WKAR | Public Media from Michigan State University

Tiger hall of famer George Kell dead at 86

By AP

Little Rock, AR – George Kell, a Hall of Fame third baseman who outdueled Ted Williams for the 1949 American League batting title and finished his career with a batting average of .306, died Tuesday morning.

He was 86.

Kell played 14 years in the American League with Philadelphia, Detroit, Boston, Chicago and Baltimore.

He won the American League batting title in 1949 when he hit .3429 and Ted Williams hit .3427.

Kell hit more than .300 nine times and was selected to play in 10 All-Star games.

Amnesty Int'l questions Michigan taser death

By AP

Bay City, MI – Amnesty International is questioning police use of a Taser to subdue a Michigan teenager who died shortly after being shocked.

Bay City police say the teen was Tasered after trying to fight
officers during a disturbance call early Sunday morning.

They say officers handcuffed him but called an emergency crew
after seeing him in medical distress.

Brett Elder would have turned 16 Tuesday.

An autopsy was conducted Monday, but a cause of death has not
been determined.

WKAR NewsRoom

EAST LANSING, MI – The WKAR News team invites you to explore the WKAR NewsRoom, a new online area at WKAR.org.

WKAR NewsRoom is now in 'public beta'.

Send us your comments using the 'Email the Newsroom' tool at the left. We'll continue to develop the look and layout of these pages, as we strive to present the balanced mix of local, state, national and world news that our online visitors seek.

MI House Republicans call for spending cuts

By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network

LANSING, MI – LANSING, MI (MPRN) - Republicans from the state House of Representatives want Governor Granholm to cut spending by five percent across the board. The G.O.P. is also asking to freeze pay for all state employees.

Representative Chuck Moss says federal stimulus money should not go toward paying state worker salaries. He says state government is headed in the same direction as car companies.

Bernero's city budget at $117m for 2009-10

By Rob South, WKAR Radio News

LANSING, MI – LANSING, MI (WKAR) - The City of Lansing is projected to have $117 million to spend in the upcoming fiscal year.

Mayor Virg Bernero says he had to cut $5.5 million of city spending to balance the 2010 fiscal year budget. He was planning to put the plan before the city Council Monday night. Bernero calls the budget "lean and mean."

Bernero says 40 unfilled city jobs will be left vacant to balance the budget. But he says city residents shouldn't notice a decrease in city services.

Test WKAR Source

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Test AP Source

Boston, MA – Nulla lacus sapien, feugiat nec, sagittis a, vehicula id, dolor. Suspendisse cursus vehicula ante. Vestibulum ornare tincidunt lectus. Donec nulla nibh, pretium sed, fringilla ac, scelerisque non, lectus. Sed eu eros tempor nunc convallis dignissim. Phasellus nisl. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. In lorem. Suspendisse rhoncus neque sit amet nisl. Vestibulum egestas porta arcu. Sed euismod neque pharetra augue. Aenean vulputate congue urna. Etiam consequat aliquam lacus. Donec dignissim tincidunt velit.

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Test MPRN Source

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MSU Special Coverage

MSU Today

There are agriculture-related challenges for 2018, but still much to celebrate in Michigan

By Kirk Heinze • Jan 9, 2018

Despite the projected continuation of lower commodity prices for farmers, Jim and Dianne Byrum remain very optimistic about the agricultural sector, especially in Michigan.

Jim, president of the Michigan Agri-Business Association, and Dianne, partner and co-founder of Byrum and Fisk Advocacy Communications, recently joined me to discuss several key agricultural issues that will be front and center in 2018.

Listen

Listening...

20:25

Jim and Dianne Byrum talk with Kirk Heinze.

WILX-TV GM and MSU alumnus Mike King on the exploding options in our television future

By Russ White • Dec 28, 2017

MSU alumnus Mike King is regional vice president for Gray Television and general manager of WILX-TV 10 in Lansing.

King recalls the limited options of the television world in the early 80’s when he entered the business and how the content options for consumers have exploded. “The content is still important,” says King. “The platform has really become more agnostic to us.”

Listen

Listening...

9:54

Mike King talks with Russ White.

From NPR News

Australia's Heat Wave Fries Bats' Brains, Hundreds Found Dead

By Vanessa Romo • 1 hour ago

It's summer in Australia and extreme heat is causing bats' brains to fry.

Hundreds of fur-covered flying fox bats, which lack sufficient canopy cover and shade in Australia's suburbs, died outside Sydney over the weekend as temperatures soared to 117 degrees F, the hottest it's been since 1939.

Ethiopian Lawmakers Vote To Ban Foreign Adoptions

By Amy Held • 1 hour ago

The Ethiopian Parliament voted Tuesday to ban all foreign adoptions, months after suspending them, amid fears children will suffer abuse and neglect overseas.

An official with the State Department tells NPR that State officials, including those at the Addis Ababa Embassy, have repeatedly spoken to the Ethiopian government to try to move pending cases forward and to emphasize the importance of intercountry adoptions and will continue to do so.

Climate Change Means 'Virtually No Male Turtles' Born In A Key Nesting Ground

By Merrit Kennedy • 2 hours ago

Warming temperatures are having a profound and potentially devastating impact on one of the most important green sea turtle populations in the world.

Scientists were surprised to find that "virtually no male turtles" are being hatched in a key breeding ground in the northern Great Barrier Reef.

Like many reptiles, the sex of a turtle is determined by how warm the egg is as it's being incubated. And small temperature differences can cause dramatic changes in the male-to-female ratio.