MSU-owned public TV station WKAR’s TV and radio broadcasting power soon will increase as the station’s 57-year-old tower will be replaced at the Dobie Road, Okemos site this summer. The station’s original tower, built in 1953, now is considered outdated, making WKAR eligible for federal grants to fund a replacement.
After months of waiting, the Meridian Township Parks & Recreation Department was joined by the Michigan Mountain Biking Association, or MMBA, BikeWorks, Denny’s Central Park Bicycles and the Meridian Township Police Department to officially open the course to the public Wednesday. The Eastgate Bicycle Pump Track Grand Opening is located at Eastgate Park, 4023 S. Meridian Road, in Okemos.
This year, MSU Carillonneur Ray McLellan will be performing with a special purpose in mind. McLellan’s performance will feature a dedication to Milton Muelder, an MSU faculty member and carillonneur who died recently, as well as compositions by two of his other musical influences. The summer series kicked off Wednesday evening at the Beaumont Tower with a performance from Steven Ball, a carillonneur from the University of Michigan.
Despite budget cuts and an overall lack of revenue, the East Lansing Police Department recently secured grant funding to replace an aging K9 unit vehicle. The department was awarded a $19,633 grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, a unit within the U.S. Department of Justice. State and local economic difficulties challenged the department to purchase a new vehicle, which is expected to be added to the fleet within the next few months.
An East Lansing-based company came closer to its goal of helping an MSU professor commercialize his product with a $100,000 award from a statewide competition. InPore Technologies was selected for the SmartZone Award as part of the Great Lakes Entrepreneur’s Quest, or GLEQ, Statewide Business Plan Competition, a contest to determine the most promising business plans for start-up companies.
This year will be the second year the CMS Jazz Camp returned to MSU, with day and night programs available to high schoolers throughout Michigan. The camp is being held during the week, with an ending concert Friday from camp attendees. The camp features a number of programs for people who are interested in expanding their skills in playing jazz instruments.
Hosting international scholars through the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program is a crucial way East Lansing and MSU further their global reach, city officials said. The program, organized through the U.S. Department of State, is run through 18 U.S. universities and brings in about 200 Fellows each year for study and professional experiences across the country. The program has more than 4,000 alumni in 157 countries across the globe — including 78 Fellows from 53 countries to MSU.
Although Michigan residents feel more financially secure, their trust in government officials is plummeting, according to a State of the State Survey recently published by an MSU professor. The quarterly telephone survey is conducted by MSU’s Institute for Public Policy and Social Research, or IPPSR, through the College of Social Science.
Taking advantage of retirement incentives offered by amendments to the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System, or MPSERS, 17,063 school employees across 95 percent of school districts filed to retire before the June 11 deadline, according to a press release Friday from Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s office.
Children circled through numerous stations to examine fossils of fish, bugs and several other organisms and learn about their significance on the first day of a fossil camp hosted by the MSU Museum. The annual Fossil Camp at the MSU Museum began Monday with a class of 12 students.
When MSU alumna Michelle Adams was a senior at MSU, she took a course about sustainability in the production of apparel and textiles. The class showed Adams she could combine her passion for sustainability with design, and it inspired her to start her own textile company, Rubie Green, in 2007.
More than 40 people went to the Harris Nature Center’s Howl at the Moon monthly night walk at 9 p.m. Friday. The walk was about 2.8 miles through the trails behind the center.
Max’s Race, a 5K run/walk to raise money for Cure Kids Cancer and the Maxwell C. Matthews Foundation, was held Saturday at MSU to celebrate its sixth year of fundraising to benefit children’s cancer research. Although Max did not have cancer, the family thought raising money for children’s cancer research was the best way to make people aware of the illnesses to which children are subjected.
To inform citizens about the importance of knowing one’s HIV status, the Michigan Department of Community Health, or MDCH, recognized Sunday’s National HIV Testing Day. Across Michigan, there are more than 18,000 people diagnosed with HIV. About 4,000 of that number are unaware they have the virus and could spread the disease without understanding the complications.
Barbara Conley, an MSU cancer specialist, was selected to be the new associate director of the Cancer Diagnosis Program at the National Cancer Institute, or NCI, in Maryland. Conley will leave in mid-August after serving about five years as the chief of MSU’s Division of Hematology and Oncology, a position that enabled her to oversee projects at MSU, such as the development of the Clinical Cancer Research Center and the MSU Breslin Cancer Center.
Lansing resident Lori James gave her 9-year-old son, Daniel, his first $10 to spend but said he could only have it if he spent it wisely. Walking around the booths, activities and attractions Saturday afternoon at the Delta Rocks! Family Festival, at Sharp Park, 1401 Elmwood Road, in Lansing, Daniel James did a scan of everything before he chose what to buy. The annual festival was held Saturday afternoon from noon to 6 p.m. and showcased dozens of free, family-friendly activities, including a petting zoo, games, face painting, a business expo, concessions and pony rides.
In observance of the Fourth of July holiday, the MSU Museum will be closed July 3 through July 5. The museum will resume operation July 6, with regular hours from 9 a.m.
The Tri-County Bicycle Association’s 30th annual Women on Wheels bicycle tour will be held 7 a.m. July 24 at Mason High School, 1001 S. Barnes St., in Mason. The organization expects more than 500 women, men and children to ride country roads southeast of the Lansing area.
At a network reception with 65 other teams of finalists and about 250 people in the profession, political theory and constitutional democracy senior Maria Bianchi and political theory and constitutional democracy senior Laura Kovacek were announced as the winners on June 10. The top six teams were invited to go to Washington, D.C. during Media Scholars Week, where they meet individuals who work for advertising and marketing with companies such as Facebook, Google and CNN.
Although a three-day strike of local American Red Cross union workers did little to significantly impact blood donations, there is an increased need for certain blood types at this time, said Monica Stoneking, communications manager for the American Red Cross’ Great Lakes Region. Locations across campus, including Wednesday’s blood drive at the MSU Physical Plant, continue accepting volunteers willing to donate.