ISU graduate student, Joseph Fallah, spoke on Tuesday, November 13 about his time spent working with the refugee community in Liberia, helping them to find jobs and adapt to an unfamiliar environment. Fallah's speech was the first in the series of the Applied Community and Economic Development Student Association's Community Development Forum Series.… Post the First Comment

Illinois State has officially decided not to adopt a plus/minus grading system in classrooms. The decision came after deliberation by Illinois State's Academic Affairs committee along with other interested faculty and students. The Academic Senate of Illinois State approved the recommendation for the formation of a task force on April 11, 2007.… 2 Comments

On campus and across the community, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day, as part of an international initiative, will be celebrated today, Wednesday the 14th, during National Geography Awareness Week. GIS Day on campus will consist of a number of fun and interesting activities and will be held in Felmley Hall from 9 a.… 5 Comments

Students from ISU's English Language Institute visited Thomas Metcalf School on Tuesday and exposed students to different countries and cultures. The English Language Institute students traveled to kindergarten through eighth grade classrooms to introduce new concepts to students.… Post the First Comment

A bill aiming to make only certified fire-safe cigarettes available for sale in Wisconsin was introduced into the Senate Monday. Fire-safe cigarettes are made with a special wrapping that contains rings allowing less oxygen to get to the burning material.… Post the First Comment

MASCOUTAH, Ill. (AP) -Maybe they hugged it out: school officials resolved their dispute with the parents of a 13-year-old girl given detention for hugging her friends. Melissa and Dean Coulter met with officials of the Mascoutah School District 19 to discuss the two detentions given to their daughter, Megan, for hugging friends goodbye for the weekend.… Post the First Comment

SEATTLE (AP) - Utility crews restored power Tuesday to most of the 130,000 Pacific Northwest homes and businesses that were darkened a day earlier by a fierce storm with battering winds. Most of the electrical outages were repaired by midnight and crews continued to work Tuesday morning.… Post the First Comment

To help try and raise awareness on issues dealing with stress and stress relief, the University Center for Learning Assistance gave a presentation on stress management in Stevenson Hall on Tuesday. The University Center for Learning Assistance offers free tutoring in various subjects along with free one-on-one writing assistance.… Post the First Comment

GAUHATI, India (AP) - With Rwanda off her charity calendar, Paris Hilton has turned her attention to the plight of...drunken elephants in India. "The elephants get drunk all the time. It is becoming really dangerous. We need to stop making alcohol available to them," the 26-year-old socialite was quoted as saying by the World Entertainment News Network's Web site.… Post the First Comment

LAS VEGAS (AP) - The New Frontier casino-hotel was imploded early Tuesday, giving a violent end to the second property to open on the Las Vegas Strip. The 16-story hotel tower was filled with over 1,000 pounds of explosives before a group of reporters and bystanders to make way for a multibillion-dollar resort bearing The Plaza brand, which is set to open in 2011.… Post the First Comment

ISU and seven other public universities in Illinois have joined to form the Illinois Innovative Delivery of Education Alliance-Homeland Security. The goal of the alliance is to improve and increase the education available to college students in the various areas of homeland security.… Post the First Comment

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) - A leading dissident on the run since escaping a crackdown by government thugs two months ago and a Buddhist monk who helped spearhead recent pro-democracy demonstrations have been arrested, exiled activists and an official said Tuesday.… Post the First Comment