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News | Michigan

MICHIGAN

Officials: Closure will not have long-term effects

Melissa Domsic
March 3, 2005

Although General Motors Corp. officials announced Tuesday the upcoming closure of its Lansing Car Assembly plant, city officials and union members say the negative impact will be short-lived. The plant, which produces the Pontiac Grand Am and the Chevrolet Malibu Classic, is set to close in May - about half a year earlier than was expected. A new plant in Delta Township will open sometime late this year or early next year, and Lansing Car Assembly employees are likely to fill positions there, said Glenn Kirk, Lansing's director of finance. "We were hoping to be able to phase out the closing of the Lansing Car Assembly operation and dovetail that into the opening and start of production for the Lansing Delta Township plant," he said. GM spokesman Stefan Weinmann said the company made the decision in response to the company's sales, which have dropped more than 12 percent from last year's numbers. "We had to make a business decision based on our current situation, the current order intake and market performance," Weinmann said. The plant employees are represented by United Auto Workers Local 602 and UAW Local 652. "Every single (employee) is covered by the GM UAW agreement; they provide a very comprehensive safety net," Weinmann said. UAW Local 602 will represent the Delta Township plant, so many members are expected to move there from the Lansing plant, he said. The UAW Local 652 covers employees at three other facilities in Delta Township and Lansing, where workers likely will move. All Local 652 members at the Lansing Car Assembly plant should be able to find new jobs at area plants and facilities, said Michael Belsito, chief financial officer for the UAW chapter. "We have a very good chance anybody who is employed today will be employed in 2006 with the new and coming work we believe will be in the Lansing area," Belsito said. In the meantime, employees will receive unemployment and supplemental unemployment benefits for as many as 48 weeks, Belsito said.

MICHIGAN

U.S. life expectancy reaches record high

Sarah Norris
March 2, 2005

According to the latest data from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, Americans are living longer than ever. Average life expectancy rose 0.3 years in 2003 to a record high of 77.6 years, according to the center. Women still live longer than men - an average of 80.1 years compared to 74.8 years - but the gap between the genders decreased for the 23rd consecutive year. The top 15 causes of death remained the same, except assault left the list and was replaced by Parkinson's disease.

MICHIGAN

Web site offers free credit report

Rebecca Mcnulty
March 2, 2005

Starting Tuesday, people can get a free credit report online, allowing them to see who has previously seen the reports and make sure all the information is accurate. Three major credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, charge about $9 for the reports but will now provide them once a year for free under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003. People can get a report from each company by going to www.annualcreditreport.com.

MICHIGAN

Word on the street: What are you doing for spring break?

"I'm going on an alternative spring break to D.C. We're working in a soup kitchen, helping out the homeless and taking a class on social responsibility." Andy Sciamanna advertising and international relations senior "I'm working on campus and back home, probably on the weekends.

MICHIGAN

Council to debate Burcham construction plans today

Kris Turner
March 1, 2005

Education senior Joseph Becker likes the idea of building new rentals - as a renter on the 700 block of Burcham Drive, he supports the development of new housing targeted at students in the area. If a plan to construct five new apartment buildings on his block is approved by the East Lansing City Council tonight, Becker's wish might become a reality. But before plans to redevelop the area can move forward, the home where Becker resides, along with another rental home and a parking lot, would have to be demolished to make room for the new structures. "Everyone has the choice to live in the dorms, but most students after their freshman or sophomore years don't want to do that," Becker said.

MICHIGAN

U.S. Supreme Court to hear arguments on commandments

Rebecca Mcnulty
March 1, 2005

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear two cases this week examining whether the Ten Command-ments should be allowed on government property. The issue of whether the commandments violate the principles of separation of church and state also is a divided issue in Michigan, where both sides of the argument said they hope the court rules in their favor.

MICHIGAN

E.L. house 'totaled' after fire

Sarah Frank
March 1, 2005

Four MSU students lost their home, at least temporarily, on Monday after a fire broke out in the third-floor crawl space of their Grove Street rental house. All the tenants left the house safely, although three were sleeping as the fire filled the top floor and broke through the roof.

MICHIGAN

Buffalo part of 'bold new design' on nickel

Emily Sorger
March 1, 2005

Bison soon will be showing up in wallets and cash registers across the country as the U.S. Mint's new American bison nickel, released Monday, makes its way into circulation. The coin is the first buffalo nickel released since 1938 and features a new obverse, otherwise known as "heads," design of former President Thomas Jefferson. "It's a bold new design of Jefferson," said Joyce Harris, deputy director of the U.S.

MICHIGAN

Exhibit chronicles immigrant history

By Corinne Devries Special for The State News Lansing - Okemos residents Allison Wheat, 14, and Tiffany Wheat, 12, stared wide-eyed at an aging, wooden trunk on Saturday afternoon at the Michigan Historical Museum. Nearby, their mother, Lori Wheat, watched and asked them to imagine they were immigrating to Michigan. "If you could only take one thing with you in this trunk, what would it be?" Lori Wheat said.

MICHIGAN

Study: Depo-Provera bone loss reversible

Although the makers of the contraceptive Depo-Provera were required in November to post additional health warnings about possible permanent bone density loss, a new study suggests those effects might be reversible. The U.S.

MICHIGAN

Conference addresses urban water planning

MSU ecologist Erin Dreelin has only lived in Michigan for a few months, but she said she's ready to make her mark in the state. She is part of a growing community of people who attended the Smart Growth for Clean Water Conference 2005 on Thursday at the Kellogg Center and are trying to change the ecology of cities, she said. "Coming from the ecological point of view, I've been seeing the effects of urbanization on streams and aquatic systems," Dreelin said.

MICHIGAN

E.L. officials, greeks discuss city policies

Tom Keller
February 25, 2005

Almost a hundred members from the greek, East Lansing and university communities brought together their ideas on the city's noise ordinance, redevelopment plans, tailgating and other topics at the "Building Bridges" dinner on Wednesday. The event, which takes place annually, was organized by the MSU Interfraternity and Panhellenic councils and held at the FarmHouse fraternity, 151 Bogue St. Attendees included the presidents of roughly 30 MSU fraternities and sororities, representatives from the East Lansing police and fire departments, city planning commission members and Mayor Mark Meadows. City officials spent some of the time clarifying possible misconceptions about various housing issues. Lynsey Little, a member of the East Lansing Planning Commission, said a lot of the backlash against new development projects, such as the Northern Tier, stems from miscommunication between students and the city. Located about three miles north of campus on Abbott Road, the Northern Tier properties include The Village at Chandler Crossing apartments and Capstone Commons apartments. "One of the biggest misunderstandings about the Northern Tier is that the city wanted students out there," Little said.

MICHIGAN

Lotto to update notification of award money

The Michigan Lottery plans to improve its system of notifying players of remaining prize money after media attention revealed people are purchasing tickets when the top prize is no longer available. Five of the 38 instant games in Michigan no longer had top prizes as of Wednesday but instant tickets advertising the already claimed prize were still being sold. Gary Peters, commissioner for the Michigan Lottery, said newsletters detailing the remaining prize money for instant tickets will now be sent to retailers weekly, instead of monthly. Lottery officials said the additional newsletters will improve timeliness of the information and reach people who do not have access to the Internet. Information on remaining prizes also is updated on the Internet, which gets 4 million hits a month, Peters said. "We're going to make it as easy as we possibly can for people to get that information," he said. But some feel the lottery should pull the tickets from the market once the top prize is claimed, because customers expect a chance at the big prize. Chris Perryman, a cashier at 7-Eleven, 210 Michigan Ave., said some people who purchase the tickets are happy winning $5, but most are hoping for the jackpot. "Once the grand prize is won, they should stop running the ticket," Perryman said.