The last time Carol Facca saw her first child alive was 20 years ago. Her then 3-month old son, Kyle, died at day care of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, on the first day Facca returned to work from maternity leave. "After Kyle was born, I felt like I knew what life was all about.
The blue police cruisers that roam the streets of East Lansing soon could become more like the talking car David Hasselhoff fought crime in during the 1980s - Knight Rider. While the East Lansing Police Department's patrol cars will not shoot back sarcastic one-liners, officers will be able to talk to their cars, if the East Lansing City Council approves a contract at tonight's meeting to install upgrades to the fleet's on-board computer systems. If the contract is approved, each cruiser's computer will be updated with voice recognition software and other upgrades, which would create a hands-free link between the driver and the information he or she needs. "The biggest thing is officer safety," said Juli Liebler, East Lansing's deputy police chief.
A new bill is being considered in the Michigan House of Representatives that would levy a tax on phones is coming under fire from Michigan's telephone companies. The bill would place a monthly charge of $1.35 on every phone in the state including landlines, cell phones, and Voice over Internet Protocol. The Telecommunications Association of Michigan launched a print and radio ad campaign Thursday intended to raise awareness about the bill and how it could affect Michigan residents if passed. Called "Hang Up the Phone Tax," the campaign is aimed at informing voters about what the bill does so they can call their legislators, said Scott Stevenson, president of the Telecommunications Association of Michigan. "The state is trying to shift $200 million on the bills of telephone users," Stevenson said.
Fundraisers come in cans. The 10 cents refund received on bottles and cans will go to a greater cause with the MSU Women's Resource Center "Cans for the Cure" bottle drive. Collection bins are set up and the bottle campaign will run until Oct.
For Freddie Cunningham, kids are crucial to a successful concert. "They have that natural energy and enthusiasm, and adults sometimes have gotten too sophisticated and cool to do that," said Cunningham, lead singer of the Root Doctor band, which performed for East Lansing's Live!
If you had 24 hours with the Stanley Cup, what would you do? "I would date the Cup.
Correction: Should have identified State Rep. Steve Bieda, D-Macomb. A pair of bills introduced to the state House of Representatives would let certain Michigan bars and restaurants to allow their customers to smoke, even if a state law banning smoking in public places is passed. Introduced June 21, the bills would work in tandem with the proposed statewide smoking ban, requiring bars and restaurants that want to allow smoking to apply for a permit.
After being awarded a $2 million federal grant, the Lansing Economic Development Corporation plans to improve the infrastructure of the University Corporate Research Park with hopes of attracting technical companies to the area. In addition to the grant, the MSU Foundation - a nonprofit organization that works to advance the growth of MSU as a landgrant university - will match the funding awarded, bringing the total to $4 million. "Essentially, what we are doing is linking the north end of the park to the south end of the park to open it up for future development," said Kara Wood, director of Downtown Core and SmartZone liaison. Changes to the infrastructure will include road, water and sewer system improvements, as well as adding street landscaping and additional parking, Wood said. The Lansing Regional SmartZone encompasses the whole of the research park, she said, and is owned and operated by the MSU Foundation.
Ten feet in the air, a man dressed in a glittery, purple mermaid suit danced on top of a truck parked in the street at the Michigan Pride festival, march and rally. Several thousand supporters of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community raised awareness for the community in Lansing during the weekend. "It's important to come out and be part of a community that is often isolated," said David Jaques, a communications junior.
The nearly 5,000 MSU students who will work in the dorms and cafeteria this year won't be greatly impacted after the state minimum wage jumped Sunday to $7.15 per hour. The new minimum wage, which was previously $6.95 per hour, is the second installment of a three-part increase that eventually caps at $7.40 in July 2008. Most MSU students are paid at or above minimum wage, and the same number of employees will be hired this year compared to previous years, said Angela Brown, director of housing. But some people wonder if the new minimum wage can make a difference in boosting Michigan's struggling economy, which has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation. "Economists report rising wages can stimulate economic activity throughout the state," said Megan Brown, a spokeswoman for Gov.
Kelly O'Brien isn't familiar with MSU's e-mail system. Compared to Google's Gmail, the May graduate said MSU's system just didn't have much to offer her - so she stopped using it. She forwarded all of her MSU e-mail to the Gmail account, which also allows users to store documents and calendar events. There's also a Gmail feature her and her family members can't live without. "You can chat on it," she said. About 9 million e-mails are sent and received each day through MSU e-mail system, www.mail.msu.edu. The system hasn't received a complete overhaul since spring of 2003, when it was launched, but students shouldn't have to wait much longer, said Dave Gift, vice provost for Libraries Computing and Technology.
Holly Brophy-Herb knows the research her team conducted regarding young children's social and emotional development will make a difference in the lives of families. "There is lots of evidence that shows early development does foster (social and emotional skills)," Brophy-Herb said.
The Spartan Sports Den, 1227 E. Grand River Ave., has closed after years of serving beer, food and sports to East Lansing residents. The property was sold to Vlahakis Companies, a local property management company. The space is to be filled by Los Tres Amigos, a Mexican restaurant.
Kresge Art Museum will offer a training class in September for people interested in giving tours of the new Eli and Edythe Broad Museum of Art.
As Michigan looks down the barrel of a $1.5 billion deficit for the 2008 fiscal year, a debate has been brewing in the Capitol on the subject that could potentially affect not only the state's finances but the outcome of upcoming elections: Taxes. The questions being raised by legislators about tax policy runs the gamut from raising the current 3.9 percent income tax rate to extending the reach of the sales tax. Although cuts have been made to the state government, from jobs to funding, they will not be enough to help Michigan out of its current financial situation, said Bryan Ritchie, an MSU associate professor of international relations and expert on Michigan's economic future. "There's no way to get around the current circumstances without raising taxes," he said.
Lansing — Three years ago, William Daniel's younger brother escaped a cracking belt and beating at the hands of his mother long enough to call 911. At 11 years old, Daniel watched as police handcuffed his mother and drove her away in the back of a police car. "They saw from the bruises, scars and marks on my brother's face and back that the situation we were living in was unhealthy," Daniel said. Daniel and his brother became two of more than half a million children in the country living in foster care.
Patricia Ann McGraw, 49, waived her right for a preliminary examination Wednesday morning at East Lansing's 54-B District Court. McGraw, a former MSU employee who turned herself into police June 20 on an embezzlement charge, will now await a pretrial meeting to be scheduled at Lansing's 30th Judicial Circuit Court. McGraw has been charged with embezzling more than $20,000 from the MSU Department of Theatre, where she worked as a business office supervisor.
Nine-year-old Mike Todd played with his name tag as his grandfather, Ron Lott, a 1963 MSU graduate, talked about the classes they're scheduled to take.
A bill to add an environmental ombudsman office within the state's legislative council was referred June 19 to the Michigan House of Representatives Great Lakes and Environmental Committee. House Bill 4952 would create a regulatory office to oversee the actions of the state's Department of Environmental Quality, or DEQ. An ombudsman, the primary executive officer of the office, would be appointed to manage complaints citizens have with the DEQ. "It sets up a process and an individual for the citizens in Michigan to go to if they believe the DEQ has overstepped its bounds or have found that state laws or policies have unfairly impacted individuals," said Phil Browne, chief of staff for Rep.