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MICHIGAN

Attorney Generals life threatened in letter

Michigan Attorney General Jennifer Granholm’s life was threatened via a letter last week before she made a scheduled speech in Chesterfield Township.A threat assessment was done by the Michigan State Police in conjunction with the Warren Police Department, and it was determined that there was no danger.

MICHIGAN

Police battle racial profiling

LANSING - Police department officials put about 30 area residents through the same training this weekend that officers have received to combat racial profiling.Two-hour sessions on Saturday and Sunday drew about 15 people to the Harry Hill Vocational Center, 5815 Wise Road, to discuss profiling practices and learn about the department’s strategy to prevent it.Racial profiling is a practice in which police take action based on race, ethnicity or national origin rather than illegal or suspicious activities.“Historically, police officers were taught this.

MICHIGAN

Registration deadline arrives for upcoming election

Today is the last day to register to vote for the upcoming special elections. The elections, which are scheduled to take place March 20, are to fill three vacant seats in the state Legislature.Candidates for the seat left behind by Mike Rogers, R-Brighton, who won the 8th Congressional District race in November, include Rep.

MSU

Professors research effects of deforestation

A team of MSU researchers has been working on a project that could hold the fate of the Amazon rain forests in the balance.Mark Cochrane, a research scientist in the Department of Geography, has spent years in Brazil researching an extensive report titled, “The Future of the Brazilian Amazon.”“The whole point (of our research) is to allow the policy developers and the Brazilian government to make an informed decision,” Cochrane said.

MICHIGAN

House rejects pay increase

It is not often that 100 people would each turn down $20,000.“Have you ever voted down a pay raise?” asked House Speaker Rick Johnson, R-LeRoy, in his office Monday.The state House rejected a pay raise of that amount Thursday in a 100-6 vote.

MICHIGAN

Faculty help ease transition into college

Marqus Coleman knows what he’ll be doing after he graduates from East Lansing High School in June.He’ll attend Defiance College in Ohio.“The counselors at my school helped me with deciding but my mom and my dad always told me that I had to do something after high school,” Coleman said.Although the senior high school student’s decision was influenced by his counselors and parents, MSU officials say the trend is for prospective college students to get too wrapped up with career plans.William Metcalfe, a psychologist at MSU’s Counseling Center, said he talks with MSU students who are concerned about their niche at college and about future careers.“Sometimes I’ll see students early on adjusting to just what this place is like, where their niche is and what their opportunities are here,” he said.

MSU

U researchers investigate corn spacing, create adaptive equipment

MSU crop and soil science professors are researching what may be the wave of the future for growing corn.Kurt Thelen, professor of crop and soil sciences, has been researching the effects of growing corn in narrow 15-inch rows in comparison to the traditional 30-inch rows that many farmers around the country employ.The study began in 1997.“Historically it’s always been the planting implements that spaced rows of corn,” Thelen said.

MSU

Minority speaker series to host civil rights activists

Four theologians who experienced the American Civil Rights Movement firsthand will bring their stories and perspectives to MSU for Black History Month, which starts Thursday. The speakers will come to campus as part of the Visiting Minority Lecture Series titled “Slavery to Freedom: An American Odyssey.” The series is presented by MSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine and is a joint effort by the university and the state of Michigan to increase MSU’s minority faculty pool without hiring lecturers full-time. “This allows us to tap our resources nationwide to bring speakers to campus and make them more accessible to students and faculty,” said Sandy Kilbourn, the college’s executive director for external programs. Kicking off the series will be the Rev.

MICHIGAN

Number of flu cases to increase

The flu has been slowly making its rounds and the worst may still be on the way. Last year influenza reached its height in December, but this year the bug has been delayed throughout the nation, including Michigan, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The flu causes 20,000 deaths and 110,000 hospitalizations each year in the United States. English freshman Allyson Stanley had the flu during winter break, but didn’t go to the doctor. “I figured if it ended within a day, then I wouldn’t go, but if it persisted, I would go to the doctor,” she said.

MSU

HealthTeam values new leader

Margaret Knapp said she is excited about the possibilities her new position with the MSU HealthTeam will offer.Knapp was appointed as the chief operating officer of the MSU HealthTeam in October, and she said she is hoping to move it forward.“This is a dynamic environment with extreme potential,” Knapp said.The team provides medical care to students and the public and includes the MSU College of Human Medicine, the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, the MSU College of Nursing, Olin Health Center and clinical offices throughout the Lansing area.Before coming to MSU, Knapp spent 20 years in the U.S.

MICHIGAN

Restaurants seek permit for dance floors

East Lansing businesses want to give residents a place to put their feet up, and kick their feet up.Two downtown restaurants have requested the entertainment license required to have a dance floor: Troppo, 213 Ann Street, and Spartan Sports Den, 1227 E.

MSU

Grant aids study of tourism

Tropical vacations of the future may take on a new meaning for tourists.MSU Professor of Anthropology Laurie Medina plans to study a new trend in travel - but she’s not headed to the popular Cancun or Jamaica mainstays.She recently received a $74,940 grant, which she’ll use on an 8-month excursion to Belize where she’ll study “eco-tourism.”The concept defines a type of adventure travel emphasizing tourists’ social responsibility when visiting parts of the developing world.“It’s a fairly new idea over the last decade,” Medina said.

MSU

Evening College offers unique classes, less stress

Students and community members looking for enrichment will find offerings this spring at MSU’s Evening College, which opened registration Wednesday.The Evening College, a division of the MSU Alumni Association, aims to provide continuing education for adults, but gives students an opportunity at evening and weekend activities.“I believe in lifelong education for adults,” said Louise Cooley, director of the Evening College.Cooley said most participants are looking to continue their education in a leisurely, low-stress environment.

MSU

Senior to study in Ireland

Kathleen Romig will be getting a little overseas culture next year. Romig, a social relations senior, will spend next year studying in Ireland as part of the George J.

MICHIGAN

Charles Street to close Monday

East Lansing city officials will close Charles Street on Monday near the City Center Project so that construction on the project can continue. The crane being used to build the parking structure for the $35 million project will be moved onto Charles Street, forcing East Lansing to close the area between Grand River Avenue and Albert Avenue. Lori VanOmmeran, a city urban planner and community analyst, said the street will re-open by the end of March.