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(02/26/13 4:53am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>An amendment made to Senate Bill 371 Monday dropped language that mandated an ultrasound after taking abortion-inducing medication. The bill now requires women prescribed the abortion-inducing drug RU-486 to have an ultrasound before taking the medication and “appropriate testing” afterward to confirm the pregnancy was terminated. “It’s all intrusive into private health care,” said Dr. Sue Ellen Braunlin, co-president of the Health Access and Privacy Alliance. “It takes out your options. They would never do it for any other medical procedure.” The bill also mandates that providers of the drug have surgical abortion facilities, even if they are only prescribing the abortion-inducing medicine.“It would mean that our health center in Lafayette would have to stop providing non-surgical abortions,” said Catherine O’Connor, Planned Parenthood Indiana senior director for public policy.Sen. Travis Holdman, R-Markle, who authored the bill, said in a statement the intent of the bill is “protecting women who are considering abortion-inducing drugs, namely RU-486.” “I understand that with legislation of this nature, people have strong beliefs on both sides of the issue,” Holdman said in the statement. “My objective with this bill is to simply regulate abortion-inducing drugs that have previously not been regulated by our state. I believe the provisions in my bill have the chance to save women’s lives.”Braunlin said this measure is a huge overreach for state officials. “It’s not for safety, it’s to reduce access to abortions,” Braunlin said.O’Connor said Planned Parenthood opposes the bill because it is an intrusion on the practice of medicine.“The decision about how a doctor treats a patient is between the doctor and the patient,” she said.Because RU-486 is taken at an early point in the pregnancy, the required ultrasound would be transvaginal, Braunlin said. A transvaginal ultrasound involves a probe being inserted through the women’s cervix to the uterus, she explained.“It would likely be done anyway,” she said. “But it feels different if you’ve consented to it and it’s offered in your best interest. It’s different than when it is mandated by the state.” According to a press release by HAPA, Sue Swayze, legislative director for Indiana Right to Life, said after the senate committee approved the bill last Wednesday that the ultrasounds would not be intrusive.“I got pregnant vaginally,” she said. “Something else could come in my vagina for a medical test that wouldn’t be that intrusive to me. So I find that argument a little ridiculous.”Braunlin said she does not find the debate ridiculous in the least.“It is a tremendously big deal,” she said. “For some women it is painful, for some women it is psychologically difficult. For women who are rape victims it is especially difficult.” John Stutsman, an IU professor and obstetrician-gynecologist who serves as Planned Parenthood of Indiana’s medical director, said in an email that as a medical provider he is concerned about mandating testing that is not always necessary and codifying medical practice. He opposes the bill for several reasons, he said. “I oppose it because I am for a woman’s autonomy and control over her body,” he said. “I oppose it because I trust women. I oppose it because I am a father of a daughter. I oppose it because I have knowledge and experience of the safety of this procedure.”O’Connor also said the bill would disproportionately affect lower-income women, because the bill exempts physicians in a private physician’s office.“The bill has been crafted under the concern for patient safety,” she said. “One of the problems with it is that woman who can’t get that service at the clinic are more inclined to go to the Internet where the medicine is more readily available.” The committee also passed SB 489 on Wednesday, which mandates that clinics give women the informed consent form with color photographs of fetuses, as opposed to previously black and white photographs, in various stages of development. Additionally, the bill removes a state requirement that women listen to the fetal heartbeat.Despite this point, Braunlin said she believes the bill will only to make it harder for women to get an abortion.“They are concerned that medical abortions are too easy on the woman and too abstract,” Braunlin said. “It appears they just wanted it to be a little more visceral and little more gut-wrenching than it all ready is.”
(02/25/13 5:34am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Hidden amid the sea of second-hand sweaters and racks of worn jeans was the perfect party outfit.At last, Kathryn Vance, an IU freshman, found it: a floral print shirt complete with shoulder pads.For $4.50, the Goodwill find was a bargain. “We tried to find something tacky,” Vance said.In lieu of high heels and mini skirts, Vance and other college students are shopping at second-hand stores to find outfits for thrift-shop-themed parties.Vance said she believes the recent spike in popularity is a result of the song “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four consecutive weeks. “When we were in my room getting ready, we played the song to get pumped for the party,” she said.Vintage Vogue, 422 E. Kirkwood Ave., officials noted a possibly parallel spike in sales.“We definitely have seen an increase in sales in the past few weeks and an increase in college kids coming in,” said Zevon Adkisson, a sales associate at the store. Vintage Vogue is a boutique brand of Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana that receives higher-end or designer donations, with all proceeds funding employment and educational services in central Indiana. The Kirkwood location is the first store of its kind in central Indiana.Adkisson said several college-age customers have come into the store in search of thrift shop outfits.“One girl came in and saw we had those hats with the scarves that you put your hands in,” he said, referring to what is also known as a spirit hood. “She freaked out and said, ‘Oh my gosh! This is in the music video.’”But thrift shopping is no new trend. “For me personally, I don’t have a lot of cash,” he said. “And here we are not trashing anything. This is a good way for us to still make money, but also to save money.”Indianapolis resident Sharilyn Bodi said she stops at the store every time she comes to Bloomington.“I go to thrift stores to find bargains, to find treasures,” she said.The bargains at the Salvation Army store at 111 N. Rogers Street ranged from the 25-cent clothing rack to a $50 furniture set.Emily Redenbarger, an IU employee, looks for her favorite treasures: books.Her desire to thrift is an inherited “family value” to get the most out of a dollar, she said as she held a thick stack of 10 books.In town, she is able to go thrift shopping often at various local thrift stores.“Bloomington has been blessed with a variety,” she said.Tiffany Marcon, a cashier at the Salvation Army store, said she is not sure if there has been a noticeable increase in college students because they come in frequently.She hadn’t heard of any thrift-shop-themed parties based on Macklemore’s song, but she said the store is a popular location for themed college parties.“They just do different things,” she said. “Every year they do the ugly sweater parties. A new one was the girls were dressing up as boys. I don’t know what the boys were wearing,” she said with a laugh.Students also come to buy IU apparel for a fraction of the price it costs at another store, she said.All the proceeds benefit people in need in the community, Marcon said.“We help people with food, clothing, utilities,” she said. “We just had a job fair. We hold church services and run a day care.”The philanthropic aspect, she said, is another reason customers are attracted to thrift stores.“You give a dollar here, and you know it does good for others,” Redenbarger said. “It’s a two-for-one deal.”
(02/21/13 5:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A bill that would ban undercover videos at farms and businesses passed in an Indiana Senate committee last week.Senate Bill 373 would make it a Class A misdemeanor to take an unlawful recording or picture of agricultural or industrial operations with the intent to harass, defame, annoy or harm. It would mean animal rights advocates posing as farm workers could no longer photograph or record alleged abuse undercover and use the recordings for purposes other than reporting the matter to authorities.“The only people that benefit from this law are people who having something to hide,” said Matthew Dominguez, public policy manager for farm animals with the Humane Society of the United States.Proponents said the bill protects the rights of farmers and corporations.“It protects farms, farmers and other industrial facilities from surreptitious recordings,” said Andy Dietrick, director of public relations for the Indiana Farm Bureau. “And it protects against times when, under false pretense, people get onto private property, and they use videos or photographs to bring harm.”Sen. Michael Young, R-Indianapolis, chairs the Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee that approved the bill. At the second reading of the bill Tuesday, Young said an amendment he proposed was added, which allows individuals to legally film or take photographs if they turn the information over to authorities.“My personal opinion is when someone is lawfully on someone’s property, they can do whatever they think is right as far as taking videos and pictures,” Young said. “Now, if they are just doing it for the intention of splicing together, editing or taking out of context, I don’t think that they have the right to do that.” Farmers are not opposed to letting the media view their farms, Dietrick said. What they don’t want are people looking to take videos that misconstrue their operations, he said.“I work with farmers every day,” Dietrick said. “Part of my job is to get media outlets onto the farm. I do it with the permissions of the farmers.”Dominguez said the bill will look out for the best interests of the farmers, not the animals.“I think it’s important to note that the farm bureau sides with the agriculture industry,” Dominguez said. “Through these undercover videos, animal rights organizations have exposed occurrences that the public is not OK with — deplorable acts of abuse. Instead of fixing these acts of abuse, the industry would rather prevent the American public from finding out about them.”An undercover investigation unfolded within Rose Acre Farms, an egg-producer based in Seymour, Ind. An undercover employee of the HSUS used false references to secure a job at the farm and record video. “Egg-laying hens were found in cages so small they couldn’t turn around,” Dominguez said. Young described the effect the situation had on the farm.“We had a large business that almost went out of business because of a constructed video,” Young said, referring to HSUS’s video of Rose Acre Farms. “That’s what we don’t want.”Rose Acre Farms officials declined to comment. No charges were brought against the farm, but Dominguez said a significant number of people stopped buying its eggs.Dietrick said the issue is not about reporting animal abuse but that the alleged information is gathered underhandedly.“I have never seen an instance of animal cruelty or animal abuse, from the biggest chicken egg-laying facility to the smallest dairy farm,” he said. “Personally, when I see those videos posted, I was appalled as anyone. If they are true, if they are not staged — and many are staged — those farmers need to be prosecuted to the full of extent of the law. Most farmers I know feel the same way — most say there’s no room in the business for those practices.”He said self-proclaimed “vigilantes” do not need to take it upon themselves to look for incidents to record or photograph.“If you suspect abuse, your first stop is local law enforcement. The system works,” he said.Dominguez said law enforcement should be involved from the beginning.“When there are egregious acts of animal cruelty that are against the law, we immediately go to the authorities and turn the footage over to the authorities,” Dominguez said. But, he added, photos and video are necessary evidence.“I think a picture is worth a thousand words, and I think a video is worth a million,” he said. “It truly allows someone to understand what’s going on, the pain and suffering. Additionally to that, we need it for documentation.”Young said the amendment allows individuals to still report wrongdoing, while the bill prevents defamation or harm to the business. “We want people to report things they see that are wrong, but we don’t want them to fabricate the information,” Young said.The bill will be voted on by the Indiana Senate by the end of the month.
(02/20/13 4:34am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When North Korea launched its third nuclear test last week, IU seismic equipment detected the blast from more than 6,000 miles away.“It’s a very frightening prospect for the world, to have a relatively unstable and nuclear armed state with not only the capability to attack neighbors, but to also spread nuclear weapons to states around the world,” professor of geological sciences Michael Hamburger said. “This is just one more step towards a nuclear, unstable world.”Hamburger is part of the team that created OIINK- Ozarcs, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, a research collaboration aimed at understanding North America’s continental structure.“We have a seismic experiment that’s in progress that involves deployment of about 70 highly sensitive seismic stations,” Hamburger said. “They were able to detect the nuclear explosion because they pick up seismic waves.”The North Korean blast was right on the threshold of levels detectable by OIINK equipment, he said. From 10,000 km away, the blast produced seismic energy equivalent to a magnitude 5.1 earthquake. Nuclear explosions are measured in kilotons, equal to the power of 1,000 tons of TNT.Hamburger said he believes the North Korean test was in the 3 to 6 kiloton range, compared to the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima, which was in the 14 to 16 kiloton range“But what is important is that it was significantly larger than the first test they did,” he said.Rita Lichtenburg, co-founder of Bloomington Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, stressed the need for vigilant diplomacy with North Korea.“We are strongly for continued communication,” Lichtenburg said. “It is something that has to be carefully handled.”The group has not been emphasizing North Korean nuclear weapons. Rather, it has recently focused discussions on drones and American military bases around the world.“There’s so many things happening, it’s hard to know where to put your energy,” Lichtenburg said. “War and peace issues are so basic.” David Keppel, a member of the Bloomington Peace Action Coalition and co-chair of the Just Peace Task Force of Unitarian Universalist Church, said he doesn’t welcome any country having nuclear weapons.“The truth of this has been the same ever since 1945. As long as we have nuclear weapons, other countries are going to want them, too,” Keppel said. “When the big boys have them, the other kids in the school yard will want them.”Keppel said the solution is to work toward what is known as a ‘global zero’— a nuclear weapons free world.“It’s always dangerous when another country has nuclear weapons,” he said. “These are indefensible weapons. They are weapons that cause such havoc.”The path to nuclear disarmament in North Korea will not be easy, he said.“Not every problem in the world has a neat solution,” Keppel said. “Sometimes the wisest thing you can do is show a certain amount of restraint and caution to avoid conflict. We’re probably not going to be able to get them to completely give up their nuclear program. There might be forms of transparency that, in the long run, we could enforce.”He said the United States shouldn’t continue to belong to a “nuclear club” with only certain nations allowed to join.“If these weapons remain in our arsenals, the truth is they will be used at some point,” he said. “There are only two paths the world can take in the long run. One is nuclear proliferation. The other is nuclear disarmament.”
(02/18/13 2:10am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>From alpaca wool, broccoli and cabbage to a yoga class, Saturday’s winter farmers’ market had something for every attendee.Interested shoppers crowded the gym and hallways of Harmony School, their conversations reverberating off the colorful walls. In addition to the regular plethora of fresh produce, the market featured Community Supported Agriculture share sign-ups from 10 local farms.“The CSAs are basically a produce subscription,” Denise Breeden-Ost, a farmer at Getty’s Creek Farm, said. “It’s a way that people can try new things while supporting local farms.”CSAs allow participants to enjoy a percentage of the farm’s produce during the growing season, Breeden-Ost explained. Each farmer prepares a portion of produce and then customers can pick up their share, usually on a weekly basis. The subscriptions help to sustain local farms by giving them a set income, rather than relying on the weekly market where sales fluctuate, she added.Teresa Birtles with Heartland Family Farm prepares a CSA box for people who love to cook.“I’m combining different products so that when you get home you have ingredients and recipes,” Birtles said. She expects to have more than 100 subscribers for her summer CSA.Bloomington resident James Potts plans to sign up for a CSA for the first time this year. In addition to enjoying the pesticide-free food, he wants to support local gardeners, he said. “Gardening is an especially difficult way to make a living, let alone organic gardening,” Potts said. “There’s nothing quite like fresh produce.”Market master Leslie Burns said the CSA shares benefit both the farmer and the customer. “Personally, the other thing I like about the CSA is it forces me to be creative,” Burns said. “You open up your box and there are foods you have never seen before, and you figure out how to use them.”Burns said the winter market has increased in popularity this year, which means the market may look for a larger venue for next year.“We’ve had a very good year so far, numbers are up from last year,” she said. “Things haven’t slowed down.”This was the first year the market was completely booked.“I really only see us growing,” she said.The month of February included “Live Healthy” events, such as Saturday’s yoga lesson from Vibe Yoga instructor Emily Trinkle.Eleven participants spread their colorful yoga mats in Harmony School’s dance studio for the free class.“People come to yoga for the physical aspect,” Trinkle said. “But it affects your mind as well. It sets your mind in the present.”Madeline Chera, a graduate student at IU, is a regular at Vibe Yoga. “It was really nice that different people could come and try yoga,” she said. “And the small number let Emily come by and adjust our poses.”Trinkle said she loved being able to interact with the Bloomington community and share her passion for yoga.“You can just feel better, breath easier,” she said.
(02/14/13 3:08am)
Jacob Surface packs green and purple shredded cabbage into a jar to make sauerkraut at the Monroe County Public Library event "It's Your Money: Fermented Food Fun!" on Tuesday. The event was organized by Mother Hubbard's Cupboard.
(02/14/13 3:06am)
Bloomington residents Jacob Surface and David Gilther pack cabbage in a jar to make sauerkraut at "It's Your Money: Fermented Food Fun!" on Tuesday at the Monroe Public Library. The event was organized by Mother Hubbard's Cupboard to teach participants the basics of home fermentation processes.
(02/14/13 3:06am)
Jacob Surface packs green and purple shredded cabbage into a jar to make sauerkraut at the Monroe County Public Library event "It's Your Money: Fermented Food Fun!" on Tuesday. The event was organized by Mother Hubbard's Cupboard.
(02/14/13 3:06am)
Stephanie Solomon, Mother Hubbard's Cupboard director of education and outreach, offers fermented food samples to participants at "It's Your Money: Fermented Food Fun!" on Tuesday. The event was sponsored by the Monroe County Public Library and taught participants the basics of home fermentation processes.
(02/14/13 3:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>David Gilther mashed the shredded cabbage into the Mason jar with obvious enthusiasm.“Look, the juice is coming up,” Gilther said excitedly.He pointed to the purple strips of cabbage beginning to release liquid, indicating the jar was ready to be sealed and ferment in order to make sauerkraut. Gilther and about 29 others attended “It’s Your Money: Fermented Food Fun!” Tuesday at the Monroe County Public Library. The event allowed participants to learn the basics of home fermentation, as well as try fermented food samples and make their own sauerkraut.“I’ve always wanted to make sauerkraut,” Gilther said. “I’m going to grow cabbages this summer, and I really hope I can make sauerkraut.” Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard presented the event, which was part of MCPL’s “It’s Your Money” personal finance series.Sarah Bowman, MCPL coordinator for the program, said the fermentation event focused on home economics. In addition to those in attendance, 30 people were on the waiting list, she said. Stephanie Solomon, MHC director of Education and Outreach, and Kayte Young, MHC education coordinator, stood at the front of the room wearing black aprons, a cabbage and cutting board in front of them. Fermentation is the transformative process of microorganisms on food, they explained.“Lacto-fermentation is transferring the starches or sugars in dairy or vegetables, or honey, whatever you’re using and turning them into lacto-bacilli bacteria,” Solomon said. “Usually when you are fermenting, you are bolstering and adding to the amount of nutrition.”The process increases the vitamin content of vegetables and adds probiotics, which aid in digestion, she said.“We can eat as much healthy food as we want, but if we don’t have a healthy digestive system, we aren’t going to assimilate those nutrients,” Solomon said.The pair stressed the safety of home fermentation.“Fermentation is safe, if not the safest form of food preservation that you can do,” Solomon said. The USDA has never had a case of food poisoning from fermented foods.“That’s very reassuring when you are just getting started,” Young said.The fermentation process changes the flavor of the food, as well, Young said.“In my opinion, it makes them much more delicious,” she said. “Some people don’t like it at first, but they try it more and they love it.”Young demonstrated the basics of fermenting a vegetable to the audience. “For vegetables it couldn’t be simpler,” she said. She proceeded to finely chop a cabbage and massaged salt into the pieces. Her hands gradually turned a bright purple as she squeezed the juice from the vegetable. When the vegetable turned almost translucent, it was ready to be put into a jar. “That’s when you know you’ve done your job,” Solomon said. The cabbage then ferments for three days to six weeks. The audience tried their hand at making sauerkraut, or sampled kimchi (Korean sauerkraut) and pickled cauliflower. They shared tips among themselves and asked Solomon and Young questions.The best part of learning to ferment is the community involvement and sharing with your neighbors, the presenters said.“They’re throwing their SCOBYs (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast) at you, they’re giving you their kefir grans,” Solomon said.
(02/13/13 5:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Every winter, murders descend upon Bloomington.No, not a spike in crime — a “murder” is one name for a flock of crows.“It’s a rather draconian term,” said John Castrale, a non-game bird biologist with the Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife. Castrale explained why the birds flock to Bloomington by the thousands each year.“Crows are social animals,” he said. “During the winter they form night roosts in protected areas. That lasts through the winter until mating season in the spring.”Though the cacophony of crow caws can be an annoyance, Castrale said they do not pose a large health threat.“There are some potential health concerns with accumulations of droppings below the trees they roost in,” he said. “The richness in the droppings can stimulate some naturally occurring fungus in the soil that could cause health problems.”One area in Bloomington that became a roost for crows this winter was West Second Street, near Kroger. “The one problem was how foul it was as far as the droppings,” said Kevin Hall, manager of Second Street Antique Mall. “It was weird, that’s for sure.” Because the crows return to their roost in the evening, around sunset, Hall said the birds did not inhibit his business, which closes at 6 p.m. He said the large amount of crows are gone now. Assistant professor of biology Jim Hengeveld rationalized that the migration to urban areas probably began out of a desire for safety. “They typically roost in tall trees, which can be found in the city,” he said. “In the winter time it’s usually a little bit warmer in urban areas. There is also more artificial lighting.”This provides protection from owls, the primary predators for crows, he said.Though some individuals put up owl statues in an attempt to scare the birds away, Hengeveld said it’s ineffective.“Putting up models of great horned owls totally does not work,” he said. Rather, more effective methods include loud banging noises, or broadcasting recordings of crow distress calls. But it’s a tedious process.“You have to do it every night, and you have to do it through the whole period of roosting,” he said.Comfort is a large part of the reason for the return of the crows each year.“There’s a history here. Birds learn from year to year, and the information is passed on from generation to generation,” Castrale said.Hengeveld said the Bloomington roost may be increasing.“It seems like the crow roost, if anything, has been getting slowly bigger over the years,” Hengeveld said. “I would imagine that they are 10 to 20 thousand in number.” He said the roost is composed of both local birds and migrants.“A lot of them are from the general area year-round, and a lot of them probably are migrant birds that migrate from farther north,” he said.However, as the spring mating approaches, the winter crow roosts will dismantle.“They should start dissipating in the next couple of weeks. The migrant crows will be moving in the next couple of weeks,” he said. “The resident crows will start breeding in the next three to four weeks. In another month, the roosts will have dissipated.”Until next year, when the murders will return.“That’s kind of just the nature of the beast,” Castrale said.
(02/08/13 4:41am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indiana is struggling to maintain $40.4 million in federal highway funding after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration deemed Indiana’s drunken driving laws insufficient.Indiana Department of Transportation spokesperson Will Wingfiel said no federal or state policies regarding drunk driving have changed since 2005. NHTSA officials reevaluated state laws in December.“Following this review, they found a majority of states not to be in compliance,” Wingfield said. “That means that a majority of states are potentially unable to take advantage of federal funds that were previously available.”The discrepancies between Indiana laws and the NHTSA requirements are very specific, Wingfield said. They refer to open container policies and community service for repeat offenders.“Federal law requires a certain number of days of community service, but for it be enforceable at the state and local level it needs to be converted to hours,” he said. “The point of contention there is converting days to hours. The second item is if the driver of a limousine or a bus driver should be able to possess...an open container. It only applies to drivers of those types of vehicles.”In reference to the second requirement, according to NHTSA, state law could be interpreted as permitting the driver of a transportation vehicle, which includes busses, house trailers and limousines, to be allowed to possess an open container. The Indiana law permits open containers only in the “passenger compartment” of vehicles, but according to NHTSA, the law could be interpreted otherwise.Unless the laws are strengthen, INDOT cannot access the funds. The money would have to be applied to anti-drunken driving programs or highway safety improvements, Wingfield said.“What could potentially happen is that a little more than $40 million that are distributed as public officials see fit on highway projects, will be devoted to the state safety program,” Wingfield said. “It would place a limitation on our capital program that would be able to build necessary projects.” The state received notice of NHTSA’s reevaluation Jan. 3. The Indiana legislature has until the federal fiscal year begins in October to pass a bill updating the current law. House Roads Committee Chairman Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, proposed a bill that would implement these changes.Wingfield said the time frame is unfair, considering the state does not have a full time legislature. “It’s only fair that if NHTSA is changing its interpretation, we be given enough time to change our laws before being affected by repercussions.”After INDOT received the letter from NHTSA, officials had 30 days to respond explaining their situation. Wingfield said they immediately responded to NHTSA, asking for more time to make state laws compliant.
(02/07/13 1:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Visitors to the Bloomington Animal Care and Control Shelter can pet Abilene, a calico cat, or shake the paw of Luke, a Labrador retriever, just two of 53 animals up for adoption.The shelter has processed more than 212 adoptions since Jan. 1, striving to ensure each potential adopter will provide a good home for their new pet.Each potential adoptee undergoes a thorough adoption process, but it’s hard to imagine someone would go through the steps in order to abuse an animal, said Laurie Ringquist, manager of the shelter. “Very few people that have that intention are bold enough to walk into a shelter and go through that process,” she said. “There’s easier ways to get an animal than to jump through our hoops.”Yet, that very anomaly occurred recently when former IU student Christopher Gugliuzza came to the shelter and expressed interest in adopting an orange-and-white cat named Lennox. Gugliuzza stole the cat, leaving past an empty front desk, and is now accused of torturing the animal.“We want to build relationships built on trust,” Ringquist said. “But we’re not mind readers. Obviously people can lie to us.”Ringquist said the shelter is now ensuring someone is constantly at the front desk. The shelter’s security cameras allowed the shelter to quickly identify Gugliuzza. The adoption process also is a safeguard to ensure pets are being adopted by caring owners.After adoption paperwork is filled out, staff and volunteers trained to be adoption councilors meet with the prospective owners. “We ask a lot of questions,” Ringquist said. “It’s really kind of a conversation with the potential adoptee to see if adopting a pet is the right step for them.”Adoption counselors look for the intentions of the adopter. “We don’t adopt dogs out to be chained 24/7 or cats to live outside as barn cats,” she said. The shelter does not conduct a criminal background check as it is not a law-enforcement agency, but it does have its own internal database dating back to 2005.“We check everyone to see if we have had any negative complaints or if they have a positive history,” she said.Animal control officers work in conjunction with the shelter, responding to calls and complaints from nuisance barking to animal abuse and neglect.“There is a very specific definition in city ordinance and state law,” she said. ”We can only enforce the legal definition.” The local ordinance covers animal care for violations that don’t rise to the state ordinance level, she said, referring to Bloomington Municipal Code Chapter Seven.“A local ordinance violation, it’s a much less severe, but it’s still a violation,” she said.Sarah DeLone, education program director for the Monroe Humane Association, said abused and neglected animals are more likely to come from free pet advertisements or pet stores than the shelter, because of ease of availability.Delone said she helps to promote awareness about animal cruelty and neglect.“A lot of what we look at and talk about is to promote empathy,” she said. “We talk about respect and providing responsible care.”One of the reasons animal abuse is such a serious issue is that it tends to be an indicator crime, DeLone said. “Animal abuse is really important as a social concern, because it often occurs in the context of other violence,” DeLone said. “It’s a lot about power, and it’s a lot about control.”She said neglect is a more common problem than abuse, however. “Neglect can be anything from not taking an animal to a vet to not feeding it properly,” she said.The Association responds to the issue by making education and resources available, such as the shelter’s pet food bank or the Pets ALIVE low-cost spay and neuter clinic, DeLone said.“The more knowledge and resources we give to people, I think the less neglect we will see,” she said.
(02/01/13 5:35am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This year’s flu season is the deadliest in half a decade, Indiana State Health Department records show.The latest ISHD report, as of Jan. 30, brought the number of influenza-related deaths to 43. Three flu deaths occurred in the last week — the same number as the entire death toll for the 2011-12 flu season. The 2010-11 flu season listed 25 deaths.“In terms of scope, this season is classified as a moderate-severe influenza season,” Pam Pontones, ISDH epidemiologist, said.She explained that the 2007, 2004 and 2003 seasons were also classified as moderate-severe. The flu season spans from Oct. 1 to the end of May.“While this is a more intense season than we have seen in recent years, it is still typical of past seasons,” she said.The flu strain prominent this season is Influenza A or H3N2, Pontones said. Cases of the Influenza B strain have also been reported.The vaccination for this flu season is approximately 62-percent effective, according to ISDH. This is an average efficacy rate for a flu vaccination, said Amanda Roach, spokesperson for IU Health Bloomington Hospital.Seventeen of the 43 fatal cases in Indiana involved people who were already vaccinated. Ten of them were documented as not vaccinated. Pontones said one explanation for the deaths of those who were vaccinated is that the vaccine takes 10 to 14 days to become fully effective.“The efficacy of the vaccine and how many people get vaccinated are factors,” Pontones said. “And some of it depends on the virus itself.”Young children, adults older than 65, pregnant women and individuals with underlying medical conditions are more susceptible to the flu, Roach explained.Forty-two of the 43 Indiana deaths reportedly had underlying medical conditions including cardiac disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, asthma and renal disease. Two of the influenza deaths were persons younger than 18. In response to the number of flu patients IU Health has seen, the hospital has implemented stricter visiting restrictions. Similar restrictions were also implemented during the 2009 H1N1 flu season, Roach said.“Because we’ve seen so much flu in the community, we have put in place some voluntary restrictions to protect patients,” Roach said. “They allow patients to have only two healthy adult visitors.” In this case, “healthy” refers to a physical state free of flu-like symptoms and no recent exposure to the flu, Roach said.The numbers of patients coming to the IU Health Urgent Care locations with flu symptoms has decreased, which Roach hopes is indicative of the flu season winding down.“The first two weeks of January, 95 people came with flu-like symptoms, while 75 people came with symptoms in the last two weeks of January,” she said. “It’s still quite a bit, but is coming down.”Pontones said it’s still too early to know whether the flu season has reached its peak.“It’s impossible to predict,” she said. “The influenza virus itself is unpredictable. We certainly encourage anyone who hasn’t been vaccinated to get a flu shot. It’s not too late to get the flu vaccination.”To find where to get a flu shot near you, an online locator is available at statehealth.in.gov and flu.gov.
(01/30/13 6:52am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Data from Duke Energy Indiana and the Monroe Water Treatment Plant revealed a reduction in water and electricity use in 2012.Duke Energy provides electricity for commercial, government, industrial and residential establishments.The electricity report for the Bloomington district showed a 2.25-percent drop in total use from 2011 to 2012 and a 5.09-percent drop in total use from 2010 to 2012. The commercial, residential and government categories showed decreased use between 2011 and 2012, while the industrial sector’s electricity use showed a 1.92-percent increase.The Monroe Water Treatment Plant serves Monroe County and parts of Brown County, said Rachel Atz, water quality coordinator for the utilities department.In addition to being used to provide water to customers, water treated at the plant is also used to backwash water filters, fight fires and flush water transmission mains, Atz said.The 2012 report showed a 6.82-percent decrease in water treated at the plant compared to the previous year. Usage levels in 2012 were higher than 2010 levels by less than 0.001 percent.Atz said she believes last year’s drought contributed to the reduction in 2012.She said in May and June 2012, the treatment plant was producing water at its maximum capacity of 24 million gallons per day. Because there was less rainfall, residents used more water by watering their lawns and filling their swimming pools to cool off, she said.“We actually had, for the first time ever, voluntary and mandatory water restrictions,” she said. Despite above-average water usage levels prior to the restrictions, the same restrictions resulted in an overall decrease for the year, Atz said.Currently, the facility is undergoing a $46 million expansion to increase the amount of water it can treat to 30 million gallons per day.Atz said this will help prevent water restrictions in the future.“We don’t expect to have that problem this year,” she said. “Our new facility will allow us to meet the needs of the community.”
(01/29/13 4:16am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The runway is quiet, save the caw of the birds circling overhead in the crisp winter wind.A distant rumble.Then, a roar. The Cessna 172SP rips down the straightaway, gaining momentum, reaching speeds of 80 miles per hour. Matt pulls back on the yoke, lifting the nose of the plane. Inch by inch, the wheels rise.The 2,000-pound craft is airborne.In minutes, the sight and sound of the plane are swallowed by the blue expanse of sky.***Two years and $10,000 ago, Matt Laherty, 41, could only dream of a flying license. He’d flown before in friends’ planes and with his twin brother, who owns a personal aircraft, a Piper Cherokee.But passing the Federal Aviation Administration test to earn his private pilot license was a goal he had yet to achieve.“I’ve always wanted to fly,” Laherty said. “I decided to do it now before I retire.”He is taking lessons at BMG Aviation, Bloomington’s only fixed-base operator at the Monroe County Airport. After 75 hours of flight instruction, Laherty has scheduled his final test for next week.He said he’s feeling confident, a grin spreading beneath his scruffy beard. Even his first time flying, he wasn’t nervous.“For me, it was never scary,” he said. “Once you’re in the plane, your training kicks in.”Laherty is just one of the 10 to 20 students instructor Joe Deckard teaches. Deckard has taught at BMG for five years since graduating from flight school and has flown private planes around the country.“It’s unlike anything else that you’ll ever do,” he said. “Unless you’ve done it, it’s hard to explain. Once you get hooked on it, though, that’s it. It’s over.”He talks about the aircraft in BMG’s hanger with a sense of familiarity that shows his expertise.“They’re just machines,” he said. “Unlike a car, you have to control a plane in three dimensions left, right, forward, up and down.” He tilted a wooden airplane model to demonstrate. As the plane moves down the runway, the pilot uses his feet to control the plane, which is called taxiing, he explained. In the air, it’s a combination of using the steering wheel, called a yoke, and the pedals, which together control the horizontal and vertical flaps.Deckard has controls on his side of the plane as well — just in case. “I can always relieve him of his command,” he said. “But you have to let them learn from their mistakes, too. I never let them go past the point where I can’t fix it.”He said his students come from all walks of life. “It ranges greatly from 15-year-old kids to, one time, I had a 67-year-old,” he said.Some complete the minimum 40 hours in months, while others, like Laherty, might take several years.“What happens is you really have to spend the time to understand the controls,” he said. “You have to go back and refresh your skills.”You can’t go away for two months and come back and be in the same place you left off, he said. He wants to make sure he is going to pass the test when he takes it.“It’s a big commitment, both in terms of time and money,” Laherty said. BMG has been in business for more than a decade, manager Mary Beth Wampler said. She said about 30 people are in the flight program at any given time.“Everyone from factory workers, to professors, to doctors,” she said. “Most do it just for fun.”For Laherty, flying is for recreation. He said he considers one day taking his 11- and 9-year-old kids for a flight, but for now, it is just him in the sky.“It’s very serene,” he said. “It’s very liberating.”***Not every day is a good day to fly, Deckard said, but Saturday morning dawned bright and clear. “A day like today is great — it’s five knots straight down the runway,” he said.The instructor and the student walked to the hanger, joking about how thankful they were to have heat in the Cessna 172SP that day. Laherty performed the preflight check on the single-engine airplane, a process that has become second nature. He ducked beneath the wing to check the fuel and oil, then the antennas, wing flaps and radial tires before moving to the interior. Finally, the plane was deemed ready for flight. Deckard rolled the hanger door open, the sunlight streaming in, illuminating the hanger and reflecting off Laherty’s sunglasses as he sat ready in the cockpit. “He had to put on his sunglasses to look cool,” his instructor said, laughing.They taxied down the runway, the black asphalt crisscrossed with the chalky tread marks of thousands of aircraft.“November 498 Sierra Papa is ready for departure,” Laherty said into his headpiece.The familiar response came over the airwaves.“Cleared for take-off.”
(01/28/13 5:22pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Somewhere amid a muddle of leases and landlords, you are trying to figure out the logistics of renting. Here are a few tips from Randall Frykberg, director of IU’s Student Legal Services. Consider them before you get the keys to your new home.Do take pictures of your property before you move in.Inspect the area thoroughly and note any defects. The strongest cases Student Legal Services receives are those with visual evidence, Frykberg said. “If a defect seems important (windows, door locks, bugs), don’t accept the keys unless your landlord fixes it,” he said.Do know your rights as a tenant.Though most of your rights are specific to your lease, the government also mandates certain standards. The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or disability.Bloomington code requires all residential renting units meet specific qualifications including:• a heating unit that reaches 65 degrees• working plumbing• stable structure and lockable doors• sufficient light and ventilation• fire protection systems and exitsFor the complete list visit bloomington.in.gov.Don't give your landlord a reason to report you.Your landlord, or your neighbors, can report you for a variety of city violations. These include noise, trash and yard maintenance.Your landlord might require you sign a list of house rules covering pets, quiet hours and so forth.If you break them, you can be evicted. Clauses on your lease might allow your landlord to evict you for certain criminal violations. These include “use and/or sale of illegal drugs, serving alcohol to a minor and even consumption of alcohol by a minor,” according to Student Legal Services.Do purchase renters insurance.Renters insurance protects your belongings in case of fire, flood, theft and other disasters. Frykberg said renters insurance is especially important for students with valuable possessions, such as expensive computers, televisions, cameras or other electronics.Adding renters insurance onto your parents’ homeowners insurance for about $15 to $20 a month is easy. Your car insurance provider can also easily add renters insurance to your policy.Don’t allow friends to engage in illegal activities on your property.As the Student Legal Services website says, “You did a bad deed, hosting friends and their weed.”Keep in mind you can be held accountable for any illegal activities you permit.Do pick your roommates carefully.“It’s not a Friday night hookup, it’s more like a marriage,” Frykberg said.It’s important to live with someone you trust. You could end up paying your roommate’s share of the rent if your lease includes a “joint and several liability” clause.Do contact Student Legal Services or the Housing and Neighborhood Development Department if you have questions.Student Legal Services, 703 E. Seventh St., offers legal services paid for by your student activity fee.HAND investigates rental complaints for violations of the Property Maintenance Code. The department’s website describes necessary steps in filing a rental complaint at bloomington.in.gov/hand.Don’t sign your lease until you have read it carefullyYou are agreeing to a binding contract with your landlord.
(01/28/13 5:22pm)
Insurance, legal matters, rights and responsibilities
(01/25/13 3:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With a drink in one hand and the desire to go green in the other, the Bloomington branch of Green Drinks met Wednesday evening to begin the year.Green Drinks is an international organization that encourages local, social and educational interactions regarding environmental issues. Edwin Datschefski, who founded Green Drinks in 1990 in London, England, said in an email he estimates there are 1,000 branches in 60 countries. The Bloomington branch was formed in 2009, said Marcia Veldman, a member of the organizing committee. “It was an instant success here in Bloomington,” Veldman said. “It’s helped bring together people interested in sustainability, but working on it in different sectors. I think through Green Drinks those connections are made.”At Wednesday’s meeting, IU geology professor Michael Hamburger presented “Catastrophe! Natural Disasters, Sustainability, and the Future of Civilization.”“He was kind of comparing the two parts of his professional interests — natural disasters, things out of human control, and things in the environment that are results of people’s choices,” O’Donnell said. Hamburger said his talk was a turnaround from typical speeches on protection of the environment to protection from the environment.“It’s a topic that interests people,” he said. “What I tried to do was link the concept of disasters and disaster mitigation with the concept of sustainability and the long-term survival of civilization.”He spoke to a packed house of about 80 people, Veldman said.Hamburger said the audience was responsive for his first presentation with Green Drinks. “They were an engaged and interested audience and after a few beers, they were eager to learn more,” he said with a laugh.Green Drinks meetings typically last from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. the fourth Wednesday of each month at the Banquet Facility of the Upland Brewing Company. Each meeting combines a presentation by a speaker with time for the green community to socialize and make announcements.“It’s a really neat way to bring together people in the sustainability community,” Veldman said. “Because Bloomington is kind of a sustainability hot spot. It allows us to get speakers in the forefront of sustainability issues.”Molly O’Donnell, a Bloomington resident and a regular Green Drinks attendee, said a wide variety of topics are discussed.“It’s interesting to meet people talking about creating a hiking trail or focused on local food,” O’Donnell said. Green Drinks will meet again 6 p.m. Feb. 27 at the Upland Brewing Company. The meeting will feature presentations from local faith communities and solar contractors who will be installing solar panels this spring at four Bloomington places of worship.
(01/24/13 3:40am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Jeffery Allen stood behind the Broadview Learning Center lectern Wednesday, a blue pinwheel, the symbol of Prevent Child Abuse America, pinned to his lapel.He announced the formation of Nurture Engage and Transform, the Bloomington chapter of Prevent Child Abuse Indiana, an organization working to prevent child abuse and neglect in Indiana.“The aim is simple,” said Allen, president of NET. “To fully realize the vision of Monroe County and Bloomington by addressing the common stresses that can lead to abuse and neglect.”The Bloomington chapter specially selected the name NET. “We liked the image of a net, the security of having a safety net,” Allen said. “It speaks to what our chapter wants to adhere to.” Mayor Mark Kruzan spoke at the event, reflecting on his past work to combat child abuse.“I’m happy to see how much has happened since then, but one glaring issue remains, and that is fatalities,” Kruzan said. “When you have 30 to 50 fatalities a year on your hands, that’s a crisis.”He spoke about the costs of child abuse — the loss of life, the opportunities lost and the costs to social services. “This is done for the generation of children that will suffer if nothing is done,” he said.The Asset Building Coalition of Monroe County and the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office collaborated to form the new chapter.Monroe County Prosecuting Attorney Chris Gaal proposed the idea of forming the Bloomington chapter to ABC. He recalled the child abuse and neglect cases he encountered during the years.“It was a terrible tragedy when a child was hurt in the community,” he said. “We need to do something to prevent those terrible cases from happening in the first place.”He spoke about recent initiatives to prevent child abuse, such as the formation of Susie’s Place, a child advocacy center in Bloomington. He hopes the new chapter will not only respond to the problem of child abuse, but also prevent new occurrences.“We have to be always thinking about more than our response,” Gaal said. “We have to think about how to get out in front of the problem.”Emily Perry, director of Susie’s Place, said she hopes to continue working with NET. She said the need for prevention is exemplified by the increase in cases Susie’s Place has seen in the past years — from 31 cases in 2010 to 169 cases in 2012.“We don’t want to meet those kids,” she said. “The key is to get them before they ever get to that point.”Mary Armstrong-Smith, Prevent Child Abuse Indiana community partners director, presented the Bloomington council with their official charter.“There are all kinds of people, artists, mechanics (and) cashiers that can do something in our community that can make it less likely for a child to be hurt,” she said. “Our communities are interconnected. They are woven together. That’s why the process of getting together is crucial.”Allen said the chapter plans to begin the year by partnering with the Broadview Neighborhood Association.He said this partnership will focus on the needs of the neighborhood and create a strong model to expand to other neighborhoods in the future. “We’re not doing this because it’s easy, we are doing this because it is hard and it is necessary,” he said.To report an incident of child abuse or neglect in Monroe County, Monroe county child services can be contacted at 812-336-6351.