Today’s weather forecast is predicting sun all around with a high of 83 and a low of 64. This weekend, weather looks a bit unpredicted with Saturday looking cloudy with a bit of sun and some slight chances of rain. Sunday is predicting cloudy with occasional rain showers.

Questions about monkeypox answered by Ingham County Health Department

The Ingham County Health Department responded to growing concerns of the monkeypox virus (MPV) outbreak on Thursday by hosting a live-streamed question and answer session via Facebook and Instagram. Community members voiced their opinions about the stigmatization of the virus, as well as how it will affect the county.

For tests different from COVID-19,

The phrase “probable cases” sparked interest in the comment section of the live stream, leading Cristin Larder, senior epidemiologist for ICHD to specify. She said that monkeypox does not function the same way that COVID-19 does.

This test does not exclusively test for monkeypox, but the family that includes diseases like smallpox. However, if the test comes back positive, it is probably a monkeypox case because smallpox is not currently having an outbreak. The next step is to send the test to the Center for Disease Control for further testing.

Dr. Shoyinka, Medical Director for Ingham County, went on to discuss how the virus spreads among social networks. She emphasized that monkeypox is not a sexual-orientation-specific disease, but that this virus had spread through communities in predominantly gay communities.

As for symptoms, Shoyinka said that the “heralding sign that people notice” are the lesions that show up in rashes as well as fever and pain.

Shoyinka said that vaccines are limited, which has led to the Center for Disease Control altering the delivery method of them. Monkeypox vaccines will be administered intradermally – meaning the dose is injected between the layers of one’s skin, instead of the usual method of injecting into muscle tissue.

Furthermore, she reminded the audience that monkeypox is a zoonotic disease, meaning it originated in animals and spread to humans. Because of this, she advised those infected to isolate from pets, as it could spread to them.

If an individual finds themselves with a rash they believe is monkeypox, the ICHD urges to them to contact their primary care provider to get tested.

Two suspects arrested by ELPD following armed robbery

Two girls are in custody for their connection to an armed robbery following a vehicle chase Tuesday night.

There had been a report by Lansing Township regarding a stolen vehicle Monday night.

The vehicle had later been identified on Tuesday when a man informed the police that two people had robbed him at gunpoint and left in an orange SUV. The description of the SUV aligned in both reports.

According to the Lansing State Journal, ELPD later located the vehicle in the parking lot at the Frandor Burger King at 3121 E Saginaw St. in Lansing. Officers were then able to trace and identify the two individuals inside the fast food chain who fit the description of the suspects involved in the earlier robbery.

The two suspects escaped the parking lot despite attempts by the Lansing Police Department and ELPD officers on scene. The vehicle hit one of the patrol cars as it was escaping, ELPD Capt. Chad Pride said to the LSJ.

The individuals crashed near Howard Avenue moments later and the officers arrested them. Nobody was injured during the incident.

Vegan, vegetarian dining options to check out in East Lansing

The college lifestyle isn’t an easy adjustment.

For students with dietary restrictions or preferences, it can be an even bigger challenge. For vegan and vegetarian students in East Lansing, there are many options to choose from.

On campus, students have access to resources to navigate the dining hall. They can visit the Eat at State website to browse campus dining menus. Logos appear next to menu items that are vegetarian and vegan.

There is also a portal called MSUtrition that students can visit online. Filters can be applied, allowing students to browse menu options free of any restrictions they selected.

Registered dietician for MSU Culinary Services Kelsey Patterson said MSU follows lacto-ovo vegetarian guidelines, meaning their items marked “vegetarian” may include egg or dairy but not meat, fish and poultry.

Patterson’s role as a dietician involves making menu decisions. She strives to include a variety of full plates with vegetarian and vegan options.

As far as off campus eating options, students can choose from a wide variety of restaurants in East Lansing including Woody’s Oasis, Barrio, Sapporo, Omi Sushi, No Thai, and even desert locations including Insomnia Cookies.

Based on original reporting by Maggie George, Abeeha Zaidi, and Morgan Womack.