Voter registration in E.L.

There are five days left before the Oct. 11 deadline to register to vote in the East Lansing City Council elections.

Researchers use grant to examine plant mechanisms

MSU researchers believe if they can unlock the secret behind how simple plant mechanisms work, they can engineer almost anything for people - from vitamins to new bio-fuels. Last month, 10 MSU faculty members received a $4 million grant from the National Science Foundation to study how plant genes make nutrients, said Rob Last, a biochemistry and plant biology professor.

Mother, daughter artists show work together at Banyan Gallery

Growing up, Nathalie Winans looked to her artist mother for support and advice while pursuing her own art interests. "She's really encouraged me as an artist," Winans said of her mother, Jill Lareaux.

Stand out from the crowd

Josh Shyu defines style as "untainted self-expression." The psychology freshman prefers using color and accessories to jazz up his wardrobe.

Religious rite

As a part of Rosh Hashana, psychology sophomore Samantha Dresser throws bread into the Red Cedar River during a tradition called tashlich on Tuesday afternoon.

Campaign funds disputed

Officials at the Michigan Department of State are investigating a complaint that Lansing Mayor Tony Benavides received illegal campaign contributions in excess of $7,000. The building in which the Benavides re-election campaign is located normally rents office suites for $1,200 a month.

Franz Ferdinand: 'Much Better' than expected

Franz Ferdinand took the world by storm last year and quickly became the "it" band of the summer of 2004 with catchy danceable tunes. The Scottish foursome is back with its second full-length album, "You Could Have It So Much Better." The single has been teasing fans for weeks; this amount of hype leading up to an album usually signifies disappointment.

Dark horse

Trust me, he says. "I have proof of weapons of mass destruction. Trust me." "We'll only look through your library records if you're a national threat.

SN, Wibert squashing need for self-defense

The first line gives it away, "A drunken stumble into the wrong house could land someone 6 feet underground if legislation focusing on the use of lethal force is passed by state lawmakers." Now to be fair, this is an indirect quote and, actually, it is true.

Frat Packer, SN hash over show

Vince Vaughn is the emcee of a new comedy tour, "30 Days & 30 Nights - From Hollywood to the Heartland," which will be at the State Theater in Detroit on Friday.

Geniuses at work on biggest movie ever

The greatest movie script ever inked to paper has not been written yet. And how do I know this? Well, because I've been banging my head together with the best minds in the film industry at weekly gatherings in order to create the optimum screenplay. Already I can feel the questions oozing out of your overworked brain.

Police briefs 10/05/05

Statewide student groups lobby for higher ed funding

Like many students, Julielyn Gibbons worries about paying for college - she works, takes out loans and her parents are dipping into their retirement fund to help Gibbons and her siblings. "We're having to pay through the nose for tuition," said Gibbons, the director of legislative affairs for ASMSU's Student Assembly.

They're out there

Science fiction isn't just for "geeks" anymore. As the technology-based genre becomes more mainstream, more people are finding themselves enchanted by it. Science fiction traditionally focuses on the impact of imaginary technologies or sciences on humans.

No. 16 Penn State plays host to No.6 Ohio State in Happy Valley

After joining the Big Ten in 1993, Penn State finished in the top three of the conference for five straight years. Yet, the Nittany Lions have not come closer than fourth place since then. But this year might be a different story as Joe Paterno has his team out to its first 5-0 start since 1999, when the team won its first nine games. This weekend presents the toughest test to date for the No.

Officials consider plans to replace housing

MSU officials said they plan to demolish University Village apartments in June and replace them with modern, amentity-driven apartments aimed at undergraduate students. The 24-acre apartment site on west campus would include apartments to house 300 people, said Chuck Gagliano, assistant vice president of the Division of Housing & Food Services.

Leno brings live act to Breslin Center

Jay Leno likes to keep it real. "I never liked performers at my age who tried to act like they were 19.

E.L. nonprofit group gives 'HOAP' to residents

For 13 years, a local nonprofit group has been working to help low- to middle-income families, including many recent MSU graduates, purchase homes in certain East Lansing neighborhoods. The federally-funded Homeownership Opportunity Assistance Program, or HOAP, has helped about 75 people who wouldn't usually be able to purchase homes in East Lansing, said Ruth Geller, program coordinator for HOAP, which is part of East Lansing Housing and Neighborhood Services Inc. "One of the program's goals is to promote a balance between owner and rental properties in the selected neighborhoods," Geller said.

'Above normal' temps not record-breaking

October has begun and students and Michigan residents have had to keep tank tops and sandals out longer than usual as temperatures reach the 80-degree range, which is warmer than usual for the month. This weather, however, is not record-breaking, said meteorologist Bob Dukesherer at the National Weather Center in Grand Rapids.

PETA display riles some

Banners with graphic images of animals being mistreated stood alongside images of past human rights violations near Wells Hall on Tuesday. The pictures were an exhibit created by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, as part of a 28-campus tour, said Sangeeta Kumar, a spokeswoman for the group.