Former economics reporter to give speech

Louis Uchitelle, author of "The Disposable American: Layoffs and their Consequences," will speak at 4 p.m.

Political author to give speech, discussion

Jim Wallis, author of The New York Times bestseller "God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It," will speak at 7 p.m.

Household items help find prints

"CSI" met "Bill Nye, the Science Guy" earlier this month when MSU police conducted a two-day workshop on techniques for preserving fingerprints during investigations. MSU police Sgt.

Online program to help nurses transfer within medical field

MSU College of Nursing officials are creating an online program to help fill the potential void of nurses, with a $246,602 grant awarded to the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation intended for the program. By 2008, Michigan could be unable to fill as many as 7,000 nursing positions, said Teresa Wehrwein, assistant dean for Professional Partnerships & Faculty Practice. The new program, which is geared toward working nurses, will train them in hospice, home care, ambulatory care or long-term care. "Nursing for Life: The RN Career Transition Program" would be accessed from the Angel Web site so participants can continue to work in their current field, Wehrwein said. "It is a certificate program to prepare nurses that are looking to move to (other fields)," Wehrwein said.

Police briefs 09/26/06

Campaigning moves to Facebook

Look them up. Poke them. Support them. Some candidates in Michigan's midterm elections received Facebook.com profiles earlier this month to showcase their campaign platforms and reach college students and alumni. Candidates are already anticipating the possibilities of having the popular connection with young voters. Phil Novack, spokesman for Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos' campaign, said this election is the first test to see if Facebook means more younger voters. "I don't think people can question the popularity of Facebook," he said.

Independence workshop to be held in Nov.

The MSU Product Center will sponsor a Road to Independence workshop Nov. 7 at the Jackson County MSU Extension Office, 1715 Lansing Ave.

RHA to remove channels from graduate housing, university apartments this semester

Residents of Spartan Village, Cherry Lane Apartments and Owen Hall will no longer receive Residence Halls Association channels because they don't pay RHA taxes. Channels 11 and 12 will be broadcast through RHA exclusively to undergraduate residence halls on campus. "Our primary focus is undergraduate halls.

Deputy city manager retires, takes new job

Jean Golden says she's off to find bliss. After serving as East Lansing's deputy city manager for seven years, Golden is ready to retake control of her life. "I'm going to be 60 years old — I've been working hard since I was 16," she said.

WEB EXTRA: 2002 grad named second-youngest of '15 to Watch' in public relations

Jim O'Leary, a 2002 MSU graduate, was chosen as the second-youngest member of PR News Online's "15 to Watch" award for his work in the public relations department. "He's got not only the work ethic, but the self-confidence and the passion, which are all critical to being a leader," said Michael Holland, director of Honeywell Hometown Solutions, and O'Leary's supervisor.

Simon to speak at university program

MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon will speak at noon today at the State of the Public Universities Program at Cobo Hall in Detroit. The program was organized by the Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan — a Lansing-based nonprofit organization that serves Michigan's 15 state universities.

Campus traffic circle to be remodeled

One of the last traffic circles on campus is set to transform into a four-way intersection by August. The reconstruction of the traffic circle at Red Cedar and Wilson roads is part of the 2020 Vision plan — an outline for campus development until 2020 — and is necessary to handle increased traffic on campus during the construction of the Farm Lane underpass, university officials said. The MSU Board of Trustees approved construction on the traffic circle at its Sept.

Post-tailgate cleanup

Groggy Spartans recovering from a crazed football Saturday got a little extra help in clearing red cups and other party debris from their lawns Sunday morning. A group of about 30 people, primarily composed of students and a few city and university officials, hit East Lansing streets with trash bags to make the tailgating aftermath look like a distant memory. "It's disappointing how much trash is all over the place," said Emily Steibel, an elementary education junior who volunteered to pick up trash.

Candidates attend tailgate, campaign with student fans

Gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos, Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land and Michigan Republican Party Chairman Saul Anuzis were a few of the high-profile Michigan Republicans who came to campus Saturday for the football game against Notre Dame. At a booth set up near the entrance to Spartan Stadium, students got a chance to voice their concerns and ask questions of candidates and active politicians. "It's a chance to talk to a candidate that was walking around," said John Knowles, who helped organize the event and is running for the 69th District seat in the state House of Representatives against Democratic opponent Mark Meadows.

Student tells of Lebanon travels

Thursday night was the first time Waleed Brinjikji, an MSU physiology senior, shared his story on campus about how his family's trip to Lebanon turned into a fight for their lives. In mid-July, Brinjikji and some of his family, including his mother, visited Lebanon in hopes of seeing some of their family's heritage. When fighting began between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, a political and military group stationed in Lebanon, he sensed the danger of the situation. Brinjikji and his family were forced into hiding, spending countless nights fearing for their lives as bombs were dropped near the home in which they were living. With the help of others, Brinjikji and his family were finally able to escape to Syria and return to the United States. The night began with Yusuf Begg, an economics senior with the MSU Muslim Students' Association, who said the event was not meant to place blame or decide who was right or wrong, but instead to strictly focus on this family's tough journey. Begg, who had known Brinjikji from a local Mosque near their hometowns, said he was alarmed when he heard what happened to Brinjikji but was hopeful of what people could take away from the presentation. "Now that he is back, I hope people can go on with an open mind and become more aware of the events going on around them," Begg said. After Begg finished speaking, Brinjikji began vividly describing what he and his family went through, including witnessing building and car explosions. "I wanted to go into this talk with a nonpolitical outlook," Brinjikji said.

Museum program uses food to teach science

By Sean Ely For the State News Many children spend their Saturday mornings with their eyes glued to the television, awaiting hours of their favorite cartoons.

Simon pushes for MSU's role to expand in bio-economy

Michigan needs to focus on building research, agriculture and manufacturing assets to be successful in a global economy, MSU President Lou Anna K.

Student resides in wrong district, withdraws candidacy for county seat

History senior Zach Hodyna was only a few feet away from being a contender. While running for the Ingham County Board of Commissioners' 10th District seat, which includes most of MSU's campus and parts of central and southern East Lansing, Hodyna was forced to drop out of the race after the Aug.

Wharton to offer free theater workshop

The Stratford Festival of Canada is coming to Wharton Center from Oct. 30 through Nov. 1. The event will feature nearly a dozen actors and provide students with participatory learning activities, including lecture demonstrations and master classes.

Profs earn international accolades

The French government honored two MSU professors for their work in the humanitarian studies of French culture. Anna Norris and Ehsan Ahmed, professors in the MSU French, Classics and Italian department, were named Chevaliers dans l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques, or Knights in the Order of Academic Palms — one of the oldest and most-honored awards a person can receive from the French government. MSU professors previously have been recognized four other times. Professor and department chairman John Rauksaid said both professors are great representations of what the department and university want out of their teachers. "We, as a department, are very honored by two of our professors receiving this title," Rauk said.