Injury bug depletes Spartans

A rash of injuries have left the No. 23 Spartans dealing with more physical pains then they’d like to this season. For the second straight weekend and fifth straight game, junior outside hitter Sara Villwock was sidelined nursing an injured left foot. Prior to Villwock’s injury, she led the team with 113 kills total, she also was the team’s biggest defensive threat, digging 3.29 balls per game. Her presence has been felt on the bench, but it has lacked on the floor - where the Spartans have been hurting.

Coach urges team to turn up the volume

Rarely does a 55-year-old man want a bunch of college kids to play their music louder.But that’s one of the things head coach Rick Comley still is trying to get his 10th-ranked hockey team (1-1-0) to do in his first year at the helm.Comley wants noise.

Gun prints

The sniper who has put fear in the hearts of many Washington area residents also has rekindled talk of gun control on Capitol Hill - and one set of proposals seems worthy of America’s attention. The proposals would create a national ballistic fingerprinting system, which could better help law enforcement officials trace shell casings or guns found at crime scenes. Authorities have used ballistics imaging technology to conclude that bullet fragments and shell casings found from the shootings attributed to the Washington-area sniper’s gun. The fingerprint proposals would require gun buyers to register the unique casings and bullet fragments from the weapons they purchase.

Mason is just a puppet, he wont fire Williams

Let’s be honest here. Bobby Williams was “chosen” (not hired) to be MSU’s football head coach for all the wrong reasons. This guy is from former Detroit Lions head coach Wayne Fontes’ school of college football.

Breslin hosts heavier sound

Mention the band Tool, and you’ll notice widely different reactions. One person will shrug and act indifferent.

ASMSU hires new technology director

MSU’s undergraduate student government filled one of its many open positions Monday.Computer science sophomore David Wilson was hired as the director of Technology and Web site Affairs, now in charge of updating the ASMSU Web site and keeping the computers working.“The kid’s a ninja,” said James Perra, ASMSU interim association director.

Med students, health groups rally for Proposal 4

MSU medical students, along with health agency representatives and supporters of Proposal 4 met Wednesday to learn more about the proposal.Ron Davis, a member of Citizens for a Healthy Michigan, spoke in front of about 50 people - most in cerulean blue “Vote Yes on Proposal 4” T-shirts - about why they should be in support of the ballot proposal Nov.

United front

A notable team of Michigan leaders has been assembled to lobby the federal government for MSU’s bid to bring a significant scientific tool to campus.

Palestinian camp raises heated student debate

Tension escalated Tuesday at a mock refugee camp set up near Erickson Hall as part of Palestinian Awareness Week. Discussions among students sympathizing with either side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remained calm at times, but also spawned heated arguments.

Police briefs 10/16/02

Health department sponsoring flu shots

The Ingham County Health Department is sponsoring flu shot clinics for the public starting Wednesday. The clinics are set up for walk-ins only and no appointments will be taken.

Scholars program numbers up, Honors College alternative

A program in its second year is giving high-achieving students not invited into the Honors College an alternative.With the trend of high school grade-point averages and ACT scores swinging higher each year and MSU officials saying they want to stabilize Honors College enrollment, the option of the Academic Scholars Program is quickly gaining popularity.The program, which had 114 students its first year, has doubled its enrollment with 279 students this fall.

U, E.L. Film Festival sponsor screenings

The MSU Documentary Filmmakers and the East Lansing Film Festival are co-sponsoring a homegrown movie screening at 7 p.m.

Team downsizes, falls 3 in rankings

Hockey head coach Rick Comley’s ax finally fell last week, and little-used junior defenseman Mike Porter took the brunt of it. Porter, a 6-foot, 185-pounder, was cut from the MSU team to fulfill Comley’s wish for a 26-man active roster. The 23-year-old Northville native played three games last season, but didn’t register any statistics.

Williams debacle will prove tough on U

After another dismal performance by the Spartans on Saturday, fans again want Bobby Williams’ head on a platter.

Healthy Spartans work better

Last season, the MSU men’s basketball team lacked enough healthy bodies for intense practices. The Spartans had just eight scholarship athletes on the roster and various injuries - including redshirt junior forward Adam Wolfe’s season-ending injury - forcing walk-ons and others to play minutes they had not earned. Head coach Tom Izzo said practices were played “safe.” This fall, the first three days of practices have been more to Izzo’s liking.

Hand over hand

Fayetteville, W. Va. - Hanging from a rock 30 feet above the ground with only a thin climbing rope and a trusty belayer determining her safety, Dawn Smith hears the slight murmur of the New River hundreds of feet below her and searches for the next minuscule crack or ledge to propel higher on the almost-flat rock face. MSU Outing Club members on the ground called out advice to the deaf education junior, giving her advice as to where to go next. “You’re going to want to bring your right foot up to that crack just above your right knee,” one member shouts. From the ground, the cracks in the rock look enormous, but staring at them head-on, they only go a centimeter or two deep - and each hole’s circumference is tiny.

Free program aids relaxation techniques through yoga

Healthy U is sponsoring a free course called Yoga Movements and Relaxation for MSU employees. The six-week course will meet every Thursday in the Union Purdue Room. The sessions run from 12:10-12:50 p.m., and participants are encouraged to bring a mat or blanket and wear loose fitting clothing. The course will be instructed by Jo Martinie, a certified yoga instructor, and will focus on basic yoga positions, stretching and meditation. Registration is required to attend all sessions.

Residents: Tier brings questions

With the city of East Lansing extending its Northern Tier borders to accommodate apartments and commerce, nearby residents of the affected area see the development as a mixed blessing.The East Lansing territory north of Saginaw Highway - mostly between Abbott and Coolidge Roads - is the focus of a stream of development.

Lake Lansing Road crash sends 3 to hospital

Three people were injured and Lake Lansing Road was shut down for about a half hour, just before rush hour Tuesday as police cleaned up a three-car pile up spanning the entire five-lane road. “Holy cow,” said Paul Lentz, who’s Oldsmobile Bravada was totaled.