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(10/29/10 4:34am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Your car will bounce over the ruts in the narrow dirt trail that winds through a tangle of dark trees. The lighting is poor, the atmosphere isolated. No one has been buried here for decades, and the tombstones are small and crumbling. This tiny cemetery would have been long forgotten if not for multiple stories of inexplicable happenings here. The Stepp Cemetery, off Old State Highway 37 in the Morgan-Monroe State Forest, is one of the most famous haunted sites in Indiana.Daniel Peretti, a folklorist who taught Indiana folklore at IU, said October is the time of year when the barrier between worlds is thin. It’s a time of year when people honor their mortality and the change from life to death. The ancient Celts celebrated Samhain at this time of year, Peretti said. They believed it was a time when spirits could return from death through the barrier between worlds.These apparitions of our terrors and nightmares may be closer than you’d like to think. In Troy Taylor’s book “Beyond the Grave,” he mentioned a particular tombstone in the cemetery that is said to be haunted, but there is disagreement about to whom it belongs. Some believe it is the grave of a child; others think it is a railroad worker.Near this stone is a stump in the shape of a chair. In Taylor’s book, it is haunted by a woman who sits on the stump, watching those who come into the cemetery. “You’re not supposed to sit on the stump,” Peretti said. “If you do, you’ll die in a year.”A YouTube video of this site was posted on Oct. 5. In a style similar to that of the movie, “The Blair Witch Project,” a group of young people explored the cemetery with flashlights and a video camera. They found unidentified phenomena on and around the tree stump and grave. The video is titled “ghost at stepp cemetery?...WTF.”Mark Marimen wrote in his book, “Haunted Indiana,” that it is believed the ghostly woman moved with her husband to Indiana from the East Coast.After several family tragedies, the woman ventured to the cemetery every night to protect her buried loved ones. People began to avoid the cemetery because they believed the woman was insane. She was eventually buried at Stepp, and continues to sit and watch.Peretti said one Bloomington resident had a chilling tale about this specter, usually called “the woman in black” or “the black lady.” Peretti said the woman in black collected metal lids of food cans and rusted knives. She tied them to the bottom of her skirt and spun circles around unsuspecting visitors, cutting them to pieces.There are other stories that try to explain this phantom. Included in Taylor’s book is the story of a mother and son who were in a horrible car accident. The child was killed, and the mother’s hand was severed at the wrist. Her hand was replaced with a silver hook, and she returned to the cemetery, heartbroken, where her son had been buried to watch over him every night. She still haunts the cemetery, brandishing her hook at anyone who comes near her son’s grave.Peretti said people also capture orbs, or circular flashes of light, on film at haunted sites and believe they are evidence of a haunting. While this may just be light refraction, Peretti said there isn’t always a clear explanation.“That’s what adds to the mystery, and the excitement,” Peretti said.
(10/27/10 4:01am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The day started out with tornado warnings and thunderstorms. So Spencer Leiter and Doug Parker, the organizers of the Tea Party movement in Bloomington, did not expect a huge crowd.A little more than 20 people met outside Bloomington City Hall Tuesday to discuss fiscal responsibility and the importance of voting in this election.“We’re really trying to get people to get out the vote,” Leiter said. “Call them up, give them a ride. Make it hard for them not to vote.”Candidates showed their support for the rally by sending representatives. Todd Young, the Republican candidate for the 9th District U.S. House of Representatives seat, sent his father, Bruce Young, to speak on his behalf.“It is clear that people like yourselves have been an enormous inspiration to him,” Young said, addressing the Tea Party supporters.Skip Daley, a facilitator for Kevin Suddeth’s campaign, also attended the rally. Suddeth is the Republican candidate for District 61 State Representative.He thanked those gathered for keeping the Tea Party movement alive in Bloomington, which he said hasn’t been easy. Daley read to the audience about the original Tea Party movement against the British, when the government tried to deceive Americans about inexplicably high taxes.“Does this sound familiar?” Daley asked.He asked the crowd if they felt directly representative by their current elected officials, to which there was an enthusiastic response of “no!”Daley said everyone must work hard to get out the vote to combat this.“Today’s protest will be in the battlefield known as the voting booth,” Daley said.He also urged those present not to vote for one party or another, but to vote for the best possible candidates. Leiter and Parker said they hosted the first Tea Party rally in Bloomington in 2009 on tax day, promoting fiscal responsibility.“I believe the government is on an unsustainable path,” Leiter said.He said current poor government spending decisions are being passed to younger generations, and the government needs to learn to spend within limits.Parker said the movement started while he and Leiter were pig hunting in Bedford. On the drive home, they grumbled about politics and the economy. From there, they decided to start a movement, and it took off with unexpected success.He said there are between 500 and 600 people who requested to be on their e-mail list, and about 400 followers on Twitter.Parker said both Democrats and Republicans have supported poor spending decisions in the past. Parker told the crowd that if a Republican majority is elected, it will be up to Tea Party members to keep government spending in check.“We’re going to have to be the conscience so they don’t make poor decisions later,” Parker said.
(10/26/10 2:48am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Religion and homosexuality: the two have struggled to reconcile for decades, and many gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning students still don’t believe there is a place for them in a spiritual community.“I feel so out of place there, like everyone’s judging me.”“Religion is poisonous.”“I was raised Catholic. Now they all think I’m going to hell.”These are answers from anonymous users of 321 Gay Teen Chat, a free online chat room, when asked “What do you guys think about religion?”But GLBT students at IU are surrounded by spiritual communities that would welcome them openly, said Doug Bauder, coordinator for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Support Services Office on campus.“The variety of faith communities that are supportive makes this community unique, especially in Indiana,” Bauder said.George Barna is the founder of The Barna Group, a market research firm which according to their website is a “research organization focused on the intersection of faith and culture” . The firm recently conducted a survey of GLBT adults that found they are as likely to believe in God as heterosexual adults.“People who portray gay adults as godless, hedonistic Christian-bashers are not working with the facts,” Barna said in a statement about the study.Bauder said some students who have never been in a spiritual community that openly accepted them feel cynical about organized religion but that it is grossly incorrect to assume that this applies to all GLBT students."It continues to be a major issue for students,” Bauder said. “There is a longing for some people to know that their concept of God loves and accepts them.”He said it is sometimes difficult for students who were raised in a religion to reconcile their sexuality with their spirituality, but many religious leaders in the community are very supportive and willing to help these students.Several churches make their support of GLBT students and adults very clear.“Trinity is a real community that loves and respects all people,” according to the description on Trinity Episcopal’s website.“We are a GLBTQ Welcoming Congregation,” reads the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington’s home page.In addition to those that have been historically supportive, Bauder said, many formerly anti-gay organizations are changing their views. He used the Oct. 11 candlelight vigil as an example. The vigil was meant to remember youth suicide victims, many of whom were harassed for their sexual preferences.He said members of spiritual organizations on campus that have been against the GLBT lifestyle showed up in support at the vigil. Many were moved to tears.There are still organizations that do not support GLBT students and adults, Bauder said, but they are rarer in the Bloomington community than in many places.“I think it’s safe to say that theology is fading,” Bauder said.
(10/26/10 1:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Housed in a nondescript section of Morrison Hall, The Kinsey Institute might not be what you would expect to find at a public university in the heart of the Midwest.This institute studies sex, gender and reproduction. For the past decade, the focus has been on the psychology of sexual behavior, said Jennifer Bass, the institute’s director of communications.Alfred Kinsey, a former IU science professor, founded the institute in 1947 before he published “Sexual Behavior in the Human Male.”Kinsey and his team interviewed thousands of people during the 1940s and ’50s, a time of sexual conservatism in the United States, and invited them to talk about their sexual tendencies and preferences.“It enabled people to feel that they weren’t so abnormal,” Bass said.During his research, Kinsey created the Kinsey Scale. The scale ranges from 0 to 6, describing sexual preferences. A 0 is exclusively heterosexual, a 3 bisexual and a 6 exclusively homosexual.Kinsey wrote that each person’s number changes throughout his or her life.Bass said Kinsey changed the lives of many people because he was the first to publicly talk about sexual tolerance and behavior.Today, the institute continues to inquire into behavior, and it focuses more on the psychology of sexuality rather than Kinsey.“It almost always involves what they think, what they feel,” Bass said.The institute also serves as an archive of literature, history and artwork related to human sexuality that goes back hundreds of years.Bass said despite the institute’s scientific nature, it is still attacked by some individuals.She said people who are against sexual education often accuse Kinsey himself of deplorable actions with no factual basis, especially during political seasons. They use these claims as grounds to dismiss the entire institute.But Bass said she believes most people are reasonable about the institute’s goals and sexuality in general.“It doesn’t matter if you’re conservative, liberal, Christian or atheist,” Bass said. “You have to deal with sex in your life.”
(10/25/10 2:43am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With a little more than a week left until Election Day, the Monroe County Democratic Party is continuing to push Bloomington residents to vote early.The Democratic Party invited State Treasurer candidate Pete Buttigieg and State Auditor candidate Sam Locke to speak with Bloomington residents Saturday at the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market.“Come Election Day, who knows what could happen,” Ed Robertson, a deputy chairman for the Monroe County Democrats, said. “I’ve always been able to make it out to the polls, but some just can’t.”The Farmers’ Market was decorated by party members. Huge arrows and chalked letters pointed passersby to the Curry Building, where early voters can cast their ballots Monday through Saturday until Election Day.Interns for the party gave out blue balloons as people walked by, and the state candidates shook hands and answered questions from Bloomington residents.“Early voting takes the burden off of Election Day,” Buttigieg said. He said unexpected things can keep voters from making it to the polls, and early voting ensures that everyone’s vote can be heard.“The more people that vote, the stronger our democracy,” Buttigieg said.Buttigieg said some candidates have used early voting to avoid debates with their opponents. He said some use the excuse that most of their constituents have voted early to argue that a mid- to late October debate is not merited.He also said early voting has changed the way candidates run. Because people may now vote through the entire month of October, candidates must have their views solid and well-known earlier than before.“The finish is closer,” Buttigieg said.Locke, an IU graduate, said he is glad to be back in Bloomington to urge people to vote early. He said more people will vote if they can do so at their convenience. He also said it is good for students to get out to vote early, since many have classes on Election Day.“It’s unfortunate that there isn’t a place to vote on campus this year,” he said.Locke said he hopes to reach out to students here, since he is an alumnus. He is running for an office that has been occupied by Republicans for nearly three decades, he said, and he hopes to be a new voice for all Hoosiers.He said Monroe County is very politically active, and he is always happy to talk to voters here.“Monroe County really leads the way,” Locke said.
(10/19/10 4:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With only two weeks left until Election Day, 9th District Congressional seat candidates debated Monday about issues ranging from the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell military policy to tax cuts.Rep. Baron Hill (D-9), Republican Todd Young and Libertarian Greg Knott discussed key topics while the audience at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater clapped, booed and did everything they were asked not to do on several occasions.IU’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs sponsored the event in conjunction with the League of Women Voters of Bloomington-Monroe County, the Indiana Debate Commission and the IU Debate Team.The candidates answered questions posed by moderator Brian DeLong, a SPEA lecturer and coach of the IU Debate Team. The candidates were each given one minute, 30 seconds to answer with 45 seconds for a rebuttal.DON’T ASK, DON’T TELLKnott said the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, while not a bad idea, is a failed piece of legislation. Originally intended to keep peace in the ranks, Knott said it has turned into a witch hunt for homosexuals serving honorably.“Call me old-fashioned and Midwestern, but I don’t think it’s good manners for anyone, heterosexual or homosexual, to discuss their sexual activity in the workplace,” Young said.Young, a former Marine, said it was originally implemented to discourage disunity among those serving in the military. He said that for now, there is not sufficient evidence to support the dismissal of this policy.“It needs to end,” Hill said. “I voted to repeal it, and given the chance to repeal it, I’ll vote to repeal it again.”He said that no one should be discriminated for their personal choices, and that the policy is plain wrong.SOCIAL SECURITYHill said he has signed a contract promising that he will not vote for privatization of social security, which would be detrimental to those 55 and younger.Hill put the contract on Young’s podium, encouraging him to sign it.Young said after the debate that he does not support privatization, addressing Hill’s assertion during the debate that Young does. Young said during the debate that fixing social security will require a bipartisan solution, which he is willing to work for.“For those who are my age, we’re going to have to ensure that the program remains solvent, because it’s important,” Young said.Knott said the tax system needs to be overhauled to address social security.“We used to have many more workers to support fewer retirees,” Knott said. “Now we are faced with a shrinking work force to support an expanding retiree population.”TAX CUTSThe Bush administration supported income based tax cuts. DeLong asked the candidates if they supported these cuts.Knott said that there is no such thing as a tax cut, but only a tax deferral, which would need to be paid later. “That hurts our economic security, and it’s wrong,” Knott said. “It’s the wrong policy for Southern Indiana.”Knott said he is not for tax cuts but for cuts in government spending on some of the most expensive government-funded institutions, such as the military.He said countries where the U.S. spends money for security, such as Japan and Germany, should pay for their own national security.Young said the worst thing to do in a poor economy is to raise taxes. “That’s going to kill jobs,” Young said. He said that once the economy is improved, the government can look at raising taxes again, but for now it would seriously harm Americans.Hill said he agrees with the Bush proposal to give tax cuts to those who make $250,000 or less annually. He said, though, that extending those cuts to the wealthy would increase the national deficit without good cause.CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONSDeLong asked the candidates how they felt about the recent Supreme Court decision that increases the rights of corporations to support campaign efforts.“I actually think that recent Supreme Court decision was the right decision,” Young said. “I believe that corporations, like unions, do have the right of free speech.”Young encouraged all Americans, be they individuals or corporate entities, to express their views by attending debates or speaking directly to representatives.“Ultimately on these decisions I defer to the Supreme Court,” Young said.Hill disagreed with Young’s view.“The Supreme Court sometimes gets it right and sometimes they get it wrong,” Hill said. “They got it wrong this time.”He said that those with less money to contribute would not be able to compete with corporations and may have their voices drowned out. “Do we want oil companies and big energy companies controlling what the message is going to be on television?” Hill said. Knott agreed with Hill on this issue.“It was wrongly decided, and we have too much corporate money influencing our elections,” Knott said.Knott said he is the only candidate of the three that has signed the Fight Washington Corruption Pledge, which he said 200 other candidates nationwide have signed. He said this pledge addresses corruption bred from financial contributions in Washington, and encouraged the other candidates to sign it as well.ENVIRONMENTAL POLICYHill discussed a recent bill that did not pass through Congress that he supported. The bill would have imposed a cap and trade tax on factories with high carbon emissions.Hill said the bill would have reduced carbon emissions, created up to 30,000 jobs, and made the U.S. energy independent.Hill said carbon emissions need to be reduced as soon as possible because they cause global warming.“The bill does a lot of good for the environment, and for our people and for air that we breathe,” Hill said.Knott opposed this bill. He said he would have voted against it as Senate candidate Brad Ellsworth (D-08) did because it kills jobs in factories.He also said he is unsure whether global warming is man-made, but if it is, countries with higher emissions than ours, such as China, must be considered accountable as well.Young also said he was unsure about the cause of global warming. He said scientists support both sides of this argument, and he plans to follow new scientific discoveries about the matter.He said even if global warming is man-made, the bill that did not pass is not the proper solution.“This cap and trade energy tax is likely to be the largest tax increase in American history,” Young said.He said that many businesses would be bankrupt by this tax if it were passed during a poor economic period.“It’s going to hurt businesses and consumers alike,” Young said.FORECLOSURE POLICYDeLong asked if the federal policy response to the foreclosure crisis has been appropriate or if it could be improved.Hill said there is clearly a housing and mortgage problem in the United States, and that it was the main cause of the current economic status.“The federal government needs to do a better job, quite frankly, overseeing this,” Hill said. “This did not happen overnight.”He said that Congress recently passed a bill that will address this problem, which he said is a step in the right direction.Knott accused Hill of not taking responsibility for his vote against the 1993 Banking Company Act, which would have been an amendment to the 1991 Banking Companies Act.He said the recently passed bill is not strict enough, but the Banking Company Act would have been.“Like so many of these national issues, ultimate responsibility does rest at the feet of Congress,” Young said.He said before the current economic crisis, Congress passed well-meaning legislation to encourage banks to give out loans they otherwise would not have given to provide more people with the opportunity to own homes.“It had some unintentional consequences,” Young said.Young said more reforms will be needed to correct the problem.HEALTH REFORMDeLong asked for the candidates’ stances on health care reform in light of the changes that currently came into effect because of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.“I’m glad I voted for the bill,” Hill said.Hill named many changes the act has made that he considers positive. He said insurance denial because of pre-existing conditions no longer exist, and more children now have access to health care.He also said students having trouble finding a job can stay on their parent’s health insurance, which is a very positive change.Knott said the act did not address the cost of health care, which is the most important problem that needs to be considered.Young agreed with Knott, saying that the act has actually increased the cost of health care. He said that he supports health care reform, but that it needs to be addressed differently.“It’s bad legislation,” Young said.U.S. IN AFGHANISTANDeLong asked if troops should remain in Afghanistan. He also asked what each candidate’s defensive policies would be if elected.Young said the current mission is murky, and faults Congress for not asking tougher questions about the goal of the Afghanistan mission.He said he does not agree with the current timeline to bring the troops home because it is arbitrary.Hill disagreed, saying that progress is being made in the Middle East. He said the Pakistani army is ready to fight the Taliban if the U.S. can help.“The president kept his word in Iraq, and I think he’s going to keep his word in Afghanistan,” Hill said, referring to the president’s promise to bring the troops home as soon as possible.Hill said the mission is clear and that it is to diminish the power of the Taliban to inflict harm on others.Knott said the troops need to be brought home as soon as possible so that money previously spent on the military can be spent on the economy and on K-12 education.“Occupying an entire country with a heavy footprint is the wrong policy,” Knott said.
(10/18/10 4:35am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>There’s no question the Republican party is working to regain the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Democrats are working to maintain it this November.In the midst of frantic campaigning, Indiana is emerging as one of the most important states for the congressional races. The most recent Gallup Poll showed an equal number of voters planning to vote either Republican or Democrat.Republicans need 39 seats to gain control of the House, and Indiana might help them get there.This has put Democratic candidates for re-election on the defensive, and President Barack Obama warned Oct. 11 that a Republican majority could disrupt the party’s agenda.“We need you to fight their millions of dollars with our millions of voices,” Obama said in a midterm elections rally in Philadelphia. He was referring to the money spent on ads criticizing Democratic candidates.Three Indiana congressional seats that are currently held by Democratic U.S. representatives are up for grabs this November. The 9th District congressional seat is one of them.Rep. Baron Hill is the incumbent Democrat for the 9th District and was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1998. He is currently serving his fifth term and is running for re-election this year. Republican Todd Young is running against Hill for the first time. Young is a Marine veteran who earned his J.D. from the IU School of Law. He currently serves as deputy prosecutor for Orange County, Ind. and previously worked as a delegate to the Indiana Republican State Convention and as a vice precinct committeeman.On Monday, while he addressed volunteers at the Monroe County Democratic Party headquarters, Hill said he was currently ahead in the polls. However, some still think the race is a toss-up. “We believe that it is very close,” said Evelyn Crowe, a volunteer at the MCDP headquarters.IU Political Science professor Gerald Wright said no one can predict the outcome of the 9th Congressional District race.“There is a lot of independent expenditure money flooding the districts on behalf of the Republican candidates,” Wright said. “That may push some of the very close contests over.”Other Indiana districts have similar stories.Rep. Brad Ellsworth, D-8th, has vacated his congressional seat to run for U.S. Senate. Now Democratic State Rep. Trent Van Haaften and Republican Larry Bucshon are vying for the position.CQPolitics.com, a news source privately owned by The Economist Group, showed in its polls that the 8th Congressional District is leaning in favor of the Republican party.The 2nd Congressional District race, between Democrat U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly and Republican Indiana State Rep. Jackie Walorski, is most likely to retain its Democratic incumbent, according to CQ. “I am pretty sure Republicans will win one of the seats,” Wright said. “But Donnelly still looks like he may pull it out in the second.”Overall, the race for the majority in the House seems to be up in the air. “Given that Democrats won seats in a lot of Republican districts in 2006 and 2008, and this is a very bad economy, which is always bad for the party in power, big Republican gains are what we would expect,” Wright said.The Pew Research Center/National Journal Poll recently showed 24 percent of Americans approved of their Republican leaders and 30 percent approved of their Democratic leaders.Wright said although he believes Republicans will win the majority in 2010, this does not necessarily mean the public’s favor is now with Republican policy.“My guess is that some commentators will interpret a Republican swing as the public endorsing the policies of the Republican congressional leadership or even Tea Party supporters, but that reading is wrong,” Wright said. “It is just a return to partisan balance and typical punishment that comes with a lousy economy.”
(10/17/10 10:54pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Fourteen Bloomington food establishments did not fare well in the August health inspections conducted by the Monroe County Health Department. They were cited for critical health violations to be corrected as soon as possible.Violations are considered critical if they are likely to contaminate food and affect customers. These may include handling food without gloves, soiled food preparation stations or foods kept at unsafe temperatures.The health department recently released the names of the restaurants reported, including some of the most popular restaurants in Bloomington, such as Fortune Cookies, Uptown Café, Casa Brava and Pourhouse Café.Pourhouse Café was cited for problems with their ice machine. The health report said the interior of the ice machine and the edges of ice machine were soiled.“Our ice machine was broken, so we never really used it,” Kayla, an employee at Pourhouse Café, said. “We took a magic eraser and scrubbed it.”Stone Cutters Coffee and Roastery was cited for unlabeled toxic chemicals, which the restaurant corrected during the inspection, as well as incorrect or missing labels on other food items. “We were cited for things that could be immediately fixed, so that’s what we did,” Erin Jeffers, a manager at Stone Cutters, said. “The labels had faded over time.”Fortune Cookies was also reported for not employing a certified food handler and for keeping food at improper temperatures. The manager was unavailable for comment.Miranda Cascione, a sophomore, said she wouldn’t be too worried about eating at a restaurant where there had been a health violation if the restaurant as a whole seemed clean.“It’s not necessarily affecting the food,” Cascione said. “I would take into consideration what kind of restaurant it is.”Emily Selsky, also a sophomore, said she would go back to a restaurant even if it had been cited for a health violation.“If it was a restaurant I really enjoyed I would definitely go back, just not right away,” Selsky said. “I would let some time pass to allow for the restaurant to clean up their act.”HEALTH DEPARTMENT FINDINGSStone Cutters Coffee: Toxic chemicals not labeled but corrected during inspection, food date labels incorrect, some foods unlabeled Sushi Bar: No certified food handler, improper storage of foodFortune Cookies: No certified food handler, food kept at unsafe temperatureUptown Café: Shellfish tags needed for possible allergiesSiam House: Foods kept at unsafe temperatures Great Taste Buffet: Foods kept at unsafe temperatures, sanitizer concentration below required level in dish washer but corrected during inspectionShow Me’s: Foods kept at unsafe temperaturesShin’s Family Restaurant: Gnat infestation, no certified managerBloomington Superior Fuel: Food kept at unsafe temperaturesMcDonald’s (North College Avenue): Pickles and dried onions stored in hand sinkGreat Wall: No certified manager employed, incorrect storage of raw meatCasa Brava (West Third Street): Employee handling food with bare handsPourhouse Café: Interior of ice machine and edges of ice machine needed to be cleanedTerry’s Catering: No certified food handler
(10/15/10 2:47am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Job cuts, extracurricular cuts, pay cuts — Monroe County Community School Corporation has had to deal with all of these in the past year. They have tried various fundraisers, but some believe more should be done.Twelve labor unions representatives met in the Monroe County Courthouse on Thursday to voice support for Public Question No. 2, which will be on the Nov. 2 ballot.In 2009, it was announced that the MCCSC would face a funding shortage of $5.8 million by the end of 2010. The cause of this, according to a pamphlet produced by South Central Indiana Jobs with Justice, was a 2008 state law that changed the source of public school funds from property taxes to income and sales taxes and lottery funds. The switch from a stable source of funding to an unstable source, as well as a poor state economy, hit the school budgets hard.“There’s a great disparity in funding for public education in this state,” said Terry Spradlin, associate director for education policy at IU’s Center for Evaluation and Education Policy in a panel Tuesday.The referendum that will be on the Nov. 2 ballot will target MCCSC. If passed, the referendum would add a maximum of 14 cents of tax per $100 of value of local property every year for six years. The money from this tax would go straight to the MCCSC.“This is in the best interest for the public good,” Linda Richardson, president of Monroe County Education Association, said.She urged those at the meeting to vote not only for Public Question No. 2, but also for all candidates in the upcoming elections that have shown support for public education.Milton Fisk, facilitator of SCIJJ, noted a 2008 study by Rand Corporation that was published by the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce in May 2010.This study attributed several social changes to a one-year increase in average educational level in a certain community. Among these were 27 percent fewer murders and 20 percent fewer motor vehicle thefts.Jackie Yenna, president of the White River Central Labor Council, acknowledged that some voters will be reluctant to vote for an increase in taxes while the state economy still struggles.“We have to remember not to think of it not as a referendum on our taxes, but as an investment in our children and our future,” Yenna said.
(10/14/10 3:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Monroe County might see more jobs and improved property value during the next few years. Nash Finch, a Fortune 500 company, announced Oct. 6 the placement of a distribution center in Bloomington.The vacant building at 311 N. Curry Pike will be bought and refurbished by the company for $10.6 million, according to an Indiana Economic Development Corporation press release. Nash Finch executives plan to establish their MDV division here in Bloomington, which produces grocery and related products for military stores. MDV is a division of Nash Finch Company, the second-largest publicly traded wholesale food distributor in the United States.“This new Bloomington distribution center is consistent with our strategy to expand our military business and will serve 11 military commissaries and exchanges across eight states,” said Ed Brunot, president and chief operating officer of the MDV division in a press release.The new center is also expected to create up to 100 local jobs by 2014, and the company has announced that it will begin hiring immediately.“We were impressed by their mission and record of community involvement, and we look forward to their success and participation in our community,” Geoff McKim, Monroe County Council president, said in a statement.Nash Finch was established in North Dakota more than 100 years ago and currently employs 7,500 associates nationally. The Minnesota-based company boasts annual sales of approximately $5.2 billion.Area Development magazine recently named Indiana the No. 6 best state in the nation for business and the top state in the Midwest. This was based on a survey of national site selection consultants. Nash Finch made their decision a few days later.“Monroe County was very pleased to have an opportunity to compete for Nash Finch’s investment and employment in an empty facility, and we were proud that our talented workforce, strategic location and government support convinced the company that Monroe County was the right choice,” McKim said.The Indiana Economic Development Corporation, IEDC, offered Nash Finch up to $525,000 in performance-based tax credits based on the company’s job creation plans. Monroe County has also offered property tax abatement for property improvements at the site. “We greatly appreciate the efforts of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, Bloomington Economic Development Corporation, the state of Indiana and Monroe County, whose assistance was critical in making this expansion possible,” Brunot said.
(10/13/10 3:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indiana public schools were hit as hard as anything by the economy. A panel met Tuesday at the Indiana Memorial Union to discuss some of the educational issues currently facing Indiana.It was sponsored by the Bloomington Rotary Club with support from the IU School of Education.The panel included Gerardo Gonzalez, dean of IU’s School of Education; Terry Spradlin, associate director for education policy at IU’s Center for Evaluation and Education Policy; Terry Thompson, superintendent of the Metropolitan School District Wayne Township; Taji Gibson, an English teacher at Bloomington High School North; and John Burnett, president of the Community Education Coalition. Chuck Carney, director of communications and media relations for the School of Education, moderated the panel. The panel began with a picture recently featured in the Herald-Times. It showed a devastated Gibson after learning she would no longer have a job at Bloomington High School North.In the picture, Gibson was sitting on a student’s desk with a blackboard in the background looking at the ground. “It was devastating. I’d been teaching for 14 years,” Gibson said. “I had no idea that I was going to get that news.”Gibson was reinstated, but she said she doesn’t know if she’ll have a job next year.The panel said these types of stories are not uncommon due to cuts in funding.“It certainly impacts teacher morale,” Thompson said.He said teachers who are unsure of their job security are becoming more common even though enrollment in public schools is increasing.The average age of a teacher in Thompson’s district used to be 48 years, he said. It has dropped to 38 and is expected to drop again to 35.Carney asked Gonzalez if these changes have been hard for the School of Education. Gonzalez said the current financial state has impacted the number of students who pursue a teaching career.Burnett said businesses and the community must be engaged in education to know what is going on with funding and assessments. Businesses and communities have the ability to help raise money, leverage funds and speak to government officials on behalf of the schools, Burnett said.Spradlin said the current economic state of Indiana is going to hurt the schools in the near future despite attempts to increase funding. Three Indiana schools have recently sued the state because their funding is not increasing even though their enrollment is, Spradlin said.“The problem this year is that there will be no money,” Spradlin said.He said federal funding and reserve money for Indiana is very low, and the state is down from its usual funds by a couple billion dollars.Spradlin said the two methods to counteract this are to increase taxes or to cut spending. Since the economy is still recovering, few are in favor of increasing taxes, he said.That leaves a cut in spending, and since public education accounts for about 50 percent of state spending, it will likely take a hit.Burnett, who moved back to Indiana to raise his children in this education system, said education is important for economic development. He said companies deciding where to locate or stay look at the quality of the area’s education system.The panel also discussed a new form of student assessment. Similar to the legislation passed during the time of the George W. Bush administration — the No Child Left Behind Act — the new growth assessment would also factor in which educational level the student started at when assessing growth.The panel agreed this new method should not be used to assess teachers. However, Spradlin said administrators need to be given tools to assess and dismiss poor teachers rather than doing so on a national or state level.Parent involvement in education was also discussed. Carney said it is agreed by most researchers that parents should read to students, help them with their homework and find other ways to engage them educationally at home.Gonzalez said the problem with this usually arises not because parents are uninterested, but because they are uneducated. In the past, a college degree wasn’t necessary for a well-paying job, he said.“We need to reach out to that generation of parents,” Gonzalez said.It is also difficult for parents in low-paying jobs, Thompson said. Parents who work two or three minimum wage jobs might have interest in their children’s education but lack the time and energy to become engaged.“Times will probably get worse before they get better for public education,” Spradlin said.
(10/12/10 3:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“Hoosiers for Hill,” “Ellsworth, United States Senate” and “Standing Together for Health Insurance Reform” plaster the walls of the Monroe County Democratic Party Headquarters on the corner of Third and Grant streets. A prominent sign reminds everyone that there are only 22 days left until election day.Volunteers are glued to computers and cell phones, typing away and calling constituents. The atmosphere is urgent and dedicated.Baron Hill, the democratic incumbent of the 9th District seat, visited this busy workplace Monday.“Thank you for what you’re doing,” Hill said to those working for his campaign. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”Hill told everyone he is currently ahead in the polls, though not as much as he was in his last election.He reminded everyone that the race between him and Todd Young is currently considered a toss-up by most political analysts.“They don’t know the secret weapon that’s sitting in this room,” Hill said.Hill told the story of an unplanned visit he made to the Obama campaign headquarters in Columbus, Ind., in 2008. He said he spoke to a woman there who had never worked for a campaign in her life, but who had been moved by the cause.“You’re finding that person in Columbus and Indiana, identifying her and getting her to the polls,” Hill said.After thanking his volunteers, Hill had to leave for another appointment in Paoli, Ind.Jennifer Pike, an IU senior and president of Students for Baron Hill, said the visit showed Hill cares about the Bloomington community.“I’ve worked with Baron Hill in his office, and he’s really an inspiring person,” Pike said. “I think we have a very important choice in this election.”Jordan Emily, an IU sophomore and volunteer at the Democrats’ headquarters, said he first heard Hill speak at his high school when he was a senior and continues to be inspired to work for his campaign.“It’s really important that people like Baron Hill get re-elected to help this country move forward,” Emily said. “Todd Young is not from the district. He came from Carmel to a place he himself called ‘middle of nowhere,’ which I think shows a complete lack of respect for the district.”Emily said Hill’s short visit was very important to him and the other volunteers.“It’s always good to know how much he appreciates what we do here,” Emily said. “We understand how important it is to make sure he’s re-elected.”
(10/11/10 3:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Red is for your spouse or partner. Gold is your parent. White is your child. Orange is for your sibling. Purple is for a friend or relative. Green is for your own struggle. And blue is because you support the cause.There was a huge turnout Sunday morning for Out of the Darkness, a walk to raise suicide awareness, which began at Memorial Stadium.According to the Out of the Darkness website, the purpose for the walk, which takes place in over 200 communities nationwide, is to raise money for research and educational programs dealing with suicide prevention.The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention partnered with other groups, such as the Monroe County Suicide Prevention Coalition, to make the walk possible.Those involved wore bead necklaces of different colors to show how suicide had affected them.Ed Schwartzman wore white beads and handed out fliers for “My Suicide,” a movie premiering in Bloomington on Friday. Friday is also the third year anniversary of the death of Schwartzman’s son, Ben. Since then, Schwartzman has been involved in many groups dedicated to suicide awareness.He has worked for the last 45 days to bring “My Suicide” to Bloomington. He said he hopes it will get people talking about this taboo topic.“Without question this is a movie my son and I would’ve seen. It makes you think,” Schwartzman said.He said he doesn’t know whether his son would still be alive if they had seen a film that talks about suicide and its effects so openly, but he believes there is a good chance.James Uland, a part-time student at Ivy Tech, wore gold and blue beads to the event.He said he heard about the event in a campus-wide e-mail. Uland said his father was a victim of suicide, and he believes that raising awareness is important.“This has gotten me aware of the help out there,” he said.Erin Gillingham stood at the booth for the non-profit organization To Write Love on Her Arms. She said she interned there last spring, and the cause resonated with her so deeply that she chose to stay with the group.“We try to inspire hope. To tell people hope is real, help is real,” Gillingham said.She said her participation in the group helped her while she was struggling with emotional problems. To Write Love on Her Arms serves as a bridge to professional help, Gillingham said. They invest heavily in treatment and recovery, and often partner with groups for suicide prevention.Schwartzman said events such as these that bring the topic of suicide into the open are the first steps toward prevention.“Every expert says the key is to start the conversation,” he said.For Schwartzman, the death of his son was a tragedy he will never forget. But he has learned to move forward.“There’s nothing I can do to bring my son back,” Schwartzman said, “But hopefully I can save others.”
(10/07/10 2:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Health care reform has been a hot topic for both lawmakers and average citizens since President Barack Obama’s 2008 victory. Candidates for the 2010 elections have taken different stances on the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which is to be fully enacted within the next few years.The 9th District congressional candidates each offered their opinions on U.S. health care.TODD YOUNGRepublican Todd Young is a Marine veteran who earned his J.D. from IU. He currently serves as deputy prosecutor and previously worked as a delegate to the Indiana Republican State Convention and as a vice precinct committeeman.Young said the government needs to get health care inflation under control. He said health care has not been made more affordable for Americans as the reform was intended.“I actually think that health care reform is a good idea, but I think the end product that congress arrived at was tragic in its result because it actually bends the cost curve of our health insurance upward,” Young said. “The primary objective as I understood it, as I think millions of Americans understood it when we embarked on health care reform, was to make health insurance more affordable.” Young has several ideas to control inflation.“One of the things is to allow people, for example in southern Indiana, to buy health insurance in Ohio or Kentucky or Illinois or any state in the country, but you can’t do that right now because we have state-by-state barriers, so let’s tear those barriers down,” Young said.He also said that the medical malpractice lawsuits system needs to be reformed so that doctors prescribe what they think is the appropriate amount of medication or treatment without the fear of being sued because a lawyer second-guessed their decisions.BARON HILLBaron Hill is the Democrat incumbent, first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1998. He is currently serving his fifth term and is running for re-election this year. He voted in favor of the health care bill.He said that health care legislation was needed as a first step to bring down health care costs.“It will provide health care for Americans while also making insurance more affordable through programs like tax credits for small businesses that provide insurance for their employees,” Hill said.He also said that it will provide important provisions. People can now stay on their parents’ health insurance until they are 26 years old. Hill named this as one of the most important reforms in health care.“It will also lower the deficit by more than $143 billion in 10 years,” Hill said.GREG KNOTTGreg Knott is the Libertarian candidate for the 9th District congressional seat. He is a graduate of IU’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs and currently works as an IT network administrator.He said that health care is a difficult topic to address concisely because of its many problems.“In my view, the underlying problem in health care is that consumers have become disconnected from the real costs of their decisions in the current employer-based third party payer system,” Knott said.He agreed with Young that interstate competition and medical malpractice reform would be positive changes in health care.Knott said he wishes to enact the Healthy Americans Act, a Senate bill that failed to pass in 2008. The act sought a universal health care system paid for by public and private contributions. Private insurance plans would have been established, and people without religious reasons prohibiting the purchase of health care would have been required to do so. “A consumer-driven approach like health savings accounts is my favored long-term solution to lowering health care costs,” Knott said.
(10/05/10 2:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Voter accessibility has been the hot topic for the Monroe County Election Board this fall, and partisan views continue to generate heated debates. Satellite voting sites were shot down by the board in three separate meetings, and the new topic for debate is an extension of hours to vote early in the Curry Building.One of the reasons the board rejected satellite voting sites was because voters can vote early in the Curry Building at 238 W. Seventh St.The Curry Building is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. It will also be open until 8 p.m. on Oct. 8 and from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 23 and Oct. 30. The board has recently discussed extending these hours to evenings and weekends. Democrat Jan Ellis, election board chairwoman, said the current hours make it difficult for those with 9-to-5 jobs to vote early.Republican Jim Fielder, also an election board member, said he wanted to wait to see the turnout of the extended hours on Oct. 8 before deciding whether to extend hours regularly.“It’s hard to understand not setting evening voting hours from the beginning,” said Rick Dietz, Monroe County Democratic Party chairman in a press release. “Indiana is widely recognized as having some of the most restrictive election day voting hours in the nation.”Republican Steve Hogan, Indiana House of Representatives candidate for District 60, criticized Democrats for using voter accessibility debates for political gain.He said Republicans are by no means against voter accessibility and want a good turnout as much as Democrats. He said there are many opportunities to vote early and on election day.Justin Kingsolver, IU College Republicans president and IDS columnist, agreed with this during the last debate of satellite voting sites. He said that he has registered 200 voters for November.But Ellis criticized Republicans for limiting accessibility. She said rejecting satellite sites and extended hours will reduce the number of voters.“They say they want to provide voter access, but they are not doing it,” Ellis said referring to Republicans. “They are actually refusing to take measures that would.”Dietz said this issue should not be sparking the same level of partisan debate that satellite voting did. He said board members do not need a test to determine whether extended hours would be an efficient change and that Fielder, who also serves as Monroe County clerk, should extend the hours now.“It’s time to cut through the Tea Party rancor and do what’s best for Monroe County,” Dietz said. “If we can’t do that with satellite voting. ...then at least we should have regular evening hours for early voting.”
(10/05/10 2:18am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The healing power of prayer is a tenet of many world religions including Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Now, empirical research might indicate that prayer could play a role in the medical field. Candy Gunther Brown, IU associate professor of religious studies, worked with colleagues in a study in Mozambique and Brazil to measure the effects of prayer on patients suffering from visual and audio problems.Patients came to Brown’s team and were given tests to measure their sight and hearing. The patients were prayed for and encouraged to pray for healing. After a period of time, the patients were given the same assessments by Brown’s team.“One of the distinctive things about our study was that we did not rely on self-reports,” Brown said.The amount of change Brown’s team saw was surprising.“Even though we had a relatively small number of subjects, the results were large and consistent enough that they are statistically significant,” Brown said.Dr. John Peteet, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, is one of the critics of the study. He said the results of Brown’s study are still preliminary because no effects were found for the results and there was no follow-up.“Other research suggests that prayer in medical settings is very common, and experienced by patients as helpful,” Peteet said. “I don’t think we know enough about what these findings mean to say yet what they imply for medical staff.”Rev. Bill Breeden of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington said although Unitarian Universalists have their own beliefs about prayer, there is a common prayer in the church’s services.“I can only speak for myself,” Breeden said. “I think prayer is important not because of who is listening, but because of who is praying.”Brown said no one should draw the conclusion that prayer needs to be added to medical care. She said it is rare that a study is conclusive, and this one is no exception.“It’s not appropriate to draw religious conclusions from empirical findings,” Brown said. “It’s an indication that further studies should be done.”Peteet said personally, he believes that some prayers for healing are answered by whoever they are addressed to.“There are psychological reasons such as suggestion and caring that probably account for some effects, but the findings in this study don’t seem so easily explainable on this basis,” Peteet said. Prayer can often unlock healing in one’s body, Breeden said, whether or not any deity hears it.“Prayer is an expression of our deepest joys and sorrows and, as such, has therapeutic values regardless of whether or not anyone else is listening, be they human or other,” Breeden said.
(09/30/10 4:47am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Students live here, work here, call police here, get parking tickets here and shop here. But should students be allowed to vote here?At the Sept. 14 Monroe County Election Board meeting, Bloomington resident Cindy McCullough expressed the view that students should not be allowed to register to vote in Monroe County. Her comments inflamed the students present.A letter to the Monroe County Election Board by Les Compton, the chairman of the Monroe County Republican Party, expressed the effect of the student vote in the 2008 election.“In the general election of 2008, satellite voting accounted for 4,486 votes,” the letter said. “Over 50 percent of those votes were cast on campus. ...I believe that it is safe to assume that the Democrats garnered a distinct advantage from it.”John Spears, Indiana director of Organizing for America, expressed a different view about the impact of student voting on local elections.“It’s pretty simple,” Spears said. “If more students register to vote and participate in the November elections, the future will be shaped by young people, and progress can be made on the issues that matter to students.”And with the Oct. 4 deadline to register to vote fast approaching, students need to act fast if they want their voices heard.“We’ve taken huge strides forward on issues that affect young people because young people made their voices heard in the 2008 election,” Spears said. “If students want to continue that progress, they’ve got to turn out again in 2010.”Monroe County is not the only area where there has been controversy about student voting. In January 2007, a state representative from Maine introduced a bill that would have made college students unable to vote in their college town if they lived in university-owned housing while attending school. Though the bill did not pass, proponents argued that students live in their college towns for only a few years and should not have the power to shape local policies.“The entire reason Bloomington is the Bloomington we know and love today is because of IU,” said Rick Dietz, chairman of the Monroe County Democrats. “Students contribute greatly to our community and are a huge factor in our local economy.”Sophomore Erik Peterson said students have the right and responsibility to vote, just like any other citizen, in the county where they reside.Those who wish to vote must reside at a local address, but do not need to state how long they have lived in the community.Junior Sam Greene said students should not be treated differently in the voting process simply because Monroe County is not their permanent residence.“We spend the majority of the year here,” she said.Dietz said the Monroe County Democrats are working to register everyone they can to vote before the Oct. 4 deadline.“We think voting should be easy, quick and accessible for everyone in our community. It doesn’t matter if you’re a student, factory worker, fireman, accountant, waitress, etc,” Dietz said.Opportunities to register can be found around campus at the Indiana Memorial Union, outside Ballantine Hall and through the county voting office in the Curry Building on Seventh Street.“It is important that we as a collective group are represented properly,” Greene said.
(09/28/10 3:43am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It can be found in your dog. Your new kitten can carry it. Little pests that sneak into the attic are the animals most likely to pass it on, and it’s almost 100 percent fatal.Rabies is still a concern in the United States and specifically in Indiana, officials of the Indiana State Department of Health said.Two people in Indiana have died from rabies since 2006. Before 2006, Indiana had not seen a human case of rabies in 50 years, according to the ISDH.Sept. 28 is World Rabies Day, which is co-sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Alliance for Rabies Control.On World Rabies Day, health organizations are encouraged to provide information sessions about rabies around the world. The ISDH is taking the opportunity to remind Hoosiers of the threat still presentedby rabies.More than 55,000 people, mostly in Africa and Asia, die from rabies every year, according to the CDC. Rabies is completely preventable if treated immediately.Dr. David Crabb, IU School of Medicine professor, said rabies is a severe neurological disorder that causes death and is passed through saliva and brain or nervous tissue.Rabies is usually passed when an infected animal bites or licks the damaged skin of a human, according to the CDC.ISDH officials said rabies in canines has been eliminated from the United States through vaccination and leash laws.However, bats have been identified by the ISDH as the animal of most concern for rabies in Indiana. This year, 21 bats have tested positive for rabies in Indiana.“In addition to vaccinating their pets, people should also avoid contact with wildlife,” Dr. Jennifer House, veterinary epidemiologist, said in a press release. “Since rabies in Indiana is primarily found in bats, I urge people to take extra precautions to avoid exposure to bats.”
(09/27/10 4:50am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The national suicide rate is 11.5 out of 100,000 deaths, but Indiana’s rate is higher at 12.5 out of 100,000 deaths. Numbers such as these hit home this month when Billy Lucas, a student at Greensburg High School, hung himself after enduring bullying because of his sexual orientation, according to reports.This story does not appear to be an uncommon one. Suicide is the third leading cause of death in those age 15 to 24, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s reports in 2007.Dr. Nancy Stockton, director of IU Health Center’s Counseling and Psychological Services, said CAPS takes all suicide threats seriously.“At busier, more stressful times of the year, these threats come in fairly frequently, several times a week,” Stockton said. She said students oftentimes have not developed coping methods for severe stress. The counselors at CAPS focus on helping students develop these methods rather than turning to self-inflicted harm.“In spite of pressures of college, a study by Big Ten universities showed the suicide rate for college students is half that of non-college youth,” Stockton said.She said she believes this is because of the resources available to college students to help them through stress and depression.Greg Chaffin, a Bloomington High School North counselor, said teachers and faculty receive extensive training in identifying at-risk students. The staff is instructed to refer students to the counselors if they appear to be considering suicide.“Counselors are encouraged to create relationships with our students so they know we can be trusted with sensitive information,” Chaffin said. “Most of our student referrals come from other students.”Chaffin said in order to reach a student considering suicide, one must ask direct, clear and solemn questions, such as “Are you thinking about committing suicide? Do you know how you would commit suicide?”“Nine times out of 10, a student feeling that way will say yes,” he said. Daniel Lee Miller, director of the film “My Suicide,” founded www.regenerate.org, a website for those considering or affected by suicide and other public health issues. Miller said since suicide is a somewhat taboo topic, those who have considered it often feel isolated and different from those around them.“The main thing I would say is that when you shatter the silence and start reaching out to people, everyone realizes they aren’t alone,” Miller said.Stockton agreed that togetherness is the greatest weapon against suicide. She said CAPS often, with permission, involves family members in student counseling. They also contact friends of the student to find a place for them to stay.“Caring communities that listen are the greatest protection against suicide,” Stockton said.
(09/27/10 3:38am)
“I remember waking up and trying to remember what you were supposed to
do in the event of an earthquake,” IU student Lindsay Hicks said. “After
it stopped, I thought I was going crazy and it couldn’t have been an
earthquake until I found out on the news that it was.”