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(08/26/10 7:54pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>At 3:20 p.m., a male was seen falling from the top floor of a parking garage on 30 S. Meridian Street in Indianapolis, Linda Jackson, Indianapolis Metro Police Department spokesperson said. The man was seen firing a couple of rounds into the air with two guns and then shot himself before he fell. There were multiple witnesses on the scene, Jackson said. The man is now reported dead and his family has yet to be notified. The official police report is expected to be released tomorrow. Continue to check idsnews.com for updates.
(03/24/10 5:55pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>On the fourth night of my drinking (possibly fifth), a friend of mine introduced me to Drive-By Truckers. The ’90s band has released 10 albums, but the track “Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife” was my first listen.It’s important to keep in mind the majority of songs on “The Big To-Do” are based on or actually are true stories. Essentially that is all they are, stories with a beginning, middle and end. As a journalist first and a critic last, this is something I respect. Hidden gems will surface as the album becomes worn and scratched in my car console, but “The Fourth Night Of My Drinking,” “You Got Another” and “Sante Fe” stand out first.I hold “The Big To-Do” in the same regard as Dinosaur Jr.’s “Farm,” which came out last summer. Not just because both bands have Bloomington ties, but I actually feel like I am listening to rock ‘n’ roll. This is rock ‘n’ roll with a simple purpose — to tell you a story. Reach the point in your life where you do not care about what anybody has to say to you unless it is a story. Just tell me a story, maybe I will understand.
(03/24/10 2:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Two Advance America Cash Advance locations were robbed within an hour and a half. One robbery occurred in Terre Haute and the other in Bloomington.At 3271 W. 3rd Street around 4:30 p.m. Monday, two female employees were behind the counter of Advance America Cash Advance when an elderly man, possibly in his sixties, calmly approached the counter with rubber gloves, according to a Bloomington Police Report read by Lt. David Drake. The man pulled out a black, semi-automatic hand gun and demanded the employees give him money.According to the report, the employees were resistant to the gunman’s demands, but eventually one of them put money in a bag he was holding. He then left.The man was described by witnesses as wearing a blue rain coat with the hood pulled and blue jeans. He is approximately 180 pounds and 6 feet tall with white hair.Video surveillance from Advance America Cash Advance in Terre Haute captured an image similar to the description given by Bloomington witnesses. If you have any information contact BPD detective Bill Jeffers at 812-339-4477
(01/11/10 5:55am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The murder surfaced 10 a.m. Dec. 28, when a colleague found IU assistant English professor Don Belton dead, face down on the kitchen floor in his home. She had tried calling him the night before, but there was no answer. Belton, 53, had multiple stab wounds in his back and abdomen and what appeared to be defensive wounds on his hands, Bloomington Police Department Lieutenant David Drake said. Given the brutality of the murder and how nothing appeared to be stolen, BPD officers were led to believe the nature of the crime was “of anger or passion,” according to the probable cause affidavit, a sworn statement by Detective Marty Deckard. Police found an itinerary on a table revealing Belton’s plan to catch a plane for Honolulu at 8 a.m. that morning. The colleague also verified his travel plans; she was collecting his newspaper.Also discovered was Belton’s diary. In it, a recent entry expressed Belton’s happiness that a person named Michael entered his life. On a 4-by-6-inch notecard was the name Griffin, a phone number, an e-mail address and directions to the 5900 block of E. State Road 45, where a Michael James Griffin lived.Though originally not a suspect, Griffin was the officers’ only lead. Meanwhile, Jessica Greiwe was telling officers at the Batesville, Ind., Police Department about her boyfriend, who told her he killed Belton, according to police. The Batesville Indiana Police Department informed BPD of the suspect. At 10:45 p.m. Dec. 28 a search warrant was obtained for 5937 E. State Road 45. BPD and the Critical Incident Response Team arrived at Griffin’s address and arrested him. Police found a 10-inch blade called a “peace keeper” knife inside a backpack. The knife was purchased before Griffin, 26, served in Iraq with the U.S. Marine Corps. Griffin had already thrown away the bloody clothes he had on, and they now sit somewhere in a Bloomington landfill.Police then interviewed with Griffin and he confessed to murdering Belton using the knife. Police officers finished their investigation at 5 a.m. on Dec. 29. A description of the interview is provided in the affidavit. However, Griffin pleaded not guilty Dec. 30, and a pretrial conference is scheduled for March 1.Griffin told police that he was sexually assaulted by Belton in Belton’s home on Christmas Day, and that Griffin went to Belton’s home Dec. 27 to have a conversation regarding the incident. Griffin said Belton did not show remorse of the alleged sexual assault, causing an argument to ensue.“He felt that Mr. Belton was not in any way forgiving and that he did not show or express any type of feeling that what had taken place was a mistake,” Deckard said in his sworn statement.Griffin and Belton’s argument sprung into a physical fight where Griffin unsheathed the “peace keeper.”* * * Now distraught IU department of English chairman Jonathan Elmer juggles daily tasks of his job and being a spokesperson for Belton’s murder. Belton was a faculty member of the creative writing program and authored several books, articles and reviews. Belton’s parents are both deceased and his emergency contact was not up to date, and thus, finding his next of kin took some digging – a search the department of English performed until it located Belton’s brother, Wayne B. Belton, in Philadelphia, Elmer said.On Dec. 31, English faculty planned for a memorial at 5 p.m. Jan. 15 at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Bloomington. An immediate memorial took place the next day.Four IU professors walked into the Pour House Cafe on Kirkwood Avenue, picked up several donated pitchers of coffee and squeezed them into a red Mini Cooper en route to the courthouse for the memorial.Helping was assistant professor Stephanie DeBoer of the department of communication and culture. DeBoer and Belton joined IU faculty around the same time in 2008; the two met at a faculty function.“He was a friend. A caring, warm, clear person,” DeBoer said.DeBoer was informed of Belton’s death via e-mail in Los Angeles, and she came back to Bloomington for the memorial.A swell of people stood on the southeast portion of the square; for an hour they would bear below-freezing temperatures. Nonetheless, about 200 flocked to the New Year’s Day memorial.English assistant professor D. Rae Greiner organized the vigil as an immediate, community-based response to the slaying. With her friend and colleague gone, she now also deals with what she called “inadequate media coverage,” “negative comments” and “inappropriate feedback.”“It has been incredibly taxing, emotionally draining and saddening,” Greiner said.Part of what has upset Greiner, Elmer and GLBT student affairs coordinator Doug Bauder are what they called inappropriate views on Kelley School of Business professor Eric Rasmusen’s personal blog. The department of English has also been receiving hate e-mails, according to a letter from Elmer on the department’s Web site.Another blog, justicefordonbelton.com, is countering by showcasing information surrounding the case and the thoughts of those who knew Belton.Many other friends and associates also said the Belton they knew had yet to surface in media coverage, and that the void left on campus has been filled with negativity.“We want to change public perception ... while they are still paying attention,” Greiner said.As a few candles were initially lit as day faded, individual candles were distributed, and flames popped up in a mitosis pattern. People shuffled around the border of the square to keep warm; a bird’s eye view would show an illuminated sidewalk.IU graduate Justin Way was in South Bend, home from graduate school in Columbia, N.Y., when he received the news from a friend. Way took Belton’s 2008 advanced fiction writing workshop, and he recalled how Belton’s class would not read the typical fiction.“That’s a thing about him, he opened up your reading taste to be more eclectic,” Way said. He added that Belton’s class was the antithesis of the competitive writing atmosphere. Way said his attitude toward writing changed because of Belton.“It really is tragic,” Way said, reflecting on Belton’s near departure to Honolulu that morning. “I always remember him telling me how he wanted to go to Hawaii, write a couple of poems and come back.”
(01/02/10 6:22am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU professors, students and Bloomington community members made their way to the Bloomington Courthouse square on New Year’s Day to remember IU assistant professor Don Belton, who was stabbed to death Dec. 27.The hundreds of attendees filled the entirety of the block's sidewalk as they walked around the square to keep warm. Adjacent to where the vigil took place is Monroe County Jail, where Michael James Griffin, 25, is incarcerated after telling Bloomington Police Department he repeatedly stabbed Belton on Dec. 27.--Inside the Pourhouse Cafe on Kirkwood Avenue, manager Pam Voorhies worked quickly. The store was closing, but she fielded carryout for customers and for the professors coming to pick up the coffee the cafe donated to Belton’s candlelight vigil. “It was neat that she wanted us to be a part of it,” Voorhies said of D. Rae Greiner, an IU assistant professor of English, who organized the vigil. Four women, IU professors, walked into the cafe, picked up several coffee pitchers and squeezed them into a MINI cooper en route to the courthouse. Fifteen minutes before start time, already a swell of people stood around the southeast portion of the square, dressed for below freezing temperatures. “It has been incredibly taxing, emotionally draining and saddening,” Greiner said. Not only is Greiner’s friend and colleague gone, but she has been dealing with inadequate media coverage and negative comments and feedback resulting from such coverage, she said. Many other friends and colleagues also said the Belton they knew had yet to surface. “We want to change public perception … while they are still paying attention,” Greiner said. With candles, people shuffled around the sidewalk bordering the square; a bird’s eye view would show the square almost fully illuminated, as about 200 gathered there.Former IU undergraduate Justin Way was in South Bend, home from graduate school in Columbia, N.Y., when he received the news from a friend. Way took Belton’s 2008 advanced fiction writing workshop, recalling how in Belton’s class students would not read the typical fiction. “That’s a thing about him, he opened up your reading taste to be more eclectic,” Way said. He added that Belton’s class was the antithesis of the competitive atmosphere writing could often have. Way said his attitude toward writing changed because of Belton.“It really is tragic,” Way said, reflecting on Belton’s near departure to Honolulu the morning of Dec. 28. “I always remember telling how he wanted to go to Hawaii, write a couple of poems and come back.”
(01/02/10 5:36am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU assistant English professor Don Belton, 53, was dead, lying on the kitchen floor of his Bloomington home when at 10 a.m. Dec. 28 a neighbor entered. Belton had received multiple stab wounds in his back and abdomen and obtained what appeared to be defensive wounds on his hands, said Bloomington Police Department Lieutenant David Drake.The weapon was later identified as a 10-inch blade “peace keeper” knife that Michael James Griffin purchased before serving with the Marine Corps in Iraq. Given the brutality of the murder and that nothing appeared to be stolen, BPD officers were led to believe the nature of the crime was “to be of anger or passion,” according to the probable cause affidavit, a sworn statement by BPD detective Marty Deckard. On a table inside Belton’s residence was an itinerary revealing Belton was scheduled to leave for Honolulu, Hawaii, 8 a.m. that Monday morning, Dec. 28. Also discovered was Belton’s diary. In it, a recent entry expressed Belton’s happiness that a person by the name of Michael entered his life. Included on a 4 x 6 inch note card was the name “Griffin,” a phone number, e-mail and directions to the 5900 block of E. State Road 45 where Griffin lived.Meanwhile, Jessica Greiwe was at the Batesville Indiana Police Department regarding Griffin, her boyfriend, who earlier told her he killed Belton.Batesville Indiana Police Department officer Donny Hamilton informed Bloomington police of the suspect. A search warrant for 5937 E. State Road 45 was obtained around 10:45 p.m. Dec. 28. BPD and the Critical Incident Response Team arrived at the address and took Griffin into custody and proceeded to interview him at the station. Griffin told police he was sexually assaulted by Belton on the evening of Dec. 25 and came to his home on the 27th to have a conversation with Belton regarding the incident, which escalated into a physical fight leading to Belton’s death. “He felt that Mr. Belton was not in any way forgiving and that he did not show or express any type of feeling that what had taken place was a mistake,” Deckard said in his sworn statement.Griffin pleaded “not guilty” Dec. 30, and a pretrial conference is scheduled for March 3.
(12/14/09 1:47am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A man was arrested in The Video Saloon bar on Saturday after being accused of groping a woman and elbowing her in the mouth while fighting another man, according to a Bloomington Police Department report.The alleged assailant, Brandon Trevor Compton, 26, was being physically restrained by a bouncer when BPD officer Josh Taylor arrived at The Video Saloon on West Seventh Street. Compton reported first being punched in the face by an unknown man and proceeded to defend himself. Taylor did not see any marks on Compton’s face. The woman was taken to Bloomington Hospital and later reported to BPD that Compton sexually assaulted her by grabbing her buttocks. Compton is being charged with aggravated battery, sexual battery, public intoxication and disorderly conduct.
(12/11/09 5:34am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Members of the Commission on Campus Safety made an hour-long trek Thursday night to identify spots on campus that could pose a possible threat.IU Parking Manager Doug Porter led the brigade through below-freezing weather while the group acknowledged poorly lit areas in the Arboretum, outside the Herman B Wells Library and Dunn Woods. Although the group has been doing this twice a year for 20 years, the climate relating to campus safety has changed following a student death this semester.A task force on traffic safety also did a campus walk-through earlier this year to identify potential danger zones for pedestrians crossing streets. As a result, they recommended implementing “safe zones” where pedestrians would have the right-of-way if entering one of these spots before an automobile. Porter said Thursday’s mission was to look for areas where people could become scared and alone while walking. The eight in attendance were made up of IU students and people from various IU facility and utility departments and women’s affairs.While walking the path between the Health, Physical Education, and Recreation building and the fenced-off recreational fields, Residence Halls Association President Jessica Schul mentioned how this is a scary path for some women.“I have girl friends that will pretend like they are talking on the phone with someone when they are not,” Schul said.It’s the rationale that you can scream and quickly tell somebody that you are being attacked. They will say things like, “Yeah, I’ll be home in five minutes,” to scare off a possible lurking predator, Schul said.Porter also gave the group examples of safe, well-lit areas on campus.“See what new construction can do?” Porter said, acknowledging the bright grass area behind Swain Hall, where lights and an emergency phone have been installed.The group made its way north to the railroad tracks behind McNutt Quad towards Fee Lane, where the group took a moment to acknowledge the locations where safety zones will be put in place for pedestrians.The group, somewhat quiet from the cold, continued their walk east past Wells Library and then went south, passing Wright and Teter Quads.After passing the better half of 4,000 lights, the burned out bulbs they encountered will be fixed first thing tomorrow.The cold and numb group exchanged holiday greetings and farewells after returning to the Sample Gates.
(12/11/09 4:48am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A man was arrested in the Shalom Community Center for dealing prescription drugs after a two-month Bloomington Police Department investigation.Kevin Robert Davis, 41, sold Lortab to a police confidential informant inside the Shalom Community Center at 219 E. Fourth Street, said BPD Sgt. Jeff Canada. Throughout the two-month investigation, officers recorded multiple occasions where Davis sold drugs in the center, a shelter for the homeless. When Davis was arrested, police found an empty pill bottle prescribed to him. He is being charged with dealing a controlled substance, a class B felony.
(12/09/09 6:37am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Police Department dispatcher and Monroe County Sheriff reserve officer Eric Mayo is expected in court Jan. 6 after police say he paid a 19-year-old $5 and a pack of cigarettes to perform oral sex.Mayo is facing a charge of patronizing a prostitute, a Class A misdemeanor. Monroe County prosecutors summoned Mayo to appear in court, but police never arrested him.Police say the woman met with Mayo in July after he advertised himself online as a model photographer wanting to take photos of her. He picked the woman up in his car, where the incident occurred. Police started investigating Mayo because the 19-year-old woman reported him after hearing about a similar incident that occurred on Nov. 3 where a 14-year-old female reported she was picked up in a car and raped by a man who claimed to be a photographer. The 19-year-old woman called BPD because of similarities between the rape suspect and Mayo, said Bloomington Police Department Lt. David Drake. Police believe the two incidents are unrelated.On Nov. 6, BPD had arranged for the woman to text Mayo to set up a time to meet. A former IUPD officer, wearing a big coat, took the role of the woman in an attempt to meet with Mayo. Police say that when Mayo approached her in his vehicle, he drove away.Drake said he is unsure if Mayo recognized the former IUPD officer or if he realized a different female was present. Drake did say that the officer recognized Mayo when he pulled up in his vehicle. BPD pulled Mayo over shortly after. “Mayo has always been a good reserve officer – we never had any problems with him,” said Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Mike Pershing. Mayo has been suspended from Monroe County Sheriff’s Office throughout the investigation.
(12/09/09 2:50am)
A man was arrested on charges of raping his daughter’s friend on Monday.
(12/07/09 4:47am)
Indiana State Excise Police officers issued 84 summonses to 81 people
early Sunday morning at a party on Atwater Avenue, according to a press
release from the excise police.
(12/06/09 10:13pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indiana State Excise Police officers issued 84 summonses to 81 people early Sunday morning at a party on Atwater Avenue, according to a press release from the excise police.Seventy-eight minors were cited for illegal consumption and all three residents were charged with furnishing alcoholic beverages to a minor, according to the release. The owner who sold alcohol to an excise officer is also charged for selling alcoholic beverages without a permit and possession of a keg without a keg registration label. The excise police sent an undercover officer dressed in plain street clothes shortly before 1 a.m. into the party after they received a complaint of underage drinking at the party’s location. There were more than 100 people inside and outside at the location, Excise Officer Travis Thickstun said. Thickstun would not release the name of the excise officer who infiltrated the party. The undercover officer purchased a $5 alcoholic beverage from one of the three residents of the party. Thickstun said nobody was taken to jail or severely intoxicated; people were generally co-operative during the incident, which lasted from 1 to 4:30 a.m.The money generated from the 84 citations will not go to the excise police.“That’s a common misconception,” Thickstun said.Excise would only receive money if the incident were to be classified as a notice of violation against an establishment – a situation in which a bar establishment would be selling alcohol to minors. The house residents, however, did not have a permit to sell alcohol.Thickstun recalls a similar incident two years ago at the Varsity Villas, where such a high number of alcohol-related citations were issued.The most recent bust by the Indiana State Excise Police occurred Sept. 13. ISEP cited 89 people for alcohol-related incidents at a residence where University of Evansville students were partying, according to the IESP Web site.IESP issued 84 tickets during 2009’s the weekend of welcome week, from Aug. 26-29. Check idsnews.com for updates on the story.
(12/06/09 6:16pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indiana State Excise Police officers issued 84 summonses to 81 people early Sunday morning at a party on Atwater Avenue, according to a press release from the excise police.Seventy-eight minors were cited for illegal consumption and all three residents were charged with furnishing alcoholic beverages to a minor, according to the release. The owner who sold alcohol to an excise officer is also charged for selling alcoholic beverages without a permit and possession of a keg without a keg registration label. The excise police sent an undercover officer dressed in plain street clothes shortly before 1 a.m. into the party after they received a complaint of underage drinking at the party’s location. There were more than 100 people inside and outside at the location, Excise Officer Travis Thickstun said. Thickstun would not release the name of the excise officer who infiltrated the party. The undercover officer purchased a $5 alcoholic beverage from one of the three residents of the party. Thickstun said nobody was taken to jail or severely intoxicated; people were generally co-operative during the incident, which lasted from 1 to 4:30 a.m.The money generated from the 84 citations will not go to the excise police.“That’s a common misconception,” Thickstun said.Excise would only receive money if the incident were to be classified as a notice of violation against an establishment – a situation in which a bar establishment would be selling alcohol to minors. The house residents, however, did not have a permit to sell alcohol.Thickstun recalls a similar incident two years ago at the Varsity Villas, where such a high number of alcohol-related citations were issued.The most recent bust by the Indiana State Excise Police occurred Sept. 13. ISEP cited 89 people for alcohol-related incidents at a residence where University of Evansville students were partying, according to the IESP Web site.IESP issued 84 tickets during 2009’s the weekend of welcome week, from Aug. 26 to 29. Check idsnews.com for updates on the story.
(12/04/09 5:25am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Delta Gamma sorority was honored Thursday for exemplifying philanthropy on IU’s campus.The event at the IU Art Museum marked the second Black and White Gala, a fundraising kick-off for the senior class, organized by the IUSF. It was the first time the foundation issued a $10,000 grant, which was given to Delta Gamma for their values and ethics lectures initiative. Delta Gamma hopes to bring in lecturers on an annual basis to cover these topics.The money was raised by students, the grant was issued by students and the money will be used to serve students and the IU community. It’s what IUF Executive Director for Strategic Planning and Communications Barbara Coffman calls “full-cycle” philanthropy.The $10,000 was raised by last year’s graduating class through the IU Student Foundation’s Senior Challenge campaign. The purpose was to give back to the IU community. This year all IU Bloomington seniors are being asked to donate $20.10 to fund next year’s grant, IUSF Director Dana Cummings said.Students and student groups apply for the grant and the recipient is determined by IUSF.A year-and-a-half ago Delta Gamma was given a $50,000 challenge grant by IU alumnus and former sorority member Amy Carlson-Wilson to support their lectureship in values and ethics. The women at Delta Gamma were given five years to raise funds to match the grant and have so far raised $20,000. The sorority is driven to reach their goal in half the time, said Delta Gamma director of lectureship Aimee Frantzen and Vice President of Foundation, Elizabeth Billman.“The IUSF really wanted to benefit students, and the lectureship would be open to any and all,” Cummings said.Dean of Students Pete Goldsmith, IU Foundation Executive Director for Special Gifts and Annual Giving Programs Jonathan Purvis and former IU Foundation President Curt Simic spoke to audience members about philanthropy at the event before Billman and Frantzen were handed an enlarged, foam check of $10,000. Simic, who spoke last, described the importance of being a Hoosier – engaged, hard-working and caring about the community you live in.“Don’t major in minor things. Major in major things where the difference you make can be seen and cannot be seen,” Simic said.IUSF Steering Committee President Kyle Mauch and vice president Caitlin Callahan helped manage Thursday’s gala.“We want to engage donors to show them the effect they have,” Mauch said.The effect of contributing IU alumni has a profound effect on the Bloomington campus. “We want the graduating class to leave with that,” Mauch said.
(12/03/09 2:37am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A woman was arrested for intimidation with a deadly weapon – a screwdriver – after she told her mother she was going to kill her. Raquel M. Laracuente, 31, was arrested Tuesday at North Arlington Park Drive, said Bloomington Police Department Lt. David Drake. Police were called earlier that day by the mother, in regard to Laracuente being verbally abusive. Laracuente was later mad at her mother for calling the police, which is why she threatened her, Drake said. While being threatened, the mother grabbed Laracuente’s four-year-old child, left the residence and went to a neighbor’s house where BPD was called at 6:40 p.m., Drake said.
(11/19/09 2:18am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A correctional officer at the Monroe County Jail was arrested Tuesday at a Lowe’s Home Improvement store for theft, possession of a controlled substance, dealing a controlled substance, neglect of a dependent and public intoxication. The officer, Jason N. Helton, 32, is currently incarcerated in the Monroe County Jail and is isolated from other inmates, said Chief Deputy Mike Pershing with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.Bloomington Police Department Officer Anthony Fosnaugh arrived at Lowe’s at about 1:54 p.m. and found Helton slumped over, swaying severely from side to side with a child’s pacifier in his mouth, said BPD Lt. David Drake, reading from the police report. Helton was talking to himself while looking closely at his phone and hitting himself repeatedly in the head; he also had a knife hanging out of his pocket and was with his 17-month-old daughter.BPD found seven knives in his front pocket, two pill bottles in his jacket pocket, $696.30 of stolen goods from the store in his truck and two accomplices in the store.Brothers Nathan K. Meadows, 32, and David B. Meadows, 35, admitted to stealing property for Helton in exchange for drugs. They were both charged with theft and possession of a controlled substance, Drake said. Officers determined that the three suspects “hatched this plan while eating lunch at White Castle,” Drake said. The child was released to the department of protective services, Drake said.
(11/19/09 12:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A large structure fire ignited around 6:30 p.m. on Bloomington’s far east side on the second floor of the Eastplex building complex located at 4601-4699 Morningside Drive.The building, managed by Grant Properties, houses several companies and businesses.Chris Cox, of Curare Group Physicians, was working late in the building when the fire alarm went off. After seeing thick black smoke coming through an office at the far end of the hallway, he and others exited the building while Cox dialed 911.Cox said there were at least four others, to the best of his knowledge, that left the building. When they exited into the Eastplex parking lot, he heard glass breaking and saw flames shooting out from office windows.Then Cox went back into the building for a quick sweep to make sure nobody was left inside.“I started hearing pops and cracks in the attic above me,” Cox said.He then left for good, confident nobody was inside.Cox also mentioned he saw another worker, Chip Jackson, walking out of the building with two computer servers under his arms.“I would have done the same if I knew which ones to grab,” Cox said.There were no reports of injuries from firefighters or witnesses.Many employees from various offices in the building arrived to where their structurally sound workplace once stood. James Bik was one of them, who works for Physician Recruiters. “It’s a huge loss,” Bik said.The 10 years of files and computer servers from the 25 people employed by the company will be lost, he said. The building, with an all wood attic, is very old with many AC problems.As residents of the surrounding neighborhood congregated to watch the blaze, multiple fire trucks, two with aerial ladders, surrounded the complex in an attempt to save the building while police kept the spectators at bay.The blaze was beginning to die down around 8 p.m.
(11/17/09 2:49am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A bank robbery occurred 2:08 p.m. Monday at Bloomfield State Bank on 1301 N. Walnut Street by a man with a black handgun.Bloomington Police Department Sgt. Jeff Canada said the suspect pointed the gun at the two bank tellers and left with an undisclosed amount of cash. He was wearing a dark, possibly brown zip-up sweatshirt with dark pants, a baseball cap, a hood and some sort of material concealing his face. He left the bank through the front door and went south toward College Street.No bank customers were in the building during the time of the robbery and bank tellers were not injured, Canada said.A K-9 unit was brought onto the scene to track the suspect, but lost his trail somewhere around the CVS located on College Avenue.Because a firearm was involved, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was notified and also arrived on the scene with BPD Detectives. BPD Det. Rob Schrake is handling the investigation.
(11/16/09 4:53am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>On Sunday, the quiet hallways of Ernie Pyle Hall felt as if the School of Journalism itself was mourning the death of Beth Wood. Wood died Saturday afternoon, on her birthday, from complications of treatment for lung cancer.Wood, 58, was a public relations senior lecturer in the IU School of Journalism. She “single-handedly” developed public relations courses in the IU School of Journalism, said Craig Wood, a friend and colleague of Beth Wood and a visiting professor in the school of journalism. Because of Beth Wood’s efforts, IU became one of 20 schools in the nation certified by the Public Relations Society of America. IU has since formed the world’s seventh-largest chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America.She taught her final class last Monday and was brought into the hospital the next day to receive treatment for pneumonia.“We were all confident she would come through it okay, like she did before,” said IU School of Journalism Dean Brad Hamm.Wood received chemotherapy treatment for lung cancer in 2007 and came back strong. “I wasn’t prepared,” Craig Wood said. He said he felt her death came as a shock, as did others.Hamm was driving to Indianapolis on Saturday when he got the call from Beth Wood’s husband and former School of Journalism professor Dan Drew. Hamm turned the car around, back to Bloomington.The faculty was notified of Beth Wood’s death Saturday. On Sunday, Hamm and others shifted around the administrative offices of Ernie Pyle Hall, trying to get a news release together.“She had such a tremendous drive and energy – she took teaching very seriously,” Hamm said. “She was a positive person even with the cancer.”Beth Wood was also known for keeping in touch with many students after graduation and for her involvement in nonprofit organizations.Craig Wood said he attributes his involvement with the IU School of Journalism directly to Beth Wood.“She had a firecracker personality,” Craig Wood said. “She was kind and generous, but at the same time she took no prisoners. She didn’t put up with any nonsense.”Beth Wood’s passing will have a profound effect on the IU School of Journalism.“It’s a tremendous loss,” Hamm said.