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News | Michigan

MICHIGAN

Businesses feel the loss

It's not just the MSU men's basketball team or the student body that felt like Friday's first-round loss to tournament Cinderella George Mason was a letdown. Local East Lansing stores planning for big MSU merchandise sales and restaurants expecting huge turnouts for Spartan tournament games in the later rounds are feeling the effects of the Spartans' second first-round exit in the last three years. "We're not even doing 5 to 10 percent of what we did last year," said Stacey Renfrow, assistant buyer of Spartan Bookstore, located in the International Center.

MICHIGAN

2 Lansing residents charged with child abuse, murder

Melissa Domsic
March 23, 2006

A Lansing man and woman were arrested Wednesday morning for the abuse and murder of the woman's 2-year-old child, Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III said. Cynthia Daniel, 30, and Samuel Courtland, 31, are in jail with no bond on counts of child abuse and open murder. Daniel's 2-year-old son, Jalyn Daniel, died last May from pneumonia. "This kid was tortured," Dunnings said.

MICHIGAN

Bill could lift Mich. Single Business Tax

Ken Osborne
March 23, 2006

Michigan's Single Business Tax would be repealed in December 2007 if a bill passed by the Senate on Wednesday becomes law. The Senate voted almost entirely along party lines in passing the bill, which was approved in the House last week. The Single Business Tax, or SBT, was scheduled to expire in 2009. The bill also stipulates the revenue lost by repealing the SBT will not be replaced by raising taxes or rates on the state income tax, the sales tax, use tax or property tax. Gov.

MICHIGAN

E.L. amends law for Breathalyzers

Nicholas Richer
March 23, 2006

A revision to an East Lansing law will officially allow people to turn down a breath analysis test without being ticketed or fined — although the method had been practiced by East Lansing police for more than two years. The East Lansing City Council approved the amendment Tuesday evening after a brief public hearing. Although the revisions were just brought up at a February 28 City Council meeting, East Lansing police Chief Tom Wibert said voluntary consent for a breath analysis test — commonly known as a Breathalyzer — in this type of situation isn't new.

MICHIGAN

Levin meets with Iraqis, urges unity

Ken Osborne
March 22, 2006

U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., urged Iraqi leaders Tuesday to come together to form a unified national government and told them that the American people are "impatient." Levin, who has been traveling in the Middle East as part of a six-member congressional delegation, said in a conference call Tuesday that he met with Iraqi leaders, including Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, in Baghdad. Levin said his main message to Iraqi leaders came as a challenge. "The American people are very impatient," Levin said he told Iraqi leaders.

MICHIGAN

Home sweet Senate

Ken Osborne
March 22, 2006

Sen. Gretchen Whitmer, D-East Lansing, became the chamber's youngest member when she was sworn into her new position in Tuesday's Senate session. Whitmer defeated Vince Green in last week's special Senate election to fill the vacant 23rd District senate seat. Whitmer, 34, said she enjoyed the experience and felt welcomed by members from both parties. She went straight from the Senate session into her new committee meetings Tuesday. "There was no honeymoon today," Whitmer said. The committees Whitmer was assigned to were the Agriculture, Forestry and Tourism; Local, Urban and State Affairs; Judiciary Gaming and Casino Oversight; and the Health Policy committee, where she will serve as the Minority Vice Chair. Her major plans for this week are catching up on the bills and issues before her new committees, since she will be attending committee meetings during the week. "There will be a lot of reading bills and analyses," she said. Whitmer said she appreciated the welcome and offers of assistance made on the floor by Senate Majority Leader Ken Sikkema, R-Wyoming, and Senate Minority Leader Bob Emerson, D-Flint. "We welcome Gretchen to the Senate with open arms," Emerson said in a press release.

MICHIGAN

Tasting event shares fair trade trend

By Liz Kersjes For The State News Free gourmet coffee is hard to resist. Area Beaner's coffee shops, in association with MSU, are offering a free coffee tasting event known as a "cupping" with coffees from around the world this week. This event is designed to give students and area residents a hands-on learning experience about the new fair trade trend in the coffee industry, said Allison Campbell, an international relations sophomore who initiated the event. "The focus of this event is to raise awareness about the success of fair trade, and why it's successful worldwide," she said.

MICHIGAN

WEB EXTRA: Scholars discuss Danish cartoons with public

Debate has yet to cease about the 12 Danish cartoons that depicted the Muslim prophet Muhammad in a derogatory manner. Students, residents and media took their shoes off in the entrance of the Islamic Center of Greater Lansing on Saturday afternoon and took a seat to hear the perspectives of six scholars. The cartoons, which were published last month, have ignited protests and caused about 50 deaths throughout the world. Farhan Abdul Azeez, president of the Muslim Students' Association, said the tension of the cartoons will end only after people are educated about other faiths, adding that events like having the speakers at the center will help make the public more aware of that. "We need to turn this negative into a positive by educating people," Azeez said.

MICHIGAN

Canine fashions big hit in Lansing

Jacqueline Wayneguite
March 20, 2006

The spring runways all followed the same trends: pretty sundresses, formal gowns, sporty athletic gear and avant garde one-of-a-kind ensembles. But in Lansing's Old Town on Sunday, the models were a little more concerned with sniffing each other than primping in front of the mirror. Gone 2 the Dogs held its first fashion show in Creole Gallery, 1218 Turner St., featuring 15 pups.

MICHIGAN

Meat permitted during holiday

Elizabeth Swanson
March 17, 2006

Catholics can celebrate St. Patrick's Day with Irish stew and corned beef hash today without breaking the Lenten tradition of not eating meat on Fridays. Bishop Carl Mengeling, of the Diocese of Lansing, announced that Catholics could eat meat on St.

MICHIGAN

Election results declared official; Whitmer wins

Ken Osborne
March 16, 2006

Tuesday's election results — in which Rep. Gretchen Whitmer defeated Vince Green to win the 23rd District state Senate seat — became official Wednesday. The board of canvassers met Wednesday and approved the results, in which Whitmer received 80 percent of votes, said Ingham County Clerk Mike Bryanton. According to the county clerk's office, 17,981 ballots were cast across the county out of 184,621 registered voters, for a turnout of slightly less than 10 percent, about 3 percent higher than last month's primary. Turnout in East Lansing slightly exceeded the county's at about 10.1 percent. The city has 26,855 registered voters and 2,722 ballots were cast. On campus 153 ballots were cast — an improvement from the 35 cast in the primary.

MICHIGAN

Patch treats depression

Melanie Thomas
March 16, 2006

Patients now have more options to treat major depression after federal officials approved the first antidepressant skin patch. The Food and Drug Administration approved the once-a-day skin patch — expected to be available to consumers in April — that delivers Emsam, a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, through the skin and into the bloodstream at a constant rate. Greta DeWolf, National Alliance on Mental Illness of Michigan vice president, said the patch offers another option for patients who are resistant to other antidepressants.

MICHIGAN

Mayors adjust to new roles

Bob Darrow
March 15, 2006

Virg Bernero is the first to admit he's not one to mince words. Speaking to a group of public relations professionals in late February, he called Republicans "nonsensical" and then confessed that running a city has made him more Republican. He drew laughs apologizing for a clash he had with Lansing's City Council, blaming his temper on his Italian heritage. "Do I have a temper?