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MICHIGAN

Bill might halt increase of blood alcohol content

An extra vodka shot might not be enough to put students behind bars for drunken driving if Michigan lawmakers fail to pass preventative legislation. While most students associate 0.08 grams as the minimum blood alcohol content, or BAC, level to be arrested for drunken driving, the level could increase to 0.10 grams Oct.

MSU

Competition chopped in Iron Chef event

Promoting diversity, one bite at a time. More than five teams competed for the title of Global Iron Chef Champion on Tuesday evening in McDonel Hall. Global Iron Chef was thrown as a collaborative effort by the Arab Cultural Society, the Asian Pacific American Student Organization, the International Student Association and the Jewish Student Union.

MSU

Alumni keep campus safe

Although many MSU students might be intimidated by the flashing blue and red lights on campus, MSU police officers said they should remember many officers were once in their shoes. MSU police Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor estimated nearly half of the about 70 officers in the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety were MSU graduates — something that could be an advantage to both officers and students.

MSU

RecycleMania taking place through March

While emptying trash cans at the Main Library yesterday, MSU’s Waste Reduction Coordinator Dave Smith was shocked by the number of recyclable items he found in the garbage. “I’ve been pulling trash cans today at the library, and it’s amazing how many recyclable items are in the trash,” Smith said. “We take so many things now that the vast majority of things on campus are recyclable.” Smith is trying to improve recycling as part of the 13th-annual RecycleMania, which kicked off last Sunday and will run until March 30. This will be the third year MSU participates in the event, which pits more than 500 colleges in a recycling race against each other.

MSU

Survey: Students care little about college rank when picking school

A recently released annual survey conducted by the University of California at Los Angeles found rankings are not as important as some universities might think. The data is based on responses from about 193,000 freshmen in about 240 four-year colleges and universities. Freshmen ranked importance of 23 reasons that might influence their college choice.

MICHIGAN

Contagious Norovirus reaches East Lansing

Norovirus, an illness affecting the stomach and intestines, has been confirmed in Ingham County, according to health department officials. Based on symptoms in tested patients, it is safe to assume the illness has reached East Lansing as well as all other parts of Ingham County, county health department Deputy Health Officer Nancy Hayward said.

MICHIGAN

City Council votes tonight on hookah, Bistro

At tonight’s regularly scheduled East Lansing City Council meeting at City Hall, 410 Abbot Road, council will vote on whether to renovate the former Evergreen Arms apartments and whether to approve a liquor license for the Black Cat Bistro, a high-end restaurant set to be built downtown.

MSU

Students earn the most first-place TV, radio awards

Last Friday, MSU radio and television broadcasting students received the most first-place awards at the 2013 Michigan College Broadcast Awards. Students, some of whom were members of Impact 89FM and Focal Point television, received a total of nine awards from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters, or MAB, with 13 students involved. MSU boasted the most first-place finishes out of the Michigan colleges that participated in the event, according to a press release from the College of Communication Arts and Sciences.

MICHIGAN

DACA students to be issued driver’s licenses as of Friday

Lansing groups gathered Monday to celebrate a victory for what many hope will be the beginning of widespread U.S. immigration reform, starting with students. Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson announced Friday the Department of State will issue driver’s licenses to young immigrants who are part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program implemented last June.

MSU

School of Hospitality Business to host auction

For travelers hoping to get away from Michigan’s cold weather this year, students in the School of Hospitality Business might have the trip they’re looking for. The 22nd Annual Destination Auction will take place Saturday, Feb. 9 at Kellogg Center. The event is planned, organized and presented by students in The School of Hospitality Business. The auction includes a silent auction beginning at 5 p.m. and a live auction beginning at 6 p.m. “Our theme this year is coast to coast to really emphasize that we have hotel packages, restaurant experiences spa packages, items and gift cards from everywhere,” said Kayli Delamielleure, the director of marketing for the auction.

MSU

MSU-bred company seeks national attention

When Rob Privette and the rest of the researchers at XG Sciences, a spinoff company that was born at MSU, decided to combine silicon with graphene, they hoped their research would yield something useful. They didn’t fully realize this combination would help make batteries more efficient — more minutes for a smartphone’s battery and more miles an electric vehicle can travel. The engineering company is hoping for more votes through the website Future Energy, which will provide eight new energy companies the chance to get attention from the U.S. Department of Energy. If they receive enough votes from anyone who visits the site, they could be highlighted at the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Energy Innovation Summit.

NEWS

Apartment fire under investigation, injured firefighter back to work

The East Lansing firefighter injured during a fire at Ville Montee Apartments, 241 Rampart Way, Thursday night is back to his normal work duties, East Lansing Fire Department Public Information Officer Lt. Leo Allaire said. An investigation is still underway to determine the cause of the blaze that damaged a total of eight apartments. Six apartments had damage due to both fire and smoke, while two others only had smoke damage, Allaire said.

MSU

UCue Billiards room to be removed for classrooms

UCue Billiards, a spot for pool in the Union, will be permanently closing after spring break. With the second phase of renovations for the Union planned for the upcoming summer, the room will be renovated as a high-tech classroom, said Tami Kuhn, interim director of the Union. “We are in the process of remodeling the ground floor, the second floor and some rooms in the third floor,” Kuhn said.

MICHIGAN

Mid-Winter Singing Festival brings music, history to city

As snowflakes fell and a frigid wind blew Saturday outside the Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbot Road, the city of East Lansing’s Children’s Concert Series and Mid-Winter Singing Festival brought a little bit of light to residents of East Lansing with music, laughter and dancing. The Children’s Concert Series was held earlier in the day in the banquet hall and featured music by folk singers Kim and Reggie Harris. They performed songs ranging from “Day-O” to “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” and told historical stories through songs of famed Negro League pitcher Satchel Paige and folk hero John Henry.

MSU

Spartan draws new Spider-Man comic

MSU alumnus Ryan Stegman is making a stir among comic book lovers across the world with his newest project — illustrating the images in Marvel Worldwide Inc.’s latest Spider-Man series “Superior Spider-Man.”