NEWS
Police Brief 05/26/09
A 52-year-old male employee reported a GPS stolen from a university vehicle May 15, MSU police Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor said.
NEWS
New law aims to protect students from creditors
Students will have further protections from credit card company practices because of a bill signed into law by President Barack Obama on Friday. Those practices include aggressive solicitation, unclear terms of agreement, interest rate hikes and added fees.
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.
NEWS
Brake trial progresses, defense may begin this week
Prosecutors plan to continue to stack evidence against Troy Brake, who is charged with killing MSU student Katherine A. Brown and three others, at his trial, which is scheduled to continue Wednesday.
NEWS
Different spokes for different folks
Bicycles of all shapes and sizes can be seen rolling down the streets of East Lansing, and the riders of the bikes are just as diverse as the two-wheeled, pedal-powered machines that propel them. The MSU Department of Police and Public Safety reported in fall 2008 a 273 percent increase in campus bike registration since 2003, indicating more people are getting geared up to ride bikes.
MSU
MSU’s music and education programs extend to Detroit
MSU’s College of Music and College of Education will have a new base of operations in the Detroit area beginning this fall. The university signed a seven-year lease on a 22,000-square-foot building, located at 3408 Woodward Ave., in Detroit.
MICHIGAN
More to honor, fewer choose to remember
For Gordon Small, a Lansing resident and Korean War veteran, celebrating Memorial Day evokes more emotion each year, and the lack of community involvement he sees doesn’t help. “It’s too bad that the citizenry of Lansing just didn’t pour out here to honor these guys,” Small said.
MSU
Committee meets to lower university health care costs
An MSU committee is discussing options including lowering prescription drug costs and implementing wellness programs for faculty in an attempt to curb rising health care costs. The Health Care Strategy Advisory Committee was formed in February to find ways to make MSU’s health care system more efficient.
MICHIGAN
Consensus hard to find on proposed state smoking ban
Students might be forced to put their cigarettes out if a proposal approved last week by a state House committee becomes law. The ban would prohibit smoking in workplaces such as restaurants and bars, with the exception of smoke shops and gaming floors in commercial casinos.
MICHIGAN
Web exclusive: Silent bike ride has profound effect on residents and riders
On Wednesday evening, a slow and silent procession of cyclists rode through the streets of campus. Making their way through downtown East Lansing, the riders turned on Michigan Avenue and rode into Lansing, stopping at the foot of the Capitol building as the sun slowly set. Here they parked their bikes, and for the first time since departing, they spoke.
MICHIGAN
Hello, summer
The warm weather, flip-flops and sun of an East Lansing summer have remaining MSU students shaking off the previous months’ cold and taking to the outdoors, whether they’re enrolled in classes, working or laying out in their front yards.
MICHIGAN
Despite cuts, E.L. recreation to persevere
East Lansing city officials plan to maintain the quality of the city’s recreational programs during the coming fiscal year, despite budget cuts in other city departments and community programs.
MSU
Judge orders MSU to give The State News police documents
MSU must hand over police documents regarding a 2006 campus assault to The State News, which requested the information under the Freedom of Information Act, an Ingham County Circuit Court judge ruled Wednesday.
MICHIGAN
Prosecution opens murder trial involving MSU student
On Sept. 29, 2008, hours after the Zimmer family reportedly enjoyed a meal with friends in their Wright Township home near Grand Rapids, investigators arrived to find the home ablaze and the bodies of four victims, including MSU student Katherine A. Brown.
NEWS
Trial for man accused of killing student begins
Jury selection concluded and opening statements began Tuesday at Ottawa County’s 20th Circuit Court in Grand Haven for the trial of a man charged in connection with the death of former MSU student Katherine A. Brown, a court clerk said.
NEWS
Avid hockey fans hit E.L. bars for series
Michael Tonner waited all his life to go to Joe Louis Arena. A bartender at Crunchy’s, 254 W. Grand River Ave., for the past two years, Tonner had seen fans clad in red and white file through the bar doors every playoff season. Finally, Tonner was headed to Hockeytown’s sanctuary for the first game of the Western Conference Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.
NEWS
Police department to scale back overtime, training
To reduce costs but maintain its force, the East Lansing Police Department will be decreasing overtime, training and equipment spending, East Lansing police Chief Tom Wibert said. “What causes us to have a good service is that we have good people,” he said. “And we want to keep them.”
NEWS
E.L. sidewalk repair program decreased by 17 percent
The East Lansing City Council approved its 2009-10 $95 million budget Tuesday, making reductions that city officials said would minimally affect residents. Areas hit include the sidewalk repair program and the public safety departments.
MSU
Study: Baby boomers unhappy in academia
For many baby boomer college faculty across the country, job satisfaction is a problem. According to a study conducted at the University of Washington that was released last month, baby boomers in the middle of their lives are less satisfied with their jobs than their older and younger colleagues. However, that might not be the case at MSU.
MICHIGAN
Student health care proposals seek balance
Some students might have easier access to health care because of a new health reform bill proposed by state Sen. Tom George, R-Kalamazoo, last week. “If you’re going to go to school, it’s hard to work many hours a week and keep up with your classes,” said Sherry Sofia, chief of staff for George. “It could be those people who have a part-time job and no benefits provided by their employer who are helped.”