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Bill to up points for work-zone offenses
Drivers who break the law in construction zones may only be points away from a lost license. A bill introduced by Rep.
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Condition of Michigan roads, highways continues improving
Michigan’s Transportation Team released a report Monday detailing the status of Michigan’s roads and bridges. The report found roads had generally improved over the past 10 years, both in quality and safety. More people are using Michigan roads, but a $1.2 billion increase in state and federal funding over the past five years has prevented the roads from degrading, according to the report. Students can see such repairs this summer on Interstate 96 and Michigan Highway 43. The amount of motor vehicle fatalities has decreased since 1995 by 10 percent, according to the report. “They’re talking about the safety of Michigan’s roads
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Council uses e-mail to connect off campus
Students’ arguments and suggestions to the city won’t be heard - they’ll be read. East Lansing City Councilmember Beverly Baten and Jonathan Rosenthal, director of community affairs for ASMSU, have established an e-mail address to help develop better communication between the city and off-campus students. “Students need to realize the city council’s ears are open,” the business administration junior said. The program is designed for students to respond to the question, “As a student at MSU, what do you believe are quality of life issues for off-campus living in the city limits of East Lansing?” The address is active for students and will remain active until the end of March. The e-mails can range from concerns over a student’s rights as a tenant to how summer festivals could be better served if they were held on dates when students could attend. The survey is the first in a series planned to better develop communication between the two groups, Rosenthal said. “This is the time students need to step up,” he said.
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I-96 will feature hi-tech devices to deter speeders
MSU and transportation officials are trying to make construction zones safer for motorists and workers.Experimental sensors and electronic signs will display the safe speed limit on a five-mile stretch of Interstate 96’s construction zone south and west of Lansing.In addition, the Michigan Department of Transportation announced that it will use at least $350,000 to cover the overtime costs of police officers patrolling work areas across the state.MDOT employee Jeff Grossklaus said the sensors will be installed in April and will detect the volume and speed of traffic as well as indicating if the pavement is wet.
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Bill holds Michigan funeral homes accountable
State Rep. Jud Gilbert, R-Algonac, a licensed funeral director, wants to protect Michigan families from fraud and further grief with harsh penalties for failing to properly cremate or bury the deceased. This legislation was prompted when Georgia authorities discovered more than 130 bodies left to decay by a northwest Georgia crematory.
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Interfraternity event fund raises for blind
Sorority and fraternity members shed their winter coats for flip-flops, capri pants and bathing suits Saturday to raise money for the blind.Thirteen fraternities competed in the weeklong fund-raising activities Anchor Splash sponsored by the Delta Gamma sorority.Saturday’s events included swim races, synchronized swimming, a catwalk competition and an announcement of the winners.Sigma Pi’s Paul Charron, an electrical engineering freshman, won the anchorman competition and Pi Kappa Alpha won the overall fraternity competition.Dan Scappaticci, a construction management sophomore, was the anchorman for Tau Kappa Epsilon.“It’s been real fun,” he said.
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Survey predicts increase in employment during spring
Those who have spent the past months frantically searching for jobs may have some relief in sight.After several months of disappointing employment figures, some officials now say hiring could increase in the coming months.An employment outlook survey put together by Manpower Inc. found that almost 30 percent of employers in the state of Michigan are expecting to increase employment during April, May and June.The Lansing area, predicted to see a net increase of 13 percent, is expected to approximate the state average.“Usually what we’ve seen in the most recent past and the trends for Lansing and for Michigan is usually pretty close to the national trends,” said Elaine Sandbrook area manager for Manpower.The survey, conducted quarterly by Manpower, compiled data taken from 16,000 companies nationwide.Estimates for the first quarter of the year, released in November, predicted no change in employment with just as many employers predicting an increase in employment as those predicting a decrease.“The last one we had was pretty bleak,” Sandbrook said.
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Clarinet student memorialized through song
A man who knew very little about a young girl who was stabbed to death in 1998 managed to write a piece of music that will be connected to her life.East Lansing resident John Moss was commissioned to write a song dedicated to the 14-year-old clarinet player, Stacy Davis, who was killed after school on Sept.
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Senate passes bill to help suffering farmers
After a tough summer, local farmers are receiving some help from the government - or at least that’s the plan. The state Senate passed a bill 35-1 Wednesday providing more than $200 million for farmers in the form of five-year zero-interest loans to help make up for a poor situation. “The agricultural economy is experiencing severe losses that they have not seen since the Great Depression,” said Sen.
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Weekend walk to aid local families with utility bills
Capital Area Community Services’ 12th annual Walk for Warmth starts at 9 a.m. on Sunday. The three-mile walk begins and ends at the Capital Area Community Services office, 101 E.
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Mayor pushes for change in process
Mark Meadows has been with East Lansing City Council since 1995. In 1997 he was elected by council to take the gavel at their meetings as mayor. This spring, Meadows hopes to change the process of who takes the gavel next. By allowing East Lansing citizens to vote for their mayor he’ll not only change the city’s charter, but the role the people in East Lansing play in their government. “I think the mayor, for good or bad, tends to be a representative of the city,” he said. If the election system does change, Meadows said there will still be a city manager and the city council will carry on the same. He’d just like to give the people in East Lansing a stronger voice, Meadows said. “For the most part in East Lansing, you can knock on any door and be treated with respect here,” he said. Having a role in government was not new to Meadows when he took center seat at the council meetings. Meadows serves as assistant attorney general for the state of Michigan. But he still finds time to enjoy being an East Lansing official. “It’s nice to be able to make decisions and to interact with citizens in the community,” he said. While Meadows is a popular figure among the city’s officials, the change has met with some different opinions. “I don’t always agree with him and he doesn’t always agree with me, but he has done a good job,” Councilmember Bill Sharp said. One issue Sharp doesn’t agree with Meadows on is the city’s election process. “It would make it too political, it is supposed to be nonpartisan,” he said. Councilmember Beverly Baten said it is no secret why the mayor has been effective. “He has done an excellent job with organization abilities and bringing people together and the leadership he has exemplified,” the council member said.
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Crystal Award nomination forms available, due soon
Nomination forms for the 15th annual Crystal Awards are available at the East Lansing Public Library, 950 Abbott Road, East Lansing City Hall, 410 Abbott Road, and online. About three to four awards are given to organizations, groups, businesses and individuals every year. Community Events spokeswoman Kelcey Anderson said the awards are given to those who have made a difference in the city of East Lansing. “The winners always have a different background because there are different committee members every year,” she said. Last year’s recipients included Lola O’Meara, the Student Body of the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine and Rollie Ledebuhr.
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Credit union to host seminar on how to avoid fraud
Students, faculty and residents will learn how to prevent becoming victims of fraud from noon to 1 p.m.
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Michigan Exile program would toughen laws against illegal guns
Lansing - Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus announced that he wants to tighten the reins on illegal guns in Michigan.In his Michigan Exile program announced last week, Posthumus addressed his desire to prosecute convicted felons and violent juveniles found possessing an illegal weapon.
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Businesses weigh pros, cons of filing taxes online, by hand
As April 15 nears, businesses as well as individuals are examining the options they have for filing their tax returns.For businesses, the questions often outweigh the normal individual decision of a computer program or filing by hand.Larger businesses are required to file electronically, oftentimes prepared by a professional accountant, Internal Revenue Service spokeswoman Sarah Wreford said.“If you send in a paper return, we have to hire individuals to input the data,” she said.
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Events make Splash in fund-raising efforts
Members of Delta Gamma are raising money for the blind this week through a series of events called Anchor Splash.One anchorman is chosen to represent each of the 15 fraternities participating and at the end of the week one anchorman and one fraternity win.Kinesiology junior Dave Smith is the anchorman for Pi Kappa Alpha.
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Children learn history hands-on at museum
Lansing - Gumdrops and toilet paper rolls were some of the materials used to teach children about black inventors at the Impression 5 Science Center’s second African American Celebration on Tuesday. In addition to its regular exhibits, the center, 200 Museum Drive in Lansing, had hands-on activities which focused on six black scientists and their inventions.
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Local governments could receive more funding from state
Lansing - Local governments would receive more money in a proposal announced Tuesday. Local governments stood to receive the same amount of revenue sharing as last fiscal year in Gov.
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Grant partners law agencies in pursuing felons
The Ingham County prosecutors office received a $120,000 grant from the federal government to begin Project Safe Neighborhoods. The three-year grant is part of a program aimed at getting criminals with gun violations off the street. The grant makes it possible for federal, local and state government agencies to work together to prosecute felons. John Cipriani will be working as both an Ingham County prosecutor and a special U.S.
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Rogers tours hospitals
Lansing - Local health care professionals received a boost and a promise for helpful changes in the health care system when U.S.