The smell of barbecue and the sounds of celebration rose from downtown East Lansing as the streets were packed with people and white tents. East Lansing’s 46th annual Art Festival brought artists from across the country to the city. From photography, painting, pottery to piano, the community came out, with an estimated 70,000 in attendance despite the state’s economic slowdown.
Millions of dollars in cuts to the state budget, announced by Gov. Jennifer Granholm earlier this month, will lead to reductions in areas from community health to state police sectors.
On Thursday, Mary Alice Stollak, founding artistic and musical director of the MSU Children’s Choir, directed her choir of 54 children for the last time. The choir members, ranging from 4th grade to high school-aged, wore brightly colored vests, white shirts and blouses and sang to an audience that almost filled the entire first level of Wharton Center.
The first case of swine flu was identified in Ingham County on Friday, Ingham County Medical Examiner Dean Sienko said. “This is not surprising,” he said.
Revenue figures for the state of Michigan are estimated to be half of what they were in the ’90s, state officials said last week. The state treasurer and state fiscal agencies met Friday at the Capitol to reach a consensus on figures for the 2009 and 2010 fiscal years.
Ella Hartman remembers when the state capital was a small town. The 107-year-old Lansing resident moved to the city in 1922 and was one of three honorary grand marshals in Saturday’s Parade of the Decades, celebrating Lansing’s 150th anniversary.
The multimillion-dollar Farm Lane underpass project, originally set for completion this summer, will not be completed until the fall but will not exceed the original budget, university officials said.
As the streets of East Lansing darkened Saturday night, the buzz of the 2009 East Lansing Art Festival began to die down. But as fairgoers and art aficionados left, a new group arose to walk the streets of East Lansing: a macabre crowd of stumbling zombies.
Roads will be closing along Grand River Avenue this weekend due to the East Lansing Art Festival.
Several road closures will begin within the next week, as summer construction projects commence in the Lansing area. Single lane closures on I-496 and US-127 will begin on Saturday for maintenance of freeway lights. One lane will be closed between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. in the area.
A pesticide banned in 1973 might contribute to obesity, according to a study led by MSU professor Janet Osuch. Osuch’s study focused on the levels of DDE — a form of the pesticide DDT — in mothers who consumed fish from and lived near Lake Michigan.
People who want a low-sodium ketchup soon will have a new option. AlsoSalt, a salt substitute invented by MSU professor Kris Berglund and Hasan Alizadeh, a former research associate, will now be used in Heinz No Salt tomato ketchup. Berglund invented it about 10 years ago, but the co-branding with Heinz marks the product’s first major break into the market, Berglund said.
In an effort to prevent underage drinking and the supply of alcohol to minors, kegs soon may be traceable to the buyer. A House bill, sponsored by Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing, would require all kegs purchased to be tagged with the identification information of the purchaser.
Local fashion models walked the runway at the first Fashions for Food fundraiser Thursday night at the Country Club of Lansing (CCL), 2200 Moores River Drive. The show was held to benefit the Greater Lansing Food Bank, which has seen a dramatic increase in service since the beginning of the year.
Students who enjoy watching Residence Hall Association TV’s free movies in their dorm will be able to watch those movies from anywhere on campus next fall. RHA will make its RHA TV — channels 11 and 12 — available as an application link from their Web site, www.rha.msu.edu, after signing a contract with Swank Motion Pictures Inc.
Fears that the Chrysler LLC bankruptcy announced Thursday could devastate Michigan and harm Chrysler workers and retirees nationwide were abated somewhat as details of the deal were released.
TV journalist Dan Rather will be the feature speaker at MSU’s advanced degree commencement May 8, the university announced Wednesday. Rather also will be given an honorary doctorate of humanities degree.
Renditions of Caryl Churchill’s abstract plays, “This is a Chair” and “Far Away,” will wrap up the Department of Theatre’s 2008-09 season this weekend at Snyder-Phillips Hall. The plays, co-presented by the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities, or RCAH, opened Tuesday and will continue through Sunday.
Italian automaker Fiat Group SpA is expected to sign a partnership agreement with Chrysler LLC by today as negotiations continue to keep the struggling automaker alive without filing for bankruptcy protection, according to three people briefed on the deal.
Although the proposed carbon cap-and-trade policy has yet to pass in the United States, a new Web site makes it possible for U.S. residents to reap the benefits of other nations’ cap-and-trade systems, while promoting a greener lifestyle.