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(06/07/06 10:05pm)
Birds are singing, warm breezes are blowing and flowers are blooming. Ah, summer love is in the air. Perhaps studying with a summer classmate may spark a new romance and an impressive date is in order. Or maybe a long-time companion is sick of ordering pizza and hitting up the bars. Either way, summer is great for romancing a special someone because it opens up a whole new realm of dating: the great outdoors. Summer also means students generally have more free time to get out and explore the community and its surroundings, and unique date spots are just waiting to be discovered both indoors and outdoors.\nRomantic Rendezvous\nA normal dinner date can turn romantic just by taking advantage of outdoor dining. Scholar's Inn Gourmet Café and Wine Bar, located at 717 N. College Ave., has a large deck with flowers and lanterns that's perfect for impressing a date. After one of the restaurant's famous gourmet entrées, share a dessert for two, like chocolate fondue.\nFourwinds Resort and Marina on Lake Monroe also provides a romantic dining setting. Get a table for two indoors and enjoy a panoramic view of the sunset on Indiana's largest lake, or sit outside Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, said Banquet Manager TJ Lewis. But Lewis recommended those interested in dining during the weekend to make reservations in advance since the resort is popular for dating and recreation.\n"There's a lot to do out here," he said. "It's definitely a good place to go out for a sunset cruise. You could have dinner and go out on a boat, and the beach is just up the way."\nSeveral local restaurants offer outdoor dining, especially those downtown and along Fourth Street. Even Panera has outdoor seating fit for a summer evening meal, so try it.\nFor those who enjoy creativity but don't want to pay restaurant prices, packing a picnic can be just as pleasurable. Head to a local park, or to the shores of one of Bloomington's three lakes -- Lake Monroe, Griffy Lake and Lake Lemon. Lake Monroe, located about 10 miles south of Bloomington, has two main beaches -- Paynetown and Fairfax -- that are open to the public until sunset. Recreation areas at Griffy Lake, located just north of campus, and Lake Lemon, located 10 miles northeast of campus off of State Road 45 (10th Street), also allow evening visitors until sunset. An after-supper stroll under the stars can provide some additional romance.\nTo continue a romantic stargazing session, visit the Kirkwood Observatory, located just off of Indiana Avenue, every Wednesday night from 10 to 11:30 p.m. The campus observatory's 12-inch refracting telescope will help you see stars and planets for free.\nFun in the Sun\nWhether students want a day on the beach for two or a group date with multiple couples and friends, a well-planned trip to one of Bloomington's lakes can satisfy any dating need. \nSeveral places near Lake Monroe offer a variety of boats, jet skis and water skis for rent. For larger groups, pontoons and dual-level boats with slides can make for an inexpensive day of fun -- if the cost is split amongst the group. Lake Monroe Boat Rentals is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and is now offering overnight and daylong rentals, said manager Lydia Hamilton.\nFairfax and Paynetown beaches are also nice for lying out or picnicking. For those who are really adventurous, there are also several campgrounds around the lake where groups can try their hand at outdoor living.\nHamilton said the lake and its surroundings are ideal for a unique date.\n"It's something different from what's in Bloomington, but it's so close by," Hamilton said. "It gives people a chance to go outside and have some fun in the sun."\nFor more information on boat rentals, visit www.lakemonroeboatrental.com. \nGriffy Lake provides a day-on-the-lake experience in a smaller setting. Gas-powered boats and swimming are not allowed at the lake, but a boathouse on the northeast shore equips visitors with canoes, kayaks and row boats. Rowing a canoe or row boat together can provide an opportunity for conversation and teamwork. But renting individual kayaks and racing them might appeal to those who have a competitive spirit or enjoy a fun and lively date. Numerous trails surround the lake if hiking is a shared interest.\nLake Lemon does not offer boat rentals, but it does have a park area complete with a swimming area and trails that's open from sunrise to sunset, and people can stroll the shores after dark.\nGo to www.visitbloomington.com for more details on planning outdoor excursions.\nA Twist on Tradition\nDinner or a day at the beach might be romantic, but if a fun date without the wilderness or high price is in demand, check out some other local places \nsuitable for summer dating.\nPutt-Putt, located on Pete Ellis Drive in between 10th and Third Streets, offers three miniature golf courses with varying degrees of difficulty. Putter's Park, located a short drive away in Ellettsville, is a little more ornate. Each hole has numerous decorations and is designed to represent a part of Indiana's history, said owner Juanita Hood. Putter's Park has a large clubhouse area, but right now, it's undergoing renovation, she said. \nBoth miniature golf places have reasonable rates and are open most of the day. Also, both are located next to Jiffy Treet ice cream stores, so whoever loses at mini golf can buy ice cream. \nSeen all the shows IU performs on campus? If so, then take a date to the Brown County Playhouse. Several IU students and professors spend their summers acting and directing plays at this little historic theater in downtown Nashville, Ind., located about 25 minutes from Bloomington. A total of four plays will run this summer -- three from June through August, and one from Sept. 22 through Oct. 21. Performances are Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons. The first play, "Smoke on the Mountain," starts this week. Ticket prices vary depending on the day of the performance. Visit www.indiana.edu/~thtr/bcplay.html for more information. \nIf the theater environment is too stuffy, try seeing a show outdoors. Monroe County Civic Theater performs plays on select summer evenings in Third Street Park. This coming weekend is the last weekend for Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," and performances will resume Sept. 15 with "Pericles." Shows start at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday evenings, so bring a blanket and curl up together and enjoy free theater under the stars.\nJust don't like theater? Then watch a movie instead. Starlite Drive-In, located just outside Bloomington off of State Road 37, is a traditional drive-in movie theater playing the same movies on the indoor big screens. Shows usually start shortly after dusk, so cuddle in the car or bring a blanket or lawn chairs to sit outside. Bring your own popcorn or buy a snack from the well-stocked concession stand. Check local listings to see what's playing.\nIf something really out of the ordinary sounds exciting, go to Mike's Music and Dance Barn and show off some dance moves. The traditional country dance hall, located about 12 miles east of Bloomington on State Road 46, has live music on Saturdays and Sundays and beginner line dancing lessons every Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. There are also billiard tables and concessions. Visit www.craftspirit.com/thedancebarn/index.php for a complete schedule of events.
(06/01/06 4:00am)
For being a small town in southern Indiana, Bloomington packs a large punch when it comes to ethnic cuisine. Though excellent places for Mexican, Chinese, Italian and sushi abound, the city offers a palatable spread of more rare finds. \nWhile Bloomington's cultured dining scene may be news to some, it does not go unnoticed by the community, and in many cases, the rest of the country. Tosha Daugherty, communications coordinator for Bloomington Convention and Visitors Bureau, said visitors frequently rave about local ethnic restaurants. She said that culinary tourism is a "hot button topic" with travel writers now and that Bloomington's unexpected variety of food makes it a place of interest to many tourists.\n"It's just one more thing that makes it easier to promote the town," she said. "It adds to the uniquely Bloomington atmosphere that people love. The whole town benefits from having diversity here."\nRestaurants featuring foods from around the world blanket city streets, especially Fourth Street and the downtown area. For the adventurous, the curious or the just plain hungry, these restaurants provide unique meals with foreign flare that often hooks visitors at first taste, and everyone develops their own personal favorites.\n"Personally, I really love Esan Thai," Daugherty said. "The Tibetan restaurants are always a favorite because of the connection to Tibetan Cultural Center. Shanti, anything on Fourth Street is fabulous."\nThough ethnic cuisine offers a tasty alternative to pizza and burgers, many restaurant owners said the cost of their food is comparable to those beloved college staples.\nFor those who are new to Bloomington's ethnic dining scene, peruse the phone book or Web sites like dinesite.com to find a restaurant that caters to specific tastes, or just try them all.\nMediterranean and Eastern\nBloomington boasts restaurants from all coasts, but many are from the Mediterranean and Eastern regions of the world. For example, the city has two Indian restaurants and two Turkish restaurants.\nShanti, a favorite for Indian cuisine, first opened its doors in 1997 because the owner noticed Bloomington's diverse dining scene and its lack of an Indian eatery, said a restaurant employee. \n"He thought there was a need," the employee said. \nShanti's authentic cuisine is contributes to its popularity, the employee said. The restaurant has a clay oven uses the oven walls to bake homemade bread and the center of the oven to cook meats, the employee said. Some popular dishes include butter chicken, which has creamy sauce, and vegetable makhni, pop vegetarian dish with a cream sauce. Shanti is also noted for its mango lassis, which are mango-flavored yogurt shakes, and also serves Indian beers and wines. The restaurant has various meat and seafood dishes but also offers a wide variety of lamb dishes, which is popular with customers. \n"We are small but very popular people," the employee said. "People love the food and service." \nBombay House, another popular Indian restaurant is also popular. The restaurant opened in 2002 and is located on Fourth Street amongst many ethnic restaurants. It is beloved for dishes like butter chicken, lamb vindiloo, chicken tandoori, and spinach dishes like murghesag, a dish with spinach and chicken, and palak panar, a dish with spinach and homemade cheese.\nAnatolia and Turkuaz Café, Bloomington's two Turkish restaurants, offer a variety of authentic cuisine. Metin Ayvazoglu, manager of Turkuaz, said one of the most popular dishes is a pide, which is like a pizza. The base is thin, bread-like dough shaped like a boat, and customers can choose from a variety of meats, cheeses and vegetables to put in it. He also said their baklava is famous and is also sold by several other local establishments. \nBut Ismail Tezer, owner of Anatolia, said his baklava is the best in town. Among other dishes, Tezer said patrons particularly enjoy his shish kebobs and andana kebobs. Andana kebobs are 12 to 13 inches in length and consist of ground beef and lamb seasoned with spices, but it's not too spicy, Tezer said. He said he opened his restaurant in 2004 and it has since been known for the good food and affordable prices, a combination that has attracted many students.\n"When I came to Bloomington in 2000 and I saw Fourth Street and the many cultures, I wanted to add Turkish food," he said. "That's why I opened my restaurant here. The prices are reasonable and everyone's happy with the food."\nFor various Mediterranean and Eastern cuisine, try Casablanca Café, which offers Mediterranean and Moroccan food, along with authentic music and belly dancing. The Mac Grill on East Third Street specializes in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food and often has extensive buffets. Falafels, located on Kirkwood, also has a variety of Middle Eastern fare. For more specific tastes, try Samira, which serves up dishes from Afghanistan, or Red Sea, which specializes in Ethiopian food.\nEuropean\nWhile popular restaurants like Irish Lion offers some tradition Irish cuisine and Trojan Horse serves Greek specialties, both mix in American dishes. Two of Bloomington's most authentic European restaurants are both French. \nCafé et Crèpe, a small crèperie on Fourth Street, opened in 2004. The café serves both dessert and savory crèpes, or thin French pancake-like pastries. Rachïd Maïdi, owner of Café et Crèpe, said his most popular savory crèpes are Chicken Florentine and Chicken Fromage, or chicken and cheese. He said dessert crèpes with Nutella, a French chocolate and hazelnut spread, are popular, along with a concoction called Cloud Nine, which is a crèpe with strawberries and bananas in a rich cream sauce. \n"Our crepes are freshly made every day," Maïdi said. "People could live on crèpes. They're healthy."\n He said people can put basically anything in crèpes and said the café offers soups, appetizers, baked goods and salads with special homemade dressing as well. He said several students frequent the restaurant for its Algerian tea and its coffee. Maïdi said customers say his coffee is much better than Starbuck's, and he offers free wireless Internet so students can study and enjoy their coffee at the same time. The café also has couches, board games and old Hollywood magazines.\n"We don't have any (crèperies) in Bloomington and we have very few in Indiana," he said. "It's a very unique thing. We've had calls from people living in Indianapolis who want to come eat here."\nBefore Café et Crèpe, Bloomington did have a French restaurant, though. Marina Ballor and her husband Patrick Fiore opened Le Petit Café in 1977 while Fiore was studying music at IU. The restaurant was so successful that they never left town. Now they're starting their 29th year of business and still serving the same dishes, Ballor said.\n"We had a customer come in last weekend and he hadn't been here in 25 years but he said nothing had changed," she said.\nThe restaurant has a "very simple" menu featuring steak, poultry, seafood, sometimes rabbit and always a vegetarian dish, Ballor said. She said their steaks are popular because she serves them with special sauces, like garlic, herb and olive oil. \nBallor is especially proud that their "mom and pop" -- or "maman et papa" -- restaurant has survived decades of change and said she can still remember when restaurants in Bloomington were all about "a steak and a potato" because diverse cuisine in town was "nonexistent."\nThough it's not often packed with students because of the $13-$17 entrées, Ballor said the restaurant has remained popular with locals and with students on special occasions.\n"Students seem to remember us when something special is going on," she said. "They come here to celebrate birthdays, Valentine's Day, first dates; something special. When they feel like splurging we see them." \nAsian\nBloomington has a variety of Chinese and Japanese restaurants with a variety of entrées and sushi, but more diverse Asian cuisine is available as well.\nMama's Restaurant, located on 10th Street, is an authentic Korean restaurant with wood-chip tabletop barbeque.\nThe city has multiple Thai restaurants, but Siam House on Fourth Street is often a favorite. The restaurant boasts an extensive menu with more than 90 dishes to choose from. The food has attracted celebrity clients like Harrison Ford, John Mellencamp and Elaine Irwin-Mellencamp, musician Andre Watts and U.S. Congressmen, said manager Andrew Stevens.\nThe owner, who originally had a similar restaurant in San Francisco, moved to Bloomington and started Siam House in 1990. Some of her restaurant's most popular dishes include pad thai, satay, red, yellow and green curries and miang kum, which is an assortment of ingredients that can be rolled into spinach leaves and dipped in a special sauce. Stevens said they try to fight the misconception that all Thai food is spicy and said the level of spiciness is up to the customer. \nStevens also said he's constantly impressed with the diverse sampling of restaurants in Bloomington.\n"For a town this size we've often been remarked to have a range of ethnic food," Stevens said. "The selection is very varied and it's of a very high caliber."\nFor more Thai food, try Esan Thai on Kirkwood. \nAnother truly unique feature of Bloomington's dining scene is its two Tibetan restaurants. While the restaurants' existence may be connected to the ties between Bloomington and Tibet, their cuisine attracts students, faculty and local residents. The Snow Lion, located on Fourth Street, is owned and operated by the Dalai Lama's nephew and is a local favorite.\nAnyetsang's Little Tibet, also on Fourth Street, has been attracting visitors since it opened in 1998. Thupten Anyetsang, owner of the restaurant, said he opened his restaurant because he loved the town and IU and wanted to share his culture through food.\nThe restaurant offers Tibetan, Thai and Indian food and Anyetsang said dishes from all genres are popular. Many patrons request Momo, which are dumplings that can be filled with a variety of meats or vegetables. Pad thai and red, yellow and green curries are also popular, along with lassis, Thai iced tea and Thai coffee. \nAnyetsang said his wife is the chef and that the restaurant's comfortable prices, relaxed atmosphere and indoor and outdoor dining make it seem like their own Tibetan home. He said his restaurant has received publicity from across the nation in the New York Times, the New York Post and Indianapolis Monthly.\n"We're happy that we can show our culture to customers and tourists," Anyetsang said. "Some come from Chicago and Michigan to eat here, and we can share our food and history"
(06/01/06 1:26am)
For being a small town in southern Indiana, Bloomington packs a large punch when it comes to ethnic cuisine. Though excellent places for Mexican, Chinese, Italian and sushi abound, the city offers a palatable spread of more rare finds. \nWhile Bloomington's cultured dining scene may be news to some, it does not go unnoticed by the community, and in many cases, the rest of the country. Tosha Daugherty, communications coordinator for Bloomington Convention and Visitors Bureau, said visitors frequently rave about local ethnic restaurants. She said that culinary tourism is a "hot button topic" with travel writers now and that Bloomington's unexpected variety of food makes it a place of interest to many tourists.\n"It's just one more thing that makes it easier to promote the town," she said. "It adds to the uniquely Bloomington atmosphere that people love. The whole town benefits from having diversity here."\nRestaurants featuring foods from around the world blanket city streets, especially Fourth Street and the downtown area. For the adventurous, the curious or the just plain hungry, these restaurants provide unique meals with foreign flare that often hooks visitors at first taste, and everyone develops their own personal favorites.\n"Personally, I really love Esan Thai," Daugherty said. "The Tibetan restaurants are always a favorite because of the connection to Tibetan Cultural Center. Shanti, anything on Fourth Street is fabulous."\nThough ethnic cuisine offers a tasty alternative to pizza and burgers, many restaurant owners said the cost of their food is comparable to those beloved college staples.\nFor those who are new to Bloomington's ethnic dining scene, peruse the phone book or Web sites like dinesite.com to find a restaurant that caters to specific tastes, or just try them all.\nMediterranean and Eastern\nBloomington boasts restaurants from all coasts, but many are from the Mediterranean and Eastern regions of the world. For example, the city has two Indian restaurants and two Turkish restaurants.\nShanti, a favorite for Indian cuisine, first opened its doors in 1997 because the owner noticed Bloomington's diverse dining scene and its lack of an Indian eatery, said a restaurant employee. \n"He thought there was a need," the employee said. \nShanti's authentic cuisine is contributes to its popularity, the employee said. The restaurant has a clay oven uses the oven walls to bake homemade bread and the center of the oven to cook meats, the employee said. Some popular dishes include butter chicken, which has creamy sauce, and vegetable makhni, pop vegetarian dish with a cream sauce. Shanti is also noted for its mango lassis, which are mango-flavored yogurt shakes, and also serves Indian beers and wines. The restaurant has various meat and seafood dishes but also offers a wide variety of lamb dishes, which is popular with customers. \n"We are small but very popular people," the employee said. "People love the food and service." \nBombay House, another popular Indian restaurant is also popular. The restaurant opened in 2002 and is located on Fourth Street amongst many ethnic restaurants. It is beloved for dishes like butter chicken, lamb vindiloo, chicken tandoori, and spinach dishes like murghesag, a dish with spinach and chicken, and palak panar, a dish with spinach and homemade cheese.\nAnatolia and Turkuaz Café, Bloomington's two Turkish restaurants, offer a variety of authentic cuisine. Metin Ayvazoglu, manager of Turkuaz, said one of the most popular dishes is a pide, which is like a pizza. The base is thin, bread-like dough shaped like a boat, and customers can choose from a variety of meats, cheeses and vegetables to put in it. He also said their baklava is famous and is also sold by several other local establishments. \nBut Ismail Tezer, owner of Anatolia, said his baklava is the best in town. Among other dishes, Tezer said patrons particularly enjoy his shish kebobs and andana kebobs. Andana kebobs are 12 to 13 inches in length and consist of ground beef and lamb seasoned with spices, but it's not too spicy, Tezer said. He said he opened his restaurant in 2004 and it has since been known for the good food and affordable prices, a combination that has attracted many students.\n"When I came to Bloomington in 2000 and I saw Fourth Street and the many cultures, I wanted to add Turkish food," he said. "That's why I opened my restaurant here. The prices are reasonable and everyone's happy with the food."\nFor various Mediterranean and Eastern cuisine, try Casablanca Café, which offers Mediterranean and Moroccan food, along with authentic music and belly dancing. The Mac Grill on East Third Street specializes in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food and often has extensive buffets. Falafels, located on Kirkwood, also has a variety of Middle Eastern fare. For more specific tastes, try Samira, which serves up dishes from Afghanistan, or Red Sea, which specializes in Ethiopian food.\nEuropean\nWhile popular restaurants like Irish Lion offers some tradition Irish cuisine and Trojan Horse serves Greek specialties, both mix in American dishes. Two of Bloomington's most authentic European restaurants are both French. \nCafé et Crèpe, a small crèperie on Fourth Street, opened in 2004. The café serves both dessert and savory crèpes, or thin French pancake-like pastries. Rachïd Maïdi, owner of Café et Crèpe, said his most popular savory crèpes are Chicken Florentine and Chicken Fromage, or chicken and cheese. He said dessert crèpes with Nutella, a French chocolate and hazelnut spread, are popular, along with a concoction called Cloud Nine, which is a crèpe with strawberries and bananas in a rich cream sauce. \n"Our crepes are freshly made every day," Maïdi said. "People could live on crèpes. They're healthy."\n He said people can put basically anything in crèpes and said the café offers soups, appetizers, baked goods and salads with special homemade dressing as well. He said several students frequent the restaurant for its Algerian tea and its coffee. Maïdi said customers say his coffee is much better than Starbuck's, and he offers free wireless Internet so students can study and enjoy their coffee at the same time. The café also has couches, board games and old Hollywood magazines.\n"We don't have any (crèperies) in Bloomington and we have very few in Indiana," he said. "It's a very unique thing. We've had calls from people living in Indianapolis who want to come eat here."\nBefore Café et Crèpe, Bloomington did have a French restaurant, though. Marina Ballor and her husband Patrick Fiore opened Le Petit Café in 1977 while Fiore was studying music at IU. The restaurant was so successful that they never left town. Now they're starting their 29th year of business and still serving the same dishes, Ballor said.\n"We had a customer come in last weekend and he hadn't been here in 25 years but he said nothing had changed," she said.\nThe restaurant has a "very simple" menu featuring steak, poultry, seafood, sometimes rabbit and always a vegetarian dish, Ballor said. She said their steaks are popular because she serves them with special sauces, like garlic, herb and olive oil. \nBallor is especially proud that their "mom and pop" -- or "maman et papa" -- restaurant has survived decades of change and said she can still remember when restaurants in Bloomington were all about "a steak and a potato" because diverse cuisine in town was "nonexistent."\nThough it's not often packed with students because of the $13-$17 entrées, Ballor said the restaurant has remained popular with locals and with students on special occasions.\n"Students seem to remember us when something special is going on," she said. "They come here to celebrate birthdays, Valentine's Day, first dates; something special. When they feel like splurging we see them." \nAsian\nBloomington has a variety of Chinese and Japanese restaurants with a variety of entrées and sushi, but more diverse Asian cuisine is available as well.\nMama's Restaurant, located on 10th Street, is an authentic Korean restaurant with wood-chip tabletop barbeque.\nThe city has multiple Thai restaurants, but Siam House on Fourth Street is often a favorite. The restaurant boasts an extensive menu with more than 90 dishes to choose from. The food has attracted celebrity clients like Harrison Ford, John Mellencamp and Elaine Irwin-Mellencamp, musician Andre Watts and U.S. Congressmen, said manager Andrew Stevens.\nThe owner, who originally had a similar restaurant in San Francisco, moved to Bloomington and started Siam House in 1990. Some of her restaurant's most popular dishes include pad thai, satay, red, yellow and green curries and miang kum, which is an assortment of ingredients that can be rolled into spinach leaves and dipped in a special sauce. Stevens said they try to fight the misconception that all Thai food is spicy and said the level of spiciness is up to the customer. \nStevens also said he's constantly impressed with the diverse sampling of restaurants in Bloomington.\n"For a town this size we've often been remarked to have a range of ethnic food," Stevens said. "The selection is very varied and it's of a very high caliber."\nFor more Thai food, try Esan Thai on Kirkwood. \nAnother truly unique feature of Bloomington's dining scene is its two Tibetan restaurants. While the restaurants' existence may be connected to the ties between Bloomington and Tibet, their cuisine attracts students, faculty and local residents. The Snow Lion, located on Fourth Street, is owned and operated by the Dalai Lama's nephew and is a local favorite.\nAnyetsang's Little Tibet, also on Fourth Street, has been attracting visitors since it opened in 1998. Thupten Anyetsang, owner of the restaurant, said he opened his restaurant because he loved the town and IU and wanted to share his culture through food.\nThe restaurant offers Tibetan, Thai and Indian food and Anyetsang said dishes from all genres are popular. Many patrons request Momo, which are dumplings that can be filled with a variety of meats or vegetables. Pad thai and red, yellow and green curries are also popular, along with lassis, Thai iced tea and Thai coffee. \nAnyetsang said his wife is the chef and that the restaurant's comfortable prices, relaxed atmosphere and indoor and outdoor dining make it seem like their own Tibetan home. He said his restaurant has received publicity from across the nation in the New York Times, the New York Post and Indianapolis Monthly.\n"We're happy that we can show our culture to customers and tourists," Anyetsang said. "Some come from Chicago and Michigan to eat here, and we can share our food and history"
(05/26/06 5:17pm)
A line of cars stretches for at least a mile. Drivers angrily honk and swerve in and out of lanes and struggle to accomplish the daunting task of turning left across a crowded intersection.\nWhat may sound like a description of the rush hour in a big city accurately portrays 10th Street and the 45/46 bypass during weeknight rush hours, and sometimes mornings as well. And it's even worse on athletics game days, Little 500 weekend, freshman move-in day and graduation weekend. \nAccording to several locals, the plan to widen 10th Street and the 45/46 bypass has been in the works for years but would still be a welcomed improvement.\nLast week, Gov. Mitch Daniels declared that Monroe County will pocket $58.5 million from the "Major Moves" change purse to put towards roadway projects, including the widening of 10th Street from the bypass intersection to Russell Road and the expansion of the 45/46 bypass from Third to North Walnut streets. The 10th Street project is now scheduled to start in 2008 and the bypass project will commence in 2009.\nWhile they're not getting their hopes up too high yet, local officials were quick to speak of the positive effects a renovation would have on the traffic situation.\n"The bypass, as well as the 10th Street intersection, are very busy thoroughfares and any relief offered by expansion will be beneficial to all who use it," Bloomington Police Department Capt. Joe Qualters said.\nIU Police Department Lt. Jerry Minger echoed Qualters' statement. He said the streets are not wide enough and don't have enough lanes to keep traffic moving, which is why it's often "bumper to bumper" during rush hours. He also expressed the woes of the game-day traffic regulation efforts the department makes every year.\n"Right now during games we have to turn the bypass into different lanes using cones," Minger said. "We often have to tell people to totally avoid that area during games because it does become highly congested."\nBloomington Transit is excited at the possibility of wider roads as well. Joe Lilly, operations manager of BT, said that wider lanes make for better traffic flow, which could potentially allow buses to stay on time more often, especially during rush hour traffic. He said that while BT doesn't have any special changes to service they would make in response to the road project, he and his crew would try to get the state to add extra bus lanes, especially in front of the apartment complexes on 10th Street.\nThough he would be "very happy" if the roads were widened, he said that with all of the times the project has been discussed and put off, he wouldn't be surprised if it were pushed back again.\n"I'll believe it when I see it," he said. "Hopefully it'll get done eventually with all of the need. It's a long time coming with the way the people have been moving out to the east side. (Expansion) will help our buses move quicker and get people where they want to go in a more timely manner."\nLilly said that buses would do their best to stay on schedule during the construction period. He said that if they need to add buses or devise new routes they would know within 90 days of construction and would have ample time to plan.\n"Those are our two heaviest routes, so that area will be serviced," Lilly said. "It might take more time, but we'll just have get more buses. We'd do anything we could to keep (the buses) as regular as possible."\nIn addition to improving traffic flow and possibly helping the punctuality of local buses, the expansion of 10th Street and the 45/46 bypass might make the area a much safer place to travel. Qualters thinks that an expansion would reduce accidents because it would help people "make a more efficient use of the roadway," or as Minger says, more turn lanes and travel lanes will enable people to move from lane to lane more easily.\n"It's something that we've looked for for years," Minger said.
(05/25/06 1:35am)
The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles is fighting crime -- and long wait lines.\nLast Thursday Indiana BMV Commissioner Joel Silverman, along with Gov. Mitch Daniels and State Police Col. Larry Rollins announced a new customer service feature on the BMV Web site, as well as a campaign to fight fraud.\nThe new customer service feature is designed to help save customers' time by publicizing which BMV branches are the busiest and how long the average wait is at a given branch each day of the week. According to the site, the Bloomington branch, located at 1612 S. Liberty Drive, has the sixth highest average wait time of 39 minutes. The BMV began collecting data in April, which is the data now posted online, and will update the data each month. The site also lists three nearby branches where area customers can go to potentially save time. The Bloomington branch is listed in a group with the Martinsville, Spencer and Indianapolis-Ameriplex branches.\n"We wanted to be as transparent as we could be with visit times at branches and offer alternatives to customers," said Indiana BMV Communications Representative Greg Cook.\nCook said the BMV has been trying to track average visit lengths for a while and has just upgraded to computers that can document a customer's arrival time and the time of the transaction. Thus the two times can be lumped together to estimate the amount of time the customer spent at the branch. An additional 10-minute waiting period was factored in to calculations to account for any time the customer had to spend waiting in line to check in.\nTuesdays are the busiest days for all branches, Cook said, primarily because branches aren't open on Mondays and that makes Tuesdays their first day of business. He said the BMV wanted people to be aware of this when planning visits, and encouraged people to try visiting alternative branches if their schedule allows it.\n"Some customers may not have that flexibility and we understand that, but customers who do might experience a shorter wait," Cook said.\nThe updates to the Web site, which appeared last Thursday, also remind customers that not all tasks require a trip to a BMV branch. Patrons can renew their vehicle registration by phone, Internet, mail or self-service terminals located at BMV branches. Watercraft registrations can also be renewed online. Instructions for all of these processes are posted on the Indiana BMV Web site. \nDavid Martin, manager of the Bloomington BMV branch, supports having the data on the BMV Web site and thinks his branch will be able to improve.\n"I think it's an excellent idea," he said. "(Lowering wait times) is a statewide goal and it's something we're shooting for and we're going meet it. (The site) will help service and help the community." \nSo far, Cook has received nothing but positive comments regarding the Web site updates.\n"We've received overwhelming positive responses from the public," Cook said. "They're happy that we're offering them information and alternatives. (The site is) a very powerful tool that gives people choice."\nAnother way the BMV is now empowering people is through a new campaign that cracks down on fraud. A 24-hour hotline, 1-877-599-TIPS, was established last week so that anyone who suspects someone has provided them with false BMV-related documents can call and report the incident. \nCook said that so far in 2006 the BMV has investigated almost 2,600 fraud cases, which shows a significant increase from 2,400 cases in 2005 and 170 in 2004. Within the last few months the state BMV planned the campaign in an attempt to curb the problem and raise awareness about fraud. The BMV also wanted to let people know that starting July 1, knowingly presenting a fraudulent document to a BMV branch in order to obtain an identification card or a driver's license will be considered Class D felony.\n"Commissioner Silverman is determined to focus on identifying fraud because we're trying to protect customer security," Cook said. "We're trying to be more active in identifying fraud and doing what we can to prevent it."\nCook said people can use the hotline to report any transactions using fraudulent BMV-related documents, including fake IDs. Since the hotline is open to the public, restaurants and bars can use it to report fake IDs if they want. He said that after a case is reported on the hotline, an investigation will follow. The BMV is partnering with local police, state police and state prosecutors to pursue legal action if necessary and "stamp out fraud," Cook said.\nFor more information on the fraud campaign or branch statistics, visit the Indiana BMV Web site at www.in.gov/bmv.
(05/25/06 1:34am)
The "Major Moves" legislation became even more famous -- or infamous, to some -- when Gov. Mitch Daniels gave a speech about the legislation at a U.S. Congress hearing regarding the future of highway funding Wednesday in Washington.\nQuoting U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, Daniels said that partnering with private sectors to fund and help operate roads will provide a more secure future for infrastructure development and maintenance. He said that when he took office, he looked at all of the roadways in need of improvement and saw that Indiana was about $3 billion short. \n"For a centrally located state that accurately labels itself 'The Crossroads of America,' one with great promise as a logistics and distribution capital, the cost of inaction would be especially enormous," Daniels said, according to an online transcript. \nDaniels told Congress he had considered all options for raising the funds necessary to complete these projects, including raising taxes and fees pertaining to vehicles. Finally, another option became clear.\n"The only real alternative was to bring to bear that handiest of revenue sources: Other People's Money," he said. \nDaniels said his goal was to get more for the toll road than the estimate, which the state soon learned is not hard to do when it received a bid of $3.8 billion for the Indiana Toll Road, which was valued to be worth $1.1 billion.\nDaniels highlighted some of the main aspects of the state's contract and expressed his interest in helping Congress learn more about the deal.\n"We have found a way to close our infrastructure gap and invest in hard, permanent public assets for our future without a penny of gas tax increase or a penny of debt," he said.\nWhile Daniels' presentation may have appealed to Congress, Steve Bonney, a West Lafayette farmer who -- along with members of the Citizens' Action Coalition -- currently has a lawsuit pending against the Daniels administration for its passage of "Major Moves," noticed something was conspicuously missing from Daniels' speech: public policy issues. Bonney's suit questions the Constitutionality of the "Major Moves" plan.\n"Our side of it is that there are some serious issues in this arrangement that aren't necessarily revealed in his testimony," Bonney said. "I'm opposed to this privatization until we figure out the public policy aspects of it. It's not free. ... and if we all end up paying tolls we're just paying more taxes, it's just a different name for them."\nBonney's case has been expedited because if there are still lawsuits against the plan pending June 30, the consortium can back out of the deal without consequence. \n"I think Congress is certainly interested -- everyone's interested in finding new ways to finance infrastructure, but the question is who is really going to pay?" said Bonney, who watched Daniels' presentation via webcast. "It's borrowing from the future. That money all has to be paid back by someone"
(05/22/06 1:43am)
Gov. Mitch Daniels announced Wednesday the distribution of funds from the lease of the Indiana Toll Road. $58.5 million of the "Major Moves" bankroll will go toward funding five new road construction projects and one preservation project in Monroe County, according to the Indiana Department of Transportation Web site. \nThe sum is part of nearly $12 billion the state plans to invest in roads over the next 10 years, according to a press release.\n"This is the biggest roads and jobs plan in the state's history, and we'll do it all without increasing the gas tax," Daniels said in the release. "Every state we know of has a huge transportation shortfall, but only Indiana has tackled it this boldly and successfully."\nThe passage of "Major Moves" has earned Daniels national attention, and he has been invited to talk about the project before the U.S. Congress Highways, Transit and Pipelines Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee at a hearing on "Understanding Contemporary Public Private Highway Transactions: The Future of Infrastructure Finance?" this week in Washington, according to Daniel's Web site.\nThe local projects most affecting the IU campus will be the expansion of 10th Street from the bypass intersection to Russell Road and the widening of State Road 46, commonly known as the bypass, from Third to North Walnut streets. The state is contributing a little more than $23 million to the bypass project, which will begin in 2009. Tenth Street will be expanded in two segments. The first, from the bypass intersection to Pete Ellis Drive, will start in 2008. The second, from Pete Ellis Drive to Russell Road, will start in 2011. The state is providing a little more than $7 million for the 10th Street project.\nLocal business owners along 10th Street have known of the possibility of expansion for a while and largely support the projects.\nDerk Frasier, owner of Accounting Concepts, Inc. at the intersection of 10th Street and the bypass, had to sign a purchase agreement during the spring of 2005 allowing the state to buy the 15-25 feet of land in front of his business so it could be used for an expansion project. Frasier said that as a resident he supports the project because he thinks it would help traffic flow in the frequently congested intersection. One of his primary concerns, though, is the fate of his business while construction is underway. The state has promised him that at least one entrance to his business will be accessible, but he worries because clients frequently come in, and he also makes deliveries to his clients. Frasier said he also worries that once the project is completed, the additional lanes will make it hard for customers to make turns to get in and out of his parking lot.\n"Right now someone might be nice enough to let you out or cross, but if there are two lanes, it'll be much more difficult," Frasier said.\nScholars Quad and Fountain Park apartment complexes also support the project, but want to make sure their residents, many of whom are IU students, are taken care of. Michelle Fulford, property manager of Fountain Park Apartments, said the complex has three entrances, so she's not worried about residents having trouble accessing their home. She's excited about the project because it might provide a bus lane in front of the complex, which would be helpful to all residents. Travis Trestler, director of operations for Renaissance Rentals, the company that owns Scholars Quad, said the company is "welcoming of any beautification or widening of the road." Trestler said the residents, however, will remain the company's first priority and that the company will work with the city if necessary to ensure residents aren't inconvenienced during the construction period.\n"If (residents) are having trouble going in and out of apartment, we'll work with the city to make sure (our residents) are happy," Trestler said. "Our company doesn't want anyone inconvenienced."\nThe actual projects throughout the state and the inconveniences they may provide, however, are not the only concerns some Hoosiers have about the distribution of "Major Moves" funds. Brown County resident and 2006 Green Party candidate for Secretary of State Bill Stant questions why Daniels handed out the funds while two lawsuits against "Major Moves", including one filed by Stant, are still pending.\n"It kind of reminds me of President Bush," Stant said. "There seems to be very little concern with the importance of written constitutions as the rule of law in our government."\nStant said that all of the nine defendants in his lawsuit and another lawsuit headed by West Lafayette farmer and activist Steve Bonney, which include Daniels and a number of other state officials, have been granted a request for extension and won't have to respond to the suit until June 9. At that point, a judge will review their response and decide whether to consolidate the two law suits and send the consolidated suit to the Indiana Supreme Court.\n"If it hasn't been consolidated then hopefully (the judge) will agree with us that it's an open-and-shut case in violation of constitution," he said.\nStant was also surprised when he heard that Brown County was the only county in the area that didn't receive "Major Moves" funding to support new road construction and preservation projects.\n"I suppose it's peculiar especially given the Republicans' rise to power in Brown County," he said.\nOther Monroe County projects include new construction at Monroe Dam Road and State Road 37, as well as major preservation on State Road 37 from the Lawrence County line to Dillman Road. \nFor a complete list of funding and projects by county, visit the INDOT Web site at www.in.gov/dot.\nRead Thursday's IDS for more information about how the new projects will affect traffic on campus and around Bloomington.
(05/18/06 12:45am)
Indiana State Attorney General Steve Carter appealed an appellate court ruling Monday that allows unmarried couples to adopt children. He asked the Indiana Supreme Court to consider hearing the case and if it chooses to hear the case, to vacate, or ignore, previous court rulings.\nThe case, known as Infant Girl W. v. Morgan County Office of Family and Children, involves a 20-month-old girl who was brought into the foster care of Kim Brennan and Becki Hamilton of Martinsville two days after she was born in September 2004. When Brennan and Hamilton, who have been a couple for 12 years, jointly petitioned for adoption last year, a probate court granted them the adoption, while a juvenile court contested the probate court's authority to grant the petitioners' request since the child was still the charge of the county. \nThe couple appealed the juvenile court's decision and in April the appellate court ruled in their favor 2-1, upholding the probate court's ruling and reversing the juvenile court's ruling in favor of the adoption.\nCarter said in a prepared statement that he thinks the Supreme Court could "resolve confusion" surrounding conflicting opinions trial court judges have handed down regarding whether unmarried couples can adopt children through a joint petition, like Brennan and Hamilton tried to do.\n"There has been conflict among trial and appellate judges about whether two people can jointly adopt a child when they are not married," Carter said in his statement. "Given such a division thus far among five judges at two different levels of our courts ... I find it proper to invite the High Court to be heard in this matter."\nBrennan, Hamilton and their lawyer, Barbara Baird, expressed disappointment that Carter appealed the case, but Baird said she wasn't surprised because the Attorney General has intervened in previous cases involving adoption by same-sex couples.\nBrennan said the little girl has stayed with them throughout all of the court proceedings and assured that no matter what, the couple would fight to keep its child. Baird said she and the couple have 20 days to file a brief in opposition, which is basically a statement of why the appellate court's decision should stand and why the Supreme Court shouldn't have to be involved. The Supreme Court will then decide whether to hear the case.\n"We're going to fight this, no matter how far it goes," Brennan said. "We're the only parents she knows."\nIf the Supreme Court overturns the appellate court's ruling, Brennan and Hamilton could lose their child. Brennan, who runs her own daycare in their home, said she got into foster parenting because the daycare provided a nice environment for children. She said people stop her all the time in public and tell her how happy the little girl seems to be. \nBrennan said that she feels like there wouldn't have been a case if she and Hamilton were a heterosexual couple, and Baird emphasized the toll the trials have taken on her clients.\n"This further appeal seems to be totally unnecessary," Baird said. "I think it's a waste of the state's resources when (the state) has more important battles to fight rather than trying to break up a loving family when all professionals involved have said it's in the child's best interest to stay with that family."\nAside from a potential Supreme Court ruling, Brennan and Hamilton, as well as many other same-sex couples, may have more difficult obstacles to face in the future.\nState Sen. Jeff Drozda (R-Westfield) said that during the first or second week of January he plans to introduce legislation that will strip same-sex couples of adoption rights, but won't prevent them from being foster parents. Similar legislation he created in 2004 failed to gain a committee hearing. Drozda said a judge has told him that the General Assembly -- rather than the court -- should make a decision on the issue since it deals with public policy. Drozda agrees, which is why he doesn't want to wait for a Supreme Court ruling on the Infant Girl W. case. His legislation will be based off of a Florida law that was passed in 1977.\n"Drozda is trying to fashion our state after a law made in 1977," Brennan said. "It's like we're going backwards."\nWhile such a law might seem unfair, Drozda said that the General Assembly has "historically" found that a household with a mother and a father is what's best "under normal circumstances for the majority of individuals." He also said that the "tremendous ambiguity" that exists in the Indiana court system is unfair to same-sex couples because they have to take a "gamble" on what a court will rule when they try to adopt. \n"Judges need more guidance on this issue because we have some judges saying these adoptions are permitted and others saying they're not," he said. "The issue needs to be settled once and for all either way."\nHelen Harrell, IU adviser for OUT and co-host of BloomingOUT radio show on WFHB Community Radio, said Drozda's legislation would be "outright discrimination" because it would deny gay people the right to have a family and be a family. \n"I think it's outrageous," she said. "There's no reason why gay people can't adopt children ... If you have people who are willing to provide a good home, what does it matter? Plenty of straight parents raise gay children so why can't gay parents raise straight children, or gay children?"\nHarrell also said that in addition to being discriminatory, the legislation could further offend those who have grown up with homosexual family members since their families wouldn't be recognized as "credible or 'normal.'" Like Brennan and Hamilton, Harrell said those discriminated against wouldn't give up the fight.\n"There are always going to be people discriminating against gay people and their families," Harrell said. "And we're going to keep pushing back till our rights are considered just as important as those of a heterosexual family"
(05/15/06 12:16am)
Monroe County Coroner David Toumey said IU junior Nichole Birky's death was caused by cardiac arrhythmia, an abnormal heart rate or rhythm, according to a May 14 Associated Press article.\nMembers of Delta Zeta sorority found Birky, 21, unresponsive in her bed when they tried to awaken her at around 10:30 a.m. April 5, according to an April 6 IDS article. When EMTs arrived on the scene, they said "it appeared that she had died sometime earlier," according to the article. Birky had last spoken with people at around 2 a.m. and had complained of not feeling well. \nPreliminary autopsy reports ruled out foul play and infectious disease, but officials had to wait for the results of toxicology tests to come through before they announced the cause of her death.\nBirky's death shook the campus, and since then, she has not been forgotten. Delta Zeta hosted a vigil the day after her death, which drew hundreds of grieving students, family and friends. One of Birky's closest friends also created a Facebook group in her remembrance, which now has 325 members and multiple postings of memories and messages expressing how much she has been missed. Though these outlets have offered comfort to her friends and family, they have not offered complete closure for many.\nSenior Jessica Ploszek was devastated by the loss of her close friend and former roommate, but she thinks that knowing the cause of Birky's death will help her cope with her loss.\n"It'll be easier, I think, to deal with now, knowing what happened," she said. "It is a bit of closure, having a real reason now."\nBirky's sorority sisters are still deeply mourning their loss.\n"We miss Nichole today the same as we did a month ago," said Jessica Braman, president of Delta Zeta. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Birky family."\nBraman said that the sorority is setting up a scholarship in her memory. Details of the scholarship are still being decided, but one of the sisters is working on fundraiser ideas, including a possible 5 kilometer walk and run.\n"We're just remembering her for her outgoing and positive personality," Braman said.
(05/15/06 12:16am)
During this spring's IU Student Association elections, the Hoosier party garnered many eager followers, largely thanks to its promise to provide a media downloading service to students. At the first meeting of the IUSA Congress on April 26, a resolution was passed to officially pursue implementing a downloading service on campus. Now, new IUSA officers are beginning the grueling selection process and aren't sure when they will be finished.\nThough IUSA President Betsy Henke said their goal is to have some type of service in place by fall, Garrett Scharton, IUSA's chief of external affairs and the leader of the search, said it's still early in the selection process and they don't want to rush through it.\nScharton said he's currently negotiating with four companies, talking to University Information Technology Services and getting advice from other schools like Purdue, University of Denver and Michigan State, who have already implemented downloading services.\n"(We're getting) perspective from students and administration so when IU does finally sign on the dotted line, we know we've made the right decision," he said.\nIUSA began the selection process by e-mailing all of the companies that participated in IU's Digital Karma Festival last year because UITS recommended that they talk to those who had already shown interest in IU. Within hours, Scharton said they had received responses from four companies.\nScharton said they are considering two key factors when looking at providers: cost and accessibility. \nIUSA's goal is to provide downloads at no additional cost to students, which is a possibility as long as students download the music only to computers but not to iPods. Scharton was also unsure how payment would work and said he didn't know if the organization would have to pay a flat rate to provide the service to students. \nIUSA wants to ensure that as many students as possible can access the service as well, but no service other than iTunes works for Macs. While this would exclude a number of students, Scharton said a recent survey suggests the vast majority of students use PCs. Henke, a Mac user herself, said they might be able to provide the service on some lab and lounge computers in dorms and other areas around campus so more students could have access to downloads.\nIn order to determine cost and accessibility, IUSA is looking at the various formats and features of each service.\nTwo of the services offer a way for professors to post materials that students can download. While this feature may distinguish them from other providers, it's a sign that a service might be more expensive. Scharton said this could be a concern with any service that offers more media than just music, such as movies and video games.\n"Anything that might raise extra cost to students raises red flags to us," he said.\nScharton said one service offers "tethered" downloads, meaning the actual computer downloads are free to students because companies run banner ads across the top of the play pages. But with this service, certain advertisements might cause a problem.\n"IU is an Adidas school, so what if Nike decides to advertise on the service?" Scharton said. \nNone of the services offer free downloads to iPods simply because of legal issues, but Scharton said he hopes a company might offer downloads at a reduced cost since so many students could potentially use the service.\nSome IUSA members are now experimenting with trial accounts, which were granted to them by a company that gave IUSA a Web presentation last week. Scharton said that in the fall they might open up trial accounts to students to get their input.\nLast week IUSA also had a meeting with UITS to discuss privacy issues and other problems implementing a service may cause. \nMerri Beth Lavagnino, IU chief information technology policy officer, said in an e-mail that safety issues could arise if students used their IU usernames and passwords to access downloading services, but that these problems could be prevented simply by educating students about what they should and shouldn't do. Lavagnino expressed more concern about students downloading files from various providers.\n"There actually are more security issues with using free file sharing software packages you download from the Internet," she said. "They often contain unwanted adware or spyware, and it can be confusing trying to figure out if a particular song or movie file is being offered legally. A subscription service would be a business arrangement with a contract and so there would be much less risk."\nAfter IUSA representatives decide on a service, they will make a recommendation to UITS and then sit down with the administration to discuss the decision. If UITS or the administration is unsatisfied, the process may be repeated.\nScharton, Henke and the rest of IUSA are determined to see the project through, though. Henke said she thinks it could save students money since they have to pay for legal downloads now or face penalties if they get caught illegally downloading media.\n"We feel that there should be a fair (downloading) option," Henke said. "That's why we're going after this"
(05/05/06 8:12am)
More than 70 students and staff gathered in the African American Cultural Center Library in the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center shortly after 11:30 a.m. Wednesday to make signs and check out books to protest the closing of the library they cherish as a symbol of their culture.
(05/05/06 5:37am)
Several campus branch libraries may soon check out their last book. \nThis week confusion and rumors circled about the possibility of four individualized school libraries closing by the end of Summer Session II. The frustration climaxed Wednesday afternoon when students protested the closing of the African American Culture Center Library by organizing a sit-in at the AACC Library and marching to the Herman B Wells Library.\nRuth Lilly Interim Dean of University Libraries Patricia Steele did her best to assuage the anger. She said Thursday that the School of Library and Information Sciences Library is the only library that will permanently close its doors this summer. However, she would not specify which branch libraries the University is considering closing because she said not everyone has been informed of the potential closings. \nBut branch coordinators from the Journalism Library, the Geography and Map Library and the AACC Library said that they had all received notice of proposals to close their libraries two to three weeks ago.\n"I'm just dumbfounded that we have this tidbit of information," said Linda Butler, branch coordinator of the Journalism Library. "I know things are in the works, but I've known for almost two weeks and I don't see a general announcement."\nSteele emphasized that no other closings would be final until she had heard input from students and staff about the services they need. She said she had put together a team last year to look into the different branches and identify different service models. She said that because libraries are changing so dramatically, she thought that it was "time to take a good look" into the services libraries are providing and how well they meet the needs of students and faculty. The committee checked measures like gate count, circulation figures and computer use based on the number of log-ins at the different facilities. She said the results from this monitoring "revealed where (we) wanted to look."\n"It was clear which libraries had lower activity," she said. "You want to get as much return for your investment as possible, so you've got to start someplace. Our goal is to serve in the most economically feasible way."\nBudget issues seem to be one of the main reasons library administration has begun its investigation of campus libraries. Lou Malcomb, the head of IU Libraries Government Information, Microfilms and Statistical Services Department said administrators looked at the budget three or four weeks ago and realized there are "concerns."\n"We didn't get enough in the budget to continue operating everything like we do now and at the same time move faster into the digital world," she said. "These are some of the options we have, to look at facilities and services we're providing and see how we can transition better. We're looking at possibilities."\nLibrary administration hopes to start dialogue with the IU community this summer so it can have some ideas for further discussion and planning this fall, Steele said. Some of that dialogue will come from representatives of the AACC library, which has been issued a reprieve because supporters have agreed to stay to keep the library open during the summer. \nAnne Haines, branch coordinator of the SLIS library, said SLIS was active in the decision to close its library and that the decision came after much discussion. She said she had known the library would close since November, and that an e-mail was sent in December to notify the rest of the University's library staff that the library would be closing. She said that since the library is already located within the Wells library, the transition for SLIS students won't be too difficult. \n"They just have to go down the hall to get resources, so that makes it less of a hit than closing other libraries," Haines said. "It will affect some in the sense that they can't come in here and just say 'I want that red book for the class that I'm in.'"\nShe said the decision to close may have an "upside to it" because the space will still be used as an information commons for SLIS students. It will still have computers and tables and some reference materials that won't be allowed to leave the room.\nFor some branch coordinators, however, that upside is harder to see. Heiko Muehr, the branch coordinator of the Map and Geography library, said that he was surprised by the proposal because the library is "a very efficient operation." He said it's also convenient because it's located in the Student Building and serves both geography and anthropology students and faculty, as well as several local residents.\n"It is the IU library closest to downtown Bloomington and we get more use from Indiana residents than other IU libraries do," Muehr said. "(We get) farmers looking for plat books, genealogists, historic preservation professionals using our historic Sanborn maps, fishermen looking at Indiana lake maps, you name it." \nKelly Caylor, professor of ecohydrology in the Department of Geography, said that a resource like this library is "critical to the daily activity of (his) discipline." He said he uses the library to introduce his lower level classes to maps and methods of data collecting and uses the library as a way to share resources and readings with his upper level classes.\n"As disciplines become more specific and the diversity of data, journals, and other resources continues to expand, the need for a strong and vibrant branch library system will continue to be a critical factor for sustaining the intellectual vigor of the various academic departments which rely on them," Caylor said in an e-mail. "Losing these tangible connections to the historical and ongoing scholarship of our disciplines would be a highly unfortunate outcome of a system that evaluates utility based largely on revenue and costs."\nTodd Lindley, a grad student in the Department of Geography, said that if records show that the facility is not used as much as others, it's because the library works differently than others. Students frequently work in the library and do not check out resources. He said the facility is also valuable because of the reading lists it houses. He added that like all campus libraries, it serves as a delivery place for materials from other libraries, so students can request resources from other libraries without having to hike around campus to find the book they want.\n"As a graduate student in the geography department, I make use of the geography library nearly every single day," Lindley said. "Removing the map library -- and hence, the maps -- will eradicate a very valuable teaching resource from our department and campus. For geographers, removing the map library from the building is like removing a projector from an electronic classroom."\nStudents who frequent the AACC library, however, have a problem other than lack of convenience with the closure of their library. As part of the protest, students signed a petition and e-mailed a letter discussing how the closing of their library shuts out part of their culture and that this event is one of the many in IU's history that seems to be racially motivated.\nAfter their protest, Steele said she realized that to some, the existence of a library is more important than statistics regarding how much use the facility gets.\n"What was clear to me (Wednesday) was that the measures (used to judge library service) weren't the correct ones for all libraries," Steele said. "That's why discussion is important."\nSome have also been concerned because libraries are the largest employer of students on campus. The system currently employs between 700 and 800 students, said Steele, but she doesn't think it will have a big effect because some areas rely more on students than others.\nSteele assured that everyone would have a chance to voice an opinion and encouraged people to do so.\n"When so many people care and want to have a say it's hard to make sure that you've included everyone," she said. "In the end, as long as you're open and bring in as many voices as possible, you get to a place where both sides can have some satisfaction"
(05/01/06 5:03am)
TGI Friday's added a new hamburger topping Tuesday night: finger. \nAt about 7:30 p.m., a patron in the College Mall restaurant received a hamburger that had a piece of a human fingertip on it. The patron saw the flesh before eating the burger and called the police.\nA Bloomington Police Department officer arrived and informed the patron that the incident was not a criminal matter and that he would have to discuss the problem with restaurant management, said BPD Detective Sgt. David Drake. \nTGI Friday's spokeswoman Amy Freshwater said the whole thing was an accident.\nShe said that shortly before the hamburger was served, one of the kitchen managers had cut his finger and was taken to Bloomington Hospital. \n"In the rush of attending to his medical needs, the other members of kitchen staff didn't realize a very small piece of his skin had fallen onto a plate and subsequently served it to a customer," \nFreshwater said.\nFreshwater said the piece of finger was "very, very small" and emphasized that the restaurant "followed all sanitation procedures completely" when cleaning the kitchen after the incident.\nShe also said the restaurant has been in contact with the patron several times after his visit and said it doesn't expect him to pursue any type of civil action. Freshwater said she thinks the restaurant will "absolutely not" suffer any loss of business because of the incident.\n"This was an accident," Freshwater said. "We acknowledge the seriousness of this incident, and we are very sorry this occurred, but it was an accident."\nShe also said customers have been understanding of the situation.\n"We had several guests in the restaurant today who said that they knew this was an accident and that they still love Friday's," she said.
(04/13/06 6:18am)
State Budget Director Chuck Schalliol signed a 75-year, $3.8-billion agreement Wednesday that leased the Indiana Toll Road to a foreign consortium while a handful of Indiana residents filed two lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of House Bill 1008, commonly known as "Major Moves." \nSteve Bonney, a farmer from West Lafayette, was one of a group of six Citizens Action Coalition members who filed the first suit between 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. at the St. Joseph County Superior Court. \nGreen Party 2006 Secretary of State hopeful Bill Stant of Nashville, Ind. filed a second lawsuit against the legislation two hours later in Brown County Circuit Court.\nResidents were given a 15-day period to file suit after the initial passage of the legislation. While both suits fell within this period, those who filed them are unsure how the lease signing will affect their lawsuits.\n"Our lawsuit was timely and so was Stant's," Bonney said. "We filed within the 15 days that we were required to file. Our lawsuits enjoined the governor and state of Indiana from signing the lease but that's obviously not going to stick. As far as I know we should be considered, but the government is going to play warrior games. That whole strategy is something they had in mind. It's up to the court now."\nBonney's group had a legal analysis of the legislation performed and found that seven or eight aspects of the bill were in violation of the state constitution, Bonney said. All of these aspects are included in the lawsuit, but Bonney said the fact that Martinsville residents would be exempted from paying tolls yet Bloomington residents would still have to pay them is particularly unfair.\n"It's against the constitution to apply laws to one part of the state but not the other," he said. "It gives a certain class of people special favors and the constitution says you can't do that."\nDaniels' office reacted to the group's suit by rejecting the idea that the legislation was unconstitutional.\n"The group claims it is trying to uphold a Constitutional principle," Daniels' Press Secretary Jane Jankowski said in an e-mail statement. "But what it is really attempting to do is block Indiana from putting thousands of Hoosiers to work to build the roads and bridges we need. It's sad for all of us that one group of Hoosiers would file a lawsuit that would try to deprive their neighbors of job opportunities and the\neconomic development opportunities that 'Major Moves' will provide. We'll do all we can to make sure there is no delay to 'Major Moves.'"\nBonney, however, said that the group had no political agenda. \n"It's not a political issue and we don't have an axe to grind with the government," he said. "We just think it's unconstitutional. There's no angle, it's just the right thing to do," \nStant is also arguing that the legislation violates the state constitution, primarily because it enables the state to use the proceeds to fund construction projects.\n"The procedure was profoundly undemocratic and it has to be stopped," Stant said. "My complaint focuses strictly on the constitutionality of using revenues from public works for anything other than paying down the public debt."\nThe fact that only residents of northern Indiana could bring suit led Stant to file his own suit, separate from Bonney's group, provided his suit wouldn't interfere with the theirs. He did this because he \nbelieves that the legislation will affect people in the southern part of the state, too, and thinks everyone should have the right to fight the bill.\n"According to my attorneys, there's ample precedent for anyone who pays taxes to have the standing to sue," he said.\nStant was also frustrated by another barrier that Bonney's group had to overcome in order to file suit -- the $40,000 it had to pay as a retainer to its lawyer, Arend Abel, of the Indianapolis firm Cohen & Malad. Stant was able to get Bloomington lawyer Rudolph Savich to accept his suit pro bono and cited the cost of a lawsuit as an "unjust obstacle to participation in public life."\nBonney's group, however, surpassed its goal by raising $65,000 in about five days, Bonney said. He said he went on three XM radio trucking shows and received a lot of donations from truckers who feared that other states would privatize highways if "Major Moves" passed, thus creating higher operating costs for trucking companies. The group members hope the support continues because they expect that the suit will eventually be appealed to the Indiana Supreme Court and cost at least $200,000, so they will have to raise about $135,000 more. But Bonney isn't worried about the cost. \n"A lot of people didn't even think we'd be able to afford the lawsuit," he said. "Now I think people believe we can so we'll raise a lot of money."\nStant encouraged others to file suit as well if they're opposed to the legislation.\n"My message as a secretary of state candidate is use your rights or lose them," he said. "I'd like to see everyone who's a resident of Indiana and who pays taxes to go find an attorney who will work pro bono and file a suit in their counties. Get off your butts and start acting like you live in a democracy"
(04/11/06 6:10am)
After five days in California for a national competition, the IU Gymnastics Club landed in Denver Sunday to catch a connecting flight back to Indianapolis. The team members were excited since they had had a successful tournament and one member had won the beam \ncompetition. \nSoon after deplaning in Denver, \njunior Julianne Repay received a text message from one of her friends from high school. A few minutes later, she announced that team member Christine Wampler had died earlier that morning in Louisville after attending a Phi Kappa Sigma formal with her boyfriend.\n"It was a weird scene," said junior Alex Fiato, who had become close friends with Wampler. "Me and Julianne were sitting next to each other. Julianne said it once and then said it again. I didn't understand at first and we didn't have all the details. We went from celebrating a really good trip ... and then we didn't know what to do. It was silent. The team didn't talk for about a half hour." \nRepay said Wampler, also a junior, had decided not to go to California because of schoolwork but had been excited about the chance to go to the formal since she couldn't take time off to go to nationals. Repay had known Wampler since third grade and the two had kept in touch through the first two years of college when Repay was attending the University of Arizona. Repay transferred to IU at the beginning of this year and was excited when she and Wampler both joined the IU Gymnastics Club because they had been on their high school gymnastics team together. She was shocked to hear the news of Wampler's death from one of their mutual high school friends.\n"I cried and kind of went hysterical at first," Repay said. "It didn't even set in because I wasn't in Bloomington. When we landed I didn't want to go home. We were going to move in together next year and she had lived with me for a month so I had some of her stuff and I didn't want to go home and face it."\nIU alumnus Trent Weldy was shocked to hear the news, too. Weldy and Wampler both worked at Menards and lived at the same apartment complex. Weldy said Wampler hadn't shown up to work on Sunday and her sister had called Menards looking for her. Weldy said he had just recently talked to Wampler and was studying when their mutual friend and Menards employee Adam Carr called him with the news.\n"I just said 'OK,' but it didn't really hit me," he said. "I went over to Adam's and we just sat outside and it was like 'Whoa.' I came home and looked at Facebook and all the pictures of us. I can't believe she's gone. I feel like I can just walk down there through the door and she'll be there. It's really different ... It doesn't seem real."\nThough her death came suddenly, memories of Wampler are still alive in her friends' minds.\nWhen her friends were down, Wampler was always there with a smile and some chocolate, Fiato said.\n"She was always my friend who had chocolate," Fiato said. "You could always guarantee that she had a Hershey's in her purse. I'd be upset and she'd be like 'Here, eat this.'" \nThat smile and upbeat attitude is what Wampler's friends said they will miss most.\n"Whenever she's around you're pretty much happy," said Carr, who's also an IU junior. "She'd come over to my house between classes and I'd take her to class. We'd just talk. I told her all the time she reminded me of my sister. There aren't many people I could talk to like I talked to her."\nRepay recalled several fun times she had with Wampler during their long friendship, including a fifth grade class trip to Michigan and eating salsa Wampler's mom made while talking with both of them.\n"She was just fun," Repay said. "I feel like she was the person who appreciated life more than almost everyone I know. She was dealt some difficult cards but she never felt sorry for herself. She always made the best of things and was happy and positive."\nHer friends said she loved her Yorkie, Brutus, gymnastics and Gonzaga basketball, and was very involved in breast cancer awareness since her mom died of breast cancer two years ago. Wampler and her sister were part of an organization called Y Me, and were planning to participate in the organization's breast cancer walk in Chicago this Mother's Day. Wampler had even set up a Web site where people could donate money to the cause. She was also planning to accompany Fiato on a Katrina relief trip right after finals week.\n"She always cared about other people and was there to back everyone up," Fiato said. "The Hurricane Katrina aid, the walk -- she wanted to give back and make the world better as a whole."\nFiato said the team plans to go to her funeral together and possibly place a jacket and T-shirt from nationals that she took for Wampler, along with a note from the team, in her casket so she can take a piece of the team with her. She said the team might also have a dinner to celebrate Wampler's life.\n"Christine wouldn't want us to be upset because she was always happy and bubbly," Fiato said. "She was a really great person"
(04/07/06 10:18pm)
The preliminary findings of an autopsy performed on Nichole Birky Thursday morning at Terre Haute Regional Hospital show no indication of foul play or infectious disease, according to a release from the IU Police Department. Monroe County Coroner David Toumey's final report will not be issued until toxicology testing results are completed, which will take up to four to six weeks. \nPolice responded to a call regarding an unresponsive female at 10:33 a.m. Wednesday and found Birky, 21, dead at the Delta Zeta sorority, according to the release. Members of the sorority last spoke with Birky, a junior from Gas City, Ind., at 2 a.m. Wednesday and said she had been feeling ill.
(04/07/06 10:01pm)
Thursday evening Nichole Birky's sorority sisters and family members stood hugging and crying, crowded together on the balcony of Delta Zeta sorority. And at 6 p.m., they watched as many more crowded onto the front lawn for the candlelight vigil in Birky's honor. \nThe property was packed with hundreds of students, most of whom brought flowers and gathered in groups, divided by the greek letters on their shirts. After a rain-soaked day, they came out and stood in a semi-circle in front of the house on ground as soggy as the tissues in their hands to support Birky's family and sorority sisters, whether they knew her personally or not.\n"I think the rain stopped purposefully for the vigil," said Interfraternity Council President Justin Sloan. "Events like the vigil this evening show the strength of the greek community. In times of need, we are there for one another and chapters support each other."\nAs the vigil began and candles were lit, the crowd became a glowing crescent surrounding the house, and some of Birky's family members and sisters came out the front door of the house in a line, carrying pink roses and candles. The women on the balcony welcomed everyone to the vigil and led it. \nSophomore and Delta Zeta member Anna Malone sang Bette Midler's "The Rose" and the group read a poem they wrote about Birky and her death, each pair of sisters reciting a different verse. The Delta Zeta sisters then sang a sorority song as several of them filed up to a vase on the lawn and placed their roses in it. \nBirky's mother closed the vigil by thanking everyone for coming and saying how much her daughter would have appreciated seeing everyone come to the sorority.\n"She loved it here and she loved everyone here," she said. "She had her happiest times here."\nThough sniffles and tears overcame the crowd and several members of Delta Zeta sobbed throughout the vigil, those who spoke said they wanted attendees to celebrate the joy of Birky's life.\n"One thing she would have wanted is for people to remember the funny things," said sophomore Jessica Braman, president of Delta Zeta. "She wouldn't want you to remember us crying."\nBefore the vigil began, bursts of laughter rang out over the sobs. One of Birky's sisters let out a "Woohoo!" in her honor, and several of the women on the balcony could be heard giggling as they recounted fond memories of Birky among themselves. \nBirky's father said she would have wanted to see people smiling, not crying, and her mother even said she would want her friends to still go out for a drink and have fun.\n"She'd say, 'Meet me at Scotty's (Brewhouse). Let's get it on!'" Birky's mother said.\nThe crowd appreciated the idea of remembering Birky's friendly personality and the good times she shared with others during her life.\n"I didn't know her on a personal basis, but from her friends and the laughter, I got the impression that she was a very uplifting, bright, caring, funny individual," Sloan said. "They wanted to celebrate it as much as they could with laughter, but at the same time, it was solemn."\nJunior Jeff Louis, Birky's classmate and friend, also said he thought the atmosphere of the vigil was appropriate.\n"It was probably how she would've liked it," he said. "It was really nice and I thought the girls handled it well."\nMany were overwhelmed by the turnout and shared Birky's sisters' and family's positive attitude.\n"I think (the turnout) is incredible," said sophomore Ali Gustafson, who knew Birky through a class and came to the vigil with several of her Gamma Phi Beta sorority sisters. "It's nice to hear people laughing through their tears. No one can take back what happened, but it's good that people can laugh and cry about it."\nLauren Sheridan, also a sophomore in Gamma Phi Beta, came to the vigil to support her older sister who is a senior in Delta Zeta. Sheridan knew Birky and said she was pleased with the vigil.\n"I think they have to find good things through the bad -- it's the only way they'll get through this," she said. "I just think it's really amazing that so many people showed up for her. \n"It's obvious many people loved her."\nBraman said the vigil helped the members of Delta Zeta cope with Birky's death and said she was amazed by how many came.\n"It has been a very traumatizing experience and the vigil was very therapeutic for us," she said. "It was comforting knowing there was so much love and support in our community. When I was standing up there with the girls (at the vigil), (Birky's) best friend kept saying how much love (Birky) has from everyone."\nShe said the women have postponed their annual spring philanthropy event until the fall and are sticking together to make it through this difficult time.\n"Right now, we're just all being with each other and supporting each other," she said.
(04/06/06 5:05am)
On bright, sunny spring afternoons, Jordan Avenue is usually packed with people tossing baseballs and frisbees, walking dogs or sunning themselves on the lawns of the greek houses. But Wednesday afternoon a strange silence fell on the street, and students outdoors were not there to play.\nA group of sweatshirt-clad women huddled together in groups on the lawn of Delta Zeta sorority, eyes swollen and cheeks tear-stained, murmuring in disbelief about the loss of their sister, Nichole Birky, whom they had found dead in her bed that morning.\nThe inside of the house was empty except for a few people lingering in the hallways or picking at food arranged on a table in the dining room. The rays of sunlight that streamed through the front windows strikingly contrasted the somber mood.\n"We're still in our grieving process and our thoughts and prayers are with the Birky family," said sophomore Jessica Braman, president of Delta Zeta. "Our sister Nichole will be missed."\nBirky's friends said she was an outgoing person who was friendly to everyone she met, and they said they will miss her smile and her presence the most.\n"She loved life so much, she was so happy all the time," said junior Jessica Ploszek, who met Birky in Foster Quad their freshman year and was Birky's roommate their sophomore year before Birky joined Delta Zeta. "She loved her friends -- she had so many and liked everybody. I can't express how wonderful she was all the time. Being her roommate was one of the best times of my life."\nOne of Ploszek's fondest memories of Birky was the weekends they spent together as roommates. She said they would go out to eat -- usually for breakfast at Waffle House -- and then spend all day on Sundays curled up watching movies. \n"She was one of my best friends," she said. "(I'll miss) her smile, her presence, her always bringing me up when I was down, being around her and just being stupid with her." \nBirky, a junior from Gas City, Ind., seemed to touch everyone she was around. She was a therapeutic recreation major and was helpful to her classmates, said junior Jeff Louis, who had known Birky for about a year.\nLouis said the two became friends when they were anatomy lab partners last semester and had planned their schedules so they could be physiology lab partners this semester. He said they had planned to study together Wednesday night and said he was shocked when one of Birky's sorority sisters called him to tell him the news.\n"I had to go sit outside and think about it for a while," he said. "We were supposed to get together (Wednesday night) and I had just talked to her \n(Tuesday). Something that's here can be gone really quickly. It made me think."\nLouis said he and Birky got along so well that they often studied together and sometimes hung out at tailgates before football games. He described Birky as being honest, helpful, genuine and "very comfortable to be around."\n"When you first met her, you felt like you knew her," he said. "She wasn't fake at all. You see a lot of people a day you could talk to, but you could tell her anything. When you talked to her, you wouldn't just talk about the weather."\nSophomore Weston Pavey also loved just talking to Birky. The two met through Facebook when they realized they had the same birthday and would both be turning 21.\n"I'm not as close to her as her other friends were, but every time I talked to her I had a smile on my face," Pavey said. "We probably talked to each other on the phone every day. She was always cracking me up."\nPavey, too, said he was shocked when he heard the news.\n"It's just weird how \neverything happened," he said. "I cried. It took the second phone call I got for it to sink in. I'll miss her funny comments, her sense of humor." \nBirky worked at Steve and Barry's during her sophomore year and quickly earned the respect of her coworkers. IU sophomore and current Steve and Barry's employee Paige Vinson worked with Birky until she quit last spring. Vinson said she was always very personable with the staff and customers.\n"She was always cracking jokes with people and got along with everyone really well," Vinson said. "When I was going through the (sorority) rush process she was really encouraging and very cool about it."\nDelta Zeta is hosting a candlelight vigil tonight at 6 p.m. at the sorority house on the North Jordan extension so Birky's friends can comfort each other and remember her life together.\n"I want everybody to know that she was such a wonderful person," Ploszek said. "She was so funny and so caring. We all loved her and will miss her so much"
(04/06/06 4:30am)
Anyone who drives past Bryan Park Friday night might be surprised by what he sees -- more than 300 adults searching for colored eggs. \nThe City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department is holding its eighth annual Egg Scramble at 9 p.m. Friday. Parks and Recreation expects to fill its 350-person quota, given that there are fewer than 100 spots left and registration closes at 5 p.m. today, said Sarah Nix, the department's community events specialist.\n"We're always sold out," she said. "You have to be 21 to participate, but we have all ages, ranging from 21 to 99. We would love to have students." \nNix said there will be 3,000 eggs hidden, all of which will have a piece of candy in them. There will be additional prizes in 2,800 of the eggs, including gift certificates from Macri's Deli, Kilroy's and various pizza places, as well as tickets to an Indianapolis Indians baseball game and passes to King's Island theme park. Four eggs will contain the grand prizes: a Canon Rebel digital camera; handmade paper and invitations from Twisted Limb Paperworks; dance lessons and parties from Arthur Murray; and a Trek 1700 mountain bike, according to a press release.\nThe eggs will be hidden in a roped off area in Bryan Park, and this year, Parks and Recreation has added a new twist, Nix said. Two-thirds of the eggs will be painted dark blue and black to make them harder to find, she said.\n"We'll yell 'go,' and it will be a mad scramble," she said.\nRegistration is $6 per person. Participants must be at least 21 years old and can register online at www.bloomington.in.gov/parks or in person at the department's main office in the Showers Building before 5 p.m. today.
(03/27/06 7:39am)
INDIANAPOLIS -- About 500 supporters of Rep. Mike Sodrel, R-9th District, came to a fundraiser at the Murat Centre's Egyptian Room Friday to hear President George W. Bush speak. The president's speech yielded constant cheering and applause from the crowd -- despite protesters marching outside -- and about $500,000 for the Republican congressman's re-election campaign, said Cam Savage, Sodrel's chief of staff.\nThis November Sodrel is expected to have a tight race against former Democratic Rep. Baron Hill. In 2002, Hill beat Sodrel in the 9th District race, but in 2004, Sodrel beat Hill by a nose and became the only Republican to oust a Democratic incumbent that year and served as the first Republican representative from that district since the Civil War. Sodrel said his 2004 campaign cost about $1.4 million, so the $500,000 the fundraiser brought in Friday was a great help to his re-election effort.\nAfter the crowd finished giving the president a deafening standing ovation, he took his place at the podium in front of a line of 10 American flags.\n"I'm here because I strongly believe it's in Indiana's best interest to send Mike Sodrel back to Congress," he said. "Some of you are from his district, and some of you are not, but you're all smart enough to recognize a good candidate when you see one."\nBush spent the majority of his 40-minute speech addressing the war. Since Sept. 11, 2001, he said he has learned the importance of defeating an enemy overseas, so the nation won't have to defeat the enemy at home. He also said the nation has to take threats seriously, which is why he intends to keep troops in Iraq until the country has a "unity government" and has properly trained forces, which he said have already started to bring stability to Iraq. Though Bush said he knows the "turbulence on TV" affects Americans' opinions of the war, he asked people to remind their friends of both world wars and the consequences the world might be facing today had troops not stayed until the enemy was completely defeated.\n"It's important to have people in Congress who understand this is a nation at war," he said. "The reality is we have an enemy who hates those who love freedom and would like to strike again ... We need members of Congress who will not weaken and make sure the troops have the necessary support to accomplish their mission."\nWith regard to the economy, Bush emphasized that the Republican Party wants tax cuts while the Democratic Party wants tax increases, and that he believes the economy will flourish if Americans keep more of their own money. \n"The difference is clear," he said. "If you want the government in your pocket, vote Democratic. If you want to keep more of your hard-earned money in your pocket, vote Republican."\nBush also addressed the need to "reform and modernize" Social Security so generations after the Baby Boomers can still reap the program's benefits.\nIn addition, Bush shared ideas for economic growth, saying the country needs to "shape the future and be confident" and that the nation needs representatives who will adopt this philosophy. He said getting rid of frivolous lawsuits, mostly tort or "civil wrong" suits, would drastically cut the nation's expenses. He also discussed the importance of using alternative fuels such as ethanol and corn extracts and looking into the possibility of creating cars that partially run on electricity since "countries who don't like us" have oil.\nHe praised Sodrel for his entrepreneurship and encouraged Indiana's farmers to vote for a man like Sodrel who would ensure they had markets in which to sell their products. Bush also stated his dedication to getting rid of the Death Tax, which he hopes will help Indiana farmers. \n"Mike Sodrel doesn't fear the future because he plans to work with George W. Bush to shape the future," Bush said.\nBefore the president arrived, guests enjoyed a $1,000-per-plate luncheon, which consisted of an extensive buffet including dishes such as Beef Wellington, chicken empanadas and deep-fried ravioli. Attendees could also have their picture taken with Bush for $10,000. Savage said 50 to 75 people had requested a picture by the morning of the event and more were being added to the list.\nAfter an invocation asking God to bless America's troops and their families, city, state and national officials and Bush, Rep. Steve Buyer, R-4th District, and Rep. Mike Pence, R-6th District, spoke in support of their fellow congressman. Buyer spoke of Sodrel's intelligence, "craftiness" and love of free enterprise, which stemmed from his southern Indiana trucking business, he said. \nBuyer also talked about serving in Congress for six years with Hill, who is expected to be Sodrel's competition in the election this fall. Buyer told the audience Hill thought burning a flag shouldn't be a crime, which Buyer said was "a kick in the stomach." He also criticized Hill for wanting to take the word "God" out of the Pledge of Allegiance, as well as for supporting various pieces of legislation such as drug re-importation.\n"Good people go to Congress," Buyer said. "This Democratic party is not that of my grandparents. To move up in the Democratic Party, you have to align yourself with the liberal Democrats."\nBuyer also commented that Sodrel's supporters were inside the Murat Centre and that Hill's were outside, referring to a group across the street protesting the war and a piece of legislation Sodrel voted for that makes aiding illegal immigrants a criminal offense. The protesters marched up and down the street in rows carrying signs with anti-war messages and sayings like "We are all immigrants."\nPence spoke in support of Sodrel, as well as Bush. He encouraged guests to let meeting Bush "enliven (their) passion" for the administration and the Republican Party. \n"We are winning the war in Iraq," Pence shouted from the podium. \nHe praised Bush for speaking "courage through a bullhorn" after Sept. 11, 2001, and for appointing two "strong constructionist" judges -- Justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito -- to the Supreme Court. Pence encouraged guests to continue to vote for Republican representatives to prevent the Bush administration from becoming an "ongoing acrimony."\nAfter an introduction by Republican State Chairman Murray Clark and a few words from Gov. Mitch Daniels, who praised Bush for his "iron conviction" and described Sodrel as "a Hoosier to his toes," Sodrel and Bush took the podium together. \nBush also talked about the importance of educating children and testing them to see where they need improvement. He praised Daniels for his attention to ISTEP testing issues and for not letting polls affect the way he governed, a comment that was most likely a reference to Daniels' recent passage of "Major Moves" despite many Hoosiers' disapproval of leasing a major toll road to a foreign consortium.\nIn his closing remarks, Bush again praised Sodrel for being an "honest and patriotic" man. Bush briefly went into the crowd to shake hands and then disappeared behind one of the dark blue drapes lining the side of the room.\nDee Dee Benkie, 9th District vice chairwoman, has seen the president speak multiple times and said she was glad to see him come to support Sodrel.\n"(Bush) is always the same, very good, honest person like Sodrel," she said. "They're two of a kind."\nSodrel expressed his gratitude as well. \n"It's quite a thrill," he said. "It's a real honor to have the president come and put in a good word for you"