Lansing - Fifteen years ago Wednesday, 11 million gallons of slick, black crude oil coursed from the Exxon Valdez tanker's struck hull, bleeding into the waves of Alaska's Prince William Sound.
High school students might not have to take the Michigan Educational Assessment Program, or MEAP, tests anymore if some state lawmakers and members of the Education Alliance of Michigan get their way. Supporters of removing the MEAP are working to replace the test with the ACT Assessment, a common test taken by students seeking college admission.
The two men charged in connection with the shooting at an East Lansing convenience store last month appeared in 54-B District Court on Wednesday morning for a pretrial hearing. Detroit residents Eric Charles Gordy, 35, and 29-year-old Hatarie Deamont McCorkle, were charged on March 2 with the murder of Lansing resident Joseph Lavon Parker and attempted murder of George Edward Whitfield, also of Lansing. Parker and Whitfield were shot at about 2:30 a.m.
Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry will make two stops in Michigan on Friday. The politician will visit Wayne State University in Detroit at 12:30 p.m.
Police are investigating a possible connection between an early Saturday morning sexual assault in Meridian Township and an armed robbery on Monday near the Cedar Village apartment complex. Police said the descriptions of the male assailants is similar in both cases.
More than 60 East Lansing teachers soon will be receiving layoff slips, but school-district officials say it's more of a technicality than a threat to teaching jobs. The slips are a preemptive move the district is making in preparation of a $1 million expected deficit in the budget to be released in July. Kelley Peatross, the director of human resources and public development for East Lansing Public Schools, said teachers shouldn't worry. "I really don't anticipate any permanent layoffs," she said.
East Lansing falls into the ranks of municipalities being financially "crippled" by state tax systems, according to a report released Tuesday by the Michigan Municipal League. Under the state's General Property Tax Act, municipalities must roll back millage rates when property values go up in a city, thereby decreasing their yearly revenue. The league argues in its report that cities are being penalized for growing and succeeding. "All Michigan cities are on a conveyer belt to crisis," said Summer Minnick, a lobbyist with the Michigan Municipal League.
Author Chris Bohjalian will visit East Lansing at 7:30 p.m. Thursday when he appears for a reading at the Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbott Road. Bohjalian has written eight novels and is working on a collection of essays. His novel "Midwives" was a No.
In the past year, fewer Americans have dreamt of driving off into the sunset with the top of their convertible down, a recent survey by the leading provider of auto statistics showed. A national survey, conducted by Southfield-based R.L.
The Lansing Dietetic Association will sponsor a "Food & Fitness 5K" run and walk to raise money for area food banks Saturday. The event, which will take place at Hawk Island County Park in Lansing, also will include a children's run, face-painting, a clown and a milk-mustache photo booth.
As experts in different forms of science, two MSU professors will serve on the Michigan Environmental Science Board. College of Agriculture Professor Joan Bray Rose is as interested in Michigan's water as MSU-DCL College of Law and College of Natural Science Professor Nicholas Mercuro is interested in how Michigan's financial state affects the environment. Established in 1992, the board serves as an independent state agency, aiding in the governor's decisions about environmental and natural resources.
Two men charged with the murder and attempted murder of two Lansing men at an East Lansing convenience store are expected to appear in court this week. Detroit residents Eric Charles Gordy, 35, and 29-year-old Hatarie Deamont McCorkle were charged on March 2 with the murder of Joseph Lavon Parker, a 34-year-old Lansing resident, and attempted murder of 32-year-old George Whitfield, also of Lansing. Gordy and McCorkle now are scheduled to appear in a pretrial hearing at 1 p.m.
Like an empty keg, East Lansing's liquor licenses could be tapped out in the near future. India Palace, 136 W.
A host of bills aimed to limit distractions to Michigan drivers currently is before the state Legislature. Motorists who drive with an animal in their laps might face penalties if one bill in the Legislature becomes law. Another bill, before a state House committee, would make it illegal to breast-feed while operating a vehicle, and a third seeks to add points to a motorist's license if cell phone use is found to be the cause of an accident. Although each piece of legislation limits different activities, legislators say the underlying purpose is clear: to cut down on the amount of distracting activities people can perform while driving. "The only thing behind this bill is safety," said Arika Pearlman, an aide to Rep.
The Ann Arbor City Council passed a resolution on March 15 opposing the proposed state constitutional amendment to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
Jeffrey Friedlis, a man said to have made his family proud and taught his students to believe in themselves, was honored on Saturday in a memorial service. Friedlis, of Grand Ledge, 29, was found shot to death March 11 at the Institute of Traditional Asian Martial Arts, 130 W.
Michigan residents who have paid fines for failure to provide proof of insurance to police officers might soon have the opportunity to receive reimbursement. Legislation was passed Wednesday that would amend laws passed last year intended to punish people who drive without having car insurance. Under current laws, referred to as "bad driver" laws, drivers could pay fees reaching up to $435 over a two-year period in addition to $300 in assessments for failure to provide proof of insurance. The amendment would allow Michigan residents who can prove before the court that they had insurance at the time of citation to only pay a $25 administrative fee, which was charged before "bad driver" laws were put in place.
The City of East Lansing is asking for individuals or groups to participate in the second annual Vegetable Soup Variety Show. Last year's show included comedy, music and theater routines. Applications are due by April 9 and can be picked up at the Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbott Road, or found online at cityofeastlansing.com. The East Lansing Prime Time Seniors' Program and the Hot Spot Teen Club will host the event at 6 p.m.
Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III has announced his plans to run for re-election as the county's head lawyer. The position is a four-year term and pays about $100,000 a year.
At the front of teacher Dennis McCarthy's fifth-grade classroom, a group of students gathered excitedly around a table, eyes wide, whispering to each other. They weren't staring at the latest toy - they were touching real human and animal brains. As a part of Brain Awareness Week, sponsored by the Society for Neuroscience, MSU faculty and graduate students traveled this week to more than 10 local elementary, middle and high schools with hands-on presentations about the organ. McCarthy's class attends the Grand River Elementary Magnet School, 1107 E.