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Bloomington police, fire department officials caution Fourth of July celebrants
As Independence Day gets closer and fireworks sales skyrocket, the Bloomington Police and Fire departments warned residents about the dangers of using fireworks.\nBloomington Fire Department Chief Jeff Barlow explained that consumer fireworks can be hazardous. He said the fire department received a safety video that talked about a 3-year-old child who was killed after he was hit in the head with a bottle rocket.\n“It’s dangerous to shoot off fireworks, and it’s dangerous to be reckoned with,” Barlow said. “It only takes a second.” \nBarlow suggested residents watch professional fireworks shows rather than shooting off their own from a backyard. But he said that, if someone is going to shoot off fireworks on their own property, they should always use a cleared, open area and wear safety goggles.\nBarlow said residents should always keep a fire-extinguishing mechanism available when shooting fireworks, such as a bucket of water, a hose or a fire extinguisher. He said even simple fireworks such as sparklers can reach temperatures as high as 1,000 degrees. \nHe also urged residents to call the fire department if they think their fireworks might have started a fire.\n“Even if it’s small, don’t hesitate,” he said. \nBarlow said since 2000 there have only been four fireworks-related fires reported in Bloomington. Two were vegetation fires, and the others were a structure fire and a vehicle fire, he said.\nAccording to Indiana law, on the Fourth of July consumer fireworks can be used between the hours of 10 a.m. and midnight. Fireworks can be used between 5 p.m. and two hours after sunset for five days following the holiday. \nBarlow said the law only allows residents to shoot off their own fireworks in three special locations: their own private property, the private property of someone else who has given permission to them to shoot fireworks and a special discharge location. But, Barlow said he does not know of any of these public shoot sites in Bloomington. \nHe said if someone is found shooting fireworks and they don’t have permission in that area, it is an infraction and can cost up to $500 per ticket. \n“The precautions are plentiful,” Barlow said. “Most people don’t think of the hazards until it’s too late.”\nBloomington Police Department Sgt. Jeff Canada said most 911 calls start anywhere from the Saturday before July 4 until the holiday. The calls are mostly alcohol-related, such as public intoxication, fireworks, domestic situations and noise violations, he said.\nAlthough the holiday is approaching and the department gets more calls, the Bloomington Police Department does not increase the number of officers on duty during the week. Extra force is not necessary during the week because out-of-the-ordinary problems do not occur, said BPD Capt. Michael Diekhoff.
Snap, Crackle, Bloomington POPS
Tables, blankets, food vendors and families filled the Ivy Techfootballpatriotic
Juneteenth celebrates its 9th year in Bloomington
Blue skies forced their way through grey clouds as Bloomington kicked off its ninth annual Juneteenth Freedom Celebration on Saturday. \nThe celebration began with a parade from the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center to Bryan Park. Students holding banners fronted the parade as decorated cars and members of Zeta Phi Beta, Kappa Alpha Psi and the African Students Association followed. \nThe Juneteenth celebration originated in 1865, when slaves in Galveston, Texas, finally heard they had been declared free, a decision that had been in effect for more than two years. \nRed and white tents lined Bryan Park as the parade marched. Jewelers, sororities, fraternities, the American Red Cross and Ivy Tech Community College were among the organizations that set up under the tents. \nThe day’s activities started with speeches by Dean of Students Dick McKaig, Ivy Tech Community College Chancellor John Whikehart and Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan. \n“I think it’s appropriate we have this celebration before the Fourth of July because you cannot have a truly free country until all its people are free,” Kruzan said. “I think today is a great celebration to honor the fact that we all want to be \none community.” \nOther events that took place on the stage were the drumming workshop instructed by Kwesi Brown, the King and Queen pageant, the gumboot dance instructed by Madeleine Gonin and Spoken Word Talents. \nCouncilman David Sabbagh, Rep. Baron Hill’s representative Andy Ruff and former IU football star George Taliaferro were among the crowd Saturday afternoon. Taliaferro said this event is incredibly important to him, and he plans to attend it in the future. \n“This is my history,” he said. \nOyibo Afoaku, director of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, said the event is a yearlong process and throughout the months after it ends, coordinators look for speakers and other guests to be a part of it for the following year. \nAfoaku explained how important Juneteenth is for the black community. She said the celebration has increased in size each year since it started. \n“I think this event is important because the students need to understand the history of this great country,” Afoaku said, adding that she is glad the Bloomington community participates in the event. \nAfoaku said the event likely brought in 1,000 people, but it’s hard to tell if that number is reached because some people come and go throughout the day. \nPageant contestant Katrina Congress said this is her first year attending and being a part of Juneteenth. “I’m very excited,” Congress said. “(I) like the fact they took the time to celebrate the event.” \nIowa State University student and Juneteenth volunteer Gia Mason said she was interning with Residential Programs and Services here at IU over the summer and when she heard about the program she signed up for it as soon as she could. \n“Now (I’m) just enjoying the celebration and getting to know people.” Mason said. “(The) people here are nice and that’s what really counts.”
Fireworks rock
Patriotic Fireworks Manager Josh Hernly sleeps in a tent with 3,000 pounds of explosives. Sounds dangerous, but as long as he doesn't smoke in the tent, there's nothing to worry about.\nWhen the hustle and bustle of the business day begins, Hernly rolls out of his air mattress bed to open up the tent, welcoming the world outside to join him in his firework specials. Stretching far past dinner time and darkness, the tent remains open until the final customers stop rolling in, and then it's back to bed for Josh to enjoy another night sleeping in a tent with a ton and a half of explosives.\n"I just blow up my air mattress and camp out," Hernly says about guarding the tent for a fortnight.\nPatriotic Fireworks is a company based out of Indianapolis, with a number of temporary businesses that open for the 4th of July season, like Hernley's tent by Cheeseburger in Paradise. \nJust up the road at Campus Costume, Owner John McGuire replaced his Jack Sparrow pirate display with a 35-inch Roman candle. Throughout the seasons, the locally owned costume store switches from selling Halloween costumes to Christmas decor, and this year, for the first time, John decided to break into the fireworks business.\nCostume sales were low during past summers, so in order to boost revenue, John decided to import fireworks from a distributor in Toledo, Ohio.\n"It was either this or the balloons, so we figured the 'boom boom' was the way to go," says Dario Andolini, a Campus Costume employee.\nBeing their first year selling fireworks, Andolini said Campus Costume has the lowest prices in town. \nLike McGuire and Hernly, firework businesses from all over the state decided to open up a seasonal shop in Bloomington. The summer's freedom festival brought in the managers of Anderson Fireworks and Mike's Fireworks. Both Ben Smith and Brad Barnes said they had friends in the business who recruited them.\nBen, manager of Anderson Fireworks, says the store opened toward the end of June and will close around July 6. Anderson Fireworks rented their retail space for only two months. Ben said he expects sales to increase as time ticks toward the holiday.\n"We've had a decent amount (of sales) for opening so early," Ben says. "We hope to make a lot of money."\nBrad, meanwhile, has been shooting off fireworks with his brother Greg in the parking lot of Varsity Court since he started working at Mike's Fireworks. Looking to increase sales during the summer, Mike's fireworks also started marketing their own brand fireworks. Inside the store they show a video that emphasizes the type of boom their brand firework has. \nNineteen years ago Steve Porter saw a man on the side of the road selling fireworks. He thought to himself, "selling fireworks would be a nice business to get into." Years later, he owns the only all-year firework store in town, Steve's Fireworks.\nSamantha Porter, Steve's daughter, said they do sell fireworks all year round but since fireworks are truly in season in the summer, they sell bibles in the off season. \nPorter explained that they have a new program running this year that offers customers a discount card that allows them 50 percent off of the entire store. She added that they have never raised their prices since they've been a working business.\nAfter July 4, these pop-up shops stay around town for a few days for customers to collect any last minute clearance bargains. The fireworks are then packed up and shipped out of town to their storage locations, to await the next firework season. It's then that Hernly finally deflates his air mattress, McGuire replaces the unsold fireworks with a giant Dora the Explorer costume, Smith and Barnes head back on to their hometown and the Porter family breaks out the bibles again.
Accused teen murderer to have hearing Friday
The 15-year-old Bloomington teenager who was charged with murder Saturday after she stabbed her mother’s boyfriend in the chest will have a hearing this Friday to determine if she will be waived from juvenile court to adult court.\nOn Saturday, officers arrived at 701 E. Miller Dr., where they found a white male lying face down and an adult female with her twin 15-year-old daughters.\nMichael E. Lewis, 38, was transported to Bloomington Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead due to injury from a stabbing.\nLewis and the twin girls’ mother had arrived home and the girls had been watching television. Lewis wanted to watch the news when words were exchanged between them. Lewis allegedly kicked the family dog and left the residence, according to a BPD press release.\nThe suspect followed him out of the house and pushed him. The male retaliated and struck her in the face. The suspect’s sister then struck the male in the head with her fist as the other female went into the house to retrieve a knife.\nThe suspect’s sister attempted to stop her from approaching Lewis with the knife when she sustained a laceration and fracture to her right forearm. It is unknown if the fracture was caused from punching Lewis or from the knife, BPD Captain Joe Qualters said.\nThe suspect got around her injured sister and stabbed Lewis in the chest. Lewis collapsed outside and the knife was recovered at the scene.\nWhen officers attempted to detain the juvenile for investigation, she resisted arrest. The suspect’s sister attempted to intervene with the arrest and struck the officer in the back of the head.\nThe suspect’s sister was charged with battery for striking the officer in the head and was transported to Knox County Detention Center.
Tim Street teaches local artists
Two cameras, a projector, an umbrella, a photography light and a Tyrannosaurus Rex action figure were spread across the room as 16 people gathered in the John Waldron Arts Center on Tuesday for the Artists After Hours program.\nGraphic design artist Tim Street graduated from IU in 2003 and currently designs for the IU School of Journalism and teaches a graphic design course to juniors and seniors. Street has previously worked for The Indianapolis Star and Outside Magazine. He began the lecture “Digital Photography and Basic File Preparation” by discussing lighting techniques for pictures. Street explained that the best place to take pictures is outside. \n“Natural sunlight is your friend,” Street said.\nHe explained the best time to take a picture outside is during the “golden hour.” The golden hour is the time directly after sunrise and right before sunset.\nStreet set up a Tyrannosaurus Rex action figure on a round table. He explained that too much direct light on an object will cause a hot spot and a strong shadow in a picture. A photographer can use an umbrella to block out light or a filter to keep the light from hitting the object directly.\nThe next major point in the lecture was how to move photos from the digital camera to a computer. Street said there are two ways: USB cords that plug from the camera into the computer and a card reader.\nStreet ended his lecture by discussing how to edit photographs using Adobe Photoshop. He did not go in depth with the subject because of time constraints, but he was able to show the audience how to alter color balance and resize a photograph. \n“You can always resize a photo smaller but you can never resize it bigger,” Street said. “Remember that.”\nThe audience interacted with each other throughout the lecture, giving advice on different photography techniques. The director of arts development for the Bloomington Area Arts Council Jonna Risher said she believes the program is good for social networking and for artists to help each other brainstorm ideas.\nRetired IU professor Susan Klein considers herself an amateur photographer. She said she’s taken candid pictures of families, and she’s experimented with photographing objects significant to her.\n“I just want to learn to improve what I’m doing,” \nKlein said.\nKlein explained that, even though she’s not a professional photographer, she enjoyed Street’s lecture because he did go beyond some of the basics of photography but also related personally with the audience. \nCeramic artist and Director of the Prima Gallery Marcy Neiditz said she comes to Artists After Hours lectures when the topic interests her. She said she’s been taking photographs of her own work and wanted to start learning more about photography. \n“I said to Jonna if I learned one new thing it was worth it,” Neiditz said. “I learned three.”
Violinist Ben McClelland releases new CD Friday
Ben McClelland drives up to a home recording studio in a beat-up, black Honda Accord missing its muffler. He jokes that “This is the life of a struggling artist.” \nHe sets up his violin in the basement. The room is small but quaint. The walls are baby blue and the couches form a crescent shape around a recording microphone. He pulls out his 1925 violin made by L.S. Ross in Dallas, Texas, and begins to warm up by fiddling.\nFriend of McClelland and studio owner Richard Torstrick sets up the recording equipment in another room and adjusts volume levels as McClelland fiddles.\nMcClelland is putting the final touches on his album “Glasgow Ferry,” which will be released June 29. The first song he begins to record is “Dizzy Mary,” a song about a friend who, while she was out drinking with friends, saw a troop of clowns on stilts. He wrote the song about her tale of what she saw.\nAs McClelland warms up, Torstrick is in the opposite room, listening to the song as a whole. McClelland closes his eyes, breathes through his nose and sways his head as he gently moves the bow across the violin strings.\nAfter recording the fiddle for his CD, McClelland gets ready for a jazz show at Tutto Bene, a local wine cafe. The restaurant smells like wine and Italian food as McClelland and his band Blue Gypsy begin to play. The band’s jazz music flows smoothly over a silent restaurant as the sun begins to set.\n“The music is fantastic and so are the guys I work with,” McClelland says. “That’s a style that works well with the violin.”\nMcClelland met Torstrick in 2003 through the Bloomington Peace and Action Coalition. They were at a protest for the Iraq war when they discovered they both played the fiddle.\n“We have a common interest in the violin,” Torstrick said. “I told him about bluegrass. Ben wasn’t sure if he liked it, but I showed him some older bluegrass players.”\nMcClelland started playing the violin 33 years ago after learning about a program at the University of Providence. He said he was never pushed into playing the violin; it was just something he wanted to do. \nWhen he was six, he enrolled in a Japanese school program that taught a music method originated by Shin’ichi Suzuki. After high school, McClelland enrolled in Oberlin College to learn classical music. He said he slacked off when he realized the college scene wasn’t for him. McClelland quit and went back home to Rhode Island to play in a rock band. \nAfter moving to Mississippi with his parents, McClelland spent a summer in Austria and came back north to work with the Memphis Symphony.\nWanting to complete his violin training, he enrolled at IU in 1991 and worked on violin and composition for four years. He has been in Bloomington for 15 years. \n“My musical outlook extended exponentially to all the bluegrass and jazz here,” McClelland said. \nMcClelland is currently working for his own record label, ASL Records, and said he is in the beginning stages of forming his own music production company. He explained that over the past 10 years, music has undergone huge changes with recording companies.\nMcClelland’s fight for artistic freedom is what led him to create his own record label. His musical interests extended from classical to jazz to bluegrass, and he didn’t want to have his CDs only cover one specific genre.\n“Artists are trying to make their own path,” he said. “(There’s) more artistic freedom and in the long run more profit.”\nBloomington residents John and Julie Lawson met McClelland through Torstrick at a bluegrass gig. The Lawsons have been attending McClelland’s gigs for more than two years now and plan on supporting him throughout the rest of his career.\n“I think he’s versatile,” Julie said. “He brings a lot to it and he’s really talented.”\nJohn said McClelland plays all the types of music that he loves, such as bluegrass and jazz. McClelland also played classical music at his church, he said. \n“He’s got multiple levels of the different types of music,” John said.\nMcClelland said pinpointing the best violin experience was hard and said he’s had some incredible experiences he’ll always remember. One of his most memorable experiences was when he played in an orchestra behind Ray Charles. McClelland was front row in the orchestra and was able to stand feet away from Charles.\nMcClelland will leave July 23 for a U.K. tour. He has shows in Cardiff, Wales; Belfast, Northern Ireland and Edinburgh, Scotland. \nAfter his U.K. tour, McClelland will begin co-teaching a class titled “Entrepreneurial Skills for the Artist” at the John Waldron Arts Center. He said he plans to build his summer 2008 tour by working on publicity, booking and attempting to record a pop-electronica album. \n“And the rest of my life will be similar to this past season,” he said. “Teaching, gigging, playing in orchestras (and) enjoying life in Bloomington.”
Teenager charged with murder
A 15 year-old Bloomington teenager was charged with murder on Saturday after she stabbed her mother’s boyfriend in the chest.\nWhen officers arrived to 701 E. Miller Dr. they found a white male lying face down, and an adult female with her twin 15 year-old daughters. \nMichael E. Lewis, 38, was transported to Bloomington Hospital where he was later pronounced dead due to injury from stabbing. \nLewis and the mother of the twin girls arrived home and the girls were watching TV. Lewis wanted to watch the news when words were exchanged between them. Lewis allegedly kicked the family dog and left the residence, according to a Bloomington Police Department press release.. \nThe suspect followed him out of the house and pushed him. The male retaliated and struck her in the face. The suspect’s sister then struck the male in the head with her fist as the other female went into the house to retrieve a knife.\nThe suspect’s sister attempted to stop her from approaching Lewis with the knife, when she sustained a laceration and fracture to her right forearm. It is unknown if the fracture was caused from punching Lewis or the knife, BPD Captain Joe Qualters said. \nThe suspect got around her injured sister and stabbed Lewis in the chest. Lewis collapsed outside and the knife was recovered at the scene.\nWhen officers attempted to detain the juvenile for investigation she resisted arrest. The suspect’s sister attempted to intervene with the arrest and struck the officer in the back of the head.\nThe suspect was transported to Johnson County Detention center. A determination will be made by the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office about waiving jurisdiction from juvenile court to adult court, Qualters said. \nThe suspect’s sister was charged with battery for striking the officer in the head and was transported to Knox County Detention Center. \nNo other information is available at this time.
Taste of Bloomington not slowed down by rain
After enduring rain Saturday morning, the skies cleared up, and Bloomington kicked off its 25th annual Taste of Bloomington fundraiser.\nWhite tents covered 38 different restaurants and services that lined the Showers Commons on Saturday afternoon as Taste of Bloomington coordinators in blue shirts walked around stamping hands, making sure everything began smoothly.\nVolunteer chairman Jeff Baird said the annual fundraiser takes about 2 1/2 hours to set up on the day of the event, after the Bloomington Community Farmer’s Market clears out. Baird said about 6,000 people were expected show up to the event throughout the day. \n“It’s a great time, everyone needs to come," Baird said. "The more the merrier.” \nThe festivities kicked off with live entertainment from Bloomington native singer-songwriter Jenn Cristy. Cristy said this was her first time playing Taste of Bloomington, and she would definitely play again. \n“I don’t play in Bloomington,” Cristy said. “It’s comforting to play shows here when it’s this welcoming.” \nCristy’s set was followed by a waiter-waitress race won by Cheeseburger in Paradise. Other bands such as the Toby Myers Band, Otiel & The Peacemakers, Dynamics and Here Comes the Mummies followed and continued to play until the fundraiser ended.\nMarinés Fornenino attended Taste of Bloomington with her 7-year-old nephew and said she has attended the fundraiser in the past. However, this is first time attending since she’s moved back to Bloomington. Fornenino said if she’s in Bloomington next year, which she expects to be, she will come again. \n“It’s a really great experience,” she said.\nFornenino said she had not sampled much food from the tents, but she did buy strawberry shortcake from BLU Boy Chocolate Café and Cakery and ice cream for her nephew from Bruster’s Ice Cream.\nKevin Mimms Sr. was with his two 5-year-old grandchildren on Saturday as they ran around and played games with each other. Mimms said he likes to try a lot of the food when he comes to the fundraiser. \nHe said this year was not the first year he attended Taste of Bloomington. \n“I spent a lot of years here on the other side of the fence,” Mimms said, referring his time working for the fundraiser. \nVicki Pierce, executive director of >Community Kitchen of Monroe County
Bloomington Police Reports
Man, 37, fights police officer \nTroy D. Harden, 37, was arrested Wednesday for battery on a police officer, resisting law enforcement, resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, possession of a handgun without a permit, possession of cocaine and being a habitual traffic offender.\nAt 2:44 a.m. BPD Officer Jared Oren said he saw a white Jeep Grand Cherokee driving erratically, said BPD Sgt. Jeff Canada, reading from a police report. When Oren checked the license plate, he noticed it did not match the SUV.\nWhen Oren activated his lights around Fee Lane and the State Route 45/46 bypass, the SUV began to drive faster, Canada said. The SUV turned right onto Milo Sampson Lane when Oren noticed it was starting to slow down. A female in the SUV tried to get out of the vehicle, but the vehicle accelerated and threw her from the car, Canada said.\nWhen the SUV came to a stop on Linden Drive, Oren saw the driver and another passenger, Jacob Deal, 21, run into a wooded area. Oren caught Deal and was arrested for public intoxication, Canada said.\nOren chased Harden, but the suspect got away several times. Oren said Harden charged him and struck him in the head. Oren was unable to handcuff him because Harden kept resisting, Canada said. As Oren and Harden continued to wrestle, Oren noticed the suspect reaching for his right pocket.\nOren used several methods to handcuff Harden, such as pepper spray and a neck hold.\nOfficers Ian Lovan, Josh McCoy and Lt. Jimmy Ratcliff arrived at the scene shortly after Oren struck Harden in the back of the head with a flashlight. Harden was finally taken into custody. Officers found a handgun in the SUV and a knife in Harden’s front right pocket, Canada said.\nOfficers located Chelsea Keiffner, 20, in the SUV, and she was taken to jail on a warrant for failure to appear in court.\nHarden was taken to the Monroe County Jail.
You’re OUTTA here!
Because I hail from the (not so) great state of New Jersey, I have been genetically modified to bleed New York Yankees and distastefully hate every other baseball team in Major League Baseball. After hearing the Yankees received funding to build a new stadium, I was not only angry but baffled. \n“New Yankee Stadium” is slated to open April 2009 and will be located just north of the existing stadium. The stadium’s exterior will look exactly like the current one, but the interior will be a suspended structure. \nThe new stadium will include a “great hall” that will have five to six times more square footage for retail than the original. Currently, Yankee stadium holds up to 57,468 people. The new stadium will only hold approximately 51,800 people but will include 60 new luxury suites (yeah, make more expensive seating – that’s what the Yankees need). \nAlong with the new stadium, the project will add a hotel, conference center and high school for sports-related careers.\nThe cost of all that? A reported $1.02 billion. That’s right.\nThe new stadium will receive more than $200 million from New York City for parking facilities, parkland along the waterfront and other work related to the stadium. The Yankees themselves will provide $800 million in private financing.\nAlthough the Yankees will be privately funding some of this work (they should; they are the highest-paid team in the MLB, with a total team salary of $195,229,045), the city will have to front more than $200 million toward a stadium that is going to look the same from the outside and seat about 6,000 fewer fans. That doesn’t seem right.\nAnd how is it that the Yankees can afford to build another stadium, when the New York Jets are not only forced to share a stadium with the Giants, but they have to play in New Jersey? Don’t get me wrong – I know the Jets play football, but how ridiculous is it that a team doesn’t have a stadium in the state they play for?\nMaybe the city should think about putting money toward better schooling in Harlem. Or maybe they can use that money to repave streets and clean out the subway system. Maybe even throw a couple dollars to the homeless guy staring at you on the street. At least fork over a couple G’s and give the Jets/Giants a place to play in NYC. \nHonestly, the Yankees should save their money and revamp their current stadium. When I went to Atlanta last year for spring break, I had the opportunity to take a guided tour through Turner Field. Not only was I allowed in the press box and onto the field, I got to physically stand next to the $10 million high-definition video screen. The Atlanta Braves were able to make something new out of their stadium without spending a billion dollars and, although Turner Field houses fewer fans, it looks, feels and smells better than Yankee Stadium.\nAnd if they do decide to continue with this new stadium, they can take the extra money from funding and install a video screen (similar to Turner Field) – but on the outside of the stadium, so the 6,000 fans who don’t have seats during the season can see it from the streets.
Bloomington Police Reports
According to a statement released by the Bloomington Police Department, the BPD is investigating a complaint from an out-of-town couple concerning a hot air balloon ride they paid for but never received. \nThe couple purchased a $300 certificate from “Balloons over Bloomington” in April 2006 and their ride was canceled by the owner. It was later rescheduled for May 2006 but was canceled again due to weather. The ride was canceled another two times by the company’s owner. \nThe owner told the company their ride would be rescheduled for 2007 but their money would not be refunded. When the couple called to reschedule their ride for May 2007, the company’s phone number was disconnected.\nBPD requests that anyone who has experienced a similar problem with “Balloons Over Bloomington” contact Detective Richard Hunter at (812) 349-3322.
Adults flock to Mini University to learn
Gene McGrail and Bill Phillips met each other 20 years ago at Mini University. Since then, they’ve attended the program every year and both said they haven’t regretted one minute of it. \nMini University, which is celebrating its 36-year anniversary, began Monday, giving 490 participants ages 18 and up an opportunity to return to class for a week to take up to 15 noncredit classes. \nMcGrail said he heard about the program from the travel section in the Chicago Sunday Tribune and decided to write them a letter of inquiry. Phillips said he saw the program in IU’s Alumni magazine. \nPat McGrail, Gene’s wife, said she’s been attending Mini University for 12 years and would definitely recommend the program to others. She said her favorite parts of the program are the different types of classes, especially a class taught by history professor James Madison about World War II. \n“We were all into that subject because we all lived it,” Pat said. “And I would definitely recommend the program.” \nAmy Reynolds, associate dean for research and graduate studies at the School of Journalism, taught a lecture titled “Blogging and the Future of Journalism” on Monday afternoon. Reynolds said the lecture was mostly questions and answers from the participants about blogs, technology, and computer news. \n“The participants are very engaged,” Reynolds said. “They bring a variety of interesting perspectives, and they’re genuinely interested in learning and discussing new ideas. It’s very rewarding to teach in that environment.” \nReynolds has been teaching at Mini University for two years and said she really enjoys the general aspects of the program. She explained that teaching at Mini University differs between teaching undergraduates and graduates, and it is hard to compare. \n“All those students have been good; I have not had negative teaching experiences,” Reynolds said. “(Teaching at Mini University) brings in a lot more life experience.”\nJeanne Madison, director of Mini University, said the program receives great feedback and the directors work really hard at implementing their suggestions. On Tuesday night, participants gathered in the University Club on the first floor of the Indiana Memorial Union for an after-dinner coffee hour. Ruth Watson, an IU alumna from Ann Arbor, Mich., said she heard about the program from two old friends who had attended Mini University when it first started.\nWatson said so far this week her favorite class has been English professor Raymond Hedin’s lecture, “Why We Should See Our Lives as Stories.” She said the class taught her to look at stories as metaphors for life. She said if she would have stayed longer if she could have.\n“It has been a wonderful experience, and the week’s not half over yet,” Watson said. \nNicki Bland, co-chair of the Alumni Association, said as soon as Mini University is over, the program begins planning for the following year. Bland said she suggests everyone to register in the program as soon as they can because they sell out and can’t expand their space. Enrollment for next year’s Mini University starts in March 2008. \nRon White, director of the IU-Bloomington Continuing Studies department, has been working with Mini University for six years. White said the program shines because so many people come out to participate. White said it shows how many people want to continue learning. \n“I think it’s all about lifelong learning,” White said, “and to have the opportunity to interact with the finest faculty on campus.”
Bloomington Police Reports
A Bloomington man was arrested Friday at 3:38 a.m. for battery, theft and resisting law enforcement. \nRichard W. North, 46, was playing cards on the 2500 block of South Madison Street when an argument began between North and another player, Bloomington Police Department Sgt. Jeff Canada said, reading from a police report. North was asked to leave when he grabbed the money and began to run out of the house. \nNorth ran into the victim, grabbed her hair, hit her in the head and pushed her down, Sgt. Canada said. North left, running down Madison Street. \nHe was located behind a semitrailer on West Country Club Road by Officer Thomas Hudgins. North began to run south on Country Club Drive toward Walker Street. Officer Hudgins chased North on South Walls Drive, where he was caught and apprehended.
Mini University welcomes more than 400 participants this week
The Indiana Memorial Union will become a small college of nearly 500 participants this week.\nRegistration began Sunday for IU’s Mini University, and the program will run until Friday. \nMini University is an opportunity for participants ages 18 and older to return to class for five days to take as many as 15 non-credit classes. It is sponsored by the IU Alumni Association and IU-Bloomington Continuing Studies. \nNicki Bland, co-chair of the Alumni Association, said this summer Mini University will be celebrating its 36th anniversary and has its highest enrollment of 490 participants this summer. \nJeanne Madison, director of Mini University, said participants do not need the prior experience of a college education but a high percentage of them do. Madison explained that this summer they have incredible classes and a lot of special events throughout the week.\nClass topics range from arts, business and technology, domestic issues, health fitness and leisure, human growth and development, humanities, international affairs and science. Madison said the classes are taught by faculty from the University that are recognized as the best. There will be 100 faculty members teaching this summer. \n“It’s the faculty and the programming that brings people back,” Madison said. \nAfter registration Sunday, participants had orientation between 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. and then had dinner in the Tudor Room in the Indiana Memorial Union between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Mini University will begin Monday at 8:15 a.m. for class registration in Alumni Hall at the IMU. It will be followed by convocation at 9 a.m. Participants will attend three classes Monday and conclude their day with a picnic at the DeVault Alumni Center, 100 E. 17th St. \nDuring the week, participants will attend three classes each day during the day and conclude their nights with activities such as coffee and social time, a series of stories, a play and movies. \nMini University will end Friday with participants taking one class, attending coffee and social hour, then going to commencement at 11 a.m. \n“It’s the bargain of all time,” Madison said.
Informatics camp ‘tons of fun’ for students
On the morning of June 15, 36 people packed themselves into the School of Informatics presentation room for their last day of summer camp. \nThe summer camp ran June 10 through June 15 and was sponsored by the School of Informatics, School of Education, John Deere Corporation and the Pervasive Technology Labs. \nBailey Miller, a high school junior from North Carolina, said he met School of Informatics Director of Undergraduate Recruitment Beth Terrell at a college fair in Charlotte, N.C., and knew he wanted to come to IU to study informatics. \nMiller attended the School of Informatics summer camp last summer and said he plans to attend every summer until he enrolls at IU. \n“It’s tons of fun and you learn a lot of stuff,” Miller said. “And if you’re not interested in computers, you will be.” \nThe students were housed in McNutt Quad for the week and attended classes from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. They had three or four interactive classes a day. Classes were on topics such as computer graphics, computer system design, bioinformatics and Web site design. After 5 p.m., students worked on projects, played Wii, went bowling or just hung out. \nGregory Power, a high school senior, decided to go to the summer camp because he’s interested in computers and his aunt is a professor at the School of Informatics. Power said he enjoyed the experience, and he would suggest the camp to other students interested in informatics. \nAbby Stanhouse, a junior in high school, said she heard about the summer camp from the announcements at her school. Her father also wanted her to attend camp, and she said she ended up liking it. \n“I think even if they’re not loving computers, it’s good to explore,” Stanhouse said of those who attend the camp. \nStanhouse said one of the best experiences at the camp was meeting the different types of people who were there and getting to know them. \nAt 11 a.m. on the last day, students moved into the computer lab at the School of Informatics and played “Counter-Strike,” a computer game in which the player shoots other players and waited for their parents to pick them up. \nTerrell said they had their largest group of students this summer, and all the students seemed to mesh well together. Every year they hand out student surveys to help improve the camp for the following summer to make it more focused, she said. \n“When students talk about wanting to come back, that means success,” Terrell said.
Bloomington Police Reports
Man arrested after choking girlfriend
Woodlands make up the ‘heart’ of campus
It is a common belief IU has a policy that if a tree is taken down on campus, two trees must be planted in its place. \nProfessor James Capshew said he’s never heard of a policy of that sort, but it shows the importance and value trees have on campus. \nCapshew explained that IU is one of few universities with woodlands in the heart of its campus. He said a lot of universities have huge grassy malls and maybe some trees but no substantive woods. \nCapshew said a lot of the landscaping around other parts of campus is made with reserved areas for woods. He said good examples are the woods between Goodbody Hall and around the president’s house. \nAccording to an extended brochure titled “The Woodland Campus of Indiana University,” IU’s campus was originally located on a five-acre plot near the south end of College Avenue and Second Street. Capshew said if you look at paintings of the old campus, it looks like a piece of ground that was completely excavated for buildings. In 1885, campus was moved to Dunn’s Woods, where 20 acres of land were purchased but no trees were cut down. \n“I think in that time, people started thinking the pioneer days are part of our history and trees are kind of an amenity,” Capshew said. “They’re not something to get rid of and get some ground clearing to grow crops.” \nIn 1885, biologist David Starr Jordan was president of the University, and he started building the academic institution around the University woodlands, Capshew said. The University buildings were developed in a semicircle around the woodlands. \nIU began buying more land and designing and placing buildings away from the woods. Dunn’s Woods became a 10-acre remnant of the original 20-acre campus. \n“(Dunn’s Woods) became this place of beauty and something to cherish, this idea that we have these woods and that they are important to us,” Capshew said. \nThere are still natural landmarks on campus today, including the Jordan River that flows through Dunn Meadow and the Centennial Tree, located between Maxwell Hall and the Student Building. The Centennial Tree is a white oak that was dedicated to the class of 1920 in connection with the hundredth anniversary of the University’s founding. The University has a wide range of trees and other specimens that add to the woodland life on campus. Some of the types of trees include the rare Yellowwood, which can be found on the south side of Rawles Hall and the Ginkgo, found between Kirkwood and Wylie halls.\nSince the original campus was moved in 1885, it has grown to 2,000 acres. Most of the growth took place under Herman B Wells’ presidency. Wells was a staunch advocate for green space on campus, believing that the IU campus was unique because it preserved areas of forest. \nIn his last commencement address, Wells stressed the importance of natural beauty on IU’s campus.\n“I hope our alumni will always insist upon retention of our precious islands of green and serenity – our most important physical asset, transcending even classrooms, libraries and laboratories in their ability to inspire students to dream long dreams of future usefulness and achievement – dreams that are an important and essential part of undergraduate college experience,” Wells said.
Bloomington Area Arts Council executive director to take office today
Ed Vande Sande began his position Wednesday as interim executive director of the Bloomington Area Arts Council, following an May 5 announcement by the board of trustees.\nVande Sande, who is currently the BAAC’s director of marketing and development, is replacing Miah Michaelsen, who will become assistant director of economic development for the arts with the City of Bloomington.\n“(My new position) will concern itself with working with arts and businesses and connecting them through the arts,” Michaelsen said.\nBAAC President Gerald Sousa, who could not be reached by press time, said that even though he will miss Michaelsen’s hard work and enthusiasm, he is excited about the position she is taking with the City, according to a press release from the BAAC.\nMichaelsen explained that the city will be looking at arts the same way as technology – as a tool to drive and promote economic development. She said she hopes the arts program in Bloomington will bring in tourism dollars for the arts and artist organizations to attract businesses to the area. \n“(We hope) local businesses (will) promote Bloomington as an arts destination,” she said.\nMichaelsen said she has absolutely no doubt in her mind that Vande Sande will be great as interim executive director of the BAAC. Vande Sande is well-respected in the community, and he jumped on board with “dynamic,” she said. \nVande Sande said although it is very common for an organization to pick a staff member to take a position before it is filled full-time, he feels honored to have been chosen for the job. \n“It’s more of a caretaker position so we can continue to move forward,” he said.\nVande Sande said he will be carrying out the day-to-day operations, making sure the bills are paid and the art shows continue. He said the arts community has so much going on, including the performance series and a community school for the arts, and he’s really dedicated in helping it move forward. \n“All we do is based on community support and trust,” \nhe said.\nVande Sande said that, while the board looks for a permanent executive director, he will be working as both interim executive director and director of marketing and development.\n“What it comes down to is working a lot of hours,” Vande Sande said, “but when you love what you do, it doesn’t seem like a lot.”