From the road

Men's basketball reporter Matt Bishop recalls the atmosphere at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio, where the Spartans pulled the win against the Buckeyes in double overtime. Well, folks, Value City Arena is no Breslin Center. What Value City Arena is, though, is a place where the fans get loud at all the wrong times (like when the home team has the ball) and are never loud unless their team, in this case, Ohio State, hits a shot that ties the game. They might as well change the name of the place to Munn Ice Arena because the similarities between the two are striking. Ohio State handed out towels to many of the fans, but like the cheering, the only time the towels were waved was when Ohio State hit a basket that tied the game.

Will history repeat itself?

The last time Michigan and MSU met on Oct. 22 in Ann Arbor, no winner was decided, and the two teams skated to a 3-3 tie.

ONLINE UPDATE: Icers sweep Alaska Fairbanks

With the weekend sweep against Alaska Fairbanks, the MSU hockey team remain perfect in the month of January, and more importantly, gained four points in balanced CCHA. "I never, ever once wavered in my belief that if we could get this whole team on the ice that it was a very good hockey team," MSU head coach Rick Comley said. Behind strong play from freshman forwards Tim Kennedy, Tim Crowder and Justin Abdelkader, the Spartans (12-8-5 overall, 6-5-4 CCHA) picked up a 4-0 victory in Friday's series opener against the Nanooks. "We just work hard out there," Crowder said.

MIDDAY UPDATE: City to make student housing lowest priority

East Lansing doesn't need more student housing downtown, city officials say. City Council will approve a policy Tuesday night that makes student-geared developments its lowest priority when approving new housing projects, focusing instead on encouraging home ownership. The council will vote on the issue at Tuesday's meeting, which begins at 5 p.m.

ONLINE UPDATE: Men's hoops grind past Ohio State in double overtime

Columbus, Ohio — For the first 49 minutes of the game, Drew Neitzel didn't have a point. But in the final minute, the sophomore guard found the bucket when it counted most, as his four points proved to be the difference in the Spartans' 62-59 double-overtime win against No.

ONLINE UPDATE: Spartans clamp down on defense

Columbus, Ohio — All season long, the No. 14 MSU men's basketball team had made its name on offense, wearing down opponent after opponent with its seemingly never-ending array of scoring options. But in its 62-59 double overtime win against No.

ONLINE UPDATE: Spartans outmuscled by No. 17 Minnesota, 71-58

Minneapolis — In the corners of Minnesota's Williams Arena there are scoreboards that don't actually show the score, but instead tally the total number of rebounds, steals and blocks by each team.

ASMSU made right decision on MCRI

Having not attended the Dec. 8 ASMSU and RHA meeting, I can't comment on the process that was used to adopt a position on the anti-affirmative action, Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, or MCRI. What I can say is — procedural concerns aside — our undergraduate student government adopted the right position for MSU and for Michigan. The MCRI is a misleading and divisive ballot measure being thrust on the people of the Great Lakes state by California businessman Ward Connerly.

Police briefs 01/13/06

Local actor, director brings LGBT issues front and center

Lansing — He sits drinking coffee. Legs scattered: tucked, stretched, constantly rearranging.

Spartans rewind

• Men's (13-4, 1-2 Big Ten) After a painful loss on Sunday, the Spartans brought home their first conference victory at Wednesday's game against Indiana. • The No.

Tomahawk won the last prognostic battle, who's next?

With the beginning of a new year and semester, State News progsters are back to their predicting skills.

Robinson sues over ballot law

State Senate candidate Melissa Sue Robinson, who is a transgender person, filed suit yesterday against the state of Michigan, challenging a law which would require her former name to appear on the ballot. Robinson, who was born Charles Edward Staelens Jr., changed her name in May 1998.

Officials doubt benefit of rise in state fiscal year budget

Michigan is projected to take in slightly more money this fiscal year than the previous one, but state and university officials say the small increase will not offer much relief from the effects of Michigan's sluggish economy. The additional revenue is not likely to mean a significant funding increase for higher education, said Michael Boulus, executive director of the Presidents Council, which represents Michigan's 15 state universities, including MSU. State budget office spokesman Greg Bird said it's hard to project exactly what the new budget will look like. The governor will release the budget Feb.

WEB EXTRA: Board approves $85,000 raise for Simon

The MSU Board of Trustees gave President Lou Anna K. Simon a 25 percent raise, bumping her salary to $425,000 in a unanimous vote Friday. After accepting the raise, Simon announced she and her husband Roy would give the money — some $85,000 before taxes — back to the university's capital campaign. Trustee Scott Romney, chairman of the board's presidential review committee, said the decision was based on Simon's performance and to keep the president's salary nationally competitive.

Spartans face difficult game in Gopher territory

The No. 9 MSU women's basketball team finishes a three-game road swing on Sunday against No. 17 Minnesota. Backcourt The Golden Gophers boast a balanced group of perimeter players, with three of their guards averaging more than six points a game, and another two averaging at least four.

Spartans' bench could be deciding factor in Sunday matchup at Ohio St.

Guards Ohio State's Je'Kel Foster is knocking down 3-pointers at a crazy percentage — 53.8 percent to be exact.

In his words: Family friend recounts historic funeral

A Blessing To Remember I was out fixing a car system in my car when I left my girlfriend Nicole McDowell in my apartment to finish her homework.

WEB UPDATE: Board selects dean for new arts and humanities residential college

Philosophy department chairman Steve Esquith was named the acting dean of a new residential college set to open in 2007 at today's MSU Board of Trustees meeting. "He's been the key person in developing the current plan so far," Provost Kim Wilcox said. Esquith takes office as acting dean of the arts and humanities residential college on July 1, and his first duties will be to assemble faculty.

Shimek provides MSU edge in play

Opposing post defenders have often looked lost against the MSU women's basketball team this season, searching for ways to stop the leading scorer in the Big Ten, but finding no solution.