Oct. 7 is final day to register to vote

The final day to register to vote in the Nov. 5 elections is Monday.Voter registration requires voters to be a U.S.

MIDDAY UPDATE: Husband sentenced to life in prison

An Ingham County judge sentenced Dennis Salerno to life in prison without parole for the murder of his wife, MSU graduate student Michelle Salerno, in 2000.Dennis Salerno spoke for about 10 minutes, and Michelle’s family members spoke for about 20 minutes before Circuit Court Judge Peter Houk issued the sentence.

The F-bomb:

When you were young, you had your mouth washed out with soap for saying it. As you approached those pubescent years, you felt so cool when it blurted from your mouth - even if you really didn’t understand what it meant or why it was so bad. It can be used to describe something un-frickin’-believably good, but can also be used as a demeaning, vile insult. You were taught never to use it because it was a naughty or dirty word.

Beck finds success with somber Sea Change

After the appropriate and exotic overtones of Beck’s last record, “Midnite Vultures,” he returns with “Sea Change,” what many critics believe to be his best effort. Gone are the strobe lights and whacked-out disco beats that plastered his last disc, and thankfully he’s returned to the inspirational songwriting that surrounded 1998’s “Mutations.” Instead of ranting about “Sexx Laws” and “lobotomy beats,” we see the calm, collected side of Beck, as most of the songs have minimal percussion and emphasize his diverse musical talents. But most noticeably, the lyrics and overall mood display a sad and helpless man. There are many answers flying around the media trying to explain why this record is so much more melancholy compared to “Midnite Vultures” or even “Odelay,” but the real answer is simple: Beck is a striving musician who won’t settle for anything less than making a completely different record each time he walks into the studio. I find it difficult to immediately label this as Beck’s greatest collection, as some publications have boldly proclaimed. But I will go as far as to agree that this record is at the forefront for this year’s “Album of the Year.” The seas have changed yet again for Beck, and for that, we thank him.

Western Keys creates catchy sound

Austin, Texas’ Western Keys makes the kind of music that fluctuates from sweet and simple melodies to twisted and torn tunes that are ridiculously catchy and entertaining indie rock. Ben Dickey’s voice is addictive in its imperfection as it breaks and jumps around the songs, never sticking to routine.

Road work ongoing

Motorists who wish to travel on South Harrison Avenue must find alternate routes for the next two weeks.South Harrison Avenue, between Trowbridge Road and Mount Hope Road, are closed to repair the railroad crossings of Canadian National Railroad and CSX Railroad.Traffic will be detoured around the construction area through Mount Hope Road, Farm Lane, Wilson and Trowbridge roads.

Police briefs 10/02/02

Classrooms to fields

Joking in half-Spanish, half-English, Juan Rodriguez-Martinez and his friends walked from the Fowlerville High School bus toward their temporary home at Buurma Farms where their parents work the fields. Juan’s family migrates more than 1,600 miles from Weslaco, Texas, to work the fields in Stockbridge, about 35 miles southeast of East Lansing, for the summer months, leaving behind friends and family every year. “It’s better there,” Juan said.

Mens golf finishes strong in tournament

The men’s golf team took home third place honors at the Northern Intercollegiate last weekend at the Indiana University Golf Course in Bloomington, Ind.

Funding restored for Shaw station

MSU’s fire station will be open for another year, but employees and government officials fear keeping a station on campus could become an annual battle. While many firefighters are relieved the state restored funding for the Shaw Lane station, East Lansing fire Chief Randy Talifarro said the issue will resurface again next year. “We’re grateful the funding was restored, but I hope in the future it won’t be used in political debates about other issues because it’s an essential service that is funded by this money and it’s important to keep that separate,” he said.

Conference to focus on humans, animals relationship, well-being

The second annual Human-Animal Bond Initiative Conference will bring experts from around the world to MSU.

Sleep deprived medical students can offer insight into daytime TV

After about 30 hours of working, a medical student, intern or resident achieves a state of mind that transcends mere consciousness.

Lets talk about sex

The Bush administration’s strong-arm policies have claimed another victim - HIV prevention. The White House has deleted information about the effectiveness of condoms from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site, perhaps because the administration wants to promote a abstinence-only approach, The Associated Press reported. The administration needs a wake-up call.

Car wash planned

The East Lansing High School bands and orchestras will hold its 13th annual fund-raiser car wash Saturday at MacDonald Middle School, 1601 Burcham Drive.The car wash is the band’s largest fund-raising event of the year.

Report says Michigan kids show strong characteristics

A majority of Michigan’s youth demonstrate positive attributes such as integrity and personal strength against peer pressure and motivation, according to a survey released by the MSU Department of Family and Child Ecology on Tuesday.

Coaches get new assignments, Spartans ranked seventh in polls

Among the changes made by new hockey head coach Rick Comley this season is the segmentation of duties for assistant coaches Tom Newton and David McAuliffe. In the past Newton and McAuliffe worked with former head coach Ron Mason on all aspects of the team, but Comley wants the duo to focus their attention on smaller factions.

Ticket sting shows ill intentions of E.L.

Throughout the last five years, I have seen the reputation of the East Lansing Police Department criticized more times than I can count.

Sex offenses up in 2001 crime report

MSU police released its 2001 campus crime report Tuesday, showing a slight increase in forcible sex offenses, robbery, arson and weapons law violations from the previous year.The report, released under federal law each year around Oct.

Runners consistency helps guide team

After a rookie year of great achievements, sophomore Chris Toloff is ready for intense competition and a season full of victories.As one of the top runners on the MSU men’s cross country team, Toloff launched a strong performance Saturday in the Roy Griak Invitational, hosted by Minnesota.

Unsatisfactory

It’s a good sign for college sports that the number of student-athletes who reach graduation is on the rise - some 60 percent of Division I’s freshman class of 1995 graduated from college. But MSU still has work to do. For the same class of students, MSU only graduated 57 percent of its scholarship athletes.