Friday, April 3, 2026

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MSU

Volunteers dictate texts

Sitting in a soundproof room furnished only with a chair, a lamp, a dictionary and a four-track cassette recorder, education sophomore Virginia Birringer turned toward a thick physics textbook and prepared to record herself reading it.

MICHIGAN

10 states to determine Dem candidates' fates

Some local campaigners and political experts say today, known as "Super Tuesday," could make or break Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards' chance to win his party's nomination for president. Ten states across the country hold Democratic caucuses or primaries today. At the forefront of the states holding elections are New York and California, which offer more delegates than any other states - California having 370 pledged delegates and New York boasting 236. Until today, Michigan was the state with the biggest delegate prize at 128. Residents of Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont also are heading to the polls today. U.S.

MSU

Design professor loved by students

MSU Professor Michael Fanizza, 49, died Thursday evening after a long battle with cancer. Fanizza, a graphic design professor, came to MSU about five years ago and was well regarded by both students and faculty. "He was a good friend," studio art graduate student Paula Stuart-Hankins said.

MSU

Student assaulted outside of dorm hall

A female student was assaulted between Friday night and early Saturday morning in a campus courtyard, according to a report made to MSU police by the woman on Saturday. The 20-year-old woman was walking alone from North Wonders Hall to South Wonders Hall when a man approached her from behind, grabbed her right arm and threw her on the ground, MSU Police Sgt.

MSU

McPherson to discuss experiences in Iraq

MSU President M. Peter McPherson will lead a public discussion Wednesday to speak about his six-month stint in Iraq as the financial coordinator for the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance. The discussion, "Reflections of Iraq Experience," will be held from 12:10 to 1 p.m.

MSU

Vampires, comics, Black Panthers shape professor's views

Professor Kathleen Rout can be found busily reading Anne Rice vampire novels, coordinating volunteering among students or looking up facts about Black Panther Party leaders for her next book. Rout's understanding of vampires and radical groups and her proactive dedication to share her knowledge with students and her community contrasts the way Rout was cut off from her own interests as a child.

MICHIGAN

Inside BioPort

Lansing - The production line at BioPort Corp. moves swiftly these days, operating around the clock to manufacture the nation's entire supply of anthrax vaccine. The Lansing-based company, which produces the nation's only federally licensed anthrax vaccine, won a $245 million contract earlier this year to continue making its product for the Department of Defense. Each day, BioPort employees step inside the barbed-wire perimeter of the 5-year-old company's plant on Martin Luther King Boulevard.

MSU

Glitz & Glamour

The low-lit room brought back memories of a scene at a high-school prom. Twinkling lights and the spinning disco ball set the mood.

MSU

ASMSU passes bill to add more accessible signs to doorways

In an effort to make their offices more professional and accessible, ASMSU members recently voted to add large print and Braille signs to office doors. MSU's undergraduate student government approved spending $464 on new signage, which would be an addition to a staff directory in the main ASMSU lobby. "Sometimes, people don't look at the (staff directory) and just start wandering around," Academic Assembly Chairperson Jared English said. Laura Sorensen, ASMSU Director of Racial, Ethnic and Progressive Student Affairs, said the signs are a good step in making the third floor of Student Services more accessible.

MICHIGAN

E.L. restaurants await liquor-license approval

The fate of a downtown East Lansing liquor license now rests in the hands of the state after the city council voted unanimously to approve the license's transfer into the city last week. Harry Saites, owner of the adjoining restaurants Lou & Harry's Five Star Deli and LH Grille Room, purchased the license for $50,000 from North Side Eatery Ltd.

MSU

Women celebrated

When keynote speaker Ana Rizo stepped behind the lectern at the Dia de la Mujer Conference, she slowly began clapping.

MICHIGAN

Olsen trial postponed

Trials have been adjourned for an East Lansing woman accused of embezzling money from an MSU sorority. Nancy Olsen, 53, was to appear in the 54-B District Court, 101 Linden St., last week for pretrial hearings on embezzlement charges.

MSU

Show stars talk sex in the 'Real World'

By Mara Wolke and Sarah Al-Ramadhan Special for The State News The lineup changed, but no one seemed to mind as riotous laughter rang through the International Center on Friday during the fifth annual "Sex in the Real World" program. The program, sponsored by the University Activities Board, originally had scheduled Ace and Mallory from "The Real World: Paris" to talk with students about sex and their experiences on the show. But when Ace's plane was canceled, Theo from "Road Rules Maximum Velocity Tour" took his place, said Jimmy Donnellon, education and multicultural officer for the board. The MTV stars sat on a panel that included sex and relationship experts Tim Levine and Dennis Martell from Olin Health Center.

MSU

WEB ONLY: Chicano Unity Dinner speaker stresses overcoming racism

Andrew Hickner Special for The State News About 50 community members gathered at the first Chicano Unity Dinner and created a sense of family in the Union on Friday. The event was sponsored by the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan. The dinner featured keynote speaker Dr. Jose Angel Gutierrez, a longtime Chicano activist and co-founder of the La Raza Unida political party. Gutierrez stressed his ties to the Lansing community, greeting several old family friends present at the dinner.