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News | Michigan

MICHIGAN

Greeks asked to help with drug-law reform

Jennifer Toland
September 23, 2005

The Marijuana Policy Project Foundation, a group formed to fight marijuana laws, has asked more than 2,300 fraternities and sororities around the country to contribute money this week. The national organization is focused on reforming marijuana laws, said Bruce Mirken, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project. The group aimed its solicitation to fraternities and sororities because the effects of marijuana laws fall disproportionately on the college-age group and believes that marijuana should be taxed and regulated, similar to alcohol, he said. "If you are arrested for having a joint, you could lose your student aid," Mirken said. Members of the MSU greek system would not consider the cause if contacted by the foundation, said Cody Dawson, the vice president of external relations for the Interfraternity Council. Choosing to smoke marijuana is an individual choice and individual opinion, and not something the greek community as a whole would choose to represent in any way, Dawson said.

MICHIGAN

Lansing area to gain 2 Macy's

Eleanor Long shops once-a-week at Marshall Field's in Meridian Mall. The East Lansing resident considers herself a good patron, but even so, she's not lamenting the news that 62 Midwest Marshall Field's stores will be replaced by Macy's next fall. Instead, Long said she'll welcome the new retailer, long synonymous with New York City shopping and its Thanksgiving Day parade. Federated Department Stores Inc. announced Tuesday it will convert Marshall Field's stores into Macy's to build the retailer into a national brand. Federated plans to extend Macy's to about 850 stores nationally, including locations at Meridian Mall and Lansing Mall, spokesman Jim Sluzewski said. "Stores like J.C.

MICHIGAN

Study: Oral sex on rise for teens

Jennifer Toland
September 22, 2005

Almost 70 percent of teenagers have had oral sex by the time they are 17, according to a study released by the National Center for Health Statistics last week. The study, which is the first to look at sexual behaviors of both men and women to be released by the federal government, found 68 percent of both men and women ages 15 to 17 have had oral sex.

MICHIGAN

Officials seek student input in after-game party spot decision

Margaret Harding
September 22, 2005

Students are expected to play a major role in determining if an organized spot for students to celebrate after a major sporting event is established, MSU and city officials said. Members of the independent commission investigating the April 2-3 disturbances have discussed creating a specified party place on Bogue Street as one of their recommendations for its draft report, commission member Joe Tuchinsky said. "The likelihood is that there would be music provided, the street would be closed to traffic and it would be a place where people could let off steam, display their excitement, and scream and dance and yell," Tuchinsky said. East Lansing police Chief Tom Wibert said the feasibility of the event hinges on students' response. "It depends on if it's attractive enough to students that they show up," Wibert said.

MICHIGAN

Outdoor Circus brings sense of nostalgia to Lansing

Before Tetyana Synovyat launched herself 100 feet into the air at the Cole Bros. Circus on Tuesday, she stiffened her muscles and pressed her legs flat against the cannon's floor. The petite projectile's legs were locked, arms were tight and mind was focused. After a deafening boom from the human cannonball launcher, she detangled herself from the safety net and was again backstage, prepping for a motorcycle tightrope stunt later in the show. "You feel like you fly," the 9-year Cole Bros.

MICHIGAN

West Nile virus still problematic as public concern dwindles

Jennifer Toland
September 21, 2005

Researchers say not as many people are paying attention to the West Nile virus, despite findings that it caused two recent Michigan deaths. "There's less enthusiasm compared to the last few years," said Jon Patterson, veterinary pathologist at the Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health at MSU. "People realize West Nile virus is here and we have to live with it," Patterson said.

MICHIGAN

Mayoral candidates suit up for election

Kris Turner
September 21, 2005

The ballots have been ordered and the city of Lansing is preparing for another election season. City Clerk Debbie Miner said the city is ready to handle the voter turnout, even if it is greater than the city has projected. "It is going to work out very well," Miner said.

MICHIGAN

Traffic system aims to accelerate rescues

Kris Turner
September 20, 2005

With the push of a button, Lansing-area emergency vehicles can clear traffic by switching a stoplight from red to green. The Lansing Regional Emergency Vehicle Pre-emption System Project, which will be finished next year, works by sending a signal from a strobe light mounted on an emergency vehicle to a sensor placed on a traffic light.

MICHIGAN

Local speaks about gender on 'Oprah'

Kris Turner
September 20, 2005

A Lansing woman who has run for several political offices was featured on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" last week because of her gender experiences. Melissa Sue Robinson, who is transgender and was born male, said she was asked to take part in a special segment on identical twins who have sex changes by a producer of the show. "Somehow they found out about me," she said.

MICHIGAN

Motorcycle memorial

Muskegon resident Dave Johnson looks on during a memorial speech for veterans of all wars classified as missing in action or prisoners of war at the seventh annual Michigan Remembers Run on Saturday. Johnson, a veteran of the U.S.

MICHIGAN

Judge strikes down abortion ban

Jennifer Toland
September 19, 2005

Members of a pro-life group, MSU Students for Life, will work to voice protest to an abortion ban that was struck down last week in Michigan. "We are trying to educate our members so they can have more knowledgeable discussions with people who may not know that much about it," said Ken Curell, the president of Students for Life and international relations junior. The Legal Birth Definition Act, passed by the Michigan Legislature in June 2004, was declared unconstitutional by U.S.

MICHIGAN

Update: E.L. firefighters help with relief

As East Lansing Fire Marshal Bob Pratt drove on Sunday down a residential street in Bogalusa, La., a city that Hurricane Katrina devastated with high winds, he tallied the damaged houses. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight; eight out of 10 houses on a random block have tarps on roofs," Pratt said on his cell phone, as he sat by his partner, East Lansing Firefighter-Paramedic Dawn Carson.

MICHIGAN

Pedaling police to monitor crowds

Margaret Harding
September 16, 2005

As MSU police see it - two wheels are better than four. And they're putting that policy into practice during home football games for the first time this year during home football games with the MSU bike police on patrol "They're able to get into places our vehicles can't," MSU police Sgt.

MICHIGAN

Local bars scrutinize out-of-state IDs

Margaret Harding
September 16, 2005

Local bars are on the look-out for out-of-state IDs, especially after receiving information listing the number of MSU students that are actually from outside of Michigan. The Responsible Hospitality Council has created a list of the top ten out-of-state pieces of identification bar employees have noticed and passed it around to all the council's members. "We want to make all the establishments aware that if you see an out-of-state ID, there's a good chance it's fake," said Joe Goodsir, president of Rick's American Cafe, 224 Abbott Road, and director of the executive committee on the council. Goodsir said that there are 1,094 MSU students from other states that could be 21, and he said he also knows the breakdown of how many students are from each state. "If you're working and you see eight IDs from Arizona, there's only seven that are possibly from MSU," Goodsir said.