Tagged: WKAR

By Scott Pohl, WKAR News

EAST LANSING, MI –

Michigan State University Trustees have approved a $10-million dollar project to upgrade scoreboards at Spartan Stadium.

The main video board at the south end of the stadium will be 5,400 square feet, about ten times the size of the existing scoreboard.

At the north end, two video boards will be in place. A video ribbon will link the two.

Deputy athletic director Greg Ianni says the new sound system will be a big improvement.

By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network

LANSING, MI – Governor Rick Snyder will decide no later than Friday whether to appoint an emergency manager in the Highland Park school district in southeast Michigan. He says he is considering the recommendation of a financial review panel to appoint an emergency manager,as well as an appeal from the district.

Snyder says his goal is to make sure the district is not forced to shut down.

By Kevin Lavery, WKAR News

East Lansing, MI – The East Lansing City Council has selected interim city manager George Lahanas to fill that post on a permanent basis. The decision ends a three-month national search process.

Lahanas was one of five finalists to apply for the job as city manager. He's a 13-year veteran of East Lansing government, having served as a labor relations specialist and deputy city manager.

By Scott Pohl, WKAR News

EAST LANSING, MI –
Michigan State University Trustees have approved proceeding with phase one of site preparation and excavation for the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, or F-RIB.

U-S Energy Secretary Steven Chu recently sent shock waves through the MSU community with comments expressing some doubt about the future of federal funding for the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams.

By Mark Bashore, WKAR News

EAST LANSING, MI –

East Lansing interim city manager George Lahanas has accepted a city council offer to assume the position permanently. More on this story on 'All Things Considered' beginning at 4pm on 90.5/WKAR.

By AP

DETROIT –

Officials at the University of Michigan say they hope President Barack Obama's campus speech will prompt more people to think about the importance of college affordability and its role in strengthening U.S. global competitiveness.

Mr. Obama is scheduled to arrive in the Detroit area Thursday night before his speech Friday in Ann Arbor. He's on a three-day, post-State of the Union tour of politically crucial states to promote his 2012 economic policy goals.

By AP

TRAVERSE CITY, MI –

Ranchers in the western Great Lakes region are eager to take up arms against a longtime enemy: wolves.

The gray wolf comes off the federal endangered species list Friday in Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin, where the combined population is 4,400.

Wolves have rebounded strongly there after being hunted to near-extinction. They gained federal protection in 1974.

By AP

DETROIT –

The state of Michigan says it's received federal approval to build an elevated ramp that will take trucks directly to interstates from Detroit's Ambassador Bridge.

The job could be completed by Memorial Day. In a statement Wednesday, the Transportation Department says the property finally was signed over last month by the bridge owner.

By AP

LANSING, MI –

Michigan officials say that seasonally unadjusted unemployment rates have increased in all 17 major state labor markets.

The December figures were released Thursday. Rates rose everywhere, with the Upper Peninsula and the northeastern and northwestern Lower Peninsulas showing the highest percentage jumps from November to December.

Statewide, the unadjusted jobless rate was 9%, up from 8.4% in November. The seasonally adjusted rate has been falling for months.

By Scott Pohl, WKAR News

EAST LANSING, MI –

The finalists for East Lansing city manager met with residents at a public forum Wednesday evening.

The next step in the process is today, when the city council will conduct interviews with all five.

The council is scheduled to make a selection on Friday.

WKAR's Scott Pohl spoke with East Lansing mayor Diane Goddeeris about what she and her colleagues on the city council are looking for in the search's final days.

By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network

LANSING, MI –

A package of bills that would increase the state's vehicle registration fees and the amount drivers pay for a gallon of gas has been rolled out at the state Capitol. As Michigan Public Radio's Laura Weber reports, it's designed to generate more than a billion dollars to help fix the state's crumbling bridges and roads.

By Melissa Benmark, WKAR News

EAST LANSING, MI –

WKAR's Melissa Benmark speaks with conductor Leon Gregorian about the next Michigan State University Symphony Orchestra concert, which features a new Tuba Concerto by MSU professor Ron Newman.

By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network

LANSING, MI –

The debate over the effectiveness of cyber K-12 schools is ramping up at the state Capitol. A state House panel is considering a measure that would allow more cyber schools to operate in Michigan. Michigan Public Radio's Laura Weber has more

There are currently two cyber schools authorized in Michigan. Supporters of online learning say kids and parents should be afforded more education options and opportunities in the digital age.

By AP

LANSING, MI –

The Board of Directors for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians has voted to move forward with a proposed $245 million casino in downtown Lansing.

Roger Martin, a spokesman for the tribe, said in an email that the board voted 8-2 on Tuesday night to approve an agreement with the City of Lansing.

Backers of the Kewadin Lansing Casino plan announced Monday that it could create about 1,500 permanent jobs and 700 construction jobs. Money also could be used to fund scholarships for area students.

By Mark Bashore, WKAR

EAST LANSING, MI –

State representative Mark Meadows wants more frequent school building inspections in Michigan. The East Lansing Democrat has announced he is seeking a co-sponsor for legislation that would mandate inspections every five years.

By Rick Pluta, Michigan Public Radio Network

LANSING, MI –

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette says the state should use a budget windfall to hire a thousand more police officers. Statewide, violent crime has gone down in recent years, but -- as we hear from Michigan Public Radio's Rick Pluta, Michigan still has some of the most dangerous cities in the country.

By Gretchen Millich, WKAR News

Eaton County, MI – The latest report from Kids Count in Michigan shows a disturbing trend: growing numbers of children are living in poverty, and statewide the rate of child abuse and neglect rose by 34 per cent over the last 10 years.

Perhaps the most shocking statistic for mid-Michigan comes from Eaton County, where the rate of child abuse and neglect jumped more than 400 percent over the past decade.

By AP

LANSING, MI –

A bill that would authorize a fundraising license plate connected to an anti-abortion group is advancing in the Michigan Senate.

Legislation that would allow the license plate linked to Right to Life of Michigan was approved unanimously Tuesday by the Senate Transportation Committee.

The legislation would allow Michigan residents to buy a "Choose Life" license plate with a portion of the money going to Right to Life. The organization says the money would go to abortion prevention projects.

By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network

LANSING, MI –

A new proposal at the state Capitol would reduce the state's income tax rate over the next few years. As Michigan Public Radio's Laura Weber tells us, a Republican state lawmaker says he wants to make good on a promise made to people in Michigan.

By AP

LANSING, MI –

A state audit says Michigan regulators have fallen behind in inspecting flight schools.

The state Transportation Department is supposed to inspect schools every three years, but auditors found the rule was missed at 80 percent of 63 flight schools reviewed. Inspections were more than three years late at 26 schools, and more than five years tardy at eight.

The Transportation Department generally agreed with the finding and says the Aeronautics Office will comply with state law.