CMU Stuns Divisional Leader, EMU, 61-46

There was no spoiling senior night for the Central Michigan women's basketball team as they rolled through the Mid-American Conference divisional leader, Eastern Michigan, 61-46 Tuesday night. The Chippewas (16-14, 8-8 MAC) used a 19-2 run over the final 10:06 to snap the Eagles' (21-8, 13-3 MAC) nine-game win streak. "I was very pleased with our performance tonight especially on senior night," said head coach Sue Guevara. "It was good to go out on a win for our seniors Skylar Miller and Sarah Huff. Defensively we are just playing well. The first ten minutes of the game it was really important that we jumped out in front. I thought we ran the floor well, and finished. That is why we got out to the lead that we did."

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Harrison man arraigned on mobile meth lab charges

A Harrison man has been arraigned on charges of using a car as a mobile methamphetamine lab. Clare County Magistrate Rick LaBoda this afternoon arraigned Benjamin Q. Bristol, 30, on single counts of operating a methamphetamine lab, operating a meth lab near a school, residence or church, possession of marijuana and operating a motor vehicle on a suspended license. The first two counts are 20-year felonies. LaBoda set Bristol's bond at $100,000 or 10 percent. Around 2:10 a.m. today, a Clare County sheriff's deputy noticed the 1998 Plymouth Bristol was driving did not have a working taillight. The deputy pulled over Bristol near the intersection of First and Main streets in Harrison and discovered the meth lab inside the car, Sheriff John S. Wilson has said.

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Johnson Snatches Player of the Week Honors

Sophomore Taylor Johnson was named Mid-American Conference West Player of the Week on Monday, her second time being honored this season. The Belding, Mich., native assisted the Chippewas to a 2-0 record last week, with wins over Northern Illinois, 73-50, and Western Michigan, 66-53. She finished the week averaging 17.5 points per game and 8.5 rebounds, both well above her season averages of 8.2 points and 5.2 rebounds. She recorded her third double-double on the season against the Huskies with a season-high 20 points and 10 rebounds. She also finished the game 6-for-8 from behind the arc to tie her personal best. Against the Broncos, Johnson had 15 points while recording a season-high four steals.

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Coming to America: Olivier Mbaigoto makes transition from native country Chad

Most students face some sort of homesickness when getting to Mount Pleasant, but for Olivier Mbaigoto it is extremely different. He is more than 6,000 miles away from his family and friends back in his hometown country of Chad. The 6-foot-7 junior left his old life behind to play basketball in America but says he talks to his loved ones back home “very often.” He now is a starting forward for the Central Michigan basketball team. “The way people live down there (Chad) is a little different than in the U.S.,” Mbaigoto said. Mbaigoto said he misses his family more and more each day. Mbaigoto moved to the United States in 2006 and moved in with a family in Virginia who he said helped him get where he is today.

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Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul riles 1,300-plus crowd at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant

Ron Paul, the congressman from Texas, at times elicited an electric, rock-concert-like response from the 1,300-plus crowd who came to hear him speak at Central Michigan University’s Warriner Hall Saturday. The Texas Congressman’s message of “personal liberty,” controlling government spending, peaceful foreign affairs, auditing the Federal Reserve, repealing the Patriot Act and ending the War on Drugs was received eagerly. The theater held 1,250 seats. The outer aisles were also filled with standing-room only attendees. Hundreds more, who could not fit, listened to Paul’s words via speakers outside the theater. Those who were turned away were given vouchers for seats to see Paul when he visits Michigan State University Monday if they choose to attend.

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Life is 'pretty sweet' for Larry the Cable Guy, on his way to Mount Pleasant

A familiar voice booms on the other end of the phone line, with a southern accent so thick you could spread it across a hot slab of cornbread. “It’s Larry,” says Larry the Cable Guy, who’s coming Friday, March 9, to the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mount Pleasant. And just like that, memories fly back to the first time he came to Saginaw, at the height of the Blue Collar Comedy mania. “I was a small Asian man back then,” he chuckles, but actually he had talked about a farmboy from Nebraska named Dan Whitney who came up with an alter-ego to help a fellow DJ at a Tampa radio station when his scheduled guest didn’t show up.

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Suspect in Mount Pleasant gasoline thefts busted

Mount Pleasant Police arrested a suspect in connection with a gasoline theft Monday. Officers were sent to the Speedway gas station at 201 S. Mission St., where clerks reported a person had pumped more than $40 worth of gasoline into a white SUV and left without paying. With the help of the clerk and another witness, police identified the suspect. Police also learned the same suspect and vehicle were involved in a second theft of gas, this time at the Citgo station at 910 W. Pickard. The theft was caught on video, and officers immediately attempted to locate the suspect so other businesses would not also become victims.

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Mt. Pleasant police identify juvenile suspects in graffiti vandalism

Two juvenile males have been identified by the Mt. Pleasant Police Department as suspects in a recent string of spray-paint vandalisms downtown. The department investigated more than a dozen complaints of spray painting recently found on fences, dumpsters and businesses. The department’s Youth and Community Service Unit received a tip on Tuesday about a possible suspect. After an investigation, police identified two juvenile male suspects and plan to forward the case to the prosecutor’s office for possible charges once the investigation is complete.

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Joke twitter handle CMU Squirrel follows in footsteps of Dexter Bear, Bronx Zoo cobra

When the poisonous Egyptian cobra escaped from the Bronx Zoo last April, someone made a twitter account and the snake amused 200,000 followers with it's antics on the town. Now Central Michigan University, which has unusually large squirrels on campus, has a similar account on the social networking site. It's the CMU Squirrel, a twitter account that follows the trials of a squirrel in Mount Pleasant. The anonymous account talks to students, posts photos and jokes about college life.

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Norma Bailey works as professor, community activist

A Central Michigan University education professor has shifted her social activism to a political one by fighting for a non-discrimination ordinance. Professor Norma Bailey and others hope the ordinance will pass after the final presentation to the Mount Pleasant City Commission Monday. Bailey said like many gays and lesbians, she hid who she was for many years. She said she didn’t come out until she was 34 years old. “It was a long process,” Bailey said.  “After admitting to myself I was a lesbian, I ended my marriage and decided to do my part to help the community.” She began speaking to schools and giving fellow teachers tools to better serve the younger community.

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Come sail away with Styx in Mount Pleasant ... if you already have a ticket

Lawrence Gowan has an interesting philosophy when it comes to carrying on the Styx legacy. Still the “new” lead singer after 13 years at the helm, “I’m always cognizant of what’s come before, and that there are people who miss the way it was,” he said. “The best way to do this is to become familiar with what was done in the past, and hit the stage living in the moment, performing with guys who are at the top of their game.” The show coming Friday, March 2, to Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mount Pleasant is sold out. Today’s line-up —veterans Tommy Shaw and James “J.Y.” Young, along with Gowan; Todd Sucherman, who joined after John Panozzo’s death, and Ricky Phillips — have performed live more times since 1999, including two Super Bowl pregame appearances, than Styx did in all the earlier years combined.

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Mount Pleasant officials consider income tax study amid need to boost revenue

Mount Pleasant officials will look into the feasibility of an income tax, citing future needs to boost revenue and maintain the current level of services. Last week, city commissioners were given a rundown of Mount Pleasant’s recent financial history before giving city staff the green light to search for a firm capable of completing a study of what potential an income tax could have. City Manager Kathie Grinzinger pointed to two major areas that could continue to weaken Mount Pleasant finances — an $8.6-million loss in state-shared revenue over 11 years and proposed legislation in Lansing that could eliminate the local collection of personal property taxes.

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Ron Paul to visit Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant Saturday

The Central Michigan University student-run newspaper in Mount Pleasant is reporting that Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul plans to speak in Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium Saturday. Paul, a Libertarian-minded Texas physician who the story says won the CMU College Republicans’ primary straw poll, is considered an outside contender for the party's nomination. Those who apply for vouchers at ronpaulatcmich.eventbrite.com may enter the event at 5 p.m. General admission begins at 5:30 p.m. CMU's Campus Conservatives are hosting the event.

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Arnold Named Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week

Central Michigan senior catcher William Arnold has been announced as the Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week Monday, as named by Collegiate Baseball News. Arnold put together a monster opening weekend at Troy, batting .500 (6-for-12) with four home runs, eight RBI, eight runs scored and a slugging percentage of 1.500. His four home runs were one more than he had all of 2011 and equaled his total from his first three seasons in the Maroon and Gold combined. Arnold's two home runs Sunday were pivotal in the Chippewas' claiming a 14-7 victory over the host Trojans. The senior is currently riding an 11-game hitting streak, dating back to 2011, in which he is batting at a .395 clip (19-for-48) with 14 RBI.

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Enberg Visit Wraps Up with Unveiling of Bust

The bust of 14-time Emmy Award winner and Central Michigan alumnus Dick Enberg was officially unveiled in a halftime ceremony at tonight's men's basketball game, capping a weekend of campus activities in which Enberg participated. The bust greets visitors in the main entrance of the CMU Events Center with Enberg's famous thumbs-up pose he gave at his 1980 commencement speech. The project was the work of 1997 alumnus Todd Anson, who shared the stage with Enberg tonight in recognition of his generous gifts to the CMU Events Center.

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Islanders Outlast Chippewas, 49-47

Trey Zeigler scored a game-high 22 points but Texas A&M-Corpus Christi outlasted Central Michigan to take a 49-47 win away in Saturday's Sears ESPN BracketBuster game. At the midway point of the second half and with the game tied for the sixth time, the Chippewas (8-18) and the Islanders (5-21) traded leads for the next three and a half minutes. A three-pointer by the Islanders at the 7:18 mark sparked a 7-1 run and proved to be too much for a short-handed Chippewas team to overcome.

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Students protest ‘fracking’ Thursday in Mount Pleasant

Chants of “Hell no, hydro-fracking has got to go,” were heard near the Mount Pleasant Comfort Inn and Conference Center on Thursday. Members of the Student Environmental Alliance and Taking Back the Tap were protesting from 2 to 6 p.m. outside the Inn, 2424 S. Mission St., where the Michigan Oil and Gas Association was holding a seminar. A Facebook event was created by Saline sophomore Chloe Gleichman, president of SEA, to raise awareness by protesting. About 70 people attended the event, coming and going over the four-hour time period. Gleichman said if water is poisoned, there is no turning back.

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Senior transfer wrestlers compete for the last time for CMU in Mount Pleasant

Transfers Peter Sturgeon and Chad Friend of the Central Michigan wrestling team were celebrated on senior night at McGuirk Arena Thursday. “It was nice to have the fans give a nice reception (despite) not knowing me that much,” Sturgeon said. Sturgeon and Friend have been members of the wrestling program for a combined total of four years. Head coach Tom Borrelli said they have formed a bond because of being the lone seniors on the roster as well as being transfers. “It’s funny because (Peter) and Chad are like best friends,” Borrelli said. “They’re like kindred spirits."

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Enberg to be on Campus for Saturday Basketball Game

Famed broadcaster Dick Enberg, a 1957 CMU alumnus and 1993 inductee into the CMU Athletics Hall of Fame, will be on campus Saturday for a ceremony dedicating the Enberg bust located in the atrium of the CMU Events Center. Enberg will be honored at midcourt during a halftime ceremony at Saturday's men's basketball game. The Chippewas host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 7 p.m. in ESPN's Sears BracketBuster series.

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Seniors Set to Compete in Final Home Indoor Meet

 The indoor track and field teams will host the Jack Skoog Meet on Friday as a final tune-up before the Mid-American Conference Championships next weekend. Field events will begin in the Indoor Athletic Complex at 4 p.m., and running events are scheduled to begin at approximately 6 p.m. Saginaw Valley State, Lake Superior State, Alma College and Northwood are also scheduled to compete. “The main focus of this meet is to get in any last tune-ups we may need going into the Mid-American Conference Championship Meet next weekend,” Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Willie Randolph said.

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Terry Foster, Dick Enberg return to Mount Pleasant for sports management conference

Central Michigan alumni Terry Foster and Dick Enberg will be keynote speaker at the Sports Management Association during its second Professional Development Conference inside the Education and Human Services building this weekend. The conference runs from 1:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday and 8:30 to 2:45 p.m. Saturday. Registration for students has closed for this event. Foster is expected to conclude Friday’s session from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and Enberg will close out the conference from 2 to 2:45 p.m. Saturday. Foster, a Detroit News sports columnist and radio host on Detroit-based 97.1 The Ticket, will give his thoughts on the journalism industry.

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CMU Board of Trustees to vote on 10-year deal with IMG for sports coverage

More people may soon be able to watch broadcasts of Central Michigan University sports teams. On Thursday, the CMU Board of Trustees will vote on a resolution to enter CMU athletics department into an agreement with International Management Group. In a 10-year contract, the New York City-based sports, fashion and media business would provide multi-media coverage for all CMU sports teams. The deal would come at no cost to CMU.

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Central Michigan student from Auburn earns second place in state competition

A Central Michigan University student’s plan to save Michigan roads and bridges earned her $5,000 from the Students Reinventing Michigan Competition. Lauren Grotkowski, a Bay City Western graduate, took second place in the competition. Grotkowski, a freshman at Central Michigan University, was one of 39 students to submit a proposal to improve Michigan’s infrastructure. The Great Lakes Institute for Sustainable Systems put on the competition. “This was such an honor,” Grotkowski said to CM Life, Central Michigan’s student newspaper. “The competition was throughout the whole state, it’s not just the school or out of so many people. It is really nice to represent CMU.”

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Charley Pride brings 'best show on the road' to Mount Pleasant's Soaring Eagle

Charley Pride is on the line, and it doesn't take long before he's talking about his greatest hit. It isn't "Kiss An Angel Good Morning" or any of the other 35 No. 1 hits the legendary country singer has charted since releasing "The Snakes Crawl at Night" in 1966. It doesn't have anything to do with the music his producer, Jack Clement, told him back then that people would still come to hear 50 years later. Come to think of it, Pride said, counting off the decades, Johnson was right. He's nearly there already, and people are sure to come around when he plays Mount Pleasant's Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort on Saturday, Feb. 18.

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Community church’s college outreach focuses on growth through small groups

With café-style tables, a coffee bar and colorful lighting, the loft of Mount Pleasant Community Church becomes populated every Tuesday night with college students. They come together for UNite, a program of MPCC’s ULife outreach, and meet in the church for worship and small-group Bible study at 8 p.m. Tuesdays. Shepherd resident and small-group leader MacKenzie Sheahan said the ULife program started about four years ago when she and her husband, Director of College Ministry Mitch Sheahan, began hosting a Bible study for a group of college students at their house. “Eventually we grew enough to start having weekly UNite meetings here in the church,” MacKenzie said. The attendance at each week’s UNite is now around 60 students, coming from both Central Michigan University and Mid Michigan Community College.

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CMU College of Medicine receives preliminary accreditation

The Central Michigan University College of Medicine on Wednesday took another step in becoming a full medical school. University officials announced the Liaison Committee on Medical Education granted preliminary accreditation to the College of Medicine, the third step in five. The committee is the national accrediting authority for medical program. “This is a significant milestone as we strive to create an innovative and highly successful program to help fill imminent needs for physicians and medical education opportunities in our state,” said President George E. Ross in a statement.

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CMU Announces One-Year Contract Extension for Dan Enos

Central Michigan University Director of Athletics Dave Heeke announced today a one-year extension to the existing contract of head football coach Dan Enos. "We are all-in with Dan Enos and his strong vision for and dedication to rebuilding this program into a perennial championship contender that has a foundation for sustainable success," said Heeke. "Continuity, stability, and commitment are the critical qualities needed at this point to define the next chapter of Chippewa Football success." Enos is currently in the third year of his original five-year contract. The additional year extends the agreement through the 2015 season. No increase in base salary or buyout provisions are included with the extension.

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'World's largest paint party' canceled in Saginaw; Mount Pleasant remains on tour

A concert-like act dubbed “the world’s largest paint party” was canceled at downtown’s Dow Event Center here, officials say. DAYGLOW was scheduled for Thursday, but Dow Event Center officials say organizers of the rave-like event today announced they planned to cancel and reschedule for a later date. Matt Blasy, the event center's general manager, said organizers indicated a combination of low ticket sales and production issues forced the rescheduling, "but there are plans to get it back on the schedule." He said fans who already purchased tickets can get a full refund by returning to the location where the ticket was sold.

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Report: CMU officials provide inflated numbers for football attendence during games

The attendance numbers Central Michigan University posts on the scoreboard during football games may not be quite accurate. Central Michigan Life, CMU's student newspaper, reported the average attendance for five 2011 home games was 15,291. The average paid attendance was 4,473. Athletics Director Dave Heeke told CM Life the attendance was about 6,000 to 10,000 per game. Students can attend the games at no cost. The university counts cheerleaders, staff and band members, along with all free tickets whether the ticket holder attended or not.

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Wellspring Literary Series returns with CMU alum poet, featured pianist and MA canidate

Keith Taylor’s most memorable feature may be his beard at first glance. But to those in attendance at Monday’s return of the Wellspring Literary Series at Art Reach, 111 E. Broadway St., listening to Taylor share his love for nature with more than 80 people would suggest otherwise. “When you’re 19 and you’ve got a crazy French lover, what more could you want?” Taylor said. Taylor’s work explored humorous notions, as well as those more serious. Several poems were shared from his time as a graduate student at Central Michigan University, including a poem with which he depicted a bar fight in Mount Pleasant.

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CMU biology department sees growth, chairman believes med school had impact

The chairman of the Central Michigan University Biology Department believes the College of Medicine has helped grow the department. Central Michigan Life reported in the last three years, the biology and bio-medical sciences majors have grown from 450 students to 725 students. Biology Department Chairman Stephen Roberts told CM Life he had "little doubt" the school played a part. However, Roberts also said the department endorsed the Academic Senate's vote of no confidence in President George Ross and Provost Gary Shapiro. The faculty-led curriculum policy-making body believes the administration should be more forthcoming about information regarding the medical school.

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Mount Pleasant man arraigned on sex charges

A Mount Pleasant man has been indicted and arraigned in the U.S. District Court on charges related to the sexual assault of a minor, the U.S. Attorney's Office reports. Allen Wade Pego Sr., 56, faces three counts of aggravated sexual abuse, three counts of sexual abuse, three counts of sexual abuse of a minor and eight counts of witness tampering. The indictment charges that between November 1989 and November 1993, Pego sexually assaulted a minor victim numerous times and that between June 2008 and July 2011, he sexually abused a different victim, all on the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Reservation.

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Game Notes: Chippewas Hit the Road for Ohio

Central Michigan hits the road to face the Mid-American Conference team with the league's top overall record in the 18-4 Ohio Bobcats.  Tipoff in the Convocation Center is set for 2 p.m. The game features two of the league's premier playmakers in CMU's Trey Zeigler and Ohio D.J. Cooper.  Both rank among the MAC leaders in scoring with Zeigler averaging 16.1 points per game and Cooper 13.5.  Zeigler also ranks among the rebounding leaders while Cooper is tops in steals and ranks among the best in assists.  Both were preseason All-MAC selections in their respective divisions. The Chippewas are looking to snap a six-game losing skid, which ties as the longest in the last six seasons.

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No. 22 Chippewas Travel East for Two Duals

No. 22 Central Michigan hits the road for a pair of dual meets this weekend, visiting George Mason on Saturday and No. 25 Old Dominion on Sunday. The short turnaround will force the Chippewas to make weight twice in less than 24 hours. Saturday's dual at George Mason begins at 7:30 p.m., while Sunday's meet at ODU begins at 3 p.m. "When you go on the road and have to make weight back-to-back days and wrestle two straight days, it's similar to the NCAA Tournament," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "This weekend is good practice for what we will have to do in that three-day tournament." CMU enters the weekend having dropped three straight dual meets, all to top-20 opponents, after having posted wins in seven straight duals.

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CMU basketball coach Ernie Zeigler discusses coaching son, Trey Zeigler

There are a handful of fathers coaching their sons in college basketball, and Central Michigan University has such a pair. The Associated Press reported on the father-son dynamic, including Creighton University coach Greg McDermott and his son, Doug McDermott. CMU men's basketball coach Ernie Zeigler told the AP his goal is to push his son, Trey, as a player and help him become an adult. Trey Zeigler, a sophomore, turned down offers to play at the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, University of California-Los Angeles and Arizona State University to play for CMU and his father. Now he's ranking among the best in the Mid-American conference and said he has no regrets about his decision.

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Chippewas to Compete in Michigan/Illinois Invite

 Coming off its first loss of the season, Central Michigan will look to bounce back when it travels to Ypsilanti Friday for the Michigan/Illinois Invite. The quad meet will feature the host Eagles (0-2), Illinois State (2-2) and Illinois-Chicago (1-3) and is set to begin at 7 p.m. inside Bowen Field House. The Maroon and Gold suffered its first loss of the season Sunday versus Texas Woman's University despite posting season-best marks on vault, but defeated Eastern Michigan two days prior, 193.325-192.725. Be sure to check CMUChippewas.com Friday evening for a complete recap, including photos and a post-meet interview with coach Reighard.

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