I’ve had a lot of dogs during my short time on this planet — four to be exact. My family has owned mutts, purebreds, Frisbee dogs, lazy dogs, dogs adopted from kennels and puppies fresh from the litter.
In hard economic times such as these, it becomes more common for citizens to retreat to the comforts of life: popping a cold one after a stressful day at work; a cigarette or two to take the edge off, perhaps. And that’s completely understandable — there’s no sin in that.
With more than $70 million in federal stimulus funds awarded this year, officials from the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission have been able to complete more projects this summer than expected. The Tri-County Regional Planning Commission is a combined effort between Ingham, Clinton and Eaton counties and includes officials from East Lansing.
As East Lasing native Allison Foster sat at a picnic table with her sons Connor, 7, and Cole, 8, a motorcycle cop revved up his engine only feet away. This wasn’t any scene of a crime, it was the 26th annual National Night Out, a safety carnival held on Tuesday at Patriarche Park, 1100 Alton Road.
For Alexandra Colon, MSU is a place that has afforded opportunities in research she might not have otherwise had. The Puerto Rico native recently completed her bachelor’s in applied microbiology at the Universidad del Este, in her homeland, and is one of four students who spent the summer conducting research at the MSU College of Natural Sciences.
Bikers might feel safer riding around campus if legislation promoting biker safety is passed in the state Senate. The bills, introduced May 5 by state Sen. Tom George, R-Texas Township, would require driver’s education classes to provide instruction on bicycle law and increase awareness of bicyclists on the road.
Popular Science magazine set out to look for eight solutions to world hunger and found one in East Lansing. MSU researchers C. Adinarayana Reddy and Lalithakumari Janarthanam have created a blend of soil bacteria to increase crop yields, while reducing use of fertilizers made from fossil fuels.
A new line has been crossed in the seemingly never-ending controversy surrounding President Barack Obama’s birthplace. For the past few months, “birthers” — those doubting Obama’s citizenship based on his place of birth — have been calling on the president to release his full birth certificate, claiming that he was not a natural born U.S. citizen and thus cannot hold the office of president.
The current Michigan State Police headquarters, located on Harrison Road near Shaw Lane, might be demolished and developed into a variety of things, such as a parking structure, MSU officials said. More than 70 years old, the headquarters has previously leased its current building from MSU for $1 per year. If the lease is included in the state budget for 2010, a new $39 million privately funded development in downtown Lansing would act as the headquarter’s new location. The university is open to various possibilities for the current headquarters in East Lansing, MSU spokesman Terry Denbow said. “We have not had an in-depth, thorough inspection or environmental assessment of that area,” he said.
The MSU Board of Trustees retreat to Holland, Mich., cost thousands less than last year, but still set the university back almost $9,000. The retreat took place early last week.
Although construction continues on the Shaw Ramp, unionized workers are picketing the construction to vocalize fair pay. Members of the Operative Plasterers and Local Cement Masons International Association Local No. 16 picketed outside of Shaw Ramp, speaking out against the Grand Rapids-based builder D.C. Byers Company. The workers claim the company is not meeting the requirements of the Prevailing Wage Act, which requires construction workers be paid an established wage.
An MSU team is following gastric bypass surgery patients with high expectations that the surgery has positive effects on the patients’ immune systems. “I think we’ll see a more positive effect of the surgery and I think the immune function is one of those,” MSU surgeon Pandu Yenumula said. Yenumula will work with Pam Fraker, a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Lansing’s Sparrow Hospital, to research the effects the surgery has on the immune system. Immune system cells called neutrophils will be studied in patients to give researchers some idea of how well the immune system is performing after surgery, Fraker said. “We’re talking about the cells that defend against disease and infection and also do a lot of wound healing and tissue repair after the surgery,” she said.
Spartans fans have a new way to stay up on athletic news online. The MSU Athletics Department launched a Facebook page July 28.
Payback is a dish best served cold. Ice cold. “Everybody likes to dunk Chief Wibert,” East Lansing police Sgt. Patricia Nowak said. “He’s a very good sport; he volunteers for this every time. (The) water’s usually pretty cold.”
The distance between Detroit and Chicago might seem a little shorter if a plan to bring a high speed rail line to the Midwest comes to fruition. Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, Missouri, Indiana and Minnesota have all united in hopes of securing $8 billion of federal stimulus money to build a 110 mph rail line though the states.
A University Club employee reported damage to and theft of various items valued at more than $1,600 from his 2001 Dodge Durango on July 25, MSU police Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor said.
Beater owners might have more time to trade in their old cars for some cash if a bill to increase funding for the “cash for clunkers” program passes in the U.S. Senate this week. Passed in the U.S. House on Friday, the bill could add $2 billion in funding from the stimulus package to the program, a boost Michigan lawmakers said is money well spent.
Human remains might belong in graveyards, but skeletons are showing up in suburban backyards, proving pieces of history might lie just beneath the grass. A human jawbone was unearthed last week at a Bloomfield Township residence by construction workers, and the Bloomfield Township Police Department later determined the bone required no criminal investigation.
It’s a competition no one wants to win: Which Big Ten university has the highest tuition? And which one had the biggest tuition increase for the 2009-10 year? MSU has the sixth highest tuition in the Big Ten and the third largest tuition increase for 2009-10. A resident MSU freshman will pay about $10,800 in tuition for 2009-10, an increase of about 5.2 percent, according to information from MSU.
The time students spend at MSU can determine a lot of the important parts of life after stepping off campus. A lot of people decide what they want to do with their lives, make lifelong friends and even meet their future spouses while matriculating at MSU.