with four expandable rooms, a fuse box for a power generator, collapsible railings on the roof for observation, removable insulation, air conditioning and heating. It has about 480 square feet of room, weighs about 90,000 pounds and costs about $100,000. What might make a swanky fold-out camper is actually the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety's new mobile emergency center called a "cabana," which officers used Wednesday in a training exercise. Purchased using a $300,000 homeland security grant issued from the state, the cabana can be used as a command post, first aid facility or area for emergency workers to rest in an ongoing incident. MSU police Inspector Bill Wardwell said the department made a case that MSU is a potential terrorist target because of the amount of research the university does, the amount of people who come to public events —including football and basketball games — and the number of influential people who visit the campus. "We identified several things that would help us respond to a terrorist attack, this being one of them," he said.

Federal court offers student plea bargain

An MSU student charged with hacking into a Harrisburg, Pa., company's Internet server and downloading copyrighted material filed a guilty plea for computer intrusion with a federal court on June 21, according to a prosecuting attorney. A trial for Brandon Yuille was scheduled for Monday, but because of the previously filed plea, Yuille now awaits a sentencing date, First Assistant U.S.

Live music, movie tonight at film festival

The Moonlight Film Festival will feature a live musical performance by Jack Kohler and an outdoor movie at 9:30 p.m.

Police briefs 07/13/06

Healthy cafe with locally grown food to open downtown

The former location of The Dog Pit restaurant will finish its transformation into The Green River Cafe to open for business before September, owners said.

MSU joins partnership to increase Mich. tourism

Unlike other states across the nation, Michigan's tourism industry has not seen the type of growth it would like to see. But Travel Michigan, a group that helps plan statewide travel, and the MSU Tourism Center have formed a council to make a strategic plan to help the tourism industry in the future. Michigan ranks about 13th nationally in the tourism industry, said Don Holecek, the tourism center's director and the team leader of the plan.

Annual folk festival seeking new volunteers

The annual Great Lakes Folk Festival is seeking volunteers for the event, which takes place Aug. 11 through 13 in downtown East Lansing.

Graduate gives $5M for new division

The MSU College of Human Medicine will be revealing its new dermatology division today after receiving a $5 million donation from an MSU graduate. Nicholas V.

Police briefs 07/12/06

WEB EXTRA: Planning commission to discuss development

The East Lansing Planning Commission will meet at 7 p.m. tonight at City Hall, 410 Abbott Road, to discuss the Stonehouse Village project. The project calls for the demolition of the building that houses Cottage Inn Pizza, 615 E.

MSU day camp educates kids about paleontology

Several children surrounded Danita Brandt as she pointed to the details of a freshly found fossil at the MSU Museum's Fossil Camp on Tuesday. "A lot of people confuse paleontology and archeology, but the kids have it straight," said Brandt, a professor of geology at MSU who teaches the camp.

Police briefs 07/11/06

Study links brothers, gay men

The more biological older brothers that a man has, the more likely he may be gay, according to a recent study performed at Brock University in Ontario, Canada. The study was conducted by Anthony Bogaert, a professor of community health sciences and psychology at Brock University, and was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on June 28.

MSU group compiles bug book

To some a spider isn't just a creepy insect, but a helpful and invited guest in gardens or crops. A new pocket guide created by MSU's Integrated Pest Management, or IPM, is meant to help people identify insects, like spiders, that could be beneficial or harmful to their plants. Mary Gardiner, an MSU entomology graduate student, decided to create the guide, "Identifying Natural Enemies in Field Crops," about six months ago. Doug Landis, a professor of entomology and Gardiner's adviser, said the guide was never planned, but was conceived coincidentally. "The project was originally intended to focus on soybean aphids," Landis said.

Interstate 96 vehicle collision causes Okemos exit traffic jam

For one Sunoco cashier, Thursday's most notable differences were the amount of drivers coming off the Okemos Road exit and their exasperated attitudes. "It was horrible," Carrie Parks said. "Everyone was just mad because they had to get off the highway and go a totally different way." Three accidents forced police to close a portion of Interstate 96 Thursday night. One driver, who collided with an empty "cement" semitrailer tanker truck in the third accident, was critically injured and was considered alive Friday afternoon, according to Ingham County Sheriff Detective Sgt.

MSU Board of Trustees meeting rescheduled

The MSU Board of Trustees meeting planned for July 11 is rescheduled for July 17. The Trustee Finance Committee will meet at 2 p.m.

Italy beats France

The crowd packed into Crossroads Food Court in MSU's International Center didn't just observe a heated match Sunday — it became part of a World Cup final experience.