Wanted: Lavish lifestyle, sailboat included, by way of hard work

When "The O.C." airs, no one is surprised to see the entire cast gallivant across the screen donned in polos and khakis, ready to board their sailboats or sunbathe by their swimming pools. But when this happens in real life — with real wealth — it seems surreal. On a lovely weekend getaway for the Fourth of July, I spent a few days camping and continued on to a beautiful sailing town for America's birthday — I'll call it Beamerton. As my boyfriend and I perused the art fair and strolled the streets, I couldn't help but notice the air of the people and town.

Main Library upgrades technology, furniture, study spaces for fall

Roads and sidewalks aren't the only places on campus experiencing construction this summer — every floor and both wings of the Main Library are experiencing a makeover. But despite the caution tape and movement of reference materials, the library has continued to stay open. Construction started the day after spring finals and is scheduled to be finished for the fall, facilities manager Jim Hensley said.

Common Ground festival wraps up successful year

It was a record-setting year at Common Ground Music Festival, with attendance figures for Friday night's concerts reaching 14,500.

MSU experts: Diplomacy key

A diplomatic resolution is the only measure that will stop tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, MSU professors say. The conflict between Israel and Lebanon is a result of extremist groups who deny Israel's right to exist as a nation, said Gordon Stewart, a professor of history at MSU.

Police briefs 07/17/06

The best of Lash Larrowe: Fetuses is folks, too

Reprinted from the June 26, 1981 edition of The State News I'm waiting for my bags down at Detroit Metro on my way back from an exhilarating demo in Washington, I see this intense young woman bearing down on me.

Student wins journalism awards

"Sam Howell clutched the arms of his wheelchair, lips pursed, eyes wide with determination. "He was going to stand." These two sentences lead into a story that catapulted journalism senior Melissa Domsic into more than $17,000 worth of scholarships for her reporting.

Debut adds depth to familiar sound

I would like to take a moment and talk about pretentiousness, a pop music identifier overused as a stand-in for "so serious, it sucks." Certainly, pop music is supposed to be fun; "pop" itself denotes light, fluffy, easily digestible tunes.

Krouse takes liberties for granted; U.S. not arrogant

I'm writing regarding Shane Krouse's column "United States should stop making enemies, mind its own business," (SN 7/12). It's good to know that Krouse cherishes his right to free speech.

Incumbent, student up for seat on board

The race to represent part of East Lansing and MSU on the Ingham County Board of Commissioners is between an MSU student and a board veteran. The board is the governing body of Ingham County and is responsible for legislative and administrative functions of the county. MSU is in district 10, which also includes central and southern East Lansing and is currently represented by Democrat Mark Grebner. Challenging Grebner is history senior Zach Hodyna, a Republican who said he's interested in representing students on the board. Below is a brief description of each candidate and why each wants to win in the general election on Nov.

Spectators enjoy free music

Wednesday evening, residents of Lansing's Riverfront towers, 601 North Cedar St., and nonresidents alike watched and listened to hard-rock band Cinderella at Common Ground Music Festival — without shelling out the $29 for a single-day ticket. Through some trees and a metal fence littered with advertisement banners, spectators were able to peek over the Grand River to spy the West Main Stage.

Police briefs 07/14/06

Protesters cruise to Lansing

Lansing — The brigade of motorcycles known as the 21st Century Paul Revere Riders rolled up to the Capitol Thursday morning to warn Americans of the consequences of loose immigration laws, founder Frosty Wooldridge said.

Hair-metal bands find niche outside big arenas

Any reliable rock 'n' roll history — and I like to think this includes VH1 specials — will tell you that in 1991, grunge killed hair metal.

Meet 18-year-old Michael Sessions the mayor of Hillsdale

Hillsdale — When most high school students are worried about who they will take to homecoming or if they will graduate with honors, 18-year-old Michael Sessions was worried if he had enough votes, and until May, he juggled his roles as Hillsdale mayor, high school student and part-time employee at his job.

The bartender

In Lansing, the Oatmeal Cookie shot at Stober's Bar, 812 E. Michigan Ave., goes down like a special treat for a child — except it's made for adults. Owner and bartender Linda Stober masterfully poured the intricate shot — equal parts Hot Damn cinnamon schnapps, Arrow Mackdale's butterscotch schnapps and a cap of Carolans Irish Cream Liquer — in front of a stained-glass Merlin mural and three griffins carved from mahogany. Stober has worked as a bartender at the Lansing bar since she was 18 years old, and now, 33-1/2 years later, she's still pouring drinks with a smile. She proudly boasted about the history of Stober's, which was the first establishment to serve alcohol on Michigan Avenue after the end of Prohibition in 1933.

Google good for Michigan

Do you Google? Chances are you're familiar with the popular search engine. With offices spanning the globe from Australia to Brazil to Denmark, Google has become a powerhouse when it comes to searching on the Internet.

Happenings

Friday Book signing: Artis White, "Who Killed my Wife?" The Unsolved Murder of Bernita White.

MSU may hike tuition even with state funds

Students will most likely pay higher tuition this fall, despite the university receiving a 3 percent increase in funding from the state. MSU Board of Trustees Chairman David Porteous said although he appreciates the 3 percent increase in funding from the state, a tuition increase is still needed to cover the university's expenses. "Even with all the remarkable success that we've had with working on health care costs and many other costs around the university, the 3 percent increase still is not going to cover all the increased costs of the university," Porteous said.

Population control not good use of Buffett's cash

Giving money to charity is great. It would be nice if people everywhere gave more money to charity.