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MICHIGAN

The state of tourism

Michigan is heading into the national spotlight this summer as millions of dollars are poured into advertising campaigns and promotions to spark tourism in the state. It may not be Florida or California, but Michigan is taking strides to compete with leading tourism industries across the country and, according to officials in the state, it’s standing on its own.

MSU

MSU to host free horse show this weekend

From Friday until Sunday, the MSU Pavilion will host the Half Arabian Association of Michigan horse show. The Half Arabian Association of Michigan is a state-wide horse club that promotes the breeding, showing and use of half-Arabian horses, said John Schauer, show manager for this year’s show and association treasurer.

MSU

Tomato plant might naturally repel insects with leaf scents

When MSU biochemistry and molecular biology professor Robert Last identified two new genes and enzymes in the tomato plant, his view of the vegetable was forever changed. “It is almost like discovering one of your best friends really isn’t what you thought he or she was,” Last said. “This compound is fundamentally different than was thought.”

MICHIGAN

Tourism event welcomes new attractions

Visitors to East Lansing can walk across the Breslin Center arena floor Saturday for $1 as part of the Be A Tourist In Your Own Town event. Breslin and more than 60 Lansing-area businesses and attractions will offer free admission or discounts from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday for the 15th annual tourism event, sponsored by the Greater Lansing Convention & Visitors Bureau.

MSU

Report: Student debt not as bad as thought

Most college graduates won’t face an uphill battle paying off student loans according to a report in The Chronicle of Higher Education. The report, published in the Chronicle’s May 22 issue, said 65 percent of college students leave school with debt, and the average debt is about $20,000.

NEWS

MSU bee researchers discover 7 promising new pollinators for Mich.

MSU researchers are buzzing about a discovery they’ve made in the farmlands of Southwest Michigan. While conducting a three-year study in the region’s blueberry fields, researchers found seven species not previously known to inhabit Michigan. “Nobody had really surveyed the bees here, so that was sort of the premise for starting it,” said researcher Julianna Tuell, who conducted the study for her dissertation in entomology. The work accounted for more than 160 species of bees, 112 of which were present during blooming season.

NEWS

Hispanic nomination generates discussion

President Barack Obama’s nomination of federal appellate Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court of the United States on Tuesday created a divide in the MSU community, with some praising the nomination and others questioning Obama’s choice.

NEWS

African-MSU relations progress throughout a half century of work

The 50-year relationship between MSU and Africa has opened doors and shaped the histories of both MSU and some of Africa’s nations. From study abroad to establishing research programs in developing countries, what began more than half a century ago has elevated MSU to the top of the nation’s African studies programs.

NEWS

Prop 8 protesters gather at Capitol

Before heading off to have brain surgery at Lansing’s Sparrow Hospital, Tom Cook and his partner, Jerry Ward, made the decision to commit their lives to each other. And after Cook made it through his 1996 operation, the duo was the first male same-sex couple to wed at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Lansing in November of that year.

MSU

Mich. scientists promote advocacy to prevent climate change

Michael Nelson, an MSU associate professor of fisheries and wildlife, knows that being a scientist means having responsibilities outside of the lab. He and more than 180 Michigan scientists, lived up to those responsibilities last week by signing a letter pressuring Michigan lawmakers to take swift action against climate change in the Great Lakes State.

NEWS

Forfeiture fund sustains drug prevention

East Lansing’s newest drug-detection dog was purchased using drug money last year. As part of the city’s Drug Forfeiture Fund, which consists of money and property seized during drug-related crimes, money is accumulated and then spent on drug prevention, equipment and education for the East Lansing Police Department.