Sunday, January 4, 2026

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VOLLEYBALL

Win at Indiana solid before problems begin at Illinois

Champaign, Ill. - Unforced errors cost the Spartan volleyball team a perfect weekend, as it settled for a split after Illinois swept MSU 3-0 in Champaign, Ill., on Saturday.The Illini handled the Spartans for all three games of the match winning 30-27, 30-26 and 30-22.The Spartans (11-4, 4-4 Big Ten) suffered more serve and pass breakdowns against the Illini, recording 12 service errors and 13 return errors.

MSU

Students often affected by domestic violence

Helen Dalton was a 36-year-old mother of two.But instead of watching over her children, a “silent silhouette” memorial to her watches over students entering Mason Hall.Dalton, a Grand Rapids resident, was shot and killed by her boyfriend last year.

MICHIGAN

Plover population shows slight rise

The number of piping plovers may not be plummeting.The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported a slight rise in 2001 with 32 new nesting areas spotted in the Great Lakes area.Last year only 30 nesting pairs were counted.Jack Dingledine, Great Lakes regional piping plover coordinator for the U.S.

MSU

New faces on RHA board reach out to U

MSU’s Residence Halls Association has recently added two new officers to its executive board.At its general assembly meeting Wednesday, Amy Sa’id was elected external vice president and Renisha George was elected community service chairperson.An external vice president’s job is to work with other residence hall organizations outside RHA, such as hall governments and caucuses.

COMMENTARY

Newspaper missed softball coverage

First thing I did when I got last Monday’s issue of The State News was go through the entire sports section, desperately looking for a story or even a mention of the two amazing victories the MSU softball team achieved Oct.

SOCCER

Wolverines cant keep up

The fans at Old College Field expecting to see a classic battle between MSU and Michigan were not disappointed.After several shifts of momentum, the Spartans (8-2-1, 3-1 Big Ten) left the field with a 4-2 victory over rival U-M (7-4-1, 1-3 Big Ten).The Spartans grabbed control of the game early with two goals off penalty kicks - one by junior midfielder Nick DeGraw and one by senior midfielder Anders Kelto.With an early lead, the Spartans said they felt a great deal of pressure lifted off them.“(Scoring first) is huge against a team like Michigan,” DeGraw said.

MSU

Inaugural safe schools week stresses precaution

Today kicks off the first Michigan Safe Schools Week with speakers, presentations and a “Best In Show” poster and project judging contest at the Capitol Rotunda from 10 to 11 a.m.As facilitator of Michigan Safe Schools Initiative workshops in the School of Criminal Justice, Audrey Martini said the purpose of the week is to have schools reassess safety measures and precautions.“It is to raise awareness of creating a safe learning environment, not just physical but mentally as well,” she said.A bulletin was sent to all Michigan school districts requesting they participate in the week by holding a contest where students create posters and projects that emphasize keeping schools safe.

ICE HOCKEY

Lakers flooded by Spartan offense

Top-ranked MSU’s two-game series against Lake Superior State wasn’t much more than target practice for the Spartans, who outshot the Lakers 85-33 Thursday and Friday at Munn Ice Arena.MSU’s re-emphasis on offensive production was plainly evident in the sweep, as the Spartans (2-0-1 overall, 2-0-1 CCHA) torched the Lakers (0-2-0, 0-2-0) for 11 total goals - a number the Spartans only eclipsed in one CCHA series last season.Ron Mason, MSU’s head coach of 23 seasons, has encouraged this year’s team to utilize its raw offensive talents, even at the expense of the Spartans’ time-tested defensive tradition.At one point in the second period of Friday’s 6-1 win, all five Spartan skaters darted below the circles in the Laker zone - a move that would have been sacrilegious for a Mason-coached team in recent years.“Our system that we’re playing gives us an opportunity to pursue a little bit more,” said Mason, who earned his 899th career win Friday.

COMMENTARY

Shop for the U.S.

With the now unpredictable economy, retailers are beginning to worry how to stock shelves and what to expect when it comes to customer purchases. Perhaps because of this confusion - and adding to our own - some stores have begun to display Christmas decorations.

COMMENTARY

Fewer cartoonists, more moms needed

I find the “Bizzaro” cartoon by Dan Piraro on Oct. 12 quite offensive. If Mr. Piraro thinks that staying up all night, sleeping all day and getting all dressed up for the evening is basic training for a stay-at-home mom, he’s an idiot. Have him trade places with any stay-at-home mom for one week.

MICHIGAN

Walk raises more than $5,000 for attack survivors

Thomas Rachman has been racing since he was a born - and Sunday was no exception.Thomas, 3, placed second in the Unity Walk and Run 5K and his dad placed an extremely close third.That’s because Steve Rachman pushed Thomas in a red racer stroller throughout the twisting 3.1 mile Pinecrest neighborhood course.“This is a way for us to be together,” Rachman said.

FOOTBALL

Secondary comes up big without starters

MSU’s defensive secondary may have entered Saturday’s Homecoming game against Iowa as a question mark but emerged as an exclamation point in the Spartan’s 31-28 win.The loss of both starting cornerbacks to ankle injuries in the bye week gave MSU reason to worry.

NEWS

Hall scare found to be false alarm

Linton Hall offices are set to open today like any other Monday, even though they closed under abnormal circumstances Friday. A university employee opened a letter that reportedly contained a white powder about 2 p.m.

NEWS

Campaign aims to generate energy-efficient campus

MSU administrators are making a $1 million request to students - turn your lights off. Kicking off a campuswide energy conservation campaign Friday at the Board of Trustees meeting, Terry Link, director of the Office of Campus Sustainability, said students and staff turning off unused lights and computers would cut energy consumption by 5 percent - a $1 million savings. “There are excessive costs involved (in energy production) and that is something we need to control, particularly now when economic budgets are tight,” said Link, who is co-chairman of the university’s conservation committee. The initial step of the campaign will use posters and advertisements in on-campus media to promote conservation by students in the residence halls. “In the residence halls students have all kinds of electronics now, how many of those are running at the same time?” Link said.

SPORTS

Trustees pick crew to start Spartan Stadium turf grass project

Plans to convert the playing surface in Spartan Stadium from artificial turf to natural grass took a step forward with the hiring of the Lansing-based Haussman Construction Co. The firm outbid six other construction companies with a price tag of $649,832 and the MSU Board of Trustees accepted that lowest bid at its meeting Friday.