Earth Day cleanup underway in Cicero

A band of 30 volunteers have begun a mass cleanup project at a vacant lot near SRC's Cicero headquarters, according to The Post-Standard.

Thousands more are expected to contribute cleaning up the environment today and Saturday in commemoration of Earth Day. Trash pickups have covered roadsides, streams and public domains.

SRC collected 2,269 pounds of trash Friday according to Lisa Mondello, a company spokesperson. Members of the team that collected the most trash were awarded $20 gift certificates to the company cafeteria. SRC also hid a specially marked bottle in the clean-up area, which was worth a $20 cafeteria gift certificate to the volunteer who found it.

Last year, nearly 12,000 volunteers collected 137,000 pounds of trash.

Romney endorses Rubio

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has publicized his rooting interest in Florida's Senate Republican primary

A Romney adviser told CNN Friday that he will support former House Speaker Marco Rubio over Gov. Charlie Crist. Romney was swayed to Rubio's side when Crist vetoed an education bill popular among Republican legislators.

The two Republicans will campaign together in the Tampa area on Monday. Romney's Free and Strong America PAC will contribute the maximum $5,000 to Rubio's campaign.

Romney is the latest prominent GOP figure to endorse Rubio.

Lucas, Summers back for one more year

Michigan State standout juniors Kalin Lucas and Durrell Summers told the Associated Press Friday they will return to school for their senior seasons instead of declaring for the NBA Draft, according to ESPN.

Lucas ruptured his left Achilles tendon against Maryland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans starting point guard watched from the sidelines as his team made a push to the Final Four, where it fell to surprise participant Butler.

Summers dazzled scouts with his performance in the NCAA Tournament. He averaged 18.8 points per game and impressed with his high-flying ability as he carried the Spartans to a second consecutive berth in the Final Four.

Michigan State will return four starters from last year's team which shared a stake in the Big Ten regular season championship. Lucas and Summers say their thirst to win a National Championship lured them back to school.