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(09/24/10 5:18pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Jun. 21, 2009 – A great debate after the freshman year of college is whether to keep living in the dorms.Sure, everyone might have heard the horror stories that are caused by living in such close quarters: the roommates who leave stale food out for weeks, the floor neighbors who blast their television until 4 a.m., stumbling in on a roommate and his or her “guest” at the least opportune time. These are only a few examples of the tragedies of the dorm experience.But living in the dorms is also a great experience in bonding.“It’s important for students to live in the dorms their freshman year,” said Dave Kerber, manager of Varsity Villas apartment complex. “You meet a lot more people than you would usually meet elsewhere.”Depending on what kind of living preferences a person has, finding a place to live off-campus after freshman year might be the best option.Leon Brown, a leasing consultant at Fountain Park Apartments on East 10th Street, said he believes space and cost of living are the two biggest factors that motivate students to move off campus.“You have access to more of the Bloomington community, and living expenses are a lot cheaper,” Brown said. “And there’s a lot bigger space as far as an apartment to live in rather than a dorm.”Ricky Brown, leasing and marketing director of Millennium Property Management, cites the freedom of off-campus living as another perk of leaving the dorms.“There’s a progression from living with your parents, then living in the dorms, then dealing with your roommates and paying your own bills,” Ricky Brown said. “Here there’s no authoritative figure on your floor and a lot more independence.”He went on to say the amenities provided by the properties owned by his company on the west side of town, like Rolling Ridge apartments on West Second Street, are another benefit. Some examples he cited were 24-hour gyms, tanning beds and access to art studios on site.Both Fountain Park and Rolling Ridge representatives cited their off-campus location as being ideal for students who want a more peaceful living environment, “away from the party atmosphere but still close to campus,” Ricky Brown said.As for Varsity Villas, people flock to the complex for its dorm-like community.“Our place pretty much speaks for itself,” Kerber said of the complex’s reputation.However, with more space and freedom comes more responsibility. Kerber believes that although bonding with others is essential to the college experience, learning this new responsibility is also imperative.“Depending where you end up living, I don’t think you want to live (in the dorms) all four years either,” Kerber said. “It’s definitely good to get out there and pay your bills for the first time. It’s the first of many contracts you’ll sign in your life.”Many students looking to get off campus begin their hunt for houses and apartments in the fall. High-demand complexes like Varsity Villas have usually filled their capacity by January, but other apartment complexes farther off campus reach their peak time for signing leases in the spring. In other words, it’s good to keep an eye out for off-campus digs early in the year if moving away from the dorms might be a good option.Upperclassmen staying on campusStudents who want to stay on campus but are tired of a dorm room have many options for living as an upperclassmen. Willkie offers suite-style rooms and apartments. There are also eight different apartment complexes on campus with a ninth planned to open in fall 2010.
(06/17/10 3:51pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Jun. 21, 2009 – A great debate after the freshman year of college is whether to keep living in the dorms.Sure, everyone might have heard the horror stories that are caused by living in such close quarters: the roommates who leave stale food out for weeks, the floor neighbors who blast their television until 4 a.m., stumbling in on a roommate and his or her “guest” at the least opportune time. These are only a few examples of the tragedies of the dorm experience.But living in the dorms is also a great experience in bonding.“It’s important for students to live in the dorms their freshman year,” said Dave Kerber, manager of Varsity Villas apartment complex. “You meet a lot more people than you would usually meet elsewhere.”Depending on what kind of living preferences a person has, finding a place to live off-campus after freshman year might be the best option.Leon Brown, a leasing consultant at Fountain Park Apartments on East 10th Street, said he believes space and cost of living are the two biggest factors that motivate students to move off campus.“You have access to more of the Bloomington community, and living expenses are a lot cheaper,” Brown said. “And there’s a lot bigger space as far as an apartment to live in rather than a dorm.”Ricky Brown, leasing and marketing director of Millennium Property Management, cites the freedom of off-campus living as another perk of leaving the dorms.“There’s a progression from living with your parents, then living in the dorms, then dealing with your roommates and paying your own bills,” Ricky Brown said. “Here there’s no authoritative figure on your floor and a lot more independence.”He went on to say the amenities provided by the properties owned by his company on the west side of town, like Rolling Ridge apartments on West Second Street, are another benefit. Some examples he cited were 24-hour gyms, tanning beds and access to art studios on site.Both Fountain Park and Rolling Ridge representatives cited their off-campus location as being ideal for students who want a more peaceful living environment, “away from the party atmosphere but still close to campus,” Ricky Brown said.As for Varsity Villas, people flock to the complex for its dorm-like community.“Our place pretty much speaks for itself,” Kerber said of the complex’s reputation.However, with more space and freedom comes more responsibility. Kerber believes that although bonding with others is essential to the college experience, learning this new responsibility is also imperative.“Depending where you end up living, I don’t think you want to live (in the dorms) all four years either,” Kerber said. “It’s definitely good to get out there and pay your bills for the first time. It’s the first of many contracts you’ll sign in your life.”Many students looking to get off campus begin their hunt for houses and apartments in the fall. High-demand complexes like Varsity Villas have usually filled their capacity by January, but other apartment complexes farther off campus reach their peak time for signing leases in the spring. In other words, it’s good to keep an eye out for off-campus digs early in the year if moving away from the dorms might be a good option.
(06/21/09 2:00pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A great debate after the freshman year of college is whether to keep living in the dorms.Sure, everyone might have heard the horror stories that are caused by living in such close quarters: the roommates who leave stale food out for weeks, the floor neighbors who blast their television until 4 a.m., stumbling in on a roommate and his or her “guest” at the least opportune time. These are only a few examples of the tragedies of the dorm experience.But living in the dorms is also a great experience in bonding.“It’s important for students to live in the dorms their freshman year,” said Dave Kerber, manager of Varsity Villas apartment complex. “You meet a lot more people than you would usually meet elsewhere.”Depending on what kind of living preferences a person has, finding a place to live off-campus after freshman year might be the best option.Leon Brown, a leasing consultant at Fountain Park Apartments on East 10th Street, said he believes space and cost of living are the two biggest factors that motivate students to move off campus.“You have access to more of the Bloomington community, and living expenses are a lot cheaper,” Brown said. “And there’s a lot bigger space as far as an apartment to live in rather than a dorm.”Ricky Brown, leasing and marketing director of Millennium Property Management, cites the freedom of off-campus living as being another perk of leaving the dorms.“There’s a progression from living with your parents, then living in the dorms, then dealing with your roommates and paying your own bills,” Ricky Brown said. “Here there’s no authoritative figure on your floor and a lot more independence.”He went on to say the amenities provided by the properties owned by his company on the west side of town, like Rolling Ridge apartments on West Second Street, are another benefit. Some examples he cited were 24-hour gyms, tanning beds and access to art studios on site.Both Fountain Park and Rolling Ridge representatives cited their off-campus location as being ideal for students who want a more peaceful living environment, “away from the party atmosphere but still close to campus,” Ricky Brown said.As for Varsity Villas, people flock to the complex for its dorm-like community.“Our place pretty much speaks for itself,” Kerber said of the complex’s reputation.However, with more space and freedom comes more responsibility. Kerber believes that although bonding with others is essential to the college experience, learning this new responsibility is also imperative.“Depending where you end up living, I don’t think you want to live (in the dorms) all four years either,” Kerber said. “It’s definitely good to get out there and pay your bills for the first time. It’s the first of many contracts you’ll sign in your life.”Many students looking to get off campus begin their hunt for houses and apartments in the fall. High-demand complexes like Varsity Villas have usually filled their capacity by January, but other apartment complexes farther off campus reach their peak time for signing leases in the spring. In other words, it’s good to keep an eye out for off-campus digs early in the year if moving away from the dorms might be a good option.
(06/03/09 10:52pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The debris left from the perpetrator of a hit-and-run accident aided police in quickly finding the perpetrator Tuesday night.Hilary Gaiser, 22, was driving her 2000 Volvo north on Elm Street when she pulled out onto Kirkwood Avenue and struck the right side of a 1993 Subaru Legacy, driven by a 31-year-old woman. The collision resulted in the front bumper with a license plate being pulled off Gaiser’s car before she drove off. Officers traced the license plate number to a residence on Western Drive. Gaiser admitted to being involved in the accident but said she didn’t know what to do after the collision, so she kept driving. No one was injured in the accident.
(06/03/09 10:51pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>An 87-year-old Bloomington woman returned to find a few important belongings missing, including her dentures, after leaving her home Tuesday afternoon.Bloomington Police Department Officer Clint Holmstrom responded to her call at 4:30 p.m. at the 2700 block of South Rogers Street. The woman said she had locked all of her windows and doors before leaving, but when she returned, she noticed several prescription medications and her dentures were missing from the residence. No one has been arrested yet in connection with the robbery.
(06/03/09 10:50pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A Bloomington woman went to the hospital Tuesday after her boyfriend threw a can of grapefruit juice at her face during a morning argument.The 43-year-old woman and her boyfriend, 30-year-old Nathan Sharp Jr., were at their apartment at the 1200 block of West Second Street when they began to argue. Someone called police after hearing a woman scream for help. When Bloomington Police Department Officer Jason Shaevitz arrived at the scene about 9 a.m., he noticed a large amount of blood on the floor near the door of the apartment, as well as on the woman’s face and clothing. There was also a large laceration on the right side of her face near her nose.The woman said the two were arguing because Sharp was trying to drink vodka that morning when he was supposed to have been trying to quit drinking. He then threw a can of grapefruit juice at her and it struck her in the face.The man admitted to throwing the can but said he did not intend to hurt her.After being taken to Bloomington Hospital, doctors found the woman had a broken nose and needed stitches. She also had some damage to her right eye.Sharp faces preliminary charges of domestic battery.
(05/27/09 9:56pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After a mother discovered her 15-year-old son had been involved in several burglaries earlier this spring, a call to police resulted in his arrest as well as the arrest of a 14-year-old juvenile and an adult.Bloomington Police Department Officer Jeff Rodgers was sent to a residence May 23 to speak with the mother of the 15-year-old after his grandmother had told his mother he had committed a burglary, said BPD Lt. David Drake, reading from a police report. The boy told police he and other juveniles and an adult, Anthony M. Glomm, 19, had burglarized the Ace Pawn Shop on Oakdale Drive the previous night and earlier in the week. He said they had used Glomm’s vehicle to take four of them there just after 1 a.m. that day. They used a metal crowbar to pry open the back door, and when the alarm sounded they ran straight inside and took several firearms, then fled the scene.The 15-year-old hid the guns in his basement until his grandmother found them. He called Glomm to take the guns to a different location, and when he picked them up, he took them to a man at the 3100 block of South Walnut Street Pike. Police obtained a search warrant for this residence and did not find any of the guns, but they did find the holster for a Colt .45 that had been stolen from a residence on West Seventh Street. The man at this residence faces charges of possession of stolen property but is still at large.Police also obtained a warrant for Glomm’s residence, where they found a crowbar and a metal camouflage hunting knife in his car that had been reported stolen from Ace Pawn Shop, and a laptop that had been stolen from another residence in his house. Glomm and the 15-year-old admitted to being involved in breaking into the Church of Jesus Christ at Miller and Olive streets to steal a commemorative sword and into an apartment at the 400 block of Melrose Avenue on March 18 to steal a laptop, a commemorative Larry Bird bobblehead and other items. They also admitted to being involved in the robbery of Ace Pawn Shop on April 5 and the robbery of a home at the 1500 block of West Seventh Street on May 3.Both the 15- and 14-year-old were transported to the Knox County Juvenile Detention Facility and face various burglary charges. Glomm faces three preliminary charges of burglary for the incidents at the church, Ace Pawn Shop and the residence at West Seventh Street.
(05/20/09 11:34pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After driving off with their customer’s money, two men were arrested on the west side of Bloomington on Monday night.A woman called on her cell phone to tell police officers she had just been robbed and was following the green Toyota with the suspects near Rockport Road and Rogers Street. When officers caught up with the two vehicles and stopped them behind the Big Red Liquors on West 17th Street, they detained the two men in the Toyota, Dustin A. Follette, 22, and Chad J. Carnahan, 30. The woman initially said a car pulled up to her with occupants whom she recognized. She happened to have $25 in her hand when she walked up to the car. The driver snatched it away and drove off. She flagged down a person in a car, and they followed the man with her money.She later admitted she was trying to buy Xanax from the men.Follette faces preliminary charges of conspiracy to deal a controlled substance, theft and driving while suspended, and Carnahan faces preliminary charges of dealing a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, theft and resisting law enforcement. The woman was not arrested.
(05/20/09 11:33pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Two men were arrested Monday after 20 pounds of marijuana was intercepted by postal inspectors and later delivered to a house in Bloomington.Nash T. Garrett, 26, and Jeremy L. Tarter, 25, were arrested at about 11 a.m. after picking up the package from the front steps of the house near the Winslow Road and Henderson Street area, said Bloomington Police Department Lt. David Drake, reading from a police report.After the inspectors noticed the package contained a large amount of marijuana, they contacted the police and made a controlled delivery while detectives watched nearby. After no one answered the door when the package was delivered, it was left on the front steps. Soon after, a gold van drove by and the men inside, Garrett and Tarter, picked up the package. They drove off and were stopped a short time later by the detectives and taken into custody. The men stated they were picking up the package for someone else. Officers also noticed there was more marijuana, scales, syringes and food storage bags inside of the van.Garrett faces preliminary charges of possession of the 20 pounds of marijuana. Tarter was arrested on a warrant for a probation violation.
(05/13/09 9:42pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A Bloomington man faces preliminary charges of theft and resisting law enforcement after being arrested Wednesday morning near the Fountain Park apartment complex.Danny E. Smith, 22, faces preliminary charges of theft and resisting law enforcement. Police were called at about 2:15 a.m. to 1750 N. Range Road after someone in the complex heard a loud banging and saw someone breaking into a car, said Bloomington Police Department Lt. David Drake, reading from a police report. Officers parked nearby and walked to the area the caller had seen the break-in occur. After following the sound of breaking glass, they found Smith and an unidentified man standing beside a newer model white Kia. Both started running when they spotted the officers. Smith ran northbound from the officers and was found shortly after lying in a ravine in the woods. A silver Passport radar detector was lying beneath him and he had several car cell phone chargers in his pockets. There was also blood coming from his head, and he was taken to Bloomington Hospital for this injury. Police are still searching for the second man at the scene.Five vehicles had been broken into at the apartment complex, and all had smashed windows. The items that were on Smith’s person were from two of those vehicles. Smith admitted that both men had been breaking into vehicles but denied being involved in any of the thefts that have occurred recently in the Woodbridge and Fountain Park apartment complexes.Smith was previously arrested April 17 at the 1800 block of West Vernal Pike for battery, intimidation, criminal mischief and possession of stolen property. Officers found property from break-ins that occurred April 16 and 17 at the Woodbridge and Fountain Park complexes in his truck, including an iPod, a check book and credit cards. When asked about the items, he claimed he didn’t know anything about them or how they got into his vehicle.He was never formally charged for the April 17 occurrences.
(02/11/09 4:40am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A man was arrested Monday night after allegedly cutting the face of a Bloomington man.Jay Koerner, 20, faces preliminary charges of battery with a deadly weapon.Police were dispatched at about 9 p.m. to the 1400 block of 12th Street after receiving a 911 hang-up call, said BPD Cpt. Joe Qualters, reading from a police report. When they arrived at the scene, they saw five people gathered in the roadway, including the victim.The 32-year-old man had a large amount of blood on his upper torso and told officers he had been stabbed. He identified Koerner as the man who had stabbed him. Koerner had fled the scene but was located by officers in a nearby apartment. The man was transported to Bloomington Hospital and treated with four stitches for a laceration across his left cheek.While at the hospital, the man also said he and Koerner had been friends for about two to three years.Prior to the incident, Koerner and his girlfriend had become involved in a verbal argument inside his apartment and had asked everyone present, including Hudson, to leave. The victim then asked Koerner to calm down, and they become involved in a verbal argument and moved outside.After arguing, they hugged, but when the victim backed away, he noticed his face felt sore and there was a large amount of blood on his left cheek. Koerner also told his girlfriend when he went back inside he had “slit his throat,” according to the police report.Koerner was booked at the Monroe County jail. A black-handled kitchen knife with a three- to four-inch blade was later found.
(02/04/09 4:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A Bloomington man was arrested Monday night on a preliminary charge of attempted rape.A 23-year-old woman met Jon Thomas Porter, 27, downtown on Monday night, said Bloomington Police Department Sgt. Jeff Canada, reading from a police report. Porter asked to hang out with the woman, and because she knew he needed a place to stay, she agreed, Canada said.After visiting the residence of the woman’s friend, they went to her apartment. She went upstairs to go to bed and left Porter downstairs, hoping he would either sleep on the couch or leave, according to the police report.A short time later, the woman opened her eyes and saw Porter standing naked in her room, Canada said. He went to the bed and placed his knees on her shoulders and tried to have her perform oral sex, Canada said.She pushed him away, but he pinned her beneath him and removed her pants, Canada said. He unsuccessfully attempted to pull her legs apart, Canada said.After managing to get out from under him on the bed, the woman ran to the friend’s home where she had been earlier to dial 911. She told police Porter might still be in the apartment and gave a description of him.Officers arrived to find the apartment empty, but officer Ethan Haley found Porter walking southbound on Adams Street near Cottage Grove Avenue.He was taken into custody after refusing to talk to police.
(01/22/09 4:36am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Booze money. Slush fund. Liquor cache. There are lots of different names for it, but many college students have one: a portion of their weekly budget squirreled away for alcohol.During this period of economic trouble, spending money boozing every once – or twice, or three times – in a while is becoming a challenge for some.“I haven’t had a hard time finding money, but I know I’ve had to save my money for more important things,” said senior Andrea Knapp, who will graduate in May. “It’s going to be really hard to find a job.”But don’t despair. An economic downturn doesn’t necessarily mean the piece of your budget saved for booze has to dry up completely. It just calls for smarter spending. Yes, you can pay your rent and get liquored up all in the same week. Of course there are always ways to find the funds without pinching pennies. Bloomington resident Matt Rice said he would purchase double the amount of what he needed for textbooks so that when his parents reimbursed him for the semester, he would have several hundred dollars of extra spending cash for his “slush fund.”“I would have solid funds for two to three weeks that way,” he said.But if finding ways to get money out of the ’rents isn’t an option, we’ve done the research to help get the most out of those precious dollars reserved for that dear old friend, alcohol.For the barflies...Whether you like it or not, going out to the bars is going to cost a little more than sitting at home nursing a bottle of Kamchatka – which, by the way, we do not recommend.But with strategy and knowledge of what each watering hole has on tap, and for how much, a night on the town won’t be as much of a pain to your wallet as it could be.To get the most for your money, going out during the week is the best option, as long as you don’t have any 8 a.m. classes. Several bars offer low prices Monday through Thursday, but by far the best deal would be the Bluebird’s $0.15 Miller Lite drafts on Wednesday night. And for the ladies, there is no cover if you get there before 11 p.m. But if going out on the weekends is your only option, there are a few things to keep in mind to keep a few extra pennies for yourself. Avoid bars with a cover charge, like Sports, the Bluebird, Uncle Fester’s, Jake’s and the Jungle Room. You can save that $3 to $5 for a whole beer, or potentially more, at other bars.And yes, sometimes sacrifices have to be made. But we’re not saying trade down from all top-shelf liquors to anything that comes in a plastic bottle. “People may not buy Patron, but buy Cuervo instead and save 75 cents here and there,” said veteran bartender Leo Cook of The Bluebird. For the homebodies...The best way to save cash is staying at home and buying your own booze in larger quantities than you could ever get going out.If you’re used to the glitz and glamour of the bar scene, this might sound lame – because there’s nothing more glamorous than overflowing toilets in the women’s restrooms and having drinks spilled on your favorite shirt multiple times – but here are some drinks that can get you more bang for your buck. This one is especially good for nights when the temperature gets down into the single digits. Buy a bottle of Rumple Minze peppermint schnapps (it’s 100 proof and costs about $20 a bottle) and some Swiss Miss hot chocolate mix. Add a couple shots to your mug of hot cocoa, top with some whipped cream, and you’ve got a peppermint hot chocolate that’s probably about 100 times better than one you’d ever get at a Starbucks.The line of 99 Fruits schnapps is another good buy (they run around $17 at the Big Red Outlet on College Avenue, and are 99 proof – hence the name). With all the different flavors, there are all kinds of combinations for fruity cocktails. Try 99 Peaches with orange juice and pineapple juice for a Sex on the Beach with a little extra punch.And if you have time to be picky about where you shop, remember the liquor store is definitely not the cheapest place to buy booze. After averaging prices of four different types of alcohol at four different area retailers, Marsh on the east side had the lowest cost.
(12/03/08 4:52am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Senior Michael Kurth wants to see Delilah’s Pet Shop get “back on their paws,” and he and his classmates are working to make it possible.Kurth is the appointed president of the project “Dollars for Delilah’s,” an organization working to raise money for the pet store, which was destroyed by a fire one month ago today.“Since they’ve always been around, we thought it’d be a good idea to do something local and in the community and felt like it would be better received,” said junior Joe Falender, bowling chairperson for Dollars for Delilah’s. “And since it recently happened, people would remember it and be really sensitive to it.”As part of the event hosted by the group, there will be free bowling from 7 p.m. to close today at Suburban Lanes, 2634 N. Walnut St. Free food will also be available, and donations for the pet shop will be accepted at the door. Raffle tickets will be sold with proceeds going to the shop.The pet shop sustained irreparable damage in the fire, and about 20 animals died in the blaze. The shop is currently operating out of a temporary location at 1040 W. 17th St.Tonight’s bowling is part of a week-long series of events organized by students in a business and professional communications course for their final project. The course aims to focus on “sharpening analytic and decision-making skills, team building and project management,” according to the syllabus prepared by the instructor. “Basically every semester the class picks some kind of project,” said Kelly Wilz, the instructor of the class hosting Dollars for Delilah’s. “The course is a chance for them to take what they learn in class and apply that to working with a business.”In the past students have worked with various larger organizations, but the small scale of Delilah’s business and the recent events surrounding it prompted this class into action.“We thought that it would be good because it was a part of the community,” said Kurth. “And people are attached, and because it was a recent tragedy, we thought people would be more willing to reach out and help.”So far the group has already raised more than $700, said junior Doug Hungerford, marketing adviser for the bowling event. The group’s goal is $2,500. Dan Johnson, owner of Suburban Lanes, also teaches a bowling class at IU and was exposed to the idea of the fundraiser after speaking with Falender, a student of his this semester.“It started out smaller than this,” Johnson said. “It turned into something big. We’ll run with it and do the best we can with it.” Wilz has also been impressed with the work the class has done so far.“They have just been full speed ahead,” she said. “It’s nice when the whole class gets on board. When you have 22 students all working on it and getting really excited about it, you get a lot done.”In addition to bowling tonight, the group will be raising money at Jake’s Night Club and Bar on Thursday and at the Bluebird Nightclub on Saturday. “I hope we get people that will understand that if it were them, it would be a nice thing to happen to them,” Johnson said, “especially during this time of year.”
(10/23/08 3:37am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>An early morning apartment fire Wednesday has led to the arrest of a Bloomington man.Jon C. Blauvelt, 19, was arrested Wednesday and faces preliminary charges of two counts of attempted murder and one count of arson resulting in bodily injury, according to a press release from the Bloomington Police Department.Blauvelt initially told police someone broke into his apartment at 3248 S. Acadia Court shortly before 5 a.m,, knocked him unconscious and set fire to the apartment, where his girlfriend and her mother also live. He told police he awoke to flames. But police believe Blauvelt made up the story. Police say Blauvelt set the fire after robbing the apartment. Blauvelt’s girlfriend, 19, and her mother were asleep in separate bedrooms in the back of the apartment at the time of the alleged robbery and fire. Blauvelt’s girlfriend was nine months pregnant at the time of the fire and was able to escape through the bedroom windows. She sustained serious burns and was flown to Wishard Hospital in Indianapolis after first being transported to Bloomington Hospital via ambulance. Her mother escaped without injury.The Bloomington Police Department and the Bloomington Fire Department worked together on the investigation and recovered a gas can at the scene of the fire. The UPC code on the gas can was traced to the Bloomington Wal-Mart and video surveillance showed Blauvelt purchasing the item at approximately 4:05 a.m., according to the press release. Police collected evidence of Blauvelt purchasing gasoline at the Circle S Mart at Bloomfield Lane and Cory Lane later in the morning.Later Wednesday, Blauvelt agreed to leave Wishard Hospital to return to Bloomington to add further information to his initial report. After confronted by BPD with the evidence they had collected, he admitted that the original report regarding the robbery and assault were false. He also admitted to setting the fire. The missing items had also been removed by Blauvelt and taken to his mother’s garage where they were later retrieved. As of Wednesday night, Blauvelt was in the Monroe County Jail, and no bond has been set.His girlfriend is still at Wishard Hospital with burns to her face, arms, hands and stomach. Her baby was delivered prior to being air lifted to the Burn Unit at Wishard. The baby’s condition was unknown late Wednesday.
(09/16/08 3:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Some Monroe County residents who lost power when the remnants of Hurricane Ike swept through the area this weekend could be without electricity until Saturday.Duke Energy officials blamed the delay on the number of customers effected.Since 9:17 a.m. Sunday, a total of 34,213 people were without power at some point in Monroe County, according to the Duke Energy Web site. As of Monday evening, about 6,000 Monroe County residents were still without power. “The higher the case load, the more customers we have that are impacted, and that’s why it’s taking longer to bring Bloomington back,” said Dawn Horth, manager of community development for Duke Energy.Maxwell Terrace resident and senior Gracia Gillund has been without power since Sunday and has contacted Duke Energy twice to ask about estimates as to when she should expect electricity back in her apartment. The first time she was told within two to five days, and the second time she was told it could be as late as Saturday, she said.“It’s a great inconvenience and completely annoying,” she said. “But there’s people who have it worse.”Compared to surrounding counties, Monroe had the highest number of outages throughout the duration of the storm and throughout its aftermath, according to the Duke Energy Web site. “This may be the most significant storm our company has ever experienced in Indiana in terms of the number of customers affected at the peak,” said Duke Energy Indiana President Jim Stanley in a press release. “I also can’t recall another storm where we’ve had so many individual cases of trouble, which makes power restoration slow-going.”Stanley said many of the outages were caused by trees or branches falling into power lines. Street crews in Bloomington were out clearing limbs from roadways for much of the day Sunday, said John Langley, deputy director of utilities for the City of Bloomington.Sunday’s initial power outage also forced many area establishments to close early that afternoon. Keri Jackson, assistant manager of Chili’s Grill & Bar on Third Street, said power at the restaurant flickered all afternoon, resetting computers the employees use to place orders until the power went out for more than two hours at about 4:45 p.m. The power came back on for a brief 15 minutes after this outage, during which time several patrons as well as a party of 25 people walked into the restaurant, Jackson said. Just after everyone was seated inside, the power went out again for the remainder of the night.“Everyone was really nice and very understanding, which is all that you can ask for in those situations,” she said.Power was restored at Chili’s and many other businesses in time for opening on Monday, but the residents not so lucky are rearranging much of their lives until the lights turn back on.“I have to find somewhere to go to shower, to use the computer,” Gillund said. “I basically stay with my friends so I can get my work done and stay with my classes.”
(09/09/08 4:36am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>There are few issues where Democrats and Republicans can agree. But with Election Day less than two months away, student organizations on both sides have found common ground: They all want early voting sites on campus before the Nov. 4 elections. Representatives from Students for Barack Obama, Students for John McCain, College Democrats and College Republicans are making an active effort to become involved in the planning process this fall for voting sites in Monroe County, especially in ensuring IU students are able to get their vote in.“It’s very difficult for freshmen to get off campus on election days, and we need to make sure every student has a voice in this election,” said Rose Byrne, president of IU Students for Barack Obama. This afternoon, the county election board will have a routine meeting to discuss issues relating to absentee voting and other topics regarding Election Day in November, said Jim Fielder, secretary of the county election board.“This is routine of the county election board,” he said. “We’re not setting times, dates yet.”Despite this, IU College Democrats President Anna Strand points out the importance of attending these smaller routine meetings at the county level.“I, in general, try to stay abreast with anything in local government,” she said. “These offices have a role in much larger issues like the election.”Strand and others hope their involvement will help give students the option to vote early on campus.“It’s important because most of us aren’t able to get to polling locations off campus,” said Chelsea Kane, chairwoman of IU College Republicans. “We have other responsibilities like class on Election Day. Transportation, especially for younger voters and freshmen, is an issue.”All four organizations point to Indiana State and Purdue as their examples in reasoning for having polling places on campus. Both schools plan to have early voting sites on their campuses in this year’s election.But funding could be an issue, Strand said. All funds for the sites come from the state election board, and paying for the machines at the sites, as well as training for those who work there, can be costly. “It’s down to resources,” Kane said. “I believe we need to show them that these resources are worth it.”The high interest in this year’s election is one of the biggest reasons why these organizations believe it’s especially important for these sites to be on campus.“Across the board, people are engaged,” Strand said. “This is a year when students care. They want to vote.”
(07/24/08 3:33pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>City of Bloomington officials are expecting an economic boost from the influx of people The Drum Corps International World Championships will bring to the city. The event will take place Aug. 7 to 9 at Memorial Stadium, and 35,000 to 40,000 people are expected to be in Bloomington over the three days, said Danny Lopez, communications director for the city of Bloomington.“Anytime you have 35 to 40,000 people there’s a pretty significant economic impact,” Lopez said. “Every single hotel is booked for that weekend, so you can tell just at a glance that it’s significant.”Mike McAfee, executive director of the Bloomington Convention and Visitors Bureau, estimates around $3 to $4 million will be brought in from tourism revenue, or about the same as an IU - Ohio State football game. Hotels, restaurants and retail shops especially are expected to be affected.“These are people who plan their vacations around this event,” McAfee said. “They’re definitely going to be going downtown and shopping and eating.”The city is working to ensure this happens, too. Shuttles have been arranged to run from Memorial Stadium to the downtown area and Kirkwood. Lopez also said a special team has been made to coordinate with the corps to ensure everything runs smoothly while the competing teams and spectators are in town.The DCI Championships were originally scheduled to take place in Indianapolis with Bloomington being a back-up plan. However, since Lucas Oil Stadium is still under construction, plans were made to move the competition to Bloomington for the first time. Both Lopez and McAfee hope the event will create interest in the city so those visiting will decide to return, as well as convince DCI to hold other competitions in Bloomington.“We’re already in talks with DCI about hosting an event,” McAfee said. “We expect to have a long-standing relationship with them. That’s our goal with this.”Lopez also hopes a positive experience during the championships will benefit the city’s tourism sector.“This won’t be the last time they maybe come down here to stay or make day trips to Bloomington,” he said.Restaurants and shops on Kirkwood are looking ahead to the number of people expected to come in the weekend of the competition.“We’ll just have extra staff, we’re used to special events,” said Gregg “Rags” Rago, owner of Nick’s English Hut. He cited examples like Little 500 and football and basketball games as events that create more business than normal for his establishment. “We should be prepared for this, but sometimes you never know.”
(07/24/08 12:37am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The federal minimum wage is rising again Thursday, going from $5.85 an hour to $6.55.The increase is part of a two-year plan enacted in July 2007 after Congress passed the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007. Before this act was passed, minimum wage hadn’t been increased for about a decade, said Katie Moreau, press secretary for Congressman Baron Hill, D-9th. Hill voted in favor of the act.“About 354,000 people in Indiana currently make minimum wage, so it’s a sizeable increase,” she said. “Some extra is a necessity at this point.”This is the second phase in the process. By July 24, 2009, the new minimum wage set by the act will be $7.25 an hour. “I think this will have a positive impact on Indiana’s economy because it will put more dollars in the pockets of Hoosiers who really need it right now,” said State Senator Vi Simpson, D-40. Currently, the state is enduring some hardships economically. The state’s unemployment rate jumped half a percent, from 5.3 percent in May to 5.8 in June according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Simpson attributes this to a major loss of manufacturing jobs in Indiana.“The only things sustaining Indiana’s economy are small businesses and the service industry at this point in time,” she said.While hopes are high that the raise in minimum wage will help stimulate the economy, small businesses may still feel the pinch of the increase in their own budgets.Mike Moy, manager of Bloomington Sandwich Company, can already tell the raise has affected his business.“It’s going to affect you because you’re paying more for the sandwich,” Moy said. “Food costs in itself are going up, but minimum wage is going up, too. It’s like a double whammy.”Ray McConn, owner of Mother Bear’s Pizza, is also seeing the rise in minimum wage hit his business.“We have no alternative but to raise prices,” he said. The business will be raising prices on its menu between 3 and 5 percent. McConn also estimates the new wage rate will cost his business about $40,000 annually.“It’s a very expensive proposition for a small business. It’s very expensive. You don’t have this big surplus of money hanging around you,” he said. In addition to the effect of the raise on small businesses, Marty Donnelly, regional director of the Small Business Development Center, isn’t sure how much this will do to help the economy.“Many jobs are already paying more than minimum wage, and those that are not are marginal to begin with,” Donnelly said. “Small businesses are likely to pass the increase in cost along to their customers.”The unpredictability of the economy is another problem.“I don’t know what the inflation rate is going to be next year, I don’t think anyone does,” Simpson said. “I think we are in for a couple years of very difficult revenue strains ... Most economists agree we’re going into a very serious recession.”Indiana is one of 10 states with the minimum wage set at the same as the federal regulation, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Thirty-two states have set their minimum wage above the federal regulation, and eight states have minimum wage below the federal level or have no minimum-wage law. “Minimum wage, while in some parts of the country it’s a needed situation, in other ways its inflationary and to a certain degree counterproductive,” McConn said.
(07/24/08 12:34am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Time changes a lot of things, but the land off of Airport Road near Karst Farm Park has been home to the Monroe County Fair for more than half a century. Every year the smell of deep fried pork tenderloins and sugary elephant ears returns with trailers full of animals groomed for competition and lines of children waiting for excitement.While many things have remained the same, the fair has continued to grow with more buildings, people and events.“It wasn’t what it is today,” said Bob Beard, first fair board president and current board member. “I don’t know how the past 50 years we’ve increased so much.”The current fair board organized its first fair in 1955. Before this point, the fair was under the jurisdiction of the Bloomington Chamber of Commerce and wasn’t always an annual event.Richard Stuart, a member of the Monroe County Fair board for 50 years, said the earliest record he’s ever seen of a county fair in Monroe County dated back to 1835. Back when the idea of a fair first came around in the 1800s, riding rides and eating elephant ears weren’t things on everyone’s minds. A 1949 article from the Bloomington Daily Herald listed all of the different categories for which people could compete and win prizes in the 1855 county fair. Some fair traditions remain the same, like competitions for cows and sheep and pigs, but others no longer exist. According to the article, leather was a competing category and “harness, boots, ladies shoes and men and women’s saddles were subjects for prizes.”Leather-making contests have been replaced with contests involving more power and flash. The biggest event in years past hasn’t been the 4-H Club competitions, but the demolition derby, said First Vice President of the Monroe County Fair Board Rick Routon. And Stuart says he’s seen a decrease in the number of farm related activities.“There’s less and less agriculture, although we still have quite a number of animals and farm related exhibits,” Stuart said.Technology has advanced with the fair, too. “There are scientific advancements to prevent cheating,” Stuart said. “Animals have to be registered early in the spring, and they check their nose print and analyze and scan the iris to determine if it’s the same animal they started out with.”Even considering the changes time has caused to a favorite pastime, and even with all of the new activities kids can take part in, 4-H Club participation levels suggest the county fair is something that is still here to stay.“When the present fair started in 1955 I think they had about 800 4-H members,” Stuart said. “I think they’ve got somewhat more than that now which is doing quite well considering all the activities kids can participate in now compared to what they could do back then.”