Athletics director earns Boards vote, receives contract extension

Clarence Underwood’s not going anywhere soon.The MSU Board of Trustees voted at its monthly meeting Friday to extend the athletics director’s contract to June 30, 2002, despite a strong plea by Trustee Robert Weiss to do otherwise.The outcome was similar to the December 10, 1999, board meeting in which Weiss argued against promoting Underwood from the interim post to athletics director.At that time, Underwood was expected to hold the job until August 2001 before stepping down.

Bootery to close after 65 years

After 65 years, the sole of East Lansing is closing its doors.Like many of the shoes of customers looking for a new pair, Tonnie and John Temple, owners of the MSU Bootery, are worn out.The couple has decided it is time to close down the family business at 217 E.

Florida high court orders statewide manual recounts

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Al Gore won a major victory Friday in his quest for the White House when the Florida Supreme Court ordered the manual recounts he sought in the state’s contested presidential election.The Supreme Court shocked Republican lawyers when it ordered manual recounts statewide, reversing a lower court ruling that had rejected Gore’s requests for the hand counts.The court split 4-3 in Gore’s favor.“The Circuit court shall order a manual recount of all undervotes in any Florida county where such a recount has not yet occurred.

Letter unfair to bash SN reviews

In a recent letter to the editor (”Paper reviews unpopular music,” SN 11/28) Dallas Smoke criticized The State News for reviewing “unpopular” music such as Blink-182, Marilyn Manson and Joni Mitchell.

Time running out for Byrum

Even though Democrat Dianne Byrum gained votes in Ingham County’s four-day recount of the 8th Congressional District election, the state senator’s deficit still leaves questions of whether she will be able to overturn state-certified results.The recount gave Byrum, of Onondaga, a net gain of 33 votes, lessening the margin between her and GOP opponent state Sen.

E.L. police to continue legal battle

The East Lansing Police Department continues to face what may be a long-running lawsuit over whether police can arrest someone for not presenting identification upon request.The department lost the first round of its battle last month when U.S.

Mens hoops faces new tests on the road

This weekend’s game at Loyola University marks the first road game of the season for the No. 2 MSU men’s basketball team.The undefeated Spartans (6-0) hold the nation’s second-longest home court winning streak at 34 games, but MSU won’t have the student cheering section, the Izzone cheering it on this weekend.MSU head coach Tom Izzo said defeating two of last year’s Final Four teams in the last two weeks - Florida and North Carolina - was a great accomplishment.

Official explains towing situation

I appreciate the opportunity to briefly explain the university’s position on issues related to our towing practices.

Tow away

MSU should reimburse all students who were illegally towed in the years since 1978, and promptly alter the parking code to comply with state law.

Gores election hopes hang on court rulings

By LARRY NEUMEISTER The Associated Press TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Al Gore hung his presidential hopes on legal proceedings moving at head-spinning speed a day ahead of arguments before the Florida Supreme Court, counting on a court shocker to upset George W.

Journalist says media should focus on science

National Public Radio science correspondent Ira Flatow believes “if it bleeds, it leads” is one of the mantras of news organizations. But he also thinks science stories should rank as high as crime stories in the media when it comes to creating public interest.

Board allows precincts to be recounted

MASON - Recounts aren’t always as easy as they should be. The Board of State Canvassers voted Wednesday night to allow 10 precincts - eight of those from East Lansing - to be recounted in the 8th Congressional District race after questions over the validity of some ballots arose. Problems with the eight East Lansing precincts arose when officials discovered numbers appearing on the ballot boxes did not match official numbers recorded in poll books. The vote came as good news to Democratic candidate Dianne Byrum’s campaign, which trailed Republican Mike Rogers by 160 votes before recounts began at her request.

Creating a web

Jeremy Meadows wanted to connect with a growing web of friends with sites on the Internet. “I knew a lot of people that had them and I wanted to jump on the bandwagon, too,” said the English graduate student, who created www.msu.edu/~meadows7 in 1996. In the past four years, Meadows has seen the number of student Web sites rapidly branch out. “There are definitely a lot more Web sites since I started college,” he said. The Internet “really took off” during the 1995-1996 school year, said Dave Krauss, a senior specialist in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences who began teaching over the Internet with MSU’s first Virtual University course in fall 1996. Since then, constructing Web sites has become part of the curriculum for classes such as Computer Science 101 and sections of American Thought and Language.

Program stresses holiday safety

LANSING - Although the Lansing Fire Department is usually called on to extinguish fires, it spent Wednesday morning lighting one - all for good reasons, of course. In a small brick room at the Lansing Fire Department Training Center, Battalion Chief Larry Martin lit a flare and set it at the base of a decorated Christmas tree as firefighters armed with hoses looked on. Within seconds, a smoke detector sounded and the tree was barely visible, first lost in smoke, then engulfed in flames. However, the staged fire wasn’t just for Grinch-like kicks. “We wanted to get the word out there that before you (put lights on your) tree, make sure your home is adequately equipped with smoke detectors,” said Gary Burkart, vice president of Flagstar Bank, which sponsored the demonstration as part of its Safety First program. The program gives away thousands of free or discounted smoke alarms to people across the state.

Business e-mails need subject lines

In the world of casual communication, I agree with Kevin Hardy’s assessment that a subject line is unnecessary (“Please Read: Don’t include subjects with e-mails,” SN 12/1). But in the world of business communication, the subject line serves a purpose.

Cagers jump-started by crowd after slow beginning, extend winning streak to 17

MSU extended the nation’s longest winning streak to 17 games with a 99-83 win over Florida.The No.

Coat drive warms locals

Some MSU students are doing their part to make wintertime a little easier on those less fortunate.The North Complex Black Caucus, McDonel Hall Senate, Residence Life and the MSU police are holding the second “Help Keep a Family Warm This Winter” coat drive.Officer Kahlil Wasson, who helped coordinate the event for the MSU police, said the drive has collected more than 200 coats since the drive began on Nov.

ASMSU poses tenant ordinance

MSU’s undergraduate student government is looking to prevent East Lansing landlords from jumping the gun on leases next year.

Police briefs 12/07/00

Ohio State looks to defy critics

This is the sixth in a series of Big Ten men’s basketball previews.Two years ago, people didn’t think the Ohio State men’s basketball team would amount to much.