Thursday, January 22, 2026

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MICHIGAN

New roads could mean increased cost at pump

Driving over potholes and broken concrete on the way to class could become a thing of the past, but it might mean increasing fuel taxes or raising the state sales tax to 8 percent. During his State of the State address last week, Gov. Rick Snyder announced his goal for 2013: reconstructing Michigan’s roads. But Snyder admitted fixing roads, as well as bridges and harbors, will come at a cost.

MSU

Mich. schools help boost economy with research

According to the 2012 Economic Impact Report of the URC, the universities generated $15.5 billion toward Michigan’s economy — a number URC Executive Director Jeff Mason said is spread throughout the state in company development and the growing number of working professionals.

MSU

Hidden on campus

For many students, the facilities located south of Mount Hope Road are unknown. But there are many research sites south of main campus where MSU students and faculty are learning and conducting research.

MICHIGAN

Students discuss decriminalizing marijuana

After a handful of Michigan cities successfully decriminalized marijuana and some Michigan activists are pushing statewide decriminalization, local officials and students still aren’t sure whether East Lansing will follow suit. At least four Michigan cities already have adopted decriminalization ordinances for recreational marijuana.

MSU

Fair to host 137 companies, 2000 students

With some students worried about job prospects after college, MSU is offering steps to get ahead by networking early. Students of all majors can attend MSU’s Diversity Career Fair 5:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday at Kellogg Center to talk to companies about future internships and jobs.

MICHIGAN

Officials: ‘Rape Trail’ more urban legend than fact

Although MSU students might fear the nights they walk alone along the banks of the Red Cedar River, the “rape trail” isn’t real, according to MSU officials and the term might be creating a false sense of fear on campus. Using the term “rape trail” not only gives the wrong impression about the walkway next to the Red Cedar River on campus but about rapes and sexual assaults themselves, MSU sexual assault program coordinator Shari Murgittroyd said in an email.

MSU

Neighborhood fitness centers to open next week

Neighborhood fitness centers will open in each neighborhood across campus next week, Director of Residence Education and Housing Services Kathy Collins at the Residence Halls Association, or RHA, general assembly meeting Wednesday night.

MSU

Law applicants, job placement down

Despite declining application and placement rates, the decision to go to law school was never in question for law student Bobby Smith. Smith is one of many law students at MSU who are looking to pursue careers in the law field, previously unaware of the steadily decreasing employment rate. The Chronicle of Higher Education reported the job market for law school graduates has been declining in recent years. To combat those ratings, MSU’s College of Law limited its enrollment numbers by making its incoming 2013 class 6 percent smaller than in 2012, said Charles Roboski, assistant dean for admissions and financial aid at MSU’s College of Law.

MSU

Israel ‘much more than a battleground’

As a student with a Christian upbringing, Chris McClain never thought his first trip abroad would be to Israel. McClain, a political science and pre-law junior, admitted that he had never given the country much thought.

MICHIGAN

Renovations to former City Center II site and ban on hookah lounges to be discussed

At Tuesday’s regular work session, the East Lansing City Council debated solutions to parking problems related to renovations to the property formerly known as Evergreen Arms and a proposed ordinance that would ban more hookah lounges from establishing in East Lansing. The abandoned buildings at 341 and 345 Evergreen Ave. are owned by City Center Two Project, LLC, which is the same group that owns the property on 124-140 W. Grand River Ave, formerly the project site for City Center II.

MICHIGAN

Cold weather to continue

As temperatures drop and snow falls in the city, there’s little relief in sight for students dressed more for an arctic expedition than a walk to Brody Hall. Temperatures will rise throughout the rest of the week, reaching a high of 27 degrees Sunday. But with brisk winds, it will feel like temperatures are dipping below zero, National Weather Service in Grand Rapids meteorologist Brandon Hoving said.

MICHIGAN

Design sets Sigma Phi Epsilon apart as no. 16 best house nationally

Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity was nationally recognized Monday as the No. 16 best fraternity house in the country for its historic architecture and luxurious amenities, including a “full-size stripper pole,” according to brobible.com, a men’s lifestyle site. Brobible.com associate editor Andy Moore said the top 30 houses were chosen from a pool of 60-70 self-submitted entries.

MSU

Transgender activist Rebecca Kling helps educate MSU community with visit

Some MSU students reconsidered gender and personal identity in art Tuesday by attending a workshop hosted by transgender activist and performer Rebecca Kling. With an extensive educational background in theater and performing arts, Kling was able to use her education to develop her identity, and when she visited MSU to run the workshop and perform for students, she encouraged her audience to do the same. “I used the tools as an artist to explore for the first time my experience as a transgender person on stage,” Kling said. “The reason we make art is to see ourselves. I used storytelling to share and fully understand who I was as a person.” Kling used what she has learned as a performer and a transgender person by talking to students and community members Tuesday in Snyder Hall about how to act and adapt to transgender people, and allow those people themselves to become comfortable in their own skin.