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News | Michigan

MICHIGAN

Police enforce safety laws during uneventful holiday weekend

Sara Luneburg
November 27, 2000

Traffic enforcement officers in mid-Michigan can breathe a short sigh of relief before cracking down on Christmas and New Year’s travelers.The weekend surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday has traditionally been one of the most-traveled weekends of the year, making it a top safety concern, according to Michigan State Police.Four hundred agencies across the state took part in Operation Click It or Ticket, part of the Michigan mobilization effort of Buckle Up America and Operation ABC Mobilization: America Buckles Up Children, two nationwide safety campaigns.The Ingham County Sheriff’s Department had at least two officers on the road each day to look for drivers violating Michigan traffic laws, such as speeding and failure to wear safety belts, and as many as six Friday, Ingham County Sheriff’s Department Sgt.

MICHIGAN

Holiday shoppers encounter busy malls

Rachel Wright
November 27, 2000

Filling up with turkey on Thanksgiving left many with the energy to go into combat the next morning - in the battlefields of shopping malls.The Friday after Thanksgiving, known to retailers as the busiest shopping day of the year, offers a time for the public to start its holiday shopping.

MICHIGAN

Session nears end, lawmakers push legislation

Emily Robinson
November 27, 2000

With only two weeks left for bills in the House and Senate to become law before this year’s session ends, some lawmakers are scrambling to see their legislation through.With more than 1,000 bills introduced every session, and only about 100 passing, it’s common to end a session with almost a thousand failing.Some lawmakers say the lack of time doesn’t deter them from trying to speed up their efforts; it makes business more hectic.State House Rep.

MICHIGAN

Wrongly convicted get help

Kristyne E. Demske
November 22, 2000

DNA can help lock criminals away - now it can help get them out as well.Lansing’s Thomas Cooley Law School has started an Innocence Project for the state to help find and release innocent people serving time in jail.“That’s what this is all about - getting people who are in prison out because they are not the people who committed the crime,” said Norman Fell, director of the project.

MICHIGAN

Cops increase patrols

Sara Luneburg
November 22, 2000

More than 400 law enforcement agencies across the state, many in mid-Michigan, are stepping up traffic patrol during the Thanksgiving holiday as part of “Operation Click It or Ticket.”Operation Click it or Ticket is the Michigan mobilization effort of Buckle Up America and Operation ABC Mobilization: America Buckles Up Children, two nationwide safety campaigns.The campaign, sponsored by the Office of Highway Safety Planning, will publicize Michigan’s new mandatory safety belt law, which passed in March.

MICHIGAN

Ex-NFL player starts business

Rachel Wright
November 21, 2000

LANSING - Former NFL player Lonnie Young is helping others go the whole nine yards in Lansing. In October, Young and wife Lisa opened a branch office of Express Personnel Services, 6437 S.

MICHIGAN

Study to guide E.L. housing development

Amanda Clapp
November 21, 2000

The city of East Lansing will begin a housing study Dec. 1 to see if there is a market for different types of housing such as town houses and condominiums.The idea for the study came from past city council discussions and other boards and commissions, said Angela Cheney, an analyst for community and economic development.“First, we had a big group meeting, involving a city council member, planning members and the assistant city manager,” Cheney said.

MICHIGAN

City council to discuss traffic lights, parking

Amanda Clapp
November 20, 2000

For the first time since Oct. 17, the East Lansing City Council will hold a meeting to discuss issues like pedestrian-activated traffic lights and free parking downtown during the shopping season.The council has the opportunity to approve pedestrian-activated crosswalk lights.

MICHIGAN

Greeks aid the blind in week of fun events

Cutler Fetherston
November 20, 2000

Delta Gamma sorority’s Anchor Splash philanthropy event culminated on Saturday in the pool at IM-Sports West as the greek system made waves to aid the blind. During the weeklong event, 20 fraternities competed in an array of activities, such as lip-synching and synchronized swimming, to benefit the Delta Gamma national philanthropy foundation, Aid to the Blind. Colleen Booza, the Delta Gamma coordinator of Anchor Splash, said outstanding fraternity participation made this year’s event one of the more memorable in recent years. “Seeing (the events) all come together was the most rewarding part,” the criminal justice sophomore said.

MICHIGAN

Lansing to hold hearings on housing code revisions

Kristyne E. Demske
November 20, 2000

LANSING - The city council will host public hearings tonight on changes being made to the capital city’s Housing Code.The council radically changed the code two years ago and had promised to review the code a couple years after the revisions were made.The changes made this year come from putting the code in compliance with the International Property Maintenance Code 2000 so the code would be uniform with other U.S.

MICHIGAN

Parade marks start of holiday season

Kristyne E. Demske
November 17, 2000

To mark the beginning of the holiday season, Lansing will be hosting Silver Bells in the City tonight, a holiday event that includes an electric light parade, free entertainment and the lighting of the capital’s Christmas tree.The event began in 1985 with just a few luminaries and a community sing led by the Lansing mayor but has now grown to provide entertainment for an expected 40,000 to 50,000 people.“At the beginning of the event it was started as a way to promote downtown,” said Sue Mills, executive director of the Arts Council of Greater Lansing, which coordinates the event.

MICHIGAN

Director dismisses E.L. voting problem rumors

Emily Robinson
November 17, 2000

Michigan’s elections director spoke at the state Capitol on Thursday dismissing rumors that likened voting problems in East Lansing to those in Florida .Chris Thomas dispelled the accusations made minutes earlier by Democrats who accused Republicans of disenfranchising voters.The press conferences came after newspapers around the state reported East Lansing students who had registered to vote were not allowed to cast ballots.Voters angered by their inability to vote have raised doubts about the accuracy of close elections and spurred talk of recount requests.

MICHIGAN

Top designer agrees to create new skate parks

Amanda Clapp
November 16, 2000

Two skate parks near East Lansing will be designed by one of the top designers in the field, despite the facilities not receiving funding from the city.Ranney Park and Benjamin Davis Park in Lansing were picked for the projects - the parks border several East Lansing neighborhoods, and Ranney Park borders the Frandor Shopping Center.The clear visibility, bathroom facilities and space were some of the deciding factors in determining the location of the skate parks, said Tim McCaffrey, director of East Lansing Parks and Recreation Facilities.“There is a great interest among the youth in East Lansing and Lansing,” McCaffrey said.

MICHIGAN

Grant makes cleaner cars

Rachel Wright
November 16, 2000

A grant awarded to the city of Lansing will aid in lowering air pollution and increasing the amount of alternative-fuel vehicles on the road.The $20,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Consumer and Industry Services was given to offer incentives to fleet owners for buying vehicles that use the alternative fuels.The city of Lansing’s Management Services Department applied for the grant.“We applied in the spring and they notified us in October we had received the grant,” said Liza Estlund Olson, chair of the Greater Lansing Clean Cities Coalition.