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News | Michigan

MICHIGAN

A dog day afternoon

MSU alumnus Taylor Bond, left, and biomedical laboratory operations junior Melissa Rust play with dogs Otis and Remmington Sunday afternoon outside a home on M.A.C.

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MICHIGAN

Bust a move

Communication sophomore Rachel Bonello leaves Spartan Dance Center every Wednesday with a smile. Bonello teaches a group of 8 and 9 year olds competitive hip-hop at the center, located at 3498 Lake Lansing Road.

MICHIGAN

Bills stall in House

Controversial bills that would provide more requirements for voters and third party registrants remain stalled in a House committee after legislators heard testimony about the bills in the Redistricting and Elections Committee on Tuesday morning. Several advocacy groups testified against the bills, including representatives from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

MICHIGAN

Face time: Randall Talifarro

In January, East Lansing Fire Chief Randall Talifarro was placed in charge of both the East Lansing and Lansing fire departments and now spends time working in each division. Talifarro replaced Lansing Fire Chief Tom Cochran after he retired in January. Cochran now provides assistance to the departments on an as-needed basis.

MICHIGAN

Chopstix opens in E.L., owner hopes to draw student interest

Dave Chou knows what it’s like to be far away from home, without the comfort of a home-cooked meal. Originally from Taiwan, Chou remembers being homesick for his family’s cooking when he went away to college, so he decided to open Chopstix, a new Asian cuisine restaurant housed in the former Asian House building at 1001 E. Grand River Ave.

MICHIGAN

Community prepares for Westboro picket

Students and community members are preparing for a visit from members of the controversial Westboro Baptist Church, who will rally from 8:15-8:45 a.m. Monday at the Union. The group, which is widely known for picketing military funerals in protest of America’s acceptance of homosexuality, also plans to picket at 7:15 a.m. Monday at Eastern High School, 220 N. Pennsylvania Ave., in Lansing, and Central Michigan University at 2:00 p.m.

MICHIGAN

More than $26K spent on search for East Lansing city manager

East Lansing officials spent more than $26,000 in their search for a new city manager before hiring an internal candidate for the vacant position, records show. Pennsylvania-based executive search firm Affion Public was paid $18,000 as part of its contract with the city for the search, while other expenses totaled $8,077 as part of the search process.

MICHIGAN

East Lansing 2012 Crystal Award recipient announced

They don’t do it for any kind of recognition, but the city of East Lansing decided to recognize some of the “unsung heroes” who contribute to enhancing the way of life in East Lansing at the 24th annual Crystal Awards, Thursday evening. This year, the Crystal Award Selection Committee selected four winners from a group of 32 individuals, organizations and businesses. The 32 candidates were nominated by members of the community and winning the awards were Marsha Bristor, Dr. Dale Bartlett, the Summer Circle Theatre and the Eric ‘RicStar’ Winter Music Therapy Camp.

MICHIGAN

Amtrak routes to experience delays

Students planning to travel along Amtrak’s Blue Water route early next week may experience some service disruptions, the passenger railroad announced in a service notice. The route — which runs from Chicago to Port Huron, Mich. — typically departs from East Lansing at 8:28 a.m., but all stops will run two hours earlier to accommodate work along the track. The change will take place from Monday through Wednesday, with additional work occurring over the next two weeks.

MICHIGAN

Taste of East Lansing to be held Saturday

The Taste of East Lansing festival will be held from 5-8 p.m. on Saturday at Parking Lot 1 off of Albert Avenue in the Ann Street Plaza. The event will be hosted by the Community Relations Coalition and will feature a silent auction, live music, raffle and children’s activities.

MICHIGAN

MSU experts: Cold spell this spring harms Michigan fruit crops

April snow showers could mean trouble for many fruit growers throughout Michigan after a frost affected some fruit populations earlier than usual, MSU experts said Tuesday. Although the warm spell in Michigan this March was welcome weather for many students, the subsequent snow flurries and below freezing temperatures that occurred for a few subsequent days in April were particularly damaging to perennial fruit populations in the state, MSU Extension educator Amy Irish-Brown said.