Capitol update

Granholm address to Mich. airs live Tuesday Granholm will deliver her 2004 State of the State address Tuesday from House Chambers at the Capitol. The governor will speak to the Legislature about issues of the past year and is expected to propose a prescription drug discount card and a job creation plan. This year will mark Granholm's second State of the State address after being sworn in to office in January 2003. The speech is not open to the public but will be broadcast live at 7 p.m.

State marks Mid-Mich. ash trees

Delta Twp. - A dark war with one of Michigan's deadliest tree killers rages on as surveying crews wearing bright orange vests mark trees with orange spray paint. The Michigan Department of Agriculture is fighting the spread of the emerald ash borer beetle - a tiny, metallic-green insect that wreaks havoc on ash trees while feasting on their sapwood - by employing its Emerald Ash Borer Task Force to mark infected trees for future removal. Last week, the team branded ash trees in a half-mile wide swath of land near Saginaw Highway in Delta Township.

Programs aid E.L. house hunters

As Carol Brito walks around her Linden Street home, every room is a source of pride for her. Although she said the kitchen floor needs to be replaced and the walls need painting, Brito couldn't be happier with her new purchase.

Open-mic begins V-Week

Yelling "Vagina, vagina, vagina!" is a sure-fire way to get a crowd's attention. And it was with just such an announcement that "Vaginas Speak," an open-mic forum at Espresso Royale Caffe, 527 E.

Police briefs 01/26/04

More grad students use food bank

One by one, young men and women made their way out of Olin Health Center on Wednesday evening carrying bags full of cereal, canned food and soap.

ASMSU aims for Welcome Week concert

This fall, a concert sponsored by MSU's undergraduate student government might be added to Welcome Week activities. ASMSU's Student Assembly passed a bill Thursday to set aside $50,000 for the concert, which will be during student move-in week.

Michigan peace rally focuses on daughter's death, investigation

By Stephen Beard Special for The State News Parents of an American peace activist killed in the Gaza Strip by an Israeli bulldozer spoke on campus Saturday night, calling for an independent investigation into her death and for support of the Palestinian people. Washington state resident Rachel Corrie, 23, was killed on March 16 while trying to stop a bulldozer from demolishing a Palestinian home in Rafah. An Israeli investigation concluded that the driver could not see her, but during the Michigan Peace Team event, the family argued that an independent investigation is necessary.

Late professor commended for ethics

Retired MSU Professor Mary Gardner, who died Thursday at the age of 84 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease, was a woman of firsts. She was the first woman to earn a doctorate in communication at the University of Minnesota, the first woman to earn tenure as an MSU journalism professor, and the first woman to be elected president of the Association of Journalism and Mass Communications. In the mid-'80s, Gardner helped establish MSU's Hispanics in Journalism program, the first of its kind in the country, with a $100,000 grant from the Gannett Foundation.

RHA president outlines vision

Tuesday's State of the Union address given by President Bush is probably a difficult act to follow.

Local credit union reaches $1B mark

The MSU Federal Credit Union is steadily seeing green. Last year, the university's credit union became one of only two in Michigan to reach $1 billion. Of 439 credit unions in the state, MSU's became only the second institution, after the DFCU Financial Federal Credit Union in Dearborn to reach $1 billion. Patrick McPharlin, president and CEO of MSUFCU, said the milestone officially passed in July, but was not surprising. "It's just a matter of mathematics," McPharlin said.

Career choices

Food and industry management senior Elizabeth Manning had specific goals for her visit to the 40th Annual Minority Career Fair.

Lecture series reconstructs American Indian history

The 2004 American Indian Lecture Series will kick off today with a talk by Donald L. Fixico. A former Newberry Fellow and Ford Fellow, Fixico will present "Reconstructing American Indian History" from 2 p.m.

Speed demons cause street-width reduction

City officials are hoping a new ordinance will curb a local street problem - the number of speeders. The East Lansing City Council voted Tuesday night to approve an ordinance that would reduce the required width of local residential streets from 30 feet to 28 feet. "The city has a neighborhood traffic program that noticed a lot of residents have complained about speeding," said Tim Rayner, city traffic engineering administrator. The new ordinance will not affect already constructed streets but will apply to all public streets built in the future.

Police briefs 01/23/04

Companies recall malfunctioning cars

Two of the nation's largest automakers announced plans this month to recall more than 3 million cars assembled in the late 1990s, potentially affecting many drivers at MSU. On Jan.

ASMSU seeks available resources to broadcast assembly meetings

Move over, C-SPAN. ASMSU could be heading to the airwaves. Vikas Menon, association director for MSU's undergraduate student government, said he has been looking into broadcasting assembly meetings on campus cable.

ANGEL system still working out bugs

ANGEL learning management system has gained popularity, but still is not considered heavenly by many MSU professors and students. More than 1,000 course sections are signed up for the online class-assistant program, which stands for "a new global environment for learning." That's an increase of more than 250 classes from last semester, said Byron Brown, coordinator of instructional technology support for Libraries, Computing and Technology.

Education in India focus of discussion

MSU's Asian Studies Center will bring the chairman of the University Grants Commission in India to campus this week. Professor Arun Nigavekar will hold a lecture, "Higher Education in India: Emerging New Scenarios" at 5 p.m.

New Iraqi currency circulates

MSU President M. Peter McPherson came back from Iraq in late September, but his task in helping to rebuild the war-torn economy wasn't completed until last week. On Jan.