Latest news with #MichiganStateUniversity
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Well-loved Michigan doughnut and burger chains merge. What to know
A popular doughnut chain based in Clare, Michigan, Cops and Doughnuts, will merge with Halo Burger, now based in Burton, the doughnut shop's leadership said on May 31. The merger with Halo Burger owner and CEO Achille 'Ace' DiNello marks a new start for the restaurant chain, says Greg Rynearson, vice president of Cops and Doughnuts, who will oversee communications in the new venture. "We were thinking of an exit plan for us... We've been at it for 17 years," Rynearson said. "We reached out looking for the perfect fit. We did not go with the best money, we went with the best fit, and that was Ace." DiNello provides a different direction, while staying true to Clare culture, Rynearson said. "His vision for Cops and Doughnuts aligns with ours," he added. DiNello, who has experience in the food service industry, worked in finance, including at Quicken Loans, for years before deciding to switch career paths, accumulating several restaurants and food businesses in the process, according to his LinkedIn profile. Rynearson says while he and the local group still hold "small minority ownership," he hopes the company continues to grow under new leadership. Among the changes are a new Halo Burger location in Clinton Township, slated to open in June, Rynearson told the Free Press. The bakery that became Cops and Doughnuts in Clare had been in operation since 1896. It was in danger of closing when nine members of the Clare Police Department invested and kept it operating. In addition to the wide assortment of doughnuts, the chain serves coffee and other items at its 10 locations throughout the state. The menu currently features glazed doughnuts, jumbo chocolate chip cookies and apple fritters, nicknamed the "Felony Fritter." Halo Burger is one of the oldest hamburger chains in the United States, and originated in Flint in 1923, according to its website. Originally called Kewpee, the company served its first hamburger out of a 'boxcar' style wagon on Harrison Street in downtown Flint. More: These 15 metro Detroit bars and restaurants offer rooftop patios with spectacular views "Halo Burger not only serves up award winning burgers, we also employ about 150 people in Mid-Michigan!," DiNello's LinkedIn profile says. "Born and raised in Michigan, we value our traditions and are committed to our Midwestern legacy. Above and beyond all else, we're in the business of people and proud to be active members within our community." The chain has several restaurants in the Flint area. DiNello, a Michigan State University alumnus, got into food service, purchasing a pizzeria in Rochester Hills, Michigan. He bought two more pizzerias, in Birmingham, and Renee's Gourmet Pizza in Troy, then Alinosi's Spumoni Ice Cream, founded in Detroit in 1921, and Melting Moments, the ice cream provider for Michigan State University. More: Dieting as restaurant critic He also formerly co-owned a bakery in Plymouth, Michigan, selling it when he purchased Halo Burger. Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jawilliams1@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Clare-based Cops and Doughnuts merges with Halo Burger
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
This Popular Supplement May Help With Alzheimer's Symptoms
Creatine is everywhere on social media right now, with recs coming from influencers and health experts. Research is starting to find that the popular supplement can do more than help you build muscle. In a small pilot trial published in a journal, researchers found that creatine monohydrate may help improve cognitive function in individuals with Alzheimer's Disease. It's hard to cruise your For You feed right now without being faced with yet another testimonial about the perks of taking a creatine supplement. While creatine is the supplement du jour, there is solid data to support its use—mostly around fitness. But a growing body of research suggests that creatine may do more than help you build muscles, including easing depression and helping with brain fog after a bad night's sleep. Now, a new study suggests that there may be some benefit to using creatine to boost cognition in people with Alzheimer's disease. The research is very early and this is technically a pilot trial (which is basically a trial run). But the findings bring up a number of questions about whether something as simple as adding a creatine supplement could help improve symptoms in people with such a devastating condition. Here's what the study, found plus what doctors and nutritionists recommend keeping in mind. Meet the experts: Amit Sachdev, MD, is the medical director in the Department of Neurology at Michigan State University; Albert Matheny, RD, CSCS, is co-founder of SoHo Strength Lab; Matthew Taylor, PhD, RD, is a study co-author, assistant professor, and director of the KU Brain Nutrition Laboratory at University of Kansas Medical Center; Clifford Segil, DO, is a neurologist at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, CA The study, which was published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia Translational Research & Clinical Interventions, looked into the 'feasibility' of patients with Alzheimer's disease taking 20 grams a day of creatine monohydrate (the most widely studied form of creatine) for eight weeks. The researchers looked at how compliant the patients were (i.e. how likely they were to take the supplement). They also monitored levels of creatine in the patients' blood at the start, four weeks, and eight weeks later, along with levels of creatine in their brains. They also tested the patients' cognition at the start of the study and after eight weeks. The researchers found that 19 of the 20 participants were more than 80 percent compliant with taking the creatine during the study. They also found that creatine levels went up in their blood after four and eight weeks, and that creatine in the brain increased by 11 percent. And here's the really interesting part: The researchers discovered that the patients had better improvements in cognitive tests, including sorting and reading, along with tests to measure attention and response, after eight weeks of creatine supplementation. The researchers concluded that the findings provide 'preliminary evidence' for more research. 'We decided to do this study because there were a couple of recent studies in mice suggesting that, in a mouse model of Alzheimer's, creatine monohydrate supplementation may be beneficial,' says study co-author Matthew Taylor, PhD, RD, assistant professor and director of the KU Brain Nutrition Laboratory at University of Kansas Medical Center. 'Prior to this study, no work had been done in humans with Alzheimer's, so it was the right time to start looking at it as a potentially beneficial supplement for Alzheimer's.' The study didn't look into this, but there are some theories. 'The brain requires a lot of energy, but in Alzheimer's, brain energy metabolism drastically declines,' Taylor explains. 'Creatine is a very important substance for transporting energy produced by our mitochondria and increasing creatine levels may even encourage mitochondria to produce more energy.' Albert Matheny, RD, CSCS, co-founder of SoHo Strength Lab, co-signs that theory. Creatine helps to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), 'and ATP is the brain's primary energy source,' he says. Adding more creatine to the body could, in theory, help support cognition in people with Alzheimer's disease, Matheny adds. Creatine may also have other roles, like decreasing inflammation and oxidative stress in the body, which could potentially help with symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, Taylor says. 'Each of these roles could help with cognitive function in Alzheimer's, but we still have so much to learn about the roles of this molecule in the brain,' he says. We're not there yet. Again, this was a pilot study and it simply found that people who have Alzheimer's disease may be able to regularly take creatine supplements and might have a boost in cognition as a result. But this doesn't mean that people with Alzheimer's disease should take creatine, says Amit Sachdev, MD, medical director in the Department of Neurology at Michigan State University. 'I would not advise the use of creatine with the goal of improving cognition,' he says, noting that there's not yet 'well-established data to support this use.' Clifford Segil, DO, a neurologist at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, agrees. "We are not at a point that creatine supplementation for brain health is an accepted supplement," he says. Taylor agrees. 'Our study is far from a definitive study,' he says. 'Well-designed, placebo-controlled clinical trials are needed to determine whether creatine is beneficial for Alzheimer's. I would suggest Alzheimer's patients and their families discuss taking any supplement with their neurologist.' You Might Also Like Can Apple Cider Vinegar Lead to Weight Loss? Bobbi Brown Shares Her Top Face-Transforming Makeup Tips for Women Over 50
Edmonton Journal
3 days ago
- General
- Edmonton Journal
Growing Things: What to put in your garden compost
Article content Q: My husband and I have a conflict over what is suitable material to be composted for our garden. He wants to put meat and bones into the garden, where I understand it should be more vegetable matter. We agree on that part, and both of us put in coffee grounds and vegetable scraps. When our sons-in-law visit, they help clear the table after a meal. I tell them to put the bones in the garbage, and my husband tells them to put them in the compost pail. The poor fellows don't know who to listen to. We both read your column, so your comment would hopefully settle the matter. Our two sons-in-law would be relieved, I'm sure, to have this matter resolved. Article content A: I hesitate to get between a husband and wife disagreement, but in this case, I feel I must. The City of Edmonton composting website states that meat and bones are 'tricky' to compost, and they recommend trying these materials in small amounts. While meat and bones can technically be composted, it's generally not recommended for standard home compost piles due to the risk of attracting pests, odours, and potential food safety concerns. There is also a risk that meat and bones can harbour harmful bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli, which could contaminate your compost and potentially your plants, according to Michigan State University. Q: I have a 40-year-old mountain ash tree that had a bumper crop of berries this past winter. Now, most of those berries are lying on the grass. It is literally red with berries. My question is, can I leave the berries on the grass or will they damage the lawn? Article content A: I have dealt with the same problem myself in the past. I raked up all of mine because that many berries could create an acid problem that could affect the lawn. It is best to remove the berries. The other problem is that I find that mountain ash berries break down very slowly, so you would be stuck with the berries for some time before they break down. Q: Would you be able to tell me the name of a shrubbery that grows so thick that even a cat can't get through it? It would be perfect as a divider between my neighbour's yard and mine. I've heard of it but can't remember where. A: The best hedging material for your purpose is likely Cotoneaster. A Cotoneaster hedge is very hardy and looks great trimmed. The bonus is that it offers fantastic fall colours. The hedge is just ablaze in reds, oranges and golds. When trimmed, the plants will bush out nicely filling in most of the spaces with branches that make it very difficult for any cat to pass through. Every week, Growing Things Outdoors runs online at or, if you prefer an epaper format, Latest National Stories
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump's pardon of Sittenfeld stunned many in Cincinnati, but the move fits a pattern
Anyone trying to explain President Donald Trump's pardon of former Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld this week would be hard-pressed to find a reason in either man's words or deeds. Trump is the Republican, MAGA-hat-wearing populist who revels in mocking Democrats, while Sittenfeld is the liberal Democrat who once called Trump a 'buffoonish carnival barker.' And yet, despite their obvious differences, something or someone motivated Trump to use one of his greatest presidential powers on Sittenfeld's behalf. Neither Trump nor Sittenfeld is saying who or what may have provided that motivation. But the two men are connected in at least a few ways that could have drawn Trump's attention to Sittenfeld's political corruption case and opened the door to his decision to grant him a 'full and unconditional pardon.' Their most obvious common ground is personal familiarity with a federal prosecution they deemed unfair and politically motivated. Before returning to the White House, Trump faced charges related to his handling of classified documents and his efforts to remain in power after losing the 2020 election. Sittenfeld, meanwhile, got a 16-month prison sentence in a bribery and extortion case that derailed a promising political career. Although Trump has given no indication he's familiar with the details of Sittenfeld's case, the president has complained repeatedly about what he describes as the 'weaponization' of the legal system against him and others. Just one day before announcing Sittenfeld's pardon, Trump pardoned a Virginia sheriff convicted on corruption charges, claiming he was 'a victim of an overzealous Biden Department of Justice.' He's also recently pardoned a state senator in Tennessee, a city council member in Las Vegas, two reality TV stars and former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who, like Sittenfeld, is a Democrat. 'Trump is just committed to emptying the prisons of anyone convicted of political corruption,' said David Niven, a political scientist at the University of Cincinnati who's been critical of Trump's pardons. 'I think that's the bottom line.' The effect of Trump's pardons, Niven said, is to undermine the government's ability to prosecute corruption cases while also numbing the public to bad behavior by politicians. In this view, it doesn't matter that Sittenfeld is a Democrat and Trump is a Republican. 'This is much more about corruption than politics,' Niven said. Brian Kalt, a law professor at Michigan State University who specializes in presidential powers, said Trump showed in his first term a willingness to help people who shared his political beliefs. This time, he said, the president has taken a keen interest in anyone who's faced a prosecution related to public corruption. 'He's been pardoning people he identifies with,' Kalt said. Most of those pardons have gone to Republicans or, in Blagojevich's case, to people who've publicly praised Trump. Trump advisor Ed Martin explained Trump's approach to pardons this way in a social media post this week: 'No MAGA left behind.' Sittenfeld doesn't appear to fall into that category. He ran for office as a Democrat and has not publicly said anything supportive of Trump. On the contrary, when Trump was on his way to the Republican nomination in 2015, Sittenfeld posted a short YouTube video critical of Trump and his rhetoric. "Donald Trump has gone from being a buffoonish carnival barker to something darker and far more dangerous," he said. 'The fearmongering, the wanton bigotry, the calls for mass deportation, ethnic registries and the scapegoating of religious minorities – this isn't politics as usual." But Trump might have reason to look past such comments, said Bernadette Meyler, a Stanford University law professor who specializes in constitutional law. She said pardoning someone with whom he has little else in common might serve a purpose for Trump. She said it's easier for the president to argue the public corruption pardons he's granting are based on legal reasons, rather than political reasons, if he gives them to both Republicans and Democrats. 'It helps to legitimize his pardons of Republicans if he can say he's pardoned at least some people accused of similar things who are Democrats,' Meyler said. How did Sittenfeld become one of the lucky few Democrats to make the list? Meyler said most people who get pardons have an advocate, either a lawyer or a prominent person known to the president, who can make the case for the president's intervention. There are at least two lawyers who could fit that bill. After Sittenfeld's indictment in 2020, he turned for help to James Burnham, a well-known Republican attorney and expert in corruption cases who worked in both the first and second Trump administration. Most recently, Burnham served as a general counsel in billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Another lawyer with ties to both Trump and Sittenfeld is Yaakov Roth, who argued Sittenfeld's case on appeal and now works as Trump's deputy assistant attorney general in the civil division of the Department of Justice. It's not known whether Burnham or Roth, neither of whom could be reached to comment, or anyone else brought Sittenfeld's case to Trump's attention. Other prominent Sittenfeld supporters either couldn't be reached or declined to comment when asked about the pardon and whether they'd reached out to the president on his behalf. Dick Rosenthal, a Cincinnati philanthropist who in 2021 signed an open letter critical of Sittenfeld's prosecution, said he wouldn't comment because, 'I don't think it would be helpful to your readers, or to P.G., or to my family.' Political donors and supporters have for decades been beneficiaries of presidential pardons, but it's become more difficult under Trump to track money flowing to the president or to his family. Trump recently hosted a dinner and White House tour for investors who'd bought millions of dollars of $TRUMP memecoins, which benefits the Trump family's crypto business. Some of those who attended said they hoped their purchase of the memecoins might give them an opportunity to influence Trump on matters they care about. Niven said Trump's mingling of family business and the presidency is another reason the president is eager to attack public corruption cases like Sittenfeld's. 'This is just about normalizing political corruption,' Niven said. 'It's very useful for him, as he auctions off the White House to the highest crypto bidder, that no one pays a price for political corruption.' Kalt, the Michigan State law professor, said questions about pardons and the motivation for granting them are nothing new. It's the speed and scope of Trump's that have drawn so much attention and criticism. Ultimately, though, the president doesn't have to explain his reasons for pardoning anyone, including Sittenfeld. The pardon power requires no Congressional oversight and no judicial review. It's the president's alone to use as he sees fit. 'Ideally, there would be transparency and accountability,' Kalt said. 'But legally the president has the power to do this however he wants.' This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: trump pardon of sittenfeld shocked many, but the move fits a pattern
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chinese college students in Michigan among those nationwide facing direct threats of visa revocation
The International Center at Michigan State University | Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz The immigration status of thousands of Chinese international students housed in Michigan, and hundreds of thousands across the country, is under intense threat from federal officials which could lead to future deportations if they decide to take action. 'The U.S. will begin revoking visas of Chinese students,' read a post on the social media platform X by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday afternoon. Along with the post on 'X', the U.S. Department of State released a press statement in which Rubio specified that 'under President Trump's leadership,' Chinese students' visas will be 'aggressively' revoked, including those 'with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.' 'We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong,' the statement concluded. The revocation threats came shortly after the U.S. government decided to halt new student visa interviews for foreign applicants to U.S. colleges, where they plan to use the review of social media activity as a filter. A week ago, during a U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee meeting, Rubio stated that 'visas are a privilege, not a right.' As of that moment, there was no exact count of how many visas had been revoked; it could be thousands, and, according to him, they 'probably have more to do.' These actions came as part of an escalation in the ongoing conflict between the Trump administration against both the international student community and the Chinese government. Since early spring, several hundred visas and SEVIS records of foreign students have been revoked indiscriminately and without explanation at universities across the country. Chinese students were among those. In Michigan, dozens of international students were affected by this policy, and although some of them had their visa records restored days later, the uncertainty about their future remained latent. The nationalities of the students whose visas and SEVIS records were revoked were never officially confirmed. Around the country, several foreign students, Chinese citizens among them, started suing the current administration to have their visas and SEVIS records restored. A Chinese doctoral student from MSU sued the Trump administration to have his status reinstated. On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning addressed the new actions taken by the Trump administration during a press conference. Regarding the tense situation surrounding student visas, Ning responded to a question from Bloomberg, stating that this unjustified decision uses national security as a pretext. 'It seriously hurts the lawful rights and interests of international students from China, and disrupts people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. China firmly opposes it and has protested to the U.S. over the decision,' Ning said. Even though tensions between Chinese university students in Michigan and the U.S. government can be traced back to shortly before Trump began his second term, the latest statement from the federal government specifically targets them, exposing them all to uncertainty. Five Chinese University of Michigan alumni were charged last October with misleading U.S. authorities following an FBI investigation into their activities around the Camp Grayling National Guard base. Although it was unclear whether the students were arrested, the case sparked national security concerns. Chinese students are among the largest groups within the international student community. Michigan colleges and universities house thousands of Chinese students per year under the F1, J1, or M1 visas, which include regular students, researchers, and vocational trainees. At Michigan State University (MSU) alone, Chinese students make up the majority of the international student population, with a total of 1,016 students, according to the Geographical Sources of Students report from the Spring semester of this year. At the University of Michigan (UM), according to the 2024 annual report from the International Center, Chinese students also represent the largest international group, totaling 4,046 individuals. Prior to publication, the Michigan Advance reached out in person to MSU's Office for International Students and Scholars seeking comment. However, the OISS responded that, due to the lack of clear information about the federal government's decisions, they are not in a position to provide any comments. MSU spokesperson, Amber McCann, in an emailed statement to the Advance, stated that MSU is 'closely monitoring recent federal policy changes' and analyzing the consequences that could affect international students in order to 'provide guidance and support'. 'International education and exchange are fundamental to Michigan State University's identity as a leading public global research university. We will continue to advocate for policies that enable us to welcome international students and scholars from around the world and promote global engagement,' McCann concluded. Neither the University of Michigan nor the U of M International Center responded to requests for comment. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
