Around The Region

Woman of the Year nominations due\nNominations are being accepted for the Woman of the Year Award. The award recognizes outstanding women in Bloomington. Nominations are due by Jan. 18, 2002.\nThe group's sponsoring the reward said nominations should be submitted for women who have helped to improve the quality of life for other women through inspiration, community service or professional accomplishments that exceed normal job responsibilities. The groups presenting the award said they also expect nominees to be positive role models for girls and women. \nPast recipients include Frances Gilliam, who was recently awarded the Human Rights Award. Organizations that have received the award are Middle Way House, Inc. and Girls, Inc.\nThe award will be given March 6, 2002 at the 17th Annual Women's History Month Lunch.\nIncluded on the nomination forms should be the name, address, telephone number and e-mail address of nominees and the nominator along with reasons why this person should be given the award.\nForms are available through the City of Bloomington Web site or by calling 349-3430.\nBloomington Volunteer Network releases directory\nThe 2002 edition of the Bloomington Volunteer Network's "Monroe County Mentoring and Tutoring Directory" has been released. The directory lists 33 local youth programs and five adult programs. \n"We released the directory to coincide with National Mentoring Month," the director of the Bloomington Volunteer Network Bet Savich said in a press release. "The goal of making the directory available is to motivate individuals to give some of their time to these programs that are so vital to our children's future." \nThe network said the directory is meant to serve parents, adults, volunteers and organizations.\nIn a press release, the volunteer network said research by the Harvard Mentoring Program shows that only 300,000 to 400,000 of the approximately 15 million at-risk children in the United States receive mentoring help. A Big Brothers Big Sisters study said a percentage of children involved in mentoring programs are less likely to skip school, use drugs, drink and hit someone. \nThe directory is available on-line at VolunteerBloomington.org. Paper copies of the directory are available from the Bloomington Volunteer Network, 401 N. Morton St., Suite 260. Mailed copies can be requested by calling 349-3472.\nBayh plans to complete Newport project early\nNEWPORT, Ind. -- The U.S. Department of Defense has put together a plan to destroy the stockpile of deadly VX nerve agent there by the end of 2003, Sen. Evan Bayh announced Tuesday.\nBayh, D-Ind., met Tuesday with officials from the Pentagon who outlined the plan to complete the Newport Chemical Depot neutralization project three years ahead of schedule.\n"We have been working for months to speed the process so that any potential threat to the Newport facility will be eliminated as soon as possible," Bayh said in a printed statement.\nHe and eight other U.S. Senators from states that have chemical weapon depots wrote President Bush in October asking him to enact measures to safeguard the facilities and eliminate chemical agents as soon as possible.\nAfter the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Bayh asked for increased security at the Newport Chemical Depot, where 1200 tons of VX nerve agent are stored.\nA no-fly zone over the Newport facility has been in place since Sept. 12. Newport is located in west-central Indiana about 70 miles west of Indianapolis.\n"The sooner the remaining VX stockpile is eliminated, the sooner we eliminate a potential terrorist target," Bayh said.