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Parking, East Village debated at meeting
The East Lansing City Council will hold a meeting at 7:30 p.m. tonight in Courtroom two of 54-B District Court, 101 Linden St.
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Committee to lobby state for university funds
MSU students with depleting bank accounts due to tuition now have more support in preventing a tuition increase or even lowering it. The Green & White Political Action Committee is an independent committee not affiliated with the university. The committee will give the money they raise to state policy makers who support MSU, in hopes of persuading them to provide more state funding for the university, said Gary Naeyaert, an organizer of the Green & White PAC. The committee also provides necessary information on its issues or goals to state legislators to show them how state funding benefits students, Naeyaert said. If the group is successful in making its voice heard at the Capitol, it would be beneficial to students. "We hope it means an end to double-digit tuition increases that'll hit every student in their pocketbook," Naeyaert said.
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Storm causes blackout in Lansing area
High winds and rain bombarded the greater Lansing area Sunday night, creating power outages for many residents and local businesses. At least 11,500 local customers lost power, said Consumers Energy spokesman Tim Petrosky. About 187,000 homes and businesses throughout the state experienced Sunday-night blackouts. The outages resulted from "violent weather moving through the Michigan area," which caused high winds and tree branches getting tangled in power lines, he said. Electrical engineering senior Craig Tucker said his condominium on M.A.C.
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New traffic light to help with E.L. study
Some student and city pedestrians might have noticed a ticking countdown when crossing one East Lansing intersection. The Michigan Department of Transportation, or MDOT, along with MSU's Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering is conducting a survey to see how well pedestrians respond to a traffic light that visibly counts down seconds until the light turns red. The new light, called a Countdown Pedestrian Signal, has been placed at the intersection of M.A.C.
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St. Johns man rides cross-country for diabetes
To Willie Taylor, everyone has a selfless ability waiting to be revealed, and at age 44, he said he has discovered his own. Taylor will use his endurance biking ability when he embarks on a two-month ride from St.
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High school students compete for employment
This summer, some high school students will be finding jobs for the first time. And for students in the East Lansing area, finding employment often means competition with college students. "While (college students) are out getting jobs, we're still in school," said Katie Snider, a 17-year-old East Lansing High School student, who has spent the past two weeks looking for her first summer job. Although the job hunt can be difficult for some, other students say they've had success with retail jobs, which hire at age 16. "I put in my application, and I was called within a day," said Ashley Kelley, a 16-year-old East Lansing High School student who works at Weathervane in the Meridian Mall.
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Area group to canoe during next meeting
The Red Cedar Chapter of Wild Ones will host a canoeing trip along the Grand River for its June meeting on Saturday.
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Music producer balances studio with family life
Gregory Pelloski was a full-time MSU student in his mid-20s, married and starting a family, when he decided he had to prioritize and provide a substantial life for his family. Pelloski is now the owner of Mark of the Beast Productions, 945 Pierce Road in Lansing, a music studio that records for upcoming area musicians. MOTB Productions gave Pelloski, who goes by the hip-hop moniker "The Beast," the opportunity to take care of his family, but there was a trade-off. He knew his education was as important as his family, but Pelloski did not want to give up what he loved - making music.
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U.S. flags lowered for fallen soldiers
Gov. Jennifer Granholm ordered that all U.S. flags in Michigan be lowered to half-staff Tuesday to honor Army Sgt.
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High gas prices encourage alternatives to cars
As gasoline prices continue to rise, some East Lansing residents have turned to biking instead of driving. East Lansing resident Herb LaCross rode his bike to his job at Sparrow Hospital for the first time Friday, and he plans on continuing to bike to work as long as he can. "I just don't want to spend any more money on transportation," the 58-year-old said. LaCross has always ridden his bike for fun - he rides seven to 10 miles a night with his wife Sally - but he got the idea to ride to work during the national Bike-to-Work Week, which was May 16 to May 20. Although saving money on gas was one of the main reasons LaCross is starting to bike to work, there are many reasons biking is better, he said. "When you're riding a bike, you can see everything around you," he said.
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Volunteer officers join local police
Gary Rutherford fulfills his childhood dream each time he mounts a motorcycle and helps to police area communities as a volunteer officer in the Ingham County Sheriff's Department. "When I was a little boy, I thought the most impressive thing in the world was to be a motor officer," he said. Rutherford and Kurt Bagner were sworn in as part of the sheriff's department on May 25 and are the first volunteer motorcycle officers to join the county's police force. Both men carry guns and have the power to arrest individuals, despite their volunteer status. "As you get older, you start to appreciate the things around you, and at some point in your life, you want to give back," Rutherford said.
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Local center to hold cleanup for residents
East Lansing residents will have the opportunity to participate in the city's Project Pride - a program geared at helping to clean up area yards and homes.
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Tour your own town, visit little-known sites
Lansing - Summer doesn't officially arrive for another three weeks, but the sun isn't waiting.
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E.L. sees decline in summer revenue
Several businesses along Grand River Avenue, from clothing shops to restaurants, say they have noticed deep declines in sales compared to last year, and the economy isn't to blame. Some store managers said area businesses are too dependent on students, which causes a dramatic shift in profits when students leave in the spring. "Our biggest customers are students," said Dustin Bosscher, manager of Moosejaw Mountaineering, 555 E.
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Two five-week classes to teach ice skating
East Lansing will host two five-week summer classes to teach area residents how to ice skate. The Learn to Skate Program will operate from June 13 through July 16 and July 18 through August 20 at Suburban Ice, 2810 Hannah Blvd.
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Family Aquatic Center offers families cool fun
East Lansing residents who want to chill out on warm days can do so at the Family Aquatic Center starting Friday, despite rumors of its closing. The summer water park, located at 6400 Abbott Road, offers various water slides, such as the drop, tube and youth frog slides.
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Sparrow Hospital employs robot docs
Lansing - Michigan residents have grown used to robots performing simple tasks on automobile assembly lines.
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Advocates rally for mental health at Capitol
Lansing - The "Walk a Mile in My Shoes" rally was held Thursday at the Capitol to show legislators and the public issues of funding for mental-health programs and stigmas against the mentally ill in Michigan. A crowd of mental-health advocates and people with mental disabilities gathered on the front lawn and steps of the Capitol chanting "walk a mile in my shoes." The event featured representatives from all 83 counties speaking about the state of mental-health programs in their respective county.
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John Paul II on way to sainthood
Former Pope John Paul II could soon be a saint since Pope Benedict XVI began the process leading to sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church for his predecessor. The pope's choice to beatify, or make "blessed," John Paul II, who died April 2, waives the standard five-year period before the process begins.
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Michigan homemade
Lansing- The first quilt Linda Plyler made was for her sister's doll when she was 9. Now more than 40 years later, Plyler is the proud creator of a quilt depicting every city in Michigan with a ZIP code starting with "488." Each of the 80 cities has a square with a photograph, drawing or design . The quilt was on display at the Michigan Historical Center on Friday. "All the photographs I took myself with the exception of Lake Odessa and Cedar Village," said Plyler, who is a Mason resident. East Lansing's square has a picture of Beaumont Tower. Plyler, who is the postmaster in Shaftsburg, Mich.