Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land recently modified the amount of information on disability-parking placards in order to protect motorists from identity theft. The placards, which formerly displayed the complete driver's license number of the driver, will now include only the first letter and the last three digits of the number.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm is proposing a plan that would seek to certify all state forest land by the Department of Natural Resources. Certification could ensure that forest land is managed, preserve habitats and protect water quality. According to Matt Johnson, director of Granholm's northern Michigan office, the forest certification would aid in retaining Michigan jobs in the timber industry because many wood and paper consumers now are demanding that wood producers be certified. "The governor wants to send a clear message to wood-product consumers that the products they purchase are produced in an environmentally friendly and sustainable process," Johnson said in a statement. Granholm said her proposal would make Michigan a leader in forest-certification practices. "Through the certification efforts I am asking the DNR to undertake, Michigan would have the largest amount of certified forest land in the nation by the end of 2005," she said in a statement. Michigan currently owns about 4 million acres of forest land.
In recent months, Judy Murphy has noticed a surprising trend spreading to several of her female friends and acquaintances. "I know a lot of girls into digital cameras," the biochemistry sophomore said.
Gretchen Morr wears a pedometer around campus so she can monitor her daily steps. In an average day, she takes about 12,000 of them. "I wear it on top of my pants; it's black and it just blends in - it looks like a pager," she said. The interdisciplinary studies in social science senior works part-time for state Sen.
Recently introduced legislation would modify the Michigan vehicle code to require children between 40 and 80 pounds and no taller that 4 feet 9 inches to use booster seats when traveling in a vehicle. The bills, introduced by state Sens.
After listening to nearly two and a half hours of testimony from the developers and the public, the East Lansing Planning Commission voted 4-1 against approving a recommendation to rezone a local abandoned property. The commission also voted 3-2 to approve a recommendation to grant Strathmore Development Company a special-use permit to redevelop the property as general office space. The recommendations are given to the city council, who will officially vote on the future of the property, located at 1427 W.
From her house's rear window, Alice Schehr's view is dominated by the hulking shell of the former Albert Pic Motel. The structure, which was converted to office use in 1983, closed its doors in 2000 and has sat vacant ever since. But Schehr said her problem isn't with the two-story eyesore, it's with the development proposed to replace it. Strathmore Development Company is petitioning the East Lansing Planning Commission to rezone the area to include retail sales.
While some HIV/AIDS awareness groups are working to educate people by targeting Lansing's black population, other organizations are debating whether the HIV/AIDS awareness issue should be a matter of race.
Cold weather and tougher penalties are the cause for a quiet city, East Lansing officials say, but all are expecting noise to increase again with the onset of warmer temperatures. But more than six months following the passage of amendments to East Lansing's noise ordinance, officials and students remain conflicted on the subject.
A final report has been sent out regarding the competency of murder suspect Bramlett Hamilton and results should be released today. Hamilton, 35, is accused of the November murder of his mother, MSU Professor Ruth Simms Hamilton.
LaKyria Snorden was hypnotized by the slow whirring of swishing water, bubbling soap suds and spinning clothes.
Women looking to work out but want to drop the musclehead males at the gym are finding a home at Curves for Women.
When Payel Gupta was a little girl, she prayed with local members of the Hindu community in their houses. There was no temple in the Lansing area until 1992, so Gupta's friends and family would gather together in local homes to worship. Now, when she attends the Bharatiya Temple of Lansing in Haslett, it is a symbol to her of how far they've come.
Inside the boxing ring, 15-year-old Victor Limas throwing punches as if he has the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Fred Trost stood in the men's room of his outdoor museum, wondering if he should make the life-size plastic bear at the far urinal anatomically correct.
Some state lawmakers say they are ready to take action on the amount of out-of-state and Canadian trash being dumped in Michigan landfills.
Dave Milligan said he couldn't imagine his restaurant without some beer on the menu. For the Crunchy's owner, a liquor license is just as integral to business as his burger-yielding kitchen. "Liquor makes up almost half of our revenue," Milligan said. Milligan owns one of the 31 liquor licenses distributed to East Lansing by the Michigan Liquor Control Commission.
The East Lansing City Council plans to discuss a resolution submitted by concerned residents condemning the USA Patriot Act as an infringement of their civil rights. Residents opposing the Patriot Act are expected to address the council during the public comment portion of today's 7 p.m.
Mark Brewer has the answer to the question many people have on their minds, "I voted, now what?" Brewer, the chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party, said now that the more than 160,000 votes from Saturday's Democratic caucus have been tallied, state political leaders will prepare for the National Democratic Convention.
A second candidate has been added to the race for Ingham County Sheriff. Lansing police Detective James Gill announced he will make his second attempt to win the election, facing Sheriff Gene Wriggelsworth. Gill's decision comes nearly three weeks after Wriggelsworth announced that he was seeking a fifth term.