Lansing State Journal from Lansing, Michigan • Page 1

Saturday December 8, 2007 mm wte oumai Snow late High near 30, 6B The Power Of knowing since 1855 www.lsj.com Ifrfff 25K raise getst imon PREP JrWV" XN FOOTBALL 1 1 DREAM TEAMS SV5vJX 1 bese! for excellent job' at MSU Total compensation of S542K puts SsSSST JiU I i-i rr witrun tne mid-range of the Big Presidents' pay In a group of 182 public university presidents' compensation, Michigan State University's president eclipses the $397,349 median. 70 presidents Ten institutions." ner vtn among Dig len presidents It's no surprise Mitch Zajac is the defensive player of the year. But who will reign on offense? msmnnnssD ic, 4c, sc 60 Matthew Miller 11 Big Ten university presidents. "President Simon 50 Lansing State Journal 40 Citing President Lou Anna Si- has done an excellent mon's "leadership and dedication," job over the past three strong performance, and "over- years of her leader-whelming support," the Michigan ship of the university 30 till Sexton Eastern 59-58 1 Simon called the raise "more than generous," though she added later that she "would have been just as happy with zero." "It was not something that I personally requested," she said, adding that she and her husband, Roy Simon, director of telecommunication and transportation systems at MSU, "will continue to give back to the university." University officials did not name the exact amount Simon has given to MSU, but she and her husband Ske MSU Page 5A State University Board of Trustees and moving not Simon Haslett Ionia 50-48 voted Friday to raise her salary only Michigan State by $25,000. but also taking initiatives that help The move brings her total com- Michigan's economy to move for- pensation, including $22,250 in re- ward," said Trustee Melanie Foster, tirement pay, to $542,250 a year "I know we are struggling as a and puts her seventh among the state," she added, "but it's impera- i SN 'Shown in thousands Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education 'TROOPS TO TEACHERS' OFFERS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE Lansing man admits he tried to kill car salesman nrvs -rr- Kevin Grasha Lansing State Journal A 32-year-old Lansing man admitted Friday that he tried to kill a car salesman last year during a test drive.

Antwain Pulliam, who underwent several examinations to determine if he was competent to stand trial, pleaded guilty in Ingham County Circuit Court to assault with intent to In the classroom: Allen Blanco (left) and Stacey Clark (right) listen Thursday and watch teacher Lester Duvall at the Beekman Center. Duvall, who has been teaching at the center for eight years, served in the Marines from 1974 to 1995. BECKY SHINK Lansing State Journal commit murder. He faces up to life in prison. As part of the plea deal, the judge could set the minimum sentence as high as Y7Vi years, which means Pulliam would have to serve that term before being eligible for parole.

The carjacking happened the afternoon of May 2, 2006, not long after salesman Jerry Miller and Pulliam left the Bud Kouts Chevrolet dealership on East Michigan Avenue in a 2006 Cadillac CTS. Pulliam tried to stab Miller in the neck, prosecutors said, but the knife was blocked by Miller's tie and collar. Pulliam ended up slashing his face. Miller managed to unhook his seatbeli and get out of the car. Pulliam then stabbed him in the back.

Miller, 60, who has been in the car business about three Pulliam What's next A sentencing hearing for Antwain Pulliam, who pleaded guilty Friday to assault with intent to commit murder, is scheduled for Dec. 19. Program helps military personnel start new careers in classrooms 11,000 approximate number of Troops to Teachers employed as full-time teachers nationally 105 number of such teachers in Michigan day after day, year after year. Which is why, according to Yamaniski, retired Marine Sgt. Lester Duvall is perfect for the job.

Duvall, a 21-year veteran of the Marine Corps who retired after seeing action in Vietnam, Somalia and the first Gulf War, is one of six Lansing-area teachers to come to area schools through a federally funded program called Troops to Teachers since the program began 13 years ago. More than 11,000 teachers have been placed nationwide. Retired Army Sgt. Gregory Jones has been substitute teaching across Ingham County since he retired from the military in 2004. The former Army personnel adrninistrator hopes to get a master's degree in curriculum instruction at ske Teachers Page 2 A Derek Wallbank Lansing State Journal "Aaaaaay," says Lestef buvall in a long, bass tone that echoes off the walls.

It's Thursday afternoon. Five autistic students sit in class at a table deep inside the Beekman Center, a Lansing school for special needs students. One child is asleep. Another gets up every few minutes to touch the radiator, a wall, the hair of the girl next to him. "Aaaaaay," Duvall, 51, repeats, before Stacey Clark, 17, turns over a wooden block letter and places it in the puzzle board Duvall is holding.

It is the eighth year Duvall has taught at Beekman. Students like Stacey need order to succeed, said Beekman social worker Barbara Yaman-iski, in the form of a routine that won't change New teachers wanted Troops to Teachers, and its sister program Spouses to Teachers (for spouses of military service members), are accepting new recruits. To sign up or to receive more information, call (866)801-0007. number of such teachers in Ingham, Eaton and Clinton counties 3,000 stipend, in dollars, for military members who take advantage of the program and teach for three years. That amount can increase depending on school placement.

Source: Troops to Teachers Michigan office decades, has returned to work. "This was a nightmare for Mr. Miller," Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings HI said. "It's a terrible thing to have happened. I'm just glad he's recovered from his injuries and returned to work." Pulliam is being housed in an isolation unit at the Ingham County Jail, and a message could not be left for him Pulliam's attorney, Todd Robinson, said his client is mentally challenged and has been in and out of treatment and corrections facilities for much of his life.

"It's one of those tragic situations where there's not a lot of help I could give him based on the facts of the case," Robinson said. Pulliam initially was found not competent to stand trial, but in subsequent tests, he was found to be competent and faking mental illness. Doctors determined that his actions were calculated. During a September 2007 pretrial hearing about whether Pulliam could use an insanity defense, he lunged toward an assistant prosecutor. Pulliam was subdued and four officers carried him out, said attorney Hugh Clarke who represented Pulliam at the time.

"I was standing at the podium, and the next thing I knew, he was on the floor," Clarke recalled Friday. Contact Kevin Grasha at 267-1347 or kgrashalsj.com. SPEED READ Poll puts Huckabee at No. 2 in GOP pack Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has outpaced all but one of his Republican rivals, and a new poll shows he's 8 points behind former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

On the Democratic side, former first lady Hillary Clinton now is registering a 2-1 lead over fellow Sen. Barack Obama. Page 6A Huckabee No Child Left Behind standards relaxed In an acknowledgement of the No Child Left Behind law's flaws, the Bush administration on Friday granted states a new way to measure progress. Rather than reporting an entire school's progress, states now can begin to track the progress of individual students. Page 3A WITL founder Charles Mefford dies The man who built mid-Michigan's WITL what he called "Michigan's first full-time country music station" died Thursday in Naples, Fla.

Charles Mefford was 76. Page 2B MORE INSIDE NOT FORGOTTEN: Survivors, families gather to remember Pearl Harbor Pg. 3A SCHOLARSHIPS: LCC IT students may get additional aid Pg. 8D STEADY ON: Jobless rate at 4.7 Pg. 8D CompUSA sold, closing all its stores CompUSA said Friday it will close its store operations after the holidays, following sale of the company to Gordon Brothers Group LLC.

The electronics retailer, whose only Michigan store is in Lansing, will run closing sales during the holidays at all of its stores. Copyrights 2007 Lansing State Journal, Lansing. Michigan A Gannett Newspaper Main A Local iSports Life Business 8D Lottery 2A Our Towns ...38 NBANHL 3C Columns 2D Stocks 70 Opinion 4A Deaths 5B Television 5D I Classified Source "40901 "051 32 A 0flOO99GGO.