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(05/29/14 1:30am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Gold Wing Road Riders Association of Indiana, an organization named after the Honda Gold Wing motorcycle, began its Spring Wing Warm-up Wednesday at the Monroe County Fairgrounds. The event will continue until Saturday.In an effort to promote motorcycle safety, the event’s theme is “Can you see me now?” and features neon colors.The event will consist of seminars instructing people on bike safety and guided tours throughout the city of Bloomington in addition to showcasing motorcycles. The event expects to draw more than 300 people and will allow a large sum of the people to camp at the fairgrounds, according to a press release.“The GWWRA chooses different locations every year,” Director of Operations Mike Albright said. “We chose Bloomington this year because it’s a nice, central location, and we’ll be able to encourage those in the north to come down and those in the south to come up.”Albright said the most spectacular event, which will be free to the public, will take place Saturday at the Ellettsville Community Park. Between 9 and 10 p.m. that night, hundreds of bikes will take to the streets decked out in bright neon lights.The GWWRA has more than 20 chapters in Indiana, and each one places a strong emphasis on motorcycle safety, said Mike Kadinger, director of rider education. “We want people to learn to ride better,” he said. The organization also provides classes for riders of all levels, and it has classes for three-wheeled bikes. “We have advanced classes, but we also like to teach the simple things,” Kadinger said. The simple things include proper lane riding, lighting issues and rearview mirror safety. According to data from the Governors Highway Safety Association, motorcyclist fatalities were up 9 percent between 2011 and 2012 in 34 states, including Indiana. Kadinger said eight of 10 accidents occur at intersections while another vehicle is making a turn. “A lot of the issues come from other drivers,” he said. “People aren’t used to looking for small motorcycles.”
(05/28/14 10:59pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The state is beginning to crack down on rogue chemists and synthetic narcotics production. The Indiana Board of Pharmacy amended a state administrative code May 21 that will add four compounds commonly found in synthetic narcotics to a list of controlled substances. Once effective, the compounds will be banned within the state of Indiana. The goal of the ban was not only to stop the use of the compounds in the production of synthetic drugs such as “K2” and “Spice” but also to remove any similar compounds, said Nick Goodwin, communications director for the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency. “A lot of times police find that the synthetic drugs are not made of the same compounds,” he said. “Instead, they consist of different variations of similar compounds.” These variations comprise 18 other compounds that will also be amended to the state administrative code. The Pharmacy Board gets its authority from the state code, which allows it to work with police to ban substances that are harmful to others. Synthetic narcotics use introduces many dangers. Of these dangers, perhaps one of the most concerning is the idea that these drugs can have trace elements that bring severe side effects, said Ruben Baler, a health scientist for the National Institute on Drug Abuse.“No one really knows where these compounds are made,” Baler said. “It could be in China, India or anywhere. They probably aren’t made using safe laboratory practices.” When safety regulations aren’t enforced, the compounds can pick up traces of other nearby substances that can have devastating consequences. Another major concern is that synthetic drugs can have more potent effects than natural cannabinoids like THC, Baler said. “We don’t really know the short-term and long-term effects, and we don’t really know the pharmacology of these compounds,” he said. Despite the perturbing effects, synthetic narcotics use is gaining ground in the U.S. “Eleven to 12 percent of submissions from the police lab contain synthetic drugs,” said Fred Huttsell, a forensic scientist with the Indiana State Police. In 2013, synthetic drugs were the fourth most prevalent drug in Indiana. They followed marijuana, methamphetamine and heroine.Synthetic drugs were the second most widely used type of drug in the nation last year.According to NIDA, synthetic drugs are often sold over-the-counter in convenient stores and gas stations. Nationally, the drugs were legally available until March 2011. Since then, the Drug Enforcement Administration has continually added compounds to a list of controlled substances. Data from surveys taken in 2012 by NIDA suggest synthetic narcotics use, by adolescents especially, is on the rise.“The effects of these drugs are more harmful than natural marijuana,” Goodwin said.
(05/22/14 8:36pm)
The Indiana Board of Pharmacy has placed bans on four substances commonly found in synthetic marijuana.
(05/22/14 12:34am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department announced May 19 that the city’s two outdoor pools, Bryan Park Pool and Mills Pool, are to be equipped with water heaters. The heaters will raise the water temperature of the pools to a summery 83 degrees and will allow the pools to remain at balmy temperatures even during the cooler early weeks of summer. The pool business has been hurting with the school calendar beginning earlier every year, said John Turnbull, sports division director for the City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department. “We’re trying to catch early business,” Turnbull said.By placing the heaters in the pool, the Parks and Recreation Department hopes the warmer waters will bring members of the community to the pools earlier in the summer and earlier in the mornings, Turnbull said. “From exit polls and observations, we know a person’s average visit is about an hour and a half,” he said. “We’re hoping to get people to stay a bit longer.”The cool water temperatures not only discouraged people from staying at the pools, but also cut into the Parks and Recreation Department’s profits.Bryan Park Pool offers swimming lessons every year.According to a press release from the Parks and Recreation Department, parents have historically shied away from the first session because of the brisk temperatures.The swimming lessons bring in a fair amount of revenue to the Parks and Recreation Department — about $20,000 a year, Turnbull said. The heaters were manufactured by Lochinvar and cost about $83,000, according to the press release. “That’s a one-time cost for a product that will probably last us 25 years,” Turnbull said.The gas-heaters are also near the top in efficiency, said Mark Sterner, general manager of the Twin Lakes Recreation Center. However, the heaters do have a couple drawbacks.The venting mechanism, which prevents the heater from becoming too hot, emits an unpleasant odor.This can be prevented by starting the heaters during off-hours, Sterner said. They also won’t be running constantly. The heaters will be started at 10 p.m. and will be shut off around 7 a.m., an hour before the pools open.“From that point, we’ll rely on the sun to keep the water warm,” Sterner said. The heaters also feature a “smart system,” which will maximize efficiency by shutting them off automatically once the water hits a desired temperature. “Projected air temperatures on Memorial Day weekend may be perfect for swimming, but the water in the pool takes a little longer to heat up enough to make swimming fun,” said Mark Miller, aquatics and fitness coordinator for the Parks and Recreation Department, in a press release. “The newly installed pool heaters will be up and running by Wednesday, so the water temperature will be comfortable for swimming this weekend.”Bryan Park Pool will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. for Memorial Day weekend, and Mills Pool will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.Admission to the pools is $4 for adults and $3 for children ages 17 and younger.
(05/15/14 1:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>U.S. Rep. Todd Young, R-Ind., paid more than $5,000 in back taxes after it was discovered this past month by Monroe County auditors that he wrongly claimed a homestead credit in 2012.The issue probably will not have any repercussions for the congressman, who has been representing Indiana since 2011.According to Indiana law, a homestead deduction can only be taken on a primary residence, not on housing that is rented.Application for the deduction only needs to happen once and is applied indefinitely as long as the resident is paying property taxes. According to his campaign staff, Young lived in the house for several years, during which time the homestead deduction was applied properly.He then moved into a rental home, where he was not paying property taxes.Because he was not paying property taxes on his new residence, the need to make the change to the homestead deduction was missed, Young’s spokesman, Trevor Foughty, said in an email.“There was definitely no fraud involved, and there was no trying to dodge paying the taxes,” said Steve Hogan, Monroe County Republican Party chair. “It’s a very common occurrence.”Unless someone tries to paint an ill-conceived picture of the incidence, Young’s reputation will not be damaged, Hogan said.Despite not being potentially hazardous to his campaign, Young still issued an apology.“I accept full responsibility for these embarrassing oversights and have paid all the taxes and fees I owed. I regret the errors and offer no excuses,” Young said in an email.Catherine Smith, Monroe County treasurer, said the issue is not whether or not Young forgot to pay his taxes, but rather why the issue happens at all.Smith, a Democrat, also said this should not be an issue at all because of how often it occurs.Young is also a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, the nation’s chief tax-writing committee. Several members of the committee also had issues with taxes, said Bill Bailey, Young’s opponent in the upcoming general election.“They’re making the rules but they’re not playing by them,” Bailey said.Young recently won the Indiana primary election in a landslide vote over competitors Kathy Lowe Heil and Mark Jones.He is currently seeking reelection against Bailey in the general election this November.
(05/09/14 5:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Both congressional and county candidates were elected Tuesday after the primary election was executed for Monroe County.Voters were given the opportunity for both positions to choose the candidate who best represented their political party. Incumbent Todd Young won the Republican primary for 9th District Indiana in a landslide versus candidates Kathy Lowe-Heil and Mark Jones with 79 percent of the vote.Young, who has held the seat for the previous two terms, will face Democratic primary winner Bill Bailey in the general election in November. “I’m incredibly humbled by the overwhelming show of support we received from our fellow Hoosiers today,” Young said in a press release. “I’ve served in this office under the assumption that good policy equates to good politics, and that principle has never been more evident.”Bailey could not be reached for an interview. Other notable winners included Democratic affiliated candidates Linda Robbins for county clerk and Brad Swain for county sheriff.About 30 races went uncontested. These positions either had one candidate running unopposed or only had candidates from a single party. Some of the positions had no candidates for which to vote.Local government requires a lot of commitment with little reward, said IU political science professor Marjorie Hershey.It’s easier for people to complain to local representatives, and the representatives don’t receive high salaries, she said.She said you have to really want to be a local representative to make it worthwhile.Hershey expects this trend to continue and observes that it occurs at the state level as well. “Only about 60 percent of the races have two candidates in the general election,” Hershey said. “In the other 40 percent there is one major party candidate running unopposed.” As of Thursday, official results had not been released by the Monroe County Government’s office, but they are expected to be released by Sunday.
(04/30/14 4:01am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Grassroots Conservatives conducted a straw poll Tuesday to gauge the current standing of several GOP candidates running for office in the upcoming primary election.The straw poll allowed the audience to assess the worthiness of the nine candidates on a variety of issues expected to be of concern later this year.Some of the issues discussed included the food and beverage tax and the recent assessor’s error that resulted in the county having to reimburse a taxpayer $700,000.“Our main goal is to develop enthusiasm and identify our strongest candidates,” Grassroots Conservatives Coordinator Robert Hall said.Grassroots Conservatives is an umbrella organization comprising conservative Republicans, Tea Party patriots, Libertarians and other conservative groups.Many of the candidates are unknown to potential voters, Hall said. The poll gives the voters the chance to hear from those who the community might not have otherwise heard.Some members of the crowd thought that goal was met. “There were 60 people in here, spread out amongst the county, so it gives you a good measuring stick,” IU College Republicans President Riley Parr said. “The main key is whether or not these people go out there and talk to other voters.”The event had a good turnout and was recorded by Community Access Television Services, said Gregg Knott, a candidate running for a Monroe County council seat.The candidates were each asked to present a five-minute speech introducing themselves and addressing questions pertaining to the office they were running for.Questions included who U.S. Representative candidates would vote for as Speaker of the House and what county council candidates thought of the food and beverage tax and the juvenile county option income tax.Following the speeches, the crowd was asked to vote not for their favorite candidate, but for whether they would vote for that candidate in an actual election scenario.To remove bias when voting on more than two candidates, Hall used an independent voting system.Audience members in attendance could state their endorsement, neutrality or disapproval of a candidate.“The way to do that is to vote on each candidate with a plus, minus or zero,” Hall said. “You can give pluses to all three of them if you want.”Votes were tallied for each candidate, and the candidate with the most positive rating won.This voting system was more a measure of approval than a means of seeing who is the best candidate to choose to run in the primary election, Parr said.“A plurality vote represents how it actually is on election day,” Parr said.Kathy Lowe Heil won the spot for United States Representative and Paul White and Gregg Knott received highest approval for Monroe County Council.“People are just not happy with the job Mr. Young is doing,” Heil said. “They’re just happy to know there is another choice.”Primary elections will take place May 6 at the Showers Hall City Building.
(04/11/14 4:10am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indianapolis has been ranked the worst city in the country in terms of access to healthy food by a recent Walk Score report.Walk Score measured the percent of people within a five-minute walking distance of fresh, healthy food. According to the report, only 5 percent of Indianapolis residents met this criteria, compared to New York City’s 79 percent. The survey consisted of U.S. cities with a population of 500,000 or more.Low access to fresh food has long-term economic implications for a city in regards to public health, said Nicolaas Mink, the urban sustainable foods fellow at Butler University’s Center for Urban Ecology.“You have problems with diabetes, stroke, heart disease,” Mink said. “All of these, of course, are costs that passed onto health care.” The economic consequences do not stop at health care, but extend into city development as well.A lack of access usually means people have to drive long distances to obtain healthy food options.“They’re not keeping local dollars in local communities,” Mink said. “It’s a tremendous challenge to rebuild and revitalize neighborhoods.” Walk Score is a private company that specializes in walkability services distributed through the web and a mobile application.A lower walk score means a city or neighborhood is more car dependent, said Marissa Freeman, the community outreach manager for Walk Score.Bloomington was given a Walk Score of 39 and was defined as a car-dependent city. Indianapolis was awarded a Walk Score of 29.“A lot of transit agencies post publicly their information about routes and bus stops and times and things for their transit services,” Freeman said.Walk Score’s data is based on a compilation of information from transit companies and Web sources such as Google Maps and crowdsourcing, she said.“There are ways for customers to edit or contribute the data,” Freeman said. “For example, grocery stores listed have a function where people can go in and say ‘edit store.’ So say it’s a convenience store but it’s listed a grocery store, we are welcoming viewers of this blog to click edit place and say ‘actually, this is more of convenience store.’”Despite the advantages of the Walk Score, proximity to common destinations is just one factor in walkability, said Vince Caristo, a coordinator for the City of Bloomington Planning Department.“One of the biggest factors that is not included in Walk Score is the conditions of the walking environment,” Caristo said.It also does not include the presence of sidewalks, crash history, motor vehicle speeds or other factors, he said. “All of the physical features that contribute to a walking network are not included in Walk Score,” he said. “It’s solely based on calculations.”The problem of fresh food access in Indianapolis cannot be solved quickly, Mink said.Fixing the issue will take work from local grassroots organizations that are determined to build gardens and educate the younger generations, Mink said, as well as a number of other volunteer projects oriented around bringing access to fresh food back to Indianapolis. “It is a problem that has been decades, if not generations, in the making,” he said.
(04/08/14 2:44am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The senior class of Edgemont Junior-Senior High School will be taught the Israeli self-defense art of Krav Maga.The school is the former high school of Lauren Spierer, an IU student who went missing almost three years ago. The program is largely in thanks to Julia Haber, a senior at the high school. Last year she won Andy Grammer’s “Miss Me” Lip Sync/Lyric Video Contest in which she had to submit a video of herself lip syncing the popular song. The contest also called for video promotion and the video with the most popular views on YouTube would win. The prize for winning was a concert by Andy Grammer in Haber’s hometown.The concert turned into a fundraiser, with proceeds going to the Find Lauren Fund. Charlene Spierer, Lauren’s mother, asked that the money go to Lauren’s high school instead, under the stipulation that the money go towards a program in her honor.“I think that the biggest thing is awareness,” Charlene Spierer said. “The more young people are aware of making right choices, and being careful and trying to support their friends, the better off everyone will be.”The self-defense classes will be taught by Steve Sohn’s Krav Maga Worldwide Training Center.Though the students will be learning martial arts, the goal is not to make them martial artists, Sohn said.The goal is to make the students more aware of the dangers around them, he said.The idea behind the training is to apply hands-on learning as opposed to just verbal education.“It’s kind of like driving a car in the snow,” he said. “If you’ve had some practice driving in the snow and skidding, when it really does happen to you, then you have an idea of what to do.”The lessons will expand beyond the scope of violence. The students will tackle a variety of situations including going out with friends and drinkingalcohol.“Teenagers are always experimenting,” Sohn said. “You don’t want to leave your drink alone. Somebody could put something in it.”Though violence does occur today, it is not as prevalent as it was in previous generations. According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, violent crimes have been steadily declining since 1993. “It could be very dangerous out there today,” he said. “It’s just that it’s hidden.”
(02/24/14 5:09am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For the first time in years, Monroe County Assessor Judy Sharp will have an opponent in a general election. But her challenger might not even be eligible for the office.At Friday’s Monroe County Election Board meeting, Anthony Smith, treasurer for the Monroe County Democratic Party, challenged Republican William Ellis’ candidacy for county assessor in the Republican primary election.Smith said Ellis is unqualified because he does not have a level three assessor-appraiser certificate, which the Indiana State Code requires.The code says a township assessor may obtain the certificate upon taking office. But because the code does not say this explicitly at the county level, Smith said the allowance should not be made.Ellis was removed from the primary election ballot in a 2-1 vote because he did not have the proper certification at the time of the board meeting.In his defending argument, Ellis claimed Smith’s interpretation of the code would mean that the state legislature places two different levels of certification between candidates and incumbents.“I have the exact same certifications as my opponent does, so (the legislative intent) is putting a burden on challengers that is not put on incumbents, and I would question that intent,” Ellis said. “When there’s doubt, I would honestly suggest that I would not be stricken from the ballot until that is cleared up.”Smith’s challenge sparked the interest of Bryan Lemonds, a Republican serving on the Election Board.“I find it unnerving that a Democrat could come into the Republicans’ (primary) and say, ‘Your candidate’s unqualified,’” Lemonds said.It is for the party to decide whether a candidate is unqualified for their primary, Lemonds said later outside the meeting.Lemonds added Smith’s challenge was not an independent idea.“He was put up by Judy to do that,” he said.He then went on to add that Sharp does not have her level three assessor-appraisal certification, the same certification that the Indiana State Code required Ellis to have before filing for candidacy.To his understanding, Sharp has failed the test three times, Lemonds said, adding Sharp doesn’t want anyone to challenge her because she can’t pass the test herself.The issue does not really bring forth a question of conspiracy in local government, Republican County Chairman Steve Hogan said. Rather, it is an opportunity to address the issue that the legislature is requiring different qualifications between the incumbent and her opponents.There was precedent behind the board’s ruling, Hogan said.“When is that good government, and when is that meddling?” Hogan asked. “That’s the argument.”Ellis will have the level three assessor-appraiser certification before the primary election, Hogan said. The challenge would be more appropriate if he were a candidate for the general election and still did not meet the code’s requirements.Sharp ran for the office before the State Code required that candidates have the current credentials.“She was grandfathered into it,” Lemonds said. She did the job up to the point that was necessary at the time, and the rules changed, protecting her from new requirements. Sharp is not immune from the new code, however. State law requires she obtain the certification by 2016.Sharp could not be reached for comment.It should not matter that there are two different standards for the current assessor and the challenger, Smith said in rebuttal. The code is clear, and Ellis, to date, does not meet the qualifications to run for this office as stated in the Indiana State Code.A second case heard the statement of Cathleen Smith and her husband Michael Smith against Indian Creek Township trustee candidate Le Ann Freeman.Freeman currently owes more than $2,000 to Richland Township by Order of the Court for allegedly being wrongly paid for leave time. “A person may not hold an office of trust or profit unless the person has accounted for and paid over as required by law all sums of public money for which the person was liable as a collector or holder,” according to the Indiana State Code.Freeman denied any wrongdoing.“I cashed a check that was issued to me,” Freeman said.The issue is currently being worked out, she said. But according to the court, she still owes money.The board made a unanimous decision to remove Freeman from the primary election.“We have to rule on what exists today,” Farrell said.Although Ellis and Freeman have been stricken off the primary election ballot, they can still campaign and run in the general election, said Riley Parr, a junior political science major and chairman of the College Republicans at IU.Both candidates ran unopposed in the Republican primary, and there is now a valid vacancy. They can still run in the general election if they meet what has been required of them.Ellis has to attain his series three assessor-appraiser certification, and Freeman has to pay off her debts. That’s not the only stipulation, however. The Precinct Committee will organize a caucus between the date of the primary election and the end of June to debate and elect the best representative.“I fully expect to be on the ballot in November,” Ellis said. “I’m focused on the future of Monroe County and giving the voters a choice.”An earlier version of this story said Lemonds thought Ellis had failed the test three times. The IDS regrets the error.
(02/07/14 4:27am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Café Django will no longer serve students and families its ethnic cuisine and live jazz music. A new pub, Quaff ON!, will open its doors in March or April of this year. Adam McGlothlin said the term quaff means “drinking heartily and with gusto.”“Your job is to drink it,” said McGlothlin, who is in charge of sales and marketing for the new pub. “It’s about enjoying your beer, not just chugging it. It’s more than a name, it’s who we are.”“Quaff on” is the mantra of the pub’s parent company, the Big Woods Brewing Company, located in Brown County, Ind., he said. Not naming Quaff ON! after its predecessor reflects the differences in the cultures of the locales, McGlothlin said. Big Woods relates to Brown County, where the culture is different and more rustic, he said. Quaff ON! is more relatable to the hip counterculture atmosphere of Bloomington.McGlothlin said he hopes the pub will serve not just the student population of Bloomington, but the entire community. He said they hope to expand the pub’s range beyond the borders of Indiana in the future. “It’s gonna be a little more, dare I say, elegant,” said Steve Tuttle, the pub’s kitchen manager. Quaff ON! will feature the meals one would expect to find in a similar-style restaurant, Tuttle said. From Shepard’s pie-style dishes to sandwiches to full-size entrees, the restaurant will try to please a large audience.When the pub is opened, Tuttle said he will seek to “marry the beer and the food” by pairing meals with certain beers. The main goal, however, is to spotlight the many craft beers Quaff ON! will offer by using them as ingredients in the meals, he said.Half of the beers on tap will be Quaff ON! or Big Woods beer, and the other half will showcase both local and global craft beers, McGlothlin said. While the pub plans to allow admittance of people under age 21, it will probably not allow anyone under the age of 18, Tuttle said.McGlothlin said he plans for the pub to be an alternative to bar hopping.“This is a place to have a few beers with friends, enjoy a high-quality meal and have a good time,” he said.Though Café Django is gone, some students said they remember enjoying the jazz-themed restaurant. Freshman Sarah Gage, a trombone performance major in the Jacobs School of Music, recalled that many students in the jazz department performed at the former café. “It was a great venue for anyone, whether you were in a group or ensemble or not,” Gage said. “It was really neat because it gave students the opportunity to express themselves.”Gage and sophomore Daion Morton both said the food was great.Hearing jazz music with Brazilian influences was a new and exciting experience, Morton said. “That kind of diversity is uncommon in Bloomington,” he said.Morton said he disapproves of the potential age restrictions. “It would be unfortunate if there are age restrictions,” he said. “Café Django was a great spot for students to hang out.”Follow reporter Brian Seymour on Twitter @briseymo.
(01/31/14 12:20am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Every year, students and community members have the opportunity to share their films with the Bloomington community.The Department of Communication and Culture’s eighth annual Iris Film Festival will be featured at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the IU Cinema.The event will exhibit short films created by members of both the University and the Bloomington community. This program is free and open to the public.This year’s festival was organized and programmed by the combined efforts of Russell Sheaffer and Landon Palmer, graduate students in the Department of Communications and Culture.“The Iris Film Festival is a space to bring media work from across academic departments and the local community to the Indiana University Cinema,” Sheaffer said. “It’s a really exciting event because it works to spotlight the kind of film and media making that is happening locally both on campus and off.”The program offers an array of exclusive films separated into three categories: documentary, narrative and experimental, Palmer said.Narrative films are the movies people see in mainstream cinema, Palmer said. They follow a conventional story line with a beginning, middle, climax and end. Experimental films, on the other hand, go against conventional film style and place emphasis on editing and visual elements, Palmer said.A film in each category will receive an award. In addition, the audience will be allowed to give away the Audience Award by voting for the film they enjoyed most.The best film for a communication and culture course will be given the Brian Friedman Award, named after the communication and culture student who died in an automobile accident, Palmer said.Fifteen films and 12 directors will be featured at the festival, including the work of Colin Denhart, a senior in the departments of communication and culture and telecommunications. He was also last year’s recipient of the Brian Friedman Award with his horror film, “The Devil Woman.”Seeing his own films on a large screen with high-quality sounds makes him feel like he’s in the film, Denhart said. “The experience is special because watching a film on the big screen makes me feel almost as if I’m on the same level as a professional director,” he said.Denhart said he usually feels anxious and nervous just before and during film premieres because he never knows how the audience will react.But once the credits roll and the audience shows appreciation in the form of applause, that anxiety and nervousness is replaced by relief and joy, Denhart said.“It is at that moment that I know I’ve done a good job,” he said. Denhart will be showing two films this year, a documentary entitled “A Night in the Forest” and an experimental film entitled “Humpty Dumpty.”For a full movie lineup and a list of the directors who filmed them, go to irisfilmfestival.wordpress.com. Denhart’s award winning short film “The Devil Woman” can be found on YouTube.The festival is considered an outlet for students and community members to share their work.“It provides a way that allows individuals the chance to see, vote for and celebrate the media making community,” Sheaffer said.
(01/27/14 8:54pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>More than 400 American Red Cross blood donation services have been cancelled this month due to recent winter storms and freezing temperatures.This resulted in nearly 12,000 uncollected blood and platelet donations nationwide. “You can’t manufacture blood,” said Lindsay English, the communications manager of the River Valley Blood Services Region, a chapter which provides work for the ARC. “It’s challenging to regular donors this time of year when the weather can change priorities.” The ARC, which has provided relief for all types of emergency since 1881, experienced similar issues in the recent past. English said although supply is dropping, demand is constant.The ARC faced shortages in blood supply following severe weather in 2011, resulting in the lowest supply seen in more than a decade, according to its website. More drastic shortages were seen during the summer of 2012, causing the ARC to make a call for urgent need. Their response in every crisis has been the same. “We’re asking for people to make an effort,” English said.The donation centers, including the one in Bloomington, are still open even in inclement weather. “College campuses make a big difference,” English said.Most of the mobile donation stations the local ARC Blood Donation Center sends out are parked on campus in locations such as Ashton Residence Center and between the Indiana Memorial Union and Ballantine Hall. The ARC even offers ongoing programs and incentives from sponsors.“We like to take care of our donors,” English said.Despite these efforts, English said the overall donor population is decreasing and a large percentage of it is aging.A lot of the older and more regular donors with military experience give blood to the ARC to give back to the organization that once provided them with relief overseas, English said.“We’re trying to get an increasing number of younger donors involved,” English said. English said most of those eligible to donate their blood simply don’t do it.The website lists donor qualifications, she said.The ARC estimates that although about 38 percent of the population is eligible to donate blood, the donors make up less than 10 percent of the total population.It needs about 15,000 pints of blood per day to serve 2,700 hospitals and transfusion centers. The River Valley region — which constitutes 68 counties including Monroe County — requires almost 400 pints of blood a day, English said.While the ARC has the ability to transport blood from one center to another, bare stock shelves can have severe consequences.“Routine surgeries may have to be moved to another day when the blood is there,” English said. “But if the surgery is an emergency and there isn’t enough blood for the patient, then things can get pretty bad.”Blood donations are also required for patients with sickle cell anemia or cancer, as well as victims of car accidents. To schedule a donation appointment or to learn more about blood donation, including qualifications, statistics and processes go to redcross.org. The local ARC blood donation center is located at 1600 W. Third St. and can be contacted at 812-331-1300.