Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Take a peek behind the curtain and test drive the NEW StateNews.com today!

Multimedia

FEATURES

Block Party gets going in Old Town

More music is making its way to the Lansing area tonight, as the Old Town Block Party kicks off its first year of performances. “We’re very excited,” said Jamie Czekai, the interim program manager for Old Town Main Street.

MSU

Kids learn at vet camp

How would a blood and guts smoothie taste? To campers at the MSU Veterinary Camp, they tasted great.On Wednesday, campers, like 13-year-old Jessie Priestley, wet their whistles with the strawberry, banana and lemon flavor of “cow intestine smoothies.”“I liked when we got to make the smoothie things,” the Dexter resident said.Suttons Bay resident Laura Patmore, 13, said when she got to “do the guts,” it was one of her favorite moments at the camp.

MICHIGAN

E.L. seeks grant to fund City Center II building

East Lansing is hoping to create more foot traffic downtown with what is being termed “City Center II.” East Lansing City Council approved an application for a Core Communities Grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. If East Lansing receives the $700,000 it’s asking for, the city would purchase the building at 303 Abbott Road, which housed the Old Kent Bank. “We would use it as part of a redevelopment,” City Manager Ted Staton said. The city is considering using the land for a movie theater, retail space, condominiums and a parking area. “I think it is a good idea because we are looking for additional space for owner-occupied housing downtown and looking for space for a theater,” Councilmember Beverly Baten said.

COMMENTARY

First steps

The Red Cedar River is about to get a face-lift and it’s a good thing too, because it’s been getting pretty ugly lately. Last fall, researchers found unusually high levels of E.

MICHIGAN

Redistricting plan draws controversy

Republican plans to redraw Michigan’s congressional and legislative districts passed quickly through the state Senate on Tuesday. The assembly, after a 21-14 party-line vote, approved a plan analysts say would likely flip Michigan’s representation in Washington, D.C., from a Democratic to a Republican majority. Democrats have cried foul, saying the process has been unnecessarily hurried by the Republicans, who are in a strong position to decide the new boundaries, as they control both state legislative chambers and the governor’s office. District lines are redrawn every 10 years after each U.S.

NEWS

NBA hopefuls await draft

NEW YORK - While Jason Richardson is in Madison Square Garden’s green room tonight, waiting for his name to be called in the NBA Draft, former MSU teammates Charlie Bell, Andre Hutson and Zach Randolph will watch their immediate futures take shape while at home with their families. That’s because the NBA didn’t invite the trio to the Big Apple for today’s two-round draft, which starts at 7 p.m.

COMMENTARY

Blame is easy to lay, not so quick to stay

Rumor has it our tuition at MSU may rise by 10 percent. Coupled with the rising costs of room and board, books and other supplies necessary for a successful college experience, this news of a likely tuition increase is the last thing many want to hear. So whose fault is it anyway?

NEWS

Miller sets history with Big Ten award

MSU junior goaltender Ryan Miller continued his reign as college hockey’s poster boy by earning Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year distinction Tuesday.Miller is the first male Spartan to win the award in its 20-year existence.

NEWS

Hot dog! Sara Lee gives millions to university labs

As a result of the fifteen million pounds of Michigan-made hot dogs and lunch meats tainted with a deadly bacteria MSU will be given the opportunity to help assure such an event doesn\'t reoccur. The Sara Lee Corporation, which distributed the tainted meat produced at Zeeland, Mich.-based Bil Mar Foods in 1998, will pay a $200,000 fine for code violations.

BASKETBALL

Graduation rates could impact postseason

A new suggestion from an athletics commission may force schools to emphasize education as much as sports. In an announcement made Tuesday, the Knight Foundation Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics said colleges with low athlete graduation rates should be banned from postseason play. “We’re not in the entertainment business, nor are we a minor league for professional sports,” the Rev.

SPORTS

Lugnuts prevail in 11 innings

It was what a typical summer day at Oldsmobile Park should have been. The sun warmed the field, cool refreshments quenched the thirsts of young fans and the Lugnuts came back in extra innings to earn a win.The Lugnuts provided a Summer Fun Day when center fielder Mike Mallory launched a home run over the left field wall to give the Lugnuts an 11-inning, 6-5 victory over the Fort Wayne Wizards - the squad’s second-straight win.“In that situation, I was looking for a fastball, and all I needed to do was make contact,” Mallory said.“It feels good right now.

MSU

ACLU files request

The Lansing-area chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union filed another Freedom Of Information Act request for the university’s files regarding the undercover police infiltration of Students for Economic Justice on Monday.Henry Silverman, president of the ACLU Lansing-area chapter and an MSU history professor, said the ACLU is not trying to make a nuisance of itself.“We are not trying to harass the university, we are simply trying to find out if there was any reason for this action,” he said.Silverman said the ACLU will push the case as far as possible, even if it means going to court.

COMMENTARY

Students should fight tuition tax

While the state budget is not yet finalized, it looks increasingly likely that the Legislature will not be able provide adequate funding for Michigan’s 15 public universities.

FEATURES

E.L.s Steppin In It jams for charity Thursday

Steppin’ In It has been around for more than four years, and its popularity just keeps on growing.The group started out as a funk and blues outfit, but added bluegrass, jazz, calypso, folk, Cajun, zydeco, Caribbean and Jamaican music to its repertoire with each new member who joined - thus creating a diverse mixture of the “great old-time.”“We kinda play our own take on old-time and roots music,” said Josh Davis, the band’s lead vocalist and a theater senior.

MICHIGAN

Police, firefighters battle blood deficit

The battleground has been set and lines have been drawn in the sand. When it is all over, members of the Lansing Police Department or the Lansing Fire Department will stand victorious, while the others will hang their heads in shame. The two departments have squared off in a blood drive for the Mid-Michigan Chapter of the American Red Cross, 1800 E.

MSU

Bosses Day contest invites university employees to recognize supervisors

Is your supervisor exceptionally skilled or sensitive to your needs? If so, nominate him or her for the first annual MSU Supervisory Award, sponsored by MSU Child and Family Care Resources. The prize is meant to reward bosses who have demonstrated sensitivity toward managing the professional and personal demands of their employees. “We’ve had some nominations and the response has been favorable,” said Lori Strom, coordinator of Child and Family Care Resources.

FEATURES

Defunct Corvair Jesus pleases with weird songs

Corvair Jesus The Threat Management Committe Known As: CORVAIR JESUS (Corvair Jesus) Corvair Jesus played weird, but ingenious, music before graduation from MSU caused the trio to break up. But before its demise, the band released “The Threat Management Committe Known as: Corvair Jesus,” and it’s just as weird as it was. Musically, the only band Corvair might be comparable to is Fishbone, because both use an instrument called a theremin.