Friends, family pass out posters

Family and friends of Brandon D’Annunzio were in East Lansing on Wednesday to distribute reward posters and modified sketches of two people wanted for questioning in the Livonia resident’s death.D’Annunzio’s mother, Shawn Newstead, and grandmother, Betty Smith, worked city sidewalks with his friend, Jennifer Bradley, to distribute the new materials.Newstead, of Livonia, became publicly involved in the investigation of her son’s death when she began to worry the case was growing stagnant.“Things just weren’t being taken care of properly,” Newstead said.

Top designer agrees to create new skate parks

Two skate parks near East Lansing will be designed by one of the top designers in the field, despite the facilities not receiving funding from the city.Ranney Park and Benjamin Davis Park in Lansing were picked for the projects - the parks border several East Lansing neighborhoods, and Ranney Park borders the Frandor Shopping Center.The clear visibility, bathroom facilities and space were some of the deciding factors in determining the location of the skate parks, said Tim McCaffrey, director of East Lansing Parks and Recreation Facilities.“There is a great interest among the youth in East Lansing and Lansing,” McCaffrey said.

Coaches share Big Ten honors

Batman and Robin had the Bat Cave to plan and plot their attacks against Gotham City’s most despicable criminals.

Event goes around the world for U

From India to Pakistan, Taiwan to Egypt, visitors can explore Global Festival 2000 on Sunday at the Union. Students from dozens of countries will share their cultures.

Grant makes cleaner cars

A grant awarded to the city of Lansing will aid in lowering air pollution and increasing the amount of alternative-fuel vehicles on the road.The $20,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Consumer and Industry Services was given to offer incentives to fleet owners for buying vehicles that use the alternative fuels.The city of Lansing’s Management Services Department applied for the grant.“We applied in the spring and they notified us in October we had received the grant,” said Liza Estlund Olson, chair of the Greater Lansing Clean Cities Coalition.

Country must honor veterans by keeping its promise

Nov. 11 was more than just day five in the current election crisis - it also was Veterans Day. It is a day that was originally chosen to commemorate the end of the war that was supposed to end all wars, but actually kicked off a century of wars, cold wars, police actions and military-led humanitarian missions.

New minority affairs coordinator brings passion, campus knowledge

For the past 16 years, many students, faculty and administrators have known Murray Edwards as MSU’s coordinator of African American student affairs - until recently.Starting this fall, Edwards assumed the title of senior coordinator for the Office of Minority Student Affairs.

Sports-law symposium links athletes, attorneys

Mike Peplowski, a former MSU and NBA basketball star, remembered being skeptical of agents and lawyers when he went professional.And while his experience was positive, he admits he’s heard his share of horror stories.Peplowski came to campus Tuesday along with Howard Soifer - an attorney who represents former Spartans and current NBA stars Mateen Cleaves and Steve Smith - in an attempt for students to learn more about the relationships between athletes, agents and attorneys.Their presence was part of the first annual Fall Symposium, which was sponsored by the Entertainment and Sports Law Society at the MSU-Detroit College of Law.

Voters were aware of election laws

Sorry to all those people who weren’t able to vote on Election Day, but you have to follow the law.

Women team up for North Pole trek

MSU Professor Sue Carter is approaching the culmination of both her dream and her nightmare. Beginning in April, the journalism associate professor will begin her venture - accompanied by an female team - to the most northern of regions. Carter, coordinator of the Polar Trek 2001 team, is heading to the North Pole with women from areas across the world, including Michigan, Montana, Canada, California and possibly Russia. The idea for the adventure isn’t something Carter thought up overnight. “It’s been a very long gestation,” she said.

Greeks elect leaders aspiring to better system

The votes are in - and there will be no recounts.The MSU greek community elected its leaders for the 2000-2001 school year Wednesday at a meeting in the Union.Greek members who packed the Union’s Parlor and Gold rooms took roughly two hours to elect psychology junior Kristy Tippen as Panhellenic Council president and Josh Tudor, a political theory and constitutional democracy senior, as Interfraternity Council president.Their one-year terms begin in January.“I was very nervous when I got up to make my speech, but I had great support from my sisters,” Tippen said.

Lecturer speaks of DNA complexity

Tracing the history of DNA from Gregor Mendel’s pea plant experiments to James Watson and Francis Crick’s discovery of the double helix, Harvard University Professor Emerita Ruth Hubbard spoke to a crowd of about 200 Wednesday.Hubbard, who lectured on “How the Genome Became the Book of Life” and focused on issues addressed in her book “Exploding the Gene Myth,” said scientists have over-conceptualized DNA.“In this process (of cracking the DNA code), what got conceptually pushed aside is that DNA is a part of a cell that divides and replicates and lives in a complicated situation with its environment,” she told the crowd at the Auditorium on Wednesday night.“Somehow the complexity of this molecule got erased as we focused on computing this linear sequence instead of focusing on the squishy cells and molecules on which life gets played out.

E.L. voting records sealed, recount closer

Republican Congressman-elect Mike Rogers is busy picking out an office in Washington, D.C., and electing new leadership for Congress.But his opponent for the 8th Congressional District seat, state Sen.

Prognosticators serve up last calls of the season

Oh what a time for the gurus to finish the season. It’s rivalry week and this weekend is chockfull of intriguing matchups. Records to date: Arthole 32-14, Special K 26-20 MSU (5-5) at Penn State (4-7) With its surprising victory over Purdue last week, MSU is back in the bowl hunt.

School of Music hopes to entertain with modern-day operas

This weekend, classic opera gets a modern-day twist in a back-to-back performance by members of the School of Music.Offering two distinctly different British plays, the School of Music is presenting excerpts from “Dido and Aeneas,” with music by Henry Purcell and libretto by Nahum Tate, and “Trial By Jury,” with music by Arthur Sullivan and book by W.S.

Smoker looks for a happy reunion in Happy Valley

When Jeff Smoker steps onto the Beaver Stadium field Saturday, he knows he’ll get a lot of attention.He just isn’t sure if it’ll be good or bad.

Lansings rep.-elect juggles church, state

Even though he’s moving to the Michigan Legislature, Michael Murphy says he will not forget about the parishioners at his church.Murphy attributes his Nov.

Police briefs 11/16/00

Florida election battle rages on

By RON FOURNIER The Associated Press Al Gore made a surprise proposal for a statewide hand recount of Florida’s 6 million ballots Wednesday night and George W.

the Lowdown

“It’s interesting: From the last 40 years or so, it’s really expanded and grown and that’s great,” said the owner of Foods For Living, 2650 E.