City officials are looking to nearly double the size of downtown, in part to connect the area with the potential East Village redevelopment, while also helping pay for the massive overhaul. The idea would be to increase the property tax for businesses not currently located downtown - such as Tasty Twist, 1307 E.
To help people appreciate the history and heritage of the state, Michigan Week was established in 1954 by Don Weeks and is still celebrated today. It is now run by Michigan's Department of History, Arts and Libraries, or HAL. "It started with the concept of taking a week to look at Michigan," said Jim Schultz, who works with the Michigan Humanities Council to coordinate the different events of Michigan Week.
The national trend of decreasing computer science majors is occurring at MSU, especially in the last four years, according to data supplied from the Office of the Registrar. The Computing Research Association conducts a Taulbee Survey each fall showing the number of college students attending computer science and computer engineering programs.
East Lansing businesses in the downtown district say every year they see profits increase during the weekend of the East Lansing Art Festival - and this year was no exception. The festival took place between M.A.C.
East Lansing officials decided last week to allocate $50,000 from the city's reserve account to pay for a financial analyst to examine the city's financial structure. The city will pay for several studies to be administered by an analyst in order to determine if changes should be made to the way city officials determine the structure of the budget, council members said. "The council felt it would be a good idea to look more in depth into the economical structure and the budget of the city," said East Lansing Finance Director Mary Haskell, who came into the position Friday after Gary Murphy's retirement. But Councilmember Victor Loomis said what the study will be about has not been completely determined and that the idea to hire a financial analyst came from a budget planning session in December, not from recent budget cuts. Loomis said the purpose of hiring the analyst is because the council needs to see if there are any structural issues involved with determining the budget. City Manager Ted Staton said the study should be ready to be conducted by August or September. "I think we'll spend the summer figuring out what questions we want the research to answer," Staton said. Haskell said the study could be used to find alternative resources of revenue, because the city is experiencing cuts in state funding. East Lansing receives funding from the state in the form of shared revenue which has been reduced and has caused several budget cuts throughout the city. The $50,000 was decided by council members to be allocated from the city's reserve account.
Like many other kids, 13-year-old Anthony Town enjoys playing table tennis and cycling. This weekend, he had an opportunity to do these events and more as he participated in the Michigan Sports Festival for Athletes with Physical Disabilities. Town was one of many people with cerebral palsy who competed in the festival on campus at IM Sports-West and Demonstration Hall, put on by the Michigan Disability Sports Alliance. The athletes are members of teams that compete in various events such as bocce ball, table tennis, cycling and swimming. "This event gives me a chance to play sports that I would not get to do in school," Town said. Town has a less severe case of the disorder, which disrupts the development of motor skills and can be a result of a brain injury. "I feel very fortunate that I can do most of the things that normal people do," said Town.
By Jennifer Dodyk Special for The State News Lansing - Seven-year-old Rahjae Flowers-Taylor was excited to try on his first bicycle helmet on Saturday. "If I fall, I won't hurt my head," he said. His mother, Nicole Flowers, 33, brought Rahjae and his two siblings to the Helmet Safety Campaign at Pleasant View Elementary School in Lansing, where the children were outfitted in free helmets. "I've been wanting to get them (a helmet), but I couldn't get them one because I didn't have the money," Flowers, of Lansing, said.
MSU faculty members will benefit from the Ingham County regional SmartZone, which will help them research and start their own companies and support businesses in early stages. The regional SmartZone is a designated area in which developing, technology-based businesses are "incubated," or fostered, by established corporations.
Restaurant customers who enjoy sipping wine during their meals no longer have to worry about polishing off the bottle due to a recent bill signed by Gov.
This summer, there will be more police officers in more locations looking to enforce Michigan's seat belt law. Today, the East Lansing Police Department is kicking off a statewide effort to maintain Michigan's safety belt use in 53 counties, including Ingham County. Enforcement zones on and off campus will be clearly marked with signs along with several officers in those zones making sure motorists are wearing their seat belts. Through June 5, area police will be out to enforce the Click It or Ticket campaign.
By Kristen Creager Special for The State News Lansing - On Saturday, a group of 30 aspiring politicians dug, hammered and hauled - getting dirty on their way up the political ladder. Members of the group Tomorrow's Political Leaders were building a Habitat for Humanity home as part of a volunteer project. Tomorrow's Political Leaders includes students and recent graduates of Michigan colleges who want to get involved in politics. The group participates in a two-week program at MSU that helps young people learn about becoming part of the political world. "I always wanted to run for office, but I didn't know how," said Catherine Fontana, a sophomore at Albion College and member of the group.
A town hall meeting discussing raising Michigan's minimum wage will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday at Delhi Township Hall, 2074 Aurelius Road in Holt. House Democratic Leader Dianne Byrum and Rep.
A wilderness survival class will be offered from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday at the Harris Nature Center, 3998 Van Atta Road in Okemos. The class will teach participants how to stay cool when it's hot, start a fire without matches, build a shelter out of natural materials and get water from the ground. The program is open to all ages and is $60 per person. For more information, call (517) 349-3866.
When a city housing inspector recently told Jenny Peters to take down lantern lights from her back porch because they were a fire hazard, she listened. "Two of my friends' houses burned down in the past two years," the audiology and speech sciences junior said.
East Lansing may be a bustling college town, but with most students gone for the summer, some have mixed feelings. For many, the proximity of the university affects them as residents. "When the students leave, it's a change of pace for everyone," said Sally Silver, East Lansing resident and Bailey Community Association Chair.
As a child, Mike Ramsey doodled caricatures of his teachers, friends and himself. These drawings became the inspiration for his cartoon, "Sidwood." "I've been drawing my whole life, specifically cartoons.
Tuesday was a busy night for the East Lansing City Council. City officials eliminated four positions in the police department, cut funding for buying library books and removed a managerial position from the finance department. They also named the lead developer in the East Village overhaul project and passed the 2005-06 fiscal year budget. The council approved the East Village Spartans LLC as the lead developer for the redevelopment.
Two food courts on campus are in the midst of a makeover that will bring four new restaurants to MSU by fall. The Taco Bell and Wendy's located in the International Center announced in February that they would not rebid their contracts, which expired at the end of the semester.