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(04/16/10 4:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It is a hot day in front of Bloomington’s city hall as dozens of American flags wave and snap. It is April 15, Tax Day, and the protesters are out in force. Hundreds of local residents crowded Showers Plaza. Described on fliers as a tea party, a vivid crowd manifested itself.Between yellow flags that read “Don’t Tread on Me,” a man stood dressed as an early American colonist, complete with a three-corner hat. The people here are tired of higher taxes.Among the sea of signs calling for lower taxes and a new congress, IU students voiced their opinions of the matter.Sam Spaiser is one of them.Spaiser is a 19-year-old junior with long hair pulled back into a ponytail. He is an individualized major in evolutionary perspective on human diet and is also a member of the Young Americans for Liberty, a movement he says bridges ideologies. He is “philosophically libertarian,” and with a megaphone in hand, he addresses the crowd.“You know, I thought the tea parties are a great thing,” he said. “I think what we have to be wary of is the tea parties being co-opted by some establishment politicians that are trying to ride the wave ... Sarah Palin has often been talked about as heading the Tea Party.”Spaiser doesn’t see a big difference between Palin and the president, who is unpopular with the Tea Party crowd.“But she was running with McCain,” he explains. “And they were getting together with Obama to pass bailouts.”Ryan Guillian, a freshman, agrees.“Republican and Democrats are pretty much the same thing as Coca-Cola and Pepsi,” Guillian said.Not everyone in the crowd is in agreement, though. Speckled throughout the crowd are counter-protestors, holding signs reading “Shut up and pay your taxes” and “Christ was a socialist.”“What is Obama?” a protestor asks the counter-protestors.“He’s a Keynesian capitalist,” Ryan Briles, a senior, answers.“Yeah, he’s not a socialist,” adds Ben Horvath, a junior.“He’s got an agenda and he doesn’t care,” responds the protestor. “He’s spending money we don’t have.”The discontent with the federal government’s increased spending is far from local. Across the entire nation, protests have boiled up.Thousands of protesters gathered in Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C., protesting higher taxes. Hundreds of protests popped up across the nation, all the way from the Pacific to the Atlantic.The president said he was “amused” by the protests.In Miami, President Barack Obama informed a crowd at a fundraiser that he’d cut taxes, according to the Associated Press.Lost in the rhetoric was that taxes have gone down under Obama. Congress has cut individuals’ federal taxes for this year by about $173 billion, leaving Americans with a lighter load despite nearly $29 billion in increases by states. Obama plans to increase taxes on the wealthy to help pay for his health care overhaul and other programs.“You would think they’d be saying ‘thank you,’” the president said.
(03/25/10 2:36am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Bishop is empty. Music on an old radio plays from the back room and is drowned out as “Sanford and Son” manage their junkyard on a TV set. A few album covers hang above booths with black vinyl seats. Ray Charles, silent and unmoving, smiles and gazes out at Red Foxx from the “Greatest Hits” album cover, which is hung above one of the booths.On the other side of the booth sat Steven Westrich, a stocky, “prematurely cranky and curmudgeonly” barman. He has messy black hair and wears a hockey jersey. Westrich, a 2004 graduate of IU’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs, opened the Bishop in 2009 and guided it through its first year in Bloomington.“Steve is the most mellow, even-tempered man I think I’ve ever met in my entire life,” said Dan Coleman, founder of Spirit of ’68 Promotions. “He’s super jovial, and nothing seems to phase this dude. He came to town in September, and he’s endeared himself so quickly just because he’s such a nice guy. He’s just Steve.” Coleman’s company helps the Bishop organize shows and works closely with Westrich.“When I was a student here, the only bar I really went to was the Vid,” Westrich says. “Other than that, I used to go to shows at the Bluebird occasionally, the Second Story a lot. My biggest inspiration is probably Second Story in terms of what I strive to be as a venue. That was the place. And that’s what I’d like to be.”Westrich didn’t know after graduation he would own a bar; he intended to work in the music industry when he graduated.“I was actually a SPEA student, which is odd in that I never used it,” Westrich said. “I did the natural step of graduating from SPEA and then going into the music industry. It just kind of fell on me.”Although he no longer works in the recording industry, he still works with it because he schedules all of the Bishop’s shows.“Sometimes it’s tough to book a 30-day calendar in a small town like this,” he said, shrugging again.Despite the challenge, he wanted to offer an “atmosphere that didn’t exist before.”For Westrich, the Bishop hasn’t had much trouble.“When I think of crazy things in a bar, it’s usually bad,” Westrich said. “We’ve been fortunate to never have a shoving match, let alone a fight. You know, in a bar, it’s hard to have something that’s both crazy and good.”While the atmosphere is contemporary, some things about the Bishop aren’t new.In 2009, one of Bloomington’s spaces for local music died. The Cinemat, a video store and live music space, closed its doors. The next time the doors opened was in September, and it was Westrich who opened them.“The Cinemat was a very temporary atmosphere,” Westrich said. “Beer in a fridge. The Cinemat was a room where bands played. This is a venue, and I feel there is a difference.”Westrich said the Bishop brings in many bands that the Cinemat couldn’t due to its lack of equipment. Westrich wants the Bishop to become the “home for local music,” by having the capacity for shows the Cinemat never had.“There’s lots of house shows. Russian Recording and the Vid do some shows, even Greek’s Pizza,” he said. “But I feel like we really strive to be the home of local music. If you’re a band, I’d hope you want to play here.”
(02/01/10 2:46am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Being homeless isn’t easy. There’s no guarantee of shelter or food. But Bloomington’s homeless services make things easier.The Bloomington homeless community say the city has the best homeless services in the state. The services are so good, they actually attract people from surrounding cities and counties. The homeless in Bloomington have access to a wide range of services, including places to sleep and eat. Services like the Shalom Center even help the homeless find employment and housing.“I think they’re really good,” said Bloomington resident William Blackwell. “In fact, I don’t really know of a town in Indiana that you could go to. Like this morning. The food?”Blackwell was referring to the Sunday breakfast that the First Christian Church on Kirkwood provides for the homeless every Sunday morning.“I don’t know any place else you could go to in Indiana that would have a breakfast every morning of the week like this,” Blackwell said.Blackwell came from Bedford, where he said homeless services were “nothing.” He has been in Bloomington for nearly three years.Also, the First Christian Church works in cooperation with several other churches in Bloomington to provide the Interfaith Winter Shelter Program which provides cots, food and drinks for the homeless.The churches each take different nights of the week. Each church has space for 40 people and has room for overflow at Martha’s House for 10 extra people. But the churches operating the winter shelter aren’t the only places to sleep. Backstreet Missions Inc. also offers a sleeping program.“They’re nice,” said Rob Owens, a native of Springville, Ind.. “Some places ain’t got that. And they help out with resources here too. Like the Shalom Center, they have different people come in that try to help people out with jobs and housing.”Nellie Burkes also makes use of Bloomington’s services.“They’re very helpful. If you need a doctor, they can help with that. They helped me get my kids’ birth certificates.”“If it hadn’t have been for this, I don’t know where I would have went,” Blackwell said. “I stayed away from Indy because of the way the people are up there. But I feel like if I’d have been up there, I don’t know whether I’d have been alive today or not. Around here, at least you can possibly carry a little money in your pocket. But up there, I don’t know whether you’d live or not.”
(01/26/10 4:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Guitarists from around Bloomington competed in the fourth-annual Hoosier Guitar Idol Monday at Max’s Place. The event, organized by The Business Careers in Entertainment Club, began as a benefit for the Bloomington Hospital emergency room.“We’ve been doing it for the last four years,” said Ravi Ghelani, a member of the club.IU graduate and former club member Eric Butte began the competition after surviving a severe motorcycle accident.“This served as an excellent way for me to give back to the people that saved my life,” Butte said in a press release. “I am grateful for that opportunity.”The event has since become a fundraiser for the club to help finance other activities. The club is planning two more benefit concerts: “Rock For Kids’ Sake” in April and “Addicted to Music” in May. Senior Brendan Wood entered the competition and performed based on a dare from a friend.“One of my friends challenged me to write a hard-core song,” he said. “So I did.”Wood was one of 12 guitarists who played various musical styles, ranging from metal to funk. During round one of the competition, each contestant played a 3-to-4 minute composition, after which the top four contestants moved on to the next round. In round two, contestants performed a 4-minute improvised solo, backed by the band “The Main Squeeze.” The top two scores from the second round moved on to the final round, where a winner was chosen and rewarded $200.Judges for the event included Jason Wilber, lead guitarist for the Grammy-winning John Prine; Travers, the owner of Max’s Place; guitarists from the band “Zion Crossroads”; and Kyle Gilpin, the first winner of the contest.“It’s a regular fundraising event for us,” club member Veronica Walton said. It’s the only event that we have to raise money for us. Everything else is for charity concerts.”
(01/20/10 5:27am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>One year ago today, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States.In the 365 days since, the president’s approval ratings have dropped from their high water mark at 69 percent to 50 percent, according to a Gallup poll. According to another poll by the Allstate-National Journal Heartland Monitor poll, 50 percent of those polled said they would likely or definitely vote for someone else. The poll also indicates that only 39 percent of those polled would vote for a second term for the president. The president received hits in rating following his decision to send more soldiers into Afghanistan. The often-debated health care bill, which is still in legislation, could be negatively affecting Obama’s polls. Support for the health care reform bill itself is at an all-time low of 38 percent.Freshman Emily Farra is one of those whose disapproval of the Obama administration stems from her dislike of the health care bill.“I don’t like the health care thing at all. I don’t think that would help anyone. I know his approval ratings aren’t that good, so I don’t think I’m the only one who feels that way.” Farra said. “As far as his first year, I wasn’t totally against him, but right now I feel he misled the public before he entered office.”Farra said she saw the president presenting himself more of a centrist and considers him “a little too far left.”Sophomore John Hageman disagrees with Farra on the issue of health care and Obama’s ratings. Hageman hopes that the health care bill will pass and believes that if it does, it will help Obama’s approval ratings.“I did vote for Obama,” Hageman said. “It’s kind of hard for me to gauge his impact on the nation. He’s definitely not lived up to the whole hype surrounding him. It’s more of our fault that he hasn’t lived up to our expectations because we set them so high.”Graduate student Michael Dixon agreed in part.“I think he had obviously a lot of obstacles coming into the presidency that I think are a little bit atypical,” he said, referring to the poor economy.Dixon also said he believed that the Bush administration did damage to the United States’ reputation in the international community and said Obama has had to repair it.“That’s maybe made it difficult to push a lot of the things he campaigned for. I think he’s done a good job of changing the face of America in terms of how other countries perceive the country and the United States does business on an international level,” Dixon said. “Hopefully that can continue to be a priority.”
(01/20/10 3:52am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Despite the cold winter and poor economic climate, Bloomington’s soup kitchens have seen no shortage of donations.Federal and state budget cuts haven’t affected local organizations like Community Kitchen, which offers food to the needy, including those on food stamps. Community Kitchen runs on donations and grants and operates two locations, one of which is strictly carry-out.“The only federal money we get is from the Community Development Block Grant and the Emergency Food and Shelter Program,” said Vicki Pierce, director of Community Kitchen. “They’re both federal monies but they’re filtered through local entities.”“The winter’s really no harder for us than the summer,” Pierce said. “We actually serve more meals in the summer than in the winter.”Even though the economy has soured, things remain largely the same for the city’s soup kitchens.There has been a 21 percent increase in Monroe County donations in recent months, Pierce said.“We do really well on Thanksgiving and Christmas and then things slow down,” said Jake Bruner, office manager for the Hoosier Hills Food Bank. “We count on the food we gain to carry us through.”The Hoosier Hills Food Bank provides food to families who are not on food stamps yet. Bruner called it a time-consuming process.Pierce said she believes the sluggish economy has made people more aware of the problems needy families face. “It’s actually boosted the need for food in the community,” Bruner said about the economy.The community’s poverty level statistics make it clear that there is a need.While Indiana has an average of 12.3 percent of the populace below the poverty line, Bloomington’s average weighs in at 41.6 percent. Of this group, 29.9 percent live 50 percent below the poverty level, according to 2007 statistics.“Not only has it boosted the need for us to provide food, it has increased donations and activity in the community,” Bruner said.“The meal sizes haven’t changed. We’re getting more donations, so we have an opportunity to give out extra stuff, like desserts or fruit,” said Ashley Anderson, a Community Kitchen volunteer.Sometimes the extra food can come from unusual sources.Kacey Monroe, along with other IU optometry students and workers, donated a plate of McAlister’s sandwiches to the Community Kitchen.“Maybe it hasn’t hit (donors) as hard,” Pierce said, in regards to the recession. “We’re mindful of what folks are going through.”
(01/11/10 2:26am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Monroe County Historical Society’s exhibit, the Community Voices Gallery, honors contributions of the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County.“The Community Voices Gallery is a place where local organizations exhibit their history endeavors of projects,” Managing Director Jill Lesh said. “It rotates about every three months.”The Community Foundation helps manage local organizations. Rather than having money donated and spent directly, the Community Foundation invests the donations and manages them so local organizations only spend the profits from the investments arranged by the Foundation.According to the Community Foundation, investments are wide-ranging, including a commitment of more than $150,000 during the past three years to a local middle school initiative. The Foundation also helped fund the Matchstick Endowment Initiative, where the program matches endowment contributions from other agencies. For every three dollars that an agency provides, the Community Foundation provides a dollar from its treasury. Participants of the Matchstick Endowment include the local Boys & Girls Club.“The opportunity to build our endowment through the Matchstick grant has generated numerous exciting outcomes for the Club: a whole host of new Club volunteers, a growing endowment, a renewed visibility in our community and greater hope for our kids,” said Boys and Girls Club Executive Director Jeff Baldwin in a statement on the Community Foundation’s Web site. “Fulfilling our mission through endowment development, we look forward to an exciting future for the members of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Bloomington, as we gain greater financial stability through Matchstick and our endowment growth.”Lesh said the Community Foundation has contributed greatly to the History Center, which now houses its display. These contributions include ultraviolet light shielding on all of the Historical Center’s windows so sunlight doesn’t damage any artifacts on displays near windows.“Another thing that the Community Center has supported us with are environmental monitors for the artifacts,” Lesh said. “They have been grantors to us on a number of projects.”But the Historical Center’s relationship with the Community Foundation isn’t limited to grants.“We have an endowment fund with them that they manage for us,” Lesh said.
(01/11/10 12:47am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It’s been almost a year since President Barack Obama nominated IU professor Dawn Johnsen to head the Office of Legal Counsel. But because of party politics, Johnsen’s confirmation remains in senatorial limbo.Johnsen, a professor at IU’s Maurer School of Law, was one of six nominees for federal posts who were not voted in during December. The OLC, which is part of the Department of Justice, aids and advises the attorney general, who in turn acts as a direct legal adviser to the president of the United States. The OLC has been described as the “President’s law firm.” Johnsen worked with the OLC from 1993 to 1998 and served as a deputy assistant attorney general as well as an acting assistant attorney general.Johnsen was nominated by President Obama last January and almost a full year later, she has not received a Senate confirmation vote, with many Republican senators choosing not to vote at all. If a nominee is not voted on by the end of a Congressional session, he or she must be voted for unanimously or their nomination must be resubmitted by the Obama administration. During the confirmation, Johnsen was criticized for her stance on reproductive rights and her harsh criticism of the OLC’s role during the Bush administration - particularly its part in condoning the interrogation policies put forth by the Bush administration. In a 2007 statement, Johnsen said the “root cause of the current crisis at the (Department of Justice) is President Bush’s utter failure to honor this most basic constitutional obligation to faithfully execute the laws.” She went on to say that the president, as well as Vice President Dick Cheney, set a tone of “disregard for the law.”Johnsen has also drawn the ire of the Republican Party because of her firm pro-choice stance on reproductive rights. She worked for the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League from 1988 until she began at the OLC in 1993. Johnsen was also accused of having made a 13th Amendment argument about abortion, which states that women, when disallowed abortion, are subject to involuntary servitude. Johnsen proposed a 14th Amendment argument for abortion. Thirty-seven Republicans voted against her nomination. While 57 Democrats, aided by Sen. Richard Lugar,R-Ind., supported her, they were ultimately unable to muster enough support to overcome the Republican filibuster. The Democrats fell three votes short: 60 votes are needed to overcome a filibuster. Because it seems unlikely that she will receive a unanimous vote into the position she was nominated for, her only option will be being resubmitted by the Obama administration.The question now is whether she will be re-submitted. Hannah Buxbaum, executive associate dean for academic affairs at the Maurer School, is confident that Johnsen will be renominated, stating that she had “no reason to doubt the accuracy of those reports.”“We feel she’s eminently qualified for the position,” Buxbaum said in a statement to Indiana Lawyer Daily. “She’s a leading constitutional law scholar, particularly on the topic of separation of powers and other topics related to the position. More importantly, she already served in the position.”
(12/08/09 4:25am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“This brother goes into a pawn shop ...”Black pediatrician Fletcher Hazelton jokes to his white friend Martin Townsend in “Palmer Park,” a play by Joanna McClelland Glass, which was performed as a staged reading Monday. The play, which dealt with issues of racial integration, was performed at the Ruth N. Halls Theatre as part of IU’s Themester on evolution, diversity and change, which is “a series of events to promote campus and community dialog on challenging issues.”Trish Hausmann, house manager for the theater, said she enjoyed the presentation.“I think it’s going fabulously,” she said.Hausmann, a native of Michigan, said she also recognized many of the places mentioned in the performance.Palmer Park is a social commentary set in late 1960s Detroit as the white flight was taking hold of the city. The black families began to move into white neighborhoods, scaring the whites into what would become the suburban sprawls that now surround major cities. After a series of riots rock the city, property values plummet as more than 250,000 affluent citizens abandon their city homes and move out.The play specifically concerns the Hazelton and Townsend families and how they attempt to improve their neighborhood, Palmer Park. The Hazleton family is an upper-middle class black family while the Townsends have moved in from Iowa, a state sparse in diversity. After the riots, the city’s school system finds itself more than $7 million in debt and the Hazeltons and Townsends, along with their neighbors, set out to go door to door in order to raise funds for their struggling school.Conflict arises when working class families whose children attend a crowded school near Palmer Park demand that their children be let into the nearby Palmer Park school. This, the residents worry, would create a black majority and scare off future white residents, eventually resulting in a totally black neighborhood, destroying the diversity that they had worked hard to foster. Eventually, more riots rock the neighborhood and most of the residents scatter.“We were all very uncomfortable at times,” said senior Christina Rahn, who played resident Harriet Rifkin.She recalled a scene in which the Hazeltons told their neighbors that they had to dress well in order to be served at highway restaurants.“That’s still heartbreaking to me,” she said.Graduate student Jaysen Wright, who portrayed Fletcher Hazleton, a black pediatrician in the neighborhood, said the play was about when “things fall apart.”“I found this play and playwright very ambitious,” he said. “At the end of the day, all I had to hold onto was who these people are ... I’m proud of what we did.”
(11/19/09 3:32am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The University Singers praised food and nature during a food drive concert Wednesday benefiting the Hoosier Hills Food Bank.The choir presented three pieces, two of which were based on literature including “On Walden Pond for Chorus” along with “Reincarnations Op. 16,” a choral piece based on Gaelic writings. They also performed “Fragments from his dish”, a choral piece in five parts praising food and drink, which conductor Chris Ludwa said inspired the food drive portion of the show.Auer Concert Hall’s cavernous space filled with the sound of 24 voices, three cellos and one harp as the performance began. A giant projector screen above the singers projected the lyrics for each piece. For “Walden Pond,” the screen featured images of nature as well as the lyrics and provided the audience with facts about pollution occurring within the United States.“I wanted to take a moment to talk about the Walden,” said Ludwa and added there are difficulties in translating the written text to song. He noted that “Walden Pond” and the writings that inspired Reincarnations were there long before the composers translated them into music. “We hope to honor the composer of the text as well as of the pieces,” Ludwa said.For freshman Kelsey Brannon, who is studying elementary education, the show was a first.“It’s actually my first show here,” Brannon said. “I liked how they used the visuals and put words to song.”Graduate student Melissa Hudson and junior Ryan Torino also listened in.“I liked it a lot,” Hudson said. “Beautiful. I enjoyed the visuals.”Hudson also said she enjoyed the text accompanying the songs on the projector screen and said it paid tribute to the texts coming before the sound.Torino called the combination a “nice collection of contemporary work.”The concert was also attended by Jacobs School of Music faculty, such as Brian Horne and Michael Schwartzkopf, who said they enjoyed the pieces.“It was wonderful,” Horn said. “They were very confident, it allowed them to be very expressive.”“I thought it was a very wonderful show,” agreed Schwartzkopf. “The numbers blended well together and the visuals added to the show.”Ludwa said the repertoire was good, though difficult. “It’s a pleasure to work with such talented singers,” he said.
(10/30/09 4:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Cemeteries have an unnerving effect on some who pass through them. It could be for any number of reasons. Some aren’t comfortable walking over the dead, feeling some measure of respect for those who have passed before them. Others, possessing a more vivid imagination or firmly held beliefs may yet see the cemetery as a garden of souls, with those who have passed lingering in this world. Ghosts, spirits and shades of all manner still patrol the rows and rows of markers.And yet still for some, they are nothing, but fields of crumbling headstones with long forgotten names. Names forgotten by all except the Monroe County Historical Society.“Currently the cemetery committee here at the Monroe County Historical Society is working on several projects,” said Lisa Simmons, the Outreach Coordinator.One of these projects is the mapping of every cemetery in Monroe County.“That by itself is a huge project. We’ve finished a couple townships,” Simmons said, noting that Monroe County alone contains more than 200 cemeteries.Some of these cemeteries are concealed within the Morgan-Monroe State Forest. Among these include the supposedly haunted Stepp Cemetery, containing tombstones from as far back as the 1800s. According to local lore, two brothers fought and killed each other for the inheritance of their father’s land. Another terrible accident that took place during the 1930s took the life of a child. Reports indicate that the child’s mother, referred to as the “Black Lady,” still haunts the graveyard and has been said to chase visitors away. Phenomenon such as car engines dying and sighting of the brothers as well have earned Stepp Cemetery its reputation as a haunted graveyard.The 1930s was also the era of the Works Progress Administration, part of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal, which as one of its projects attempted to find every cemetery in the county. This effort produced a great historical record of the cemeteries in Monroe County. However, the record is about 80 years old and many of the landmarks used to identify the locations of cemeteries have vanished or been made unrecognizable by time’s passage. This hasn’t deterred Bob Dodd, co-chair of the Historical Society’s Cemetery Committee.“What I’m doing is using aerial photographs and maps to locate them the best I can,” Dodd said. “There’s some from descriptions we know about where they are. Sometimes you can see them from the aerial photographs, but the smaller and obscure ones, sometimes not. Some of them I’m locating fairly precisely from the aerial photographs. We’d like to locate them all exactly.”The Historical Society has been using the Indiana Geological Survey’s interactive maps, which include both electronic GPS maps and traditional ones. These allow the work of mapping Monroe County’s graveyards to be done from the relative safety of a computer desk, far away from marauding specters. “By using it you can locate a site on the map or the aerial photograph,” Dodd said, adding that taking GPS units into the field to obtain the exact coordinates was ultimately what needed to be done.“It’s a pretty massive undertaking,” Simmons said.
(10/20/09 1:27am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Things are looking up for the Crossroads of America, according to new financial reports. Indiana’s business tax climate was ranked 12th in the nation and scored higher on the evaluation than all neighboring states, according to a report from the Tax Foundation.Indiana is becoming more business-friendly despite the sluggish economy, according to a survey of Indiana CEOs and also the study by the Tax Foundation, a non-partisan group based in Washington.The tax report’s scores are calculated by considering business property tax rates, the sales tax, individual tax, corporate tax and unemployment insurance taxes. Indiana moved up from 14th place last year. Not every state rose in the rankings, said Natasha Altamirano, Tax Foundation media relations manager.“Only three states managed to cut income taxes,” she said. “At least seven as of July 1 had raised income taxes.”The 10 best tax climates belonged to mostly rural states, while the worst belonged to urban areas; South Dakota and Wyoming were the top two, while New York and California were in the bottom three. “It’s definitely an improvement, just being that high up in the rankings.”In addition to the Tax Foundation’s assessment, a group of Hoosier CEOs produces a yearly report called “The State of Our Business – A Perspective from Indiana Executives,” which also measures Indiana’s business climate. The group of CEOs, surveyed by Inside INdiana Business, Butler University and Ice Miller LLP, a legal counsel service, says that compared with neighboring states, Indiana’s business climate is “making strides faster than our neighbors.”The group cited an increase in the available labor force as well as economic incentives for businesses had improved significantly since 2008. In addition, they cited improvements in the education system as well as innovation and “overall business environment” as having improved considerably since 2008.In addition to the five taxes ranked in the report by the Tax Foundation, Indiana is one of only 15 states in the nation that does not have an inventory tax, furthering the positive business climate. Jeff Grossnickle, owner of the ice cream shop The Chocolate Moose, said that though he was frustrated by corporate tax hikes on the federal level, taxes within the state are a positive force for local businesses.“I just notice when we’re traveling between states, prices go up,” he said. “It definitely helps business.”Things are not just improving on the state level, though. Monroe County has granted a local business called Print Pack, which makes packing products for the food industry, a tax abatement. The tax abatement on a new $52-million facility will save Print Pack $2.3 million during the next 10 years, said Morgan Hutton, the director of advocacy at the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce.“Our area has been buffered a little bit by the economic downturn,” she said.She cited the diverse business community in Bloomington being able to cope better than the manufacturing-dependent parts of the state like Elkhart, which were hit hard by the slacking economy.“It’s helped to ease the economic downturn. In general, our members have said they’re feeling the economy start to pick up.”
(10/06/09 4:29am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Buskirk-Chumley Theater will open its doors to several winning grant applicants, providing full use of the stage for one day free of charge.An informal meeting on Monday explained the application process to interested local applicants, who have until Nov. 13 to apply for a 2010 spot.Applicants must be within the city limits of Bloomington, thus eliminating applicants from the surrounding areas such as Brown County. The grant, which is sponsored by the city of Bloomington’s Department of Parks and Recreation and the Bloomington Entertainment and Arts District, is open to public, as well as private events.Miah Michaelson is the assistant director of Cultural and Arts Development within the city of Bloomington’s Department of Economic and Sustainable Development and called the application “highly competitive.” She noted that out of 28 applicants last year, only eight made the cut and were allowed use of the theater. Michaelson said the number of slots available is not expected to change much this year.Grant applicants undergo a rigorous approval process, during which they are reviewed by a committee. They are judged on community benefit, the appropriateness of the event for the venue and the feasibility of the project, as well as the financial impact and any cooperation that the project might have with other local organizations.“The goal is to provide low-cost access to the theater,” Michaelson said.Last year’s winners were a mix of art organizations, service organizations and individual artists. They included Dancing with the Celebrities, Dark Carnival Film Festival, an event from the Monroe County Public Library and a songwriter showcase. Michaelson said the most popular of last year’s events was Dancing with the Celebrities.“We’re not necessarily looking for events that will sell out,” Michaelson said, and added that they looked for applicants who “use the facility to its fullest extent.”Meeting attendee Joshua Hogan said he is hoping to gain use of the theater.“I’m hoping to host a benefit for the Boys and Girls Club,” he said.Bloomington resident Melissa McReynolds said she aims to use the theater to “hold a CD release event for a local singer-songwriter.”She said the grant was a great opportunity and called the theater “a beautiful space for events of artistic value.”
(09/24/09 4:59am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Lucinda Williams performed for crowds at the Bluebird Nightclub on Wednesday night. Williams is a singer-songwriter who plays country, folk and rock ‘n’ roll. Since her career’s start in 1978, she has recorded and released 10 albums. Williams has also played with several big names, including Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Flogging Molly, Elvis Costello and Steve Earle. Brenda Weber teaches gender studies at IU and first heard of Williams when her partner gave her a mix tape to listen to. Weber later saw Williams play live after 9/11.“I love it,” she said. Williams usually doesn’t play venues as small as the Bluebird, Weber said. For Kim Hineman, a Greene county resident, it was her first night at the Bluebird.“Not many people can say that,” Hineman said. “It’s totally what I expected.”Hineman has been a fan of Williams for four years and drove more than 40 miles to see her.“I’ve got all of her CDs,” she said.For many, the drive was worth it. Williams has received three Emmys, has been nominated for eight and was named America’s best songwriter by Time magazine in 2002. According to Williams’s Web site, she cares about her fans, too, and when the recession hit, she began to drop the prices on the merchandise sold at her shows.Rachel Raibley, a resident of Indianapolis, drove even further. She said she has been a fan of Williams for five years.“I think it’s a good show,” she said. “I think she’s got a great voice. I think she’s a great songwriter.”Nick Dalton, also made the drive from his home in Indianapolis, He said he enjoyed the show and has been a fan of Williams for 10 years.“It’s great,” he said. “I like how real she is. She seems to sort of live the songs she writes about.”
(09/24/09 3:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The spirits of the dead will invade Bloomington’s Wandering Turtle Art Gallery & Gifts. The gallery will begin collecting items Thursday to display on a community altar for Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. The display will continue through Nov. 2.The holiday is also translated as All Souls Day and is a Mexican holiday that is also celebrated in the United States and is traditionally celebrated Nov. 1 and 2.Dia de los Muertos celebrates those who have died. Celebrants build altars, called ofrendas, where they leave gifts for their deceased relatives including photographs of the deceased as well as their favorite drinks and foods. Traditions say the spirits of deceased relatives come to visit the living.La Casa Latino Cultural Center Director Lillian Casillas said the community altar won’t be the only altar set up in Bloomington. La Casa plans to set up several more, including one at the center and another at the Leo R. Dowling International Center. “I have an altar that stays up all year round,” Casillas said, but added she only sets out offerings during Dia de los Muertos.Casillas said the alter’s offerings consist of four elements. Fire is represented by candles and helps the spirit find the altar. Wind is represented by the candles’ smoke. Water is set out in a drinking glass for the spirits as well as in a bowl with a towel for them to wash up after their long journey to the altar. Finally, earth is represented by food that is grown in the ground, such as bean or corn.“While it has a lot of Catholic traditions, it’s also a mix of indigenous ones,” Casillas said.The Wandering Turtle’s community altar is becoming a tradition and those who leave offerings on the altar will not be able to retrieve them.“It’s a very healthy attitude towards celebrating deceased loved ones,” said Wandering Turtle’s Jaime Sweany, who is coordinating the project. “It’s pretty touching really, to see the things people leave behind.”
(09/23/09 3:33am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Astral Project dazzled audiences Tuesday evening at KRC Catering.Jazz from Bloomington President Monika Herzig described the group as a “fabulous jazz band from New Orleans” and said she was happy to have them play for Jazz from Bloomington’s 10th season of performance.“They’re the finest jazz group in the world,” author David Lasocki said.He said he has heard them play many times, and he is writing a book about the band titled “A Higher Fusion: The New Orleans Modern Jazz Group Astral Project at 30.”“They play a funky kind of New Orleans jazz, but it has a very spiritual basis,” Lasocki said.The Astral Project is a four-piece jazz band from New Orleans that features saxophone, guitar, bass and drums. The group has been together since 1978, and the newest member, Steve Masakowski, joined the band 21 years ago. The group has released nine different recordings and contains members from around the United States. Tony Dagradi, the group’s saxophonist, was raised in New Jersey before moving to New Orleans in 1977, a year before the group was founded. Steve Masakowski, guitarist, and John Vidacovich, drummer, are both native to New Orleans. Bassist James Singleton grew up in Springfield, Ill.The band performed in a wide-open area in KRC Catering, faced by a sea of white folding chairs filled with audience members of all ages. Young jazz players sat in the front row to watch the band, and Herzig said they would be the musicians performing in the near future. For Ken Grooms, a Bloomington resident, Astral Project was a new experience.“We saw the drummer backing up piano players in Cincinnati,” Grooms said. “I didn’t know he was the drummer for the Astral Project, so that’s icing on the cake.”
(09/21/09 4:30am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Jip Jop jammed out Saturday in the Root Cellar, the venue underneath FARMbloomington restaurant on Kirkwood Avenue. Jip Jop is a six-member strong band from Bloomington that is a marriage between hip hop and jazz while combining elements of funk as well, said lead singer Benny Gershman.Down in the Root Cellar, a brick basement with a ceiling lined with rafters and pipes, Jip Jop’s rhymes and keyboards drowned out the characteristic clank of bottles and glasses from the bar. Christmas lights hung from the rafters alongside license plates. One plate was attached to a pair of wooden clogs. Bloomington resident Jeff Franklin said the Root Cellar’s atmosphere aided the music.“It enhances the scene,” Franklin said. “It’s uniquely Bloomington.”Senior Aleza Shapiro agreed.“I like how it’s decorated. I’d come back,” Shapiro said. “They’re jazzy, but really good.”The band featured saxophone, trumpet, keyboard and bass, as well as percussion, with vocals by Gershman. The band’s songs featured cultural references. Titles such as “Anne Frankly”, “Beam Me Up Scotty” and “Pluto’s Still a Planet to Me” threw out jokes in the titles.“It’s a liker,” IU law professor Leandra Lederman said. “It’s good. I love the Bloomingtonness ... it’s catchy and fun.”The Root Cellar was packed wall-to-wall with guests who came from coast to coast.“I like the trumpet. The band is awesome,” said Kate Murphy, a visitor from Boston. “They have a great spirit about them.”Cuca Acosta of Santa Barbara, Calif., said the band had a uniquely “infectious” sound.“Even if you don’t know the lyrics, you want to sing along,” she said.
(09/18/09 3:55am)
Jazz Fables presents tribute at Bear’s Place.
(09/08/09 4:10am)
Nice Jewish Girls Gone Bad ensemble perform variety show at Bear's Place Monday night.
(04/22/09 2:43am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Bloomington honored its volunteers Tuesday night at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater with the annual Be More awards.The community nominated more than 100 volunteers in nine different categories. After introductions, a slide show was presented, showing the projects in which Bloomington residents have taken part during the past year. Among these were outreach efforts for inmates and projects to work with young children.Sheri Woodbury, president of the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County, presented the Be More Collaborative Award to Hand in Hand, a program that started in 2004 and helps Bloomington’s poor. Hand in Hand operates neighborhood pickups that deliver to the community kitchen and collected about 10,000 food items in the past year, 16 percent of the community kitchen’s food donations.Next, Dean of Students Dick McKaig presented the Be More Involved Award to the Kelley School of Business Civic Leadership Development members. The members are IU students who work with Big Brothers Big Sisters in Bloomington, raising more than $15,000 in 2009 alone.“Dick is retiring after 174 years of service,” Barry Lessow, director of Bloomington’s United Way, said, joking.Phil Meyer, station manager of WTIU, presented the Be More Phenomenal Award to Dr. Eric Bannec of Volunteers in Medicine, which has served 273,000 patient visits in 11,000 volunteer clinical hours providing medical services to the community, helping “bridge the gap” where Medicare falls short, Meyer said.“About two years ago, I was approached by a group of very dedicated people to become involved,” he said. “Over the last several years, this has developed. We’ve done a great deal of good for the community, and again, I’m very humbled by the experience.”The local American Cancer Society’s Arletha Dabney was next, earning the Be More Knowledgeable Award, presented by Pete Giordano, director of Bloomington’s Community and Family Resources Development.Katie Sullivan, host of WTIU’s The Friday Zone presented Bella Caruso with the Be More Energized Award for developing Kids Fighting Cancer at Templeton Elementary School. The fundraising proceeds of Kids Fighting Cancer go to Camp Kesem, a camp run by IU undergraduate students for children whose relatives have cancer. Caruso, age 6, said she wants to have Kids Fighting Cancer in every school across the country.Judge Viola Taliaferro awarded the Be More Sustainable award to Cathi Eagan, the founder of CANine Express. CANine Express transfers adoptable dogs from shelters in Indiana to shelters in the New England region at a rate of about 1,000 every year.“We’re honoring outstanding members of the community who have been contributing and giving,” sophomore and volunteer Sarah Pennal said.Lessow went on to present an award to senior Michelle Davenport, who put in more than 200 hours working with Stone Belt Inc., an organization that provides volunteer employment for developmentally challenged members of the community.“One of the girls from my hometown won Miss America,” Davenport said. “This is so much better than Miss America.”