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MICHIGAN

7-Eleven shooting trial goes to court

The murder trial of two men accused of killing Joseph Lavon Parker outside an East Lansing 7-Eleven begins today. Eric Charles Gordy, 35, and Hatarie Deamont McCorkle, 29, both of Detroit, allegedly shot Parker at the 7-Eleven at 210 E.

MSU

Student government stands against gay marriage proposal

ASMSU has taken a stand on the proposal to ban gay marriage and it's in resounding opposition. MSU's undergraduate student government's Student Assembly passed a bill Thursday night to make a public statement against Proposal 2, which would amend Michigan's Constitution to recognize marriage as a union between a man and woman. The assembly debated for more than an hour about the proposal and whether ASMSU has the right to chime in on what has been called rigidly partisan. "ASMSU needs to act on this," said Derek Wallbank, representative for the Council for Students with Disabilities.

MSU

McPherson commits to provide African aid

MSU President M. Peter McPherson and Alpha Oumar Konare, head of the African Union, have called for a generation-long commitment to Africa - a continent both leaders said is crying out for help. At the annual meeting of the World Food Prize Foundation in Des Moines, Iowa, McPherson announced that he and Konare will work together on the project, called \"Partnership with Africa.\" McPherson said short-term emergency support offered by the United States is not enough to help improve the security, finance, technology and infrastructure challenges Africa is currently facing.

MICHIGAN

Officer arrested on three felony counts

Lansing police Detective Darren Duso was arraigned on three felony charges Sunday morning, according to the Ingham County Sheriff's Department. Duso, a 42-year-old Mason resident, was arrested Saturday afternoon for stealing prescription drugs from a Dansville residence, Ingham County Sgt.

MICHIGAN

Word on the street

"Most people already have their minds made up. Even with the three debates, people had their minds made up weeks or months ago.

MSU

Former candidate's daughter to visit 'U'

Chrissy Gephardt, the daughter of former presidential candidate Dick Gephardt, will visit campus today to promote change for the LBGT community. The director of the National Stonewall Democrats grassroots campaign core, Chrissy Gephardt said her primary goal is to create visibility of lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender issues for college students. "They're just not brought up knowing discrimination, and bigotry and hatred the way older generations have," she said. Gephardt will address the MSU chapter of Stonewall Democrats at 8:30 p.m.

MSU

Briggs, Madison duke it out in annual battle

By Kristin LongleySpecial to The State News An MSU rivalry was renewed on Sunday when the university's two residential learning programs competed in their second annual Olympic Showdown. Lyman Briggs School and James Madison College students and faculty braved the cold weather at the rock on Farm Lane in an effort to win the coveted green-and-white, Stanley Cup-esque trophy.

MICHIGAN

East Lansing roads to close for 'U' parade

Four city streets will close this evening for the MSU Homecoming Parade, but alternate routes will be available. Abbott Road will close between Whitehills and Burcham drives at 4 p.m., as will westbound Burcham Drive between Abbott Road and M.A.C.

MICHIGAN

Officials plan response to computer disasters

Local government officials are forming their own rescue team to save their computer systems in the event of a catastrophe. East Lansing City Council voted at its work session Tuesday to approve a formalized relationship between local jurisdictions to share technology resources during disasters. The Mid-Michigan Information Technology Mutual Aid Agreement allows cities to share telephones, hardware, software, employees or facilities if a disaster situation were to harm a municipality's computer system, said Alan McCarrick, East Lansing Information Systems Administrator. "The goal is to help keep everybody up and running," he said. An informal collaboration between Lansing, Meridian Township and Ingham, Clinton and Eaton counties has existed for years, but the formal agreement is intended to inform the public and officials of their continuing discussion. Meridian Township and Ingham County officials also approved the aid agreement, McCarrick said. Although the agreement refers mainly to disaster planning, McCarrick said there are day-to-day situations where the sharing of resources come in to play.

MSU

Program addresses bisexual, social issues

Feeling marginalized by the LBGT community was the focus of Getting Bi, a session addressing issues faced by bisexual women. Discussion included fear of being ostracized by lesbian and gay people and acknowledging fluidity in both orientation and gender. Julie Hartman, a graduate student in sociology, said bisexual people often feel they have to act differently around gay and straight friends. "You come out of one closet to go in another," she said.

MSU

'U' to train health students

With mechanical mannequins, standardized patients and computer scenarios, MSU is taking steps toward joining top medical schools such as Northwestern University with advanced technology. The MSU Board of Trustees recently passed a measure to start the design phase for a new Learning and Assessment Center, which will be built in East Fee Hall. "The Assessment Center is an important element for not only the feedback to our students, but also will play an important role in research and development regarding new educational approaches," said President-designate Lou Anna Simon. The center is a joint project between four MSU colleges - the College of Human Medicine, the College of Osteopathic Medicine, the College of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Nursing.

MICHIGAN

Lugnuts playing field gets new turf, video screen

Oldsmobile Park is getting a facelift. A $500,000 scoreboard is currently under construction and a new grass turf grown by MSU's Turf Management program will be added at the end of the 2005 season. The plans to renovate and make additions to the 8-year-old stadium were announced by Lansing Mayor Tony Benavides and Lansing Lugnuts' management in a press conference on Wednesday. "This park brings in over 300,000 fans each year from around the tri-county area," Benavides said.

MSU

Law students debating COGS membership

The Council of Graduate Students is looking to give MSU College of Law students more of a voice in school policy. Associate Dean for Student Affairs at MSU College of Law Connell Alsup said COGS would help law school students become better represented. "Law school students are subjected to the decisions made by committees and by judicial proceedings," Alsup said.