color me! Kids today choose tech toys over tradition, 1B
Central Michigan Life
Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
[cm-life.com]
City focuses on making Mission Street more business friendly
Student dies after battling rare cancer Hannah Simons-Scalise remembered for staying strong
By Emily Grove Senior Reporter
By Mike Nichols Senior Reporter
Every Wednesday CM Life will publish an in-depth piece, examining different issues. Mission Street has long been associated with high volumes of traffic and accidents in Mount Pleasant, but steps to revamp the road have already begun. Jeff Gray, Mount Pleasant’s director of Planning and Community Development, said the main problem plaguing Mission varies widely depending on who you ask. For the city, the main concern is making sure the street stays a viable business corridor for business owners and people who shop there, as well as the people who live in that sector of the community, he said. But whatever problems Mission itself incurs, the solutions are ultimately left to the Michigan Department of Transportation, since it is a state highway. “The city obviously has no jurisdiction of the street itself so our influence is primarily the sides of the street,” Gray said. Mount Pleasant has been working with businesses along Mission to increase accessibility. The city has new ordinances for development along Mission which allow for businesses to be closer to street, like the newly renovated Taco Bell, 1143 S. Mission St. The new Taco Bell was also granted easements and the ability to make future connections with businesses that build next to it in the future. “The city has to focus on what we can control,” Gray said. “We’ve been working on connections with businesses to avoid going out on the street.” Such projects are opportunity-based and not all businesses can use this option. The site plans have to be approved and neighboring properties have to agree to work together. Gray said First Bank, 2013 S. Mission St., upgraded its existing facility and the new driveway was built to connect to the local shopping plaza. “The (Downtown DevelopA in-depth | 2A
The state legislature has canceled sessions for Today and Thursday due to weather conditions, according to a statement from the House Speaker’s office. Campus events and classes are normally canceled with lowered visibility and if travel is impeded or safety is af-
Being diagnosed with a rare type of bone cancer did not stop Hannah Simons-Scalise from doing the things she enjoyed. The Mount Pleasant sophomore died in her home Monday. She was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma when she was a freshman at Mount Pleasant High School, 1155 S. Elizabeth St., but still managed to compete in the state championships for cross country running. Her mother, Lynn Simons, said Hannah spent the first year of treatment getting 14 rounds of chemotherapy. After being discharged cancerfree, her cancer re- Hannah Simonsturned three months Scalise later. “If you can imagine a kid who is in chemo still practicing with the team,” Simons said, “that was impressive.” Simons said Hannah spent the next four years receiving treatment at the University of Michigan Hospital, MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas and the University of Pennsylvania. She underwent four thoracotomies, a surgery involving incision into the space between the lungs, had two courses of radiation and 900 doses of chemotherapy. Simons said Hannah endured all this and still managed to graduate high school on time. In college, Hannah studied history. She worked a part-time job at Spinning Wheels Arena, 1241 N. Mission Road, and spent the rest of her time doing volunteer work. She was a humanist who valued nature and the cycle of life, Simons said. Hannah volunteered for the Mount Pleasant Animal Shelter and had adopted a dog, Sophie. Queens University student and Mount Pleasant resident Jamie McDevitt-Irwin met Hannah in 6th grade and was with her all the way through high school. She said Hannah was her best friend and that she was inspired by how Hannah never allowed cancer to bring her down. “She’s had cancer since ninth grade and she’s never let it define her,” McDevitt-Irwin said. “Some people didn’t even know she had cancer be-
A winter | 2A
A Simons-Scalise | 2A
photos by victoria zegler/staff photographer
CMU students wait for a Isabella County Transportation Commission shuttle bus just after 5 p.m. Tuesday outside of the Music building.
Classes canceled Warning in effect until 7 p.m. By Maria Amante | Senior Reporter
C
lasses have been canceled today with a National Weather Service winter storm warning effective in Isabella County until 7 p.m. All buildings will be closed on campus except residence halls, according to an e-mail sent out by University Communications. Charles V. Park Library and the Student Activities Center will open at noon. The storm will taper off by 8 to 10 a.m., said Jamie Bielinski, warning coordination meteorologist for the NWS Grand Rapids office. “The heavier snow will take off from midnight,” she said. Bielinski said to watch for 8 to 10 inches of snow. Wind gusts during the day Wednesday could be as high as 25 mph, and that will cause blowing and drifts, she said. Caitlin Ross, meteorology temporary faculty member, said it was difficult to calls whether the storm would have such a massive effect because weather is unpredictable.
Freshmen Jessica Wilson of Rochester Hills, left, and Annie Palmucci of Ann Arbor walk from south campus to the library Tuesday evening. “This is the reason why I skip class in the morning,” Wilson said. “The weather, it’s freezing.”
cm-life.com Check back for video on this week’s weather reaction. “In this area, it’s hard to tell,” she said. “We’re on the north border of the storm, and if the storm shifts farther north, we can get up to a foot of snow.” She said the storm’s effects will be far worse in Missouri, Illinois, and especially Oklahoma, where the state is not as prepared for rough winter conditions.
[inside]
st u d e n t e m p loy m e n t
On-campus jobs a popular choice for some By Odille Parker Staff Reporter
jeff smith/staff photographer
Museum of Cultural and Natural History staff and Lansing sophomore Spencer Austin catalogs birds Tuesday afternoon at the museum in Rowe Hall. The room holds more than 300 species of birds, Austin said. “My job is cool because I get to work with animals, each has its own individual story, which is a mystery. As a theater major, I give them each an individual name and story, so my life is like ‘Night at the Museum,’” Austin said.
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Spare time is far more efficient when it results in a paycheck. Jobs on campus are a popular choice for students because they are required to prioritize course schedules over work schedules. Spencer Austin usually keeps to himself on the job. The Lansing freshman is a student assistant at the Museum of Culture and Natural History in Rowe Hall. He is in charge of cleaning the museum and preparing exhibits for the viewing of the public. “Since I am a theater major, I love working in the zo-
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ology room at the museum,” Austin said. “I like to pretend that I am Ben Stiller in the movie ‘Night at the Museum’ and talk to (the exhibits) and pretend that they are alive and give them names.” The Cedar Springs freshman Mandy Mann is both a receptionist and reference desk clerk at Charles V. Park Library. Shesaid she loves the simplicity and convenience of her jobs. She can not only work on homework during her shift but has also become skilled at navigating through the library for classes. “The flexibility of my work is the best part,” Mann said. To be a reference desk clerk, a student needs to
take LIB 197: Introduction to Library and Information Research and fill out an application. Freshmen are usually favored because of their ability to work through the next four years, Mann said. The baristas of Java City carry the heavy charge of livening sleepy students’ mornings. The two coffee shops, located in the Health Professions building and Park Library, employ about 25 people. Mikado freshman Barbara McNeill described a barista’s job as taking customer orders, making beverages, serving food and cleaning. “The best part of this
NEWS w Charge filed against MMCC over former instructor’s firing, 3A w Dermatologist warns students against tanning, 4A
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A jobs | 2A
w Sibs Weekend coming Friday, Saturday, 5A
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w 33 toy recalls the median over the last 10 years, 3B w Army resolutions; students get fit, 3B
cm-life.com w Check out Project 989 later this week when Andrew Stover and Anthony Fenech talk about the Superbowl
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