MSU

Horse celebrates 30th birthday

Kendra Snyder

March 31, 2003

Boxes of sugar cubes, bags of apples and chocolate covered carrots wrapped with birthday ribbons and bows covered a table in the Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education on Friday.Across the room, children gathered around three large cakes while their parents looked through pictures.The honoree, tied to a nearby railing, dipped his head down and took a mouthful of hay.Chum, a horse in the Mason-based Children & Horses United in Movement Therapeutic Riding center, celebrated his 30th birthday with 23 years of therapy patients and families.Chum's owner and occupational therapist Bonnie DePue, threw the party for the horse, whom she calls her "best friend" of 28 years."Chum is an integral part of many people's lives," she said.

COMMENTARY

Graffiti helped to change life, views

Yes, it's a fact. Yesterday, we were nothing more than war-mongering right-wing oil grubbers. But what a difference a day makes.

MICHIGAN

Gala celebrates African food, culture

Aaron Foley

March 31, 2003

Tereza Guimaraes didn't know the food was going to be so spicy.The native Brazilian said because of the African influence in her country, she is familiar with African styles of cooking.But when she sampled the food at the annual African Culture Gala Saturday night, she was surprised."The ingredients are similar," she said after finishing a plate of Ethiopian chicken and other dishes.

SPORTS

Sports briefs

Sluggers drop 4 conference games The MSU baseball team is off to a slow conference start after falling in four straight games this weekend. Sunday, the Spartans (5-17 overall, 0-4 Big Ten) dropped the first contest of a doubleheader 5-1 at Minnesota.

NEWS

Victory string ends as Texas rolls, 85-76

Chris Mackinder

March 31, 2003

San Antonio - The MSU men's basketball team had the chance to be a part of a rare foursome. After Kentucky, Arizona and Oklahoma were ousted in their respective regional finals, the stage was set for a Final Four without a No.

NEWS

Affirmative action rally draws support, protest

With fists high and voices raised, the audience stood at the "Rally to Defend Affirmative Action" while chanting "Go Green, Go White, we want equal rights," on Saturday at the Fairchild Theater.

MSU

Xtravaganza celebrates culture through music acts

Aaron Foley

March 31, 2003

Luz Rivera watched her daughter, Gianelle Rivera dance underneath the Puerto Rican flag with the members of Caliente, a Latina dance group.

FEATURES

'Evil' worthy of cult status

MSU alumnus Sam Raimi pulled off the impossible. His first recognized film, "The Evil Dead," drew acclaim and cult status through its creepy atmosphere, punctuated violence and overall dreadful feel. Though the film was not a financial success, its underground popularity made fans demand more horror work from the talented young director. What he gave them was "Evil Dead 2." The beauty of the sequel is it's not all that different from the original as far as plot is concerned. Actually, though there are less characters in the beginning, the setup is the same. Ash (Bruce Campbell) goes to a secluded cabin with his girlfriend.

MSU

Student receives national award

Amy Bartner

March 31, 2003

When Megan Dennis was younger, she knew she wanted to make a difference in the world."When she was a little girl, she wanted to cure illnesses," said Harold Dennis, Megan's grandfather.

NEWS

State leaders call for more homeland security funds

Joey Guillen

March 31, 2003

Gov. Jennifer Granholm joined U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, and Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick in Detroit today to ask Congress for $9 billion to assist local and state governments in their homeland security preparations.Stabenow spokesman Dave Lemmon said Michigan's location on the U.S.-Canadian border, along with other factors, requires more money than the federal government proposed to spend, especially with the state's budget crisis.The Bush administration proposed only about $4 billion in funding for the state."Whether it's money for additional training or additional equipment, local and state governments need the assistance for homeland security," Lemmon said.The Bush administration has outlined a supplemental appropriations bill to spend $4.25 billion for states' homeland security efforts."We feel very strongly there needs to be a strong partnership with the federal government on this," Lemmon said.For more on this story please see Tuesday's edition of The State News.

FEATURES

March album release wrap-up

The end of the month has arrived, which means it's time to take a look back at some titles that slipped by us - until now.

MSU

Bowling night to benefit mentoring organization

Kendra Snyder

March 31, 2003

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Lansing will host a bowling night starting at 6 p.m. on April 9 at Spartan Lanes in the basement of the Union. The 2003 Meijer Bowl For Kids' Sake College Night will put together bowling teams with a goal of raising at least $100 for the organization. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Lansing pairs children from single-parent homes with adult mentors.

COMMENTARY

Captains are true Spartan heroes

Kent Vince and Ronald Burke are truly amazing.

NEWS

Win brings celebration, arrests

Steve Eder

March 31, 2003

Thousands mobbed East Lansing streets early Saturday to revel in the MSU men's basketball team's Sweet 16 victory. More than 2,000 packed Cedar Village - a traditional postgame stomping ground for fans - as about 1,000 more turned downtown East Lansing into a late night circus to cheer the Spartans' 60-58 victory over University of Maryland in the South Regional semifinals.

COMMENTARY

Columnist's take on protests was off

The opinion column by TJ Jourian was simply infuriating ("Inconveniences caused by protesters minor in context" SN 3/24). First, The State News allowed Jourian to call some of its readers "imbeciles." She then continued to cast aspersions, accusations and assumptions on how the rest of us feel. Saying ROTC students are "trained" to support our troops was ridiculous.

FEATURES

Moore begins work on new film

Allison Lucy

March 31, 2003

Filmmaker Michael Moore, who won an Academy Award for his documentary "Bowling for Columbine," recently made a deal with Mel Gibson's Icon Productions to produce his next film. "Fahrenheit 911" will focus on the ties between the Bush and bin Laden families and suggests the bin Laden family greatly profited from a business association between former President Bush and Mohammed bin Laden.

COMMENTARY

America no longer free from living in rest of world's terror

When I was in second grade my best friend was Jewish. She was the only other girl in my class who had dark features and understood concepts like war, Saddam Hussein, nuclear weapons and death.

SOFTBALL

Softball starts strong in Big Ten

Benita Mehta

March 31, 2003

The MSU softball team kicked off the Big Ten season by taking three of four contests from Illinois and No.

NEWS

Madness

Steve Eder

March 31, 2003

Fires, tipped cars and broken bottles littered campus and East Lansing streets Sunday night as thousands rioted after MSU's 85-76 loss to Texas in the NCAA Tournament. Police greeted unruly crowds totaling more than 2,000 with tear gas, hoping to put an end to the chaos.

MSU

Horticulture Club takes honors in competition

Carrie Hoover

March 31, 2003

The MSU Horticulture Club "kicked butt" at a national competition in Mississippi, said club president Dru Bernthal. MSU was one of the 51 colleges represented in the competition, which included interior landscape design and maintenance equipment operation.