Emerald ash borer beetle discovered in local tree

Trees now tagged with "do not disturb" signs can be found in many counties in Michigan to detect the emerald ash borer, spotted in a tree in East Lansing. The Michigan Department of Agriculture, or MDA, along with the Michigan Cooperative Emerald Ash Borer Response Project are "girdling" 12,000 ash trees in counties not affected by the emerald ash borer so they can detect and contain the insect, according to the MDA. "Each of those trees is 'girdled,' where they cut a band of the bark off the tree.

Coach Smith heads local diabetes walk

The day before MSU football players report for practice, head coach John L. Smith has taken on the task of rallying support for an entirely different cause. This Saturday, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, or JDRF, will hold a Walk To Cure Diabetes on campus, kicking off at Ralph Young Field.

Local radio remains popular despite competition

Despite the recent emergence of alternate music sources, people are remaining loyal to their local radio stations, according to a local report. The Communications Research Institute of East Lansing, or CRI, conducted a project to determine whether radio interest is being replaced by the high-tech world of satellite radio, personal MP3 players and Internet radio, CRI research team member and MSU Chair of the Department of Communication Charles Atkin said. "In each case, the total size of the audience isn't as large as for radio," he said.

Primary election on Aug. 2

Candidates for Lansing mayor and Lansing City Council members and two proposals are items that will be on the Aug.

Candidates gear up for council race

The City Council's filing deadline for the November election candidates is two weeks away, and council members are gearing up for the political battle. East Lansing Councilmembers Vic Loomis and Bill Sharp are up for re-election.

Police briefs 07/28/05

Friends celebrate late student's life

A memorial service for Jiang Wei Lim will be held at 4 p.m. today in the McDonel Hall Kiva. Tyler DeBruler, Lim's former roommate and friend, said some people who knew him well will make presentations, and a spiritual leader will be present as well. "(We're) going to put up a couple of photos and tell stories about him and basically just tell how loved he was, when it comes right down to it," he said. Lim, a 20-year-old computer science and engineering senior and international student, was spending the weekend at a friend's home when he drowned last weekend in a swimming accident in Lake Michigan.

Buddhists celebrate first teaching

Saturday was the start of the Buddhist celebration Asalha Puja and the Rains Retreat, and many gathered at a local monastery to celebrate its commencement with meditation and ethnic food. Ajahn Khemasanto, the abbot at Dhammasala Forest Monastery, 14780 Beardslee Road in Perry, said the retreat is a time for monks to meditate. "This a special time for monks to take on special practices and be more strict in meditation," he said.

State asks for recall of explicit game

Legislators announced Wednesday that they will ask the manufacturer of "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" to recall the video game and will ask state retailers to take it off their shelves.

Anti-torture bill proposed after attacks

In the state of Michigan, torturing an animal is punishable under law, but currently no law protects a human being from being tortured by another. Rep.

New site offers forum for fans

The topics of campus, sports, East Lansing and anything else are all possible forums people can post replies to on the new MSU forum site, www.msufans.com. And you don't have to be from MSU to log in. Advertising and sociology senior Justin Sailor created the site two months ago and said there are already more than 500 users. "I was basically looking for a summer project," he said.

State delays ACLU hearing

The hearing scheduled for last week to determine whether public employers can offer benefits to domestic partners has been postponed until August, and some university employees are worried about losing their benefits. A Michigan Constitutional amendment was ratified in 2004, which defined marriage as being between a man and a woman. The American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, is representing 21 same-sex couples who filed the lawsuit in March after Attorney General Mike Cox interpreted the amendment as barring the city of Kalamazoo from providing domestic-partnership benefits in future contracts. The court hearing was postponed in order for Gov.

E.L. to revise law limiting lawn signs

A city ordinance that limits the number of signs East Lansing residents can have on their front lawns is being amended, but it has some residents and city leaders at odds over freedom of expression. Two East Lansing residents expressed their concerns for the city's "environmental quality" at the City Council meeting last Tuesday. These residents are concerned certain modifications to the policy will cause more people to overrun their lawns with political signs. The most significant concern addressed was the "visual clutter," said East Lansing's Deputy City Manager Jean Golden.

MSU receives $2M grant for lab renovations

A $2 million grant to MSU will be used to help finance renovations in the Lyman Briggs School and to create an endowment in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences. The grant was given by the Midland, Mich., Rollin M.

Research: Flip-flops could be harmful

With scorching summer temperatures, some students across campus shuffle to class or work in the lightest clothes possible, including their footwear - flip-flop sandals. "(Flip-flops) are better because you can flip them off your feet easily," said Lansing resident, Ryan Howard.

Word on the street

"I think any type of celebration (the university) puts on isn't going to be what we want it to be." George Konstantopoulos accounting senior "It would be nice to do something like that if it got down to the Elite Eight or Final Four, but I don't think it would defer anything riot-wise." Colleen Duff kinesiology senior "That'd be fun.

Police briefs 07/26/05

Alcohol inhalant could be banned

Two bills recently introduced to the state House of Representatives would ban the use of alcohol without liquid, commonly called AWOL, in Michigan. AWOL is an inhalant that is a combination of alcohol mist and pure oxygen and can create a euphoric sensation.

Storm slows local stores

A late-night Saturday thunderstorm that continued through daybreak Sunday left the city and some area businesses scrambling to function. The storm caused a power outage and knocked some trees down, said Sgt.

State gives MSU nursing grants totaling about $1.8M

A series of grants announced Wednesday will mean more than $1.8 million in funding to train nurses for MSU's College of Nursing. The four grants could mean more students will be admitted, said Teresa Wehrwein, assistant dean for professional partnerships and faculty practice in the college. Michigan will be in need of an extra 7,000 nurses by 2010 and 18,000 nurses by 2015, said Jeanette Klemczak, chief nurse executive in the Michigan Department of Community Health. MSU is one of six universities developing an accelerated second-degree program to get more nurses into the workforce quickly. Gov.