Wednesday, February 15,2012

Eye candy of the week

There’s long-held tradition in naming buildings — Monticello, Farnsworth and Robie, to name a few. Houses are typically named after the first owner or the architect. What do you get when the first owner is also an architect? In Lansing, you get the Darius B. Moon House.

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Wednesday, February 15,2012

Husband and wife

Why is the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration investigating Shannon Wiggins? Her husband's probation violation hearing may offer some clues.

by Andy Balaskovitz

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration executed a federal search warrant late last month at her eastside clinic. A spokesman for the federal agency could “neither confirm nor deny” that her second clinic on the north side and her Okemos home are also part of the investigation.

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Tuesday, February 14,2012

Could Hoekstra ad be political genius?

by Kyle Melinn

The explosive reaction generated news coverage in India and England. Political bloggers at The New York Times, Washington Post and Politico panned it. Slate tweeted that it’s “stupid and blatantly xenophobic to an embarrassing degree.” Comedy Central awarded it the “Creepiest Super Bowl ad.”

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Monday, February 13,2012

Recovering from the loss

Coping with the loss of a daughter, Lori Black opens up about the final hours of Shayla Johnson’s life and why she thinks the media haven’t accurately portrayed her family

by Andy Balaskovitz

“This is pretty much what my life has become,” Lori Black says while walking into the dining room of her west Lansing home. She’s carrying two stacks of paper. The first is about 3 1/2 inches thick with court hearing notifications. The second stack, of Lansing State Journal newspapers dating back to July 2010, is a little thicker.

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Wednesday, February 8,2012

A modest wind

Micro-turbines may soon harness the hot air at City Hall

by Lawrence Cosentino

In his State of the City address Jan. 30, Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero said the city was working with an Indiana manufacturer to put micro-turbines on city buildings as the first in “a series of small-scale green energy technologies” to be piloted here.

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Wednesday, February 8,2012

Eyesore of the week

by Andy Balaskovitz

Property: 1020 Trowbridge Road, East Lansing Owner: CCPL Real Estate Group Assessed value: $286,000 Owner says: Could not be reached for comment Architecture critic Amanda Harrell-Seyburn says: It is highly likely that this vacant building is the victim of low visibility.

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Thursday, February 2,2012

Foot-in-mouth disease

The mayor’s loose cannon strikes again, and other memorable Bernero blow-ups

by Andy Balaskovitz

“I was stunned,” Rossman-McKinney said Monday. “The way he specifically referred to Jim Nye in front of hundreds of people. You know our mayor. He gets pretty worked up — and he was really worked up about the thing. It was undignified and uncalled for.”

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Wednesday, February 1,2012

Going to Plan B

MSU students say they will draw up alternative energy transition plan

by Lawrence Cosentino

A coalition of Michigan State University students, frustrated with the university’s newly minted energy transition plan, announced Friday it will submit an alternative plan to MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon by Feb. 28.

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Wednesday, February 1,2012

Back for the board

Ferguson to run for fourth term on MSU Board of Trustees

by Kyle Melinn

Ferguson, a Democrat, says he still feels like he’s adding value to the university’s eight-member governing board. He enjoys what he’s doing and, at age 73, Ferguson is still viewed as the public face and leader of the statewide elected board.

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Wednesday, February 1,2012

He's gay, Republican and running for president

by Kyle Melinn

Karger lived with a male partner for 10 years, but he hid the news, rushing his partner out and hiding pictures on family visits.

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