Fatal side effects land patch in court
The contraceptive Ortho Evra is the focus of several lawsuits after causing severe side effects or death across the country. About 60 individual federal and state suits have been filed, said Missouri attorney Jerry Schlichter, who is handling 24 Ortho Evra-related cases. College-age women and younger using the birth control skin patch are having strokes and blood clots, sometimes leading to death, Schlichter said.
Experiences vary at 2006 Olympics
Tara Cariano, a psychology and family and community services junior studying abroad at John Cabot University in Rome, attended the U.S.
Singh, Bernero take trip to South Korea
Local leaders are constantly looking to attract jobs to the region, and this week they're looking on the other side of the globe. East Lansing Mayor Sam Singh and Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero have traveled to Asan, South Korea, to meet with local government officials and corporate executives in the Asian nation. The mayors will meet today with the chief executive officers of Hyundai Motor Co. and Samsung Electronics, to discuss creating business partnerships in the Lansing area. Both companies are headquartered in Asan, about an hour south of Seoul, the nation's capitol. The five-person delegation — which also includes representatives from the Lansing Regional Sister Cities Commission, Lansing's Economic Development Corporation and Bernero's wife, Teri — departed for Asan on Sunday morning and is scheduled to return late Thursday. South Korea's government is financing the entire trip. Bernero and Singh are returning a visit Asan's mayor made to Lansing last year. The cities were scheduled to sign a formal agreement of friendship yesterday.
Transportation committee seeks public comment
The All University Traffic & Transportation Committee will hold the first of two public feedback sessions on campus transportation tonight. The session is from 7-9 p.m.
Police to explain updated policies
Police will explain their new use of force policy in celebratory events to university and city leaders at Tuesday's Celebrations Committee meeting. Both East Lansing and MSU police plan to practice the new policy, which requires extra steps that need to be taken before using chemical munitions, East Lansing police Chief Tom Wibert said, adding its their hope that no one will even see an officer in riot gear during March Madness festivities. "Last time around, officers were wearing helmets and in riot gear before anything even started," Wibert said of the April 2-3 disturbances.
MSU celebrates Darwin Day
By Tara Thoel For The State News Fossils from birds, mammals, insects and reptiles were spread out over several tables at the MSU Museum on Sunday as a way for people to learn about different types of species. People could even bring in fossils of their own to be identified. "We were trying to find something to bring in, but we couldn't find anything," said Roxanne Dewyer, a premedicine and anthropology sophomore. Students, families and others looked at the different fossils and classified seashells, and viewed other exhibits at the museum to commemorate naturalist Charles Darwin's 197th birthday. "I am really into evolution and found out there was going to be new exhibits, and was really excited," Dewyer said. Lansing's Potter Park Zoo brought live animals, and nine units and departments at MSU were represented by specialists in the fields.
Dates sold to fund groups' budget, top bid goes for $250
By Toshira Johnson For the State News Going once! Going twice! Sold! MSU students' search for love turned a little pricey Thursday night. About 200 students gathered in the Union Ballroom with bidding signs, ready to win dates with 19 of the most eligible bachelors and bachelorettes at MSU including assistant dean of multicultural business programs, Ernest Betts. Potential dates strutted to music while an announcer listed a few key facts and embarrassing tidbits about the candidates to the crowd.
Educators press student government to set healthy example for MSU population
Olin Health Center health educators are challenging ASMSU members to improve their diets and get in shape. After approaching Olin about stress relief programs, health educators Dennis Martell and Jonathan Kermiet challenged ASMSU chairperson Andrew Schepers and other student government officials to use the Lifestyle Inventory and Fitness Evaluation: Prescription Program, or LIFE: Rx, an Olin program that assesses a client's lifestyle for an individualized fitness and eating plan. Martell said he wants ASMSU, MSU's undergraduate student government, to lead other students back to the gym. "Half of campus wouldn't be able to pass an aerobic test," said Martell, who is a State News columnist.
Defendant says he could have killed prof in sleep
In convoluted audio- and videotaped interviews, Claude McCollum described how he could have killed and raped Lansing Community College Professor Carolyn Kronenberg. McCollum, 28, a former LCC student, said he could have done it unconsciously while sleepwalking.
WEB EXTRA: Harvard lecturer discusses Condoleezza Rice's role in politics, history
A Harvard University professor and historian explored the role U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice played in the United States after the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, and described her as "detached from the black community" during a lecture Thursday night. Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham was the second of four speakers for MSU's College of Osteopathic Medicine's sixth-annual lecture series, "Slavery to Freedom: An American Odyssey." Higginbotham, whose lecture was titled "An Open Letter to Condoleezza Rice," is an author, Harvard professor and renowned historian. "Dear Condoleezza Rice, Miss Secretary of State, you are the most important woman in the United States, some might even say the world," Higginbotham began her lecture at the Kellogg Center. With a calm expression and exquisite posture, Higginbotham explained a conversation she had with students at Harvard about the Civil Rights Movement.
Turin bound
Most MSU students can only watch the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin from the comfort of their nearest TV set.
WEB EXTRA: Murder suspect gives conflicting responses during police interview
Claude McCollum was questioned two days after Lansing Community College professor Carolyn Kronenberg was murdered in her classroom Jan.
WEB EXTRA: Banquet gives students taste of world hunger, class differences
All some students had to eat for dinner Wednesday night was rice and water from a spot on the floor — while another group of students feasted on a four-course meal right next to them at elegantly set dining tables. These MSU students learned about the disparity between the wealthy and the poor at a hunger banquet put on by the North Campus Black Caucus in the Snyder Hall cafeteria.
ASMSU passes bill recommending state tax exemption on textbooks
Student government officials are working on a plan that could lower textbook costs by refunding students a portion of their total purchase for the school year. A bill recommending Gov.
Bernero asks city for budget tips
By Amy Oprean For The State News Lansing — Mayor Virg Bernero is asking the public for help with next year's budget. As part of a four-stop tour of Lansing, Bernero met with residents at Letts Community Center, 1220 W.
Peace Corps draws MSU grads
Yvonne Wood traveled to her mother's native Colombia when she was about 5 years old. But it's not her own memories that stayed with her through the years — it was the stories her mother told her about her own childhood. Wood, an environmental studies and applications senior wants to travel back to Latin America by serving in the Peace Corps. "My life is completely different than any of my (Colombian) relatives," she said.