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(10/15/12 3:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Bloomington resident Mitzi Toner and her sister, Danielle Toner, began the walk at the back of the crowd, their six dogs’ leashes tangling as they made their way down Seventh Street. Danielle walked with her white mixed-breed Labrador, Kali, who has been deaf since birth. “Her litter mate died this summer,” Danielle said. “She’s kind of lost because she depended on her to show her the way.”The two sisters said they heard about the Monroe County Humane Association’s 2012 Run for the Animals through their friend, Suzi Worsham. Worsham came to help walk two of the sisters’ six dogs. “I saw it on a billboard,” Worsham said. “My niece is also running in it.”The walk took place Sunday morning at Dunn Meadow. It started with a timed 5K run followed by an untimed walk for all registered participants and their dogs. The 5K route began on Seventh Street, looped up Union Street and down North Jordan Avenue and wound back by Ballantine Hall, according to the route map. The Monroe County Humane Association has sponsored the fundraiser for 15 years, CEO Sarah Hays said.“It raised $32,000 last year,” Hayes said. This year they hoped to meet that same total, she said. “For the run, we had more registrants this year,” she said. “I think we had over 300.”Hayes said event organizers planned to follow the 5K run and walk with a festival in Dunn Meadow complete with dog shows, costume contests and other activities for families and their dogs. Due to the potential of storms in the forecast, the group decided to cancel the festival portion, which usually brings in $3,500 to $4,000 in funds. Without the festival funds, Hayes said it would be difficult to reach their goal. The humane association is an animal welfare nonprofit funded completely through donations. It works closely with the City of Bloomington Animal Shelter, Hayes said. The association provides several programs related to Bloomington animal rights and welfare, including legislative work, disaster rescue response programs and safety net programs that provide spay and neuter assistance to low-income pet owners. “Last year alone, we provided $30,000 in spay and neuter assistance to the community,” Hayes said. After the race, there was an awards ceremony, withtrophies were awarded to the top three runners in male and female categories. There was a youth category for runners younger than 14. Several other age category winners were announced, each receiving a $20 gift certificate for the Indiana Running Company. There was a raffle with prizes including gift packages from the Magnificent 7 Road Race Series. The top prize was tickets to an IU basketball game, Hayes said. Bloomington resident Karl Eagleman was the overall race winner, finishing in 19 minutes and 41 seconds. “I’m excited about winning but even more excited about supporting the cause,” he said. His wife, Andrea Eagleman, also ran the race. Andrea said the couple purchased a cat through the animal shelter, a black and white calico named DC. She’s run the race the last two years.“I’m very thankful that we have our cat,” Andrea said. “This is an important race for me.”
(10/15/12 3:16am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____> group of Bloomington residents ranging from young IU graduates to retired business owners met in the City Council Chambers Thursday. The meeting served as the final class of a nine-week program called the Citizens’ Academy, an interactive program allowing Bloomington residents an opportunity to learn about the services, responsibilities and challenges of local government, program manager Vickie Provine said. The meeting began with Beverly Calendar Anderson, director of the Safe and Civil City program, speaking about the different commissions and responsibilities of the Community and Family Resources Department. She was followed by presentations from City Council President Tim Mayer and Councilman Darryl Neher, as well as a presentation from City Clerk Regina Moore. Following the presentations, participants who had attended the class six out of the nine weeks were given a certificate of completion. Thirty applicants are selected for the free program, which took place every Thursday night from Aug. 16 through last Thursday, according to the application. Preference for the program is given to Bloomington residents, Provine said. Each week, the group is provided with presentations and reading materials from city leaders and department representatives, including four of 11 elected city officials, Moore said. Aside from presentations in City Hall, the group attends several off-site meetings and tours, Provine said. This year, the group’s field trips included tours of the police and fire departments and a walking tour of several parks and neighborhoods. They also planted a tree at Third Street Park, she said. This is the 14th year of the program, Provine said. When the program began, Provine said she received phone calls from around the country and even from Europe on behalf of communities seeking to model Bloomington’s program. “I have lived in several cities, and I have not lived in a city that has this kind of program,” Anderson said. The group was initiated by the Housing and Neighborhood Development department in 1999 as a way to educate neighborhood leaders about city hall operations, Provine said. “It evolved into something no one expected,” Provine said. Program participation has expanded to include candidates running for office, social services workers and college professors, she said. Participants Mohammed Mahdi and Anthony Duncan, who graduated from IU in 2006 and 2011, respectively, said they believe the program is a great way for IU students to learn about job opportunities. “We just started a small business, so we wanted to learn more about Bloomington and what programs were available,” Duncan said. Mahdi and Duncan recently signed a lease in the City Technology Park for their small soap-making business. Moore said she has realized that the further away students are from downtown, the more isolated they become from the Bloomington community. Provine said she hopes participants take away the understanding that any resident can become invested in the local government process. “We’re all attuned to state and national news, but this is what affects you the most,” Provine said.
(10/15/12 12:21am)
City Council President Tim Mayer speaks to the Citizens' Academy class Thursday in the City Council Chambers. The class graduated from a nine-week interactive program in which they learned about the programs and responsibilities of local government.
(10/15/12 12:21am)
Director of the Safe and Civil City Program Beverly Calendar Anderson speaks to the Citizens' Academy class Thursday in the City Council Chambers. The class graduated from a nine-week interactive program in which they learned about the programs and responsibilities of local government.
(10/11/12 4:53am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The City of Bloomington invited community members to participate in planning workshops Tuesday to gain feedback on redevelopment plans for recently acquired downtown property. Stakeholders, homeowners and city employees alike walked around the old warehouse where the workshops took place, studying diagrams and posters for the project and leaving comments on Post-it notes when they saw fit. “This has been a vision that has been designated since 2005,” Bloomington Economic and Sustainability Director Danise Alano-Martin said. Alano-Martin has spearheaded the process on behalf of the city. A team of architects, engineers, developers and marketing experts has been hired to plan the project. The property for the project was acquired through the state’s Certified Technology Parks program, said Craig Gossman. Gossman is the principal of MKSK, the design firm leading the consultant team. The program aims to develop the real estate into a technology-focused industrial and residential region that is well-integrated into downtown, Gossman said. He also said redeveloping this property is important for three reasons, the first of which focuses on historic preservation.About 100 years ago, the property was part of the Showers Brothers Furniture manufacturing facility, considered the largest furniture factory in the world at the time, Gossman said. When it went out of business in the mid-1950s, the space became vacant and was eventually acquired by IU for several services, including printing and food services. IU decided to sell the real estate to the city and relocate its services. “These buildings represent an industrial milestone,” he said.Alano-Martin said the project would also aim to provide employment for skilled workers, encouraging IU graduates to stay in the city. “It’s a great opportunity for business and research going on at IU to transfer over to Bloomington,” she said. Gossman said the most important benefit would be shining national attention on Bloomington as a college town focused on technology. The plans outlined at the workshops could take 20 to 30 years to actualize, he said. John West, a redevelopment commission member, said the plans should be ready for city approval by February. “If the consultants get done in February, it will take months to get it through the city council,” he said. But because of market research and community feedback the team has gathered, West said he believes city approval could be quickened. Bloomington resident Lucy Schaich said she attended the workshop to learn about how the plans could affect her neighborhood. “I would like to see more green space,” she said. “I’d like to see it stay publicly accessible.”Alano-Martin said she was pleased with the workshop turnout. About 60 people attended the first session and about 20 attended the second. “People are excited to see the plans,” she said. “Getting feedback from them is vital for us going forward.”
(10/10/12 3:28am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A variety of Monroe County community leaders ranging from school administrators to prosecutors gathered Wednesday at 400 W. Seventh St. to discuss prescription drug abuse in the county. State Rep. Peggy Welch, D-60th District, directed the roundtable conference. Welch was appointed to the newly established Prescription Prevention Task Force by Attorney General Greg Zoeller, according to a press release.The force consists of a team of about 40 to 50 people focused on addressing the problem of prescription drug abuse through education, law enforcement and treatment.“I want us to educate the public for them to understand this is a serious epidemic, not only for the nation but also for the state of Indiana,” Welch said. Welch said the goals of the initiative consist of reducing prescription drug abuse and reducing the number of deaths from accidental overdose. “In 10 years, there has been a 500 percent increase in accidental poisoning, and that’s very scary,” Welch said. Welch said Indiana is second in the nation in terms of teenagers experimenting with drugs. Welch said one in nine Hoosiers ages 12 to 24 admit to using prescription drugs for non-medical reasons. One of the largest challenges is getting people to understand the serious nature of the substances and their potential to develop an addiction, she said. Monroe County Prosecutor Chris Gaal said another cause of prescription drug abuse is the accessibility in most homes. Gaal said about 70 percent of abusers receive their prescription drugs from family and friends.Monroe County is addressing this problem through its new Pharmaceutical Safe Disposal Program. As part of the pilot program, the county has placed disposal boxes in two different locations in Bloomington, encouraging residents to dispose of their unused or unwanted pharmaceuticals. The boxes are located at 3400 S. Walnut St. and 601 W. Second St. The program has collected 1,441 pounds of medications so far at these locations, Gaal said. Gaal said this is a disposal alternative that is both safe and accessible to residents all year-round. “We want to encourage people to remove the incentive for these types of crimes,” Gaal said.
(10/10/12 3:28am)
The
Supreme Court of the United States will revisit the debate about
affirmative action today during the official hearing of Fisher v.
University of Texas.
(10/08/12 3:49am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Indiana Department of Transportation has awarded a construction contract for about four miles of Interstate 69 between Harmony Road and a branch of Clear Creek, the first section of the highway entirely in Monroe County. The winning bid of $57.5 million, belonging to E.S. Wagner Company from Toledo, Ohio, was 16 percent lower than the engineer’s cost estimate, according to a press release. Seven different companies competed for the bid. INDOT spokeswoman Cher Elliott said several other bids fell below the cost estimate, but the winning bid was the lowest. Elliot attributed the low bids to the competitive market for construction contracting in the state. “All of our projects statewide have this trend, with the economy the way it is,” Elliot said. This specific stretch of the highway corresponds to Segment 8 of Section 4 of the 142-mile corridor expected to connect Evansville to Indianapolis, according to the press release. 65 miles between Evansville and the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center are currently under construction and expected to open at the end of 2012. The construction has been a debated issue for about two decades. It was approved by the Federal Highway Administration in March 2004 after the release of the Tier 1 Environmental Impact Study. Both Section 4 and Section 5 of the interstate will fall in Monroe County, said Josh Desmond, director of the Bloomington/Monroe County Metropolitan Planning Organization. Section 4, which consists of 27 miles between Crane and State Road 37, should be open to traffic at the end of 2014. The next portion of Section 4, Segment 9, opened for bid Sunday, Elliot said. Desmond estimates the plans and environmental documents for Section 5, which extends north to Martinsville, will be completed by the middle of next year. I-69 construction is funded through a mix of federal and state dollars as well as proceeds from the lease of the Indiana Toll Road, Desmond said. “There was $700 million set aside to do Sections 1, 2 and 3,” Elliot said. Due to lower contract bids, $100 million was not spent on the first three sections and was transferred to Section 4 funding. Remaining Section 4 funds are generated through federal and state gas tax revenue. Elliot said INDOT believes the state will benefit from increased mobility and safety. “It is proven through business studies that industries migrate to states with interstate functionality,” Elliot said. “Time is money, and it’s very important that we have that accessibility.”Bill Williams, director of Monroe County Highway Engineering, said the new highway will be a major safety improvement for people traveling north from Evansville. “The roads are very curvy, and there’s a lot of truck traffic,” Williams said. Desmond said Bloomington residents are currently more concerned about the negative effects than the benefits. Opponents have addressed concerns regarding environmental damage, increased volume of traffic and the acquisition of homes in affected areas. The whole southwest region of the county contains large quantities of underground limestone formations called karst. “They are very sensitive, and running roads over them could be really harmful,” Desmond said. Elliot said INDOT makes it a priority to address environmental concerns and shift highway alignment as much as possible to minimize the impact of the construction on the surrounding area. Several bridges with self-contained drainage networks are being built to avoid wetlands and other wildlife. Segment 8 will be constructed on completely new terrain, Elliot said. The connection to State Road 37 in Segment 9 will create the most significant impact to daily traffic. Desmond said construction will put stress on local roads as people travel to the interchanges.“The investment the state makes will have to cause (Bloomington) to make investments to support the local traffic that will result,” Desmond said. Regarding the properties that have been acquired for the construction, Elliot said INDOT’s standard practice is to assign two separate property appraisals for each home. If the owner refuses the offer, the state will have to proceed to a condemnation process. Elliot said INDOT does not at any point want to resort to condemnation. “We want to do the best we can to minimize those problems,” Elliot said. “We’re not just out there building a road at all costs.”
(10/04/12 4:51am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Hoosier Lottery announced Wednesday it will outsource management of its services to GTECH Corporation to boost revenue by a projected $2.1 billion during the next 15 years. The privatization will consist of outsourcing its marketing, sales and distribution, thus increasing contracted services from 88 to 95 percent, according to a press release. “As an agency operating within the structure of state government, it is impossible to maintain the continuity of management and continuity of strategy that is needed to maximize the potential value of the lottery operation,” said Al Larsen, Hoosier Lottery public relations manager.The Indiana State Lottery Commission approved the contract with GTECH, a leading global gaming technology and services company based in Providence, R.I.The commission was faced with deciding between GTECH and New York-based corporation Scientific Games. GTECH provided the highest bid of projected revenue and the most detailed business plan, the commission determined, according to the release.Hoosier Lottery proceeds benefit pension funds for retired teachers as well as pension and disability funds for retired police officers and firefighters, Larsen said. “Every extra dollar that is generated is one more dollar for the state’s general fund,” Hoosier Lottery Executive Director Karl Browning said in the release. The lottery funds represent a small percentage of pension funds for retired firefighters in Bloomington, said Robert Loviscek, president of the Bloomington Local 586 Union of Professional Firefighters. With current funds, 93 percent of Bloomington firefighters will be able to retire with pension, Loviscek said. “We are hoping our actuaries will be well over 100 percent again,” he said.Teacher pension actuaries are currently at lower levels than the firefighter pensions, Loviscek said. Jeff Hutson, chief communication officer for the Indiana Public Retirement System, said the decision will not influence how much is directed toward pensions. “Thirty million dollars per year goes into the Pension Stabilization Fund of the Indiana State Teachers’ Retirement Fund,” Hutson said. An additional $30 million will benefit the police officers’ and firefighters’ pension and disability funds. Indiana is the second state in the nation to outsource management of its lottery. In Indiana, the state will compensate GTECH through both a management fee and a bonus for exceeding projected income, Larsen said. “GTECH can also be penalized by the lottery if they fail to reach the level of income they committed to provide us,” Larsen said. The lottery commission aimed to learn from Illinois to maximize their outcome. “We studied the Illinois process and their results, and looked at the strengths and weaknesses of their program, but didn’t limit our research to that,” Larsen said. Gov. Mitch Daniels said in a press release Wednesday that this decision might have been the most obvious the state has had to make during the last eight years. “Our lottery revenues lag far behind most states. ... This step will make the nation’s most solid state fiscal position that much stronger,” Daniels said.
(09/28/12 4:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Four monks sat cross-legged on the floor, eyes closed. Dressed in red robes and gold crescent-shaped hats, they chanted low, long drones that became increasingly higher in pitch. The monks, who belong to the Drepung Gomang Monastery in southern India, performed at the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center on Thursday evening.An audience of about 100 people watched, some beginning to meditate. The hour-long performance began with a ceremony honoring the 14th Dalai Lama, acknowledging his spiritual presence in the space. Six monks chanted as a shawl was placed in front of a framed photograph of His Holiness. The meditative chant then transitioned into a lively dance, complete with beating drums and cymbals. A monk wearing a white feathered mask and embroidered dress danced around the room, whirling a colorful baton. Later in the performance, the faces of the children in the audience lit up as a life-size, black yak, the national animal of Tibet, danced and wagged its tail. The monks have been in Bloomington for about a week, center Director Lisa Morrison said. The group travels from India to Louisville, Ky., most years before visiting cities and universities across the country.Geshe Jinpa, leader of the monks, said through an interpreter, the group hopes to accomplish three main goals during their visit.“Our main purpose is to promote peace, harmony and unity by sharing our sacred message of the Lord Buddha,” Jinpa said. The second goal consists of informing the public about the situation in Tibet. “Inside Tibet, they have no free religion,” Jinpa said. “People are not even allowed to have a picture of His Holiness.” The monks also hope to raise funds for their refugee monastery in southern India, Jinpa said.Mary Pattinson, the center director’s secretary, said about 60 monks lived at the 42-acre facility when the monastery was originally built. Currently, almost 2,000 monks live in the monastery. Most of the monks moved to the monastery after fleeing persecution from communism in Tibet, Pattinson said.When the monastery was based in Tibet, Pattinson said it received substantial financial support from the community. “The monks are now in a Hindu society and have no one to support them so they are totally dependent on donations,” she said. In the monastery, the monks study Buddhist philosophy, taking 22 to 23 years to complete 16 courses, Jinpa said. They also study western sciences, such as biology and psychology. The monks then take an additional six years for examinations. “They then receive a Geshe degree, which is the equivalent of a doctoral degree,” Pattinson said. Once they are finished with their studies, the monks spend their days praying, taking care of the settlement and teaching younger monks. “They are very sophisticated in training the mind,” Pattinson said. “They are about 1,500 years ahead of us.”Jinpa said he hopes to inspire peace, harmony and unity between different people and religions.“I think it’s a really rare and wonderful experience for the community to learn about this ancient culture in a fun and creative way,” Morrison said.
(09/24/12 4:32am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU juniors Kawtar Elbekhty and Caleb Colbert each took home a free cat on Friday afternoon. The cats are yet to be named, Elbekhty said, but the names Blake and Karl from the TV show “Workaholics” are strong contenders. “We’ve been coming in all week trying to find animals that fit us,” Elbekhty said.The couple returned to the City of Bloomington Animal Shelter to participate in its daily special, “Free Feline Fridays,” as part of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ $100K Challenge.Since Aug. 1, the shelter has been competing against 49 shelters across the nation to increase adoptions and improve community involvement. The ASPCA has partnered with Rachael Ray for the third year as hosts for the challenge, which runs through Oct. 31. The shelter that achieves the largest increase in adoptions during the three-month period when compared to its previous year’s total will be awarded the grand prize of $100,000. Several other awards are offered, including an automatic $500 to all shelters that improve their adoptions by a minimum of 300. “You’re competing against yourself in addition to competing against the other shelters,” said Bloomington Animal Shelter Director Laurie Ringquist. During the same three months in 2011, the Bloomington shelter made 757 adoptions. The shelter aims to double this amount for a total of 1,500 adoptions. It must achieve 1,057 adoptions by Oct. 31 to win the minimum award. The shelter had 143 more adoptions during the month of August than during the same month last year. Ringquist said that with students going back to school, the number of adoptions in September has only increased by 20. Ringquist said she is nervous about meeting the minimum. “We’re working so hard,” she said. “It’d be disappointing not to make that. But over the long run, if we improve our relationships in the community and increase our adoptions, that’s a win.”One of the highest awards available in the challenge is the ASPCA Community Engagement Award, which comes with a $25,000 grant.“I think that’s the one we have the best chance at winning,” Ringquist said. An online voting competition will take place between Oct. 17 and Oct. 31. The three shelters with the highest number of votes will be judged by a panel which reviews how well the shelter used events, media coverage and other forms of outreach to involve the community. In the initial online voting round to apply for the competition last March, the shelter won second place. “We know our supporters know how to vote,” Ringquist said. She said their shelter is the only one in Indiana competing in the challenge.“There’s a statewide impact to what we’re doing,” she said. “We’ve been transferring animals in from other shelters. It really helps them, too.” The shelter has been a host for several publicity events around Bloomington to encourage residents to adopt a pet. The shelter will bringing about 20 dogs to an “Adopt-a-Thon” from 1 to 4 p.m. Sept. 30 at Bryan Park. If the shelter were to win a monetary prizes, Ringquist said she hopes to use the money for several renovations. “The concrete is crumbling and the ventilation system is from the 1960s,” she explained.Rinquist would like to renovate the stray cat area and create a location to isolate sick animals, which they do not currently have. Shirley Davies, an adoption counselor at the animal shelter, said the shelter often allows IU students to make adoptions if the student confirms that their home and lifestyle allows them to make the commitment. “If they will have this cat for the next 20 years, will they really want to take on this responsibility?” Davies said. Students like Elbekhty fit Davies’ criteria. She is currently living in her family home in Bloomington and has previously adopted from the shelter. “I think the challenge is great, especially for college kids who can’t justify spending $75 for a cat,” Elbekhty said. Elbekhty said she prefers adopting cats from shelters rather than purchasing them from advertisements on websites such as Craigslist. In shelters, she said, cats interact with volunteers and different visitors every day. “They’re more social and have more of a personality,” she said. The animals in the shelter have also received all necessary veterinarian care, Ringquist said. Purchasing a pet from an advertisement usually requires additional medical examinations, costing two to three times more than shelter fees, she said. “For the people that place ads in the paper, their motivation is to sell an animal,” Ringquist said. “Our motivation is to place an animal in a lifelong home.”
(09/19/12 4:04am)
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