The Michigan State University (MSU) Product Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources is helping the Great Lakes whitefish industry get the fish from the lake to the boat to your table.

According to excerpts from the article:

The value of the Great Lakes annual whitefish catch dropped from $1.04 a pound in 2000 to 78 cents a pound in 2006, according to U.S. Geological Survey data.

But a program to help Michigan's agricultural entrepreneurs get their products into retail stores is aiming to change that.

It has stocked several Lansing-area retailers—including the eight-store L&L Food Centers chain—with Legends of the Lakes whitefish and is positioning other Michigan-made products to get onto store shelves.

"If suddenly Michigan broke off and floated into the Great Lakes, we'd have enough businesses to feed ourselves," said Matt Birbeck, a project consultant at Michigan State University's Product Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources. "There's nothing we couldn't do."

The center helps food-based businesses take their products from the raw material state to the market. It can help with packaging, nutritional information and actually place the product in stores.

Read the entire article here.

Okemos, Williamston and East Lansing High School are among the top high schools in the Capital region, according to a recent state test performance survey.

According to excerpts from the article:

Students that walk the halls of Okemos High School, Williamston High School and East Lansing High School are all getting a stellar silver medal education.

The survey analyzed performance on state tests, success for disadvantaged students and college readiness. Williamston Principal Bowls says they've added five AP classes in the last three years, and implement post-secondary career goals with Education Development Plans.

Read the entire article here.

Former Southside Lansing breakfast spot, the Korner Kitchen, has changed hands and is now known as Grumpy’s Diner.

According to excerpts from the article:

“You can usually hear my big voice laughing and carrying on no matter where you’re sitting,” says Grumpy’s Diner owner/operator Bill Walker. “Temperamental cooks went out with the horse and buggy. We try and make things fun around here.”

Last month Walker took over what used to be the Korner Kitchen, on the corner of Pennsylvania and Mt. Hope avenues in Lansing, re-opening the recently closed restaurant after a massive internal renovation.

“After I took over from the last guy, we closed it down and did a complete top-to-bottom overhaul,” Walker says. “These are the same four walls, but that’s about it. We pulled out everything, we cleaned everything, and we started over completely from scratch inside. This is a completely new restaurant with a completely new mindset.”

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Michigan State University (MSU) chemistry professor David P. Weliky has conducted research on protein structural makeup that could lead to quicker protein-based drug development.

According to excerpts from the article:

Research by a Michigan State University chemist could eventually lead to a quicker and easier way of developing protein-based drugs which are key to treating a number of diseases, including cancer, diabetes and hepatitis.

Proteins used in drug manufacture and research often are made within genetically modified Escherichia coli, a one-cell bacteria. That protein tends to collect into what scientists call inclusion bodies. Those hard-to-separate clumps render up to 95 percent of the protein unusable, according to associate chemistry professor David P. Weliky.

Some can be recovered by breaking down the protein to separate it, but because protein structure determines its function, another step must be added to “refold” it into its original configuration.

Weliky and colleagues took a closer look at the structure of the proteins that make up these inclusion bodies. Learning what makes them stick together might yield some clues as to how to separate them, he said, and that could make the manufacturing process more efficient.

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Mothers and entrepreneurs, Kelly Ramirez and Joan Blackmer, are enjoying the entertainment and economic kickback from their new 10,000 square foot bounce arena.

According to excerpts from the article:

Ramirez, 40, a former interior designer, and Blackmer, 37, a former social worker, have created the Jumpin' Jax Bounce Arena, a 10,000-square-foot play area filled with colorful inflatable structures that kids can slide down, bounce on or climb over.

Five days a week, hundreds of kids whoop it up, giving their parents a chance to read magazines, make a Wi-Fi connection, or even join in the fun on one of five giant inflatables. The cost is $8 per child for unlimited fun.

Lisa Aylward, a DeWitt mother of three high-energy boys, 7, 5, 3, said her sons "love it. They would go every day, if I would let them. . . . I take them there every four to six weeks to burn off their extra energy."

Read the entire article here.

An area comic book collector boasts a world class collection with at least 30,000 books, more than 10,000 of which are signed copies.

According to experts from the article:

30,000 comics by any measure is a major collection, but in his calm voice Dan casually drops the news that about 10,000 of them are signed by the artists who drew them. This alone makes the collection jump to world class, and Dan is more than a world-class fan boy.

Over the last 24 years, Dan and his close friend Dennis (every hero needs a sidekick), have attended more than 200 comic-book shows, mostly in the Midwest, where Dan’s easy-going attitude and appreciation for comic art have endeared him to legendary and far-flung artists, including Gary Baseman, John Buscema (now dead); Joe Sinnott; Dick Ayers; George Tusca; Jerry Robinson (creator of “Batman” characters The Joker and Robin) and Marie Severin. 

Randall Scott, curator of the Michigan State University Comic Book Collection, says this is a one-of- a-kind collection of signed comic books and comic book art.

“I don’t think anyone has got anything like that,” says Scott, who has seen Dan’s collection. “I don’t know any collectors on that level.”

Read the entire article here.

Rigorous education standards, established in part by Michigan State University (MSU) scholars, have substantially increased Minnesota’s fourth grade math scores.

According to excerpts from the article:

While the United States saw a small increase in fourth-grade math scores from 1995 to 2007— remaining in the middle of the pack among the 16 countries that participated both years—Minnesota performed far better and now ranks fifth in the world, according to the 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, which was released today.

William Schmidt, MSU Distinguished Professor of education and statistics, said Minnesota’s approach to success could be replicated by many other states attempting to boost math achievement. An architect of the TIMSS study, Schmidt worked closely with Minnesota education officials.

“Minnesota is now among the elite performers in the world,” he said. “It’s a story of, ‘Yes you can do it in the United States if you work at it.’”

Read the entire article here.

Construction on a new, $3 million fire station in Charlotte’s is finished and ready for use.

According to excerpts from the article:

On Wednesday, Dec. 10 city officials and those involved with the project will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 17,000-square-foot station on Shepherd Street.

Charlotte Fire Chief Kevin Fullerton said fire fighters by then should be working out of the building. This past week his department had already spent some time moving items into the station and preparing to function in sync with the existing downtown station. Both buildings will be manned 24 hours a day.

Connecting the two stations will be a fiber-optic cable that will link phones and computers. It has yet to be installed but should be in place by Wednesday. City officials are also awaiting the final inspection by Charlotte's building inspector before operations can begin at the new building.

Read the entire article here.