Civil War Celebration Band plays in Lansing for war’s 150th anniversary SPORTS+FEATURES, PAGE 6 Novi, Mich., resident Judith MacQueen plays along with the 5th Michigan Regiment Band in Lansing.
statenews.com | 6/3/13 | @thesnews Michigan State University’s independent voice
MSU Bakers open farm stand on campus CAMPUS+CITY, PAGE 3
DANYELLE MORROW/THE STATE NEWS
Locals were tourists in their own town for one day CAMPUS+CITY, PAGE 3
Faking it
Welded metal art exhibit opens in East Lansing SPORTS+FEATURES, PAGE 6
Bars and police try to stay on top of fake IDs as they become easier to get and harder to detect
By RJ Wolcott
rwolcott@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS ■■
W
Putting fakes to the test Michael Mansour, the owner of Spartan Spirits, 221 Ann St., said there always has been a demand for fake
Gay marriage perceptions changing for Michiganians By Michael Gerstein mgerstein@statenews.com
hether it’s using an older sibling’s ID, splicing up a state-issued license or simply ordering a fake online, the pursuit of alcohol while underage could be considered as traditional to the college experience as latenight cram sessions or pulling pranks on floormates. Yet obtaining a fake ID has never been easier or more convincing, as hundreds of websites offer highquality IDs shipped directly to consumers in as little as three to five business days. With the potential for fully scannable IDs with proper black-light markings and advertised success rates at more than 90 percent, businesses and law enforcement have to remain tenacious in their pursuit. However, as the arms race between underage drinkers and law enforcement escalates, distributors and bars face mounting challenges to identify minors in a world where the line between fake and authentic is becoming more and more blurred.
CAPITOL
THE STATE NEWS ■■
igan IDs in particular, you should be able to touch them corner to corner without causing damage.” Mansour said his preference to err on the side of caution has ensured Spartan Spirits’ reputation and strong relationship with both
For hundreds of homosexual MSU students and several other Michiganians, enough is enough: repeal the ban on same-sex marriage already. Almost fifty-seven percent of Michig a n r e sidents support gay marriage, according to a recent Glengari f f Group Inc. poll of 600 registered voters. According to the group, t he nea rElaine ly 13-point jump from Cao, last year’s LBGT poll comes Resource mostly from Center intern changing responses of Republicans and independents. But are law ma kers responding? Well, yes. A new bill introduced last week by Sen. Rebekah Warren, D-Ann Arbor, would allow gay marriage. The fear plaguing some activists’ minds is that Warren’s bill faces the power of a Republican supermajority,
See FAKE ID on page 2 X
See LEGISLATION on page 2 X
“ “That still blows my mind that our friends just can’t (marry).”
JUSTIN WAN/THE STATE NEWS
Doorman Cody Wilson writes a mark on the hand of Columbia, N.C., resident Bre Daughtry after checking her ID on Saturday at Crunchy’s, 254 W. Grand River Ave. Although Wilson is new to the job as bouncer, he said he was trained with identifying fake IDs in order to keep underage drinkers away from the bar.
IDs. Mansour, 35, said he has developed an eye for spotting fakes during his five years as the store’s owner. “I rarely need to call the cops; however, if I or any members of my staff have any questions about an ID, we will have the police come down to check it out,” Mansour said.
Mansour mentioned that although IDs have become more sophisticated, there always are dead giveaways on imposters. Ducking under the counter, Mansour emerged with two boxes full of fake IDs, rubber-banded together by state, which he has lost count of long ago. Using a black
N AT I O N + W O R L D
light behind the counter, he demonstrated that many recent fakes do have the same identifying marks as legitimate IDs. However, the difference became apparent when he began bending the fake ID, which cracked and splintered under scrutiny, “Real IDs don’t crack like that,” he said. “With Mich-
CONSTRUCTION
Grand River Avenue roadwork affects traffic flow, commutes By Derek Kim
dkim@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS ■■
Bogue
h. Don’t expect East LanMic sing construction to let up in Ave June. Yesterday, the Michigan chigan D e p a r t m e nt o f Transportation, or Gra Cry me a river nd MDOT, began pavRiv er A ing on Grand RivTraffic will shift to either the ve. er Avenue between eastbound or westbound lane, with Michigan Avenue one lane of traffic in each direction, and Bogue Street. until June 28 Until June 28, traffic will be shifted to either the eastbound Shaw Lane or westbound lane, with one lane of traffic maintained in each direction. Left turns DREW DZWONKOWSKI | SN on the corridors also will be blocked. Paving began on the east- Arend said. “We ask people to Muth added that several bound side of Grand Riv- plan extra time when traveling employees’ hours have been cut er Avenue yesterday, mov- through the area.” because of the construction. ing traffic to the westbound Whether she is biking or Arend also said MDOT hopes portion on the north side to have everything completed on driving, zoology senior and Lia of the road. Directions will the street by the end of August. Olowniuk said the cumbersome switch after approximately Morgan Muth, shift manager traffic has significantly delayed two weeks, MDOT Commu- at Cosi, 301 E. Grand River Ave., her commute, explaining how she nications Representative Kari said it is hard to tell how much has started to set aside an extra Arend said. construction has affected busi- 15-20 minutes when getting to Arend said the project ness because the amount of cus- work at Student Book Store, 421 will smoothen the roadway, tomers usually decreases in the E. Grand River Ave. encourage safer driving and summer when less students are “Certain areas where crossimprove intersections and around. walks are not finished … (are) curb cuts along the corridor. “We still have regular cus- very difficult (since) traf“It definitely will be an tomers,” Muth said. “It will fic doesn’t allow you to cross impact to traffic, especially probably affect us more on the until the actual sign comes on,” in the first couple of days,” weekends.” Olowniuk said.
ROY GUTMAN/MCT
Graffiti artist admires his work on a main pedestrian street, the Istiklal, in Istanbul, Turkey on Saturday. Police and protestors clashed during the day in the city.
PROTESTS IN TURKEY AFFECT STUDENTS STUDYING ABROAD By Katie Abdilla
kabdilla@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS ■■
When construction management senior Jason Korth looks outside his window, he sees crowds of protesters. They walk shoulder to shoulder through the streets of Izmir, Turkey, chanting: “We stand together
against the government.” Counting the surrounding areas, the crowd totals nearly 3,000. For Korth, a study abroad trip landed him in the middle of a growing public demonstration that has taken a violent turn. “We haven’t been allowed out the last two nights since the protests began on Friday,” Korth said in an email. “It is something I’ve
never seen before, and (it is) quite frightening.” Tension began to form in the country when Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the government’s plan to demolish Gezi Park, one of Istanbul’s few remaining green spaces. What began as a small See TURKEY on page 2 X