Student organic farm to host informative event

The Student Organic Farm Harvest Fest will be held from 1-5 p.m. Saturday. The farm was created in 1999 to provide information to students regarding organically grown food. Events featured at the festival include fresh food, hayrides, farm tours, cider-pressing, face-painting and a pie-eating contest, among other things. The festival will feature live music from local bands Head and Toe, A Story Told and Dali Rocket. The farm is located at 3291 College Road in Holt.

MCRI sides square off, challenge its merits

Lansing — Opposing sides of a Michigan ballot proposal to ban some state affirmative action programs squared off Thursday in Lansing. The Inforum Center for Leadership sponsored a Michigan Civil Rights Initiative debate at the Lansing Sheraton hotel between MCRI Executive Director Jennifer Gratz, who supports the initiative, and Bruce Courtade, a Grand Rapids lawyer who opposes it.

Career Gallery offers jobs in, out of state

To stay or not to stay? That's the question many MSU students must ask themselves after the annual two-day Career Gallery ended at Breslin Center Thursday. Sixty-four percent of last year's graduates who were in-state students remained in Michigan, said Phil Gardner, director of research at the Collegiate Employment Research Institute. "It's slowly gone down," Gardner said, adding that the figure was about 75 percent in the late '90s. This year's graduating class must make a similar decision. During the Career Gallery, students eyed 355 different companies that offered different location possibilities across the country. Chris Terrell, who attended the job fair, lives in a townhouse with three roommates who are all business majors.

Cheney talks terror, tax cuts

Bath Township — Vice President Dick Cheney said the United States must reject any strategy that hinders the war on terror Thursday afternoon during a Republican fundraiser in Bath Township, located seven miles north of East Lansing. "Terrorists are still trying desperately to commit acts of violence," Cheney said.

Gov.'s plan aims to keep grads in Mich.

Michigan will now pay for college graduates to stay in the state. Gov. Jennifer Granholm announced a plan Thursday to entice graduates to stay in Michigan by offering low-interest housing loans in communities that need economic development. The low-interest loans, which go into effect Monday, are only applicable in eight Michigan cities, that "need some additional assistance," Granholm said Thursday. "They are communities that have been struggling in the past, and we want to urge dynamic people to move into each of them and provide a carrot for you to do that," Granholm said.

Free business: Apply here

Want free real estate for your own business? It's more realistic than you think. All you have to do is write an essay and pay a $100 entry fee. "It's no joke," said Frank Lain, a Lansing resident who is active on city boards. Lain, paired with business owner Larry Carr, will give away 2,500 square feet of retail space in Lansing, worth about $325,000. The essay contest has three questions: Why do you want a business?

University expands language programs for Lansing, Dearborn public schools with grants

Lansing — Children from Maples Arabic Music Ensemble performed authentic Arabic drum music before university, government and public school officials announced grants given to MSU and Lansing and Dearborn public schools. Gail McGinn, U.S.

Nursing center expands patient care

The MSU College of Nursing Primary Care Center sits inconspicuously among a bevy of other health care providers in the Clinical Center, but it bears a new name and has a broader focus.

Police briefs 10/05/06

Groups to celebrate 'Indigenous Peoples'

Most calendars identify Oct. 9 as Columbus Day. However, some students on campus refer to the day as Indigenous Peoples Day instead. "We call it Indigenous People's Day because in calling it Columbus Day, you're celebrating the mass murder of people," said Ashley Harding, cultural programmer for the North American Indigenous Student Organization, or NAISO.

WEB EXTRA: Pageant takes place at Okemos mall

Okemos — Among the busy shoppers at Meridian Mall Saturday, a beaming Magdalena Peña stood proudly — trophy in hand, tiara on head — after placing first in the 18- to 27-year-old age group of the Miss Sunburst Model Search Pageant preliminaries. Peña, an MSU theatre senior, won a $200 prize to be used for the contestant fee at the Miss Sunburst Model Search Pageant State Finals in May next year. "It's fun; I like it," Peña said. She explained that preparing for pageants includes working out, finding the right dress, getting her nails and hair done, and speech memorization. The event included a model search with age groups ranging from 4- to 27-year-olds who were judged on beauty, poise, projection and overall appearance, and a baby contest that judged babies based on good looks, overall appearance and personality. The 4- to 6-year-old group competition ended in a three-way tie, something Melissa, an assistant director for Sunburst who declined to give her last name because of company policy, said has "never happened as long as I've worked here." When the shy and nervous 4- to 6-year-olds took the floor, they were asked questions about their favorite ice-cream flavor and TV show. "We're looking for your prettiest eyes and your prettiest smiles," the announcer said. Jeremy Scott, an MSU English senior, stopped his shopping to watch the pageant.

Golf tournament to raise funds for Make-A-Wish cruise

A local chapter of the Make-A-Wish foundation will play genie in a bottle when it hosts a golf tournament to make the wishes of children with life-threatening diseases come true.

Armed robbery on campus Sunday

A 39-year-old MSU student was the victim of an armed robbery Sunday in Spartan Village Apartments. The incident occurred at about 2:30 a.m., and two men wielding an unknown weapon were involved. A laptop, TV, phones and cash were stolen during the incident, according to the MSU online police blotter. The first suspect is described as a 5-foot-8, 145-pound male who is about 22 years old.

Avoiding a seasonal slump

The leaves are a-changin' and that means gone is the season for ice cream store owners. As the mercury drops, seasonal businesses must compensate for dwindling clientele. One way is finding a different focus. "We're trying to build up the wholesale," said Lisa Belen, a manager for Melting Moments, 313 E.

Trial delayed in alleged playground arson case

The scheduled preliminary examination for Alex Charles Ellis, one of two 17-year-olds charged in connection with the arson of an East Lansing playground structure in July, was postponed Tuesday at East Lansing's 54-B District Court. Ellis' defense attorney, Brian P.

Man arrested for attempted CVS robbery

A 42-year-old man, who attempted to steal cases of beer from CVS and 7-Eleven but failed in both instances, was arrested Tuesday following a bicycle chase through East Lansing. At about 8:25 a.m., the man entered the CVS store located at 240 M.A.C.

Innovations: Animal health

Correction: The phrase "sticking a pipe" should have been "placing a self-expanding metallic stent." For clarification, there are more schools that teach the procedure than MSU, and the special funds do not apply to intervention radiology. Name: Matthew Beal, assistant professor Department: Small Animal Clinical Sciences Date of method: Beal has been working with the new procedure for about a year. Type of method: Interventional radiology Basics of method: "It allows us to treat animals in a less invasive way," Beal said. The methodology allows veterinarians to perform procedures on animals without them having large incisions. Some small-breed dogs can get tracheal collapse when the cartilage in their windpipes begins to collapse, Beal said.

Store to give out free T-shirts in protest of YAF

When Adam Van Lente read about Young Americans for Freedom's "Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day" event in the newspaper, he wanted to do something about it. Van Lente, co-owner and operator of RetroDuck, a T-shirt company at 210 Abbott Road, decided his store would design and distribute shirts disagreeing with YAF's stance against illegal immigration. "They are going to say 'Catch a YAF,' or something like 'promote tolerance,'" Van Lente said. The shirts will be free and will be handed out Friday from the store on the corner of Grand River Avenue and Abbott Road. "We want to print 100 of them," Van Lente said.

Computer networks to be shut down Friday

Some MSU computer networks will be shut down from 6-11 p.m. Friday for Academic Computing & Network Services to test electrical system upgrades. The online services to be affected are afs.msu.edu, Angel, LON-CAPA, Magic and Webmail.

Trial visitor check-in policy creates confusion, more work

A preregistration program to improve late-night check-in visitors isn't worth the hassle, some student desk receptionists said.