Clean up begins in Lansing

LANSING - The Michigan Office of Special Environmental Projects is getting out its brooms to clean up a contaminated site.The effort is part of the environmental office’s project to clean up 17 newly discovered contaminated sites in Michigan.Lansing’s Brownfield Redevelopment Board approved Tuesday at its annual meeting roughly $1.9 million in state funds so that the environmental office could clean up the sites.The State Sites Cleanup Program, which began in 1996 after receiving $30 million from the state Legislature, has been cleaning up 142 state sites.“It’s very difficult for us as a state entity to require other people to clean up their sites when we weren’t cleaning up ours,” said Keith Harrison, director of the environmental office.

Bushs charity could lead to religion-based discrimination

President Bush’s plan to allow faith-based programs to be federally funded opens the door to discrimination against a variety of religious groups.On Monday, Bush signed two executive orders establishing the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

New flick not so sweet

Don’t get the wrong idea. Any movie with cheerleaders robbing a bank, persistent tampon jokes and a Conan O’Brien running gag is probably going to be bad. But “Sugar & Spice” is charming, in a charmless sort of way.

Schulers hosts U signing

MSU English professor and writer W.S. Penn will read from and sign two books Wednesday at Schuler Books, 2075 W.

Eminem may not appear at Grammys

LOS ANGELES - Destiny’s Child, Dolly Parton and ’N Sync have been added to the list of performers on Grammy night.

Cartoon was misunderstood

This is in response to Ebuni N. Mosley’s letter “Jackson cartoon was degrading” (SN 1/26). I have to begin by saying that Mosley completely missed the point of Justin Bilicki’s cartoon in last Wednesday’s paper. Bilicki’s cartoon in no way depicts black people in a negative manner.

Film explores gender roles

A film that sparked controversy after its premiere in London is now on its way to MSU. “Kadosh,” a film depicting life in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Jerusalem, will be presented at 7 p.m.

New scholarship to assist at-risk students

Social work junior Kristin Heinrich has a chance to provide hope to 500 area seventh graders by being a mentor this fall as part of a new scholarship program.The program, Helping Other People Excel, or HOPE, provides Lansing students with two years of free education at Lansing Community College after completing high school graduation.The scholarships aim to aid students identified as at-risk students by educators.

Professor works to find source of E. coli

Dr. John Kaneene is working with MSU and Ingham and Livingston counties to determine the source of E.

Police briefs 01/31/01

Cagers whip Wolverines

ANN ARBOR - The frustrated look on Josh Moore’s face said it all. Michigan’s 7-foot-2 inch center airballed a two-foot hook shot early in the second half, in a play symbolic of the team’s constant struggles Tuesday night against No.

U professor looks for natural alternative to combat insects

MSU Professor Gregg Howe knows there’s a lot more going on in plants than meets the eye. Howe, an assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, is researching a project to use plants’ own defense mechanisms as pesticides. “We study plant defense systems,” Howe said.

Dingees CD reaches pun rock perfection

The Dingees The Crucial Conspiracy (Tooth and Nail Records) Attention punk rockers - not punk rock posers - the real punk rockers: Shell out some hard-earned cash and pick up the latest piece of punk rock perfection by The Dingees. The Orange County ska-punk rockers, who grew out of a summer side project in 1996 with some members of The Supertones, have turned into one of the best true ska-punk rock bands out there. The album opens with the high-strung Clash-influenced “Spray Paint (We Won’t Carry Over)” and takes the listener on a journey of many different artistic influences including Rancid, Operation Ivy and Green Day - with a touch of the Ramones, Black Flag and The Specials. The political content is found in virtually every song including “Middleman:” “Some Pharisee elitist got you mocking monkey see, your heart ain’t out in person seems it’ll probably never be, you missed the point pretty close to perfect, when you’re backbiting me.” “Summer” is a classic feel-good rock song with a generous array of horns similar to something The Supertones would kick out, while “Dear Sister, Dear Brother” and “We Rot The Voodoo” both scream Bob Marley. “Christina Fight Back” is an anthem about young women fighting against eating disorders and “Ronnie Raygun” is an intense and quick-driven angry song that sounds like it was recorded on a regular tape deck in someone’s garage.

Engler to pose changes in university governance

Gov. John Engler is expected to outline a plan to appoint additional members to the supervising boards at three Michigan universities, including MSU, during his 11th annual State of the State address tonight. The half-hour address - which took about a month to brainstorm and write - will begin at 7 p.m. The proposal would allow Michigan’s governor to appoint seven members to the boards that supervise MSU, University of Michigan, Wayne State University and the Michigan Department of Education. “The idea behind this is to let more of the people with outstanding credentials who otherwise would have subjected themselves to the rigors of the election process to serve on the board,” Engler spokeswoman Susan Shafer said.

Icers hang on to top ranking despite loss

Despite a draining 4-3 overtime loss to arch-rival Michigan last weekend, the Spartan hockey team retained its No.

Skiing hills close to E.L. ignored

The article on skiing in Friday’s entertainment section (“Skiing Michigan”) left out a few important ski hills close to East Lansing.

Richardson versus Blanchard ignites new spark in rivalry

ANN ARBOR -Jason Richardson reached deep into his bag of tricks for his old rival LaVell Blanchard. Highlighting the MSU’s 91-64 win over Michigan, Richardson displayed three-point jumpers, dunks, alley-oop passes and textbook defense. “It was a great matchup,” sophomore guard Richardson said.

ASMSU hopes to inspire U voters

When discussing student voter turnout in recent ASMSU elections, Nimri Niemchak has only one statement.“It sucks,” the ASMSU chief of staff said.Niemchak, along with other members of the university’s undergraduate student government, are beginning an initiative to improve upon the 2.2 percent, just under 1,000 undergraduates, that voted in last year’s student government election.

Gay marriage not complex issue to understand

I’ve been writing this column for a year now. Admittedly, I occasionally have an opinion on something, but most of the time, I try to make you laugh. Judging from the letters I’ve gotten, I’ve been successful in doing that.

Years second on-campus sexual assault reported

A 21-year-old female student told police an unknown man fondled her and knocked her to the ground while she was running near Wells Hall.The student had been running along the Red Cedar River at about 11:45 p.m.