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(08/03/11 6:40pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Republic Services, owner of the Sycamore Ridge Landfill in Pimento, Ind., confirmed they are cooperating with the FBI on a search of the landfill. However, no link has been established between the landfill search and the investigation of 20-year-old IU student Lauren Spierer’s disappearance. Spierer has been missing since June 3. Republic Services spokesperson Peg Mulloy said the landfill has been cooperating with the FBI for “a few weeks” about a possible search. She said she does not know what the FBI will look for or when they will begin searching. The FBI would need a search warrant to dig in the landfill, ”standard practice” for any law enforcement landfill search. An FBI spokesperson could neither confirm nor deny a search warrant existed for any purpose to search the landfill.Mulloy said any search of the landfill — no matter what law enforcement is searching for — is an arduous process that takes time.“A lot of people watch ‘CSI’ and they think, ‘Oh my god, if somebody put trash in this house on this street on Thursday, I can find it,’” she said. “Depending on when the landfill was identified as a place of search, who knows how much trash has been placed on top of the area the FBI or police want to search.” However, Sycamore Ridge does have technology available to assist any law enforcement agencies who search the landfill.“We can narrow a search area down to the size of half a football field,” Mulloy said. “We do keep records of the routes where trash is collected.”The @NewsonLaurenS Twitter account has been urging followers since July 16 to ask Bloomington Police Department why they haven’t searched the landfill.Ariel and Emily Spierer, identifying themselves as Lauren’s cousins on Twitter, both tweeted July 16 to raise awareness about searching the landfill.Both tweeted, “BPD is too cheap to rule out Terre Haute Landfill! Spread the word to rule out all possibilities!”BPD Sgt. Jeff Canada said the department had nothing to do with the landfill search. However, the FBI Indianapolis field office said they were referring all inquiries on a possible landfill search to BPD.
(07/31/11 11:08pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Although already accepted to University of Memphis, soon-to-be college freshman Morgan Fite needs to ace his bass trombone audition for his school’s ensemble groups. His goal: to land a coveted spot in a high-level music ensemble, a group he will practice with almost daily.To polish his music and audition skills, Fite and other incoming high school juniors, seniors and college freshmen from around the country spent a week at the Jacobs School of Music’s College Audition Preparation Workshop. “It develops your ability better because you play with better people,” Fite said.The future music majors took private lessons, attended classes with graduate students and learned how to combat audition-day jitters.“The portal into a music program, you’ve got to audition,” workshop director and Jacobs faculty member Dee Stewart said. “That audition is the pivotal point in their careers.”In college auditions, students spend about 10 minutes playing for faculty members, five minutes playing a prepared piece of “pretty high quality” and five minutes of scales and sight reading.“We don’t really push IU,” Stewart said. “The audition process will be the same pretty much wherever they go.”Stewart said the camp has “a pretty good track record” of future Jacobs acceptances. One year, Jacobs admitted four freshmen clarinet players — three of whom attended the workshop.Stewart, a trombonist, started the workshop 12 years ago for a small group of trombonists.“I get a lot of people who come from all over the world for just a lesson,” he said. “They hope for magic that can turn their life around.”So he decided to extend the one hour lessons into an entire week filled with audition advice and preparation.“The dean heard about it and said, ‘That’s a really great program. Let’s do that for all instruments,’” Stewart said.Haley Jenkins, an rising high school senior and vocalist from Broken Bow, Neb., said her week-long experience helped her banish audition fears. Her most valuable audition advice came from a “Fearless Auditions” seminar by a Jacobs faculty member.“It really touched home for me,” Jenkins said. “It helped me connect with this is what you really need to do to have a good audition.”Jenkins took away three ideas from the seminar: being fearless, knowing when you’re not fearless and getting back to being fearless. She also learned the importance of relinquishing fearful, negative thoughts — a useful tool for her five upcoming college auditions.“I wrote so much in my notebook,” she said. “I have everything he was saying.”Jenkins, who plans to apply to IU, said the workshop helped her with more than auditions. She also visited one of her short-listed schools and experienced college life — ice cream socials, roommates and down time with her floor.Jenkins said she has few opportunities to sing with strong male vocalists at home, something she’s taken advantage of during classes and her spare time at camp. “We went in the first floor and just jammed,” Jenkins said. “We sang songs we all knew so we could harmonize.”
(05/02/11 1:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Clutching coffee and shivering in long-sleeved shirts worn beneath their neon green “Be Beautiful Bloomington” shirts, the city cleanup program’s volunteers tried to remain chipper, despite the 38-degree morning.City employees, residents, IU students and students from The Bloomington Project School and The Prep School organized at Bloomington City Hall on Friday to rid Bloomington’s downtown area of trash. The volunteers worked three hours collecting litter, sprucing up the city’s flower beds and planting additional flowers.“We time it so it’s clean and spiffy right before graduation,” Jacqui Bauer, City of Bloomington sustainability coordinator, said. “Downtown is such a visible part of our community.”The cleanup day usually occurs between Little 500 and graduation.“We do find an uptick of trash during Little Five,” Miah Michaelson, the city’s assistant economic development director for the arts, said, noting the number of red Solo Cups lying around downtown.The volunteers arrived at 8:30 a.m. for free coffee and bagels as incentives to conquer the littered downtown area.“Local merchants support us, which is great,” Michaelson said.Bauer and Michaelson’s group consisted of eight people armed with PikStiks, hoes, trash bags and brooms to clean up Third Street and Walnut Avenue. IU junior and sailing team member Katy Aiello joined in.“We try to do community service events and other things to help out the city,” Aiello said.Aiello said IU students have a responsibility to volunteer in Bloomington.“We live here, and we probably contribute to a lot of the trash,” Aiello said. “It’s nice to give back and help our community.”
(04/27/11 3:40am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A bill allowing Indiana utility companies to pass federally required costs on to consumers passed the Indiana House of Representatives 62 to 34 April 21 and awaits action by the Senate.Senate Bill 251 would require the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to allow utility companies to defer 80 percent of some federally mandated costs by raising utility rates for customers. The remaining 20 percent of the costs would be paid for by the utility companies.The federally mandated costs companies can pass on to consumers include complying with environmental laws, energy efficiency standards, participating in industry reliability organizations and transmission and pipeline safety costs. Utilities can also petition to be reimbursed for costs not listed in the bill. Who Sponsors the bill: Senators Beverly Gard, R-Greenfield; James Merritt, R-Indianapolis; Brandt Hershman, R-Wheatfield ; and Phil Boots, R-Crawfordsville. Representatives Jack Lutz, R-Anderson, and Robert Behning, R-Indianapolis are also sponsors.The Pros: The General Assembly’s motivations for the bill include Indiana’s growing population and demand for more utility energy sources, attracting businesses and creating jobs and specifically citing economic benefits for southern Indiana given its coal resources. The Indiana General Assembly also cited public interest to increase in-state power capacity. The bill was designed to encourage coal gasification, also referred to as clean coal technology. The Cons: SB 251 came under fire earlier this year after Japan’s tsunami-induced nuclear plant radiation leaks occured. The bill’s original version included clean energy financial incentives to utility companies building nuclear power plants. That provision was later eliminated. However, nuclear utilities would still benefit from the bill’s provisions if they are passing along costs responsible for maintaining and updating nuclear facilities.The Citizens Action Coalition has been against the bill since it began making its way through the General Assembly. “These investor-owned utilities are state-franchised monopolies sheltered from risk and market forces,” said Grant Smith, executive director at CAC in a press release. “To reward these corporations with extra profit for doing absolutely nothing is completely disgusting.”
(04/26/11 12:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Bloomington residents opposed to Interstate 69 construction may have lost a battle with the Indiana Department of Transportation in November 2010, but the construction war rages on.At an April 8 meeting, the Monroe County Metropolitan Planning Organization postponed deciding to add I-69 to its Transportation Improvement Program for 2012 to 2015. In order for INDOT to receive federal funds to construct I-69, the new interstate must be included in the TIP.The MPO decided to postpone the decision because of a letter outlining legal concerns submitted to the organization. The letter was submitted by attorneys representing Citizens for Appropriate Rural Roads and the I-69 Accountability Project, both anti-I-69 construction groups, as well as local landowners.The letter alleged that INDOT is in violation of federal law and possibly state law due to INDOT’s Major Program Manager Sam Sarvis’ statement at a November 5, 2010, meeting that INDOT would take a serious look at Monroe County’s discretionary transportation funds if the MPO did not approve I-69 construction.The letter also alleges that INDOT violated environmental regulations by planning and beginning construction before passing a final Environmental Impact Statement. Several endangered species live in the proposed I-69 construction corridor.INDOT has not yet acquired full funding for the I-69 project. Federal highway construction funding usually comes from gas tax revenue, which has been declining. The MPO will revisit the decision at its May 13 meeting.
(04/18/11 3:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU sophomore and avid biker Juliet Stanton vividly remembers her most terrifying cycling experience. Stanton was riding on Third Street one afternoon in September on her way from class to Target.She could hear a vehicle close to her but waited to turn and look. Stanton was already riding at the edge of the road, and moving over would have sent her tumbling into the roadside dirt. “I didn’t see it until the side mirror almost hit my shoulder,” Stanton said. “I almost got run off the road by a big red truck.”For Stanton, close calls are an exception to her biking experience in Bloomington. But on March 22 Mayor Kruzan, City Councilmen Dave Rollo and Andy Ruff and City Planning Director Tom Micuda announced a new funding initiative to make Bloomington a more bike-friendly city. In 2010 the League of American Bicyclists ranked Bloomington a silver-level bicycle-friendly community. Bloomington’s goal, stated in a May 2010 city council resolution, is to reach the highest ranking available and become a platinum-level community by 2016. The city council resolution created a Platinum Task Force, which began working in September 2010 to outline the steps Bloomington needs to take to become a platinum-level community, Micuda said. The Planning Department attends task force meetings and assists with recommendations.“We (the planning department) will be one of the key departments ensuring these funding initiatives come to fruition and get implemented,” Micuda said. The funding initiatives include a greenways implementation plan, which will select which busy streets to add bicycle-friendly measures such as bike lanes; adapting the College Mall Pedestrian Study, which will make pedestrian and bike access easier; and constructing the Black Lumber Spur Trail, an abandoned railroad turned into a bike-and-pedestrian-only path.Currently, only three cities have platinum-level rankings: Davis, Calif., Boulder, Colo., and Portland, Ore. “They’re very, very hard to get,” he said. “We want to get to a level where we’re noted as one of the best places to cycle in the United States.”In order to reach the platinum level, Micuda said Bloomington will have to meet every one of the League of American Bicyclist’s recommendations in five category areas: engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation. In addition to prestige, Micuda mentioned two additional benefits to obtaining platinum-level status: a healthier community and environment.“Part of it is to create a culture where people are getting out of their automobiles and getting fresh air,” he said. “Fuel costs are skyrocketing and communities that can take cars off the road are promoting a healthier environment.”Greg Anderson, a member of Bloomington Transportation Options for People, is running for Bloomington City Council on a pro-bicycle platform. “Historically, the city has built two kinds of roads: roads for bikes and roads for cars,” he said.His goal, if he is elected, is to influence policy to lower speed limits on busy streets such as College Mall Road or Third Street to 25 mph. Anderson acknowledged the city’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Commission past failures to influence city policy with task force recommendations.“The reports make a lot of noise, but the city doesn’t follow through,” he said. “This time, I’m optimistic they’re listening.”However, BTOP founder Buff Brown disagrees the city will be successful in funding the new initiatives.“There is federal money available, and currently we have almost none for the next four years allocated to bike and pedestrian projects,” he said. Brown estimated the city will need about $6 million in funding to implement the proposed bike-friendly plans.“If we don’t allocate federal money from the federal transportation fun, we’re not going to get there,” he said.Currently, Bloomington has $400,000 set aside for bike initiatives beginning in 2014 and $11 million set aside for three roundabouts. On April 8, Mayor Kruzan will speak before the Monroe County Planning Organization Policy Committee to recommend the committee divert funds from one roundabout to alternative transportation funds, according to an email from former BTOP president Elizabeth Venstra.Brown also said he believes Bloomington needs to increase its bike friendliness.“We are labeled silver, which I think is very generous,” he said. “I think we’re not that bike friendly.”Brown said the city can take fairly easy steps to becoming more bike friendly.“The lowest-hanging fruit is to paint bike lanes,” he said. “There are many roads in Bloomington that have the space necessary. I think we could create a very impressive network of bike-laned roads.”For Stanton, who lives off campus and bikes daily to class and every other day to run errands, biking in Bloomington is doable, but bike friendliness could be better.“I think Bloomington tries,” she said. “I do appreciate that a lot of the major roads have bike lanes. I think there are good things about biking in Bloomington but there could be improvement.”
(04/18/11 3:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Tea Party members stood in front of Bloomington City Hall Friday evening, protesting government spending at their third annual Tax Day rally. Attendees held signs with slogans like “Tax and spend, tax and spend, all of it has got to end!” and “Socialism is un-American.”Bloomington resident Naomi Knirk joined the Tea Party movement about two years ago to protest government spending and was one of the approximately 60 rally attendees.“We came to see if we can make things better,” Knirk said, criticizing Obama’s presidential performance. “After that man was elected, he did nothing right.”Bloomington Tea Party leaders Spencer Leiter and Doug Barker and IU College Republicans President and IDS columnist Connor Caudill used the City Hall steps as an improvised stage to speak to the Tea Partiers, thanking them for their attendance. Leiter encouraged the crowd to voice their opinions, citing the Tea Party’s rise to national attention.“You’ve made a difference in two years,” Leiter said. “The Tea Party’s in the news every day.”Barker encouraged the attendees to protest government spending.“We need to hold the current politicians’ feet to the fire and support the ones who are making progress,” Barker said.The rally didn’t go uninterrupted for long. Young Democratic Socialists counter-protested the rally, holding signs saying “Socialists care about everyone (Even you!).” YDS protestors began chanting “Stop wars, tax the rich,” while Leiter, Barker and Caudill spoke. One passerby seemed vehemently opposed to the Tea Party, telling ralliers they “didn’t have a leg to stand on.” The man eventually made his way onto the makeshift stage, arguing with a Tea Party supporter during Caudill’s speech. “It’s a blessing when we can come and meet peacefully with our opposition,” Caudill said, trying to continue his speech despite the onstage argument.YDS co-chair Amber Frost said the group came to show the public the Tea Party isn’t the only government spending-centered group.“I think the best way to deal with them is to mock them,” Frost said. “We’ve tried deregulation. And look what happened — we had a financial meltdown.” Caudill was careful to lay blame on both the Bush and Obama administrations for increased government spending.“This isn’t exclusive for Republicans or Democrats,” Caudill said. “We’re all to blame, quite frankly.”Leiter took the stage again to address the opposition and used a bounced check analogy.“If someone writes you a check and you go to the bank to cash it, do you get mad at the teller or the person who told you the money would be there?” Leiter asked the passerby onstage.As Tea Partiers and protestors continued arguing, Leiter asked the counter-protestors to stop intruding.“The money’s not in the account, Leiter said. “Don’t get mad at me. If you want to give speeches, form your own rally.”
(04/14/11 2:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>If you don’t have room to grow a garden, Bloomington is offering space where your green thumb can flourish.The gardening season runs from April 16 to October 31. All community garden sites are fenced and provide compost facilities. At garden sites, the city provides gardening tools in on-site sheds during garden hours. The city also provides water spigots for hosing and watering plants.The city requires gardeners to maintain their plots. Maintenance includes weeding, removing dead plants and harvesting ripe produce. Gardeners are also responsible for maintaining the woodchip paths throughout the garden in front of their section, which includes weeding, mulching and keeping the path free from plants.A Plant a Row for the Hungry program is sponsored by Worm’s Way, Hilltop Garden and Nature Center, Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard, Hoosier Hills Food Bank and Bloomingfoods. Gardeners are encouraged to grow an extra row of their produce to donate to Hoosier Hills Food Bank to increase Bloomington’s food security.What’s available:Willie Streeter Community Garden in Winslow Woods Park2120 S. Highland Ave.Small Organic Plot: $26 for Bloomington residents/ $31 for non-residentsLarge Organic Plot: $52/$60Large Non-Organic Plot: $52/$60Raised Beds: $26/$31Butler Park Community Garden in Rev. Ernest D. Butler Park812 W. Ninth St.Small Organic Plot: $26 for Bloomington residents/$31 for non-residentsLarge Organic Plot: $40/$48Crestmont Garden in Cresmont park600 W. 16th St.Collaborative gardening project sponsored by Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard. For participation information, contact 812-355-6843 or email mhc@mhcfoodpantry.org
(04/13/11 4:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Bloomington residents packed city council chambers in November 2010 to voice their opinions on the proposed Interstate 69 highway. Local environmental activist Lucille Bertuccio sat in the front to protest what she said were the Indiana Department of Transportation’s threats and bribes. She held a sign pointed at Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan that said, “STAND UP TO INDOT!!!”Throughout the meeting, Bertuccio applauded anti-I-69 panel members and participated in the crowd’s booing of pro-I-69 representatives. When public comment began, Bertuccio approached the podium and shocked the council chambers. “As a woman, this partnership between the MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) and INDOT seems more like rape,” Bertuccio said.Protesting isn’t new for Bertuccio. The 76-year-old has dedicated herself to protecting the local environment, and she has never been afraid to speak loudly. In addition to running the Center for Sustainable Living, she produces local environmental radio news show “EcoReport” on WFHB Community Radio and she’s an edible wild plants adjunct professor at IU’s Collins Living and Learning Center. She hopes to convince Bloomington citizens to adopt environmentally friendly lifestyles.Bertuccio’s environmental interest sparked while working as a New Jersey park ranger one college summer in the 1960s. Although she majored in English, she couldn’t get enough of the park’s plants and animals. “I’ve always been interested in plants and animals and classifying them,” she said.After working in the New Jersey park, Bertuccio became the first urban park ranger in the country. She provided environmental training for other park rangers and oversaw five New York City parks. Bertuccio’s husband, Tom, moved to Bloomington to work at the IU Cyclotron in 1975. She stayed on the East Coast doing youth farming outreach in New York City. She followed her husband in 1988 and found a perfect place for her activism.“This town has really offered me the opportunity to expand my interests in the environment,” she said. “It’s been wonderful. I love Bloomington.”Bertuccio’s New York attitude has helped her to be one of the loudest,pro-environment voices in Bloomington.“If you’re polite in New York, you can’t even walk the streets because somebody will mow you over,” she said. “It’s not that I don’t allow people to have their say. I’m not going to be quiet about it.” CSL Treasurer Jeanne Leimkuhler has worked with Bertuccio for the past 11 years and said she admires her outspokenness.“Most of us do not have the confidence to put our ideas out there, but she is always brave,” Leimkuhler said. “Her ideas are worth expressing.” While outspokenness helps, so does practicing what she preaches. Bertuccio strives to minimize her impact on the planet, and she hasn’t owned a car since 1996, when her last one broke down.“When my Accord went, it kind of blew up on the road on the way to St. Louis,” she said. “White smoke was billowing out the back, so I got towed to a garage and caught a bus to St. Louis and never got another car.”Leimkuhler said she admires Bertuccio’s willingness to live by her principles.“She’s deeply connected to the earth and lives her whole life in a way that reduces her impact as much as possible,” Leimkuhler said. “She has dedicated a large part of her life to promoting, running and growing the CSL’s activities.” Bertuccio’s aversion to cars led her to attend Monroe County land use plan meetings. The land use plan proposed restricting development and banning certain geographical features, such as steep slopes and ravines, from being leveled for development.In one case, a developer wanted to tear up woods to build housing Bertuccio felt was unneeded. “The developer said he was going to keep a certain percentage affordable housing, but it was beyond the bus route so they would have to have cars,” she said. “We went to the council meeting and when they made that decision a group of us took over the council room. We were very loud and disruptive.”Bertuccio said she and her fellow protestors chanted and tried to prevent the council from making a decision, although they approved the development anyway.“If the government doesn’t do that, the people have the right to take it back,” Bertuccio said. While Bertuccio plans to keep protesting, she said she fears losing. As her wild gray hair and wrinkled skin indicate, she’s been protesting for a while.“I just have a feeling we’re going to have a hard time in the future, and it makes me sad,” Bertuccio said. Of “EcoReport” and the CSL, she added, “We’re educating the people who are already educated.”But her New York outspokenness won’t let her stop her environmental activism.“I’m not going to allow them to shut me down,” Bertuccio said.
(04/13/11 2:33am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Large, gray electric boxes are spread throughout Bloomington. They can be an eyesore and a target for flyers, stickers, decals and graffiti, especially in the downtown Bloomington Entertainment and Arts District. So city officials looked to other communities for creative solutions to their big, ugly box problem.“We’d seen other communities utilize the mural projects to brighten up the boxes,” said Miah Michaelson, the city’s assistant economic development director for the arts.The city had two box painting rounds in 2008 and 2009.Third and Walnut Streets:Painted by Sam Bartlett in 2009, the box has a blue background with white, cartoon-like characters and a dog riding bikes. The people painted on the box, including the dog, are riding an interconnected bike that wraps around all sides.10th and Walnut Streets:Painted by Emma Smedberg in 2009, the box has a purple top with multi-colored patches on two sides. On the other two sides, a black background surrounds a multi-colored businessman and businesswoman holding briefcases.Seventh Street and College Avenue:Painted by Holly Drummond in 2008, the box is an optical illusion doorway. A bright green tree with bushy leaves covers one side, but two other sides have a pathway leading down a tree-lined path and a doorway. A forest covers the fourth side.How you can paint a box:These are only three of 12 painted boxes around the downtown BEAD district. However, Michaelson said the city is looking to expand its electric box mural project throughout city limits.“We have the opportunity out there for anyone who has a box in their neighborhood or close to where they work,” Michaelson said. Send a design proposal and box location to michaelm@bloomington.in.gov or drop off a paper proposal at Bloomington City Hall, 401 N. Morton St. Suite 210.
(04/06/11 1:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For the second time this year, an Indiana law, if passed, would set stricter requirements for abortions.On March 29, Indiana Republicans voted in favor of House Bill 1210, which, if passed, would require physicians to inform women who intend to get an abortion about the subsequent risks of breast cancer and would cut back the date of viability for the fetus to 20 weeks.The bill, exempting victims of rape and incest, was authored by Rep. Eric Turner, R-Cicero. It would also require women to view an ultrasound of the fetus unless they specify otherwise in writing. “It’s a 30-page bill that gives some pretty serious invasions to women’s health choices,” said Betty Cockrum, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Indiana.Senate Bill 328 — passed in February — lengthened the abortion process by ordering physicians to “specify certain notices” about abortion 18 hours before the procedure, according to the Indiana General Assembly website.The biggest controversy of HB 1210, however, is that doctors must articulate to women who intend to get abortions that they are at a higher risk of breast cancer — a theory that has been debunked, Susan Tanner, co-president of the Feminist Law Forum at Maurer School of Law, said.“It’s a male legislator-driven effort where lawmakers who have no background are writing a script, butting into Indiana law language that isn’t medically accurate and requiring a doctor to share with patients a myth,” Cockrum said.Tanner said doctors should inform patients of the procedure but that informing women of the breast cancer risk has an underlying political agenda.“Medicine and science often advance a lot faster than politics do,” Tanner said. “So by the time something new is learned in the medical community, if it’s something that’s mandated by a bill, the two won’t be able to keep up. That was the most despicable thing about the bill because you are really mandating misinformation.” The bill also exempts rape and incest victims since it poses “a giant loophole with that suggestion because women apparently lie about rape and incest,” Cockrum said. “That becomes especially contentious for pro-choice proponents,” Tanner said. “Pro-lifers tend to say it’s about the fetus, whereas pro-choice people say it’s about a woman’s choice, especially rape.” CEO and President of Indiana Right to Life Mike Fichter said on the organization’s website that the new bill represents the majority of Hoosiers’ views of abortion. The bill will be officially enacted if it passes in the Senate in the following weeks.
(03/28/11 12:41am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Center for Sustainable Living and several volunteers transformed the Bloomington Monroe County Convention Center into a haute couture runway for the second annual Trashion/Refashion show Saturday.The show’s fundraising supports Bloomington’s Center for Sustainable Living. Jeanne Leimkuhler, the center’s treasurer, organized the event.The evening had two fashion shows: the refashion show, where designers displayed outfits made from old clothing items, and the trashion show, where designers constructed clothing from trash. A silent auction, featuring refashioned and trashioned clothing, accessories and home decorations, was another source of revenue for the CSL.Leimkuhler, who designed two outfits for the trashion show, said she got the idea from similar shows in Los Angeles and Portland, Ore.“I think I was maybe Googling ‘recycling fashion’ or something,” Leimkuhler said. “It just seemed like a perfect match for the CSL to promote sustainability and have a show that was really fun.”IU junior and refashion model Alanna Ewert walked the runway in a bright red pencil skirt made from old pants and a vintage-looking light brown halter vest.Her hair and makeup, done by Hair Arts Academy in Bloomington, took about one hour. She said for her, backstage is the most stressful part of the show.“People want it to go smoothly but it doesn’t always go that way,” Ewert said. “Lots of designers are talking to their models to give them more encouragement because it’s nerve-racking.” Ewert said she was nervous before walking the runway, but managed to make the audience laugh with her spunky posing.Ewert modeled her sister Alyssa’s design, who co-designed with IU students Lauren Osmon and Jackie Cottrell for an apparel merchandising project. They designed the outfit in three weeks and spent a few hours searching Goodwill for reusable clothes.Alyssa Ewert used her sister as her model for the Trashion show last year, but it was Osmon’s first time seeing her design on a runway.“It was really exciting,” Osmon said. “When she came out I was like, ‘Oh my gosh!’”Leimkuhler works on the 10-person committee to select runway outfits. She said they aren’t too picky about outfits because the event focuses on community involvement. Leimkulher said she was impressed by the quality of designs for the show.“That’s really the goal of the show, is to get people thinking creatively about stuff that we normally so quickly throw in the trash,” she said.
(03/28/11 12:38am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>If you’re waiting for your Hogwarts letter and a good meal, Bloomington has the restaurant for you.The Owlery restaurant, a new all-vegetarian, mostly vegan restaurant in Bloomington, had its grand opening Saturday. The restaurant opened March 5, but owners Ryan Woods, 34, and Toby Foster, 20, said they wanted an occasion to celebrate their success. They marked it with extra menu specials and a late-night acoustic set.“After our opening we were much busier than we expected,” Foster said. “We had to stop and think about the amount of food and the amount of staff it would take.”The Owlery takes its name from the Harry Potter series as well as several pieces of artwork adorning the walls. One was a black-and-white drawing of an owl’s face with its wings spread. “It’s vaguely a Harry Potter reference and vaguely a reference to having later hours eventually,” Foster said.As the two talked, Foster ate a vegan mint chocolate ice cream cake slice from the dessert menu.Head chef Bobb Easterbrook designed the menu with input from Foster and Woods.“We wanted it to be comfort food and things we grew up eating,” Woods said.Woods’s favorite dish is the fish and chips (vegetarian, of course). Foster said he enjoys the Reuben sandwich and fish sandwich, both made with tofu. The most popular menu items so far are the meatball Parmesan sandwich and pierogi. All dishes are made with either tofu or other meat substitute products. Woods and Foster credit their band background for their business experience. Woods also previously owned Sweet Hickory, a small Bloomington art gallery.“We do all our merchandise ourselves,” Foster said. “We have experience setting up tours. We’ve managed to do it in a way where we didn’t lose money.”Since signing their restaurant lease Dec. 1, they’ve installed a kitchen, decorated, developed a system for ordering food and officially opened their doors. Foster also visited several dairy farms to see the animal rights conditions that supply The Owlery.Woods and Foster currently work 10 to 12 hours per day every day to make the restaurant a success. For Foster especially, the process was daunting.“I definitely thought it was kinda crazy, but I decided to just go for it,” he said.The Owlery makes the bread for all of the dishes. During summer months, Foster and Woods want to make an effort to buy the restaurant’s produce as locally as possible.The Chocolate Moose will soon be supplying them with vegan ice cream.Woods and Foster are considering adding later hours and have applied for a beer license. The Owlery has extra space, which Woods and Foster hope to use for art shows, acoustic shows and poetry readings. “It seems silly to have this space and not do that, too,” Woods said.
(03/23/11 3:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Japan’s recent nuclear crisis may affect Indiana Senate Bill 251, which provides financial incentives to build nuclear power plants in Indiana.The International Atomic Energy Agency continues to monitor Japan’s Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant after a tsunami wave damaged backup generators, which power cooling operations. Officials have found radiation above normal levels in the surrounding area’s air, food and seawater, which is raising concern about nuclear power plants in the United States.One author of SB 251, Sen. Brandt Hershman, R-Lafayette, said while it’s important to take nuclear safety concerns seriously, Japan’s crisis shouldn’t stop Indiana’s nuclear energy investment.“We have to be cautions not to paint too broad a brush considering it was one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded,” Hershman said.The New Madrid fault line runs through southern Indiana, but Hershman said there are no proposed plans to construct a nuclear power plant near the fault line.Hershman admitted Japan’s nuclear crisis may interfere with what he hoped SB 251 would accomplish.“I expect a federal review of licenses and procedures,” Hershman said. “I think, if anything, the lesson of Japan is that those (safety) investments are worthwhile,” referring to the bill’s funding for nuclear plant management.The Sierra Club, an environmental action organization, encouraged members to contact their government representatives in the wake of Japan’s nuclear crisis to oppose nuclear energy. “Nuclear energy is not the answer,” the Sierra Club said in an online letter. “The bottom line is that nukes are dirty, unsafe, deadly and costly.”Currently, Indiana doesn’t have any nuclear power plants. Some northern Indiana residents served by Indiana Michigan Power Company use nuclear power from Southwest Michigan’s Cook Nuclear Plant. Past attempts to construct nuclear power plants in Indiana have been unsuccessful. Northern Indiana Public Service Company tried to construct Bailly Nuclear Power Plant within the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The company received a permit from the Atomic Energy Commission in 1974 for this, but the plant was met with fierce public opposition and eventually abandoned in 1981 due to exorbitant construction costs.Indiana Power Company began constructing Marble Hill Nuclear Power Plant in 1978 but abandoned construction halfway through in 1984 due to rapidly rising construction costs. Marble Hill was also publicly unpopular.Since Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station meltdown in 1979, no new nuclear power plants have been constructed in the United States.School of Public and Environmental Affairs associate professor Kerry Krutilla, who specializes in energy policy, said Japan’s current crisis doesn’t bring any new nuclear safety issues to light.“The problems at the Fukushima nuclear complex offer a reminder of well-known risks of nuclear power,” Krutilla said. In addition to safety issues, economic and health costs can be a deterrent to nuclear power plants, Krutilla said. Krutilla also said U.S. federal law exempts the nuclear industry from having to purchase liability insurance for catastrophic accidents.“This is just one of the reasons the nuclear industry can provide electricity to consumers at rates which don’t fully cover the cost of generating the power,” Krutilla said.
(03/21/11 1:51am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Indiana Senate delayed voting on House Joint Resolution 6 on Wednesday, which would amend Indiana’s constitution to ban same-sex marriage. The Senate will vote on the amendment, sponsored by Rep. Eric Turner, R-Cicero, this week.Several Indiana residents testified at the Tuesday hearing. IU associate law professor Deborah Widiss and representatives from Indiana companies Eli Lilly and Co. and Cummins, Inc., testified against the amendment. Representatives from the Alliance Defense Fund and the American Family Association of Indiana testified in favor of the amendment.Consideration of the bill also sparked a Monday rally against the adoption of the constitutional amendment.Widiss testified that “HJR-6, as drafted, is vague, and may therefore have unintended consequences.” She named the ban of benefits for domestic partners and the recognition of civil unions as possible effects.“Even individuals who are firmly opposed to same-sex marriage should not vote for the amendment because it is unnecessary and could have unintended and unfortunate consequences,” Widiss said.She said the amendment is unnecessary because Indiana law already prohibits same-sex marriage. In 1997, Indiana passed a Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as between one man and one woman. The act also prohibits Indiana from recognizing same-sex marriages that are legal in other states. In 2005, an Indiana court of appeals declared DOMA constitutional. This is not the first time Indiana has attempted to constitutionally ban same-sex marriage. The General Assembly voted for this amendment in 2005. However, the amendment was not passed the following year.The Indiana House of Representatives passed the amendment last month. If the Senate passes the amendment, it will have to be approved by the next General Assembly in 2013 and 2014. Hoosiers would then vote on the amendment in a 2014 referendum.Micah Clark, spokesperson for the AFAI, said amending the constitution is a crucial step to protect the current same-sex marriage ban. Clark said people, not courts, should decide whether to permit same-sex marriage.“Two-thirds of the states have amended their constitutions because of the legal challenges that have occurred,” Clark said. “For example, Iowa had a law similar to ours (and then) had same-sex marriages forced on them by the courts.”Rick Sutton, member of the board of directors for Indiana Equality, said opposing this amendment is “front and center” for his organization.“Now the opponents want to grind their boot heels into us until it’s taken out,” Sutton said, referring to the 1997 DOMA law currently on the books. “We vigorously object.”
(03/07/11 1:22am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>On Saturday, 12 Christian faith sects and Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs and Unitarians officially launched Hoosier Interfaith Power and Light. Hoosier IPL is a movement dedicated to reducing congregations’ carbon footprints and caring for the earth.“It’s just not the field of ecology and environmental justice at stake here, it’s the whole field of religion,” IPL Secretary Rev. Ron Degges said. “There can be no healthy religion without environmental justice.”According to its website, Hoosier IPL’s mission is “bringing Hoosiers of faith together as stewards of creation in order to promote energy conservation, energy efficiency, renewable energy and related sustainable practices.”Hoosier IPL is an affiliate of nationwide Interfaith Power and Light. Degges started Hoosier IPL when he moved to the Indianapolis area from California for his job and discovered Indiana didn’t have an IPL chapter.An organizing group came together at a retreat one year ago and launched Hoosier IPL. The group is in the process of applying for 501(c) nonprofit status.Degges said uniting different religions creates a more united and far-reaching movement.“Often, religion becomes very narrow in its focus,” Degges said. “The whole point of this movement is to create sisterhood and brotherhood with other people that are concerned about the world.” Degges said Hoosier IPL represents many denominations.“We found that relationship not only within the Christian community but also by broadening to Judaism and other people of good will that want to combine together to make the earth a safer more beautiful place,” Degges said.The Saturday launch provided networking opportunities, environmental education and conservation ideas.“The challenge is making these energy efficient facilities for large numbers of people,” Degges said. “If they’re not energy efficient, it’s just a waste of economic stewardship as well as stewardship of the earth.”
(03/04/11 6:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>At a top-secret, undisclosed location Saturday night, Indiana Ghost Trackers’ Southeast Central chapter members followed their monthly meeting by ghost hunting at a reportedly haunted location.A tour guide showed the members around the building and described one closet as “the evil heart of the building.” The last reported paranormal activity at this location occurred Feb. 3, when night employees heard banging doors in the women’s restroom. The ghost trackers pulled out their tools and attempted to conduct a paranormal conversation.“Is there anyone here who would like to speak with us?” Chapter Treasurer Lisa Bradley asked.“What is your name?” Chapter Trainer Rick Schmelz asked.“Why are you here?” Chapter Director Angela Sanders asked.No response.The members waited, their ghost hunting tools sitting in front of them. Several electromagnetic field detectors waited to measure any disturbances. Voice recorders were on to capture any audible or inaudible paranormal sounds. After several more members asked questions, the reported ghost still hadn’t responded. “Sometimes this can be some of the most boring things we do until you listen to your recorders later and you’re like, ‘I want to do this again,’” Sanders said.IGT is a statewide ghost tracking organization that provides recreational ghost hunts and professional paranormal investigation services for businesses and private residences. The Bloomington chapter has been in existence for eight years and recently expanded to the Southeast Central chapter in order to have a wider ghost hunting base. The group discussed two upcoming investigations at its Saturday meeting.“It’s far and between that we have any investigations that members can do,” Sanders said, mentioning that many investigations fell through in the past. “This is definitely going to happen.”IGT operates like any other hierarchical organization. All official actions in meetings must be seconded, a secretary keeps monthly meeting minutes, the group votes on how to spend funds, and members share duties for setting up hunt locations.After “watching paint dry,” which is how Bradley refers to hunts with no paranormal activity, the group switched tactics and launched into casual chitchat. “The best responses we’ve gotten are from informal conversation,” Bradley said.Because the recorders were on, group members could not whisper to one another so as to not mistake their own voices for paranormal activity while listening to the recordings later. Any noises, such as stomach gurgles, creaking joints or moving in a chair had to be reported.“If you burp, fart, whatever, be honest,” Bradley reminded the trackers earlier in the evening.Sanders added humor to relax some of the newer members about ghost tracking.“There’s no such thing as a paranormal fart,” Sanders said.In order to protect themselves from possible evil forces, members develop ritualized protections in order to remain calm while tracking. “If you’ve got something mean-spirited, they say it (a ghost) may feed off fear or anxiety,” Schmelz said.One thing trackers don’t want is a hitchhiker — a paranormal spirit that follows them home from a hunt. Sanders shared her protection ritual with the group as an example.“I’m a happy Baptist, and I wear my cross and you better believe I say my prayers,” Sanders said.
(03/04/11 2:36am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The City of Bloomington and Indiana Legal Services will begin offering a six-week Citizen Preparation Course for those interested in preparing for the U.S. citizenship exam. Christie Popp, directing attorney of Indiana Legal Services’ Immigrants’ and Language Rights Center, said the class has been in the works for a few years.“Just thinking about my own clients, it would be good for some way to have people applying for citizenship to study English and civics as part of that clinic,” Popp said.According to the U.S. Census’ American Fact Finder, 5,117 foreign-born Bloomington residents have not become naturalized citizens. Of these foreign-born residents, 4,404 have moved to Bloomington since 2000.Popp said she heard that when the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services changed the test a few years ago, citizenship applicants had slightly more difficulty passing. “If there’s an issue with the exam, I think it comes from the English part,” Popp said.While the USCIS provides printed study materials for those who want to take the test, Popp said preparing in a group setting has advantages.“Going through the process of studying with teachers, you also get the experience of speaking English and listening to English, both of which are required for the test,” Popp said.In addition, class participants have the opportunity to ask questions on any material they don’t understand.Popp said the class is open to anyone interested in preparing for the U.S. citizenship test, regardless of whether they have completed other citizenship requirements.“You have to hold your green card for five years unless you’re married to and living with a citizen, and then it’s three years,” Popp said. “Half of that time you have to be physically present in the United States. There are other miscellaneous requirements, such as good moral character, and you have to have paid your taxes.”The class’s announcement came weeks after the Indiana Senate Pensions and Labor Committee voted to approve Indiana Senate Bill 590, a bill similar to Arizona’s SB 1070, that would give police more power to enforce immigration laws and require all government documents to be printed in English. Popp said SB 590 did not inspire the class’s inception.“This is a project we’ve been talking about for a couple years,” Popp said. “Besides, the individuals who have their green card are really not at much peril from this new law.”
(03/01/11 5:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Duke Energy customers provided sworn public comment to add to Duke’s Edwardsport Integrated Coal Gasification plant case, which might increase customers’ energy bills.Duke Energy is currently under fire after e-mails revealed Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission Administrative Law Judge Scott Storms was negotiating employment with Duke while overseeing the Edwardsport plant’s budget. Since 2007, the plant’s cost estimate rose by more than $1 billion. The plant’s construction is now 80 percent complete. Duke is petitioning the IURC to pass the extra cost on to rate payers.“Tonight is not the final step,” OUCC Spokesperson Anthony Swinger said. “There will be several steps to go as the case moves forward.”The OUCC will file testimony on Duke’s proposed rate increases by May 13. It will also file testimony on alleged fraud and misrepresentation by April 15. Duke’s hearing date with the IURC is scheduled for Aug. 22. Representatives from three county economic development corporations and the Indiana Chamber of Commerce supported Duke’s construction.“In Indiana we like to talk about buying local,” said Ron Walker, president of Bloomington Economic Development Corporation. “This allows us a chance to source a local resource that has been very important to us.”Attorney Jerry Polk, representing the CAC, the Sierra Club, Save the Valley and Valley Watch, asked the corporation presidents if they received funding from Duke Energy.When Walker said the BEDC received funding from Duke, audience members laughed. The other two county development corporations and the Indiana Chamber of Commerce said they also receive Duke funding. Bloomington resident David Keppel said he opposed continuing construction at Edwardsport. “Duke’s shareholders, not its ratepayers, should bear the burden for a plant sold on false pretenses,” Keppel said. “The best solution is cancellation.”Duke originally proposed coal gasification technology for Edwardsport but discovered it was unfeasible, Keppel said. Duke touted coal gasification as a cleaner way to process coal. Richard Hill, president of Save the Valley, also opposed continuing the plant’s construction. He said Duke doesn’t need the Edwardsport plant to meet its customers’ energy demands. “We can expect a dramatic increase in our monthly electric bills, possibly by as much as 20 percent,” Hill said. “This is the most expensive fossil fuel plant in the country to my knowledge,” Hill said.
(02/21/11 5:09am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As 9-year-old Naman Kotian waited for his mom and his sister to finish their own glass beads, he clutched his safety goggles in his hands. He had to wear them “so the fire won’t spark in your eyes or anything.”Naman, along with several other kids, made his own glass bead with the help of local glass artist Abby Gitlitz and the WonderLab staff. WonderLab sponsored a workshop called Changing Glass in its February “Forged by Fire” series. Three local glass artists demonstrated decorative fire-blown glass-making techniques. WonderLab sponsored the Forged by Fire series to show how creativity in arts and sciences is connected.Before the kids set to work on their glass beads, Gitlitz used cookie baking metaphors and honey to explain what happened to the glass when the kids fired it. “When I work with this glass it gets four times hotter than the cookies in your oven,” Gitlitz said. She then pulled out a jar of honey to demonstrate what happens to glass when it gets hot.“Glass moves as much as honey when it’s hot,” Gitlitz said, swirling a jar of honey.The honey was the same consistency as hot glass. A straw in the honey jar mimicked the steel rod the kids used to wrap their hot glass around and make their bead. She pulled the straw out and twirled it to form a bead of honey on the straw.Gitlitz told the group how to make glass rods colorful by using different chemical additives. Two fat selenium and copper sticks, which looked like giant crayons, are used to turn glass yellow and green. “It’s like food coloring,” Gitlitz said.Gitlitz asked her audience to act out what happens to the glass when the kids dropped their beads in water to cool. As kids and their parents stood up to take part, Gitlitz said hot glass expands.“Get hot, get hot, get hot!” Gitlitz yelled as she and her audience expanded their arms, mimicking hot glass.“Now, get cool,” Gitlitz said as they pulled their arms into their chests, like shrinking glass in cool water.Naman explained his bead-making process in detail and took his creation process very seriously.“Basically, you get one of the sticks, and you have to wave it above the fire,” Naman said. “Then it turns into a ball.”Naman chose a blue glass stick for his bead. As he waited for his glass bead to cool, he expressed doubts about his creation.“I think I didn’t really do a good job because she said it might fall off,” Naman said.Naman said he would probably keep his creation in his room on a special stand and write a caption about how and where he made it.Downstairs, artists Ross Thackery and Dave Martin demonstrated how to make glass pendants. Martin explained that they use centrifugal force and gravity to create different patterns with the glass.“It’s basically a bunch of different techniques to get the glass to move,” Martin said.Martin and Thackery displayed pendants they made during the day. One pendant consisted of clear glass in a teardrop shape with tiny, multicolored swirls.Martin explained that they shoved colored glass sticks into a clear glass tube and twisted the colored sticks to achieve the swirl effect.Martin said glass pendants are relatively easy to make.“It’s something anybody can do,” Martin said. “People off the street just pick it up.”