Letters for a cause
Tucked in the back of Boxcar Books, an eclectic group of volunteers shuffled around a room. Books, paper and pencils in hand, the group worked to determine the responsibilities of working for Pages to Prisoners.
111 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
Tucked in the back of Boxcar Books, an eclectic group of volunteers shuffled around a room. Books, paper and pencils in hand, the group worked to determine the responsibilities of working for Pages to Prisoners.
Editor's note: This is the concluding installment of the Indiana Daily Student’s investigative series delving into sexual assault at IU. The first part of this series brought you into the gray zone — exploring the vast complexities when it comes to reporting these events and the experience of one woman as she attempted to bring her case through the legal system. In these final stories, we take you through the system at the University meant to protect its students. But is it working?
During the early 1980s, Fourth Street was merely a row of homes.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Packed into the Indiana Convention Center this weekend, gun enthusiasts wound their way around the National Rifle Association’s exhibition rooms. They handed books to Rick Santorum at a signing on Friday, learned how to cook big game and attended seminars on effective concealed carry methods.The stereotypical gun owner may be a middle-aged man, but the visitors to the convention weren’t just men.Chris Pollreiz is a sales representative from Reuger, a gun manufacturer. He stood behind a display of various-sized weapons. At one point, he picked up a wooden replica that was swirled with pink pigment and handed it to a father, who then handed it to his young daughter.“We do get a lot of family traffic,” Pollreiz said. “We are offering a new line (soon), targeting women and youth.”A 2011 Gallup poll showed that the number of women with guns are increasing: 43 percent of gun owners are female.George Lang works for Second Call Defense, a membership program that protects those who use their guns in self-defense. Depending on coverage, up to $250,000 can be given to a person for civil damages and accidental shooting protection.Lang said his daughter was the one who lit his passion for the Constitution and the second amendment.“Six years ago, I was a republican,” Lang said. “My daughter taught me libertarianism at age 12. Now she’s starting her own chapter of an NRA club at New York University.”Lang said he felt his daughter’s dedication was “gutsy.”Mike Grandt, another sales representative, said the diversity at the convention kept taking him by surprise.“I keep thinking they’re all old guys, but then I see kids,” Grandt said. “I mean the majority are white. But I saw a group of Hispanics, and eight or ten black guys yesterday.”The NRA also has another demographic to consider: youth. Women aren’t the only rising influx to the association’s numbers.The NRA is often attacked for its homogenous demographic of adult white males, but it is seeking to change that.In 2013, NRA News announced that Colin Noir – who is black – would be joining a speaker series aimed at presenting more people of color to the public.“Obama can’t be there (to protect me),” Noir said in a video on YouTube for the NRA. “Guy telling me to get rid of my guns when I need them the most, isn’t my friend, isn’t looking out for my best interests and doesn’t speak for me or the community that I’m part of.”But the majority of money for outreach isn’t spent on minorities. It’s spent on children.More than 65 percent of foundation grants are spent on youth programs, according to an article on thetruthaboutguns.com, a site run by gun enthusiasts.Programs such as shooting camps, firearm safety training and marksmanship lessons are all offered to youth. It makes sense – for an association to continue to exist, so must its members.A mother who did not wish to be identified watched as her daughter climbed into a camouflage-covered vehicle at the convention.“We brought her on purpose,” she said. “We’re getting her started early."
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>At least 70 people volunteered at the 12th annual Homeward Bound 5K Walk to pass out T-shirts, organize games for children and feed participants.Homeward Bound seeks to unify and raise money for local organizations working to solve issues of homelessness in the area.In 2010, an honors student in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs studying homelessness estimated that at least 233 people in Bloomington were homeless in 2009. City council member Susan Sandberg said numbers are going up.“As a general trend, there is a growing need for the social services here in Bloomington,” Sandberg said.Emily Baumgartner said this was her first year volunteering. She said she believes the 5K plays an important part in ensuring the nonprofits get the money they need.“We’re past our halfway point for donations,” Baumgartner said. “We have 30 days left to go, too.” The 5K is entirely donation-based, with no minimum amount required to walk. Sandberg said the donations are important, as government funding for such programs is dwindling.“In any given year, you never know how much you’re going to get,” Sandberg said. “Funding is shrinking. It’s disturbing. People need food stamps, the ability to receive subsidized housing. Social service providers are critical not just in emergencies but in day-to-day living.”Volunteer Robert Clemons represented Martha’s House, an emergency housing shelter.“Events like this bring a lot of attention to all the reasons why people are homeless,” Clemons said. “A lot of homeless people have jobs. Not all of them are mentally ill or addicts. We helped one woman who was released from the hospital and had nowhere to go. We don’t hear about people like that.”Kay Goodman, a Bloomington resident, managed to break her family’s cycle of generational poverty. Goodman is a graduate of the Circles Initiative, an organization that pairs those in need with mentors who help them implement lifestyle changes.Goodman said she was born into generational poverty, but the Circles Initiative helped her break the cycle.“In high school, I was a drug addict,” Goodman said. “I was a single mother. I tried to go to college when my girls were young but had no money.” Goodman finally reached out to the Circles program, and they paired her with a mentor who met with her twice a month.“When you’re born poor, you don’t have the networking to help you out of your situation,” Goodman said.She said her mentors helped her make connections she would otherwise have been without. They also helped her through Ivy Tech, where she studied social work.“I hadn’t done a paper in years,” Goodman said. “I didn’t know algebra. When I had trouble submitting a paper late one night, I was able to call and ask for help.”Goodman graduated from Ivy Tech in December. She is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honors society. She joined the Circles Initiative as a volunteer and received a part time job with the South Central Community Action Program, another poverty-oriented nonprofit in Bloomington and where the Circles Initiative is based.Goodman said her journey hasn’t always been easy or productive.“I’ve had to leave friends behind from poverty,” Goodman said. “Not everyone is happy to see you do well.”Sandberg said it’s often easier for people to ignore situations such as Goodman’s.Events like Homeward Bound force public awareness to make sure people like Goodman aren’t forgotten.“I still can’t believe I graduated college,” Goodman said. “I would show my girls my work, and I’d say ‘If a 55-year-old woman can do this, you can, too.’”Goodman said one of her daughters is going to college in the fall.“I’m a survivor. My family is a survivor family.”Follow reporter Lyndsay Jones on Twitter @lyndsayjonesy.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Katie Zukof was awake with her baby at about 3 a.m. two weeks ago when she found the bakery she and her husband owned and operated completely engulfed in flames. “We had smoke detectors in the bakery, and they were going off, but we were at the house so we couldn’t hear them,” Zukof said.The couple lives in a house less than a half mile from the bakery. The fire completely destroyed the building. For four years, Muddy Fork bakery had been Eric Schedler and Katie’s livelihood. In one night, it was gone. Zukof said they used a wood-burning oven they heated in 12-hour shifts every day. By Thursday of every week, she said, it was at its hottest temperature. “The oven is more than 1,000 degrees while being fired,” Zukof said. “It’s almost definite that the oven caused the fire.”Zukof and her husband have been running the bakery almost single-handedly for years. On Fridays, they have two employees to help them bake bread, and on Saturdays two other workers help bake granola. Zukof said the bakery grew out of her husband’s hobby of bread-making.“We knew we wanted a family business,” Zukof said. “I do feel like it was sort of random. It was an experiment that surprised us with the demand.” Laura Wanner works on Saturdays as a granola baker.“I started last year in January, and it’s been growing every since,” Wanner said. “Granola, strange as it is, is booming.” Wanner said when she began working, Katie and Eric were still living in the bakery.“Literally, they built the place as a boot-straps operation,” she said.Wanner said after the couple finished building their house, they moved most of their belongings there but left many personal items in the loft. When the fire burned the bakery, it took away some of their history — as well as their livelihood.“Her wedding dress was up there, and all of the clothes her daughter had outgrown — a ton of important history stuff,” Wanner said.Katie and Eric moved to Bloomington in 2006 so Eric could pursue a master’s degree in math at IU.Zukof said Eric planned to teach at a community college, but when the hearth-baked bread Eric sold at the January 2010 Farmer’s Market did well, they reconsidered.The bakery, which is the subject of a gofundme.com fundraising page, has gathered such a following that Zukof said they would have been lost without the community support they are receiving. Zucof’s cousin started the fundraising page online and donations came from people who said they had never been to Bloomington. Additionally, Zukof said loyal customers were sending cards as well as money. “We feel very lucky to live in Bloomington,” Zukof said. “We were in tears last week. People are unbelievably generous. We aren’t going to have to dip into our personal savings for this. This has made us sure we want to make this our livelihood.” To prevent future accidents, Zukof said they were going to redesign the bakery when they rebuild it. Originally, there was a wood loft, which the stove pipe of the oven passed through. It was not confirmed as the cause of the fire, but Zukof said she thinks it was. Monroe County Building Commissioner Jim Gerstbauer said that accidents can happen even if a building has been inspected prior to operating. “If they had followed the manufacturer’s instructions for their equipment, there’s no guarantee that it would have been safe, only that it met the minimum safety standards,” Gerstbauer said. Because Muddy Fork is committed to sustainability, the wood-burning oven will continue to be used.“There’s not a place that has an oven like ours,” Zucov said. “It’s incredibly efficient.” Zukof said she and her husband use scrap wood to fuel the oven. It’s what makes their bread special, she said, and is part of the reason for their customer’s loyalty. She said they hope to be at full production by July.“You’d think they’d want to relax, but they’re so antsy to get back to work,” Wanner said. “They definitely put a lot of heart into that.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In response to the increasing diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorder, the City of Bloomington Community and Family Resources Department organizes an annual program and invites professionals to share their knowledge and experiences.Currently, 156 students in Monroe County Community School System have been diagnosed with some form of autism, MCCSC representative Michelle Wells said. One in 68 children nationwide are at risk for autism, increasing from one in 150 in 2002, according to the Center for Disease Control. Adria Nassim, who is diagnosed with mild autism disorder, joined a group of six professionals this year to share her experiences. Though she wasn’t diagnosed with autism until 2006, the symptoms were present.Doctors said Nassim suffered from a non-verbal learning disability. “In second grade, I couldn’t tell time,” Nassim said. “In fifth grade, I couldn’t count money. Still, at age 28, that’s not an applicable life skill for me.” Nassim said teachers often told her she was bright. Eventually, she came to IU to study English and minor in Spanish. Despite having above-average intelligence, Nassim said she struggled with remembering how to get from one building to the next. “I had to find a different IU student every day, and I would tell them I was a British transfer student with high-functioning autism and ask where to go,” Nassim said. “I’ve lived in America all my life. But when I have to, I can do a very convincing British accent.” Early detection is key to help children with autism succeed, said Dan Kennedy, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at IU. Kennedy said experiments are being done with two- to six-month-old children to measure the amount of eye contact they make with others, one of many changes happening in the study of the disorder. “No longer are we looking for a single neural difference that people with autism share,” Kennedy said. Kristi Brown Loftland, who has worked with individuals living with autism for 40 years, echoed Kennedy’s thoughts.“In my 40 years of experience, I’ve never met two who were alike,” Loftland said. Wells said MCCSC schools have more to offer than ever before. “We make sure teachers are trained to work with autistic individuals,” Wells said. “They are constantly being trained.” Wells said the school offers iPads with speech-to-text applications and integrates smart boards into classrooms as part of a practice that is proven to help those with autism. The school works with individuals up to 21 years old. Former school board member Joan Hart said funding wasn’t the only problem. Allocating the funds and using them properly was also an issue, she said. “It depended on the superintendent and what their focus was,” Hart said. “The system is broken, in my opinon. I know many kids who have never touched an iPad. The teachers are great, but the administration has gotten worse.” Nassim said she feels optimistic about the future and left attendees in the room with what she said was her most important advice. “The children you work with did not see you get that degree,” Nassim said. “The best tools are not things you get in a lecture. Have an open mind and an open heart. Don’t see us as your responsibility, something you have to do. If you see joy in us, we’ll find joy, too.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In response to a lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club and Citizens Action Coalation, Duke Energy is planning to build a new solar farm in Bloomington by the end of 2015. In settling the lawsuit filed by the two non-profit organizations, Duke committed to looking for new ways to utilize green energy sources.Duke Energy approached the Monroe County Plan Commission with a proposal to construct a solar farm on South Rogers Street. The Monroe County Board of Commissioners approved the project on March 21.The Monroe County government owns 80 acres of property on the south side of Bloomington. County Grant Administrator Ashley Cranor said the land sat undeveloped for 12 years.“It was purchased to be a juvenile detention center,” Cranor said. “We’ve moved away from that politically. We don’t institutionalize our children. We just don’t.”Kramer said the county commissioners have made 25 acres of land available to Duke Energy. The company has issued a request for solar farm proposals from various businesses. The company they select will begin construction in 2015 and must complete the work by the end of the year.Angeline Protogere, the media contact for Duke Energy, said the company chose to do this as a commitment to renewable energy. “We believe in the diversity of power sources,” Protogere said. “It’s important to have a variety of different sources to gather from.”Solar Zentrum, a renewable energy company, has been frequently mentioned as being allowed to lease the land. Cranor said the county did not have an agreement with them and that Duke would be the only one to decide which business would build on the land. The company will stop taking proposals today.Any business selected will have to go through regular procedures to obtain the land. James Roach, the senior zoning planner for the City of Bloomington, said the land is not zoned for a solar farm and must be rezoned. “It wasn’t something we ever anticipated,” Roach said. The county is also implementing solar energy sources on the Justice Building downtown. Cranor said she was excited for the county to be in the spotlight for solar energy promotion. “We’re a solar-friendly community,” Cranor said.Although the solar farm will be built in Bloomington, there is no guarantee the company Duke selects will use local employees. Cranor said she hopes they will, but the development of the land will create needed revenue for the county regardless.“If Monroe County can benefit from it, then we’re the better for it,” Cranor said. “I’ve never heard of a solar farm in an urban area, and we’re excited to be the first.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Six hours before the public comment period on connecting State Road 37 into Interstate 69 ended, representatives of the Indiana Department of Transportation opened a meeting to gather feedback on the subject.Thirty-six hours before, they announced the meeting and its location. County Councilwoman Cheryl Munson was one of the speakers to voice her concern at the process. “Many members of the county council did not know of this meeting and have not had an opportunity to read over the material,” Munson said. “We’re supposed to have notices of meetings (like this) 10 to 14 days in advance.” The project will turn areas near Chambers Pike into four lane highways. Each lane will be about 12 feet long. In the Indiana Finance Authority’s initial request to build the project, the IFA listed economic development and relief of traffic congestion on SR 37 among their goals. But Bloomington residents are concerned about the cost of these goals. Mark Goll owns property near the areas of the project.“I think I’m affected by this,” Goll said. “I haven’t been given much information. I think I should be told if a four lane road is going to go through my yard.” While one INDOT representative browsed her phone, person after person stood up front asking for answers. During his statement, Steve Brewer asked how many people had found out about the meeting on Friday. At least a dozen people raised their hands.“What do we have the power to stop?” Brewer asked the INDOT representatives. None of them replied. Ricky Clark, the representative who was guiding the meeting, explained that it was not being run in a question-and-answer style, and emphasized that its purpose was “to solicit public comment on IFA’s behalf.”Thomas Malapit, an attorney specializing in imminent domain law, said that the meeting was not for the benefit of the people present.“This is an exercise,” Malapit said. “They’re doing this to follow the statute so they can say that they did it. The train has already left the station.”Director of Media Relations for INDOT Will Wingfield said there were advantages to the way that the project is being handled. Having private companies handle the project will encourage quality work, he said.“It ensures that they are in it for the long haul,” Wingfield said.Wingfield said the I-69 project could improve the quality of the existing highway. “A lot of (SR) 37 could use some re-doing,” Wingfield said.The IFA opened up the topic for public comment on Feb. 21. As of midnight Monday, comments on the matter will no longer be accepted, and the decision for the project will be released on Wednesday. If the project is approved, Isolux Infrastructure, a company based in Spain, will do the construction work.Sandra Tokarski said she believed the way the project was being handled was scandalous.“When I have called a number of elected officials and they say they didn’t know about it until I told them, that’s a scandal,” she said.The IFA was not represented at the meeting, though they originally put through the request for the construction of the interstate.Wingfield said INDOT was acting on behalf of the IFA. “We are their designees,” he said.Because some of the changes are going to affect roads near a middle school and through already developed neighborhoods, some residents are skeptical that the project is actually for the benefit of Bloomington and its people.Even though the meeting was judged by several to be futile, Malapit said there was one thing that could be done.“What can you do now?” he said. “Get your just compensation.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Kenny Childers said he never doubted music would be some part of his life. When he’s not distributing IUanyWare software for University Information Technology Services, Childers fronts the local alternative rock band Gentleman Caller.“I was drawn to music at an early age, in kind of an obsessive way,” Childers said. “I would listen to the radio as a kid, and if I heard a song I liked, then that was it. That’s all I would listen to, over and over.” Childers has been involved with music professionally for 23 years, occupying various roles in local bands such as Stranded at the Drive-In, Velo Deluxe and Mysteries of Life. A fifth album for Gentleman Caller is expected to release at the end of the summer.The album will precede a tour, something Childers said he doesn’t enjoy. “I don’t like crowded spaces,” he said. “I like being on stage, I like it when we’re driving. But that whole getting to a place and waiting to play, and the talking and the feeling like I have to be turned on is kind of exhausting. I’m kind of a loud introvert.” Childers plays guitar and bass in addition to being a lead vocalist. Long-time friend David England said Childers is as proficient a lyricist as he is a musician. “He writes songs constantly,” England said. “He has enough songs to make at least two albums right now.” He said Childers’ reputation as a lyricist allows the musician to collaborate with local artists Heidi Gluk and duo Lily & Madeleine. Childers said he is also helping England write a record of his own. “He’s just all over the place,” England said. Childers’ lyrics might derive some of their power from how personal they are, England said. Gentleman Caller’s third album, “Wake,” contains lyrics expressing the grief Childers felt at the loss of his daughter, Roxy, at 37 weeks.“He’s got some demons,” England said. “If you want to get down there with him, they’re in his songs.” Childers said his lyrics are part of his therapy, and his approach to mental health. “I guess you pick up baggage in life as you go sometimes, so writing through those things makes those things matter,” Childers said. “It gives them a place. I guess songs are a little bit like exorcisms for me.”Childers said his hands, often covered in ink, are a testament to his love for words. So is his English degree from IU that he received in 1996. “I was an English major because I liked books and writing,” Childers said. “I think it helped because I met a lot of cool people through creative writing — some other weirdos that I connected with, and we helped push each other’s writing.” When he’s not in the studio or at UITS, Childers raises his two children. He has a 4-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son. “I don’t really have time for anything else,” Childers said. Though Childers agreed Gentleman Caller has the potential to make it big, he said it’s not something he thinks about. “It’s not something I dwell on,” Childers said. “It’s not a healthy way to think, for me.” Childers said his goal is to continue making music and writing lyrics, regardless of the outcome. “I kind of realized it’s not a choice for me,” he said. “It’s what makes me happy. It’s the thing I’m doing where I feel most like myself.” Follow reporter Lyndsay Jones on Twitter @lyndsayjonesy.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Addison Rogers loves mail. So much so he totes stationary, pens and stamps around Bloomington, trying to keep the hand-written word alive.He’s the founder of the Bloomington Correspondence Club, a group dedicated to the writing and sending of letters and postcards. “It’s awesome to get any sort of mail,” Rogers said.The group meets every Tuesday and Thursday. Some days, it will meet at Runcible Spoon, sometimes at Soma Coffee House and Juice Bar. He said it depends on where he wants to meet that day. “I do it in public so that people will see it,” Rogers said. “I welcome anyone ... including passersby.” With a ready smile and easy banter, Rogers said he understands it takes more for letter-writing to feel accessible to many people.He’s planned accordingly. At each meeting, two vintage-looking brief cases — one tweed, one leather — are opened to display an eclectic assortment of stationery, postcards, trading cards, envelopes and stamps Rogers has curated. A mug of writing utensils sits in the middle of the table. All supplies, excluding stamps, are free. Drew Wehrle, who attended a meeting Jan. 21, noted the ease Rogers gives sending mail. “Getting stamps is one of the things that is hard about sending mail,” Wehrle said. Rogers said he agreed. “Some people have trouble just getting the letter in the mailbox,” Rogers said. Since the group relies on Facebook hits and word-of-mouth to bring in members, the meetings attract small groups. Four people attended the club meeting Jan. 21. It was coincidence that Ryan Randall attended.“I saw them over at Soma, and then I found them on Facebook,” Randall said. “I saw them, and I thought, ‘I immediately need to do this.’” Randall carries an Altoids can of stamps, should he happen upon a postcard he can’t wait to send.He said he plans to regularly attend meetings.So does Megan McGrath, who has attended meetings since December. McGrath said she uses the meetings to keep in touch with friends and family members she’s left behind as she’s moved a lot. “It’s — I don’t want to say the least intimidating way — but it’s a way of keeping in touch with people that’s always nice,” McGrath said. “One time I sent my friend the contents of my pocket, and she was thrilled.” It’s not just the contents of the mail that is unusual. Often, who the mail is sent to and where it goes is a story in itself. One postcard was sent to “The Price Is Right” host Bob Barker and a letter was sent to Lithuania. Because of the variety of mail destinations, Rogers has become something of an expert on postage pricing.“I learned for $1.10 you can send anything up to one ounce anywhere in the world,” Rogers said. “I guess I’ve always wanted to know this kind of information.”Although his Facebook page and word-of-mouth have generated a small turnout to the club meetings so far, Rogers said he hopes for more. “There have been a few times it’s been slow,” Rogers said. Even so, a meeting on Dec. 17 brought in 35 pieces of mail, and one woman wrote 10 Christmas cards that week for the club to mail. Rogers said he hopes the club grows, continuing to generate publicity by making buttons and stationery with a club letterhead. “I don’t think it could ever get too big,” Rogers said. When Wehrle finished his letter Tuesday, he stuffed it into an envelope Rogers’ collection had provided. The envelope was blue and small, designed to look like the top part of a pair of blue jeans. He bought a stamp for the letter and handed it to Rogers to mail. “Thank you,” Wehrle said. “It was wonderful.” Follow reporter Lyndsay Jones on Twitter @lyndsayjonesy.