A couple of state bills would prohibit businesses from producing a chemical commonly used in upholstery, appliances and plastics. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are useful as a flame retardant.
State education officials disagree about the significance of Michigan Educational Assessment Program scores released from a group of charter schools. National Heritage Academies released an analysis of MEAPscores by the Hillsdale Policy Group showing students who attend an academy school for two or more years score higher than students entering an Academy school for the first year.The report said charter school students improved more than their public school counterparts in six of eight test categories and performed better than the state average for fifth and eighth grade writing and eighth grade science.“You’re seeing the evidence that charter schools, being a new public school, are getting dramatic results in education,” said Dan Quisenberry, president of Michigan Association of Public School Academies.But Margaret Trimer-Hartley, director of communications of the Michigan Education Association, disagrees.“There are many other indicators besides the MEAP,” she said.
Lansing - Jay Leno’s jokes were falling on silent ears the days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. “If you don’t laugh, the terrorists have won,” Leno jokingly said to the silent audience. This story was told by David Carter, professor of criminal justice and director of the National Center for Community Policing at MSU, on Tuesday during the Homeland Security Seminar. Carter, who put the seminar together, discussed the future of community policing and the importance of maintaining a working relationship with private individuals to fight crime and terrorism. “It’s important to get this message across to the community,” he said.
East Lansing police officers are taking youths to court - where the biggest offense is a double dribble.Basketball season began last week for the Police Athletic League, a program designed to help relations between youths and the East Lansing Police Department.The league was started in 1998 when Officer James Campbell grew tired of watching East Lansing children getting into trouble.“There were kids in the community that didn’t have anything constructive to do,” he said.
Budget cuts and a lack of donations might force Michigan Pride to cancel its annual lesbian and gay Pride March in Lansing. The event, slated for June 15, is designed to promote awareness and visibility of lesbian and gay culture.
Ann Arbor - Members of the University of Michigan’s Graduate Employees Organization led a one-day walkout on Monday that left some classes empty. About 500 graduate student instructors at the Ann Arbor campus picketed several locations to show the organization is working without a contract. U-M spokeswoman Julie Peterson said some classes had low turnout but weren’t canceled. “My suspicion is that some classes did not meet,” she said. Peterson said further negotiations were booked for today, but a tough budget year is limiting the school’s financial abilities. The graduate students have been negotiating with U-M administration since October.
Green and gold shamrocks are covering the walls of local businesses, schools and restaurants for the 19th annual Shamrocks Against Dystrophy program. For a $1 donation, students and customers can sign green paper shamrocks, and for a donation of $5 or more they sign gold shamrocks.
Donna Hawkins loves being a mom. In her Okemos home, Hawkins and her husband, John, care for foster children ranging from infants to teenagers.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources could receive a few changes this year. The Natural Resources Commission, which establishes general policies for the department, met last week to discuss its goals for the year. The commission agreed on five goals to update the department’s policies but DNR spokesman Brad Wurfel said the biggest change in the commission’s outlook is its involvement in the department’s operations. “Clearly they’re making a move to become more involved in the agency and in the legislature,” he said. Wurfel said while a strong relationship is the highlight of the commission’s goals, the group has progressed in that respect over the past five years. Director K.L.
A month into the state-run assessment program for special education students, called MI-Access, program officials and Lansing area teachers are divided about its effectiveness.The Lansing and East Lansing school districts began testing special education students last month as Michigan became the first state to meet federal requirements for the assessment of students with disabilities.
A pedestrian walking around downtown East Lansing could count almost as many coffee shops and cafes as traffic lights. And with Espresso Royale Caffe moving five doors down to 527 E.
While the anthrax vaccine has begun shipment from Lansing-based BioPort Corp., a National Academy of Sciences panel has asked the U.S.
Harlene Matilda is looking forward shopping at a new Meridian Township Wal-Mart. “The new Wal-Mart will save me time from having to drive to the Wal-Mart at (Interstate) 96 and Saginaw, so it would be more convenient for me,” the East Lansing resident said. But the groundbreaking for the store on a site on Marsh Road north of Central Park Drive, has been held up for more than a year. Since November 2000, Meridian Township had been in a legal battle with developer Eyde Co. and Wal-Mart.
Wintery weather during spring break brought power outages and a half-inch of snow to the Lansing area, after a mostly warm and pleasant week. The area saw only a half-inch of snow but an average wind speed of 24 mph with gusts up to 54 mph.
U.S. officials are hoping college students will not experience overly extended vacations this year.
Minors who legally drink in Canada can’t be charged as minors in possession of alcohol upon their return to the state, according to the Michigan Court of Appeals.The decision stems from a July 30, 2000, incident when a 19-year-old man was coming back from Canada as a passenger.
James Campbell was afraid to fly, but he took a deep breath and boarded a 10-hour flight to Ukraine.“I was scared to death,” the East Lansing police officer said.
Chuck Raad wants to make certain the reputation of his restaurant is just that - as a restaurant.“Our food speaks for itself,” he said.Planned expansion to Woody’s Oasis, 211 E.
The East Lansing Family Aquatic Center may have been one of summer’s biggest successes, or one of the season’s more mediocre events.
Sarah Schmidt began using Planned Parenthood at age 15. Now 22 and a social work senior at MSU, she testified Wednesday in front of the Senate Families, Mental Health and Human Services Committee that she doesn’t know where she would be today without the primary care program. A bill presented to the Senate committee would prioritize state family planning funding to go toward organizations that do not publicly advocate, perform or refer women to have abortions. Schmidt said she was uneasy about telling her mother she was sexually active and uncomfortable traveling to receive care.