It’s been a heck of a year. Between a presidential election, a worldwide economic crisis, local mayhem and sports successes — there was no shortage of news in 2008. Here’s a look back at some of the most notable stories of the past year.
Witnesses gave descriptions of how MSU student Katherine Brown, her boyfriend and members of her boyfriend’s family were killed during a preliminary hearing Thursday for the man accused of their murder, police said.
More than 170 people, 35 dogs, eight cats and one hedgehog-like creature called a tenrec, will come together for the Veterinary Teaching Hospital’s annual “Celebration of Life” event this weekend.
Because most East Lansing residents are MSU students, businesses often cater to them. But with their best customers leaving during winter break, many businesses are scaling back operations or relying on full-time residents.
Norbert Müller loves his job at MSU. But there is one thing beside his friends and family that he misses most about Germany — high speed trains.
The MSU Board of Trustees will convene for the last time this semester at 9:30 a.m. today in the Administration Building. The meeting will be the last for Trustees Scott Romney and Dorothy Gonzales, whose terms expire Jan. 1.
Students protesting the MSU project labor agreement contract were asking for equality when they rallied Thursday afternoon outside the Administration Building.
Engineering students are showing off the fruits of their labor this week at the Union. Design Days, held Thursday and today, takes place every fall and spring semester and gives students a chance to present projects they’ve been working on through the semester.
MSU students could soon see a spike in the types of minors they can pursue. A proposal presented at Tuesday’s Executive Committee of Academic Council, or ECAC, could drastically increase the number of minors offered at MSU if passed through MSU’s Academic Governance system.
Police have executed warrants for phone and financial records of Krista R. Lueth, a 34-year-old MSU student who has been missing for more than three weeks. “We go where the case takes us; we are still interviewing everyone,” Michigan State Police Sgt. Kevin Mark said. “Just doing normal police work, so we have executed warrants on the missing person case.”
A mattress, box spring and bed frame were stolen from a vacant Cherry Lane apartment between Nov. 25 and Dec. 1, MSU police Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor said.
MSU Trustees Scott Romney and Dorothy Gonzales will take their seats as members of the university’s governing body for the last time Friday. With Trustees-elect Diann Woodard and Dianne Byrum waiting to take their places, Romney and Gonzales will finish their eight-year terms Jan. 1, 2009.
Kristi Mathis knew she had what it took to earn a spot at MSU. Mathis, an interdisciplinary studies in social science and health studies sophomore, headed two clubs and played two varsity sports in high school to complement a perfect grade-point average. But Mathis’ high-achieving mentality isn’t shared by all MSU students.
What started out as Erol Kohli’s hobby during his travels has turned into a form of art that gives back to the community. The photographs he took while traveling will be on display Friday as the MSU Physicians for Human Rights group hosts its fifth annual “Human Art for Human Rights” auction from 6-8 p.m.
MSU’s new e-mail Web system, mail.msu.edu, will officially launch Dec. 22 with a new graphic interface and several language choices. The system has been available for students and faculty members to test-run since September at the Web site beta.mail.msu.edu, but with no major changes requested, it will become the official MSU e-mail site, said Katherine Ball, communications manager for the MSU Academic Technology Services team.
On-campus students haven’t coughed at the latest ban, proving that a smoke-free dorm is a clear-viewed success, various university officials said. Fall 2008 was the first semester MSU students were banned from smoking in all residence halls. Smoking within 25 feet of university buildings also was outlawed. Prior to the smoking ban in all residence halls, the dorm floors were designated smoking or nonsmoking.
Students planning to camp out in front of Toppers Pizza, 1219 E. Grand River Ave., to get free food should anticipate an additional two weeks’ wait. The pizza chain is postponing its originally scheduled opening date from Saturday to Dec. 20 after hiring and financing issues caused delays.
The masses of students biking around campus aren’t the only people in the state utilizing this form of transportation, since Michigan was recently named the 12th most bicycle-friendly state in the nation. The ranking came from a survey conducted by the League of American Bicyclists.
Leaders in the Lansing area urged the Michigan Legislature on Wednesday to pass transportation funding and reforms proposed Nov. 5 by the Transportation Funding Task Force.
She’s president of MSU, but Lou Anna K. Simon doesn’t make all the decisions at home. When she and husband Roy Simon decided to donate to the university two years ago, Lou Anna deferred the choice to her better half.