Reeling ‘em in Fish Rodeo festival set to swim into Lansing
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Slowly but surely Anastos talks hockey improvement Sophomore goaltender Jake Hildebrand Erin Hampton/The State News
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President Obama to sign farm bill in East Lansing By Simon Schuster sschuster@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS nn
President Barack Obama plans to sign the Agriculture Act of 2014, often referred to as the farm bill, at the Mary Anne McPhail Equine Performance Center Friday afternoon. Students hoping to catch a glimpse of Obama when he visits MSU’s campus Friday will be sorely disappointed, however, as the event is closed to the public.
ASMS U
Student gov’t presidential elections spark controversy
The farm bill legislation was passed by both chambers of Congress on Tuesday. White House officials waited until the latest farm bill had been passed by Congress to release details about the event. MSU has a number of ties to the farm bill. The Chair of the Senate Ag r icult ure Commit tee is MSU alumna Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich. The university was founded as the nation’s first agricultural college under the name Agri-
cultural College of the State of Michigan. Agriculture stayed in the university’s name until 1964, when Michigan Agricultural College became Michigan State University. MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon referenced MSU’s heritage as the pioneer land-grant university in a university statement released about Obama’s visit. “This is an important piece of legislation for the country,” Simon said. “It not only pro-
vides strong support for new research enterprises, but it also strengthens and grows Michigan’s agriculture economy and helps sustain America’s global competitiveness.” College of Veterinary Medicine Chair Raymond Geor dec l i ned to com ment on Obama’s visit. T he bill is expected to cost more than $956 billion throughout the next ten years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The legislation covers a
number of different issues from crop insurance to the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The first farm bill was enacted during the Great Depression in order to provide assistance to struggling farmers. Michigan Farm Bureau’s national legislative counsel Ryan Findlay said the bill still serves as a crucial safety net against both natural and economic disasters. Findlay said the bill will be
very beneficial to Michigan farmers and “marks a paradigm shift in farm policy.” He said some of the bill’s funding has the chance to make its way to MSU in the form of research funding. “There are some phenomenal researchers at Michigan State University,” Findlay said. “I think they’ve proven in previous farm bills that they’ve been able to access that money for the benefit of Michigan See OBAMA on page 2 u
i-96 shooter gets at least 6.5 years Alumnus Raulie Casteel sentenced in Oakland County court on multiple assault and weapons charges Convicted shooter Raulie Casteel listens to the judge during a sentencing hearing at Oakland County Court House, 1200 N. Telegraph, in Pontiac, Mich. Casteel will serve at least 6.5 years of prison time for the 2012 shootings along the I-96 corridor.
By Kary Askew Garcia kaskew@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS nn
ASMSU, MSU’s undergraduate student government, will be holding its presidential elections this Thursday, despite allegations of current chief of staff Kiran Samra violating the student government’s election code by running for the position. Samra, a marketing senior, was found to be involved with the University Elections Commission, a group within ASMSU that oversees the election process, when she decided to run for president. Samra served as the commission’s chair until she resigned on Jan. 15, according to official documentation from the commission. Members of the University Elections Commission are not allowed to run for elections, said Christopher Baldwin, vice chair of the finance committee and College of Engineering representative. Baldwin brought it to ASMSU’s attention on Jan. 31 that Samra’s position within the elections commission allegedly gave her access to applications made available to the public eight days before her resignation. Baldwin, a mechanical engineering senior, said his main concern was to avoid any advantages that Samra may have had because of her position as chair of the commission. After the commission held a meeting on Sunday to investigate the alleged violation, Samra was declared eligible to run. Baldwin said he appealed the decision because he thinks they are still biased in favor of Samra. "(The commission) ruled that the (election) cycle begins ten days before the actual election date, which is quite in the middle of the process,” Baldwin said. The committee decided that the language of the code defining the “election cycle” is “ambiguous and therefore can be interpreted in many ways.” Samra did not respond to requests for comment. “When they do things to influence elections it’s really taking away the voice from each of the students’ representatives,” Baldwin said, adding that there has been a lot of cause for suspicion and a long history of internal rulebreaking at ASMSU. Baldwin said current interim president Michael Mozina had allegedly said that he encouraged Samra to run and would do anything to See ASMSU on page 2 u
Danyelle Morrow/The State News
By Geoff Preston gpreston@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS nn
During a trial in Livingston County last week, convicted I-96 shooter Raulie Casteel testified that he spent time in both Michigan and Kentucky practicing his shot in farm fields. But on Tuesday in Oakland County Circuit Court, it was the hours that he didn’t spend on his own shooting range that saved him years of prison time,
according to Judge Denise Langford Morris. Although no one was killed in the shooting spree Casteel went on along the I-96 corridor in the fall of 2012, Langford Morris said that was nothing to be proud of. “Thank goodness you were a lousy shot,” Langford Morris said during sentencing. Casteel, a 44-year-old MSU alumnus, was sentenced to 6.5 to 10 years in prison on Tuesday on multiple assault and weapons charges, which he
“Thank goodness you were a lousy shot. ... These are the kinds of actions that terrorized a community.” Denise Langford Morris, Oakland County Circuit Court judge
pleaded no contest to last October. He will also be required to serve an additional two years on a firearms charge. The defense and prosecution reached a plea agreement that the judge accepted. During an 11-day period in October 2012, Casteel shot at
24 cars along the I-96 corridor, causing many school buses to be re-routed and commutes to change. “The kinds of actions you engaged in ... these are the kinds of actions that terrorized a community,” Langford Morris said. “Buses were re-
routed. We had a wealth of law enforcement involved in this investigation.” Casteel entered the courtroom accompanied by police in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs. His expression remained blank, and he barely spoke during the proceedings. Douglas Mullkoff, one of Casteel’s attorneys, painted a picture on Tuesday of a person who could not outrun his See CASTEEL on page 2 u
To watch a video of Casteel’s sentencing in Oakland County, visit statenews.com/multimedia.
crime
men’s basketball
Payne back for game against Penn State e.l. police update description
of cedar st. shooting suspect
By Matt Sheehan msheehan@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS
By Lauren Gibbons
nn
lgibbons@statenews.com
After nearly a monthlong hiatus, Adreian Payne is back in action. The senior forward went from rehabbing on the treadmill to playing on the hardwood for Tuesday’s practice, making it his first contact since playing against Ohio State on Jan. 7. “I’m still testing it out, (but) I’m playing on it and I’m on full go,” Payne said. “I just got to gain the confidence back.” Regardless if Payne gets his confidence back soon, the No. See B-BALL on page 2 u
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Julia Nagy/The State News
Senior center Adreian Payne motions to the team on Jan. 21, 2014, at Breslin Center during the game against Indiana. The Spartans defeated the Hoosiers, 71-66.
The East Lansing Police Department has released several new images of the suspect wanted for killing one student and injuring another on the 200 block of Cedar Street Friday evening. Newly-released surveillance images show the suspect, who shot and killed hospitality business sophomore Dominique “D.J.” Nolff and injured another student, entering and leaving the complex on Friday evening.
The updated police description indicates the suspect is a black male between 6-foot-1 and 6-foot-3 inches tall between 20-25 years of age who weighs about 170 pounds. At the time of the shooting, the suspect was wearing a black North Face jacket, tan pants and black shoes. Police believe the suspect received significant injuries to his face during the altercation. The man currently remains at large. Police said the incident does not appear to be a random act. See SHOOTING on page 2 u