Recruiting season over, highlight reels continue to impress fans, coaches

National Signing Day has come and gone, and thus begins a sad, arduous and lonely time for yours truly.

Love drama just in time for holiday

We all have had experiences with relationships - some good, some bad, and some so ugly, we block the horrid affair from our memories forever. The tale behind the couple in "The Last Five Years" is not a story out of the ordinary - it follows two people who recently have met and fallen in love, but eventually the hustle and stress of everyday life breaks down their communication and consequently brings their marriage to a halt. "They stop hearing and seeing each other, and that can be damaging," said Jill Bennink, who plays Cathy in the Peppermint Creek Theatre musical.

Women should make decisions about own bodies, need choices

I still remember sitting in my ISS 215 class last fall. We covered every topic from inequality to evolution, and then came abortion.

ASMSU might plan new fall events

Discussions on sponsoring a welcome week concert this fall at Breslin Center has spurned MSU's undergraduate student government to expand fall welcome activities. ASMSU members will work with the Department of Student Life to add music, sports and other activities to the five-day stretch between freshman move-in and the first day of classes. Some of the ideas under consideration are a Taste Fest in East Lansing with area businesses, intermural sports activities, a Battle of the Bands and an event for dorm residents to meet their neighbors. "We're trying to come up with a whole set of things to do," said Kevin Glandon, external vice chairperson for ASMSU's Student Assembly.

Spartan hockey picks up recruit for '04 season

MSU hockey gained another recruit for the 2004 season when they picked up Minnesota's Jim McKenzie. Nicknamed "Big Mac," McKenzie stands at 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 205 pounds.

Bad chairs leave this reporter yearning for feeling in her seat

When I first started going to the theater, I'd go about 15 minutes early, sit down and simply watch the audience wander. And I can see why they wander - the seats in theaters are horrible. My first show, in the Creole Gallery, 1218 Turner St.

Police briefs 02/11/04

Trumpeter, novelist to be program speakers

A trumpeter and a novelist will spend two days at MSU showing students what they can do with a degree in arts and humanities. Historical novelist R.

Chicken hands out union fliers

It's not every day that students in the Union are handed fliers from a man wearing a giant chicken head.

Albom's first fiction attempt falters

Mitch Albom's "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" is a lot like a romantic comedy: It makes you feel good but it's unbearably cliché. I wouldn't necessarily call it trite, like some romantic comedies.

Spartans shine when forced to play down

The MSU hockey team has been close to perfect in holding its opponents off the score sheet when the Spartans play with one man down. MSU is killing off penalties at a rate of 94.6 percent (35 out of 37) since the UMass-Lowell series on Jan.

Atom-tastic

What the hell is a cyclotron? It's not exactly nuclear science. Oh, wait, it is nuclear science.

Faculty given awards for excellence in service, outreach

MSU's annual Awards Convocation on Tuesday honored 26 MSU faculty members for their commitment to MSU through scholarship, research and leadership. Provost Lou Anna Simon and MSU Trustee David Porteous welcomed the more than 200-member crowd following MSU President M.

Illini pummel Spartans in blowout

Champaign, Ill. - The Spartans figured they couldn't win every game with offense alone, and they got hard proof of that against Illinois. The Spartans (12-9 overall, 7-3 Big Ten) gave the Illini too many offensive opportunities, and Illinois (16-5, 7-3) took advantage, outshooting MSU on its way to a 75-51 win. MSU's defense has concerned coach Tom Izzo throughout the season, but the Spartans have recently overcome that with a high-powered offense.

Trash land

No one wants trash in his or her backyard. In Michigan, we already have so much that we're skiing on it in places such as Brighton.

Gov. plans cigarette tax raise

Smokers might have to pay more to calm their cravings in the future, as Gov. Jennifer Granholm said Tuesday she plans to propose raising Michigan's cigarette tax from $1.25 to $2 per pack. The governor said the proposal could raise an estimated $295 million in extra revenue for a Michigan budget currently facing a $1.3 billion deficit while deterring Michigan citizens from smoking. "If we really want to get a handle on health care, we need to deter kids from smoking," Granholm said during a news conference.

Resource Week to talk about equine disease

As part of Agriculture and Natural Resources Week, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources will sponsor a program about equine lameness, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Bush's Medicare ads political propaganda, waste of money

With Janet Jackson's breast holding an ironclad monopoly over television, the Bush administration decided to launch its own public boob.

Haynie calmly leads No. 17 Spartans

Quiet and unassuming are words that come to mind when looking at junior point guard Kristin Haynie. Until you watch her play. It's then you realize this soft-spoken athlete runs the show for one of the nation's top 20 teams.

Police briefs 02/11/04