Council to discuss E.L. projects

The East Lansing City Council will meet Tuesday and is expected to decide on several housing and retail developmental projects for the city. One major decision involves choosing the lead developer of the redevelopment of the East Village area, in which several apartment complexes, rental homes and businesses in and around Cedar Village will be torn down within a few years and replaced with new businesses, student housing, condominiums and parks. The lead developer is expected to have complete control of the project, with some exceptions that the council will outline at upcoming meetings. At the council's first meeting of the month on May 3, council members approved parking agreements for some MSU faculty and staff members, discussed the 2005-06 city budget and honored East Lansing's finance director of 27 years, who is retiring Friday. MSU has begun construction on a parking ramp near Morrill Hall, which has caused some faculty and staff members to be left without parking.

Michigan club to visit ecology laboratory

The Michigan Botanical Club will hold a trip to "KirkKelDEL," the Dynamic Ecological Laboratory at Olivet College, on Saturday. The group will meet at 10 a.m.

Low blood-drive donations prompt Red Cross campaign

The Michigan chapters of the American Red Cross have the lowest blood supply levels in a decade. MSU students leaving for the summer and high school classes coming to a close give the Red Cross fewer possible donors. A new campaign called "Strive for Five" started on Friday to help increase blood donations for the summer. It encourages sponsors to give five more pints of blood than their original goal, American Red Cross Marketing Manager Kelly Rogers said. The campaign began because this summer is projected to be the lowest blood-drive turnout in years, said Justin Looyenga, donor recruitment representative for the Mid-Michigan Chapter of the American Red Cross. "We're really going to be struggling this summer," Looyenga said. The summer always is a problem for the organization, Rogers said.

Area shelter to host animal adopt-a-thon

The Ingham County Animal Shelter will host an Adopt-a-thon & Family Cat and Dog Show from 10 a.m.

Museum celebrates immigrants, migrants

The Michigan Historical Museum will present its Ethnic Festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 7 at the museum, 702 W.

McDonald's locations offer wireless access

Instead of only sitting in a cafe with a cup of coffee, wireless Internet users now can surf the Web with a Big Mac in hand. Four McDonald's locations in the Lansing area have hooked up to the trend of wireless access - 1024 E.

RHA takes control of Channel 12, keeps it on air

Channel 12 is back on. The channel, which broadcasts free movies and student-produced programming to MSU's campus and surrounding cities, was scheduled to be taken off the air at the end of the school year due to declining viewership. But the Residence Halls Association announced this week that it will assume control of the channel after a division of Housing and Food Services gives up control of it next month. RHA President Kevin Newman, who during his campaign stressed improving amenities as the key to keeping students on campus, said keeping Channel 12 a part of residence hall living should be a priority. "This is another program that RHA can bring to the on-campus community that they can't get anywhere else," Newman said. The move became possible after Swank Motion Pictures Inc., the company from which RHA purchases the movies for Channel 12 and its Campus Center Cinemas, agreed to provide them with a digital media player system at no charge for at least a year. The system will substantially cut the channel's labor costs by enabling a month of its programming to be done in 30 minutes. "There's been some technical issues, but the new digital media player will alleviate that," RHA Director of Technology Tom Wolf said.

MSU a capella group to host show Sunday

MSU's co-ed a capella group Capital Green will host its annual spring show at 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $5 for students and $7 adults.

Fire deaths at other colleges lead to local officials' concern

Fire-related deaths at other major universities across the country have some East Lansing officials worried about the safety of students residing in area rental homes and apartments. Three students living in a home off the campus of Ohio's Miami University were killed when a smoking device ignited a couch on April 10. Similarly, one student was killed in a fire at College State Borough, home of Penn State, on Sunday. Several measures to keep smoke alarms working and homes free from fire hazards are in place, said Annette Irwin, East Lansing's operations administrator for Code Enforcement and Neighborhood Conservation. "On some of the larger houses, stairways need to be clear of debris and window wells need to be cleared out," she said.

Contract negotiations continue for grad union

Thursday was the third continuous day of bargaining in negotiations between MSU and the Graduate Employees Union, which are attempting to establish a contract for the union before the current one expires May 15. About 40 members of GEU held a "grade-in" today at the Nisbet Building, where the bargaining meeting was being held.

Police briefs 04/29/05

Study finds Americans' lifestyle not healthy

Starting a campaign for his co-workers to take the stairs instead of the elevator was a step in the right direction toward a healthier campus community, said Matthew Reeves, an epidemiologist. But after discovering only 3 percent of Americans are fulfilling the recommended behaviors that add up to a healthy lifestyle, Reeves said there needs to be a cultural shift in the way people take care of themselves. Reeves looked at four indicators of healthy lifestyles: not smoking, eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, exercising 30 minutes five days a week and maintaining a healthy weight.

Park holds Arbor Day celebration

On top of a hill in Lansing's Potter Park there is a small area cleared with a few small, young trees.

Reformed neo-Nazi skinhead to speak

T.J. Leyden, a reformed neo-Nazi skinhead activist and recruiter, will speak at noon May 5 in the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety Community room. The presentation, for police, students and staff of MSU, "Turning Away From Hate," is about the neo-Nazi skinhead culture and the nature of hate. Leyden has spoken at more than 100 high schools, and to various military groups, including the Pentagon.

Menus offer healthier food

By Krista Reaves Special for The State News Many East Lansing area restaurants are following the nationwide trend of adding healthier selections to their menus, and students are taking advantage of these low-carbohydrate, low-calorie and low-fat options. Norman Hord, an associate professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, said the offering of healthier choices at restaurants is "a step in the right direction." He suggested trying local restaurants that serve Mediterranean foods such as Woody's Oasis or any Chinese, Japanese or Korean restaurants. Woody's Oasis Bar and Grill, 211 E.

Bikers urge motorist awareness during riding season

The ice has melted, the grass is green and Michigan's motorcyclists are revving up and riding their bikes out of hibernation. More than 30 motorcyclists and about 20 other Michigan residents gathered behind the Capitol on Thursday to celebrate May as "Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month." Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land and some of the state's top trainers spoke about the importance of all drivers working together to keep each other safe.

Rep. visits high school Republicans

Tyler Whitney sat at attention listening to gubernatorial candidate state Rep. Jack Hoogendyk, R-Kalamazoo, talk about the need for tax re-structuring and pro-life policies in Michigan on Thursday.

Students display projects from engineering classes

Fourteen teams of students from electrical and computer engineering senior design classes displayed posters and prototypes of their projects in the International Center on Thursday for Design Day 2005.

MSU employees bring children to work

The university opened its arms to a group of potential future Spartans on Thursday as more than 100 employees brought their children to the annual "Take Your Child to Work Day." The day's activities included tours, informational displays and a ceremony where the children got to meet Sparty and receive a certificate of completion.

Americans skydive to raise awareness about assault

Some people run marathons or sell pizzas to raise money for a good cause, but prenursing freshman Rene Rodriguez seized the chance to jump out of a plane. Rodriguez is participating in Operation Freefall, a national program to raise awareness about sexual assault. The program raises money for two national organizations created to raise awareness about sexual assaults: Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network and Speaking Out About Rape. "Sexual assault is one of the most common things that goes unreported," Rodriguez said. Without clear awareness and resources out there, sexual assault victims will not get the help they need, she said. More than 250 people across the nation will be jumping out of planes for Operation Freefall on Saturday, said Kellie Greene, the founder of Speaking Out About Rape. She said she came up with the event as a way to reclaim a day that had become marked by her own tragedy. It falls on the anniversary of the day she was raped and it takes something extreme like skydiving to counteract the consequences, she said. "It's no longer the day I was raped, it's the day I went skydiving," Greene said. Issues surrounding sexual assault need attention and a bold statement is made by skydiving, Greene said. "When people are throwing themselves out of a perfectly good airplane, people are going to take notice and say 'Wow they must really believe in what they're doing,'" she said. Even though she is afraid of heights, Rodriguez said she wanted to do something to help. She heard about the event through Sexual Assault Crisis Intervention, an MSU sexual assault awareness group, and decided to create a Web site asking her friends and family for help in raising money, she said.