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News | Michigan

MICHIGAN

MSU police monitor seat-belt use

Occasional safety belt users beware. MSU police will be looking to ticket unbuckled drivers on campus during select times throughout the next two weeks. Signs will label the locations at the corners of West Shaw Lane and Chestnut Road on April 20, and East Shaw Lane and Wilson Road on April 26. Six people were stopped and ticketed on Thursday, the first day of the three-day campaign. "It's not really to penalize people, the idea is for compliance," MSU police Sgt.

MICHIGAN

State unemployment rate falls 0.5 percent

Michigan's March unemployment rate fell to one of the lowest in about a year at 6.9 percent. The state rate was at 7.4 percent in February and 7.1 percent in January. A year ago in April, the jobless rate was 6.7 percent. But the state rate last month is still higher than the national unemployment rate of 5.2 percent and is one of the country's worst. Economists said the rate has fluctuated in Michigan between 6.7 and 7.5 percent throughout the past two years.

MICHIGAN

Students take over Capitol

Melissa Domsic
April 15, 2005

It was a seemingly normal Thursday afternoon at the Capitol - state representatives and senators argued about affirmative action and welfare. But these legislators and lobbyists were high school students. About 750 high school students from around the state spent four days acting as government officials and voting on bills in the YMCA's Michigan Youth in Government program. Eleventh grader Tyler Deerfield said he wasn't sure what a lobbyist was when he signed up for the event. But a day into the job in the mock government, he had successfully lobbied against a bill that would change the high school drop-out age from 16 to 18. "I've always had an interest in politics, and I thought I'd see how it was actually run," said Deerfield, of St.

MICHIGAN

Budget could hurt book collection

Kris Turner
April 14, 2005

The East Lansing Public Library could operate with 5,000 fewer books in the next fiscal year if the City Council approves a budget that slashes funding by $50,000. The funds necessary to purchase books are at risk to be cut by nearly one third, said Sylvia Marabate, director of the East Lansing Public Library, 950 Abbott Road, adding the institution normally purchases about 15,000 books a year. "We will work hard to meet our community's expectations, but it may mean some have to wait a little longer for the bestsellers," she said.

MICHIGAN

E.L. extends ban on fires

With unseasonably dry weather this spring, the East Lansing Fire Department is extending a ban on all fires in East Lansing indefinitely.

MICHIGAN

New E.L. cafe offers crepes

Melissa Domsic
April 13, 2005

Donning red berets and black aprons, servers prepare European delicacies in a small French-style cafe. Complete with international music, murals and an outdoor patio - students and residents can now find a little taste of France nestled between a pizzeria, ice cream parlor and dozens of other fast-food chains on Grand River Avenue. Ooh la la Crepes, 1133 E.

MICHIGAN

Marshall man to make appearance in court

Lauren Phillips
April 12, 2005

A 19-year-old Marshall man who is being charged with murder, stealing a motor vehicle and drunken driving will appear in court this week. Alexander Hamil is accused of stealing an MSU service vehicle from the Physical Plant parking lot at about 5:30 a.m.

MICHIGAN

Botanical club to host spring wildflower tour

The Michigan Botanical Club is sponsoring a spring wildflower walk at 10 a.m. Saturday in Scott Woods. The club will be meeting to tour the woods, located behind the Ingham Regional Medical Center Pennsylvania Campus, 2727 S.

MICHIGAN

Organ donation registry events spread information, awareness

Jennifer Toland
April 12, 2005

About five years ago, Darwin Esson couldn't walk without stopping for breaths. After a lifetime of smoking cigarettes, the 67-year-old Lansing resident was forced to live on a 3-liter oxygen canister 24 hours a day - until he got a new pair of lungs. "Before I couldn't barely walk without huffin' and puffin,' now I can do anything I want to, like I was 40 years old," Esson said.

MICHIGAN

Book characters visit area library

By Maggie Lillis Special for The State News Characters from popular literature were set free from the pages of books Saturday. The Capital Area District Library in Lansing kicked off National Library Week with "Characters Come Alive at Your Library," in which staff members dressed up as characters from popular books.