Thursday 6/12/14

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weekend Michigan State University’s independent voice

statenews.com | 6/12/14 | @thesnews

All eyes on brazil

East lansing

Local businesses provide World Cup festivities By Meagan Beck mbeck@statenews.com The State News nn

Spartans prepare for 2014 FIFA World Cup

With the World Cup just around the corner, East Lansing businesses are preparing for the worldwide event by offering deals and specials to bring in customers. From beer specials to prizes, local restaurants and bars have different offers catering to different customers. The East Lansing location of the national chain Buffalo Wild Wings will be offering games where contestants could win big. Participants are required to download a mobile phone application and then have the chance to win the daily prize of a television or a trip to Las Vegas, or the grand prize of a trip to England or Spain to watch the matches. General manager of Buffalo Wild Wings Aaron Weiner said customers need to be at the restaurant to participate in the games, which will really help the business. “The more people that come here, the more money we make,” Weiner said. The games Buffalo Wild Wings are offering are part of a nationwide celebration of the World Cup. Firehouse Subs, a new business in the area, will also be offering deals. General Manager Steve Karmo said if a fan comes in supporting their team, for instance, by wearing a jersey, they are able to receive a free combo — which includes a 32 ounce drink and bag of chips or a cookie. “People like to watch the games, so why not have a deal for those guys?” Karmo said. Firehouse Subs has two big-

By Michael Kransz mkransz@statenews.com The State News nn

Whether it’s 32 countries competing in the World Cup or a group of domestic and international students playing a pickup game, they speak a common language that transcends any barrier. It’s a mixture of finesse, passion and sportsmanship — and it’s called soccer. Human biology senior Saad Habib doesn’t speak Spanish. Normally that would be a problem for someone living among Spanish-speaking Hondurans for a week, but for Habib, relatNUMBER OF COUNTRIES PARTICIPATING IN THE FIFA WORLD CUP IN BRAZIL

AVERAGE AGE OF PLAYERS IN THE FIFA WORLD CUP

32

26

EDITION OF THE WORLD CUP SINCE THE FIRST TOURNAMENT IN 1930

See WORLD CUP on page 2 u NUMBER OF MATCHES EACH COUNTRY IS GUARANTEED TO PLAY

3

NUMBER OF STADIUMS WHICH WILL BE IN USE IN BRAZIL DURING THE TOURNAMENT

20

12

BRAZIL

FRANCE

ITALY

ENGLAND

GERMANY

SPAIN

COUNTRIES THAT HAVE ARGENTINA WON THE URUGUAY WORLD CUP

See FESTIVITIES on page 2 u

ing to the people was as easy as kicking a ball — something he’s done since the age of six. “I made friends with tons of kids there because I could play,” he said. “They were like, ‘Wait, what’s this kid doing? He knows how to play soccer?’ I would go ask them to pass me the ball and do a little trick and I’d make interactions that way.” On a playground near the health clinic where Habib worked for a week, the children would often spend their days playing soccer. At first they were timid of Habib, but through soccer they became more acquaint-

FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL 2014 BY THE NUMBERS GR aphic by Florian cherdron | SN Source: fifa .com

Illustr ation by br andon hankins

council re-examines park district East Lansing weighs two new redevopment projects to restore blighted area By Derek Gartee dgartee@statenews.com The State News nn

Concerns over the f ragmented Park District project grew during the city council work session on June 10. The changes would alter a predevelopment agreement with DTN Management Co. that consists of excluding the 303 Abbott Road plot and pushing back development timelines. I n a cou nc i l work ses-

sion, East Lansing Communit y & Economic Development Administrator Lori Mullins said the 303 Abbot Road building had to be excluded to create f lexibilit y for redevelopment. “It may make more sense to give 303 Abbot Road to Park District Investment Group for development,” Mullins said. The Park District Investment Group is the current owner of private land west of Abbot Road. The land includes

The buildings that need redeveloping are the blighted buildings. This development is developing parking lots,” Ruth Beier, Council Member

t wo blighted buildings on Grand River Avenue and was originally intended to be used for a redevelopment project known as City Center II. “Through Downtown Development Authority, the city acquired 303 N. Abbot Road in 2004,” East Lansing Planning, Building and Development Director Tim Dempsey said. “The city had just finished City Center I and they wanted to find a new redevelopment project.”

What resulted was known as City Center II, an ambitious $105 million mixed-use redevelopment project to the west of Abbot Road to be built by Strathmore Development Co. The project had plans to feature a 10-story mixed-use building, a parking garage and commercial and residential spaces. The 2008 recession stalled t h i ng s u nt i l 2012, whe n St r at h mor e D e ve lopme nt Co. returned to the city with

a revised plan. After much debate from council, however, the plan was rejected and the project was pronounced dead. The Strathmore land is now owned by the Park District Investment Group. T he cit y now faces t wo potential redevelopment projects to restore the area — one from DTN and the other from the investment group. The idea of a second Park See PROPOSALS on page 2 u

more inside Minty fest

Higher and higher

St.Johns, Mich., celebrates tradition, summer fun at MSU Mint Outdoors Festival Club seeks high adventure

Local gas prices see sizeable increase in last two months

features, PAGE 6

campus+city, pG. 5

Hayden Fennoy/The State News

Danyelle Morrow/The State News

Capitol celebrates June Dairy Month CAMPUS+CITY, PAGE 3


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Thursday 6/12/14 by The State News - Issuu