News

By Melissa Ingells, WKAR News

EAST LANSING, MI – Lev Raphael reviews a triple biography about the famous German writer Thomas Mann's talented and troubled kids. He has a review of Andrea Weiss's book In the Shadow of the Magic Mountain: The Erika and Klaus Mann Story. When he's not reviewing books for us, Lev Raphael is writing them, and his latest is a memoir called "My Germany."

By AP

EAST LANSING, MI – Mark Dantonio has never been more excited for Michigan State to begin a Big Ten season.

The Spartans coach knows the team will have to play better defense when it travels to Wisconsin this Saturday. Michigan State is 1-2 and the Badgers are 3-0.

Michigan State has lost back-to-back games by five points or less for just the second time in school history. Dantonio has two new starters penciled in on defense: freshman Chris Norman at strongside linebacker and Kendall Davis-Clark at cornerback.

By AP

AUBURN HILLS, MI – The Indiana Fever are one step away from the WNBA finals, but the remaining obstacle is one they've never been able to overcome.

The Fever open the Eastern Conference finals Wednesday against the Detroit Shock. That's the defending champion and the team that has eliminated Indiana in each of the last three post-seasons.

Detroit went to the finals all three times and won titles twice.

MVP candidate Tamika Catchings of the Fever has been on the losing side of all three series and is desperate to end the streak.

By AP

PHILADELPHIA – James van Riemsdyk, vying for a roster spot at left wing, scored two goals to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to their first pre-season win, 5-2 over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night.

Mike Pyorala, a 28-year-old free agent playing professionally for the first time outside of Scandanavia, and Dan Carcillo, each had a goal and an assist, and Danny Briere also scored for the Flyers (1-2-1).

Jonathan Ericsson and Kris Newbury scored for the Red Wings (2-3), who dropped their third straight game.

By AP

CLEVELAND – Edwin Jackson wouldn't allow the AL Central to get any tighter.

Detroit's steady starter pitched seven shutout innings and remained unbeaten against Cleveland this season, and the first-place Tigers kept their slender lead over Minnesota with a 3-1 win over the staggering Indians, who dropped their ninth
straight on Tuesday night.

By Kevin Lavery, WKAR News

LANSING, MI – Assembly line workers in Lansing say they're excited by the news that General Motors will add a third shift to its Delta Township plant. GM will move production of the Chevy Traverse to Lansing in January. The automaker plans to bring on about 800 workers for the third shift no later than April.

Brian Fredline, president of Lansing UAW Local 602, says he hopes to have all Delta Township plant workers back on the job

By AP

DELTA TOWNSHIP, MI – Auto-Owners Insurance Group says it will build a new corporate complex when it expands its Delta Township headquarters.

The $105.3 million project will be near the company's Delta Township headquarters. It would add a three-story, 250,000 square-foot building on 143 acres.

Most of the land was bought from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan earlier this year.

By Rick Pluta, Michigan Public Radio Network

LANSING, MI – Governor Granholm's million-dollar cut to veterans groups would be continued in the new fiscal year under a compromise adopted by a House and Senate budget committee.

The organizations help veterans and service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan connect with services and collect benefits. The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and nine other service organizations have already laid off about a dozen people who assist veterans.

By Rick Pluta, Michigan Public Radio Network

Lansing, MI – Michigan lawmakers are negotiating toward a budget deal with the deadline now eight days away. Legislative leaders say they hope to have agreements on most of the 15 bills that make up the budget by the end of today.

AUDIO:

House and Senate conference committees are negotiating details of spending plans that will have to be voted up or down later this week.

By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network

LANSING, MI – State lawmakers failed to meet a self-imposed 5 p.m. Tuesday deadline to have a budget deal finalized. House Speaker Andy Dillon and Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop set the deadline for more than a dozen committees hashing out spending agreements for state departments.

AUDIO:
Most of the committees postponed their meetings. Some of the toughest budgets deal with controversial issues such as Medicaid and the Michigan Promise college scholarship.

By Kevin Lavery, WKAR News

Lansing, MI – Criminal justice advocates are calling on state lawmakers to pass reform legislation they say will treat juvenile offenders more fairly.

AUDIO:

Michigan first developed its juvenile justice system a century ago, at a time when advocates say the courts recognized the developmental differences between children and adults.

By AP

NEW YORK – Former Super Bowl star Plaxico Burress has been sentenced to two years in prison
after accidentally shooting himself in the thigh at a nightclub and later reaching a plea deal on weapons charges.

The former New York Giants wide receiver and Michigan State University player was sentenced Tuesday in Manhattan's state Supreme Court. He will be supervised for two
years after his release.

By AP

NEW YORK – Opening night at New York City's Metropolitan Opera featured a new production of Puccini's beloved "Tosca," a starry cast, music director James Levine in the pit - and from the audience, the loudest and most sustained booing in memory.

By AP

EAST LANSING, MI – Researchers have found an undisturbed 16,000-year-old sand dune on the campus of Michigan State University.

It's far from the water, and researchers say it was left behind when the ice sheets were melting away as the climate warmed.

The university said Monday the find is underneath a grove of pine trees between Demonstration Hall and Munn Ice Arena.

Michigan State geography professor Alan Arbogast says it's the first time he's seen an inland sand dune so far south.

By AP

NEW YORK – Newcomers Vinny Prospal and Enver Lisin scored on the power play in New York's three-goal first period, and the Rangers held on to beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-2 on Monday night in star forward Marian Gaborik's pre-season debut.

Prospal, Lisin - off a beautiful feed from Gaborik - and Ryan Callahan scored in a span of 5 minutes, 12 seconds to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead against beleaguered goalie Daniel Larsson.

By AP

DETROIT, MI – Detroit and state health officials have released a plan to prevent and control swine flu in Michigan's largest city.

Detroit is expected to get a limited supply of the H1N1 virus vaccine in October.

Authorities say the first round of vaccine will go to pregnant women, children between 6 months and 4 years old, and their caregivers, parents and siblings. It also will go to anyone between 5 and 18 with underlying illnesses.

Clinics will be held in Detroit Public Schools for students in that group.

By Kevin Lavery, WKAR News

EAST LANSING, MI – East Lansing Mayor Vic Loomis says he'd support a temporary state budget if lawmakers can't reach a final deal before October 1. Loomis and other elected leaders are worried about a Senate plan that owuld impose $163-million in shared revenue cuts.

Cities rely heavily on that funding to pay for vital services such as police and fire support. Loomis says East Lansing has a balanced budget and cash reserves because it protects basic needs.

By Rick Pluta, Michigan Public Radio Network

LANSING, MI – At the state Capitol, legislative leaders hope this is the week they seal a budget deal, and send it to Governor Granholm. The deadline for wrapping up the budget is now nine days away.

Lawmakers spent the weekend trying to find a consensus on at least one-point-two (b) billion dollars in cuts.

By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network

DETROIT, MI – State House Speaker Andy Dillon and Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop are confident the Legislature will reach a budget deal with Governor Granholm before the October 1st deadline. The legislative leaders appeared together Monday in Detroit.

By Steve Carmody, Michigan Public Radio Network

LANSING, MI – The election is still a year away but the race for Michigan's Attorney General's office is heating up. Former Michigan congressman Bill Schuette is formally launching his campaign for state Attorney General this week with stops in Midland, Southfield, Grand Rapids and Lansing.

Schuette says Michigan's next attorney general must protect people and support law enforcement.