MICHIGAN
Sheryl Crow among festival musicians
Organizers of the 10th Annual Common Ground Music Festival in Lansing announced Monday the first round of performers for the summer festival.
MICHIGAN
Group collects phones for forces
Pak Mail, 4150 Hunsaker Drive, is accepting used cell phones to donate to Cell Phones for Soldiers, a foundation that sends prepaid calling cards to troops.
MICHIGAN
E.L. to raise awareness with Earth hour
East Lansing joined four other cities in Michigan last week when it adopted a measure to encourage residents to turn off nonessential lights this weekend. The dim down, nationally known as Earth Hour, takes place from 8:30-9:30 p.m. Saturday and residents are encouraged to turn off all nonwessential lights and electrical devices, East Lansing City Councilmember Nathan Triplett said.
MICHIGAN
City Council to discuss City Center II, marijuana
A major city development, medical marijuana and newspaper racks highlight this week’s East Lansing City Council agenda as council members are set to vote on a deadline extension for City Center II.
MICHIGAN
Trial begins for murder suspect
The man accused of murdering an MSU student, her boyfriend and members of her boyfriend’s family began standing trial for an unrelated crime Monday in the 17th Circuit Court in Kent County.
MICHIGAN
Mich. ranks 3rd-worst in business survey
Michigan once set the pace for supporting successful business, but a recent study ranks the state 3rd-worst in the nation in supporting jobs and business growth for the second year in a row.
MICHIGAN
Dozens join protest against ongoing war
More than 50 students, faculty members and area residents met Thursday on the median of Grand River Avenue at Abbot Road to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war.
MICHIGAN
Bill to improve transparency in state spending
A bill introduced Tuesday by state Sen. Wayne Kuipers, R-Holland, seeks to make it possible for citizens to track all of the Michigan government’s spending online. The bill, SB 382, would require the state to post records of all its spending on a free Web site, which would be open for the public to view.
MICHIGAN
Study: Workers most attracted to urban areas
Keeping young, educated workers in Michigan has been touted as a key to getting the state’s economy back on track, and one MSU professor is studying how to make it a possibility.
MICHIGAN
Group to adopt, renovate Beal House Co-op
The cooperative house known as the Beal House, 525 M.A.C. Ave., likely will have a completely new look next year after a vote by the Student Housing Cooperative Inc. to purchase and renovate the house in time for the fall 2009 semester.
MICHIGAN
Police report fewer thefts during break
Police received fewer reports of spring break home invasions and burglaries this year for the fourth consecutive year, according to numbers released by the East Lansing Police Department.
MICHIGAN
Summer gas prices to rise less than past
There could be one benefit to the down economy this summer — low gas prices. The traditional summer spike in gas prices that contributed to last year’s $4 per gallon peak might be weathered in 2009 because of the global recession.
MICHIGAN
City Council likely to vote in riot ordinance
As city officials prepare for a second public hearing and possible vote tonight on an ordinance that clarifies riot conduct, drafters of the ordinance said they continue to receive positive feedback from students.
MICHIGAN
Police academy to graduate 24
The East Lansing Citizens’ Police Academy will be holding its graduation at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Courtroom 2 of the 54-B District Court, 101 Linden St.
MICHIGAN
City softball league registration begins
City residents looking to get their game on can sign up for the East Lansing Department of Parks, Recreation and Arts spring and summer adult softball leagues.
MICHIGAN
Deadline extended for art submissions
Aspiring artists or residents with an interest in art still can apply for the East Lansing Arts Commission’s upcoming project after the commission extended the registry deadline to the end of April.
MICHIGAN
E.L. police, student organization work together to protect area on holiday known for heavy drinking
While East Lansing revelers fill their cups with green beer today, police and a student group will work to keep drunken drivers off the city’s roads.
MICHIGAN
MSU officials challenge justifications of year off
In what the U.S. Department of Education has called “a historic investment,” President Barack Obama proposed expanding financial aid offered to college students. And although the stipulations of the proposal — which include an expansion of funding for the Federal Perkins Loan Program from $1 billion to $6 billion per year — would not go into effect until 2010, MSU officials agreed current high school seniors should not take a year off in hope of saving money.
MICHIGAN
E.L. readies for St. Patty’s
Having early morning classes Wednesday might deter students from drinking green beer and wearing shamrock paraphernalia today, but the economy most likely won’t. The number of people going out has remained the same, but instead, many are spending less, said Paul Stewart, general manager of Crunchy’s, 254 W. Grand River Ave.
MICHIGAN
Football player pleads guilty
A second MSU football player pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges originating from an October brawl at an off-campus party, officials from East Lansing’s 54-B District Court said.