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(08/03/06 12:33am)
The older man's deep, hale voice resonated through the Monroe County Public Library's auditorium, as the audience, their faces upturned toward him, leaned forward, drawn to his magnetic personality like moths to a gleaming bulb.\nIt's easy to see where Academy-award winner George Clooney gets his vibrant character from -- his father. But Tuesday evening, veteran journalist Nick Clooney was using his fame as a father and brother of celebrities for a more important cause. He came to Bloomington on his own steam to help raise awareness for the genocide currently occurring in West Sudan.\n"I went over a reporter and I came back an advocate," Clooney told a crowd of about 100 area and regional residents, some from as far as Louisville, Ky. \nThis April, Clooney traveled with his son, George, to create a news documentary about the ethnic cleansing happening to the millions of Muslim Africans living in the Darfur region of Sudan. \nThe Coalition for International Justice estimates that 400,000 people have been killed in Darfur since February 2003, when the conflict between the ruling government and the Darfuris began, and 2 million have been exiled to refugee camps. \n"This is the first genocide we can stop," Clooney said. "I want you to feel accountable for those who are dangling by a gossamer thread."\nClooney described the people of Darfur, who being persecuted by a group known as the Janjaweed militia, as "dignified, brave people" whose only fault is believing naively in the United States' ability to save them.\n"They think we can fix it," Clooney said, his rolling voice echoing easily through the room. "They believe it down to their shoes -- down to their sandals. They are just surprised we haven't done it yet."\nHe spoke eloquently about families driven to make incredible sacrifices. One mother he met, he said, told him that when the Janjaweed came, she and her family had to run. And as they began to flee their village, her 13-year-old ahead of her and her 2-year-old in her arms, she knew that she could not save her 6-year-old, who could not run as fast as them and quickly fell behind. \n"Three days later she was able to return to her village," Clooney said, his voice quiet. "And she found her 6-year-old son's head in a well."\nClooney left Bloomington residents with a call to action -- continue to send money to your charity organizations, just earmark it for Darfur. Call your federal representatives, he said, because it is only if the public pushes the government to care they will make changes. \nWhen members of the audience questioned how much they could actually do to change the minds of governments, Clooney was quick with answers. \n"People listen to you here in Bloomington," he said. Then he paused and, with a smile, leaned into the microphone. "They think you're smart."\nJim Williams, 57, of Bloomington, said he thought Clooney's talk would help the humanitarian aspect of problem in Darfur. \n"I think that the humanitarian aspect of the effort is critical," Williams said. "But to find a long-term solution we have to figure out how to deal with that government [in the Sudan]."\nThe Jackson family, who traveled from Louisville to see Clooney talk about the situation in Darfur, said the talk made them even more aware of the problems being faced by the people of Darfur. \n"It's a global thing; it's a humanitarian thing," Kelly Jackson said, adding that he felt he had a spiritual duty as a Christian to help the Darfuris.\nClooney also reminded the journalists in the audience that they had a duty to stop this type of ignorance as well. \n"News organizations cannot just give the audience what they want to hear -- they must tell them what is really going on in their world," he said. "It's going to take a new generation of journalists and new culture of journalism."\nA local chapter of Save Darfur and an IU student group, Student Taking Action Now-Darfur sponsored Clooney's visit.
(07/27/06 12:30am)
An Indiana teenager was arrested Tuesday afternoon in connection with the sniper attacks that put the state on high alert this weekend.\nZachariah "Zach" Blanton, 17, of Gaston, Ind., allegedly confessed to the shootings that occurred on major highways in Delaware and Jackson Counties early Sunday morning, killing one man and injuring another. Both shootings occurred in the Seymour and Redkey areas of Interstates 65 and 69.\nWednesday, Blanton pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, attempted murder and three counts of criminal recklessness with a firearm at the Jackson County Courthouse. Circuit Judge William Vance set a tentative date of Dec. 13 for his trial.\nAuthorities in Delaware County also charged Blanton's grandmother, Patricia Blanton, 58, with whom the teen lived, with obstruction of justice Tuesday, Indiana Police 1st Sgt. Dave Bursten told the Associated Press. Police discovered a Remington rifle, which fires a .270 caliber round, in their home, and believe it was the one used in the shootings.\nJackson County Prosecutor Stephen Pierson told the press he had not yet decided whether to pursue the death penalty, but would make that decision by Oct. 13, the next court date set for Blanton.\nChronology of Events\nThe Seymour sniper shooting occurred at about 12:20 a.m. Sunday. Pierson told the press that Blanton had argued with his family during a hunting trip Saturday night near Kossuth, Ind., 20 miles south of Seymour. After the argument, police say Blanton drove to an overpass stretching across I-65 and shot at two passing trucks. Bullets came through the windshield of a Chevrolet pickup carrying three people, one of whom was passenger Jerry L. Ross, 40, of New Albany, who was killed by the shot.\nAround the same time, police received a 911 call from a passenger in a Dodge Ram truck traveling southbound. The passenger in that truck, Robert John Otto Hartl, 25, of Audubon, Iowa, was grazed on the head by a bullet. He was treated at a local hospital, released and returned to Iowa. \n"He was familiar with the Seymour area, which would explain how he was able to perpetrate from that overpass because it requires a certain knowledge of the lay of the land to get there," State Police Superintendent Paul Whitesell said at a Tuesday news conference.\nAfter shooting at the vehicles on I-65, Blanton drove toward his home in Gaston, approximately 100 miles north of Seymour. At about 2:30 a.m. he stopped in the Redkey area and shot at a moving tractor trailer on I-69. Trucker Richard G. Greek, 57, of Kunkle, Ohio, reported the incident to local police after realizing the repetitive bangs on his rig were gunfire. He was not injured. \nAn unoccupied parked sports utility vehicle was hit about an hour later in the same area after a gas station clerk heard gunfire and discovered the vehicle had been hit.\nPolice launched an intensive search along both major Indiana highways this week, scouring hundreds of miles of highway with police dogs and helicopters for evidence. \nState police closed in on Blanton after receiving information through the state police tip line, beginning an "intensive investigation of (his) activities and physical location during the time frame of the shootings," Indiana State Police said. They said the tips that led to Blanton's arrest were a direct result of the media coverage surrounding the shootings. \nVarious city police departments and state offices, along with the FBI and Gov. Mitch Daniels, assisted in the investigation.\nCopy-Cat Sniper?\nA copy-cat sniper has been reported on the loose in Hammond, Ind., according to various news reports.\nDarwin Burkhardt, 47, told Hammond police that a white man wearing a trench coat attacked his vehicle as he drove east on 169th Avenue Wednesday morning at around 7 a.m. The man pulled a long gun from under his coat and shot at him in his truck, Burkhardt told police. The bullet passed harmlessly through the pickup truck's window.\nPolice have not located the suspect.
(07/25/06 1:46pm)
State police are urging local drivers to check their vehicles for possible bullet holes after two sniper attacks on interstate highways in Indiana this weekend left one man dead, and another injured.\n"Assistance from the public will be very critical in this ongoing situation," Sgt. Jerry Goodin said Sunday evening at a press conference in Seymour, Ind., where the first shooting took place on I-65 Sunday morning. \nThe second shooting was reported along I-69 in the Redkey area of Delaware County the same day.\nGoodin asked the public to call the state police immediately to report any suspicious activities they may have heard or witnessed. In addition, he asked drivers to check their vehicles for bullet holes, as the sound of a ricocheting bullet sounds like that of a small rock.\n"We're literally scouring hundreds of miles of crime scene," Goodin told the press, emphasizing the support Gov. Mitch Daniels has invested in the search. Daniels has committed resources from the Indiana National Guard and the Indiana Dept. of Homeland Security, and has solicited the federal government for assistance as well.\n"We are tapping every single resource possible," Goodin said.\nHelicopters and tracking dogs also have been sent out to investigate any major points of interest along the two highways, where heavy wooded areas extend from the road. Police are asking local businesses with surveillance tapes to save them as they may be needed in the ongoing investigation.\nInvestigators sent alerts to law enforcement agencies nationwide, asking whether there have been similar shootings, Goodin said.\nThe police have been unable to determine if these incidents are connected, and said they will assume that they are until more information is determined.\n"Right now we do not know how many shots were fired -- we many never know. We only know how many landed in vehicles." Goodin said, adding that the police did not yet know what type of weapon was used in the attacks.\nHe also refused to speculate on who the suspect or suspects could be or where they were from.\n"This here is a very unique case," Goodin said, explaining that the police wanted to take their time in processing the information they had. "We don't want to get in a hurry to rush something." He said he hopes to have evidence processed in the next few days.\nThe Seymour sniper shooting occurred at about 12:20 a.m. Sunday. A bullet came through the windshield of a Chevrolet pickup carrying three people, one of whom was passenger Jerry L. Ross, 40, of New Albany, who was killed by the shot, according to the police.\nAround the same time, police received a 911 call from a passenger in a Dodge Ram truck traveling southbound. The passenger in that truck, Robert John Otto Hartl, 25, of Audubon, Iowa, was grazed on the head by a bullet. He was treated at a local hospital, released, and was on his way back to Iowa Sunday.\nThe Redkey shooting occurred two hours later, at around 2:30 a.m. Trucker Richard G. Greek, 57, of Kunkle, Ohio, reported the incident to local police after realizing the repetitive bangs on his rig were gunfire. He was not injured.\nA parked automobile was hit about an hour later in the same area, Goodin said, after a gas station clerk heard gunfire and discovered the vehicle had been shot.
(07/24/06 12:11am)
In March, Bloomington resident Matthew Martin, 25, awoke to discover that, along with a pounding hangover, he was also behind bars at the Monroe County Jail, after having his motel room searched the night before in a robbery investigation.\nThe robbery in question was at the Ramada Limited Inn on North Walnut Street, where a night clerk had been beaten, sliced across the neck with a knife and shot while he lay unconscious on the ground early that morning. \nIt's been four months since the robbery and Martin remains in jail without bond. He is not, however, being held for that crime. Instead, he is charged with resisting law enforcement and intimidation in March, police reports show. Also, because he was on probation for an alleged robbery in June 2005, he was considered to be violating his probation.\nFriday, Monroe County Judge Kenneth Todd ruled that Martin had indeed violated his probation by resisting law enforcement and intimidating an officer in March. In addition, the court determined that Martin had failed a urine test for marijuana and alcohol consumption. Martin's sentencing hearing on the probation matter is Aug. 9. Martin pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges.\nHis lawyer, David Schalk thinks his client shouldn't be charged at all for the two criminal charges or for violating his probation. Schalk is asking for all charges to be dismissed against Martin, citing an unlawful entry and search of his dwelling. \n"Consent was not freely and inordinately given. He asked the cops to leave and they didn't," Schalk said. \nMartin was the last person to sign in for the night at the motel and was an immediate suspect, Schalk said. But since Bloomington resident Chad Luck, the son of retired Bloomington Police Officer Dexter Luck, has allegedly confessed and been charged with the robbery, Schalk does not believe the authorities have any right to keep Martin behind bars. \n"There's no reason for him to be locked up," he said.\nThe Witness\nSandra Lopez, 24, a Bloomington woman and friend of Martin, thinks the situation he has found himself in is unfortunate. "It's an awful situation," Lopez said.\nLopez was there the night Martin was arrested, after volunteering to be the designated driver for him and a friend after a night out clubbing, she said.\nThat evening, Martin, who had been sleeping at friend's house, was asked to stay somewhere else. Lopez and Martin ended up at the motel where the robbery occurred by chance, she said, as they had planned to stay in another location with friends, but had been unable to locate them. Leaving their third friend downstairs in the running car, passed out, they retreated to the motel room they had rented at the Ramada Limited Inn.\nThe first Lopez knew about the robbery was when the police came knocking on her door an hour after they had rented the room, in search of Martin. \n"They asked who was with me," Lopez said, "But the funny thing is they already knew he was in there."\nAfter arguing with the police about being allowed to search the room, Lopez relented, signing a consent form. \n"I asked him, 'Do I have an option?' and he said 'Sign this paper or we'll stay here and wait for a judge to get a warrant,'" she said.\nAs is the situation in many late-night raids such as this one, the police were suspicious of Lopez's reluctance to open the door. She claims she was getting dressed and trying vainly to rouse Martin.\n"At the time they thought I was hiding something," Lopez said. "I couldn't get Matthew to wake up."\nAccording to police reports, when the officers entered the room and woke Martin, he grew angry and began yelling at the officers, telling them to exit his room and threatening to harm them.\nLopez doesn't deny that Martin was angry, but she still gets upset when she thinks about all of the ways that the situation could have gone better. \n"As soon as I opened the door they immediately ... picked up the mattress and poured him onto the floor," she said. "I really wish they had given me the chance to wake him up."\nWhat's Next\nSchalk is arguing that Martin's rights were violated when the police entered his room and refused to leave it after he asked them to. \n"The cops were extremely pushy," he said. "He didn't break any law."\nMartin faces a sentencing for probation violation on Aug. 9. A final pre-trial hearing for the criminal charges is going to be held on Aug. 29.
(07/12/06 11:59pm)
The upcoming trial of Ellettsville resident John R. Myers II, charged with the murder of 19-year-old IU student Jill Behrman who was killed six years ago, has been postponed by a month.\nTuesday Morgan Superior Court Judge Christopher Burnham set the new trial date for Oct. 10, at the request of the defense's attorney Patrick Baker of Indianapolis.\nBaker initially asked for a continuance at a scheduled pre-trial hearing Monday afternoon, requesting more discovery time be allowed for research regarding the witnesses who will be presented at the trial. \nMorgan County prosecutor Steve Sonnega also expressed concerns that the county's annual fall festival, which is held on the courthouse square the first week of October, would conflict with the trial. \n"It became very obvious in the start of discovery that we were not going to get (the trial) done in the time described," Sonnega said.\nThe trial is expected to take two to three weeks, and both sides agreed they didn't want a major festival, which effectively shuts down Martinsville's main street, neighboring an intensive murder trial.\n"It would not be fair to anybody, including the jury. ... It just made sense to wait until the end of the festival and start fresh," Sonnega said.\nThe delay didn't bother the Behrman family either.\n"For the integrity of the trial, it's probably better to have a longer time frame," said Jill's mother Marilyn Behrman. "I want it to be done properly. And honestly, we've waited so long to get to this point that a month doesn't make much of a difference," \nIn addition, Burnham issued two pre-trial orders Tuesday regarding general rules and preliminary schedules and deadlines for the case. \nOne of the more important upcoming deadlines is in regard to the approximately 120 witnesses who are expected to testify, some of whom may have testified before the grand jury in March as well. A final list is due in the court by Aug. 11. \nAny last motions, other than simple routine ones, must be made by Aug. 1. \nThe 11-page document contained standard information regarding the 12-member jury selection and process, as well as a detailed schedule of events for the length of the murder trial. Every day of the trial will begin at 8 a.m. and adjourn by 6:30 p.m. \nThe judge also issued a seven-page order for the media regarding coverage of the trial.\nThe last two pre-trial hearings are scheduled for Aug. 7 and 28. \nA Morgan County grand jury indicted Myers, 30, in April for Behrman's murder. He pleaded not guilty to the count of murder against him. If convicted, Myers faces a sentence of 40 years to life in prison without parole or the death penalty.\n"I trust the system," Marilyn Behrman said. "I want justice to prevail, whatever that is." \nBehrman disappeared May 31, 2000 after she went for a morning bicycle ride in the Bloomington area. An extensive search only recovered her bike. In 2003, hunters found skeletal remains that were later identified as Jill's in a wooded area near Paragon, Ind., in rural Morgan County.
(07/10/06 5:23am)
It's on. \nLast week, the second season of the reality show "Rock Star" started, with Tommy Lee's new band Supernova on the hunt for an unknown performer to front them, and I for one am thrilled by this year's 15 finalists.\nFor those of you who have never seen "Rock Star" in all of its glory, I like to think of it as an "American Idol" with people that can actually sing.\nThe set-up is simple: Tommy Lee and his mates Gilby Clarke of Guns N' Roses and Jason Newsted of Metallica sit back on fluffy Moroccan-esque sofas and pretend to look cool with co-host Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction. Some amazingly talented but underappreciated musicians get up and perform covers of classic rock songs to a live audience. Lee and the gang give the singers constructive criticism at the end of each song. Then co-host Brooke Burke, always wearing something scandalous and made of leather, smiles at the camera and tells everyone how they can vote while pimping a couple of national brands. The entire effect could be likened to watching a one-hour live audition/rock concert every week from the comfort of your own television.\nWhat's truly great about this show is that unlike the fakery going on over at some other stations (with their big red Xs, washed up pop stars and other bells and whistles), everything is kept surprisingly low-key. Navarro has the ability to sound like he's talking directly to you, no matter how large the audience is, and when Tommy Lee gets melodramatic, we just laugh in amusement because it's not him being phony, but instead just taking his childhood class clown act to a new level.\nIt's also nice to see, as the credits roll, that the band members are actually executive producers, so the insipid cutting we see on most reality show competitions is avoided. Also, this way we know that Supernova really is choosing who they want as a lead singer and is not being forced into it by backstage executives.\nBut the finalists are the real stars of this show. \nLast year, the band INXS, whose lead singer died suddenly in 1997, found a new frontman in Canadian JD Fortune, who won after a 12-week stint on "Rock Star."\nThis year, the winner might even be a female, the competition is so fierce. \nAfter seeing the artists perform the first week, my top picks are Storm Large, 37, Patrice Pike, 35, Dilana Robichaux, 33, and Lukas Rossi, 29. A few others, like Ryan Star, Josh Logan and Jill Gioia are great artists but don't fit the band's needs. \nAll of the performers are famous in their own right, whether they've had singles and tours in Europe or Asia or just a homegrown following in the United States. But what distinguishes them is the fact that they have never made it into the coveted American limelight, the superstardom that all of the almost-famous crave. \nBut even if you've never heard of them before, you shouldn't be missing them now. "Rock Star" airs at 9 p.m. Tuesdays on CBS. for the performances, and at 9 p.m. Wednesdays for the final vote tally and a sing-off between the bottom three finalists.
(07/05/06 10:50pm)
The height of summer has come and gone and whether Bloomington residents and IU students want to admit it, autumn grows closer every day. For those in the area still trying to hunt down that perfect job before the leaves start to fall, the 2006 Bloomington Job Fair might be the place to start.\nThis year, the fair boosts more than 1,300 jobs being offered by over 55 different regional businesses. The all-day event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 10 at the Bloomington North High School.\nSome of the major career opportunities that will be at the job fair include those in the manufacturing, construction and health care fields. WorkOne Bloomington, a division of Indiana's workforce development program, will also be offering assistance at the job fair.\n"We're going to help with the resource room, as we're calling it," said Susan Stein, of WorkOne Bloomington. "We'll be providing services to individuals coming to the job fair." \nIn addition to helping job seekers fill out applications, WorkOne will also be giving
(07/03/06 2:25am)
After spending three months in jail following a knife slashing in the motel where he was staying, a Bloomington man's attorney has filed a motion to dismiss the case, citing an unlawful search of his room.\nMatthew Martin, 25, was staying in the Ramada Limited Inn on North Walnut Street in March, when an early morning robbery ended with the motel clerk being beaten, sliced across the neck with a knife and shot while he lay unconscious on the ground.\nPolice responded to the scene and searched Martin's motel room, dumping him out of the bed where he was sleeping and arresting him after he became belligerent. \nThough Martin was never arrested in direct connection with the robbery, because he had just gotten out of jail, he was considered to be violating his probation and was placed in the Monroe County Jail without bond. \nIn June 2005 Martin was jailed after allegedly robbing two men at gunpoint in an apartment on Kirkwood Avenue, and released this February.\nHe is charged with resisting law enforcement and intimidation, police reports show, with a court hearing set for July 21.\nMartin's attorney David Schalk asserts that his client should not be in jail right now at all, as he was arrested after asking the police to leave his room, subsequently revoking the permission the police had been granted by a woman staying in the motel with him.\n"The police in this incident were overly zealous and aggressive in investigating a robbery," Schalk said in the motion. "They ought to apologize to Mr. Martin for dumping him out of his bed, searching his room against his will and taking him to jail."\nIn an interesting plot twist, Chad Luck, the son of retired Bloomington police officer Dexter Luck, allegedly confessed to the crime after members of his family reported him to the police. He later pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is being held on a $100,000 surety bond in the Monroe County Jail under charges of attempted murder and armed robbery resulting in serious bodily injury, according to police reports.\nLuck has a competency hearing set for Aug. 25.
(06/26/06 3:00am)
A domestic dispute ended in a self-defense stabbing Saturday night, after a husband and wife with a history of domestic violence toward each other took their \nargument to the street.\nBloomington police officers responded to a 911 call at 9:51 p.m. in the 1300 block of East 12th Street. They found a man lying in the grass, bleeding from a stab wound to his left leg. The man was uncooperative with police, refusing to tell them who had stabbed him or give details regarding to the incident in general, the police report said.\nAfter the Bloomington Hospital's ambulance service arrived and removed the victim to the emergency room, police recovered a small kitchen knife in the grass. Sergeant Mick Williams, reading the police report, said the officers began canvassing the area for witnesses, locating the original 911 caller as well as the wife's sister, who lived in the area.\nThe officers also located the wife, who was traveling home on foot with her two small children in the 1300 block of West 11th Street. \nThe woman told police that she and her husband were at her sister's house when they began arguing over her going out that evening with some friends. He got in the family's car and was leaving the area, so she sat on the hood of the vehicle in an attempt to stop him. According to reports from the wife and other witnesses, the husband put the car in reverse and tried to leave anyway, at which point the wife broke off one of the windshield wipers with which she was holding onto the vehicle, Williams said.\nThe woman claimed that her husband tried to run her over, and then got out of the car and chased her into her sister's house. She locked herself in the building and waited until she thought her husband had left the area. The police report stated that the wife was fearful of her husband by that point in the argument.\nAs she left the house, her husband, who had been lying in wait for her, grabbed her from behind by the left arm, held her head and began choking her, the wife and several witnesses said. \nShe in turn pulled out a kitchen knife she had hidden in her left-hand pants pocket and stabbed him in his leg. He also suffered a cut to the left arm, the police report said.\nThe sister, who had been in a neighbor's house for safety during the altercation, came out and took the knife from her, the wife told police. The woman then asked someone to call for an ambulance and tried to stem her husband's bleeding by wrapping an electrical cord around his leg. No visible injuries were found on the woman.\nThe police determined from corroborated reports between witnesses and the wife that the husband was the primary aggressor in the situation and that the wife had just been acting in self-defense. No charges were filed against her or her husband.
(06/26/06 2:58am)
A 23-year-old Bloomington woman escaped an attempted kidnapping early Saturday morning in the 500 block of South Washington Street.\nThe victim said she was walking home when an unknown man grabbed her from behind, placing his hands over her face and mouth, Sergeant Mick Williams said, reading from the report. The man told her not to yell or scream, and warned her that this was not a joke. \nThe woman resisted her abductor, breaking free from his grasp and running to a nearby residence, where she woke up the residents inside. She called 911, and Bloomington police officers responded to the scene at approximately 3:15 a.m., the report said.\nThe suspected kidnapper is described as a white male with brown hair, between 5 feet 5 inches and 5 feet 7 inches tall with a medium build. He was wearing khaki shorts and a white shirt, and after the victim escaped his grip he left the area in a white or light-colored SUV.\nThe case is still under investigation. Anyone with information on this or other crimes can contact BPD at 812-339-4477.
(06/08/06 12:57am)
Stuffed animals, handwritten cards, lit candles and enormous bouquets and wreaths of flowers tumbled against the fence bordering the neat one-story beige house the Covarrubias-Valdez family had called home. On the porch, a wind chime in the shape of the cross fluttered silently.\nThe gentle roar of a jumbo jet flying above the street was the only noise that broke through the quiet stillness of Sunday evening's memorial service for the seven members of the Eastside family, who were killed last Thursday night in Indianapolis. Police and public officials are calling the home invasion the worst case of mass murder the city has seen in more than 25 years.\n"By coming together as a community, I think we sent a powerful message," Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson said in a phone interview, reflecting on the weekend event. "To see unity and hope come out of that was uplifting."\nWednesday, mourners gathered at a collective funeral for six of the seven slain last Thursday. \nBut Sunday's remembrance was unique in its spontaneity. Three days after the rampage occurred, the bold blue sky and sunlit street bore no trace of the screams and gunshots heard by the neighbors, save a thin stripe of yellow police tape in front of the house on Emerson Street and the mass of almost 1,000 people that had gathered. It was the crowd that was most remarkable.\nJust five rows of chairs had been set up in front of a small tent on the sidewalk, but as the 6 p.m. service began, the number of people spilled out past the street and sidewalks, onto neighbor's yards and porches. They were black, white and Hispanic, praying side-by-side. And they were all there to honor the memory of Alberto Covarrubias, 56, and his wife Emma Valez, 46, along with their children and grandchild. They were there to begin to heal from the murders that had tried to tear the community apart.\n"There are few events in the life of a city that are defining," Peterson said. "It was a defining moment that people of all colors and cultural backgrounds came together in that way."\n"I'm speechless," Maria Flores said, gazing around. The younger sister of Valdez, Flores seemed shocked by the enormous crowd of supporters that had turned out. "It means a whole lot to us," she said. "It really shows us that we are not alone."\nDesmond Turner, 28, the man accused of unleashing at least 30 rounds with an assault rifle on the family, is alone. He is currently in jail after turning himself in Saturday night, after a two-day manhunt for him. Police said that Turner, along with another suspect, James Stewart, 30, were attracted to the house after being told there were large amounts of cash and other valuables stashed inside, stories that have proved fictional since the crime. \nDeputy Chief of Operations Cliff Myers insisted that the murders were an isolated incident. \n"Indianapolis is a safe community," he said. "We have a long history of great neighborhoods, and I truly believe that's what led to such a quick capture." \nBetween 60 and 80 police officers attended Sunday's event, not only to ensure a safe service, but also to show the family their support. \n"It tore their hearts out, what happened," Indianapolis Police Department Public Information officer Sgt. Matthew Mount said. "They wanted to be here to show their support."\nValdez and her family were remembered with love during the hour long bilingual service. Her young sons, David, 11, and Alberto, 8, were welcome members at Shepherd Community Church. Pastor Jay Height, the director of Shepherd Community Center, choked back tears as he remembered the young boys who had regularly attended the programs held there.\nIn the front, the Valdez family broke down in tears, sometimes audibly sobbing, as the various religious leaders in the city spoke not only about the unity that the community had shown in the midst of the horrific violence, but about the family that would be so missed.\nOne small blonde girl named Jasmine watched quietly, not yet fully comprehending that her grandmother and father, Valdez' son Magno Albarron, 29, were never coming back, while her mother cried behind thick black sunglasses. Picture frames standing against the fence showed the most recent photos of Flora Albarron, 22, and her 5-year-old son Luis, who had just gone in the house for a visit with his grandmother when the attack occurred.\nBy the end of the service, the tears had, momentarily, ended, as the family stood together in solidarity, thanking the many well-wishers that had cared enough to help them remember the lives of their loved ones.\n"We were expecting something, but not that much," Valdez' brother-in-law, Luis Juarez of Dallas said. Then, a small smile stretching across his face, he nodded towards the family. "It's good to see them laughing now." Now was the time for healing.
(06/05/06 2:18am)
Watching actor and comedian Jamie Kennedy in his quest to be a rapper is akin to seeing someone performing a large flip off of the high dive and then belly flopping into the pool, only to rise to the surface and declare, "I meant to do that!" \n"Blowin' Up," the new reality show on MTV about Kennedy's humorous ascent to stardom as a rapper, should really be called "Suckin' Up." After all, that's what he and his buddy Stu Stone spend their time doing -- in between driving around in Kennedy's Hummer, rapping and waving to everyone else in California. Apparently, you have to do a lot of sucking up in showbiz, but hitting on Ice-T's woman is not the way to go about doing that. \nThe show, billed as a comedy series, is like everything else on MTV -- it sucks you in whether you want to watch it or not. And after a few minutes in front of the tube, Kennedy and Stone begin to grow on you, much like slime does if you lie in the bathtub too long. \nHere's the premise: Kennedy, whose claim to fame is being somebody in the now "classic" "Scream" movies and recent box office flop Son of the Mask (for which he won not one, but two Raspberries), has taken his yen for music and translated it into becoming a rapper with his short, obnoxious friend Stone. The reality show consists of the two of them bickering over music, over Kennedy's career as an actor and the stupid things Stone says and does. Like complimenting Joe Simpson on his excellent sperm. \nTrouble is, no one believes that Kennedy is for real. After all, this is the guy who pulled in three million viewers on the WB with his zany comedy "The Jamie Kennedy Experiment," pulling pranks on people week after week. Though Kennedy insists he is serious about becoming a rapper, everyone else in Hollywood just raises their eyebrows. \nAnd like anything Kennedy does, it's hard to know what to expect when watching "Blowin' Up." Though critics have been calling the show a tongue-in-cheek look at two guys trying to be rappers, MTV's plays it straight, and viewers end up believing Kennedy's pathetic attempts. It's only after being immersed in a couple of episodes do the sly, humorous moments begin to reveal themselves. Such as when Kennedy and Stone, promoting their new single, "Circle Circle Dot Dot," about a certain part of the female anatomy, spend an evening traveling to different clubs in Los Angeles, hoping someone will like their pitch, which involves hand movements. No one does, and they return to the Hummer to later try their luck with a Bob Saget rap-a-long. \nBut there is something likable about these annoying white guys with their ridiculous conversations and silly, yet catchy songs. It's like watching a brand-new version of the American dream -- famous D-lister just wants to make it to the B-list (a la Kathy Griffin). America likes to pretend it is the underdog so often, and in "Blowin' Up," so does Kennedy. The results are hilarious.\nSo when all of the bright, whirring lights and funky, computer-generated images that float by on the commercials are pulled away, what remains of "Blowin' Up" is just two friends, sitting around in their car and rapping along to Salt 'n Pepa. And we are along for the funny, funny ride.
(05/26/06 5:15pm)
A Morgan County judge has denied a request in the Behrman case for a change of venue, leaving the Sept. 18 trial in the county where IU student Jill Behrman's body was found three years ago. \nSuperior Court Judge Christopher Burnham ruled Monday that the trial will not be moved to Indianapolis because of the negative influence of local media coverage on the case, as the defense for John R. Myers II, the Elletsville man indicted for killing Jill Behrman, argued. \nDefense attorney Patrick Baker told the court that the publicity surrounding the disappearance and murder of Jill Behrman over the past six years had made it impossible for Myers to receive a fair trial in Morgan County.\nJill Behrman, 19, disappeared May 31, 2000 after she went for a morning bicycle ride in the Bloomington area. An extensive search by the community only recovered her bike. Two years later, in 2003, hunters found Jill's skeletal remains in rural Morgan County, in a wooded area near Paragon, Ind.\nBurnham disagreed with the defense attorney, stating that a change of venue would do nothing to reduce the amount of media coverage for the case, but only shift it "to a new venue," the ruling said. \nThough Baker originally had requested a venue far away from the Bloomington area in his petition, he later asked for the location to be in Marion County. \n"We're pleased with the ruling," Morgan County prosecutor Stephen Sonnega said Wednesday, adding that the prosecution already felt Morgan County was a venue county. "The trial's a go," he said.\nMarilyn Behrman, an IU employee and the mother of Jill, said she was glad that the trial would be staying in Martinsville. \n"The attorney was trying to make Martinsville and Bloomington (seem like) the same community, and that's not the case," Marilyn Behrman said. Moving the case to Indianapolis, she said, would "probably hurt more than it helps."\nShe and her husband had feared that if the case was moved further away from the Bloomington area, it would cause undue stress for not only the investigation, but also for all of the witnesses in the trial. More than 90 people were interviewed by the grand jury in the months leading up to Myers indictment.\nThe next hurdle will be July 5, when the Bloomington The Herald-Times takes its repeated requests for the release of public records related to the Behrman case to court. \nThe hearing will determine whether Behrman's autopsy report should be released to the public.
(05/26/06 5:14pm)
Technology gave the police an edge Monday when their search for an attempted rapist ended at a local fast food restaurant where the suspect was found with his victim's cell phone in his pocket.\nBurger King employee Raheem McMillan, 16, was arrested on charges of attempted rape with threat of use of deadly force, criminal deviate conduct, robbery, confinement and battery. Though he is a juvenile, McMillan was automatically waived to be tried in an adult court because of the severity of his crimes.\nA 20-year-old college student first reported the sexual assault and robbery at 10:30 a.m. from her apartment complex in the 1600 block of East Hillside Drive. She told police she had been moving out of her apartment when a man approached her near a dumpster in the parking lot of her residence.\nHolding a dark-colored semi-automatic handgun, the man demanded money from the woman. According to police reports, she told the robber she was just a "poor college student" and didn't have any money. At that point, the man forced her back into her apartment, forced her to take off all of her clothes and sexually assaulted her.\nThe victim told police she fought with the robber, struggling with him over the gun, and that he choked her almost to the point of unconsciousness. After assaulting her for a short period of time, the man took her cell phone, her only form of outside communication, and five dollars from her purse and fled the scene. The woman had to call 911 from the main office of her apartment complex, the report said.\nOfficers soon learned that a man matching the description of the robber had been seen catching a Yellow Cab in the 1700 block of East Hillside, where McMillan's mother lives. The police followed the suspect to a Burger King on Third Street.\nAs police stopped McMillan for questioning in the Burger King, the detective at the crime scene dialed the phone number of the stolen cell phone, in the hopes that it was still in the suspect's possession, according to the report.\nThe victim's phone rang from inside McMillan's pants pocket. Police immediately pounced upon the phone, answering it to confirm it was the victim's, and then arrested the employee before he could begin his shift at the restaurant.\nMcMillan was brought to the police station and, after giving "various stories and denials," said Detective Sgt. David Drake, admitted to sexually assaulting and robbing the woman. \nA police search of McMillan's mother's apartment yielded a BB gun replica of a semi-automatic handgun as well as shoes and a jacket that matched the description of the suspect's. \n"This is not your typical 16-year-old," Drake said.\nMcMillan is being held in the Monroe County Jail on a $500,000 bond.
(05/22/06 1:43am)
The lively sound of Tibetan folk music wafted through the auction rooms, where art buyers bid on sumptuous pieces of framed artwork while rubbing shoulders with young families learning about Tibetan prayer techniques and nibbling on savory meat and vegetarian dumplings. \nOutside, young girls and boys performed authentic Tibetan dances while small groups wandered through an outdoor marketplace of exotic metalwork and delicately-woven clothing. \nThe Tibetan Cultural Center held their first annual Tibetan Art Fair Sunday afternoon, drawing in people from across the United States in a celebration of culture and art. The event marks one of the first public events the center has held since Arjia Rinpoche, the new director and president of the Tibetan Cultural Center, was named to the post by the Dali Lama in January.\n"The goal is to preserve our culture and religion and show our beautiful arts to people," Rinpoche said. \nThe new director has been busy building back up the Tibetan Cultural Center's outreach efforts. For the center, the art fair is a form of spiritual rebirth.\nThe all-day event, which started at 1 p.m. at Deer Park Manor, ended late in the evening with a private dinner and musical program hosted by Elaine Irwin-Mellencamp, the newest board member of the Tibetan Cultural Center. People traveled from all over Indiana to come to the event. Among the public events held in the afternoon was an auction of artwork from the private collection of Rinpoche and John Mellencamp. Fine jewelry, textiles, handcrafted pottery and framed photographs from Mongolia were also displayed and sold. In addition, there were young contortionists, folk singers and the Mount Kailish Cultural Troupe, a group of Tibetan-Americans from Chicago who performed religious dances for the audience. \n"I've never done this before," said Ming Mar, a 17-year-old junior from north Chicago. Mar, who is currently looking at colleges and plans on becoming a doctor, said he has enjoyed the opportunity to get in touch with his heritage by learning and performing dances like the Tashi Sholpa. \nBesides teaching others about their culture, Tibetan-Americans are intent on educating others about the plight of Tibet, which is currently under the control of the Republic of China. \n"It's really hard to get the word out," said Barbara Lantz, singer and author of the book "Return of Chief Joseph." Lantz, an advocate for the Nez Perce Native American tribe, who, like many other tribes in the United States today, are still struggling to buy back their original land, brought members of the Nez Perce tribe from Idaho for the art fair. They performed a traditional display of Native American drumming.\n"I wanted to bring them out to this festival because there's such a similarity between their (the Nez Perce and the Tibetans) stories," Lantz said. "It's important to get this kind of stuff out because people don't know about it."\nRinpoche said he was pleased by the positive reaction the event received and was encouraged to continue doing outreach in the community.\n"We saw we should have more events and activities to benefit the center and the local community," he said. "That's our motivation."\nThe proceeds from the auction will benefit the Kumbum Chamtse Ling Temple and the Tibetan Children's Camp at the Tibetan Cultural Center.
(05/22/06 1:01am)
Two men declined to press charges for battery against their neighbors after being physically and verbally harassed early Saturday morning.\nThe victims, who are roommates, live in the 1100 block of North Lindbergh Ave. The men, 20 and 23, called the police after neighbors began banging on their walls, windows and doors late at night. One of the victim's cars was also broken into.\nThe men told police they were being targeted because they are homosexual, and said it is not uncommon to have items thrown at their apartment. They also told police they had informed the apartment complex management repeatedly about the problem.\nAfter being harassed Saturday morning, one of the victims told police he left his apartment and chased an individual who he suspected was beating on their apartment windows. \nIn front of a nearby apartment he confronted a female who told the victim she and her boyfriend had banged on his windows because the he and his roommate were "fags," the police report said. \nThe victim told the woman that they needed to "move out because they were not wanted."\nAfter becoming involved in a verbal argument with the woman, he then accused her and her boyfriend of breaking into his vehicle. At this point, the victim said that the boyfriend, who had been watching the argument, struck him in the face. \nOfficers at the scene observed an injury near the victim's left eye, consisting of a small bruise near the cheekbone and a red mark near the eye on the forehead.\nThe first victim returned to the apartment and told his roommate about the argument, and both returned to the same area, this time armed with potato guns, the police interview with the other party said. A potato gun, or a spud gun, as it is sometimes called, is a PVC pipe that has been altered to shoot potatoes.\nThe men began arguing again with the woman and her boyfriend, as well as a third male. The victims accused the couple and the third man of banging on their door and windows, and of breaking into one of their cars. The police report said they threatened to shoot out the windows of the suspects' apartment. In turn, the woman called them both "faggots" and told them they should leave. \nAs the victims began walking away, the third male picked up a wooden grate stake and threw it, striking the second victim in the face, causing a laceration to his bottom lip and bruising his face.\nThe police were called to the scene after the second altercation, but both men requested that a criminal investigation not be completed and that the police not contact the suspects in the case. The victims told police they only wanted that incident to be documented.\nThe police were called back later Saturday morning after the victims had awakened to discover the word "fag" written on the outside of their apartment on the sidewalk. The police asked the victims if they wanted to press charges again, but they declined again. Photographs of their injuries and the written hate crime were taken as evidence.\nThe alleged suspects were found by police and admitted to banging on the windows and walls of the victims' apartments. One man told police that he had been intoxicated and that he shouldn't have done it. The suspects denied that any sort of physical altercation had occurred between themselves and the victims, or any knowledge regarding the word "fag" written on the sidewalk. Police warned all of the suspects that they could be arrested for criminal trespass.\nAnyone with information on this or other crimes should contact Bloomington Police Department at 339-4477.
(05/18/06 4:00am)
Some say karaoke is the poor man's version of American Idol. \n For Derek Reckley, it's just another chance to get up on stage and do what he loves -- entertain people.\n Reckley, 23, an actor and IU theatre student, is also a self-proclaimed karaoke enthusiast. \n "It's become a huge thing, actually," Reckley said. That's an understatement.\n His stage name is D-Bone, which was a childhood nickname, and his shtick is with the soul music. For this IU student, karaoke is a passion.\n "I do soulful songs. I prance and do James Brown and stuff," he said. "[Karaoke] is just a fun way to get on the stage, experience the crowd and study what people enjoy."\n Reckley has taken that passion beyond the regular karaoke routine, finding the societal study of karaoke performing just as interesting as getting up there and doing it himself. He is in the process of filming a movie about karaoke with Pale Trio Productions. He's even performing in an interactive play about karaoke in June called The Age of Cynicism, or Karaoke Night at the Hog, which is being put on by the Bloomington Playwrights Project.\n Everyone has seen the karaoke stereotype, whether they've ever entered a karaoke bar or not. The drunken woman with her work friends gets up on stage, slurring her words dreadfully as she warbles off-key into the mic. The happy-go-lucky guy with just a few too many under his belt proclaims undying love to the tune of Bruce Springsteen while his college buddies howl with laughter.\n While Reckley thinks those moments are classic, he also believes there is a strange sort of art to the karaoke process, which he finds fascinating.\n "Trying to find an art behind it is quite amazing," he said. "It's strange what the crowd will respond to."\n He described how karaoke can empower ordinary people.\n "People who look like the type of person who would not sing on stage get the largest crowd reaction," he said. He told a story about a recent karaoke singer, a tiny, 50-year-old woman, who stood up in front of a large crowd and sang "I Will Survive." The audience roared with approval, giving her a huge amount of support that a typical, young 20-something wouldn't have received from the same song. \n "If you've got balls and you go up there and do it people will applaud you more," he said.\n Reckley also talked about how karaoke can be an addictive rush.\n In the moment when a person steps up to the mic to sing, there is a pause as the crowd waits. They're watching, and studying, and the singer finds they've suddenly got an adrenaline rush. \n It is the feeling of power that keeps people returning to the mic time and again. \n "For a little moment, they can feel like they are someone important," Reckley said. "It's sad in a way, but also kind of beautiful."\n The Age of Cynicism runs every evening at 8 PM. from June 1 through the 17 at the Bloomington Playwrights Project, located at 109 W. 7th Street.
(05/18/06 4:00am)
Bear's Place\nIf you are looking for a great karaoke time spent with friends, Bear's Place on 3rd Street is, well, the place. Thursday nights starting at 9 p.m. the back room throbs with the drunken warbles of college students having a good time. The DJ also has a good time, with a strong selection of music, and for a $2 cover charge the evening can be yours.
(05/18/06 1:06am)
John R. Myers II, the Ellettsville man indicted in the 2000 murder of 19-year-old IU student Jill Behrman, awaits a decision on whether his Sept. 18 trial will be moved out of Morgan County after requesting a change of venue Monday.\nMorgan County Superior Court Judge Christopher Burnham heard a request from defense attorney Patrick Baker of Indianapolis to move the trial from Martinsville.\nBaker cited the excess amount of media attention the case has received as detrimental to his client's right to a fair trial. Including the steady stream of media attention to the case these past six years, Fox News recently re-ran a segment about the Behrman case for its national show, "Crime Scene." \n"Due to bias and prejudice created by the extensive media coverage and publicity surrounding the alleged murder allegedly occurring on or about May 31, 2000, the defendant believes it to be impossible to receive a fair trial in Morgan County," Baker said in the petition he filed, according to an April 19 IDS article. \nBaker also requested that a sample jury be summoned in the petition. The jury would be tested by the court to gauge how much information they know about the case. Neither Behrman nor Myers are residents of Morgan County. Baker was not available for comment.\nIf convicted of Jill Behrman's death, Myers, 30, faces 40 years to life in prison without parole or the death penalty. \nThe prosecution, led by Morgan County prosecutor Stephen Sonnega, believes a change of venue would have no effect on the publicity aspect of the case.\n"I think the media is aware of this wherever you go," Eric Behrman, Jill's father, said. "They've covered it from the very beginning."\nThough Baker originally requested a venue far away from the Bloomington area in his petition, he has since asked for the location to be in Marion County.\n"It's interesting that when they say it would not be 'quite the media circus,' when you would have more media in Indianapolis. That doesn't even make sense," Eric Behrman said. Sonnega was not available for comment.\nBurnham made no immediate decision regarding the change of venue.\nJill Behrman disappeared May 31, 2000 after she went for a morning bicycle ride in the Bloomington area. Her parents, IU employees Eric and Marilyn Behrman, reported her missing that day but searchers only recovered her bike. Two years later, in 2003, hunters found Jill's skeletal remains in rural Morgan County, in a wooded area near Paragon, Ind. \nIn March 2002, police and FBI thought they had a break in the case when local resident Wendy Owings confessed that she, along with two friends, Alisha Sowders and Uriah Clouse, had accidentally hit Jill Behrman with their truck, wrapped her body in plastic and dumped her in Salt Creek, which was subsequently drained in the search for her. After the discovery of Behrman's body in Morgan County, Owings recanted her statement.\nMyers became a person of interest for the Indiana State Police in December 2004, but many of the details of the grand jury investigation, which include interviews with over 90 witnesses, remain sealed, according to an April 12 IDS article.\n"All we're trying to do is get justice for Jill," Eric Behrman said.
(05/17/06 11:02pm)
Some say karaoke is the poor man's version of American Idol. \n For Derek Reckley, it's just another chance to get up on stage and do what he loves -- entertain people.\n Reckley, 23, an actor and IU theatre student, is also a self-proclaimed karaoke enthusiast. \n "It's become a huge thing, actually," Reckley said. That's an understatement.\n His stage name is D-Bone, which was a childhood nickname, and his shtick is with the soul music. For this IU student, karaoke is a passion.\n "I do soulful songs. I prance and do James Brown and stuff," he said. "[Karaoke] is just a fun way to get on the stage, experience the crowd and study what people enjoy."\n Reckley has taken that passion beyond the regular karaoke routine, finding the societal study of karaoke performing just as interesting as getting up there and doing it himself. He is in the process of filming a movie about karaoke with Pale Trio Productions. He's even performing in an interactive play about karaoke in June called The Age of Cynicism, or Karaoke Night at the Hog, which is being put on by the Bloomington Playwrights Project.\n Everyone has seen the karaoke stereotype, whether they've ever entered a karaoke bar or not. The drunken woman with her work friends gets up on stage, slurring her words dreadfully as she warbles off-key into the mic. The happy-go-lucky guy with just a few too many under his belt proclaims undying love to the tune of Bruce Springsteen while his college buddies howl with laughter.\n While Reckley thinks those moments are classic, he also believes there is a strange sort of art to the karaoke process, which he finds fascinating.\n "Trying to find an art behind it is quite amazing," he said. "It's strange what the crowd will respond to."\n He described how karaoke can empower ordinary people.\n "People who look like the type of person who would not sing on stage get the largest crowd reaction," he said. He told a story about a recent karaoke singer, a tiny, 50-year-old woman, who stood up in front of a large crowd and sang "I Will Survive." The audience roared with approval, giving her a huge amount of support that a typical, young 20-something wouldn't have received from the same song. \n "If you've got balls and you go up there and do it people will applaud you more," he said.\n Reckley also talked about how karaoke can be an addictive rush.\n In the moment when a person steps up to the mic to sing, there is a pause as the crowd waits. They're watching, and studying, and the singer finds they've suddenly got an adrenaline rush. \n It is the feeling of power that keeps people returning to the mic time and again. \n "For a little moment, they can feel like they are someone important," Reckley said. "It's sad in a way, but also kind of beautiful."\n The Age of Cynicism runs every evening at 8 PM. from June 1 through the 17 at the Bloomington Playwrights Project, located at 109 W. 7th Street.