The Michigan Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday on whether police departments must release documents about internal investigations to the public.In 1998, the Lansing State Journal requested files concerning any complaints investigated by the Lansing Police Department Internal Affairs Bureau from 1997 under the Freedom of Information Act.
Lansing - About 2,000 union members stood at the steps of the state Capitol on Wednesday in support of unemployment benefits. A large truck painted with the word “Teamsters” circled the block honking its horn in support of the rally, organized by the Michigan State AFL-CIO.
Although the All University Election Commission recommended for this week’s universitywide elections to be postponed, the five-member student group didn’t have the final decision.Lee June, vice president for student affairs, approved the recommendation Wednesday.ASMSU elections have been delayed until Tuesday after members of the election commission called into question language on the ballot and technical malfunctions with computer voting.The University Apartments’ Council of Residents election has also been postponed, but it is not related to the election commission’s recommendations.A $1 tax referendum for The State News tax will continue as scheduled.
Changes in the universitywide student elections ballot already are being made by MSU’s Computer Center, Student Life officials said Wednesday.ASMSU representative elections, constitutional changes and a $3 tax increase referendum all were recommended to be postponed Tuesday night by the All University Election Commission.
Fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems and smoke detectors aren’t free. Personnel to plan for emergencies don’t work without pay either.As part of the anti-terrorism package of bills in the state Legislature, public colleges and universities with more than 25,000 students are required to appoint an emergency management coordinator.
Ira Flatow, a veteran science correspondent for National Public Radio, will broadcast his weekly “Talk of the Nation: Science Friday” show from the new Biomedical and Physical Science Building this week. This week’s show will deal with the food industry and alternative fuel technologies in the automotive industry. “Whenever we go on the road, we try to pick up local issues,” Flatow said. Flatow is visiting MSU this week as part of the McPherson Professorship. “I’ve never had a warmer welcome anywhere else,” he said.
East Lansing police officers are taking youths to court - where the biggest offense is a double dribble.Basketball season began last week for the Police Athletic League, a program designed to help relations between youths and the East Lansing Police Department.The league was started in 1998 when Officer James Campbell grew tired of watching East Lansing children getting into trouble.“There were kids in the community that didn’t have anything constructive to do,” he said.
MSU Museum talk details digital art With a storage of artwork moving from dusty galleries to memory chips, MSU Museum officials are addressing the preservation of digital artwork.
Lansing - Jay Leno’s jokes were falling on silent ears the days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. “If you don’t laugh, the terrorists have won,” Leno jokingly said to the silent audience. This story was told by David Carter, professor of criminal justice and director of the National Center for Community Policing at MSU, on Tuesday during the Homeland Security Seminar. Carter, who put the seminar together, discussed the future of community policing and the importance of maintaining a working relationship with private individuals to fight crime and terrorism. “It’s important to get this message across to the community,” he said.
State education officials disagree about the significance of Michigan Educational Assessment Program scores released from a group of charter schools. National Heritage Academies released an analysis of MEAPscores by the Hillsdale Policy Group showing students who attend an academy school for two or more years score higher than students entering an Academy school for the first year.The report said charter school students improved more than their public school counterparts in six of eight test categories and performed better than the state average for fifth and eighth grade writing and eighth grade science.“You’re seeing the evidence that charter schools, being a new public school, are getting dramatic results in education,” said Dan Quisenberry, president of Michigan Association of Public School Academies.But Margaret Trimer-Hartley, director of communications of the Michigan Education Association, disagrees.“There are many other indicators besides the MEAP,” she said.
ASMSU officials might support the university building its own recycling facility on or close to campus. At the undergraduate student government’s Academic Assembly meeting on Tuesday night, a report compiled by Steve Lovelace, the assembly’s internal vice chairperson, said a new facility would be the best option.
A couple of state bills would prohibit businesses from producing a chemical commonly used in upholstery, appliances and plastics. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are useful as a flame retardant.
Elections for the Residence Halls Association’s executive board will continue tonight at the general assembly meeting. President-elect Tim Liss could be joined by Case Hall Rep.
Every day Emily Eshenroder tries to walk a little bit farther.The 2001 MSU graduate parks farther away in the grocery store parking lot and walks around her office a few times a day.
With a budget of about $150 and a planning committee of three, MSU students will have the opportunity to celebrate the 82nd International Women’s Day four days after the rest of the world.
MSU officials will be reevaluating a proposal for MSU to create a new for-profit Internet service providing company.MSU Provost Lou Anna Simon, who presented the proposal at last month’s Board of Trustees meeting, refused to comment about the reevaluation, saying it only was taken off the trustee’s agenda, not suspended.The proposal would have created an Internet service providing company operating with a lower overhead cost than local competitors.
Students will have a chance to vote on representation and tax increases when student election polls open today. Position elections for ASMSU, the undergraduate student government, and other changes will stay open until noon Saturday at www.student-elections.msu.edu.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources could receive a few changes this year. The Natural Resources Commission, which establishes general policies for the department, met last week to discuss its goals for the year. The commission agreed on five goals to update the department’s policies but DNR spokesman Brad Wurfel said the biggest change in the commission’s outlook is its involvement in the department’s operations. “Clearly they’re making a move to become more involved in the agency and in the legislature,” he said. Wurfel said while a strong relationship is the highlight of the commission’s goals, the group has progressed in that respect over the past five years. Director K.L.
Donna Hawkins loves being a mom. In her Okemos home, Hawkins and her husband, John, care for foster children ranging from infants to teenagers.