Pet, family abuses linked

State Rep. Barb Byrum, D-Onondaga Township held a town hall meeting Monday to spread a message in Ingham County: Animal abuse can be an indicator of domestic violence and child abuse. A small group of social workers, officials and concerned citizens met at the Ingham County Animal Control Shelter, 600 Curtis Road in Mason, to find out what they can do to help. "I just wanted to increase awareness of the link between animal cruelty, domestic violence and child abuse," Byrum said.

Markets making way

Farmers market season is up and running, and I couldn't be happier. It feels like Michigan is finally waking up from the long, cold winter and blossoming into the glorious green days of early summer. I believe in the United States we've grown far too removed from the land.

Lugnuts above .500 after taking series

The Lansing Lugnuts took three of four games against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers this past weekend.

Homeless ordinance up for council's vote

Information on a proposed ordinance, which would prohibit people from taking shelter in East Lansing parking structures, will be presented to the East Lansing City Council today. The ordinance was previously tabled because the council wanted more definite information about how the city would handle the treatment of individuals who were found in the structures. "Our fear was that we were going to criminalize the homeless," Mayor Sam Singh said. The council wanted to see a plan for the implementation of the ordinance before they approved it, he said.

Police briefs 05/22/07

A world beyond oil

The pit of my stomach falls out whenever I have to fill up my tank. I'm sure I'm not alone.

Science education faces opposition

We all have seen the cars adorned with "Jesus fish." Likewise, we've seen them countered by cars with a similar icon sprouting legs and sporting Darwin's name. The debate between evolutionists and supporters of intelligent design is nothing new. But when this debate leaves the bumpers of cars and emerges in public schools, real ramifications can occur.

Fraternity debates East Village proposals

A meeting between FarmHouse fraternity and the East Village developer likely will not bring the two sides any closer to an agreement about the fraternity's Bogue Street property. San Diego-based Pierce Company Inc. offered FarmHouse three options in exchange for its property at 151 Bogue St., said Pieter Serne, an agribusiness management senior and president of FarmHouse. The two groups are scheduled to meet today. The developer has offered to renovate an existing house, build the fraternity a new house or move its existing house to a new location, for historical reasons, he said. "Right now, we're not even looking at those options they're offering us," Serne said. Representatives from The Pierce Company said these aren't the only options the fraternity is being offered.

Women still face employment inequity

Women have certainly come a long way in the workforce, but their pay hasn't yet caught up. In fact, the gender gap in earnings has remained unchanged for the past decade despite the fact there are more women in the labor force than ever before and they are more productive and better educated than they've ever been. Full-time working women still earn only 77 cents for every dollar men earn for doing the same work.

MSU trustee celebrated

As an MSU student in the 1950s, George Perles went on a rebound date with a girl who had just broken up with her boyfriend. Just before the date, she and the guy got back together. Perles, now an MSU trustee wasn't completely out of luck.

MSU hosts Odyssey of the Mind World Finals

MSU is making room for about 8,000 additional students. Kindergarten to college-age students are coming to campus Wednesday-Saturday for the 28th annual Odyssey of the Mind World Finals. Odyssey of the Mind is an educational organization that serves as the world's oldest international creative problem-solving competition. "Once it was determined that MSU could clearly house opening and closing ceremonies, all of the problem sites and all of the people who need housing, the decision was made to come here," said Barbara Smith, media center director for the world finals. Student competitors will stay in dorms while families, friends, coaches and judges have booked all available hotel rooms in the Lansing area.

Lawmakers push for a no-helmet legislation for Mich. motorcyclists

Some lawmakers and interest groups are pushing for the removal of the state's motorcycle helmet law. Under the proposed legislation, motorcyclists would not be required to wear a helmet if they are over 21, operated a motorcycle for two or more years, completed a safety course and carry $20,000 worth of insurance. If requirements are met, riders would be eligible to purchase a $100 sticker they would display on their bikes. The helmet law is keeping about $1.2 billion in revenue out of Michigan, said Rep.

ELPD's motorcycle unit features bigger Harleys

The East Lansing Police Department's motorcycle unit will be issuing speeding tickets and regulating parades in style this year after the purchase of four new Harley-Davidson bikes. The Electra Glide motorcycles have few differences than the ones the department purchased last year, but they do boast much larger and more powerful engines, said East Lansing police Sgt.

It's all up in the air for this MSU student

Alex Bellinson spends most of his day studying for mechanical engineering classes and with his girlfriend, Laura.

Sparty: Nation's No. 1 mascot?

We did it again - another final four for MSU. Students and alumni can shout "Go green, go white," and be proud, flaunting our achievement in our competitors' faces and boast that we have one of the four remaining teams, er, mascots, standing. It's true. Sparty is taking on a new medium - the Internet, with the help of some dedicated fans. Voters elected Sparty to the final four of the Most Dominant College Mascot on Earth tournament.

Summer festivals keep E.L. booming

Summer festivals bring hundreds of artists, musicians and vendors into East Lansing's downtown — along with thousands of customers who give business a welcomed boost.

Variety brews in Frankenmuth

Frankenmuth — Nearly 8,000 people from around the world united this weekend to celebrate the frothy tie that binds them together - beer. Outside the blue-and-white striped aluminum barn that is Heritage Park in Frankenmuth, people patiently stood in a line the length of a football field, eager to get into Michigan's largest international beer sampling event. The 12th annual World Expo of Beer hosted 43 breweries, including 18 from Michigan, offering more than 150 different beers to sample. While major breweries were present, smaller-scale "craft brews" dominated the number of vendors at the expo. "There's more than just a Bud Light, more than just a Miller - there's something out there for everyone if they're willing to try it," said Skip Pappas, who runs the home brew section of Kuhnhenn Brewing Company located in Warren. Craft brewing taps into the creative minds of brewers who take a chef-like approach to making their beer.

Distasteful pranks

Imagine this: It's just another day at work or school, and suddenly someone rushes in and tells you there is a shooter nearby.

Articles require more input from professionals

I'd like to advocate for The State News hiring some sort of science advisor to work with you on your scientific articles. Perhaps it is because I am a physics major and am more familiar with the topics discussed in articles about the Cyclotron, but it always seems to me that those articles are the largest festering grounds for inaccuracy - not only in content, but also in language. For example, in your latest article "Researchers design improved Cyclotron magnet prototype" (SN 5/18), it is stated that, "A cyclotron is a device that spins around faster than half the speed of light." I would be horrified to go near the Cyclotron building if that were the case, because the equipment would fly apart and kill people.

Men's golf team gets NCAA tourney bid

The No. 26 MSU men's golf team earned a spot in the NCAA Championships for the first time in 14 years after finishing eighth in the NCAA Central Regional tournament this past weekend. MSU finished 18-over par 306 on the final day of the three-day competition Saturday in Sugar Grove, Ill., for an overall total of 51-over par 915. Junior Ryan Brehm was the top team finisher, finishing 9-over par 225. Tulsa and Alabama came in first and second, respectively. MSU earned its first trip to the NCAA Championships under seventh-year head coach Mark Hankins and will compete in Williamsburg, Va., starting May 30.