Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Take a peek behind the curtain and test drive the NEW StateNews.com today!

Multimedia

SPORTS

Athlete turns coach

Eric Fish
September 18, 2006

Erica Perkins has played a role as either an athlete or a coach in six of the last nine NCAA tennis championships. Perhaps that's why MSU Athletics Director Ron Mason named her the university's women's tennis coach last June, replacing interim head coach Brett Page. Perkins, a 2001 graduate of Washington State, began her coaching career as a head coach at Georgia Southern and went on to an assistant coaching position at William and Mary before her stop in East Lansing. "I knew I was coming to a place with great facilities, (where) players were willing to work, willing to fight, and I knew that would kind of fit my coaching style," Perkins said Sunday after making her MSU coaching debut at the Spartan Invitational. But becoming a head coach may have been a blessing in disguise for Perkins, who was injured halfway through college and was temporarily unable to compete on the courts. "I realized how much I kind of missed it and how much of a great influence my college coach was on me, so I realized maybe it was something I wanted to do," she said. So far, it's a decision she hasn't regretted. During Sunday's matches, Perkins floated between courts, keeping an eye on how her team was faring and shouting words of encouragement to the players. "I'm very hands-on," she said.

COMMENTARY

Bush's latest torture bill still wrong

On Saturday, the Senate moved against President Bush's plan to legislate the authorization of military tribunals, the use of harsh interrogation tactics against suspected terrorists and a revising of the nation's obligations under the Geneva Conventions. The Senate is not alone in its opposition to the proposed bill, as Republicans far and wide have become increasingly vocal against the legislation, drawing the ire of such high-profile party members as former Secretary of State Colin Powell and Sen.

MICHIGAN

Walk raises awareness for suicide prevention

Gabrielle Russon
September 18, 2006

Elizabeth Soeters never talks about it. The issue of suicide appeared throughout her life — her mother and her sister committed suicide and Soeters herself is a suicide-attempt survivor — yet it rarely is discussed by her family. "It was something we don't talk about because it hurts," said Soeters, who works at the Sparty's shop located in the International Center. But on Saturday, the 39-year-old spoke candidly about suicide as she joined more than 100 others for the second annual Out of the Darkness Community Walk.

NEWS

Trustees extend Simon's contract

Holly Klaft
September 18, 2006

MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon will be spending a few more years leading the university. The MSU Board of Trustees unanimously approved a three-year extension of Simon's contract Friday at its monthly meeting. Simon's term, which was set to end in 2008, was extended to September 2011.

SPORTS

Surging Spartans

Kristyn Peterson
September 18, 2006

Ashley Schatzle had a season-high 19 kills Saturday night, helping the MSU volleyball team to a 3-0 sweep of the Toledo Rockets at Jenison Field House. The win brought the Spartans' record to 9-1, which is the best start for the program since 1995, when MSU won the Big Ten Championship. "I'm looking forward to winning the Big Ten," Schatzle said.

MSU

An evening of laughs

Joey Nowak
September 18, 2006

On a night that featured 11 of the funniest students MSU had to offer, it was a set of dance moves that earned Jerome Crawford the title of "Last Spartan Standing." Crawford, an interdisciplinary studies in social science junior, took home the honor Friday at the International Center. "I think (the dance routine) was comedy in itself, and I think it's something that people can relate to," Crawford said.

NEWS

Pitt Stopped

Pittsburgh — Through the first 15 minutes of Saturday's matchup, Pittsburgh's Tyler Palko lived up to his end of a duel between senior quarterbacks, efficiently picking apart the MSU defense to set up two early scores and a 10-0 Panthers lead. Meanwhile, absent-minded penalties, special teams blunders and poor execution marred the Spartans' offense.

MSU

Pro-life rally features speakers, musicians

Lindsay Machak
September 18, 2006

College students from across the state gathered on MSU's campus Saturday afternoon for an annual pro-life rally. The event was sponsored by MSU Students for Life, a pro-life group that educates the MSU community about abortion.

SPORTS

Monday Musings

The New York Islanders signed goaltender Rick DiPietro to a 15-year, $67.5 million contract last week, hypothetically locking the 24-year-old up through 2021.

FEATURES

Music fans not singing blues at festival

Laura Leebove  and  Cierra Middlebrooks
September 18, 2006

Little girls shaking their pigtails, grandmothers shaking their tail feathers and everyone bobbing their heads and tapping their feet. This was the scene at the 2006 Old Town BluesFest on Friday. The free two-day festival was filled with plenty of music, food and blues fans. The annual event attracted about 10,000 people, many of them traveling from out of state, on Friday and Saturday nights, said Terry Terry, a founder of the blues festival and member of the nonprofit Old Town Business & Art Development Association. "It's just a great atmosphere," he said.

SPORTS

MSU brings the heat

Steve Highfield
September 18, 2006

Pittsburgh — MSU's performance in the second half of Saturday's 38-23 win against Pittsburgh might have been a surprise to some, but the players and coaches were expecting it. That's because the team practiced indoors with the heat on all week so it would be able to survive the projected 80-degree weather for four quarters in Pittsburgh. "We practiced all week long with a theme of trying to tell these guys we have to be more physical," MSU head coach John L.

MSU

Facing Michigan's future

Brendan Bouffard
September 15, 2006

A new book by MSU professor Charles Ballard outlines a path for Michigan's economic success. "Michigan's Economic Future" was written by the Stanford graduate in an attempt to identify the problems facing Michigan, specifically its heavy reliance on the manufacturing sector. Ballard also worked on "Michigan at the Millennium," a book that he said was too tough for most people to read. "It had a lot of good stuff in it," he said.

COMMENTARY

SN column should tackle more serious issues

I am sending this letter in response to Elizabeth Swanson's column, "Columnist 'smart shops' her way through college" (SN 9/11). In today's world of conflict and serious issues, I find it hard to believe that a column about the art of saving money and getting things for free (hardly an art, since we are all college students and avoiding spending money is everybody's second job) is a worthy piece for your newspaper. The column was incredibly dry.

COMMENTARY

Electing moderates helps unite country

The primaries are almost complete, and despite the polarizing politics swirling throughout this election, there are signs of hope for moderates and those who reject the ridged policies of the Bush administration. In Rhode Island this week, incumbent Sen.