NewsRoom

The Michigan State University Board of Trustees faces a pivotal decision today.  The board will decide whether to approve a strategic clean energy plan that would eventually transition the campus to 100 percent renewable energy.  The plan calls for MSU to produce 15 percent of its energy from renewables in just three years. 

The plan has been staunchly opposed by student environmental groups at MSU, who claim it’s not strong enough to effect any real change.  They’re also critical of the fact that the vision does not include scrapping the university’s coal-fired power plant.

The Michigan State University Board of Trustees will meet Friday. Higher room and board rates, and a strategic clean energy plan, are on the agenda.

After 24 years, John Schneider will publish his last column in the Lansing State Journal on Sunday.

At 63, Schneider has penned hundreds of columns, notably helping “the little guys” sort out their problems. Many of his columns have dealt with family life, including the tragic drowning death of his daughter and the last years of his mother’s life.

Like hundreds of others, he’s accepting a buyout from Gannett, the State Journal’s parent company. He’ll be replaced by Mark Mayes, who already has written a few columns.

The Capital City Film Festival gets underway today in a variety of venues across the city of Lansing.  It’s only the second year for the event, which was organized in part to complement the long-established East Lansing Film Festival.

WKAR’s Anna Schroen  spoke with Capital City Film Festival entertainment director Jake Pechtel, who says this time, mid-Michigan’s newest cinematic celebration has attracted twice as many filmmakers as last year.

Teachers turned out by the hundreds Wednesday to pack a hearing room in Lansing. They showed up to oppose a measure that would force them to pay more for their retirement health care and pension benefits.

Legislation is pending in Michigan that would require convicted animal abusers to sign up for an online registry, similar to Michigan’s sex offender list.   Proponents say it would help animal control officers investigate and prosecute abuse cases, and also prevent potential violence against humans.

Tougher graduation requirements for Michigan's high school class of 2011 did not result in a sharp rise in the number of dropouts.

Despite the noticeable strengths of Lansing’s economy, a number of employers struggle with a shortage of qualified I-T workers.  Increasingly, information technology jobs go unfilled for weeks and months.  Employers and job-seekers alike are hoping a new, multi-million dollar skills initiative—E-Pathways--will help close the gap.