E.L. council to discuss its budget at meeting

The East Lansing City Council will meet at 4 p.m. Tuesday in City Hall, 410 Abbott Road, to discuss the city's proposed budget.

GEU might strike if MSU fails to meet contract negotiations

Graduate Employees Union members said a potential contract presented by MSU officials is less than satisfactory - and they are ready to strike if the university doesn't work toward a compromise soon. "The university is offering nothing whatsoever," said Mat Bartkowiak, a steward of the union, or GEU.

Student threads

At 2 a.m. on Friday, when some students are at the bar with friends and others sleep, DJ Grant and his partners are busy running a fashion-design business. The 23-year-old merchandising management senior and his two partners started Shione Clothing Co. in August 2002.

Police briefs 04/12/05

City: Revamp could prevent future riots

A group of East Lansing officials and landlords say a plan to overhaul the Cedar Village area could quell future large-scale disturbances like those that happened April 2-3. By encouraging the development of businesses and housing that cater to both student renters and permanent residents, city officials say they aim to change the mentality in the area, if their plan is adopted by the City Council. The East Village Planning Team, formed early last year, has set out to create a plan for the potential redevelopment of the East Village.

Buried Kresge painting exhibit requires patrons to squint eyes

Kresge Art Museum has a new exhibit on hand - a miniature one at that. The exhibit "A World in Miniature: Islamic Paintings from the R.M.

Officials: Admission rates for minorities consistent

By the numbers, minority student enrollment is down slightly at MSU, but according to the Office of Affirmative Action, Compliance & Monitoring, the university's minority retention rate is above the national average. Each year, MSU publishes a report on the progress of initiatives that support diversity.

MSU faculty, staff should be respected

I am writing in regard to the article "Faculty must take steps to better accommodate inquiring students" (SN 3/21). Darrell Hughes states that the MSU faculty members and their abilities were presented to him in a highly positive way before attending school.

Organ donation registry events spread information, awareness

About five years ago, Darwin Esson couldn't walk without stopping for breaths. After a lifetime of smoking cigarettes, the 67-year-old Lansing resident was forced to live on a 3-liter oxygen canister 24 hours a day - until he got a new pair of lungs. "Before I couldn't barely walk without huffin' and puffin,' now I can do anything I want to, like I was 40 years old," Esson said.

Botanical club to host spring wildflower tour

The Michigan Botanical Club is sponsoring a spring wildflower walk at 10 a.m. Saturday in Scott Woods. The club will be meeting to tour the woods, located behind the Ingham Regional Medical Center Pennsylvania Campus, 2727 S.

Bush fire contained by Akers residents

A fire in bushes outside of East Akers Hall was extinguished at about 5:20 p.m. Monday by the East Lansing Fire Department and a few residents who grabbed fire extinguishers after smelling smoke. There they said they saw fire on the underside of a patch of bushes.

Decibully album 'inventive'

Don't let Decibully's name fool you. The band's music isn't nearly as mean as its moniker implies. Sure, this Milwaukee folk-rock septet has the "decibel" pun right: There are plenty of crank-it-up moments on "Sing Out America!" The "bully" part, however, is somewhat deceiving.

Greek week

Glow necklaces, beach balls and giant cardboard Greek letters were sprinkled throughout a frenzied Auditorium on Monday as hundreds of MSU fraternity and sorority members kicked off Greek Week 2005 at MTV Night, a choreographed dance contest. "It's just crazy," human biology junior Dianna Vollmer shouted as teal-clad members of her Alpha Chi Omega sorority clapped, chanted and whistled behind her.

Safe sanctions

It is impossible to make a case for driving drunk. Being inebriated and operating a motor vehicle are two rights you have that are mutually exclusive. You've probably heard all of the valid reasons not to drink and drive before: Alcohol impairs coordination, information processing ability, eye movement and steering ability, among other things. At the risk of sounding like an overbearing and graphic "Blood on the Highway"-esque driver's education film here, any decision to drive drunk is a bad one.

Trannon adjusting move back to field

For the past four months it seems Matt Trannon only was dreaming about basketball as his team headed to the Final Four. The junior forward left his football pads behind and worked his way into MSU head coach Tom Izzo's rotation. But when Trannon went to sleep at night, it was a football he grabbed to tuck in next to him in bed. "I've been doing it since high school -just something I do," he said. Although he was mostly on the hardwood during the winter, he constantly checked in with his football coaches and spent his spare time in the weight room. It was a short break for the two-sport athlete from Flint in preparation for his senior football season. After playing in the Final Four in St.

Lugnuts enjoy strong fan base in Lansing

More than 7,000 fans stood and cheered last Thursday when the Lansing Lugnuts recorded the final out of the game to win by a slim score of 1-0 and kick off their 10th season of Class A minor league baseball at Oldsmobile Park. Despite a new affiliate with the Toronto Blue Jays and a completely new roster, fan support remains strong for the Lugnuts and was a surprise on opening day for Lansing's first-year manager Ken Joyce. "The fans are outstanding," he said.

Condoning gassings sets bad precedent

After reading the editorials submitted by both students and alumni reprimanding those who chose to congregate after our loss on April 2, I am compelled to publicize the fear lurking in their arguments. The probability that one could anticipate an aggressive police response to a gathering that one attends without violent intentions is irrelevant.

Bars' role in melee questioned

Harry Moxley remembers stepping onto his porch and gazing down Bailey Street toward downtown East Lansing - one of the epicenters of action during the MSU riot of 1999. Although the scene of the April 2-3 disturbances this year wasn't nearly as destructive, Moxley said his neighborhood still believes the high concentration of liquor licenses is at the root of unruly behavior in downtown East Lansing. And residents believe city officials are to blame, said Moxley, vice chairman of the Bailey Community Association. There are 27 liquor licenses in use in East Lansing, and 15 of those currently operating businesses are packed into the downtown area.

A strong voice

This year's undergraduate commencement speaker promises to be a lot more inspirational and less political. At the request of MSU President Lou Anna K.

No Child Left Behind Act will end up leaving many schools in the dust

I've been saying it for years: The No Child Left Behind Act is hurting our schools, not helping them.