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Michigan ballot issues forum in East Lansing
A nonpartisan community forum to discuss the six statewide ballot proposals for the Nov. 7 general election will be held at 7 p.m.
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E.L. creates 'technology incubator'
East Lansing isn't just a Cool City — now it's a smart one, too. In a joint meeting between business, city and university officials Thursday, the city received its first designation as a SmartZone from the state. A SmartZone is an area in a city meant to house businesses with a focus on technology, East Lansing City Manager Ted Staton said. "One of the obvious reasons to create (a SmartZone) is to have jobs for our residents, but more importantly, to create jobs for the people graduating from Michigan State," he said.
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Online banking usage rises
Piles of bank receipts aren't stacked in Brittany Fila's apartment. Instead of holding on to them and waiting for the end-of-the-month statement, the social work senior turns to online banking to keep track of her finances.
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Customers fuel up as prices drop at gas station pumps
Some mid-Michigan businesses and consumers can momentarily breath a sigh of relief as gas prices stay below $2.50 per gallon for the first time in six months. But even as Michigan gas prices dropped to the lowest point in the last five weeks — at about $2.45 per gallon — some companies still struggle with fuel costs. With one moving truck en route to Colorado on Saturday, Lansing-based Top Flight Moving & Storage racked up a $1,200 fuel bill. "There isn't a lot you can do; you have to fuel up your trucks," said manager Cory Williams. Each month, the moving company spends between $1,500 to $4,000 to fuel three trucks — a figure that is up from $900 a month five years ago, Williams said. "The cost rolls back to the customer," he said.
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Entrepreneurial endeavor
Life isn't easy when you're one of the youngest on the block. For some East Lansing business owners, it's a daunting challenge to raise capital and endure the hard times of a fledgling business. Just ask Scott Reschke. Three years ago, then-27-year-old Reschke jumped into the business world when he opened Fast Repair and Game Center, 543 E.
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Confrontation leads to assault by shoe
A high-heeled shoe, a wayward stare and a suspect-turned-victim were involved in two separate assaults occurring Friday night outside Demonstration Hall, MSU police said. At about 9 p.m.
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Association offers low-cost law courses
Call Lansing home to the $20 law degree. Or some derivative of it. For about 0.0006 percent of what a person would pay for a law degree at a typical university, People's Law School offers a $20 eight-week course on law topics. There's no law degree, but it offers students a cursory study of topics, ranging from real estate to criminal law. "Law school is a pretty serious commitment," said Jesse Green, communications director for the Michigan Trial Lawyers Association, which runs the school.
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Proposed policy could devalue student housing
Developing student housing in the downtown area isn't a top priority for East Lansing officials. The City Council will discuss a policy that would give preferential treatment to housing projects targeted at permanent residents and young professionals at its 7 p.m.
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Commemorating 9/11
Lansing — Beyond the blare of bagpipes and men bearing American flags, four rows of fire and police officials marched in the streets of Lansing — a sign of solidarity for their 343 "brothers" who died trying to save people after the Sept.
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TV station recognized for 4th consecutive year
Meridian Township's HOM-TV Channel 21 won four national honors for programming from The National Association of Telecommunication Officers and Advisors in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
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E.L. environmental journal to be distributed
East Lansing residents will soon have a way to keep tabs on what's been done in the city to help the environment. The Curbside Journal, a publication to be distributed for free to residents later this week, highlights environmental events and provides information on special events and city services. The latest event is the book and media recycling collection scheduled for Sept.
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Hubbard Hall case faces 3rd delay
Preliminary court proceedings for two men charged in connection with an alleged Feb. 23 assault at Hubbard Hall were postponed again Friday. The prosecution rested its case against 17-year-old Joel Hamlar, and representatives from both sides argued his case be bound to Ingham County Circuit Court. It is unclear when the judge, Richard Ball, will decide if Hamlar's case moves to circuit court. On Friday, the preliminary examination for Albert Robinson, 19, was rescheduled for Oct.
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Gubernatorial campaign costs top $25M
Total spending for the gubernatorial race is approximately $25.9 million and growing as Michigan's Nov.
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Capturing the culture
Lansing — Known for its mitten shape, freshwater lakes and two battling Big Ten universities, photojournalist Colin Finlay believes one of Michigan's most defining features is its status as the nation's automotive capital. Focusing the photo shoot on the local auto industry, Finlay, a renowned photographer, led a group of Lansing Community College photography students through a General Motors Corp.
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Organic restaurant offers healthy fare
Down the street from the bars, a bright orange sign appeared, signaling the arrival of a new business selling organic and locally grown food to downtown East Lansing. Green River Café opened three weeks ago at 211 M.A.C.
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Students to research excessive gaming
Correction: Ben Medler should have been quoted as saying "digital immigrants." Correction: All quotes attributed to Brian Magerko should be attributed to Ethan Watrall. With online gaming increasing in popularity, MSU researchers are trying to determine if excessive gaming is an actual addiction. A group of MSU students have opted to do research on addictive gaming.
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Family-owned photo studio opens in E.L.
Click. Click. Click. Mark Fedewa had a reputation as "the photographer" in high school, when he snapped pictures of pretty girls for his friends or athletes for the yearbook. "I had my camera around my neck most of the time," Fedewa, 42, said about his youth in Lansing.
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Police: Alcohol-related offenders not just MSU students
Despite an increase in overall Welcome Week arrests this year, MSU police are concerned that the number of alcohol-related offenses involving non-MSU students on campus matched those of MSU students.
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Police officers honored for taking course
The East Lansing Police Department on Friday hosted a ceremony for 35 local officers, including three East Lansing police officers, who graduated from Northwestern University's Center for Public Safety's Staff and Command School.
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Religious, scientists debate stem cells
Researchers last week announced a new method that could extract stem cells without harming the embryo — but many aren't convinced the controversy surrounding the practice will end. Advanced Cell Technology, which researches human embryonic stem cells for regenerative medicine purposes, announced the procedure that parallels an in vitro fertilization procedure that removes and tests a cell for genetic abnormalities. In the study, the embryos were intentionally deconstructed by scientists, but they are expected to survive in actual practice, reported Nature, a weekly international science journal. Pediatrics and human development professor Chia-Cheng Chang said in an e-mail Monday the effects of the procedure when used for stem cell research purposes needs to be thoroughly tested. He said using embryonic stem cells for clinical medicine could still produce adverse effects, such as tumors. "It is possible that the manipulation of the embryo may affect the embryo's normal development," Chang said.