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MICHIGAN

Woman reported missing after fleeing East Lansing residence

A mother of three is considered a missing person after fleeing from a home in East Lansing Saturday night, according to the East Lansing Police Department. Sarah Jane Jackson, 23, reportedly left a home on Chartwell Dual Carriage Way Saturday at about 9 p.m. with the father of two of her three children, according to a statement from police.

MICHIGAN

Museum offers hands-on archaeology experience

Groups of families, ?children and members of the MSU Campus Archeology Program played in the dirt acquiring artifacts during a day filled with learning and fun on ?Saturday at the MSU Museum. The children learned through involvement with hands-on activities in a Dig the Past event, which included sifting through dirt to find real artifacts loaned by MSU’s teaching education collection.

MSU

Global Festival features many international cultures

From flags of all colors to custom music featuring Korean hit “Gangnam Style,” Brody Complex Neighborhood was the home of the annual Global Festival on Sunday, weaving MSU into a cultural interactive melting pot. Sunday from noon to 5 p.m., approximately 3,000 attendees ranging from infants to students came out to the free festival, which dates back to the 1940’s.

MSU

ASMSU discusses veterans center, sales tax

ASMSU, MSU’s undergraduate student government, passed a resolution supporting the creation of an Office for Veteran’s Affairs on-campus during its general assembly meeting on Thursday. ASMSU President Evan Martinak announced at the start of the meeting that the office was inaugurated on Thursday and is located in the basement of the Student Services basement. “I’m glad we’re moving in the right direction,” Martinak said, noting that ASMSU has been previously advocating and supporting the establishment of the office. Introducer of the bill Evan Schrage said the office is still empty and in need of furnishing, adding that it still needed a lot of help to function. The general assembly also passed a bill to support and advocate for House Joint Resolution W, which would increase the Michigan sales tax by one percent. Schrage, who is the seconder of the bill, said the resolution is a chance for students to have lower tuition. “We’re here to advocate for students and (the resolution) is clearly directed towards benefitting students,” Business College representative Christie Teske said. Alliance of Queer and Ally Students representative Colin Weidbrecht was against the bill and said his main concern is the negative effect the tax increase would have on low-income families. “Sales tax is regressive, so it’s going to affect lower income families the most,” Weidbrecht said, explaining that the one percent increase would take up a large portion of their income. Schrage said the increase would on the long run have lesser effect on low-income families, since, if their kids go to college, they would graduate with a large student debt. The bill was introduced and initially passed during the ASMSU policy committee meeting on Oct.

MICHIGAN

Bicycle upkeep in winter weather

As the snow melts and weather warms each spring, campus is pockmarked by long-forgotten bikes, hitched to racks and corroded from a long winter of neglect. But with proper maintenance, bikes can be ridden throughout winter without significant damage, MSU Bikes Service Center Manager Tim Potter said.

MICHIGAN

DTN unveils design drafts for Park District project

A public meeting held Thursday evening gave community members and city officials a chance to see the first drafts of designs in a project that could drastically change East Lansing’s downtown landscape. DTN Management Co. hosted the third and final design charrette for the Park District Project, a massive overhaul of the west side of downtown that would incorporate a mixed-use space with dining, retail and hotel.

MICHIGAN

Expelled developer takes back key property in downtown redevelopment project

A key piece of private property included in the proposed Park District project currently is back in the hands of a company associated with the failed City Center II project, according to documents filed with the Ingham County Register of Deeds. The property is a central part of the proposed Park District project, a massive redevelopment plan aimed at refurbishing about two blocks of blighted buildings near the corner of Abbot Road and Grand River Avenue.

MICHIGAN

Student veterans, administrators dedicate space for resource center

A lounge area with comfortable chairs greets visitors as they walk in. Further down a hallway, there’s a room with a small sign indicating where a computer lab might someday be, and another that might be a study lounge with a tutoring room next to it. Students will be able to get advice on GI Bill benefits and other resources available to veterans, and maybe even grab a free cup of coffee if all goes according to plan. This is what the university’s Veterans’ Resource Center will look like when it has its grand opening sometime in January or February.

MICHIGAN

Living City- Thread by thread

For Lansing resident Elizabeth McMurray, her alteration shop is more than just a shop. It’s a platform to speak to the community. Liz’s Alteration Shop has been in the same spot for 35 years. Well wishes, thank you cards and customer photos line the walls of her shop.? “I consider them my friends, and I consider their kids my kids,” McMurray said.? McMurray considers her sewing skills a gift from God.

MSU

Global Festival to take place Sunday

The annual Global Festival will return to MSU Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. at Brody Complex Neighborhood, giving the greater Lansing community a chance to discover cultures from all over the world. The free festival will feature more than 30 student groups who will exhibit their fashion and musical talents. Children who attend can receive a blank passport, travel to each country’s table, get their passport stamped and learn about each culture in an authentic way, said Amber Cordell, an international student advisor at the Office for International Students and Scholars.

MSU

Turkish Student Association to sponsor Turkish classical music concert tonight

The Turkish Student Association will be celebrating their culture with a concert this evening at 7:30 p.m. in the Kellogg Center Auditorium entitled “Turkish Classical Music Concert: Heritage of Thousand Years.” Among the performers is the renowned Murat Salim Tokac, who plays the tanbur, a long-necked guitar-like instrument, and ney, which is similar to a flute. Tokac, who is the general director of fine arts at the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism, is often referred to as one of the best tanbur performers of all time.

MSU

Students flock to reptile-filled night

If students were roaming the halls of the Natural Science Building late on Wednesday evening, they might have come face-to-face with the fearful surprise of a five-foot-long alligator or a boa constrictor as part of Herpetology Night. The MSU Herpetology Club event provided students and community members the opportunity to interact with snakes, tortoises and an alligator.

MSU

BSA hosts 41st Black Power Rally

Opening with the black national anthem, MSU’s Black Student Alliance, or BSA, kicked off the 41st annual Black Power Rally Wednesday evening — an event featuring with dancing, singing, poems and keynote speaker Michael Eric Dyson, a Detroit native. The BSA annually hosts the rally, giving students a chance to learn and celebrate black heritage, culture and pride while keying in on controversial topics such as political injustice and racism.

MSU

Event focuses on students rights with police

Navigating the tricky landscape surrounding law enforcement often can leave some students stumbling in the dark, but a Wednesday night event looked to shed some light on proper policies and conduct. A presentation and discussion looked to inform students on their individual legal rights when dealing with law enforcement while educating attendees on various academic and property rights as students and tenants. The event was organized in part by ASMSU, MSU’s undergraduate student government, and James Madison College Student Senate, among others. Social relations and policy senior Max Olivero organized the “Know Your Rights” event for the second year in a row and partnered with ASMSU to broaden the program’s educational reach. Olivero, a James Madison College Student Senate member, said the forum aimed to inform students about medical amnesty a relatively new law that protects minors from receiving minor in possession charges if they call 911 for medical assistance. “We are giving this presentation as a simple what to do and what not to do when stopped and questioned by law enforcement,” Olivero said.

MSU

COGS approves new student grant application at monthly meeting

The Council of Graduate Students, or COGS, approved the creation of the application for the new COGS Professional Development Grant, which will be offered by the Graduate School at Wednesday’s monthly meeting. Students can get up to $300 of funding, totaling to a $10,000 fund per academic year. The grant is supposed to be piloted in the spring semester.