Associated Press

Protests don't derail MSU commencement, speaker

By Associated Press • Dec 13, 2014

EAST LANSING (AP) - About 200 people gathered outside Michigan State University's commencement ceremonies to protest a speech by columnist George Will over his commentary on sexual assault reporting at colleges.

The Lansing State Journal reports that Will didn't mention the protests during his speech to undergraduates Saturday on the East Lansing campus.

More than a dozen students stood as he spoke and turned their backs to him and several others in the audience did the same or held up newspapers.

Taliban Suspends Talks On Prisoner Exchange

By Associated Press • Feb 23, 2014

The Taliban has suspended talks over a possible exchange of Taliban and U.S. prisoners due to the "complexity" of the situation in Afghanistan, the militant group said on Sunday.

"Due to the political complexity of the current situation in the country, the leadership of the Islamic Emirate has decided to suspend the issue for some time," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in an email to media organizations, using the name the Taliban gave their 1996-2001 government.

One Dead, 28 Sickened By Carbon Monoxide At New York Mall

By Associated Press • Feb 23, 2014

A 55-year-old restaurant manager died and more than two dozen others were taken to hospitals Saturday after being overcome by carbon monoxide at a New York mall, police said.

Suffolk County police identified the man who died as Steven Nelson, a manager at the Legal Sea Foods restaurant at the Walt Whitman Shops in Huntington Station on Long Island.

Police said 28 others affected by carbon monoxide were taken to area hospitals.

Boeing Machinists Approve Contract To Secure 777X Work

By Associated Press • Jan 4, 2014

The stakes were high and the vote was close as Boeing production workers agreed to concede some benefits in order to secure assembly of the new 777X airplane for the Puget Sound region.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Boeing hailed Friday's vote, which proponents said solidifies the aerospace giant's presence in the Seattle area.

"Tonight, Washington state secured its future as the aerospace capital of the world," Inslee declared.

'Fast & Furious' Star Dies In Car Crash

By Associated Press • Dec 1, 2013

Paul Walker, the star of the "Fast & Furious" movie series, died Saturday in a car crash that killed one other person north of Los Angeles, his publicist said. He was 40.

Walker died Saturday afternoon, Ame Van Iden told the Associated Press.

A statement on the actor's Facebook page said he was a passenger in a friend's car, and that Walker was in the area to attend a charity event for his organization Reach Out Worldwide.

"We ... are stunned and saddened beyond belief by this news," the statement said.

Three U.S. Economists Win Nobel Prize

By Associated Press • Oct 14, 2013

Americans Eugene Fama, Lars Peter Hansen and Robert Shiller won the Nobel prize for economics on Monday for developing new methods to study trends in asset markets.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said the three had laid the foundation of the current understanding of asset prices.

While it's hard to predict whether stock or bond prices will go up or down in the short term, it's possible to foresee movements over periods of three years or longer, the academy said.

State Troopers Armed With Tear Gas Guard Capitol

By Associated Press • Dec 11, 2012

Michigan State Police riot gear in the Capitol Building. — Courtesy / MPRN

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - State troopers armed with tear gas canisters, pepper spray and batons are among dozens of officers guarding the Capitol in Lansing as the right-to-work battle heats up in Michigan.

Several Thousand Union Members March To Capitol

By Associated Press & ASS • Dec 11, 2012

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Several thousand union members gathered to protest so-called right-to-work legislation in Michigan have begun a three-block walk to the state Capitol.

Protesters At Mich. Capitol Battle Right-To-Work

By Associated Press • Dec 11, 2012

Some of the tents and “inflatables” along Capitol Avenue. — Courtesy / MPRN

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Union demonstrators rallying against right-to-work legislation in Michigan have turned the front lawn of the state Capitol into an impromptu carnival that includes giant, inflatable rats representing Republicans supporting the divisive measure.

Former MI First Lady Helen Milliken Dies At 89

By Associated Press • Nov 16, 2012

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) - Helen Wallbank Milliken, who was Michigan's longest-serving first lady and a staunch supporter of women's rights and the environment, has died. She was 89. WKAR-TV will air The Millikens, a 2006 conversation with the former governor and first lady tonight at 9 p.m. on WKAR-TV.