Thursday, February 26, 2026

Take a peek behind the curtain and test drive the NEW StateNews.com today!

News | Michigan

MICHIGAN

K-9 'Tex' retires after nearly seven years of service with MSUPD

Katie Abdilla
November 25, 2013

In the nearly seven years he’s been in the MSU Police Department’s K-9 Unit, Officer Mike Cantrell and his dog, Semtex, have formed a bond that will be tough to go without and even tougher to match. But last week, Cantrell’s German Shepherd, nicknamed “Tex,” went to work with him for the last time. Specifically trained to track people and explosives, 8-year-old Tex officially has retired.

MICHIGAN

Education students to face harder proficiency exams

Aspiring teachers might want to spend more time studying for the teacher certification test: the initial pass rate for the required test to be admitted to teacher preparation programs fell from 82 to 26 percent after the state made it more rigorous this fall. The Professional Readiness Examination, or PRE, measures students’ proficiency in reading, writing and math, and is usually taken before their junior year of college.

MICHIGAN

Face Time: Astronaut Chris Hadfield

Simon Schuster
November 24, 2013

Aboard the International Space Station from Dec. 2012 to May 2013, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield took part in various research experiments and technical maintenance of the low-earth orbit station. ?In his spare time, Hadfield cultivated an unprecedented social media presence, using Twitter and YouTube to bring the earthbound public a steady stream of content. His broadcasts earned him a dedicated online following.?

MICHIGAN

Crowds pack greater Lansing for annual Silver Bells holiday parade

Geoff Preston
November 24, 2013

The annual Silver Bells in the City celebration brought thousands of people to downtown Lansing on Friday with a parade and a Christmas tree lighting, ushering in the holiday season. The event, which has been a tradition since 1985, features a parade with floats from local businesses and organizations, as well as well as 11 high school marching bands.

MICHIGAN

Winter sports clubs host rail jam to raise funds for Relay for Life

Olivia Dimmer
November 24, 2013

About 4,000 pounds of imported snow blanketed the field behind The Rock on Friday, enabling members of the Spartan Ski Club and the Alpine Ski and Snowboard Team to host a snowboarding competition in the middle of campus. Kinesiology junior Sean Storey, the president of the MSU Alpine Ski and Snowboard Team, said members of both groups helped shovel the snow onto a large metal snowboarding ramp complete with jumps and rails the night before, working for nearly eight hours in preparation for the competition, called a Rail Jam.

MICHIGAN

New motorcoaches to have seat belts starting in 2016

Simon Schuster
November 21, 2013

Starting in 2016, new motorcoaches will be required to have seat belts, according to a statement from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Officials said shoulder and lap belts would help reduce the risk of death or injury in a head-on collision and also reduce the risk of occupant ejection from the vehicle in rollover accidents.

MICHIGAN

East Lansing gets high score in LGBT civil rights report

Simon Schuster
November 21, 2013

East Lansing has high marks in LGBT equality, according to a national advocacy group. Human Rights Campaign, widely regarded as a premier advocacy group for LGBT rights and equality, released a report measuring LGBT equality in the U.S. and scored cities for factors such as non-discrimination in city employment.

MICHIGAN

Recent graduate awarded prestigious packaging award

Cayden Royce
November 21, 2013

Success after graduation is all any recent college graduate could hope for. After getting her advertising degree in 2012, MSU alumna Megan Barry found just that with Leahy-IFP Space Saver juices, teas and lemonades. In Beverage Industry magazine’s Top Beverage Package of 2013 competition, which will debut in the December issue, Barry’s design placed third, with 17 percent of the 1,489 online votes rounding out the top five contestants.

MICHIGAN

New H&M, retail expansion on horizon for Meridian Mall

Geoff Preston
November 19, 2013

Swedish clothing retailer H&M will be a part of the Meridian Mall, taking the space currently occupied by Abercrombie and Fitch, according to Meridian Township Community Planning Development director Mark Kieselbach. H&M filled out a redevelopment permit that recently was approved by Meridian Township. Kieselbach said the timeline of the project redevelopment is up to the mall and has not yet been announced.

MICHIGAN

Politicians: Road funds unlikely to come through

Simon Schuster
November 19, 2013

At his State of the State address in January, Gov. Rick Snyder called for a $1.2 billion increase in funding to repair and maintain Michigan’s roads. But after a meeting last week between Snyder and legislative leaders, that goal seems no closer to completion than the day it was proposed. According to a Michigan Department of Transportation report released in May, the conditions of Michigan’s roadways will begin to decline without a significant increase in funding. To measure the condition of Michigan roads, the state surveys the roads and rates their condition on a scale of “good,” fair” and “poor.” According to data from the Transportation Asset Management Council collected between 2011 and 2012, 13.77 percent of roads in East Lansing are classified in good condition, 57.46 percent are in fair condition and 28.77 percent are in poor condition.

MICHIGAN

Insurance company opens on Grand River Avenue

Geoff Preston
November 18, 2013

One of East Lansing’s largest downtown business spaces is officially filled once again as Jackson National Life Insurance Co. opened its doors for business Monday, redesigning and taking over the former Barnes and Noble location at 333 E. Grand River Ave.

MICHIGAN

CD and record show draws music lovers to Lansing

Katie Abdilla
November 18, 2013

Upon arriving at Lansing’s CD and Record Show, Andrew Moore had no intention of leaving empty-handed. Saturday’s free show was the fifth time the MSU College of Law clinician has filtered through the tables of CDs and vinyls throughout the years, and for him the adventure never gets old. His choices for the day included Frank Zappa, Led Zeppelin and David Bowie.

MICHIGAN

Woman reported missing after fleeing East Lansing residence

Simon Schuster
November 18, 2013

A mother of three is considered a missing person after fleeing from a home in East Lansing Saturday night, according to the East Lansing Police Department. Sarah Jane Jackson, 23, reportedly left a home on Chartwell Dual Carriage Way Saturday at about 9 p.m. with the father of two of her three children, according to a statement from police.