Mathematicians and dessert enthusiasts united Wednesday afternoon to celebrate Pi Day at Grand Traverse Pie Company, 1403 E. Grand River Ave. At 3:14 p.m., Grand Traverse Pie Company began giving away free slices of pie for 31.4 minutes to celebrate the irrational number, which begins with the digits 3.14.
Fourth of July will have more of a spark this year thanks to a new Michigan law allowing consumers to access more powerful fireworks, and although no stores in the state currently are carrying rockets or firecrackers, police are warning residents about potential noise violations using the explosives could bring with the approaching St. Patrick’s Day weekend and NCAA Tournament.
Results of a recent study questioning the legitimacy of the U.S. Naturalization Test might cause concern for immigrants, including some MSU students vying for official citizenship status in the U.S., according to an MSU professor. Paula Winke, assistant professor of second language studies and lead researcher on the study, said the analysis largely focused on the randomness and level of difficulty of different questions asked in the civics portion of the U.S. Naturalization Test and determined the test structure might be unreliable.
ASMSU is hosting a contest for a student to win an invitation to dinner with New York Times White House correspondent Sheryl Stolberg. ASMSU is MSU’s undergraduate student government.
Last Tuesday, James Madison freshman Riley Mahoney clicked on a Twitter link leading her to a video about an African guerilla leader who until recently was virtually unknown to the Western world. For her, the 30-minute video of a grassroots movement to end Ugandan guerilla leader Joseph Kony’s cling to power evoked some strong emotions.
Although both MSU and East Lansing police departments reported a few unusual crimes during the university’s spring break week, it was business as usual for the most part, with the crime rate on par with past university holidays, police officials said. Those who remained in the area, particularly in university housing complex Spartan Village, were surprised by the announcement of an alleged armed robbery in the complex that took place at about 8:40 p.m. March 5.
Last week, East Lansing officials recognized the 40th anniversary of the city’s decision to include sexual orientation protection in its civil rights ordinance, a move officials said still has repercussions decades later. On March 7, 1972, the East Lansing City Council voted to ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the city’s hiring practices, becoming the first city in the country to do so.
A bill aimed to provide legal protection for minors who turn themselves or a friend in to police for being dangerously drunk passed in the state House last Tuesday in a near-unanimous vote and now will move on to the Senate. The proposed law would shield minors from a minor in possession charge if they seek police help for themselves or a friend for being too drunk.
As city officials take their first steps toward re-evaluating East Lansing’s strategic priorities, residents, students and members of the city council are stressing the need for increased community involvement and a positive relationship with the university. Members of the city council held their first discussion regarding a re-evaluation of the strategic priorities, a list of long-term goals that are examined every two years, at the council’s Wednesday night work session.
Last week, the Michigan Department of Community Health issued a public health alert warning against eating raw clover sprouts — a topping on some Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches items — after two E. coli-related illnesses were reported and five more were suspected in central and southeast Michigan. The people who were ill all had a common link — they had eaten raw clover sprouts from sandwich shops.
As Courtney Borchard walked into her East Lansing home after Labor Day weekend last year, she found jewelry strewn across her counters, overturned drawers and a hole cut through the screen of her bathroom window. It led her to one conclusion — someone had broken in while she was away. For the political science senior, much more than her laptop and other tangibles had been stolen.
Michigan weather might slowly be taking a turn for the better, but many dread the approach of the change in seasons: Tax season has arrived. Filing deadlines for 2011 federal and state tax returns are quickly approaching on April 17, about one month after students return from spring break. Rich Smith, owner of Spartan Tax Relief, 2875 Northwind Drive, said the process of filing taxes can seem frightening for some students.
The Michigan House passed a bill Thursday that would strip graduate student research assistants’ right to bargain for wages and work conditions.The bill now will move to Gov. Rick Snyder’s desk after quickly being pushed through both chambers, passing the House today in a 62-45 vote and the Senate last week.
Ultra-high-speed broadband Internet service is coming to the mid-Michigan area with the launch of the Greater Lansing University Community Next Innovation Project, or Gig.U.
East Lansing residents will head to the polls today with the fate of the city’s school system hanging in the balance and a $53 million bond proposal on the ballot. The proposal would renovate and reconfigure five of the city’s six elementary schools, an issue that has drawn both heated criticism and strong support from community members, including MSU faculty with children in East Lansing schools.
About 350 daring students and community members in costume faced 32-degree water at the eighth annual Lansing Polar Plunge Sunday afternoon.
When Olivia Martin’s family drives back home to Oxford, Mich., after spending time in sunny Florida next week, the relaxation of spring break quickly might turn to sticker shock. The U.S. national average for a gallon of gasoline currently hovers around $3.64, according to GasBuddy.com — up about 30 cents from one year ago — and might increase further, analysts predict. In Michigan, prices average about 4 cents higher.
Megan Brophy was home for the summer when it first happened one morning, waiting in line at a McDonald’s drive-thru. When she pulled up to the window, the cashier said her breakfast had been paid for by the woman in the car ahead. The woman had also left a special message: “Pass it forward.”
A pretrial to determine whether a police interrogation of alleged murderer David Marion Jr. could be counted as evidence continued Friday in Lansing’s 30th Circuit Court with testimony from a Michigan State Police officer. Marion has been charged with conspiring to kill Lansing resident Owen Goodenow in the process of stealing a safe containing money and marijuana inside the home, as well as killing Goodenow’s roommate, MSU student Darren Brown.
An explosion in the popularity of e-readers and e-books across the country is making its mark on the city of East Lansing.