Daily News Feb. 24

To see article on LansingStateJournal.com Click Here

Written By: Kathy Barks Hoffman

Protests at Michigan's Capitol bring in thousands

Police, firefighters fight bid to end arbitration; closings anger teachers

Thousands of protesters showed up at the Capitol in Lansing for a second day Wednesday, this time to challenge Republican lawmakers' efforts to take away binding arbitration for police and firefighters, proposed Detroit school closings and Gov. Rick Snyder's budget cuts and tax increases.West Bloomfield firefighters Peter Zarek and Todd Rogers held signs asking lawmakers to keep binding arbitration laws in place, noting the law lets a neutral party decide what's fair in contracts with police and firefighter unions, ending stalemates.

"It gives us a fair voice in the process," said Rogers, 46, a nine-year firefighter who lives in Farmington Hills. "What's wrong with talking?"

A House committee held a hearing Wednesday on the law, which opponents say too often forces local governments to pay wages and benefits they can't afford to police and firefighters. Supporters of the law point out that the arbitrator takes local governments' financial situations into account and that the law keeps police and firefighters on the job while labor disputes are settled.

Detroit teachers upset with Detroit Mayor Dave Bing's proposal to close around half of the city's schools to deal with a deficit angrily criticized the decision as they marched in front of the Capitol.
"They say, 'Cut back,' " yelled their leader. "We say, 'Fight back!,' " the teachers responded.

Orders issued

Snyder, meanwhile, issued two executive orders Wednesday changing how the state handles regulation and licensing, saying he wants the state to be more customer friendly.
Noting that the state Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Development has been "kind of a collection basket for a long time," Snyder said the new Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs will include a new Office of Regulatory Reinvention to "help create a regulatory process and environment that is conducive to economic growth."
One executive order transfers the Bureau of Health Professions, Bureau of Health Systems and the Controlled Substance Advisory Commission from the Department of Community Health to the new Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.

Other duties of the former department, such as work force development, will be moved to the Michigan Strategic Fund, which is part of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. The Michigan Next Energy Authority, Michigan State Housing Development Authority and the Land Bank Fast Track also are being moved to the Strategic Fund.
The position of automobile and home insurance consumer advocate, a position set up by then-Gov. Jennifer Granholm for longtime friend Melvin "Butch" Hollowell, has been abolished. Hollowell left late last year for another job.
Licensing and Regulatory Affairs director Steve Hilfinger said the state will continue to oversee occupational safety and health rather than turning that over to the federal government. He also said that a review will be undertaken to see if the state can stop licensing and regulating some professions currently overseen by the former department.
The executive orders take effect in 60 days.
Asked to name a regulation he thought was a good example of something that was unnecessary, Snyder pointed to a series of ergonomic regulations that were drafted but never put in place under Granholm because of GOP resistance.
"We said it wasn't needed," Snyder said.
Later in the day, the governor told the Michigan Society of Association Executives that his budget proposal is painful, but will get the state back on the right path. The proposal includes a $1.8 billion tax cut for businesses, deep cuts to public schools and universities and tax increases for most individual taxpayers, especially seniors and the working poor who would lose tax breaks.

Laying foundation

"Are there some people suffering? Yes, and I feel terrible about that," Snyder said. "This is about laying the foundation to reinvent our state."
He spoke about his three children, including his 22-year-old son, a 2010 Albion College graduate who hasn't been able to find more than a part-time job. He said the state needs to do more to make itself an attractive place to do business so more jobs are out there when his younger daughters and hundreds of thousands of other students are out of college.
"By the time my youngest gets out, gosh, it could be exciting here," he said.

Story Planner Feb. 24

Story Planner and Pitch Sheet

Reporter: __Jack Rodzik            __________________________________________

Story slug: ________Kositchek’s__________________ Due date: _March 17_________

Story idea:___How business is affected by _recession_________________________

How long does the story need to be? ___600-800 words_____________

Contact names/numbers: _Kositchek’s Store : 517-482-1171,  Carl Dorman

Readers’ viewpoint:

What questions beyond the 5 W’s and an H would the reader like answered?

1. Who are the customers? Are they only returning customers or new?

2. What have you done to accommodate the recession?

3. When did you notice a shift in sales?

4. How are you able to stay in business in this time of struggle?__

5. Why keep the store if sales are doing poorly (if they are down)

What is the single, most important thing about the story?_Finding out how the recession has impacted their sales

What additional information is needed? __Examples of changes, lowered prices? _____

What photos, graphics or multimedia would be good additions to this story?___

Kositchek’s Store, downtown Lansing, Kositchek’s’ clothes, modeled?

___________________________________________________________________________

STORY PITCH:

      In a struggling market, can one sacrifice one’s fashion needs? Get the story behind how Kositchek’s ability to remain standing strong in times where their prices may be out of reach.

Source List for First Story

Film and Panel Discussion Bring Up New Perspective On Race and Authority

Jack Rodzik

Feb. 17 2011

“The Death of An Imam”

248-974-8926

rodzikja@msu.edu

Film and Panel Discussion Bring Up New Perspective On Race and Authority

            EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State students and guests gathered in Snyder Phillips Hall on Friday, Feb. 11 to take part in a panel discussion after watching MSU Assistant Professor Geri Zeldes’ “The Death of an Imam”.

            This film exploits controversy behind the media coverage and police report of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah’s death, in which the actual story still remains quite unclear.The film features one-sided news clips of the incident, in which Abdullah is considered a “radical terrorist”, with no solid evidence to back the allegations.

            The police report states that four Federal Bureau of Investigation agents killed Abdullah, shooting him 21 times in self-defense after he shot at a police dog sent on him for robbing a Dearborn, Mich. warehouse.

            The panel held after the film screening was set up to feature a variety or professional opinions, allowing each board member to dive into the matter with their own personal perspectives. The panel featured Salah Hassan, Associate Professor of the Department of English at MSU, Catherine Grosso, Assistant Professor of Law at MSU, Saeed Khan, visiting professor at James Madison and Dawud Walid, from the Council on American-Islamic Studies.

             One of the main points of panel discussion, brought up by Catherine Grosso, was about the disputable police report on the night of Abdullah’s death, Oct. 28, 2009. Records state Abdullah shot a canine unit that was sent on him and in defense the FBI agents fired back, whereas the untold news stories, which mainstream media failed to pick up, show records of the canine unit that was sent on him arriving at a veterinarian hospital at the same time that it was shot. The gun that shot the dog was also tested for fingerprints and DNA, nothing was ever found that traced back to Abdullah.

            This sheds light on the fact that even the some of the highest credible organizations, the FBI, fails to keep accurate records at times. Erica Shekell, who transcribed the footage for “The Death of an Imam”, told me about how the mainstream media made the mistake of reporting the incident poorly.

            “It was interesting, when I was looking at clips online about FBI sending informants into Mosques, it’s a form of religious profiling. It was interesting to see that it wasn’t just this one event, it’s a problem,” Shekell said. “They swallowed the FBI’s side of the story.”

            I also spoke with Saeed Khan, who has consulted with British Broadcasting Company World and Time Magazine, who said the police report was “Interesting because it’s not just a series of facts, but also an editorial”.           

           

Daily News: Tuesday, Feb. 15

For full article in its original format Click Here to go to the Lansing Sate Journal website.

By Derek Melot
East Lansing fire causes $100,000 in damage.
 A fire Saturday night in East Lansing caused $100,000 in damages, says the East Lansing Fire Department.
The blaze, which broke out Feb. 12 at Capitol Villa Apartments, 1708 E. Grand River Avenue, was contained by personnel from East Lansing, Lansing and Meridian Township. Most of the damage was confined to a single apartment unit, though an adjacent unit also suffered smoke damage.
The East Lansing department believes nine of the 11 apartment units should be back in use today. The investigation into the cause of the fire should be complete in "the next two days," according to a department statement.
No injuries were reported from the fire, but firefighters did have to rescue four people who were trapped by smoke in a common hallway.

Who Revived the Electric Car?

Click Here to see the article on its original website at LansingStateJournal.com

Stabenow proposes new incentives for electric cars

Written by Associated Press

WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow plans to introduce legislation today aimed at jumpstarting demand for plug-in electric cars, such as the extended-range Chevrolet Volt, which also uses a gas generator, and the all-electric Nissan Leaf.
The legislation would give consumers a $7,500 cash rebate from the government - instead of a $7,500 tax refund - for buying an electric vehicle. That means the buyer would benefit immediately, instead of in the following year.
Stabenow, a Lansing Democrat., also plans to propose giving businesses a tax credit for purchasing commercial plug-in hybrid trucks. "These vehicles represent the jobs of the future, and the more that are sold, the more jobs will be created," she said in a statement.
The bill is similar to plans the White House announced two weeks ago that would help the country reach the president's goal of getting 1 million plug-in or advanced-technology cars on the road by 2015.

Advance Story for Lil' Sibs Weekend

Jack Rodzik
Feb. 3, 2010
Lil' Sibs Weekend
248-974-8926
rodzikja@msu.edu

Lil' Sibs Weekend, hosted by Michigan State University's University Activity Board, will start Friday at 7:00 p.m. Activities and events will be held through Saturday.

Lil' Sibs Weekend is a weekend to enjoy some quality family fun for MSU students and their younger siblings.

Starting at 7:00 p.m. on Friday,  the weekend will be kicked-off with a live musical performance followed by a magic show at eight and a presentation by Potter Park Zoo at nine thirty. Saturday will hold a variety of events including a scavenger hunt, team sports and a visit to the planetarium. Meal options will be available to purchase for students and their siblings.

Daily News: Feb. 3, 2011

Click Here to go to Lansing State Journal's website for this article


From the Lansing State Journal:

22-year-old Lansing woman stabbed to death

Melissa Domsic • mdomsic@lsj.com • February 2, 2011

 
UPDATED 11 A.M. -- LANSING -- A 22-year-old Lansing woman was stabbed to death early this morning in what police are calling a domestic incident.
Police responded to a report of a stabbing at about 3:45 a.m. at an apartment on the 2300 block of East Jolly Road, said Lansing police Lt. Noel Garcia.
The victim was found with multiple stab wounds. Emergency responders performed CPR and took her to a local hospital, where she died of her injuries, Garcia said.
A 29-year-old Lansing man is in custody, he said. The man was romantically involved with the victim and lived with her in the apartment, he said. Officers found and arrested the man at the apartment.
The victim had three children ages 2, 5 and 7, who were not at the apartment at the time, Garcia said. The suspect is not the father of the children, he said.
He said the suspect will most likely be arraigned on Thursday. There are no additional suspects at this time.
Police are still notifying family members, and the incident remains under investigation.

Daily News: Feb. 1st, 2011

Click Here for same article at LansingStateJournal.com

"Major storm headed for Lansing"
Written By: Laura Misjak (LMISJAK@LSJ.com) on Jan. 31, 2011

LANSING - More than 10 inches of snow is expected to hit the Lansing area Tuesday night through Wednesday in the largest snow storm so far this season.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Brandon Hoving said today that winds of 20 mph to 30 mph will accompany the snow, making drifts and blowing snow challenging for drivers.
"The snow will be blowing around quite a bit," Hoving said.
The storm system is large, spanning from Michigan south to Oklahoma, where ice will be more of a problem, Hoving said.
Snowfall will begin between 10 p.m. and midnight Tuesday and become heaviest at about 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Wednesday, Hoving said. Snow will continue throughout Wednesday, with a total of 10 inches or more expected.
"This is quick-hitting, heavy snow," Hoving said.