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(05/06/13 3:29am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>What is past is prologue.The City of Bloomington Historic Preservation Commission and the Monroe County Historic Preservation Board of Review are partnering up to celebrate Historic Preservation Month.?For the second year, the city commission and county board will sponsor the Old House Expo featuring local museums. Expert craftsmen and carpenters will also be in attendance 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday in the City Hall atrium. Organizers hope the Expo will draw attention to the importance of hiring people with appropriate skills and expertise to repair and restore historic properties, according to a press release.The two offices will also collaborate to host the Rosemary Miller Lecture Series May 17 in the Council Chambers of City Hall. This year’s theme for the lecture series is IU’s history of limestone architecture. The keynote speaker will be former IU Vice President Terry Clapacs, co-author of the incoming “Indiana University: America’s Legacy Campus.”Neil Rippingale will also be presenting about dry stone masonry. The lectures are free and open to the public. For more information about Historic Preservation Month, contact Nancy Hiestand at 812-349-3507.— Samantha Felix
(05/06/13 3:19am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Mayor Mark Kruzan announced Bloomington will be recognizing Be Kind to Animals Week starting Sunday, along with the American Humane Association which has celebrated it every year since 1915. To encourage adoptions, Bloomington Animal Care and Control will reduce all dog and cat adoption fees to $40. Emily Herr, outreach coordinator at the City of Bloomington Animal Care and Control, said she hopes this reduction will spark some interest in the community. “It helps bring awareness and maybe would get some people in here who wouldn’t normally come here to meet the pet of their lives,” she said. In addition to lowering prices, the shelter brought dogs and kittens to the Farmers’ Market on Saturday to entice shoppers. They also held a poster and essay contest for grades one through six, picking winners in every grade level who will then get to attend a behind-the-scenes tour of the shelter. “Being in a shelter is just hard on animals in many ways,” Herr said. “If we can promote the dogs and cats that we have here, and really promote them with Be Kind to Animals week, that would be great.”Any stray animal brought to the shelter is currently held for five days. Any animal that the owner relinquished will be evaluated for temperament and health. “As long as they don’t injure someone by biting them or have health problems, they stay on the adoption list until they get adopted,” Herr said. “We euthanize only if they have problems.” Some animals have been in the shelter for so long that their mental conditions deteriorate and they must be transfered to a different shelter or find foster homes for them. Even those unable to adopt an animal can find a way to help. “Making donations is always a good way to help,” Herr said. “If you see an animal that’s in need of assistance, there are people out there that can provide help. And of course, volunteering is always a good way to start if you’re unable to adopt an animal.”Adoption counselor Allan Tharp, a graduate of IU as of Saturday, is one such volunteer. He said he has been there for three years. “I’ve always been an animal lover but I’ve never been able to have a dog,” he said. “Getting to work with animals that haven’t had loving individuals around is very rewarding.”He especially enjoys the feeling he gets when he is able to successfully match an animal with a family.“If they come in looking for specific breeds or personalities, I can immediately say, ‘Oh, I know a good animal that would match that description,’” he said. “It’s the best, most enriching feeling.”Tharp said events like Be Kind to Animals Week are very helpful for the shelter.“The city of Bloomington has been very open about taking initiatives to do things for the city animals,” he said. “The special rates and promotions will make it more desirable and appealing for people to come into a shelter, instead of a pet store.”The Monroe County Humane Association will promote Be King to Animals Week by continuing to educate the community.“It’s the time to celebrate and promote awareness of animals in our everyday lives and what we can do for them,” said Sarah DeLone, education program director. “We try to make every week Be Kind to Animals Week.”The MCHA sends out a newspaper to schools every other month that reaches around 60 classrooms. These focus on positive animal care and encourage spaying and neutering. They are currently focused on elementary schools.“We talk about anything from responsible pet care to animal sheltering issues to caring for our natural resources and wildlife,” she said. “One of our animal ambassadors is a permanently injured great horned owl.”The ambassadors discuss what the kids can do to care for their pets, as well as other animals in the community. They do a dog bite prevention program to help kids learn how to be safe around animals. Throughout the summer, the MCHA holds a Paws and Claws camp that focuses on responsibility and care toward animals. This week, employees will visit a school in Green County. They will also make a therapy animal call at Meadowwood and Redbud Hills. “It’s a great idea whenever we can embrace celebrating the role of animals in our lives and how we can make their lives better,” DeLone said. “Bloomington is a great place for animals.”
(05/02/13 7:59pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indiana State Senator Mark Stoops (D-Bloomington) put forth a resolution to honor the life and accomplishments of Arjia Rinpoche, a prominent Tibetan lama. The Indiana Senate recently passed the resolution.Rinpoche, the director of Bloomington’s Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center and Kumbum Chimtse Ling Temple, was the first Tibetan lama to lead prayer on the Senate floor before commencing business.“It was an honor to have him give the invocation and celebrate the valuable insight and influence he offers to the city.” Stoops said. Stoops said that the temple and cultural center are unique assets to Bloomington and the State of Indiana. Rinpoche is an accomplished Buddhist scholar and teacher, originally from Tibet. Forced to flee his homeland due to political turmoil, he came to the U.S. in 1998. A close friend to the Dalai Lama, Rinpoche hosted him on his 2007 stay in Bloomington when he came to visit the TMBCC, which was founded by his late brother, Thubten Norbu in 1979. Rinpoche is the only Tibetan high lama of Mongolian descent and was appointed as director of the TMBCC by the 14th Dalai Lama. He regularly hosts and speaks with guests of the center who wish to learn more about Buddhist teachings. The TMBCC is located south of Bloomington and offers an assortment of services and tours by appointment. For more information, visit www.tibetancc.com.
(04/23/13 2:48am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller awarded the Attorney General’s Cup on Monday to the Steven Douglas Law Office, recognizing its contributions to the March Against Hunger food drive.Steven Douglas Law Office was presented with the award for the second time. The office donated $1,685 to the Hoosier Hills Food Bank, according to a news release. The March Against Hunger food drive generated $55,455 and 10,065 pounds of food for local food banks in total.Douglas has previously served as a deputy attorney general in the Attorney General’s office.Douglas himself accepted the trophy, and his office was pronounced the winner of the sole proprietor division. The year’s Attorney General’s Cup is presented to a firm in each of the six categories that collect the most donations: sole proprietor, small firm, medium firm, large firm and extra-large firm, according to the release. “All food drive participants deserve recognition for their efforts to serve their local communities by selflessly giving their time and money to a worthy cause,” Zoeller said in the release. “Too many Hoosiers, including children, face hunger on a daily basis, and it’s heart-warming to see the members of my profession step up in such a big way.”The annual food drive generated competition between 44 participating law groups in Indiana and Kentucky. Contributing groups that assisted in donation coordination included the Indiana State Bar Association and Feeding Indiana’s Hungry, according to the release. “As a fellow lawyer, I am particularly proud of the fact that lawyers from all corners of the state rose to the occasion to serve Hoosiers in need,” ISBA President Daniel Vinovich said in the release. “It’s opportunities like this annual food drive that allow us to serve beyond our clients.”This year’s monetary and food donations equate to 143 tons of food, Zoeller said. “We are grateful for the participation and generosity of so many Hoosier lawyers, as well as for the leadership of our state’s attorney general to raise awareness of hunger,” FIsH Executive Director Emily Weikert Bryant said in the release. “One in six Hoosiers is at risk of hunger, and for Hoosier children just one in four. The pounds contributed through the food drive this year will provide the equivalent of nearly 240,000 meals to Hoosiers in need, with nearly 1 million pounds donated since the program was created in 2009.”— Michael Majchrowicz
(04/22/13 1:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The tables in the Children’s Program Room at Monroe County Public Library were strewn with markers, glue and recycled materials on Friday.Presenter Janet Lambert helped about 30 participants make posters in honor of Earth Day.The purpose of the event was to “make awareness for the kids that they can make a difference for the Earth,” Lambert said. Nine-year-old Avery Njau and her mom worked on a collage made of old magazine pictures.“Since it’s Earth Day, I wanted to show all the animals in their natural habits,” Avery said. “It’s a day people can recognize they should help the natural Earth. People shouldn’t build cities and cut into animals’ habitats.”Avery has also helped to protect the environment at Fairview Elementary. A few weeks ago, Avery and a few friends started a group called Kids Go Green and have been picking up garbage in the schoolyard.Other participants were just getting started with their environmental activism.Five-year-old Emilee Templeton said her mom hadn’t told her about Earth Day yet, but she enjoys planting flowers. She enthusiastically slathered a poster with glue and stuck on paper cut-outs, old CD’s, toilet paper tube pieces and bottle caps.“This is a merry-go-round,” she said as she spun her finger in a circular motion over a group of bottle caps. “It goes whirrrrr.”Bloomington resident Sandra Dillman said she and her son, Chauncey, recycle more than they throw away at home. “We care about our Earth,” she said as she watched Chauncey glue blue and green crepe paper scraps into the shape of the Earth.“That’s where the iceberg is,” Chauncey said as he gestured to a spot he left blank.Lambert explained she has helped MCPL present Earth Day-themed events for the last few years.In the past she has set up different stations, but this year she enjoyed the hands-on craft. She said the kids made a lot of cute comments about helping the environment.“One little girl said the Earth would be better if we all planted flowers,” Lambert said.Tilly Robinson, 9, explained she participated in the event because people need to help the planet.“I’m doing a picture of a cat and it says ‘animals matter’ because I want people to know we are not the only ones on Earth,” she said. “I am going to do ‘plants matter’ over here.”As the posters were finished, Lambert helped the children to hang them on the library wall. “Happy Earth Day,” “The Earth is beautiful,” “The Earth needs Flowers!” they read.“People really need to try to help the Earth,” Tilly said.
(04/15/13 9:11pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In the race’s fifth hour, multiple explosions ripped through Boylston Street near the finish line at Monday’s Boston Marathon.Two explosives detonated simultaneously before 3:15 p.m. Monday along Boylston Street, killing at least three individuals and injuring dozens more, according to Boston police officials.Later in the afternoon, Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis addressed the public in a press conference at about 4:50 p.m. A third explosion reportedly detonated at John F. Kennedy Library a little more than an hour after the initial blasts, Davis said.IU senior Patrick Mazzocco was 20 floors above the finish line, safely in his Sheraton Boston Hotel room with his parents and sister, when he felt “the deepness” of the first blast. And then the second.It was like a cannon, he said, or even thunder.“I was pretty sure it was race-related,” Mazzocco said. “I thought they were signifying the race was over.”Peering out the window, it was clear to Patrick and his family that something wasn’t right. The family stood and watched as chaos ensued throughout Boylston Street and Massachusetts Avenue. White smoke filled the air, and people ran in every direction. About 45 minutes prior to the blasts, Patrick’s sister, Lisa, 25, had completed the marathon, finishing just before the 3-hour, 30-minute mark.Mazzocco, 22, had been observing the race near the location of the blasts less than an hour before they were detonated.Upon Lisa’s finish, the family went about their afternoon, posing for family photos and deliberating where they would eat. After the family saw the commotion, their attention focused on what to do next.According to the official race registry, there were 283 Indiana residents scheduled to run the race, nine of whom hailed from Bloomington.Not included on the list is IU School of Medicine student Andrew Walker. Walker finished the race about two hours before the first boom shook the area. He communicated via text message that he was safe.Ryan Piurek, director of news and media for IU Communications, confirmed three of the nine individuals listed from Bloomington have connections to IU. Among the confirmed individuals are Ethan Michelson, associate professor of sociology and law; Chris Muir, a graduate student studying evolutionary biology, and Rachel Noirot, a registered dietitian with Residential Programs and Services.Mazzocco and his family sat in their hotel room as media reports rolled in. Rumors as to whether additional explosive devices had been located seemed to direct a lot of the coverage, he said.Bomb dogs and service helicopters, he said, remained active throughout the evening. Many surrounding hotels on Boylston Street were evacuated, though the Sheraton was not one of them.“I cannot emphasize enough how quickly responders arrived to the scene to help those in need,” Mazzocco said.The streets where people, police and sirens swarmed earlier became desolate.From his hotel room, Mazzacco said he could see that officials had ceased traffic flow on the Harvard Bridge at the time. “The streets are really dead,” he said as he returned to the view. “It’s become a bit of a ghost town.”— Matthew Glowicki, Jordan Littman and Katie Mettler contributed to this story.
(04/08/13 1:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market opened Saturday with an array of fresh produce, flowers and local music at Showers Common. New to this year’s market is a program called “Market Match: Double Market Bucks Program.” Because of a $20,000 grant from a private foundation, the market is offering to double the worth of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program food stamps when exchanged for Market Bucks. SNAP provides food assistance to low-income families and is designed to raise the nutritional level of these households. Market Bucks can be used like cash to purchase from the farmers’ market vendors. “We are very excited,” Market Master Robin Hobson said. “It helps to provide access to fresh and local foods to more members of the community.”The exchange program will cover up to $18 worth of SNAP benefits, equal to $36 Market Bucks.“We had a really good turnout,” Farmers’ Market Leader Crystal Ritter said as she manned the Market Match booth. “We had a long line of people this morning.”The program will run until the grant is completely used, which Ritter estimates will last the entire market season and perhaps run into the next season.The opening of the market season also brought back many returning vendors, like McCullough Farms.The McCullough family has been coming to the market since 1988, Brandon McCullough said as he stood next to his grandparents and their truck loaded with sweet potatoes.The McCulloughs will also sell sweet corn in the summer, he explained — the variety of produce at the market will increase as the season continues.He added that it was a pretty good turnout for the first market of the season, and he enjoyed interacting with the customers.“I like the relationships we form,” McCullough said. “We get a lot of repeat customers. People really like to have that connection with the person selling them their food.”Bloomington resident Victoria Bledsoe said she comes to the market to socialize and buy local, organic foods. “The food here is way better,” she said. “It’s not shipped across the country.”Meanwhile, right next door in City Hall, the Department of Community and Family Resources, IU Health Bloomington and the Monroe County Health Department sponsored free health screenings and educational information in honor of Public Health Week.“We wanted to do an event to promote to the community what public health is,” Nancy Woolery, Department of Community and Family Resources Health Projects manager, said. “I think a lot of it is preventative care. We like to have people have these screenings just in case there is a problem so we refer them to their doctor.”Next week’s market will feature “Energy Synergy: Sustainable Energy and You” from 9 a.m. to noon April 13 at Showers Common.Hobson said with 140 vendor applications for this year, she looks forward to a successful market season.“The market goes on through rain or shine, April through the end of November,” Hobson said.
(04/04/13 2:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Former IU men’s basketball coach Bob Knight will make a long-awaited return to Bloomington on April 11, where he will participate in a book signing at the Walmart on State Road 45.Knight, along with former sportswriter and co-author Bob Hammel, will be signing copies of his new book, “The Power of Negative Thinking,” 1-3 p.m. in the Garden Center. Knight will only sign copies of the novel and will not sign IU apparel, photographs or other materials.Guests will also not be permitted to take photographs of Knight. Knight left Bloomington after being fired by the University on Sept. 10, 2000. The final violation stemmed from an altercation Knight had with a student that occurred one week prior to his removal.During his time in Bloomington from 1971-2000, Knight won three national championships in 1976, 1981 and 1987 and led the Hoosiers to 24 NCAA Tournament appearances.In recent years, Knight has turned down multiple invitations to appear in Bloomington, including his 2009 IU Athletics Hall of Fame induction and the 25th-anniversary reunion of the 1987 national championship team.— Jordan Littman
(04/04/13 2:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., and C.J. Bundy became “brothers” more than 45 years ago.Coats and Bundy were paired up for a mentorship through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Now, the same organization that Coats said benefited him is facing the possible elimination of federal funding. Coats met with local business leaders at Chapman’s restaurant as part of a Federal Focus event presented by the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, where he discussed topics including job growth and health care and answered questions from attendees.He said the federal government is currently experiencing a surplus, which is a better problem to have than a deficit. “We are in a situation where our budget is being ever squeezed through a number of factors,” Coats said. “One of the challenges we have is to make our government at the federal level more effective.” Coats said there is not a future to base decisions on because there are trillions of dollars sitting on the sideline. “Any entity that is operating on a $3.7 trillion budget could use a haircut,” Coats said.Coats said one of the ways he’s trying to make it more effective is by trying to speak to the president every day from the Senate floor.“This sequester needs to be replaced by a long-term plan to deal with our deficit problem, and in that plan we ought to be able to give the agencies the discretion to eliminate the essential and nonessential,” Coats said.Tom Saccone, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Central Indiana, asked Coats to comment on the future of federal funding, because his organization faces losing 15 to 20 percent of it’s operating revenue with the elimination of a grant. “It’s OK to qualify for the possible federal support that’s available, but we shouldn’t let the organization become dependent on it,” Coats said. Coats joined forces on a plan that has been embedded through businesses and other entities.“It gets our industries and companies in line with role in terms of tax rates,” Coats said. “It’s one that has bipartisan support, because comprehensive tax reform has to be a part of this.” Coats also addressed the current state of health care. “What we see is a lot of extensive spending on procedures and tests that are not necessary,” Coats said. He said he believes they need to open the health care plan back up. “There’s a lot of innovation and change going on in health care right now. We need to look at the practices that are working right now and saving money,” he said.Coats said if he had a single message to the president, it’s that he’s concerned about the future. “We told them, Mr. President, we’ll join you,” Coats said. “We know there are tough decisions here, but you have to take the lead. Everyone has come up short, because we haven’t had the person at the top. You.”
(03/19/13 2:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A private Hawker Beechcraft 390 attempting to land at the South Bend Regional Airport crashed Sunday afternoon, resulting in two fatalities and three others injured.South Bend Fire Department officials arrived at the airport at about 4:25 p.m. Sunday in reference to a plane experiencing difficulties, Assistant Fire Chief John Corthier said.Engine company members witnessed the crash while en route to the airport, he said, and the firefighters immediately reported to the site of the crash, a neighborhood near the 1600 block of North Iowa Street. At least three homes were also damaged in wake of the wreck.Firefighters rushed to aid the pilot and three passengers inside the airplane, he said, and they removed the two surviving victims from the aircraft. Two victims were killed in the crash. The two survivors were transported to Memorial Hospital of South Bend. As of about 3 p.m. Monday, one of the victims remained in serious condition, said Maggie Scroope, Memorial Hospital’s community and media relations manager. The other was in fair condition.The crash resulted in the destruction of two homes, and a third house sustained damages. A resident of one of the destroyed houses was injured in the crash. Firefighters were able to get the victim out of the house immediately after the crash. The victim was in fair condition at Memorial Hospital as of 3 p.m. Monday.The neighborhood was evacuated Sunday following the incident, Corthier said. At about noon Monday, residents began returning to their homes, although a perimeter remained in place as of 2 p.m. Monday.The National Transportation Safety Board continues its investigation of the crash.— Kirsten Clark
(03/04/13 4:48am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>City officials and residents will come together Thursday at Bloomington High School South to discuss likely ‘812’ area code changes. More than 35 states have added new area codes throughout the last two decades due to a declining amount of available numbers. Aside from residential and business landlines, these numbers are also assigned to wireless phones, pagers and fax machines.The 812 telephone area code is running low on available numbers, requiring change in the near future. A new area code will be added through one of two possible methods: an overlay or a geographic split, according to a press release.The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission will decide through which method the new area code will come about. The commission is sponsoring a series of field hearings throughout the ‘812’ area to collect public input. The IURC is the body that will determine when and how a new area code will be implemented, according to the city website.The overlay method would allow all consumers with ‘812’ numbers to keep their current numbers. Local calling areas and rates would not be affected, but residents would have to start dialing 10 digits for all local calls — the area code plus the number. The geographic split would allow some residents to keep their current numbers, while others in different parts of the ‘812’ area would be assigned a new area code. The areas have yet to be determined. Customers would still be able to dial seven digits for local calls. The Office of Utility Consumer Counselor will conduct an informational session at 5:30 p.m. Thursdayprior to the meeting, and the IURC will begin taking public comments beginning at 6 p.m. The office is responsible for representing consumer interests in cases before the IURC. The OUCC will evaluate the case and is scheduled to file testimony May 15. A final IURC decision is expected by the end of the year.— Anu Kumar