Noise law could be changed by summer

New limits could soon be placed on drinking games at house parties, but the city's party noise ordinance may actually become less strict. In fact, East Lansing might not even have a party noise ordinance for much longer. The East Lansing City Council considered changes to the existing noise ordinance at its work session last night. "I would like to make our decision and announce it before students leave," Mayor Pro Tem Vic Loomis said.

Police briefs 04/12/06

Simon to answer student questions tonight

MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon will speak to students about leadership as part of the Faces of Courage Lecture Series presented by the University Activities Board, or UAB, at 7 p.m.

MIDDAY UPDATE: D12 rapper killed in Detroit club

By Ben Schmitt and Kelley L. Carter Detroit Free Press Detroit (KRT) — Rapper Proof of the rap group D12, one of the key figures on the Detroit hip-hop scene, was shot and killed Tuesday morning at a Detroit after-hours club, police said. Proof, whose real name is Deshaun Holton, was dead on arrival at St.

Protesters rally for same-sex benefits

Protesters will gather today to rally on the steps of the Michigan Hall of Justice to challenge Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox on whether state institutions and employers can offer domestic partner benefits to unmarried couples. Cox will argue before the Michigan Court of Appeals that any state institution offering domestic partner benefits will be in violation of Proposal 2. "We have descended the voice of the people of Michigan and will continue to do so," said Nate Bailey, spokesperson for the Michigan Attorney General.

House candidates debate on campus today

The declared Democratic candidates for the 69th District seat in the state House of Representatives will meet in a debate today at MSU. Mary Lindemann and East Lansing City Councilmember Mark Meadows are seeking the nomination. The debate is free and open to any student or community member.

Leading ladies

Sheri Jones' read her script and joked with a cameraman as she applied her makeup before the 5 p.m.

Ethnocentric attitude too general, misleads

Beth Swanson's "Big culture gap exists between France, U.S." (SN 3/28) appeared to be the observations of a young and naive child rather than a college-educated journalist. Surely a thinking adult would be aware that Paris is a major metropolitan area and that would likely be an influence on the behavior of its inhabitants.

Campus housing rates could rise with board OK

Students might have to pay more to "Live On" next year, if the MSU Board of Trustees votes Thursday to raise on-campus housing rates. Basic room and board for residence halls could increase by 5.25 percent per year, or $300, and monthly rent for university apartments could increase by 3.3 percent per month, or about $20. The proposed increases are typical of past years, said Angela Brown, director of University Housing. "It still puts Michigan State in the low end of room and board rates for the state of Michigan and also in the Big Ten," she said. MSU's increase would, for example, increase a double room with a 15-meal plan to $6,044 per year, up from this year's $5,744.

'HMS Pinafore' operetta misses the boat for college students

College students might recognize a reference to Gilbert and Sullivan's 127-year-old operetta "HMS Pinafore" in "Family Guy" or "The Simpsons." But they wouldn't connect with the music or the outdated prim-and-proper aura of the show — "What, never?

Anatomy of a leak

ORIGINAL LEAK In 2003, classified intelligence about the war in Iraq was leaked New York Times reporter Judith Miller. ADDITIONAL LEAK In September 2003, President George W.

Time change creates beneficial savings

In response to Rebecca McNulty's column "Daylight-saving time annoying, inconvenient — leave clocks alone" (SN 4/05) about the pointless and annoying nature of daylight-saving time, I would like to show why it is worth doing. Ever since Ben Franklin noticed the great waste of sunlight and candles that was occurring in 18th century France, daylight-saving time has been widely seen as beneficial.

Who could be looking at your Facebook profile?

Every day, students go on Facebook.com to stalk people from class, poke the hotties they have crushes on and upload weekend party photos. Twelve million different people use the site each month, and users spend an average of 18 minutes on the site each day, Facebook spokesman Chris Hughes said in an e-mail. But what many students don't know is that classmates aren't the only people who can access their profiles and photos.

Writer's generalized view of French wrong

This letter is in response to Elizabeth Swanson's "Big culture gap exists between France, U.S." (SN 3/28). I am a senior in French education here at MSU, and as a future educator, I try to promote open attitudes toward all cultures, particularly France and other Francophone countries. This, however, was not at all what I saw in The State News.

Winning band, others deserve recognition

I was overjoyed when it was announced that Frontier Ruckus was the winner of last week's Battle of the Bands.

Bandit player switched to free safety in spring ball

MSU football fans perusing the team's spring depth chart may be jolted when they see where Sir Darean Adams is listed. Instead of the bandit position, where he tallied 60 tackles and three interceptions as a sophomore, the 6-foot, 230-pound Adams is penciled in as the backup free safety.

Faculty groups' work could be delayed

An idea to combine a series of committees, formed to increase faculty input in university decisions, could stall the outcome until the fall — and some faculty members said the action could be detrimental to the impact they hope to have on the Academic Governance system. Five committees, called the Faculty Voice Task Forces, were created last fall to address faculty's role in specific issues — such as restructuring the Academic Governance system, reviewing administrators and academic programs, defining the role of fixed-term faculty and improving communication within the system. After working the entire semester, four of the five committees looking to increase faculty input in university decisions have final recommendations ready for approval — but some faculty members have concerns about whether these recommendations should be implemented yet. Discussions are expected to be held at today's Faculty Council meeting regarding an integration committee, which will look at the costs and logistics of each committee's recommendations to find out if they're feasible to carry out.

WEB EXTRA: 'Take Back the Night' aims to bring sexual assault awareness to community

Today, a series of events will bring sexual assault awareness to the forefront. "Take Back the Night" is a daylong event held during Sexual Assault Awareness Month which aims to draw survivors of sexual assault and the community together to help end sexual violence. There will be a clothesline project display in the field near Beaumont Tower from 10 a.m.

Council considers noise law revisions

By next fall, students could face a hefty fine for playing flip cup in their front yards. But they might not be facing jail time. Tonight, the East Lansing City Council will consider revisions to the city's party noise ordinance that would eliminate the possibility of sending offenders to jail, but add outdoor drinking games to a list of activities that could lead to a fine. East Lansing police Chief Tom Wibert said the revised law could give officers on patrol a reason to investigate parties if they notice outdoor drinking games are being played. "An officer can stop and enforce the noise ordinance without a complaint," Wibert said. The current law went into effect in 2003 and allows East Lansing residents to be ticketed for parties in which two or more indicators are present.

Mastering the basics

Correction: The caption in the photo "When grilling meat" should say pork chops need to be cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Have you ever had to throw out clothing due to permanent stains or stop wearing a shirt because the buttons fell off?