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NEWS

Common Ground returns

When the Common Ground Music Festival began in downtown Lansing, it originally focused on classic rock, but as the festival progresses into its 14th year, it now headlines some of the nation’s brightest stars along with upcoming local and regional talent. “We bring in a wide variety of diverse acts of all types of music,” said Scott Keith, board chair of Center Park Productions.

MICHIGAN

Locals celebrate National Hot Dog Month

The sun’s out, the weather’s warm and the grill is hot. It’s July, and it’s National Hot Dog Month. The monthlong July celebration is more of a second nature in the summer season than a known national holiday. Americans scarf down more than 2.3 billion hot dogs in July, equaling roughly seven hot dogs per person this month.

MICHIGAN

New farmers market could solve fresh food shortage

With the possibility of a year-round farmers market coming to the Park District, MSU professors have pondered the greater issue of food deserts in Greater Lansing. A study by community sustainability professor Phil Howard and geography professor Kirk Goldsberry revealed supermarkets in the Lansing area are closing and relocating to the suburbs.

MSU

Study shows exercise benefits diabetes patients with or without weight loss

Diabetic patients often report difficulty in losing weight even though they follow a strict exercise regimen, but according to a recent study, they still are bettering their health, with or without weight loss. A study conducted by scientists at Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School and the University of Copenhagen concluded regardless of weight loss, exercise does have a positive impact on fat stored in the body.

MSU

MSU license plate No. 1 specialty plate

MSU fans and alumni, a rabid collective of green and white-clad supporters often bordering on zealotry, express their school spirit through purchasing everything from apparel to seat cushions, and license plates are no exception.

MICHIGAN

Lansing area offers plenty for Fourth of July

When it’s warm outside in Michigan, and there are plenty of loud and colorful displays in the night sky, it can only mean one thing: Independence Day. No, not the 1996 Will Smith movie, but rest assured the Lansing area has plenty of activities going on from parades and concerts to, of course, fireworks.

MICHIGAN

Michigan Flyer adds extra routes after battle with local airport

After months of furious debate and arguments, Michigan Flyer LLC was granted approval on June 26 by the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, or TCRPC, to increase its number of daily trips. With the approval of TCRPC, Michigan Flyer LLC, which services East Lansing, Ann Arbor and the Detroit Metro Airport, will increase the number of daily trips from eight to 12, starting this fall.

MICHIGAN

Michigan legislators still unsure of vote on Medicaid expansion

As pressure mounts from both sides of the political spectrum to address Medicaid expansion in Michigan, it is uncertain whether legislators will be addressing the concern at their upcoming Wednesday session. Before breaking for the summer, members of the Michigan Senate began debating the merits of Healthy Michigan, a Medicare expansion plan that would cover more than 400,000 Michigan residents.

MSU

FRIB project could receive additional $55 million

After remaining on MSU’s to-do list since 2008, the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, or FRIB, is getting closer to a ground-breaking movement. Last Thursday, members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations approved an energy and water appropriation bill that would fully fund the creation of the facility with $55 million. The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations also approved the budget request last week.

MICHIGAN

Video story: Lansing science program extends education through summer

When school is out and summer hits, some kids drop their books and run to the television, while some turn to science. The latter study at Summer L.A.B.S. “Summer L.A.B.S. is a program that we run every summer here at Impression 5 Science Center, and (it’s) learning about basic science,” Toni Daymon, operations coordinator at Impression 5 Science Center, said. “We take a bunch of different kids here and we teach them different topics dealing with science. We may be talking about recycling or we may be talking about rocks, and the next day it could all be about chemistry.”