Sometime during the summer somebody had the brilliant idea of cutting almost all of the comics — except one — and replacing them with a giant-sized crossword puzzle, an Octo puzzle, a word finder (are we in grade school now?) and a Pathem puzzle.
Gallup released a poll May 25 that suggests more than 50 percent of Americans think homosexuality is “morally right.” The statistic is the most recent in a trend that shows increasing acceptance of same-sex lifestyles. The same poll also shows 43 percent of Americans believe homosexual lifestyles are “morally wrong.”
After reading a recent New York Times article about some colleges allowing incoming freshmen to keep pets in their dorm rooms, we wonder whether it made sense to do that at MSU, or even in general. The first year of college typically is not an easy one. It requires taking into account things such as time management, personal choices, self-motivation and socializing. It also offers a chance to learn firsthand about other people. That doesn’t necessarily mean someone who is completely different in terms of politics or values — though that wouldn’t hurt — but simply people who might not have had the same upbringing.
MSU Athletics Director Mark Hollis told the Associated Press on Monday that men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo has not been offered the head coaching position for the Cleveland Cavaliers but did confirm the team has interest in Izzo. Izzo has spurned offers from the NBA before and told ESPN’s Andy Katz last week that he wouldn’t leave for the NBA until he won another national championship. Cavaliers owner Dan GIlbert is an MSU graduate and has been interested in hiring Izzo for a long time.
MSU geography professor Robert Walker and two counterparts will trek 700 miles of the 3,000-mile Transamazon Highway, an expanse of rough terrain that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the border Brazil shares with Peru. The two week trip is aimed at studying deforestation in the world’s largest rainforest.
An MSU alumna is drumming up donations for the Support Our Spartans Emergency Needs fund, which was created by the university earlier this year to aid students who experience disasters or distressing personal matters. About 15 East Lansing restaurants have donated $1,300 in gift cards for the fund.
East Lansing officials said Sunday they still are assessing damage reports following a string of severe weekend storms. Officials said although damage was minimal, the city is working with energy companies to discern the scale of the damage.
A new MSU trial study that could possibly cure nicotine addictions has received an overwhelming response from smokers looking to kick the habit, researchers involved with the study said. The researchers said they have received more than 550 calls from interested participants.
A 25-year-old female MSU employee reported structural damage to the southwest corner of Ramp 4’s top level at Kellogg Center last Monday, MSU police Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor said. The woman noticed a pillar knocked off its base and lying on its side atop the parking ramp.
Sweet or spicy and meaty or meatless were just a few versions of chili offered by 42 different vendors Friday night at the 2010 Lansing Board of Water & Light Chili Cook-Off at Adado Riverfront Park, 300 N. Grand Ave., in Lansing. The annual cook-off allows residents and restaurants to battle head-to-head in a variety of food categories, with proceeds going to local organizations.
The first floor of the Plant and Soil Sciences Building was transformed into a jungle Saturday with hundreds of annuals, perennials, herbs, ornamental grasses and hanging plants at the MSU Horticulture Gardens 2010 Plant Sale. The sale was a fundraiser for the gardens, which are independent from MSU.
Hosted by the East Lansing Rotary Club, the annual Pancakes in the Park fundraising breakfast occured Sunday in Patriarche Park in East Lansing. Proceeds are donated to East Lansing organizations such as the East Lansing Family Aquatic Center, 6400 Abbot Road, and Haven House, 121 Whitehills Drive, a local group that provides services to homeless families.
Dozens of orange shirts filled the Abbott Center, 1400 Abbott Road, parking lot Saturday morning at an annual city initiative geared toward helping residents to recycle, reduce and reuse. Citizens stopped by the center with cars filled with recyclables as volunteers emptied out and sorted refuse including bicycles, televisions, electronics and cardboard. The project is a fight against rapidly growing landfills.
Covered with 70 packs of chalk, 20 participants and an extreme amount of imagination, the sidewalks of Lansing’s Old Town were ignited with colorful art during the second annual Chalk of the Town. The event was open to all ages and expertise, with participants ranging from professional graphic artists to Girl Scouts.
The first phase of a four-phase project to reconstruct Harrison Avenue is set to begin Monday. Harrison Avenue will be reduced to one lane in each direction between Shaw Lane and Kalamazoo Street. The construction is scheduled to continue until Aug. 20.
The sixth annual Max’s Race will start at 8:30 a.m., Saturday June 26 at the MSU Auditorium. In addition to a 5K run/walk, the event also will include a one-mile run and a 100-yard dash for kids beginning at about 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., respectively. Jim and Natalie Matthews founded the race in honor of their son, Maxwell Chase Matthews, who died in 2005 from medical complications with spinal meningitis.
The East Lansing Family Aquatic Center, 6400 Abbot Road, was packed with area residents at its opening Friday morning. For the past seven years, the aquatic center closes for cold-weather months, but annually reopens the Friday after Memorial Day weekend.
The Ingham County Animal Control & Shelter’s third annual 30 Hour Pet Adopt-A-Thon on Saturday and Sunday was aimed at raising awareness for the significant number of homeless and abused animals. The shelter takes in more than 4,000 animals each year.
I don’t especially enjoy metal music. I generally feel as though I am being verbally assaulted when I hear it, and I think it is mostly pointless. However, “The Bride Screamed Murder,” a new release by longtime band The Melvins, was a breath of fresh metal air for someone who was ready to write it off before I had given it a chance.
Although it is one of the most recognizable student sections in college basketball, the Izzone typically went unnoticed on TV during Spartan basketball games. Instead of getting a glimpse of some of the 1,500 screaming students bouncing up and down, anyone watching the game more likely was going to see a section of alumni, family and recruits. Starting next season, though, the perspective will be slightly different for TV viewers, as the lower section of the Izzone along the sidelines will be moved to the other side, putting it front and center on TV.