In his pursuit to become the state’s next governor, Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus on Monday unveiled a loan plan aimed at reducing the financial burden of paying for college. The program rewards students who obtain loans through the Michigan Higher Education Student Loan Authority by offering zero interest after 48 months of on-time payments.
Lansing - Same-sex partners of Lansing Community College employees are now eligible for health-care benefits after a heated trustee meeting Monday. The health-care benefits were only available to married couples before five of the seven members of the LCC Board of Trustees voted in favor of changing the policy to include same-sex partners. Eligibility requirements now fall into the hands of the college’s three health-care providers, who have all submitted tentative definitions of “domestic partnerships” that include duration of the relationship and combination of assets. The meeting began with a public comment period where individuals voiced their opposing views on the policy. “I’m opposed to the institution extending benefits to partners of homosexuals,” Alaiedon Township resident Trevor Wagenmaker told the group, adding that his reasons were both moral and financial.
As East Lansing falls back to standard time Saturday night, city fire officials remind residents to change smoke detector batteries while setting back clocks. Fire Marshal Bob Pratt said that since most fatal fires occur at night, keeping a fully functional smoke detector is of tremendous importance. “Upwards of 80 percent of fatal fires occur between midnight and 8 (a.m.),” he said.
Lansing - Melissa Barton snapped pictures of her students as they lined up to sign the School Safety Pledge.
The presence of sofas, loungers, and other furniture on the lawns of East Lansing will be addressed at the East Lansing City Council work session tonight.Council members will look at an ordinance that prohibits the placement of inside furniture outdoors when not in use.But some students don’t understand the law’s relevance.
Tonight’s Lansing City Council meeting will address a resolution from the Ingham County Board of Commissioners to adopt the Lansing Regional SmartZone Plan, zoning issues and park development strategies. The board sent a resolution to the council to consider the creation of a local finance authority called the Lansing Regional SmartZone.
Lansing - Brad Fast and two children bundled in coats, hats and gloves slowly pulled a long wooden spoon through a charred kettle of boiling brown butter on Sunday afternoon. The trio revolved around the copper pot, avoiding the white apple-scented smoke emerging from the fire. “That’s it, now stir around the edges,” Fast, a general management senior and defenseman on the MSU hockey team, said to his boiling buddies.
The Lansing Community College Board of Trustees is expecting to approve domestic-partner benefits for its faculty and staff members today. The benefit package for couples in same-sex relationships is included in contracts set to be voted on for all LCC bargaining units. Current LCC provisions entitle the spouse of a full-time employee to apply for benefits from three different carriers that offer health, dental and vision care.
After passing out hundreds of fliers and organizing a protest, the Wang family says they have finally gotten the attention of their landlord. On Saturday, the owners of Blue Note Coffee Café, 623 E.
In the battle to become Michigan’s attorney general, voters will choose between two young but experienced contenders. Mike Cox, who is running on the Republican ticket, has 13 years of experience as a prosecuting attorney. State Sen.
The Meridian Township Planning Commission voted Monday to recommend the denial of the Eyde Company’s request to rezone 110 acres of township land. East Lansing-based Eyde requested to rezone a parcel of land between Cornell and Powell roads to become single-family subdivisions of varying densities. The planning commission turned down the request citing a traffic increase on Powell Road and environmental concerns. “Planning law in Michigan requires the commission to take a big-picture approach to determining the best land use for a specific parcel for the long term,” Mark Kieselbach, Meridian Township director of community planning and development, said in a statement. Eyde already has been approved to develop the land as rural residential, but was seeking approval to rezone the property to allow for more homes. The land slated for development - known as the Georgetown housing development - will face further scrutiny by the Meridian Township Planning Commission when the commission meets Dec.
Gov. John Engler will join the long list of John A. Hannah Outstanding Alumni Award winners when he is honored during halftime at Saturday’s Homecoming football game. The award recognizes devotion and loyalty to the advancement and development of MSU and is named after former MSU President John A.
It’s not your father’s library anymore.This week, the East Lansing Public Library played host to “Teen Read Week”, aimed at middle- and high-school teens in the Lansing area.
Lansing activist group Direct Action plans to hold a protest in support of locally owned Blue Note Coffee Cafe and against “multinational corporate chains” at 10 a.m.
Sometimes more isn’t always better. At least that’s the stance of state Senate hopeful Virg Bernero.Bernero, who represents the 68th District in the state House, trails his competitor, Rep.
Besides the fact that Mike Cox went to the University of Michigan, he does have some things going for him, his wife says. “Obviously, he’s really smart,” MSU alumnus Laura Cox said about her husband, who is running as the Republican candidate for attorney general.
Some city officials say they aren’t alarmed by the unusual amount of for-rent signs posted in yards of East Lansing rental properties around town. The fact that thousands of students are opting to migrate to the Northern Tier might be one reason that rental signs aren’t going away, said Howard Asch, East Lansing’s director of code enforcement and neighborhood conservation. But, he said, most landlords maintain that they are doing OK as competition stiffens. “There has been speculation that the competition from the new apartment complexes may actually cause an improvement in the quality of living downtown,” he said, adding that some property owners have been doing more than what is required to improve their rental properties.
A car-free Grand River Avenue, neighborhood unity and more housing by the year 2025 are in the mix for the future of East Lansing, residents and MSU students say.
Lansing - Newly christened Nobel Prize winner Jimmy Carter was the topic of conversation last week when Millard Fuller, the founder and president of Habitat for Humanity International visited town.Fuller spoke to a crowd of nearly 600 Habitat for Humanity volunteers, staff members, friends and supporters last weekend, focusing on former President Carter and the honor that was announced Friday morning in Oslo, Norway.The event took place at Trinity Church-United Methodist, 7533 W.
Lansing - Tuesday night’s cold fall breeze caused candle lights to flicker as women huddled together pressing their warm sweaters closer to their bodies.Wooden silhouette cut-outs of victims of domestic violence stood hauntingly in front of the gently rippled Grand River as more than 50 people, mostly women, attended the Candlelight Vigil at Potter Park on Tuesday in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.