Business booms

Some local residents will travel hundreds of miles to firework outlets just to make sure their Fourth of July goes off with a bang.

7 new human cases of West Nile confirmed in U.S.

Along with rising temperatures, the rising activity of Michigan's mosquito population is also an inevitable part of summer.

Clinic to close after 34 years

A local low-cost medical clinic that offered health care to 1,600 uninsured area residents last year will see patients for the last time today. On Monday, the Board of Directors for the nonprofit Gateway Community Services, 2875 Northwind Drive, decided to close the operation's doors immediately. Today's closing corresponds with the end of the organization's contract with East Lansing, said Stefanie Zin, executive director at Gateway. The clinic, which has been open for 34 years, has been in danger of closing since Gateway announced a $70,000 budget deficit in May. A June 17 fundraiser at the Hannah Community Center netted $13,000 for the clinic, but it wasn't enough to patch the growing deficit, said Andrew Lathrop, marketing and community relations director at Gateway. Zin said the clinic staff, which is composed mostly of volunteers, will work through July 8 to make sure charts, bills and remaining medications are all in order. "I'm really depressed about it," said Kacie Kleinhardt, a physiology senior who volunteers at the clinic.

MSU could renew energy campaign

Incoming freshmen are leaving their homes, but they might not have heard the advice to turn off the lights when they leave for the last time. With the influx of new faces, the Energy Subcommittee of the University Committee for a Sustainable Campus has discussed the prospects of rejuvenating a campaign to conserve energy on campus, subcommittee member Bob Ellerhorst said.

Prof. travels to India to aid

Six months after a tsunami devastated coastal areas of India, an MSU professor is planning to help victims of the disaster in the southern part of the country. Sam Varghese, a professor of animal science, will leave with his wife Alice on Friday for his second relief trip this year. He plans to be gone three months, and in that time he will run workshops in Trivandrum, India, to teach victims how to raise quail and other small animals for food and profit. Varghese spent a month during January and February in southern India giving aid to victims of the tsunami. "All I could do was go to the shelters, see these people and hand out cash," Varghese said of his previous trip. Varghese distributed $17,500 to victims and taught them about food safety during his month in the country. "It broke my heart to see this devastation, but God willing, I wanted to come back," he said. For his current trip, he raised $14,150 from departments at MSU and an additional $5,000 through Coturnix International Ministries Inc., a charitable organization founded and run by Varghese. On his last trip, he only received $250 in funding from MSU. Jeff Riedinger, dean of International Studies and Programs said the university is better positioned to support long-term development than short-term economic relief. He said he helped convene a meeting of MSU faculty and administrators to hear a proposal from Varghese. "He and a group of other MSU faculty were interested in following up on what MSU could do on a long-term basis," Riedinger said. International Studies and Programs contributed several thousand dollars to help fund Varghese's meeting with foreign aid officials, Riedinger said. The rest of the money donated by MSU was pooled from the Department of Animal Science, MSU Extension and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said Professor Karen Plaut, chairwoman of the Department of Animal Science. Varghese will use the money to buy baby chicks, feed, equipment and cages which will be donated to the residents he teaches. "Everything will be given to them free so they can get started," he said. Coturnix, a Japanese species of quail, are particularly well-suited for this project because they don't need much space, are cheap to raise and mature quickly, Varghese said. A coturnix can begin laying eggs in about 35 days after hatching, he said, and can lay between 250-300 eggs in a year. He said he will also be purchasing rabbits and possibly chickens, which can be sold for their meat.

City looks to attract seniors

If senior citizens are looking to move into college towns, they'll be welcomed with open arms to East Lansing, city leaders said. The city will soon offer independent living, assisted living and low-income housing to senior citizens, East Lansing Mayor Mark Meadows said. The proposed senior-citizen housing locations are in close proximity to Deerpath Apartments, 1290 Deer Path Lane, and the old Department of Public Works building, Meadows said.

Police briefs 06/28/05

Soybean rust might infect Mich. plants

A fungal disease that kills one of Michigan's largest crops has been found recently in the Southeast, but Michigan growers and MSU are preparing for the possibility of the fungus spreading. Asian soybean rust has been found in Asia and South America for decades, the infection spread to five counties in Florida and one in Georgia, Department of Plant Pathology Chairman Ray Hammerschmidt said. On campus, there's a lab dedicated to identifying plant diseases, including soybean rust, he said. Hammerschmidt said soybean growers can bring their plants to MSU's Diagnostic Services in the Center for Integrated Plant Systems if they think the rust has infected their plants, but he added that there haven't been any reports of rust in Michigan. "But we are probably more prepared for this disease than any plant disease in history," he said. Growers in Michigan dedicate more than 2 million acres to soybean plots as part of a very large industry in the state, Hammerschmidt said. Soy, because of its high protein and calcium, commonly replaces milk in dairy products. Organic food store Foods for Living, 2655 E.

Lyman Briggs to renovate building for more students

A week ago, the basement of Holmes Hall was a maze of ripped-out floors, exposed ceilings, hanging wires and gaping holes in the walls. The Lyman Briggs School is renovating laboratories and offices in a two-phase project that will accommodate a predicted increase in student enrollment during the next five years. There will be one physics, four biology and two chemistry labs when construction is completed, said Steven Spees, associate director of the Lyman Briggs School and chemistry professor. "They're expanding the laboratories, adding more equipment and modernizing it," said Richard Bellon, visiting assistant professor for Lyman Briggs. All the labs will be air-conditioned, which costs the most of all the renovations to install, Spees said. "We're adding a lot of labs that require air flow," he said.

Sports events spur Detroit cleanups

More than 1,000 volunteers from all over the metro Detroit area and as far away as Ingham County took to the streets of downtown Detroit on Saturday morning to tidy up, officials said. The All-Star Super Makeover was the first in a series of cleanups in the downtown area for July's Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Comerica Park and February's Super Bowl XL at Ford Field. "Basically, we see this as cleaning our living room," said Chris Miller, an international relations senior and event coordinator.

Hudzik finishes duties, ready for next post

John Hudzik said his time served as MSU's acting provost has been both interesting and challenging, but there's one thing he won't miss about the job - the frequent 15-hour workdays. As acting provost, Hudzik took over the role once held by President Lou Anna K.

Police briefs 06/27/05

Students, profs: Law to teach Constitution ineffective

A federal law passed last year designated a specific date that all schools must teach the Constitution, but some local residents say it's a "foolish" provision.

Chili cook-off raises $26K for charity

Downtown Lansing dished out thousands of gallons of chili, chili enthusiasts, two live bands and one mechanical bull Friday at the 10th annual Board of Water & Light Chili Cook-Off. The event featured at least 45 different kinds of chili and nine salsas for judges and the public to taste.

Summer festival promotes E.L. businesses

Although the ninth annual Summer Solstice Jazz Festival will fill downtown East Lansing with community interaction and live music, the event could also bring downtown businesses more money in the future. The Arts Commission, which planned the event, has several objectives: One is to expose people in the community to various forms of culture and art, said Ami Van Antwerp, East Lansing community events coordinator. Under a huge tent located on the east half of Lot 1 on Albert Avenue, Summer Solstice patrons will have two stages for viewing jazz acts. A musician who grew up in East Lansing, Carl Cafagna, will be playing in the festival with his group, North Star Jazz.

LBGT march to protest hate crimes

All over the world this month, the gay community is celebrating in many ways, from parades to floats to drag queens. However in Michigan, the lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender community plans to focus on a more serious theme this weekend - to protest for civil rights for all homosexuals across Michigan. The 17th annual Michigan Pride Weekend will concentrate on hate crimes, among other issues, officials said. Pride spokeswoman Sarah Mieras said, in Michigan, there is no law to prevent anti-gay hate crimes. "There has been in an increase in hate crimes in Michigan, and this year we plan to focus on ways to prevent these crimes, among other things," Mieras said. She said she predicts that about 15,000 people will participate in the civil rights protest at the Capitol on Saturday. "We plan to march from Grand River Avenue all the way to the state Capitol to protest fair treatment for gays and lesbians," she said. Mieras said the rally this weekend will celebrate the lives and achievements of the LBGT community.

City offers support for East Village project in memo

City council members had a shorter meeting on the first day of summer but still managed to take the East Village redeveloping efforts a half step further into the planning process. The council passed a Memorandum of Understanding at its Tuesday meeting for the master developer of the Cedar Village overhaul and city officials. The document demonstrates the city's support of the East Village redevelopment plans.

State proposes Amtrak cuts

For the more than 600,000 people who used Amtrak trains last year to travel, possible state budget cuts for the upcoming fiscal year might end their way of traveling around the country. Celeste Shoulders, a supervisor in the Eli Broad College of Business, said she uses the Amtrak train about 30 times a year to visit family and friends.

Low-cost clinic needs $70K

A budget shortfall that left an East Lansing low-cost clinic reeling this May hasn't improved, and the 34-year-old clinic might have to close its doors in July. Local nonprofit Gateway Community Services, 2875 Northwind Drive, runs several programs, including a runaway shelter, a youth crisis intervention center and a free or low-cost medical clinic.

Police briefs 06/23/05