Police enforce safety laws during uneventful holiday weekend

Traffic enforcement officers in mid-Michigan can breathe a short sigh of relief before cracking down on Christmas and New Year’s travelers.The weekend surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday has traditionally been one of the most-traveled weekends of the year, making it a top safety concern, according to Michigan State Police.Four hundred agencies across the state took part in Operation Click It or Ticket, part of the Michigan mobilization effort of Buckle Up America and Operation ABC Mobilization: America Buckles Up Children, two nationwide safety campaigns.The Ingham County Sheriff’s Department had at least two officers on the road each day to look for drivers violating Michigan traffic laws, such as speeding and failure to wear safety belts, and as many as six Friday, Ingham County Sheriff’s Department Sgt.

Holiday shoppers encounter busy malls

Filling up with turkey on Thanksgiving left many with the energy to go into combat the next morning - in the battlefields of shopping malls.The Friday after Thanksgiving, known to retailers as the busiest shopping day of the year, offers a time for the public to start its holiday shopping.

DCL hosts local Arabs, Israelis in discussion

Watching the news is becoming increasingly difficult for businessman Boulas Ghraib.A Palestinian, Ghraib said it saddens him to watch TV reports about the violence and conflict that continue between Israelis and Palestinians.Ghraib joined another Palestinian man and two Israeli men in a discussion at MSU-Detroit College of Law last week.

Muslim students begin celebration of holiest holiday

MSU Muslim students will begin their holiest month today.Ramadan, a Muslim holiday observed through prayer and fasting - abstaining from food and drink - during the daylight hours, begins today.Umbrin Ateequi, a member of MSU’s Muslim Student Association, said the holiday is a time for personal improvement.“Ramadan is a time to reflect and be thankful for things we take for granted,” she said.

Session nears end, lawmakers push legislation

With only two weeks left for bills in the House and Senate to become law before this year’s session ends, some lawmakers are scrambling to see their legislation through.With more than 1,000 bills introduced every session, and only about 100 passing, it’s common to end a session with almost a thousand failing.Some lawmakers say the lack of time doesn’t deter them from trying to speed up their efforts; it makes business more hectic.State House Rep.

Child development center to get face-lift

The Spartan Child Development Center doesn’t look like a place that would house 90 children each day.Put together by five white trailers and covering about 6,800 square feet, the nearly 30-year-old facility near Spartan Village apartments sees children from 60 different countries within its cramped walls.“It was started in response to a need for child care for university employees,” said Robin Zeiter, the center’s executive director.

Hubbard to serve Native American meal

Students can savor a sampling of Native American culture Tuesday. Hubbard Hall is offering a Native American dinner, the second of four culinary events focused on bringing diversity to residence hall dining rooms. “It’s to give the students on campus the ability to experience authentic cooking from various cultures,” Food Services Coordinator Bruce Haskell said.

U ceremony honors donor

For Delia Koo, supporting international programs at MSU is more important than all the money in the world.Koo, who received a master’s degree from MSU in 1954, donated an undisclosed sum for the addition of a third floor to the academic wing of the International Center.

Caucus to hold Kwanzaa event

In the spirit of the upcoming holiday season, North Complex Black Caucus will host its second annual Kwanzaa Program on Tuesday. The program will feature a keynote speech by Kimberly Ellis, author of the “Kwanzaa Song,” as well as a rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” - also known as the “Black National Anthem” - various cultural performances and an appearance by Amka Afrika dance troupe. The event is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Wrongly convicted get help

DNA can help lock criminals away - now it can help get them out as well.Lansing’s Thomas Cooley Law School has started an Innocence Project for the state to help find and release innocent people serving time in jail.“That’s what this is all about - getting people who are in prison out because they are not the people who committed the crime,” said Norman Fell, director of the project.

University governments meet in Ann Arbor

Student government representatives from all but one of Michigan’s publicly funded universities journeyed to Ann Arbor last weekend in hopes of re-establishing ties between their institutions. Delegates from 14 schools, including MSU, met at the University of Michigan for the first official Association of Michigan Universities session.

Commencement speakers chosen

Three high-profile men were selected to give commencement speeches to MSU’s graduates for December’s ceremonies.Raymond Kurzweil, developer of the world’s first print-to-speech reading machine for the blind, Alejandro Junco de la Vega, a journalist and newspaper publisher from Mexico, and Jeffrey N.

Museum displays St. Nick exhibit

A Santa Claus collection is coming to town.The annual exhibit of Val Berryman’s expansive Father Christmas collection will go on display at the MSU Museum today.“I started picking things up in 1983,” the curator of history for the MSU Museum said.

Offender Web site may benefit students

Some university officials wonder: Are students concerned about receiving public information about sexual perpetrators at MSU? A small group of students and staff met last weekend to discuss whether students need to be better informed about the Michigan Public Sex Offender Registry, a Web site that lists the names of convicted sexual offenders in Michigan. The information is organized by ZIP code and includes an offenders’ address, physical description, date of birth and some data about the type of crime committed. Ann Bolger, director of Residence Life, said the university’s current policy is to make MSU staff members aware that the site can inform students.

U lands portion of grant for African American studies

As MSU joins the ranks of universities that are paving the way in African American studies, the journey will now be made a little easier.The university is slated to share a $600,000 grant from the Ford Foundation - an organization committed to providing grants and loans to projects that advance human achievement - with four other universities that are part of the Midwest Consortium for Black Studies.The consortium consists of a group of research and teaching faculty at MSU, the University of Michigan, the University of Wisconsin at Madison and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.MSU will use its share of the grant to develop undergraduate- and graduate-level African American studies programs.“African American studies is a growing dynamic field of academic inquiry,” said Curtis Stokes, a James Madison College professor.Stokes is one of the project directors who will be overseeing the use of the grant.

Greeks elect executive council

The newly-elected greek council held its first joint meeting Monday where they began planning their priorities for the upcoming year.The greek system elected their executive council Nov.

Cops increase patrols

More than 400 law enforcement agencies across the state, many in mid-Michigan, are stepping up traffic patrol during the Thanksgiving holiday as part of “Operation Click It or Ticket.”Operation Click it or Ticket is the Michigan mobilization effort of Buckle Up America and Operation ABC Mobilization: America Buckles Up Children, two nationwide safety campaigns.The campaign, sponsored by the Office of Highway Safety Planning, will publicize Michigan’s new mandatory safety belt law, which passed in March.

Police briefs 11/22/00

Council chooses speakers

With their undergraduate careers drawing to a close, MSU seniors Eric Stoddard and Ben Kronk figured they had been through it all.That is, until they were selected as the student speakers for their Dec.

State remembers official

People all over Michigan continue to mourn the loss of state Rep. Janet Kukuk after she died Sunday following a 5-year battle with cancer.Gov.