Annual food drive helps poor families

The annual East Lansing Recycling program's ELROW food drive began on Tuesday and will last until August 8.

From shining shoes to shining star

On a midsummer morning in the Dominican Republic, Felix Pie left behind a small, dirt-floor home he shared with his mother, father, sister and three brothers as he decided to spend his day shining shoes at a baseball diamond instead of attending school. "It was 7 a.m.

Student could be charged today for false claim

Ingham County prosecutors will decide today whether to press charges against a 19-year-old MSU student who admitted Friday to falsely reporting a sexual assault. The East Lansing Police Department said it is seeking charges against the student who reported she had been sexually assaulted by a white man with a gun on the morning of July 20 on the 300 block of Division Street. The student told officers she had unprotected intercourse and after fearing she might become pregnant claimed she was assaulted. Filing a false police report is a felony that carries a penalty of up to four years in prison and a $2,000 fine. "There is usually a understandable reason for why they make these reports," Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III said.

Lansing park opens paved trail, plans for more improvements

Lansing - Dick Sullivan has a brand new course to skate on. The grand opening of the Hawk Island Trail was celebrated Monday by the Ingham County Board of Commissioners and the Ingham County Parks Board. Located in Lansing's Hawk Island's Park, the trail consists of a paved, 1.5-mile loop around the park and is the next step in many planned improvements. A resident of Lansing for more than 40 years, Sullivan attended the opening ceremonies, adding that he couldn't wait to try out the added route. "I rollerblade here every day," he said.

Rape victims often treated unfairly

As a former rape counselor, I have a few comments I wanted to add to the story "Student not sexually assaulted, filed false police report" (SN 7/28). One source in the story (Olin Health educator Dennis Martell) said people might falsely report a rape because they regret having sex, or "for attention." Given the kind of attention rape survivors receive, I suspect that's rare. Rape survivors are often blamed for being raped in the first place, as people demand to know, "What were you drinking?" or "Why were you walking alone?" Many times, they aren't believed at all, even by friends and family. Another reason I've heard for falsely reporting a sexual assault is to get back at a boy.

New classes enrich coaching ability

In an effort to increase knowledge about coaching, MSU is offering three new online courses through the Department of Kinesiology. The classes are graduate-school level but are available to anyone who is a part of the lifelong education program.

Celebrity doesn't excuse husbands' adulterous ways

Last week, I found myself awake at 3 a.m. flipping through the channels to see if anything remotely interesting was on, besides from infomercials, when I came across the ESPN show "Outside the Lines." The topic of the show was the alleged Kobe Bryant sexual assault incident.

Hotwire manages metal-emo combination

Hotwire is one of those bands that you hear on the radio and instantly categorize under nu-metal.

Police briefs 07/30/03

Bike impoundment service necessary

Well, it is that time of year again. The time of year when individuals cannot follow rules and instead point fingers at those who are doing their job.

Disconnected

Telemarketers should find doing their jobs to be a hang up, as the federal government should be allowed to help protect the privacy of those who don't want their telephones ringing off the hook. Telemarketing companies are challenging the government's do-not-call list by suing it over the blockage, arguing it will lead the loss of 2 million jobs - a devastation to the industry. The Federal Trade Commission operates the service.

Schools a priority for candidate

Editor's note: This is the fourth in a series of articles profiling Lansing's six candidates for mayor. If elected mayor of Lansing, candidate Mary Ann Prince said the front door to her duplex home will always be open. "I'll be available to the citizens, if you can't come to me, I'll come to you," the retired state employee said. Prince worked for more than 26 years in Michigan's departments of community health and education. After campaigning day and night in 1993, Prince was defeated in that year's Lansing mayoral primary election, and says this year she'll do just the opposite. "I learned a lot back then, I paid a lot of money, I put up the signs, I sent out the mailers, I did the parades and I just decided I'm not going to do that this time," Prince said. Instead, the lifetime Lansing resident and Lansing Community College graduate spends her time knocking on doors and networking at her church social functions.

Cleaning house

The Theta Delta Chi fraternity house is being fixed up by current members and alumni after it was found in disrepair in early July by East Lansing housing inspectors. It's good to see those associated with the fraternity start to clean up their act, but the repairs should have been done when things started to fall apart and before the inspectors showed up on their doorstep. Unfortunately, being in college, we no longer have our parents to clean up after us.

Redesigned Web site to hit 'U'

When thousands of students and faculty pour back into campus in August, they may notice a change to their green and white Web site. The university will officially launch its updated Web site on Aug.

Lugnuts' center fielder lives baseball dreams

Lansing Lugnut center fielder Felix Pie never dreamed that the decision to skip school could change his life forever. The Lugnuts' star center fielder skipped school one day in his homeland of the Dominican Republic to watch some friends try out for major-league scouts.

'U' initiative funds livestock projects

A team of MSU researchers have been working on a project that could produce better tasting bacon.Ronald Bates, a swine specialist with MSU's animal science department, and eight other colleagues will begin working on a unique swine population in the fall to determine how muscle mass affects the taste and quality of pork.

Real world riches don't start on top, work hard from bottom

Americans, probably more so than any other culture, appreciate the pricier things in life. Robin Leech became a pop culture icon as host of the 1980s show "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous." Today, MTV impresses our youth with "Cribs." In the land of champagne wishes and caviar dreams, everyone wants to be the next rags-to-riches story.

Hall of Fame inductees for 2003 announced

MSU's Athletics Hall of Fame will gain five new members in September when the Class of 2003 is inducted.

Nuns given sentence for break-in

A federal judge in Denver sentenced three nuns to prison for at least the next two and a half years Friday for their roles in breaking into a nuclear missile silo in October.

Police briefs 07/28/03