Adams just trying to improve each game

MSU head coach John L. Smith hasn't really had a true bandit since becoming head coach before the 2003 season. Now, in his third year, he may have finally found his man. Sophomore Sir Darean Adams has risen up and taken control of the spot. "I really like what he's done," Smith said. "The last two weeks, he's really focused and said 'I'm going to get better each day,' and that's the way he's taken the field.

Group's column shows ignorance

Direct Action's column, ("Direct Action members criticize State News for misrepresentation," SN 9/9) in response to being portrayed as terrorists by The State News successfully made them sound less like terrorists and more like the local flagship of "progressive" ignorance, which, believe it or not, is not a better public relations strategy.

I'm not paying

ASMSU's recent decision to advocate lower parking meter rates on campus sounds like a good idea.

Campus garden often sees theft

When botanical technicians Hope Rankin and Peter Murray arrive at the Beal Botanical Garden every day to work on the more than 5,000 different plants found there, their duties don't always include routine upkeep of the grounds and plants. The 5-acre garden, which is always open for public access, is occasionally the site of vandalism or theft. The garden's curator, Frank Telewski, said garden technicians have to make repairs about once a month because of vandalism. The amount of time and money it takes to repair the garden depends on what was stolen or damaged, Telewski said. "Damage to our structures is probably our biggest problem because of the amount of labor involved in taking care of it," Telewski said.

Center seeks goods for hurricane victims

The Central United Methodist Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and International Family Care Services have created the Katrina Response Relief Distribution Center in Lansing to collect personal care items and other supplies to help with the relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina victims.

Kanye West's words wrong for telethon

Shame on Kanye West for misusing his popularity. He recently made the statement, "George Bush doesn't care about black people," during a live fundraising event.

Inquired views

Hearings to consider Judge John Roberts for the position of chief justice of the United States are underway and both Democrats and Republicans are arguing about the selection. The nominee's background and experience will be evaluated by an 18-member Senate Judiciary Committee before a decision is reached, but what interviewers should be focusing on is his views on certain issues. As a renowned conservative, Roberts is largely backed by Republicans who are hoping he will be an asset within the court and lead it away from overruling congressional decisions.

Actors rescue sloppy 'Sylvia'

The actors in "Sylvia" put on by the Lansing Civic Players gave a valid performance despite a cheesy script. "Sylvia" opened this weekend at Hannah Community Center to give audiences a glimpse inside the life of a slowly collapsing marriage. The story follows Sylvia the dog, played by Laura Croff, as she enters and disrupts the married life of Greg and Kate.

Locals hope for balance on court

With two vacancies on the Supreme Court and a white male vying for one of them, members of the MSU community hope a minority will fill the other. Supreme Court Chief Justice nominee John Roberts is in confirmation hearings for the seat vacated following the death of Chief Justice William H.

Love of stage fuels new director

Kristine Thatcher fell in love at the BoarsHead Theatre. As a teenager, Thatcher said she was captivated by the theater's summer stock performances during its inaugural season in 1966.

Expert: Plenty of help is available for depression, quitting cigarette habit

Dear Dr. D, I am so depressed since I have moved here for school. I can't find people that understand me, my family is so far away and class seems overwhelming.

Minority program requests upgrades

Staff and students from the Chicano/Latino studies program are calling for an increase in future funding and office space, guaranteed positions for various staff members and a comprehensive plan for Chicano and Latino student admissions and retention rates. Members of the program met with Provost Kim Wilcox a second time on Monday and presented him with a list of these concerns, which also includes making the program into a department. Interdisciplinary studies in social science and community relations junior Claudia Gonzalez works in the Chicano/Latino studies office and said the office's budget projections arrived late and appeared to allocate about $77,000 less than the year before. On Friday, several members from the program attempted to speak with President Lou Anna K.

MIDDAY UPDATE: Voters to decide fate of dove hunting in Mich.

Michigan's second dove-hunting season has yet to take flight because of a ballot initiative to create a statewide ban on the sport, and groups who want to be able to shoot the birds are fighting back. Now, Michigan voters will decide the fates of the law and doves living in the state when they cast their ballots in the November 2006 general election. Because of the ballot initiative, the 2005 and 2006 seasons have been canceled. In June 2004, Gov.

Breakfast cereal keeps pounds off, profs find

Mom always said that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. And according to some MSU nutrition experts, mom was right - at least when addressing her daughters. Women who regularly eat cereal for breakfast are more likely to weigh less than those that don't eat breakfast or choose a different morning meal, according to a new study by researchers from MSU and Kellogg Co. Researchers could not explain why there were no benefits found for men who ate cereal regularly, said Won Song, acting dean of MSU's College of Human Ecology. "We noticed that over the years, eating frequency has to do with the amount we eat and obesity," Song said.

Mich. launches suicide prevention plan

With more deaths caused by suicide in Michigan than homicide and HIV/AIDS combined, the Michigan Surgeon General's Office has released its first-ever suicide prevention plan. The plan, announced by Surgeon General Dr. Kimberlydawn Wisdom has many goals, said Tiffany Menard, spokeswoman for the Surgeon General.

Nation knew about possible tragedy

In response to the letter to the editor entitled "Bush incompetence bad for disaster aid" (SN 9/7), New Orleans was a disaster waiting to happen.

Task force looking to reform Academic Governance

Bob Murphy is worried about the future of his involvement in the higher levels of the Academic Governance system. The main feature on the agenda for today's Faculty Council meeting includes discussing and voting on five different task forces, one of which could have major implications on Murphy's role in Academic Governance. The task forces are geared to improve areas highlighted in the Faculty Voice Report, a result of a committee of faculty that met last year to troubleshoot ways to give the faculty more voice in university issues. The Faculty Voice Report recommended that a task force restructure Academic Governance by creating a new executive group, called the Faculty Executive Committee. This group would be composed of only six faculty members. A committee made of solely faculty members has Murphy, chairperson of ASMSU's Academic Assembly, wondering where he gets to participate. "It completely destroys any sort of student input we have as part of (Academic) Governance," Murphy said.

Recovery relentless in storm's aftermath

After a bus trip that stretched across almost 1,200 miles and lasted 41 hours, Michelle Butler and her six children arrived at their new home in Lansing on Sunday from Shreveport, La. Butler and her children, Navra, Wilmor, Winitra, Mineisha, Gordon, and TréVion, all younger than 11, sought refuge at the CenturyTel Center in Bossier City, La.

Police briefs 09/13/05

Police chief: Is wild partying worth it?

About two weeks ago, I wrote a column about some of the life and death scenarios that I observed while out on patrol during the weekend of Welcome Week, ("East Lansing police Chief shares startling Welcome Week stories," SN 9/1). One of those incidents involved an unprovoked assault when a person was hit in the head with a bottle in the 200 block of Bailey Street.