Former Pope John Paul II could soon be a saint since Pope Benedict XVI began the process leading to sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church for his predecessor. The pope's choice to beatify, or make "blessed," John Paul II, who died April 2, waives the standard five-year period before the process begins.
Kicking the smoking habit is not easy, but Healthy U and Olin Health Center have teamed up to offer a free, monthly Quit Tobacco Workshop for the MSU community to help smokers take the first step to quitting. "It's a very user-friendly workshop," said Rebecca Allen, a spokeswoman for Olin Health Center. It's not only for people who have their heart set on quitting.
Lansing- The first quilt Linda Plyler made was for her sister's doll when she was 9. Now more than 40 years later, Plyler is the proud creator of a quilt depicting every city in Michigan with a ZIP code starting with "488." Each of the 80 cities has a square with a photograph, drawing or design . The quilt was on display at the Michigan Historical Center on Friday. "All the photographs I took myself with the exception of Lake Odessa and Cedar Village," said Plyler, who is a Mason resident. East Lansing's square has a picture of Beaumont Tower. Plyler, who is the postmaster in Shaftsburg, Mich.
Richard Sullivan, former MSU historian and administration member, who is remembered by friends and co-workers for his sense of humor and dedication to the university, died on Thursday.
The Michigan House of Representatives approved a bill Tuesday that could make it mandatory for clinics to offer to perform ultrasounds on women contemplating abortion. However, the bill doesn't require women to view the active ultrasound screen or any images taken. The bill was created in hopes that the women contemplating abortion would be fully educated before the procedure and possibly choose to keep the child, said state Rep.
Lansing - More than 600 people from all over Michigan, chanted "They say Jim Crow, we say hell no" as they marched toward the Capitol on Wednesday protesting against the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, or MCRI. Included in the protesters were students such as 15-year-old Anthony Bluford, from Cass Technical High School in Detroit, who said the initiative that might affect affirmative action could take away their future opportunities. "Because of affirmative action, that's going to determine my future because I want to go to college someday," Bluford said. The proposal aims to put a choice on the November 2006 state ballot to prevent public colleges and universities, as well as state government, from hiring or accepting students based on characteristics such as race, sex or ethnicity.
The East Lansing officials' decision to spend $50,000 for a financial analyst led some to assume that East Lansing's transient residents - such as students - would soon pay city income taxes, but city officials said it's just speculation. East Lansing's City Council agreed to have a third party analyze the way officials handle money and to see if other sources of income are available for the city.
Last summer, 36-year-old Steve Wooten was on his way home from an ordinary trip to the store when he was picked up by the police for driving under the influence of marijuana. Instead of sending him to jail or revoking his license, Michigan's 55th District Court in Mason decided to put him into a drug rehabilitation program. "I thought they set me up.
Even though the General Motors Corp.'s Lansing Car Assembly plant recently closed, local residents gathered at the "Lansing Loves GM" rally at the Capitol on Tuesday night. Events coordinator Anita Epolito said the purpose of the rally is to recognize everything GM has done for the city. "Instead of kicking them while they might be down, we are saying thanks for contributing to the Lansing economy," Epolito said. State Sen.
Homeless army veteran Paul Mullins came to the Stand Down for Homeless Veterans program to try and rectify his life. Mullins kept stroking his beard and running his fingers through his newly cut hair, which had not been groomed in two months. "It feels good," he said, smiling. Stand Down, a resource fair to recognize the problem of homeless veterans and help them overcome life on the streets, provides services such as haircuts and dental care and food.
Michigan House Republicans laid out a proposed formula for funding higher education on Wednesday that would reward universities for their contributions to the state's economy. The plan aims to invest in the state's future workforce by providing financial incentives for universities based on enrollment, the number and types of degrees and the amount of research at each institution. But local lawmakers worry MSU won't benefit as much as other schools because of the way the funds are divided. Under the new proposal for university operations, the schools combined could receive $1.65 billion - nearly $12 million more than under Gov.
More than 200 trucks loaded with trash barrel across the Canadian border every day, bound for landfills in Michigan.
Ten buses carrying Detroit high school students will head to the Capitol on Wednesday to rally against a proposal to end preference-based treatment in university admissions and hiring that might end up on next year's ballot. The proposal, called the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, or MCRI, would amend the state Constitution to prevent public universities and state government from "discriminating or granting preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin." A national group - the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration & Immigration Rights and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary, or BAMN - which helped organize the rally, filed a legal brief with the Michigan Board of Canvassers last month against MCRI, saying MCRI petition circulators deceived those petitioned to sign their proposal. "This is a distinct case, a campaign to deceive the public, and for that reason it should not go forward," said Donna Stern, national coordinator of BAMN. Wednesday's rally at the Capitol will be followed by a public hearing to collect more information from those who say they were lied to by petitioners. Stern said BAMN wants the Michigan Board of Canvassers to force MCRI to redo their petition. BAMN took a statistical sample of 500 people who signed the MCRI petition were able to reach 300 of them, Stern said.
Recent lobbying efforts and proposed legislation have revitalized interest in the $1 billion dollar proposed Rare Isotope Accelerator project that, only a month ago, was thought by some MSU officials to be a lost cause. MSU and the Argonne National Laboratory, located near Chicago, have each been vying for the project, or RIA, but a limited federal budget stalled plans for either location to build it. Physics and astronomy Professor Bradley Sherrill said RIA would make its host the most technologically advanced institution in nuclear physics.
According to the Ad Council, an organization that promotes public service campaigns, people who are not civically active run the risk of getting "mannequinism," a fictional disease that renders its victims plastic and immobile. The "disease" is being used as a metaphor in a national advertising campaign to get 18- to 24- year-olds to be more engaged in their communities.
Since the emerald ash borer is still a serious problem, this week kicked off the "Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week" in the states of Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. The emerald ash borer is a beetle that attacks ash trees and eventually kills them.
A few large-scale construction projects being tackled this summer could make walking, driving and parking on campus a little tougher for the next few months. Even MSU's president said the construction can be frustrating at times. President Lou Anna K.
City officials are looking to nearly double the size of downtown, in part to connect the area with the potential East Village redevelopment, while also helping pay for the massive overhaul. The idea would be to increase the property tax for businesses not currently located downtown - such as Tasty Twist, 1307 E.
To help people appreciate the history and heritage of the state, Michigan Week was established in 1954 by Don Weeks and is still celebrated today. It is now run by Michigan's Department of History, Arts and Libraries, or HAL. "It started with the concept of taking a week to look at Michigan," said Jim Schultz, who works with the Michigan Humanities Council to coordinate the different events of Michigan Week.