Waive Goodbye

I intended to post yesterday -- in fact, as an administrative note, my general intent is for The National to post on a M-W-F basis -- but Monday turned out to be a light day for college news without simply revisiting the Petrino situation. It's a good thing I waited, though, because wouldn't you know it, there's a national story that directly relates to us. As you all know, Ernie Zeigler was fired by Central Michigan, setting off a sweepstakes for both himself as an assistant coach, and his son Trey as hot transfer commodity. Ernie hasn't accepted a job anywhere yet, but Trey is transferring to Pittsburgh, where he'll have two years of eligibility remaining.

Read the full story here!

Mount Pleasant: Rock city?

Few bands make their way to Mount Pleasant, while local groups struggle to bring out crowds. While not completely unknown to the music world, the Mount Pleasant scene has seen better days. There are Internet rumors, seemingly confirmed by Henry Rollins’ writing, of legendary hardcore punk band Black Flag having played here at an unknown venue a couple of times in the mid-’80s. Grand Rapids ska band Mustard Plug does shows at Rubble’s Bar, 112 W. Michigan St., two or three times a year. Pop-rock group Cheap Trick played Soaring Eagle back in 2000, with the casino being a regular stop for groups past their prime.

Read the full story here!

Mount Pleasant’s Bracken family bonded by music

More than anything else, music ties Mount Pleasant’s Bracken family together. Even though they’ve grown apart physically over the years, with some children moving to different parts of the country, the family members are bonded by their affinity for a charming chord or great vocal harmony. “It was always there,” said Kathleen Bracken, the second oldest of four siblings. Kathleen has played in nationally touring bands Those Transatlantics and Cameron McGill and What Army. Their father, Daniel Bracken, Sr., was always playing guitar around the house, which was filled with other instruments too, making live music around the house a constant.

Read the full story here!

Jay Leno gets real in Mount Pleasant at Soaring Eagle Casino show

The last time Jay Leno stopped by Saginaw for a chat, “that was 20 years ago, 21 years, easy,” he said, chuckling. He was on a cross-country trek, doing stand-up, convincing the network decision-makers that he was the one to succeed Johnny Carson in 1992. And it worked. Other than a short-lived move into the 10 p.m. time slot in 2009, he’s hosted “The Tonight Show” ever since. “Stand-up was what I always liked to do, long before then and still today,” he said, calling about his Saturday, April 21, show at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mount Pleasant. “I do about 50 or 60 nights a year; it keeps me sharp.”

Read the full story here!

CMU to set 2012-13 tuition rates Thursday, aims to allow students time for financial planning

Central Michigan University students will know Thursday what they'll pay for tuition three months early. The Board of Trustees will set 2012-13 tuition and room and board rates this spring instead of in July, when the trustees traditionally set the rates. A CMU statement about the meeting said the change is "to allow students a better opportunity to participate in the discussion and to give parents and students more time for financial planning." Last summer, CMU had the lowest percentage point tuition increase among Michigan's 15 public universities.

Read the full story here!

Trey Zeigler chooses to go to Pitt

Pittsburgh pulled off a huge recruiting coup to start the ACC in fall 2013 when Central Michigan guard Trey Zeigler chose the Panthers over Duke and UCLA on Saturday. Former Central Michigan coach Ernie Zeigler told ESPN.com on Saturday his 6-foot-5 son will play for his former colleague Jamie Dixon at Pitt. Zeigler and Dixon were assistants together under Ben Howland at Pitt. Ernie then followed Howland to UCLA. Trey Zeigler averaged 16.3 points as a freshman and 15.8 points and 6.7 rebounds as a sophomore. "He's with really good people at Pitt," Ernie Zeigler said. "He's back where me and Jamie started off." Ernie Zeigler said Trey will sit out the 2012-13 season and have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Read the full story here!

Huskies Steal One From the Chippewas

The Central Michigan softball team dropped the second of two games against Northern Illinois on Sunday, 4-2. With one out in the top of the seventh, the Huskies (16-20, 4-4 Mid-American Conference) got a two-run homer from Dani Parrish, over the right field fence, allowing the Huskies to grab a 3-2 lead. Three straight singles brought another NIU player home, extending the lead to 4-2. The Huskies got on the board first in the top of the second when Amanda Sheppard hit a triple off the center field fence. She would then score on the next play following a Chippewa error. A great diving play by Chelsea DeLamielleure ended the inning, with the Chippewas (16-16, 3-4 MAC) trailing 1-0.

Read the full story here!