Area safety council to hold free CPR lessons

The Lansing Area Safety Council is offering CPR and first aid training for child caregivers from 8 a.m.

U.S. budget delayed, stalls appropriations talks for RIA project

Appropriations for continued research on the proposed Rare Isotope Accelerator are tied up in federal budget talks. RIA has been identified as a top priority in research funding in previous years, but recent budget woes have cast doubt on the viability of the project. MSU had been one of the main contenders for the site of the accelerator, along with Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago. The federal budget was supposed to be completed by Oct.

ASMSU reps held to more rigid office hours despite low demand

ASMSU members announced they would be more strictly enforcing representatives' attendance at office hours, even though students rarely visit representatives. "People don't really know that they can talk to their representatives," said Elizabeth Lostracco, College of Arts and Letters representative for ASMSU's Academic Assembly.

WEB ONLY: Anti-abortion group demonstrates cause at MSU

With posters of bloody, dead fetuses and pamphlets describing their cause, members of Missionaries to the Preborn were stationed at different areas on MSU's campus Thursday. The group's main goal was to teach MSU students "the truth about abortion," said James Soderna, spokesman to the group. "We should work to get that outlawed," Soderna said. The group also stopped at Wayne State University, the University of Michigan-Flint and Central Michigan University as part of a four-day Michigan campus tour, Soderna said.

Labor leader discusses farm workers union, culture

In the 1930s, farm workers, many of whom were minorities, were treated as a separate division of labor in the United States. They were not included in labor laws and often faced a lack of basic necessities, such as toilets, said Dolores Huerta, who began the farm workers' labor movement with Cesar Chavez in the 1960s, during a presentation in the Main Library on Wednesday. Huerta was on campus as part of the "Our Daily Work/Our Daily Lives" series of brown bag lunch presentations, which promote the importance of work and culture. The union, part of a 1960s labor movement, was among the topics Huerta spoke about, along with ways to make a difference at the local level and how culture impacted the movement. "These are the most important workers - they put food on our tables," Huerta said.

Wireless spots, LBGT program discussed

ASMSU's Academic Assembly voted Tuesday to support adding a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender academic program to the university's curriculum, as well as getting more wireless Internet nodes around campus. Assembly members plan to promote the LBGT specialization to the Academic Governance system, which makes decisions on curriculum, assembly chairperson Robert Murphy said. "This could turn out to be one of the fastest-growing fields of social science research," Murphy said.

Area businesses ready for Red Wings

Hockeytown is distant from East Lansing - ninety miles away in Detroit, according to maps. But reverberations from the yearlong NHL lockout were felt by local businesses. Sales slouched at East Lansing area sporting goods stores and bars lost some regulars, but most rejoiced Wednesday for the Red Wings' first regular-season game since April 2004. Reno's East Side Sportsbar and Grill, 1310 Abbott Road, primed for the upcoming season with a set of new high-definition televisions behind its bar and a hockey channel cable subscription, said general manager Jessie Stipcak.

Students fast for Sudan effort

Several MSU students will participate today in an International Solidarity Fast for Darfur - an effort to raise awareness about genocide occurring in the Darfur region of Sudan. Members of Spartans Taking Action Now: Darfur, or STAND, will set up informational tables in several residence halls for students to get information about the situation in Darfur. The group will be encouraging students to fast from a meal or luxury item during the day and donate the money saved to the effort, said Lindsey Hutchison, international relations junior and president of STAND. "The fast is not the standard fast you think of when you hear the word," Hutchison said.

Local eateries donate profits for hurricane relief

Almost 430 restaurants in Michigan participated in Dine for America on Wednesday, with each restaurant donating money to the American Red Cross for hurricane relief efforts. Local restaurants joined the more than 17,000 national restaurants that participated in the event. Chris Simpson, a manager at BD's Mongolian Barbecue, 2080 W.

Researchers use grant to examine plant mechanisms

MSU researchers believe if they can unlock the secret behind how simple plant mechanisms work, they can engineer almost anything for people - from vitamins to new bio-fuels. Last month, 10 MSU faculty members received a $4 million grant from the National Science Foundation to study how plant genes make nutrients, said Rob Last, a biochemistry and plant biology professor.

Technology, business and communication jobs focus of gallery

Recruiters from companies across the state and country will be available for students to meet with at a Career Gallery in Breslin Center today and Thursday. The career fair is put on by the Eli Broad College of Business. The CommSciTech Exchange is today from 3-8 p.m.

MSU profs oppose intelligent design as science

For the last 15 years, Robert Pennock has spent his time researching and exploring the controversial scientific theory of evolution, looking at its truth in comparison with the theories of creationism and intelligent design. As the debate has carried on about what topics are appropriate to teach in public schools, Pennock was recently called to testify as an expert witness in a Dover Area School District trial in Dover, Penn. The case concerns a decision the Dover school board made in October 2004, requiring the reading of a brief statement about intelligent design before any class teaches evolution. "Intelligent design is not science, but is a disguised religion," said Pennock, a professor in the Lyman Briggs School. Parents in the Dover school district were upset because they felt the policy didn't maintain the legal requirement of separation between church and state. The Pennsylvania court case is just a sampling of the controversy this area of science has caused in education. But MSU professors from both natural science and religious fields said the teaching of such theories as creationism and intelligent design in the classroom doesn't make sense. "Intelligent design is based on biblical faith rather than scientific," said Roger Bresnahan, acting chairman of the Department of Religious Studies.

PETA display riles some

Banners with graphic images of animals being mistreated stood alongside images of past human rights violations near Wells Hall on Tuesday. The pictures were an exhibit created by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, as part of a 28-campus tour, said Sangeeta Kumar, a spokeswoman for the group.

'Above normal' temps not record-breaking

October has begun and students and Michigan residents have had to keep tank tops and sandals out longer than usual as temperatures reach the 80-degree range, which is warmer than usual for the month. This weather, however, is not record-breaking, said meteorologist Bob Dukesherer at the National Weather Center in Grand Rapids.

E.L. nonprofit group gives 'HOAP' to residents

For 13 years, a local nonprofit group has been working to help low- to middle-income families, including many recent MSU graduates, purchase homes in certain East Lansing neighborhoods. The federally-funded Homeownership Opportunity Assistance Program, or HOAP, has helped about 75 people who wouldn't usually be able to purchase homes in East Lansing, said Ruth Geller, program coordinator for HOAP, which is part of East Lansing Housing and Neighborhood Services Inc. "One of the program's goals is to promote a balance between owner and rental properties in the selected neighborhoods," Geller said.

Religious rite

As a part of Rosh Hashana, psychology sophomore Samantha Dresser throws bread into the Red Cedar River during a tradition called tashlich on Tuesday afternoon.

Campaign funds disputed

Officials at the Michigan Department of State are investigating a complaint that Lansing Mayor Tony Benavides received illegal campaign contributions in excess of $7,000. The building in which the Benavides re-election campaign is located normally rents office suites for $1,200 a month.

Police briefs 10/05/05

Statewide student groups lobby for higher ed funding

Like many students, Julielyn Gibbons worries about paying for college - she works, takes out loans and her parents are dipping into their retirement fund to help Gibbons and her siblings. "We're having to pay through the nose for tuition," said Gibbons, the director of legislative affairs for ASMSU's Student Assembly.

MIPA unchanged by embezzlement charges

Some advisers, students and officials agreed that the thousands of dollars allegedly embezzled from the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association haven't affected any programs, including the fall conference held at the Lansing Center on Monday. "It's upsetting, but it hasn't affected the program that I can see," said Gayle Martin, adviser for The Source, the student newspaper at Stoney Creek High School. Raye Grill, a former MSU employee, is charged with taking more than $20,000 from MIPA and between $1,000 and $20,000 from the MSU School of Journalism. Michigan Interscholastic Press Association, or MIPA, President Brian Wilson said the organization has been able to meet its budget every year. "When we were looking at the budget, we were essentially setting the budget based on money we had in the account," Wilson said.