Lansing State Journal from Lansing, Michigan • Page 9

TT Lansing State Journal TATE THURSDAY APRIL 1,2010 EDITOR: AL WILSON METROLSJ.COM 377-1154 WWW.LS1.COM RAW" trsQDsOiragj speed LOCALS yjD in WHAT'S NEXT Switch to 65 mph on stretch from St. to begin Monday Johns to Ithaca as summer 2007. It is those speed studies and not recent repaving and new left turn lanes on some key U.S. 127 intersections that influenced the state's decision, officials said. Some area business owners aren't sold on the state's move to raise the speed limit "It makes me a little bit nervous," said Mike Beck, part owner of Uncle John's Cider Mill just north of St Johns.

"It will be hard for people to catch a break when they're leaving." He cited the new left turn that the state installed recently along U.S. 127 near the cider milL State police are not significantly worried. That's because of data that show that 85 percent of drivers continue to drive at the same speed after speed limits rise, said 1st Lt. Douglas Wright commander of the Michigan State Police's Ithaca and Corunna posts. Arend said that's what happened in the past couple of years when the speed limit on Interstate 496 went from 55 miles per hour to 70 miles per hour and when it rose from 35 miles per hour to 45 miles per hour on Saginaw Highway in East Lansing.

"What we have seen," she said, "is travel speeds have not changed." limit that 85 percent of drivers already hit that stretch of non-expressway driving at 65 miles per hour. "One thing we want to see is motorists driving at a consistent speed," said Kari Arend, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Transportation. The change, she said, is based on traffic studies conducted as recently as last week and as far back LEADER TAKING NEW JOB AT ART COLLEGE yj CaylE JK. jgj Christine Rook clrook lsj.com Next week, the drive between St Johns in Clinton County and Ithaca in Gratiot County will be quicker. The state is bumping up the speed limit on US.

127 from 55 miles per hour to 65 miles per hour. State transportation officials cited safety concerns in raising the I IN BRIEF HOPE program awards 1,000 scholarships The Lansing Police Department gave 1,000 sixth- and seventh-grade students from the Lansing School District and area charter schools scholarships Wednesday to attend Lansing Community College on the condition they graduate high school. The scholarships, given by the Hope Scholar Program, provide approximately $4,000, or the equivalent of tuition and books for two years at LCC, said Mark Alley, senior director of risk management and public affairs for Lansing-based Emergent Biosolutions and former Lansing police chief. The police department started the program in 2000, because of the connection between a lack of education and crime, Alley said. The scholarships are funded by an endowment currently valued at approximately $2.5 million.

The program is a cooperative effort between Lansing schools, Lansing, LCC, Michigan State University and LPD as well as local businesses and residents. Cockroach stunt to be featured on TV tonight The world record-breaking cockroach stuffing event held in October at Preuss Pets will be featured on the Tru TV series "The Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest Record Breakers" at 9 p.m. today. Preuss Pets employee Sean Murphy stuffed 16 Madagascar hissing cockroaches in his mouth on Oct 24. The previous official record had been eight, while the unofficial record had been 11 Developer suing over newspaper article Local developer Paul Vlahakis is suing the company that owns the Lansing City Pulse and one of its reporters for a December report accusing Vlahakis of owing $327,288 in delinquent taxes.

The lawsuit was filed Monday against To the Max LLC, which owns the weekly publication, and reporter Neal McNamara. Attorney Andrew Abood said the story caused Vlahakis "humiliation, mortification and embarrassment" because it falsely claimed Vlahakis owed delinquent taxes on 101 S. Washington Square property. A limited liability company, 101 S. Washington Development is responsible for the taxes, not Vlahakis, Abood said.

Abood and Vlahakis requested a front-page retraction before filing suit "The way they published this article, it was published as a most wanted ad," Abood said. "We asked them to publish a retraction. Ultimately, they never did." Bert Schwartz, Lansing City Pulse's editor and publisher, said he was expecting a meeting to negotiate a clarification when he learned that his publication was sued. "I don't think a retraction is in order," Schwartz said. "What we printed was substantially true." From staff and wire reports ROD SANFORDLansing State Journal Tile photo Meet and greet: Olivet College President Don Tuski (left) shares a handshake and laugh with school senior Gabrielle Federau of Okemos last fall as students, faculty and staff shook hands and greeted each other at a "Stand Up" event.

Olivet will say goodbye to its president in July Last MSU football jlayer in ignt gets jail time Ex-Spartan Wilson gets 21 days and one year probation Dan Kilbridge dkilbridge91sj.com EAST LANSING Former Michigan State football player Oren Wilson was sentenced Wednesday to 21 days in jail, marking the conclusion of legal issues surrounding 11 current and former players charged in connection with a dorm fight in November. Wilson, 22, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault in February and is scheduled to begin serving his sentence Monday. Wilson was also sentenced to 12 months probation, more than $1,000 in fines and 150 hours of community Wilson service. "I just wanted to apologize to all parties involved," Wilson said. "I made a mistake, and I honestly apologize for it I'm ashamed for my family and the MSU football team.

I really feel I disgraced them and I'm just sorry." Wilson will have his record cleared if he meets the standards of his probation. He had no criminal record prior to the incident "This is clearly behavior out of your regular behavior," 54B District Judge David Jordon said. Wilson's lawyer, Andrew Abood, said he did not believe jail time was necessary. "Obviously we didn't agree that he needed to do that kind of jail time," Abood said. MSU coach Mark Dantonio said last week that Wilson is in the process of transferring, but Abood said Wilson hopes to remain at MSU.

"I know that if Oren had his first choice, it would be to see Wilson Page 2B Beginning Monday, Michigan Department of Transportation workers will start changing posted speed limit signs for the non-expressway section of U.S.127 between St Johns and Ithaca. The speed limit will be rising from 55 miles per hour to 65 miles per hour. Throughout the transition, drivers are to observe whatever speed limit is posted. "They have the Michigan left now," Beck said, "but to cross the traffic to get to that is going to be tough when (drivers) are going that fast" mm fe-Ff id-J Olivet had 827 students. It has 1,126 today.

The college just finished a $17 million fundraising campaign, built on a dogged effort to reconnect with "lost" alumni and careful cultivation of a few large donors. As a result, the past few years have seen unprecedented construction on campus: a new event center, see Olivet Page 2B LSJ BL0GS Izzo-ness next to godliness A reader sent along this prayer, of unknown origin: "Our Coach, who art in East Lansing, Izzo be Thy name Check out my blog at www.lsj.com schneiderblog described the restaurant's homemade salsa as "liquid crack." Lawyer needed PERRY Greg Pratt needs free legal help. The 27-year-old Perry man with development disabilities is going through a divorce. Since Pratt is unemployed, he can't afford to pay a lawyer. But 1 Open doors: Michelle Ravy of the extended Ravy family from Hurricane Katrina-ravaged New Orleans, talks with Olivet College president Don Tuski in 2005 at the Gruen House, where some of the family members stayed near campus.

Tuski credited with overseeing significant growth at the school Matthew Miller mrmiller Isj.com Don Tuski might have been called a fixture at Olivet College if he hadn't played so many different roles over the years. He arrived as a freshman in 1981 and went on to become a resident educator, a professor, coach of the women's soccer team, vice president for academic affairs and then, finally, since 2001, president. There's one other reason that the fixture label doesn't work. He's leaving. In July, Tuski will begin a new job as president of Maine College of Art in Portland, a city he first came to know on a marine biology trip as an Olivet sophomore, a city he kept in the back of his mind as a place he might want to call home if he should ever decide to leave Olivet.

That decision took almost 30 years. "I really felt I don't like to use the word calling, but almost a call- Thayer and her daughter, Amber Elliott, who worked at the restaurant which is on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, near Miller Road. The second sign on the window is less homespun: "WARNING: Property Under Seizure By The State of Michigan Department of Treasury." Drop in the bucket In a January interview Thayer made it clear that the $4300 John VtLl Schneider jschneidlsj.com 377-1175 Despite recent bailout, Los Gringos is closed again ing to be at Olivet for a long time," Tuski said, "but I got to a point over this last year where I felt I could move on and do something a little bit different." "It's hard," he added. "A lot of your identity is wrapped up in one place.

Olivet has been very good to me and my family. It was a tough decision, because things are going really well at the college." When Tuski became president transfusion provided by fans of her restaurant didn't necessarily put Los Gringos out of the woods. In fact, Thayer said at the time it was only 10 percent of what she owed in taxes. But she hoped to be able to work out an installment plan with the folks at Treasury. Obviously that didn't happen.

At least not yet Thayer said her financial problems have coincided with the downturn of the local economy. She called a Dec. 29 robbery "the straw that broke the camel's back." Thayer's mother, Vonnie Miller, opened the restaurant in 1975. Thayer worked alongside her mother, and took over when Miller died in 2005. Los Gringos was best known for its tacos, but one customer Adios, Los Gringos In late January I reported that faithful customers of the little south Lansing restaurant bailed it out of financial trouble.

Those who felt Los Gringos was too lovable to fail passed the hat and came up with $4300 to cover a looming tax bilL That turned out to be a stay of execution, rather than a full pardon. Los Gringos famous among its patrons for its tacos and friendly service has closed. Two signs on the front window of the restaurant tell the tale. The first one, handwritten, says: "Customers: The state shut me down due to paperwork, wants payment in fulL So, we won't be reopening. Sorry.

Pam Amber." That would be owner Pamela he's terrified of losing access to his 1-year-old son. Pratt can't even read the papers he's supposed to fill out within the next 10 days, or so. He tried Legal Services of South Central Michigan, but his wife got there first The folks there confirmed what Pratt told me that representing both sides in a divorce would constitute a conflict of interest In the past couple of days I've contacted various legaldisability rights organizations on Pratf behalf, with no luck. So, if you can help, let me know or contact Pratt directly at 712-5557. Call John Schneider at 377-1175, send a fax to 377-1298 or e-mail jschneidbj.com..