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MICHIGAN

Small businesses fight to survive

After nearly two decades on the block, John Novak said he has witnessed many a small business' rise and fall on Grand River Avenue. Novak reopened Wazoo Records, 619 E.

MSU

Program teaches attack prevention

Audra Hunsberger jabbed a plastic knife at her assailant Sunday night at IM Sports-West, but self-defense instructor Sally Belloli batted the weapon away, avoiding a potential poke to the rib cage. The pair took part in "Combating an Armed Attack," a self-defense program that taught participants how to protect themselves from assailants wielding knives, clubs or guns.

MICHIGAN

Senate bills would make insurance info public

Some lawmakers are working to make the confidential factors that influence the cost of car insurance public. A nonprofit agency - created to reimburse some insurance companies for providing coverage to injured people needing lifetime coverage after car accidents - is stirring up debate because some legislators say the group is keeping secrets from Michigan's residents. Michigan is the only state that provides lifetime coverage for personal injuries in car accidents.

MSU

Freshman Council to host informal dance

The Freshman Class Council is hosting an informal dance for all students from 9 p.m. until midnight on Saturday in the Union Gold Rooms. The council is a division of ASMSU, MSU's undergraduate student government.

MICHIGAN

No joke: Newborn wins LCC award

Lansing - Twelve hours after José Robert Gutiérrez first entered the world on Thursday, he got a free chance to prove he was no fool. In a hospital lounge, surrounded by news camera crews, the baby boy and his parents, Reneé and José Gutiérrez, were presented with a free year of schooling at Lansing Community College. The scholarship, awarded every April Fools' Day for the last 10 years, is part of the college's celebration of National Community College Month.

MSU

Google ogles e-mail

Two popular computer services - e-mail and search engines - are scheduled to combine with a new "Gmail" service provided by Google Inc. Announced Wednesday, the Web-based e-mail system would be free for users and offers 1 gigabyte of storage, more than 100 times the amount of rival free e-mail service providers. Gmail also would incorporate the Google search feature to sort through the about 500,000 pages of e-mail the system is expected to hold. Richard Wiggins, MSU's Academic Computing and Network Services Senior Information Technologist, said the new system could cause a "massive shift" in information technology, with millions of people switching to the new service. "Right now, anybody who is in the Web mail business is looking at the cost of online storage and trying to calculate 'What does this do to our bottom line?,'" he said.

MICHIGAN

Lawmakers debate options for 'sin taxes'

As bills aimed at closing the state's budget shortfall by raising "sin taxes" make their way through the state Legislature, supporters for and against the bills are making their opinions heard. In the state House on Tuesday, a number of Republican legislators proposed amendments to the state's budget that would reduce spending, rather than raise taxes on cigarettes and liquor.

MSU

Community honors Chavez

Baldemar Velasquez, an ally and friend of Cesar Chavez for 27 years, spoke Wednesday of how he used to pick cherries in Traverse City and dreamt of organizing farm workers to fight for their rights.

MICHIGAN

City parking department budget expected to come up short; officials suggest creation of task force

After years of budgetary problems, the East Lansing Parking Department is bracing for another budget shortfall at the end of this fiscal year. At an East Lansing City Council work session on March 23, parking administrator Dan O'Connor asked that a special task force be created to find more efficient ways for the city to cut parking costs and increase parking revenue. O'Connor outlined a report of this year's budget as it currently stands and where the department expects to be when the fiscal year ends in June.

MSU

COGS could represent MSU-DCL

MSU-DCL College of Law students might soon receive both a voice and a vote in the Council of Graduate Students, if Provost Lou Anna Simon's proposed reorganization blueprint is approved. As part of Simon's proposal, which includes plans to further align programs between the university, the law school would act as any other college in the university, but would maintain financial independence.

MSU

ASMSU votes to increase budget for Funding Board

ASMSU's Student Assembly voted to increase Funding Board's budget by $10,000, echoing a similar move made in February when the same amount was given to Programming Board. "This really is one of the ways our constituents know we exist," said Patty Smith, College of Arts & Letters representative. Funding Board allocates up to $3,000 to registered student organizations.

MSU

Some 'U' computers infected by new virus

Academic Computing and Network Services was informed Wednesday by Merit, the university's Internet provider, that a few hundred on-campus computers might be infected by variants of the Gaobot virus worm, also known as Phatbot and Agobot. Only computers running Windows are susceptible to infection.