E.L. council members to review renovations
East Lansing City Council members will get their first look at the semi-renovated East Lansing High School when they meet with the city's Board of Education tonight. The groups also will touch base on mutual concerns, such as snow plowing services, and will discuss the possibility of housing some school buses at a new East Lansing Department of Public Works site. Mayor Mark Meadows said the council is looking forward to touring the new high school during one of its quarterly meetings with the school district. "It was a big issue for the community when they voted to provide the school board with funds to make those changes," Meadows said. Construction on the $55 million project, which began in January 2001, is about 75 percent complete, said Paula Steele, principal at East Lansing High School. New music rooms, two gymnasiums, a 550-seat student union, an inside track and science laboratories are among the completed additions to the building, Steele said. The auditorium is scheduled to be completed in mid-December, and a media center will be finished by August 2005. "Everybody's been really patient," Steele said.
ID theft trial moved to undetermined date
Former MSU student Denita Dorsey's circuit court trial was moved to an undetermined date, county court clerks said. The May graduate faces 27 charges for identity theft and fraud of more than $100,000 from earlier this year.
IBM program to aid research
As a computer sits unused in a dorm room or office, a free program available online can contribute the idle energy to research for cures for diseases such as tuberculosis. IBM has unveiled the World Community Grid, a program designed to cut down on research time and increase cost-effectiveness for the companies who sponsor the projects, IBM spokeswoman Catherine Collins said, adding that anyone with access to the Internet can download the program into their computer. "The more people we get signed up for this, the more research we can get done," Collins said. Collins said because of the amount of computers at a university, MSU is an ideal place to implement the program.
Ugrub Web site lists local restaurant menus
With the help of Ugrub.com, hungry students in the East Lansing area can pull up a restaurant's menu and decide what to have delivered from the comfort of their couch. It is the third Internet program allowing MSU students to choose meals from their computer screens.
Nurses avoid strike with agreed contract
Saturday negotiations between Lansing's Sparrow Health System and Michigan Nurses Association ended with a tentative agreement on a new contract. The previous agreement expired on Oct.
E.L. Post Office opens new self-mailing center
With the swipe of a card and the push of a few buttons, local postal customers can now mail letters and packages themselves.
E.L. officials discuss blighted designation
East Lansing City Council members said at a meeting Tuesday they would like to discuss the East Village blight designation with property owners who want to opt out of the area before the decision is made.
Poland honors professor
While many faculty members enjoyed turkey Thursday, Dennis Preston feasted on Polish pig feet. Preston, an MSU professor of linguistics, traveled to Warsaw, Poland to receive the Officers' Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland on Friday. It is the second-highest award given to non-Polish citizens for public service.
Student gets Marshall honor
When Doug Estry, associate dean for Academic Student Affairs in the College of Natural Science saw Bhooma Aravamuthan explain how DNA worked to a nonscience major, he said he knew the biochemistry and physiology senior was knowledgeable about science.
SUPER program awards McPherson for help
Members of the MSU Summer University Program: Excellence Required presented MSU President M. Peter McPherson with a plaque to commemorate his involvement. The SUPER program was founded in 1988 to help students transition from high school to life at MSU.
Full reorganization report presented to council
Tuesday's Academic Council meeting centered around liberal arts reorganization and the creation of a new residential college. Committee on College Reorganization Chairman Stephen Esquith presented the report on reorganization of the liberal arts and programs.
WEB ONLY: CATA services to change during holiday weekend
Several services will be adjusting their hours for the holiday weekend. MSU's Capital Area Transportation Authority bus service will end at 11:30 p.m.
Deer collisions up this season
Entering the second week of Michigan's firearm hunting season, state officials and insurance companies continue to caution motorists about deer on the road. The number of monthly deer-car crashes commonly begins to increase during fall months and peaks in November, but deer can present problems for motorists into early December, said Jim Rink, a spokesman for insurance company AAA Michigan. "Fall is mating season for the deer so they're generally more active
WEB ONLY: Lansing's Fire Dept. included in security grant
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security named Lansing's Fire Department as one of 15 Michigan fire departments included in a $776,500 grant.
Beaner's to open new shops in E.L., 3 southeast states
A local coffee shop chain is expanding into other parts of the state and country, opening in three southeastern states after operating in the Midwest for nearly a decade. Beaner's Gourmet Coffee, founded in East Lansing in 1995, is opening three locations in Mobile, Ala., Charleston, S.C., and Dacula, Ga., near Atlanta, said Michael McFall, president of the company. "The markets we're going into, like Mobile, Alabama, and Charleston, are really underserviced from the gourmet coffee perspective," McFall said.
Hall gives thanks, lip balm to soldiers
Beanie Babies, breath mints and lip balm will soon be making their way to military troops overseas. The items are included on a list of possible donations from Emmons Hall residents who are participating in Operation Gratitude, a national organization that has sent more than 36,800 care packages to soldiers stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Kosovo and the Korean peninsula. Meggan Willersdorf, the assistant director for Emmons Hall, said she found the program on a Web site and thought it was a great idea. "It gives residents an opportunity to volunteer - to give their time and effort," she said.
Groups debate use of extra student tax money
ASMSU relies on student tax dollars, and in turn provides services such as free legal advice and cheap photocopies to those students.
Mich. seat belt usage increases
Michigan had the nation's fourth-largest increase in seat belt usage during the last year, according to a report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released Tuesday. Statewide seat belt usage increased 5.7 percent between 2003 and 2004, jumping from 84.8 to 90.5 percent.