The Michigan Department of Transportation will be offering fewer road maintenance activities such as lawn mowing, shoulder and curb sweeping and litter pickup for the rest of the fiscal year. These cutbacks will amount to about a 20 percent decease in the department’s summer maintenance budget, according to a press release.
Clarice Thompson, a student at Bailey Elementary School in 1936, said one of her fondest memories of the school was around Christmas time when all the students would gather in the basement to sing carols. “It was exciting because the music teacher would have us sing carols and we thought we sounded great because it was echoing off the walls,” said Thompson, who attended the East Lansing school from age four until sixth grade in the years 1936 to 1942.
Some students looking for apartments for the summer or fall are being faced with a tough decision: $1,000 Visa gift cards or a dependable route home. As construction continues on Abbot/Chandler Road, some surrounding apartment complexes are offering incentives to help draw in residents in spite of the roadblocks and long detours.
Walking, biking, carpooling or even taking the bus are all ways Jessica Yorko said contribute to a cleaner planet and a healthier body. Since May 2005, Mid-MEAC has promoted a program called Smart Commute, in the hopes of assisting community members find alternative modes of transportation that will help save the planet as well as human lives.
T-shirts reading “Free Valley Court Park” set the tone for the public discussion on the City Center II development during Tuesday’s East Lansing City Council work session.
The city of East Lansing’s loss may be Kalamazoo’s gain. East Lansing police Capt. Kim Johnson, who is being considered for chief of the Kalamazoo Public Safety Department, will speak at a public forum with the two other final candidates at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the City Hall Commission Chambers in Kalamazoo. Other candidates include David Headings, the current Battle Creek chief of police, and Jeffrey Hadley of the Fort Wayne Police Department in Indiana.
A new Click It or Ticket advertising campaign is now in effect advising Michigan motorists of upcoming statewide safety belt enforcements, according to a Michigan State Police press release. The two-week campaign serves to remind people of the annual Memorial Day safety belt enforcement, beginning May 19 and ending June 1.
U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., filed for reelection to the U.S. Senate on Monday. If reelected, it would be Levin’s sixth term in office. Running in opposition of Levin will be Republican State Rep. Jack Hoogendyk, who also filed his nominating petition Monday, according to news releases.
East Lansing City Council members will discuss the $117 million City Center II project for the first time formally since April during a work session Tuesday. The work session is set for 7 p.m. at 54-B District Court, Courtroom 2, 101 Linden St. East Lansing City Manager Ted Staton said the council will discuss slight modifications made to the project, like moving the townhouses away from Valley Court Park. Staton said the session was moved to a larger room in anticipation of public turnout due to the issue’s controversial nature among East Lansing residents. The mixed-use project, which includes a 10-story building, would span from Abbot Road to Valley Court Park along Grand River Avenue, and would combine apartments and townhouses with office and retail space.
MSU students aren’t the only ones zipping around East Lansing on their scooters as temperatures and gas prices in East Lansing climb – there also has been an increase in scooter sales as middle-aged residents begin trading in their four wheels for two. Bruce Uhal, an MSU physiology professor, said he recently purchased a scooter from Campus Scooter, 412 Albert Ave., because of the money he saves on gasoline, not to mention the free and easy parking on campus. “It really makes the most sense right now,” Uhal said.
Personal finances are a source of concern for adults across the state, according to MSU’s quarterly State of the State Survey. The random telephone survey, which is conducted about four times each year by MSU’s Institute for Public Policy and Social Research, was established in 1994.
Drivers traveling south on Chandler Road toward campus will not be able to turn left onto Lake Lansing Road beginning Tuesday because of construction, according to the Department of Public Works. Drivers will be able to turn left again beginning May 27.
Though Mother’s Day came in the midst of dreary weather and an even drearier economy, local business owners and event organizers said the holiday was still a success. Despite the rain, an outdoor Mother’s Day event hosted by Woldumar Nature Center and the Mid Michigan Photography Club drew 300 to 400 people. “We had a splendid turnout, I couldn’t believe how many people came,” said Lori McSweeny, executive director for Woldumar. The event, Wildflower Weekend, was held Saturday and Sunday at Woldumar Nature Center, 5739 Old Lansing Road in Lansing and featured an art show and pancake breakfast.
A statewide bill that would ban smoking in workplaces, including bars and restaurants does not make exemptions for businesses like hookah lounges and cigar bars — and at least one East Lansing business owner is concerned.
Arnulfo Ramirez wanted customers walking into Los Tres Amigos, 1227 E. Grand River Ave., to feel like they were leaving Michigan for a brief vacation to Mexico. The bright colors, Mexican-style music and spicy entrées fresh off the grill contribute to the atmosphere of Ramirez’s new restaurant, which opened May 2. Los Tres Amigos has been providing customers with its own genuine Mexican food since the first Los Tres Amigos opened in 2001 in Jackson. The new location was originally scheduled to open in March, but Ramirez pushed back the grand opening for construction purposes.
Most high school, elementary and junior high students don’t typically get the chance to design a house for Tiger Woods, but those involved with the Michigan Industrial and Technology Education Society, or MITES, convention got the once-in-a-lifetime chance with their projects. Students entered projects in fields including wrought metal, plastics, graphic arts, construction and woodworking.
Investigations are still underway for the East Lansing Police Department regarding last month’s Cedar Fest.
Matthew Macon, 28-year-old Lansing resident and suspected serial killer, was found guilty on five counts, including two counts of first-degree murder and one count of assault with intent to commit murder this afternoon at the Veterans Memorial Courthouse, 313 W. Kalamazoo St. in Lansing.
Although the Michigan Legislature signed a package of bills into law temporarily increasing tourism funding last Thursday, legislators are already thinking about making the boost more long-term.
While The State News will be on hiatus during the next couple weeks, the court system will not rest. Here is a look at the upcoming cases, as well as those that will take place in the next few months.