87 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(08/31/05 6:19am)
Flipping through the pages of the Indiana Daily Student last semester, you might have noticed a popular item missing -- the police blotter.\nFor those unfamiliar with the blotter, it hailed as a controversial favorite. It reports all arrests and citations made by the IU Police Department according to the daily activity log.\nIn the spring, the management staff opted to omit the blotter, citing that charges sometimes change and it is not our place to smear the names of students for charges which may not hold up in court.\nWhile the chance of error is possible, we believe part of our job as a newspaper is to serve as a public record and service our readers. We report the blotter with the same accuracy standards we do with each police story in the paper and do our best to minimize any chance of error.\nAs a management team, we have elected to begin publishing the blotter again -- this time, with the hope that some changes can be made. While we understand some of the people charged and listed in the blotter might have charges dropped, we hope to use the blotter as a chance to put crimes committed on campus in perspective for our audience. \nNoting that charges can be dropped, we have made the decision not to post the blotter online, so if an employer were to search online about a candidate, the blotter would not appear.\nWe also will be adding a line to the beginning to ensure readers understand that the charges printed may ultimately be changed or dropped by the prosecutor's office. \nWhile many students would argue drinking is normal on a college campus, for more than half the students at IU, drinking is illegal. Binge drinking and overconsumption of alcohol is a major issue on any college campus. The choice to run names of those arrested for drinking incidents, which might seem minor to some, is simply aimed to highlight the pervasive problem of underage drinking on campus.\nWith about 15,000 to 17,000 copies of the IDS floating around campus each day, we acknowledge the blotter can shape perceptions and even influence people's opinions about those mentioned. \nHowever, part of our job is to report the news -- the good, the bad and the ugly. We don't choose who gets arrested or why one student gets arrested for public intoxication when another across the street may be equally as drunk but goes undetected. \nThe goal of the blotter is not to pass judgement, make assumptions or cast unfair stereotypes upon those arrested. \nNews is subjective. Everyone has their own opinions about what should be printed, and what simply should be left out of the public eye. \nAs a newspaper, and as a management team, we welcome our readers' opinions and understand there may be people reading who will completely disagree with our decision. We encourage students, faculty, staff and all of our readers to express their opinions about matters we write about by e-mailing the Opinion section at letters@indiana.edu.
(04/27/05 6:36am)
Junior Lisa Wright was known to her friends and family as a bubbly, motivated person. But when her family arrived in London after she had disappeared for several days, the young woman they found was very different.\n"She's always been an upbeat, very outgoing person and that personality -- that had been tempered somewhat," said Wright's uncle Matthew Steward. "Something has caused that and we're trying to just ascertain what that is. I guess you could say that she's somewhat reserved, but its just very difficult to go beyond that."\nWright had completed a study abroad program in London April 15 and had not responded to any of her family's e-mails in more than a week. Her family became concerned when they hadn't heard from Wright because of their close relationship with her.\nWright's last known contact was in London Tuesday with a cousin who lives two hours from where she had been staying. Wright left her cell phone with her cousin about a month ago and was supposed to pick it up after her program ended, Steward said. But Wright changed her plans and decided to stay in London. She gave her cousin an address where her cell phone could be sent. Wright said she would either be staying there or would be in contact there. But she never made it there.\nWhen days began to pass without word from Wright, her family filed a missing persons report, and investigations began abroad. Monday, Steward said he received word from London police that Wright had been found and was in "relatively good health."\nWhile Steward waited for updates on the investigation in Indianapolis, Wright's family arrived in London.\nSteward said family members arrived in England at 8 a.m. London time to be greeted by Wright and another family member who lives there.\n"They've pretty much spent time with Lisa trying to support her and learn more about what may have occurred," Steward said. \nSteward said right now the situation is very delicate, and it has been a slow process finding out exact details about what happened. \n"Almost all of us talked to Lisa every week and she was eagerly awaiting her mother and family members that were coming to visit with her in London," he said. "Now we're just trying to ascertain what happened to change her mood."\nA spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police Department in London said as far as they are concerned, the case has been solved.\n"This was a missing persons case, and she has been found," she said, adding no more details could be released.\nSteward said for now, unless there are any other developments, he agrees with MPD's decision to close the case.\n"At this point I certainly believe (MPD has) done their job," Steward said. "If any other information becomes available, then it perhaps would reopen the case. As a police officer, I would be resting at this point too. There's nothing I can see at this point that is criminal in nature."\nSteward said despite his original concerns about the way the investigation was conducted he now has more of an understanding about how things progressed.\n"In terms of investigative processes, not only London police but agencies from state to state or even from city to state to federal do things differently," Steward said. "I think it was more so about the differences between policies. Obviously what the London (Police) did was very effective because they located her in very good time given the size of London ... I was probably was a little anxious. I'd be the first to apologize to them about the job they've done."\nSteward said right now, the family's main concern is to find out more about what happened and make Wright feel more comfortable.\n"There is definitely going be some healing time," he said. "We'll try and move forward and bring this young lady back into the mainstream of where she was before."\n-- Contact Campus Editor Mallory Simon at mgsimon@indiana.edu.
(04/26/05 5:44am)
IU junior Lisa Wright, reported missing by her family last week, has been found, according to a spokeswoman for London's Metropolitan Police Department.\nMatthew Steward, Wright's uncle, said the family received a call from London Police Monday.\n"London authorities notified us this morning and indicated they had located Lisa and that she appeared to be in relatively good health," Steward said.\nWright had completed a study abroad program in London April 15 and had not responded to any of her family's e-mails in more than a week. The family became concerned when they hadn't heard from Wright because of their close relationship with her.\nWright's last known contact was in London Tuesday with a cousin who was living two hours from where she had been staying. Wright left her cell phone with her cousin about a month ago and was supposed to pick it up after her program ended, Steward said. But Wright changed her plans and decided to stay in London. She gave her cousin an address where her cell phone could be sent. Wright said she would either be staying there or would be in contact there. But she never made it there.\nWhen days began to pass without word from Wright, her family filed a missing persons report and investigations began abroad.\nSteward said the family has not been briefed regarding where Wright was, what happened to the money in her bank account or what circumstances surround her disappearance. \n"Officials indicated that there were other circumstances surrounding the disappearance," Steward said regarding the lack of information disclosed. "So I'm not certain what that means."\nPolice in London are not disclosing information about the investigation.\n"We can't say anything besides that she's been found safe in London and well," an MPD spokeswoman said.\nSteward said finding out specific details has been difficult because of the detachment from overseas law enforcement.\n"We're kind of getting our information second hand," he said. "The police department is talking to (the U.S.) Embassy, who is talking to us."\nThe U.S. Embassy in London did not return calls about the status of the investigation at press time.\nWright's family left for London Monday hoping to speak directly with investigators.\n"We're just hoping that once the family is on the ground, we can find out more," Steward said. "Our greatest concern has been realized -- that Lisa is alive and safe. Now we will try to ascertain how this whole thing came about." \nSteward said the family hopes the trip abroad will help answer lingering questions about Wright's financial situation. Wright, a business major, had not paid her tuition bill, and both her savings and checking accounts showed withdrawals totaling more than $10,000 in a matter of days. \n"She's very particular for details, and she has never let a bill of any kind, especially one of that importance, go astray, so that raised a red flag," Steward said.\nWhen Wright's family took a closer look at her bank accounts, they noticed they were also overdrawn by a couple of thousand dollars. Wright's family said they hope everything will be squared away after they speak to police in London.\n"We hope to have information about the money (today), as soon as relatives are on the ground," Steward said. "Our No. 1 concern and prayer was that Lisa would be found and she would be found alive, and that has happened. First and foremost, we want to reunite with Lisa and find out what the circumstances were around her disappearance."\nAs of press time, IU officials had not yet received official notice about developments in the case.\n"We're certainly aware of the media reports, and it sounds to me like the media reports are accurate," Director of IU Media Relations Larry MacIntyre said. "I think everyone here is very relieved, and we're certainly pleased that it appears there were no serious problems, that she's safe and healthy, and it looks like it's some kind of a misunderstanding."\nSteward said he appreciates the outpouring of help and prayers from IU and the community. He added that although he was originally apprehensive about police efforts abroad, he is now very happy with the result.\n"I must say up front that it appears my concerns were unfounded about the London Police," he said. "They did a good job ... Some of the things and methods used (by London Police) just weren't communicated to us, and sometimes in an investigation that happens, but it yielded the results that were necessary."\nDespite the lack of information the family has received, Steward said they are at peace with knowing Wright is alive.\n"At this point, we are certainly pleased that Lisa's whereabouts have been located," he said. "Our prayers have certainly been answered."\n-- Contact Campus Editor Mallory Simon at mgsimon@indiana.edu.
(04/25/05 4:37pm)
IU student Lisa Wright who had been reported missing by her family, has now been found in London.\nMatthew Stewart, Wright's uncle said the family received a call from London authorities today.\n"London authorities notified us this morning and indicated they had located Lisa and that she appeared to be in relativiley good health," Stewart said.\nLondon police told Stewart there were other circumstances surrounding Lisa's whereabouts they could not release at this time due to an ongoing investigation. \nMembers of Wright's family are still going to make their original trip to London, in hopes of going overseas to find out more about the situation and whereabouts of Wright.
(04/25/05 6:09am)
An Indianapolis family's concerns are growing after their daughter, an IU junior, went missing last week while studying abroad in England.\nLisa Wright, who had just completed an overseas program in London April 15, has not responded to any of the family's e-mails in more than a week.\nMatthew Stewart, Wright's uncle and a 25-year veteran of the Indianapolis Police Department, said the family was concerned when they had not heard from Wright after she finished classes and an internship at Merrill Lynch.\n"Several of our family members, including her mother, have been e-mailing her since last Friday without a response," Stewart said. "Lisa normally communicates with us on a daily basis so that was very uncharacteristic of her."\nOnce Wright's program ended 10 days ago, Stewart said she planned to go directly to a military base two hours from London where her cousin lived. During a previous trip one month ago, Wright left her cell phone with her cousin on the base and planned to pick it up before her family visited to sightsee in London, a trip they had planned to embark on today.\nWright had spoken to her cousin on several occasions prior to her disappearance, including April 19, the last time anyone spoke to her. But then her plans changed.\n"Lisa indicated she would not be coming to the base and that she decided to find a bed-and-breakfast location in London and stay," Stewart said. "She called her cousin and said to mail her phone to an address where either she would be staying or where she would have contact."\nWright never made it there. That phone call to her cousin is the last contact she had with any family member.\nStewart said that address is initially where London Police were sent, but there was so sign of Wright.\nA London police duty press officer was not in the office at press time to comment on the investigation.\nWright's family became increasingly worried when they received an unpaid tuition bill from Arcadia University, the Pennsylvania college that organized the study abroad program Wright was attending.\n"Lisa is a business major with a concentration in finance," Stewart said. "She's very particular for details and she has never let a bill of any kind, especially one of that importance, go astray -- so that raised a red flag."\nWhen her family checked her bank account, they noticed thousands of dollars were missing, and Wright's account balance was negative. Her family said Wright had saved money for her trip to England and the activity in her account was uncharacteristic of her personality.\n"The other major piece (of the puzzle) is that thousands of dollars have been withdrawn from not only her checking account but her savings account over a period of a number of days," Stewart said. "Lisa never touches her savings account, let alone removes thousands of dollars in such a short time." \nStewart said he is concerned the police in London are not doing all they can to help bring Wright home.\n"It is our feeling right now that the London Police Department might simply be treating this as another simple missing persons case, and that is just not the case," Stewart said. "As a police officer, I know in missing person cases time is very critical, time is of the essence. The more time that lulls is very critical in the safe return of Lisa Wright."\nWright's family contacted U.S. Sens. Evan Bayh and Richard Lugar who contacted the U.S. State Department, raising an international alert for Wright. A spokeswoman for the State Department said because of privacy reasons they could not release any information but that they were doing what they could to aid in the investigation.\nThe family is asking anyone who has communicated with Wright this month to come forward despite whether or not they think the communication was of importance.\n"We would like to hear from them because even though it may not be significant to them it may be critical information," Stewart said. "We ask the community to continue to pray for Lisa's safe return ... we are a family of faith and we would appreciate prayers."\nStewart said the family also urges the community to contact local and state officials, including Sens. Bayh and Lugar, Congresswoman Julia Carson and Gov. Mitch Daniels on Wright's behalf. The hope is that officials can contact the State Department to pressure London Police "so no stone is left unturned," Stewart said.\nIU Police Department officers and IU officials were notified over the weekend about Wright's disappearance.\n"Unfortunately, we're rather geographically detached and at this point all we can do is contact authorities in London and they're currently attempting to locate her at addresses she was last known to frequent or live," IUPD Lt. Jerry Minger said.\nDirector of IU Media Relations Larry MacIntyre said IU was notified of the situation Friday.\n"The following morning, Dean of Students (Richard) McKaig asked the Office of Overseas Study to send an e-mail to all program participants asking them to contact IU if they might have any information about Lisa's whereabouts," MacIntyre said. "The e-mail went out early Saturday, and as of Sunday morning, we had not received any additional information from any students who were sent e-mails."\nStewart said members of Wright's family who were originally leaving today to visit Wright in London are still headed overseas, but instead intend to aid in the investigation. The very nature of Wright's personality has led her family to worry even more about her whereabouts.\n"Lisa had a very good relationship with the family, in fact, as I can recall, I have never known Lisa to get in an argument with any family member," Stewart said.\nWhile the family is waiting to hear any news on Wright's whereabouts, they remember her for her exceptional academic performance and spirited outlook.\n"Lisa was very outgoing and uplifting. She was the kind of person everyone would want to be around," Stewart said. "You'd probably be hard-pressed to find a person to say something derogatory about her in regard to her personality."\n-- Contact Campus Editor Mallory Simon at mgsimon@indiana.edu.
(04/25/05 2:48am)
Police in London, England are searching for IU student Lisa Wright who has been missing since Tuesday. The family and friends of the junior are asking anyone with information to aid in the search.\nWright was taking classes in England and working as an intern for Merril Lynch in London. The overseas program which she was a part of had just ended, but Wright's family has not heard from her in several days.\nWright family said when a tuition bill came to the family's house from IU they became concerned. A look at Wright's banking account showed a large amount of recent activity which they say is out of their daughter's character.\nWright is scheduled to graduate in May 2006 and was pursuing degrees from the Kelley School of Business.\nThe U.S. Embassy in England, State Department, IU Police Department, Sens. Richard Lugar and Evan Bayh and IU administrators have all been notified about Wright's dissapearance.
(04/19/05 4:05am)
On April 11, I was sitting in a car on Hunter Street when sirens began wailing in the distance. Through a glimpse in the side-view mirror, I saw a man staggering through the street. When the sirens grew closer, I noticed him running faster and peering over his shoulder. I assumed he was another drunk kid running from the cops; after all, it was the week of Little 500.\nBut being the cop-crazy journalist I am, the sirens sparked my curiosity. I looked over at the man for a little bit, I saw him pause, look over his shoulder again and never look back. \nSo I set out to follow the noise, expecting to see a party being broken up, but I was unprepared for what I saw. Flashing lights of ambulances, fire trucks and police cars filled Third Street, and I was asked to make a detour by police.\nI made a call into the newsroom. Something bad had happened, that much I knew. But I had no idea at that time how much I had actually just witnessed.\nIt wasn't until the next day when things started to come together. I was told there was a two-car accident and a student was fatally wounded. The driver of the second car had run from the scene of the accident.\nThat day, a press release in my e-mail inbox from IU Police Department Lt. Jerry Minger listed a description: "Mr. DeJesus is a Hispanic male non-IU student and was last seen wearing a tan shirt." A snapshot of the night before appeared in my head, and I realized I had witnessed the suspect running away. I went to IUPD and helped put together a composite sketch. \nAs a journalist, I always felt I was supposed to do everything in my power to stay out of the news, but now I was smack dab in the middle of it. \nWhen police arrested the suspect, I attended the press conference as an observer. I didn't realize at the time reporters were listening in on my conversation. They picked up on the fact that I was a witness and instantaneously stuck microphones, cameras and tape recorders in my face.\nOne question posed by a reporter stuck with me for a while: "How does it feel to be on the other side of the news, and does this concern you?"\nWhen I enter the doors of the newsroom each day, I assume my role as a journalist. I ask the questions, and sources give the answers. But now, the roles were flipped. \nThere's always been a debate about objectivity in journalism. As a reporter, can you really be objective? Can you remain totally unbiased? Prior to going live with my comments on TV, I always thought it was possible. \nAs a journalist, I've been bred to keep myself out of the news. But once I completed the composite sketch, everything changed. I was biased, personally involved and I wanted the guy to be caught. \nThere is no absolute objectivity. Journalists cannot completely dehumanize themselves from these types of encounters, but we can keep our ethics intact by removing ourselves from editing, writing and reporting events and issues in which we are involved. \nEven as the Indiana Daily Student campus editor, I didn't write the stories, and I didn't edit them. \nWhile we never reach true objectivity as journalists, it is a goal we strive toward. We may not be able to pacify our biases, but we have the option to remove ourselves when we can acknowledge we have them. The true test of a journalist is knowing when to make the right decisions and when to concede your duties.
(04/15/05 5:23pm)
Inside a small granite cell on death row in 1984, Kirk Bloodsworth spent his first night in jail as a convicted rapist and child murderer -- but he wasn't guilty. When the electricity failed that night, the prison went black and the inmates' roar grew louder. Fires were burning, toilets were stuffed and inmates could be heard chanting through the vents at him.\n"We're gonna' get you," they chanted. "We're gonna' do to you like you did to that little girl."\nBloodsworth cried himself to sleep that night but continued to protest his innocence. It would be almost 10 years before DNA evidence would affirm what Bloodsworth had demanded since the day he was arrested -- he was not guilty.\nBloodsworth was confined to death row in the Maryland State Penitentiary after being convicted of brutally raping and murdering 9-year-old Dawn Hamilton. When her body was found, Hamilton was undressed from the waist down -- her pants and underwear flung in the woods and a stick inserted in her body. She was bludgeoned to death with a rock, and a lingering boot print remained on her crushed throat. \nWhen a composite sketch was released of the suspect, a neighbor called local police saying Bloodsworth had matched the description. A line-up was created and witnesses began to identify Bloodsworth as the suspect. One boy who later testified initially picked out a different man, but his mother later called and said he made a mistake. Bloodsworth maintained his innocence, but the neighborhood demanded an arrest and he was later charged by police.\nBloodsworth recalled his first days in prison while speaking to students at Woodburn Hall Thursday. Bloodsworth tours cities around the country, telling his story to offer a first person account of the criminal justice system.\n"It was a God-awful place and it smelled terrible," Bloodsworth said. "It's the closest thing to what I think hell could look like."\nTwo years later, Bloodsworth received a second trial after new evidence surfaced. Witnesses had see a male who matched the description of the killer checking into a mental hospital complaining about an incident with a little girl.\nAfter another jury trial, the verdict came back -- guilty, again. But this time, he was given a double life sentence.\n"Not only was I not going to die," Bloodsworth said. "But now I'm going to die a long death in jail."\nBut Bloodsworth kept his hope. \nEvery day Bloodsworth petitioned his innocence to anybody who would listen. Bloodsworth, a former Marine, worked in the prison library and spent a majority of the time trying to distract himself from the violent prison culture. \n"I've seen people get stabbed with a toothbrush sharpened like an ice pick," he said. "I've gotten hit in the back of the head with a sock of batteries and been knocked out. You have to try and keep yourself sane somehow, and (reading) was the only way I knew how."\nBloodsworth tried all he could to occupy his time. He befriended a three-time convicted felon, nicknamed "Blue," who played chess with him on a regular basis. "Blue," who was guilty, could not stand the toll prison was taking on him. One day, "Blue" stuck two pencils in his eyes in an attempt to kill himself -- he wanted out.\n"He was a guilty guy and that's what he thought," Bloodsworth said. "And I was innocent."\nBloodsworth turned to reading, which would soon save him. By a freak accident he received the book "The Bloody," meant for a prisoner who had inhabited his cell before his conviction. The book spoke of DNA testing that could match samples of crime scene specimens to suspects. Instantly, Bloodsworth reacted.\n"Right at that point a light bulb went off in my head," Bloodsworth said. \nThat night, he went through all of the reports from his trial. He discovered that in one of the vaginal swabs taken from the victim, sperm was present -- but the evidence had been destroyed. Bloodsworth was back to square one.\nHe decided he had to go all out. He tried to track down all of the other evidence from the trial -- the bloody rock, the underwear and the stick, but there was no trace of them anywhere.\n"It seemed like it had all disappeared," he said. "But it wasn't. It was in the judge's chambers inside his closet for seven years."\nBloodsworth contacted his attorney and begged for him to have the DNA test done. \n"My lawyer said, 'You're either absolutely crazy or innocent,'" Bloodsworth said. "I told him I was the latter."\nBut time passed with no news. \n"I waited, and waited and waited and waited," Bloodsworth told the students as he began to choke up. \nBefore Bloodsworth would find out the results, his mother, who was his biggest supporter, passed away.\n"I had to view her body in handcuffs for five minutes with officers equipped with pistols on both sides," he said. "My life had been destroyed but I had to stand up for myself. I didn't stop. I did not stop. I just kept hoping."\nOne afternoon when returning back from the prison yard, a guard passed Bloodsworth a Post-It note. It read: Call your attorney right away. The DNA test came back. The result -- innocent. \nDNA tests excluded Bloodsworth as the suspect, but he was by no means free. The FBI had to retest the evidence to confirm the data.\nThree months later, Bloodsworth was finally freed and became the first man in the United States released from death row due to DNA testing. In 1994 he was granted a full pardon and received $300,000 for his false conviction. Even after his release, his prior false convictions haunted him. He had to quit jobs after clients found out who he was. At the time, DNA testing was in its infancy, and they believed his release was based on a technicality. \nIn 1994, a DNA database was compiled with samples of sex offenders and other criminals. \n"As soon as I heard that, I urged them to test the specimen from the scene with that database," Bloodsworth said. "Put it in there so we can finally find out who killed Dawn Hamilton."\nIt wasn't until 9 years later the specimen was tested, revealing the identity of the 9-year-old's real killer. DNA tests revealed a different man committed the crimes -- Kimberly Shay Ruffner.\nWhen the prosecutor revealed the name to Bloodsworth, he was shocked. Ruffner was no stranger -- he lived in the cell underneath him. They lifted weights together. Bloodsworth lent him books. But Ruffner was the real killer.\nDespite his false conviction Bloodsworth tries not to be bitter.\nHe urged the audience, many of whom are enrolled in a criminal justice class titled "Innocence," to see the faults of the criminal justice system.\nMarla Sandys, who teaches the "Innocence" class and helped bring Bloodsworth to speak, said hearing the tale of someone who had been through it makes a forceful impact on students.\n"I don't think there's any way you can compare reading stories to hearing a story like this right from the person," she said. "It puts a face to a real issue."\nBloodsworth now works for the not-for-profit organization The Justice Project. He tells his story and urges a push for accuracy and fairness in the criminal justice system.\n"Whether you're for or against the death penalty doesn't matter," he said. "You have to put the right person behind the bars."\n-- Contact Campus Editor Mallory Simon at mgsimon@indiana.edu.
(04/07/05 4:46am)
With billows of smoke pouring from a rooftop, neighbors at West Curry Court looked on as firefighters worked to put out a fire that left one house with structural damage and others with smoke damage.\nWhile the cause of the fire is still under investigation, Bloomington Fire Department Chief Robert Johnson said the fire originated in the garage of the house, 4212 W. Curry Ct.\nSeveral fire trucks from both Bloomington and Ellettsville, ambulances and police cars arrived on scene about 8 p.m. after receiving several 911 calls from neighbors.\nEllettsville Fire Department Engineer Rocky Sexton said as his truck arrived there was smoke pouring out of the garage.\nAs neighbors sat on the sidewalks waiting, some with smoke masks on, firefighters packed on oxygen tank after oxygen tank as they moved through the house. Forty-eight minutes after they arrived on the scene, firefighters said they finally had the fire under control. \nBecky Stoll, a next-door neighbor, said she became alarmed when she smelled a strong odor of smoke coming from outside. Her house, which sits only a couple of feet away from the garage next door, was full of smoke.\n"I made the second call to 911 when I smelled something outside," she said. "I saw a big cloud of smoke coming out and when I went to the front door and I just saw ash and red sparks and all of the sudden it went 'poof'."\nStoll said she saw people grab water hoses to try and control the fire, but it was only making it worse. \n"Every time they shot water, flames came really close to my house," Stoll said. \nStoll said she made the decision to go inside her house and get her son and animals out.\n"I could just tell it was too close to my house and I didn't know how far away the fire trucks were," she said. "I thought it was going to catch my house on fire."\nAs firefighters began to contain the flames and smoke, several entered the garage to begin tracing the source of the fire and remove rubble.\nBurnt plastic toys and charred metal tricycles sat in the garage next to a wooden bench and wooden steps that had visible smoke and fire damage. The roof and gutters on the house were also slightly charred with visible damage.\nFirefighters began to carry shovels of ash and burnt fabrics down the steps into a pile outside of the garage while both the Ellettsville and Bloomington Fire Chiefs began to trace the source of the fire inside the garage.\nAnd while the firefighters were inspecting, the neighbors were talking. Stoll alluded to a similar event a year ago, saying this was not the first fire that had occurred at her neighbor's residence.\n"This is the second one," she said. "She had one around March 31, so it was just over a year ago. Apparently it was a grease pan fire -- the kitchen was torched; they just had to redo it."\nJohnson said he could not confirm or deny any details about a prior fire including the determined cause without looking back on prior records. The Bloomington Fire Department dispatch could not be reached by press time for comment.\nDespite being removed from her home for nearly an hour, Stoll tried to look at the situation in a positive light.\n"There's no gas here, it's all electric," Stoll said. "So I guess that's the good news in all of this."\n-- Contact Campus Editor Mallory Simon at mgsimon@indiana.edu.
(03/29/05 5:48am)
A land mine blast in Afghanistan has left a gaping wound in the hearts of those close to Spc. Brett Hershey.\nHershey, an IU senior, and four other soldiers died after their vehicle drove over a land mine 30 miles south of Kabul, Afghanistan, while serving in the National Guard. The four deaths mark Indiana's largest one-day toll in combat operations in both Afghanistan and Iraq.\nWhile Roger and Roxanne Hershey mourned their son, they remembered him as "very likeable." \n"It was impossible not to like him," Roger Hershey said. "He was a lover of people and fun. Even in boot camp it was all about his friends and camaraderie."\nHershey was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, where members spoke of him as the nicest person they had ever met.\nSenior Reed Bailey, who met Hershey during his freshman year at North Central High School in Indianapolis, said news of his friend's death has left him in shock.\n"He was one of the most religious and nicest guys you had ever met and it makes you question why ... why him?" Bailey said. "It hasn't truly hit me. It's just a really sad, sad loss."\nDuring their senior year of high school Nate Graeser and Colin Stark, both IU seniors, signed up for the National Guard together with Hershey.\n"All throughout school it was always 'Nate and Brett' and then we joined the military together," Graeser said. "We were in the same unit, same section. We actually should have been (in Afghanistan) with him but Colin and I signed up for the officer program, and almost literally the next month they heard news they would be sent to Afghanistan."\nWhile he was known for his big heart, smile and witty comments, Hershey's greatest love in life was Jesus Christ.\n"Everyone knew Brett had a passion and fuel for life," Graeser said. "The ironic thing is that Brett's heart and passion was with Christ, and the military was just a means by which he could serve his country."\nRoger Hershey said his son's motivation stemmed from his devotion to his faith.\n"He had a relationship with Jesus Christ, and Christ was his life," he said. "It was the power of Christ and the love of Christ that gave him direction to care about other peoples' needs."\nEven during military training when they were exhausted at night and had to be up at 4 a.m., Hershey made time for his faith.\n"I'll never forget this one service we were leading," Graeser said. "Brett was reading this verse and he kept falling asleep in the middle of it."\nBefore he deployed last July the Hersheys spent a vacation together at a lake in North Carolina.\n"We had a great time together with family before he left. There was a lot of special time together so that was really good," Roger Hershey said. "He was able to come home for a two-week leave over Thanksgiving and that was the last time we saw him."\nHershey, who had recently been engaged and was set to be married in the fall, was seven credits short of graduation and was anticipated to return back to his family this July.\n"The last few days I've been recounting a lot of memories," Graeser said. "I think his life influenced a lot of people. That's definitely the testimony of his life. Everyone was better because of him."\nRoger Hershey said a memorial service is tentatively set for this Sunday during the afternoon at either IU or in Indianapolis and "will be a celebration of a life well lived."\n-- Contact Campus Editor Mallory Simon at mgsimon@indiana.edu.
(02/17/05 5:00am)
Every couple months a director feels the need to force a little love into our lives in one way or another. The love story is often a reproduced, clichéd attempt at a box office hit. And while many of them may indeed become acclaimed (if not critically than with women as a whole), it's not often a movie has actually moved me to find the Kleenex, until now.\nAs a fan of the Nicholas Sparks book the movie was based upon, I can say director Nick Cassavetes does the text justice. "The Notebook" gracefully finds a way to touch on elements of the love story and does what it seems it was meant to do -- open the tear ducts and make every person watching cry.\nMushier than rival movies "A Walk to Remember," "Message in a Bottle" and several Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan collaborations, Noah (Ryan Gosling) and Allie (Rachel McAdams) give wonderful performances as the perfect 1940s lovestruck couple with parents who disapprove of their relationship because of social/class differences. Allie's parents drag her off to Georgia where she hopelessly awaits letters which never come from Noah. It isn't until seven years later that Allie finds out her mother has been intercepting and hiding the letters from her. Eventually, when engaged to a predictably rich, handsome and successful man (who her parents obviously love) Allie runs into her long lost love, and it's easy to figure out where things develop from here. \nWhile the main plot line of the lovebirds' separation and attempts at other failed relationships are almost completely predictable, I can't help but let it slide by because of the creativity in the movie's narration and the way the characters come to life in each scene. It's hard not to feel emotionally attached to this couple who lights up even the smallest TV screen. \nJames Garner delivers a heartbreakingly wonderful performance as the narrator, who repeats the love story between Noah and Allie to Gena Rowlands' character, an Alzheimers patient. With the obvious attempt at keeping Garner and Rowlands' character names undisclosed it becomes obvious who they are, why Garner cares so much about Rowlands and why he hopes the story will rekindle feelings and trigger memories in Rowlands' mind. \nDespite slow moments and a less-than-loaded DVD (only the Sparks commentary proved interesting), "The Notebook" is an emotional and well-acted movie perfect for a rainy, romantic afternoon.
(02/16/05 4:47am)
Every couple months a director feels the need to force a little love into our lives in one way or another. The love story is often a reproduced, clichéd attempt at a box office hit. And while many of them may indeed become acclaimed (if not critically than with women as a whole), it's not often a movie has actually moved me to find the Kleenex, until now.\nAs a fan of the Nicholas Sparks book the movie was based upon, I can say director Nick Cassavetes does the text justice. "The Notebook" gracefully finds a way to touch on elements of the love story and does what it seems it was meant to do -- open the tear ducts and make every person watching cry.\nMushier than rival movies "A Walk to Remember," "Message in a Bottle" and several Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan collaborations, Noah (Ryan Gosling) and Allie (Rachel McAdams) give wonderful performances as the perfect 1940s lovestruck couple with parents who disapprove of their relationship because of social/class differences. Allie's parents drag her off to Georgia where she hopelessly awaits letters which never come from Noah. It isn't until seven years later that Allie finds out her mother has been intercepting and hiding the letters from her. Eventually, when engaged to a predictably rich, handsome and successful man (who her parents obviously love) Allie runs into her long lost love, and it's easy to figure out where things develop from here. \nWhile the main plot line of the lovebirds' separation and attempts at other failed relationships are almost completely predictable, I can't help but let it slide by because of the creativity in the movie's narration and the way the characters come to life in each scene. It's hard not to feel emotionally attached to this couple who lights up even the smallest TV screen. \nJames Garner delivers a heartbreakingly wonderful performance as the narrator, who repeats the love story between Noah and Allie to Gena Rowlands' character, an Alzheimers patient. With the obvious attempt at keeping Garner and Rowlands' character names undisclosed it becomes obvious who they are, why Garner cares so much about Rowlands and why he hopes the story will rekindle feelings and trigger memories in Rowlands' mind. \nDespite slow moments and a less-than-loaded DVD (only the Sparks commentary proved interesting), "The Notebook" is an emotional and well-acted movie perfect for a rainy, romantic afternoon.
(01/28/05 7:17am)
After two warrants were filed for his arrest, the suspect in the "peeping tom" case was picked up and booked into Monroe County Jail Thursday morning by a bail bondsman, who also happened to be his stepfather.\nBloomington resident John Wesley Graves, 22, who has a lengthy criminal record, including sexual misconduct and rape, has been charged with one count of criminal trespass and one count of attempted voyeurism (peeping), both misdemeanors, for being in the women's locker room in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation.\nGraves' stepfather, Mike Fuller, said he found out about the charges when a warrant was filed on Monday for his stepson's arrest.\n"Basically he has been living on the street off and on for several years and it was pretty likely he'd be very difficult to find," he said. "And so when I found out, I thought it'd be best for me to take him in for free." \nFuller said he does not believe his stepson's claim of innocence.\n"Unfortunately, I'm not very surprised," he said. "Past history repeats itself quite frequently." \nAdjunct Professor of Criminal Justice Dwight Noble, who teaches a class about sex crimes, said offenders with histories of sexual misconduct often have behaviors consistent with that of peepers.\n"Research has shown in recent years if we look at serious sex offenders and question them about their history of behavior very often what you will find is that they were voyeuristic," Noble said. "Sex offenders need this kind of stimulation. If there was a serial rapist and they can't rape someone tonight, they're going to look at pornography or do something that's related to their compulsion."\nA string of "peeping tom" incidents throughout the month led the IU Police Department to intensely investigate the situation.\nAccording to IUPD reports, the first incident at HPER occurred Jan. 7 when a swim coach reported a male in the women's locker room in the HPER building. When officers arrived, three juveniles told them they saw a man in the restroom standing on the toilet and watching them over the stall. They described him as a college-aged, 6-foot male with a short haircut and dark clothing. Officers were unable to find the subject.\nAgain on Jan. 17 IUPD officers responded to another call to the HPER in reference to a male subject trespassing in the women's locker room. A Recreational Sports worker spotted Graves in the locker room and escorted him upstairs while co-workers called police, according to court documents.\nThe court documents state Graves was in the HPER trying to find friends when he noticed there were people in the pool. He was inside the locker room while a swim club was in progress consisting of teenage girls.\n"Graves stated that he did not know it was a women's locker room, and when he entered, a female subject stopped him and escorted Graves out of the locker room," IUPD Officer Ian Lovan stated in a court document. "There are two signs on walls next to the locker room clearly distinguishing it as a women's locker room. In addition, the words 'WOMEN'S LOCKER ROOM' are printed on the doors to the locker room."\nPolice reports indicated Graves had a knife on him that was confiscated by IUPD officers at the time. \n"At first I thought was a pocket knife but now I understand it was a large kitchen knife, and you just don't put one those in your pocket," Fuller said. "I was afraid of what the intent might have been so I wanted to get this all cleared up as soon as possible."\nGraves told officers during the initial interrogation his reason for being at the HPER was that he was looking for friends. However, "he was looking for friends that he had no reason to believe ... would be there in the first place," court documents stated.\nOfficer Lovan also stated Graves had matched the description given in an earlier report of a male subject hiding in a stall in the same locker room where Graves was found during the second incident.\nAfter questioning, IUPD Lt. Jerry Minger said Graves was released that day from the station because police did not have any charges on which to hold him. However, Minger said because his physical description matched the description given to the IUPD in the earlier case, the IUPD conducted a photo lineup to identify the subject.\n"We (gathered) the people who observed the male in the earlier case," Minger said. "One of the juveniles who was at swim camp earlier in the month positively identified (Graves) as the person she encountered when he attempted to watch her change clothes."\nIt was at this point, police filed a probable cause affidavit and a warrant was issued for Graves' arrest.\nFuller picked up his stepson at around 10 a.m. Thursday morning and Graves was booked into jail about an hour and a half later. He said the conversation on the ride to book Graves into jail was quite intense.\n"If you have an hour and a half I can tell you all about it, I could probably write a book," he said. \nFuller said he is not sure if there is hope for his stepson. "Life patterns set in and don't normally change," Fuller said. "There's always hope while you're breathing, but I might not hold my breath."\n-- Contact Campus Editor Mallory Simon at mgsimon@indiana.edu.
(01/20/05 5:00am)
Weekend followed two different groups of students to find out what drinking games make up a typical party at IU and what emotions each game brings out in all of the people involved. Past the clouds of smoke on the patio and inside an apartment on the east side of town, students work to regain their title of number one party school .
(01/19/05 3:13pm)
Weekend followed two different groups of students to find out what drinking games make up a typical party at IU and what emotions each game brings out in all of the people involved. Past the clouds of smoke on the patio and inside an apartment on the east side of town, students work to regain their title of number one party school .
(01/18/05 4:11pm)
An 18-year-old IU female reported being sexually assaulted Thursday night at the Delta Tau Delta fraternity, according to IU Police Department Lt. Jerry Minger.\nPolice reports show the female had fallen asleep in one of the rooms in the house, 1431 N. Jordan Ave., and was awoken sometime around 1 a.m. to find an acquaintance forcibly having sex with her.\n"The sexual activity was not consensual, and the female in no way consented to any sexual relations with the suspect," Minger said.\nIUPD was notified at 4 a.m. Friday, and officers have interviewed the female, whose name has not been released, to see how she would like to proceed with the case.\n"We went down and spoke to the victim and collected the rape kit," Minger said. "She's been interviewed at least once, and (officers) will probably talk with her again later. We first always try to take their wishes into consideration as to how they want to see the investigation go and whether to pursue criminal charges."\nBecause of the sensitivity that comes along with sexual assaults, Minger said IUPD is being careful to go in the direction the victim wants.\n"We don't want to re-victimize the person by doing something against their will," he said. "Our officers have already told her there are many options she can take at this point, but just in case, we like to collect as much physical and verbal information from interviews in case it does take the direction (of criminal charges) later on."\nMinger said the female was able to identify the suspect, an IU student, who would be brought in for questioning.\nFriends of the female, who had been at Delta Tau Delta Thursday night, met with IUPD officers to help with identifying the suspect.\n"We haven't confirmed whether he was a pledge or not for the house," Minger said. "But there was a mention from people involved in collecting details about (the suspect's) identity about an assumption that members or pledges of the house were the only people at that party, so they assumed an affiliation."\nHowever, Minger said no direct affiliation has been confirmed at this time.\nDelta Tau Delta President Dan Knecht denied any affiliation between the suspect and the fraternity.\n"Unfortunately, our house became the scene of an alleged crime," Knecht said. "No member or pledge of our house was involved in any way with the alleged incident. From information I have received and the cooperation we have provided, there is a suspect in the incident who is in no way affiliated with our chapter."\nMinger said although IUPD is still investigating the affiliation issue, it is not its main focus.\n"(We) don't know if he planned to be a pledge (or is) confirmed to pledge. I don't really know at this point," Minger said. "We have to go with whatever the house president said at this point. As far as the investigation is concerned, it's somewhat of a moot point because the house itself isn't on trial -- it wasn't them who committed the offense."\nKnecht added that his fraternity acknowledges the sensitivity of the incident and plans to be cooperative with investigations.\n"We are disgusted by the alleged incident and plan to assist in any way possible to have the situation resolved," Knecht said. "Due to the nature of the incident, the need to be sensitive and the request for anonymity of the parties involved, we are unable to comment further on the matter at this point in time."\nIU Dean of Students Richard McKaig said he was made aware of the report by e-mail from IUPD. McKaig said IUPD will update the University, but IU administrators will not play an active role in the preliminary investigation.\nOmear Khalid, vice president of the Interfraternity Council, said the council is not taking an active role in the situation because it involves a criminal investigation.\n"We have been told by the dean's office that because of its criminal nature, we cannot disclose any information or comment further," Khalid said.\n-- Contact Campus Editor Mallory Simon at mgsimon@indiana.edu.
(01/12/05 6:51am)
Late Tuesday night the east side of Bloomington was left in the dark. Students drove through unlit streets when power was knocked out in residential areas and businesses located east of Third Street past College Mall Road. Workers for Cinergy were made aware of the problem about 9:30 p.m. and patroled a five-mile radius searching for a problem.\nA spokeswoman for Cinergy said the extent of the entire damage is initially unknown.\n"That whole area is out," she said after the blackout. "Men are still searching for the problem." Sophomore Marissa Treasure was in Jiffy Treet on Third Street when the power went out.\n"We were getting ready to order ice cream and all of the sudden the lights shut off," she said. "The whole area went dark -- Taco Bell, K-Mart and street lights -- everything was out." \nStudents whose houses and apartments were affected piled by the group into the \nSteak 'N' Shake on College Mall Road, which had not lost its power.\nCinergy worker Chris Ayers said although he didn't know when the lights initially went out, wherever the fault is the company would work on repairing it.\n"We usually drive around the affected area looking for anything, a fault, something that can be seen right away," he said. "But we didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Most of the time it's something we can see, but this time it just wasn't."\nAyers and co-worker Sam Higgins went their separate ways waiting for a test \nfrom headquarters to find where the problems was.\n"We think the initial problem is out of the way, so we're going to light this\nline up to see where the problem is," Higgins said. The power line is hooked up to a telephone that sends a signal to look for a fault. \nSparks lit the blackened sky on Smith Road past Morningside Drive where Ayers was patrolling.\n"If the line sparks that means that's where the fault can be found," Ayers said. "Wherever that fault is, that's where the repairs begin. It can be anything from a line down to a broken insulator, we'll just have to wait and see."\nHiggins received a call for Ayers saying he saw even more sparks by the Shell gas station on Third Street. As of press time, Ayers suited up with rubber protective gear and boosted himself to reach the powerline to begin inspection. \nBoth workers anticipated the problem would be corrected in a couple of hours as of 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. \nWhile traffic in the area was sporadic during the power outage, occasional bouts of heavy traffic led cars to proceed with caution. In a couple of instances, cars turning out of business parking lots and those traveling east on Third Street came close to colliding. A dispatcher for Bloomington Police Department said as of 11:30 p.m. no accident calls had been received.\n-- Contact Campus Editor Mallory Simon at mgsimon@indiana.edu.
(11/29/04 5:31am)
Fire investigators determined discarded smoking materials were responsible for the fire that leveled nearly 70 percent of the Bloomington Country Club last week.\nPerry Clearcreek Fire Department Captain Joe McWhorter Jr. said "by process of elimination," it was ruled the fire started in the chef's office next to the upstairs kitchen area where someone had been smoking earlier in the night.\nMcWhorter said anything from an ashtray poured into a trash can or a single cigarette could have been responsible, but no specific cause was pinpointed. \nWith the smell of burned ash in the air and structural remains scattered around the premises, employees and club members stood in front of the rubble last week while forensics teams searched for clues as to what caused the fire.\n"It was very sad to watch it burn," one employee said as a group assembled at the back side of the building. \nPiles of charred metal, broken glass and burnt wood were all that remained of the 30-year-old structure.\nMcWhorter said a call went into Monroe County central dispatch shortly after 7:10 p.m. and heavy smoke was showing when dispatch arrived on the scene. \n"Within five to ten minutes (the fire) was breaching the roof," he said.\nThe Country Club was still open for business at the time the fire started. Former IU men's soccer coach Jerry Yeagley was inside playing a game of cards when the fire began. Employees who surrounded the remains of the building said Yeagley and a couple of others smelled a fire and started to go upstairs where they were met with a large cloud of smoke.\n"There is major fire damage throughout the building," McWhorter Jr. said. "(There is) heat, smoke and water damage throughout the building. My presumption would be a total loss (of the building)."\nThe clubhouse had reservations booked for the holidays and is currently attempting to help their customers relocate their parties in the coming weeks.\nBut despite their losses, the Country Club hopes to prevail.\n"It is certainly our intention to rebuild," said Craig Fuson, board president, via e-mail Wednesday. "We think that we are obliged, even in the short term, to find a way to offer services to our members to the degree that we can." \n-- Contact city & state editor \nMallory Simon at mgsimon@indiana.edu.
(11/22/04 9:47pm)
The smell was unmistakeable and the sight was one workers were not prepared to see. Gathered Monday morning in front of the rubble that remained, employees and members of the Bloomington Country Club stood in awe as forensics teams searched for clues as to what caused a fire destroying 70 percent of the clubhouse.
(11/18/04 5:58am)
The driver of the car that caused a fatal accident killing alumna Kate B. Comiskey entered a plea of not guilty Wednesday afternoon in Monroe County court and could face up to 52 years in prison if convicted on the charges.\nBryan M. Gooldy appeared in front of Judge Marc Kellams, shackled and in an orange jumpsuit, and was arraigned on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing death, a Class B felony; operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs causing death, a Class B felony; and being a habitual offender.\nIf convicted, Gooldy faces a maximum of 20 years for the Class B felony count, and could have an extra 30 years added on, three times the minimum sentence for being a habitual offender, said Public Defender Stuart Baggerly.\nGooldy was convicted in 2000 on a robbery charge and had served six years of his eight-year term prior to his release for parole. If convicted in the death of Comiskey, he could serve the remaining two years on the prior charge, Kellams said.\nAccording to court documents, Diane Dirita, who witnessed the accident Nov. 9, said Gooldy's car crossed the center line of North Walnut Street "striking Comiskey's vehicle head on."\n"It was later determined through speaking with Coroner Marie Shipley that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head with a secondary cause of blunt force trauma to the lower extremities," the document filed by police stated.\nComiskey, an English teacher at Indian Creek High School in Trafalgar, Ind., was pronounced dead at Bloomington Hospital.\nGooldy had been hospitalized following the accident and was arrested Tuesday upon his release.\nThe officer who filed the court documents said she "could observe Gooldy's arms which from (her) experience appeared to have several needle marks on both arms which is commonly seen in hypodermic needle users."\nAlthough his condition was not released by the hospital, court documents stated "he was in and out of consciousness."\nGooldy, who was employed by Numerical Concepts Inc., in Terre Haute said he had "no assets of value" and was given a court appointed lawyer.\nPrior to the hearing, a visibly emotional Gooldy asked Baggerly if he should apologize during the hearing, but he was advised to remain silent.\n"There is always a concern with charges this serious that when a defendant is emotional they could say something to hurt their defense," Baggerly said. "(Gooldy) was very distraught earlier. We have entered the pleas and denials and will work through the case."\nIn addition to all of the charges filed against him, Gooldy failed to pay over $900 in court fees including probation fees and alcohol and drug program fees.\nGooldy had previously been charged with possession of a controlled substance in 1994, obtaining a controlled substance by fraud in 1995 and robbery in 2000, the document stated.\nToxicology reports released on Nov. 10 found traces of several drugs in Gooldy's system at the time of the accident, according to police reports.\n"Test results on the blood sample indicated the presence of opiates, cocaine and benzodiazepine," stated a press release from Bloomington Police Department. \nGooldy's probation officer Heather Dorsett stated in a court document that Gooldy had missed several appointments with her and had missed his last urine screen test.\nThe probable cause affidavit alleges Gooldy is responsible for Comiskey's death.\n"Gooldy, who is 45 years old, did cause the death of Katharine B. Comiskey, with a controlled substance being opiates which is a schedule I narcotic and cocaine a schedule II narcotic in his blood," the document stated.\nGooldy is set to appear in court again at 3 p.m. on Jan. 6.\n-- Contact City & State editor Mallory Simon at mgsimon@indiana.edu.
