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(10/07/08 12:30am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Bloomington residents might have to turn down the heat this winter.Gas and electric companies project that the price for natural gas heating will rise as much as 15 to 25 percent from last year, due to an increase in all fuel prices.Vectren Corporation provides gas and electricity to more than two-thirds of Indiana and west central Ohio and is the gas provider to more than 990,000 customers. Vectren’s Communication Director Chase Kelley said Vectren is concerned about the consequences rising costs will have on already struggling Hoosiers.“People are paying more at the pump, paying more at the grocery store, and now you’re seeing an increase in energy prices,” Kelley said.Vectren calculates that the average customer who paid about $680 for heating last winter, from November through March, will see their bill increase to as high as $850 for the same time span.Rental companies in Bloomington are working to make sure their tenants do not break the bank this winter when paying the heating bill.John Burnham Jr. of Burnham Rentals said they are trying to help residents keep their heating bills down.“We have several older houses with gas heat that the residents pay, but we are in the process to better insulate the homes and install new windows to prevent the heating bill from becoming any higher,” Burnham said. “I haven’t received any complaints from the residents of those buildings where we’ve done the upgrades.”Burnham said most of their rentals now use electric heating, or are entirely electric.“Several years ago, when gas prices began rising, we began to use electric,” Burnham said. “It’s easier in a lot of ways, and less expensive. As of right now, anything we build we’ll use electric.”Bloomington renters are turning their backs on natural gas before anything else.Burnham said he has recently received more calls from potential tenants who want to know if Burnham rentals uses electric or gas.“I’ve had calls for housing where people don’t want natural gas heat because they had experienced extremely high gas bills from previous rentals,” he said.Sophomore Emily Russell said the increase in energy prices is driving her and her roommates from a large house this year to a much smaller apartment next year.“We’re planning to move to an apartment next year because rent and utilities are so high in a big house.”Russell said rising gas prices make her nervous.“If I’m going to pay utilities and gas prices are higher, then my utilities are going to be higher,” Russell said. “It makes me nervous because if gas prices are rising and I have to pay more to fill up my car and then I have to pay more for utilities, I’ll be constantly scrounging for money.”Vectren recommends people do everything in their power to maintain an energy-efficient lifestyle.“Not everyone can afford a new water heater or furnace,” Kelley said. “But everyone can afford to wash their clothes in cold water, or to leave the drapes open during the day. Little things that can have a significant effect.”
(09/25/08 4:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A robber was stopped early Wednesday morning by Bloomington police after taking cash from an area gas station. Officers responded to a call from a clerk at the 7-Eleven on West 11th Street reporting that there had been a robbery, said BPD Sgt. Jeff Canada reading from a police report. The 7-Eleven clerk said a man, later identified as James Edward Harris, had entered the store and tried to get money from the ATM. The clerk told police that Harris was denied several times by the ATM and then approached the counter to try to buy cigarettes with a debit card, which was also denied. After his card was denied Harris told the clerk to hand over all the money in the register. The clerk told police she thought Harris was kidding until he said, “I’m serious, this is a robbery,” Canada read from the police report. The clerk said she then gave him the money and he left the store and began riding west on 11th Street on what the clerk described as a ten-speed bicycle. Officers responded to the scene and retrieved Harris’ information and description from the failed debit card transaction and surveillance tapes.Harris was pulled over shortly after by officer Anthony Fosnaugh who saw him walking away from a bicycle. According to the police report, officer Ben Burns came from the 7-Eleven and identified Harris from the surveillance tapes. The denied debit card was also recovered.Harris was then taken into custody. A wad of cash, matching the arrangement and amount described by the clerk, was discovered in his back pocket.Harris told officers that he had just been released from jail and had been using money from his bank account to buy crack cocaine. Canada read from the police report that Harris stated he had decided to rob the store when he realized his bank account was overdrawn so he had no other access to money for more crack cocaine, which he was intending to buy with the money from the robbery.
(09/18/08 1:54am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A Bloomington resident was arrested Tuesday after a routine traffic stop led to the discovery of a warrant.Brandon Walker, 26, was pulled over by officer Michael Baker for speeding, and later arrested on charges of possession and dealing of marijuana, as well as an active warrant for domestic battery, said Sgt. Jeff Canada reading from a police report.Walker was making suspicious movements in the car as he pulled over, according to the report. Walker was asked to stand next to the car as the officer checked his information. Baker took him into custody upon finding there was an active warrant for Walker’s arrest for domestic battery.Baker asked Walker if there was anything illegal in the vehicle that he should know about. Walker said there was not. A search of the vehicle recovered a small amount of green leafy substance in the body of the car which was believed to be marijuana.In the trunk of the car there was more than 70 grams of similar green leafy substance, as well as two scales with marijuana residue and several small sandwich bags.Walker was taken into custody and is being charged with dealing and possession of marijuana and a misdemeanor for domestic battery.
(09/18/08 1:53am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A 29-year-old Bloomington man was arrested after he attacked a young couple at Kroger.Michael Morgan faces preliminary charges of aggravated battery.Police apprehended the suspect, Michael Morgan, after they received complaints that Morgan had attacked and harassed a young couple as they left the Kroger at Second Street and College Avenue, said Sgt. Jeff Canada, reading from a police report.The male victim told police that Morgan had been calling him names and bothering him as he left Kroger, and that Morgan then hit him in the face with a closed fist. As the victim began to walk toward his fiancé, Morgan began to harass her and call her names, threatening to hit her as well. The female victim told police she was afraid of what Morgan would do to her when he then spit on her and threw a sandwich at her, while calling her names.The suspect was taken into custody by officer Jason Shaevitz. After being read his rights, the suspect told officers “it was the demon and the devil,” according to the police report being read by Canada. Officer Chaevitz said Morgan continued with the explanation that the devil was causing the problem and that the victims were “going to burn,” according to the police report.
(09/12/08 4:19am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Defense attorneys for the man convicted of murdering an IU student in 2000 submitted a petition Wednesday to appeal the decision to the Indiana Supreme Court, alleging juror misconduct and constitutional violations.John R. Myers II was sentenced to 65 years in prison in 2006 after being convicted of the murder of 19-year-old Jill Behrman. The nationwide search that took place after Behrman failed to return from a morning bike ride came to an end on March 9, 2003, when her body was found in Morgan County. She had been missing for three years. In the petition, Myers’ attorneys, Patrick and Hugh Baker, argue that the jury that convicted Myers was “prejudiced by a barrage of pretrial publicity portraying Myers as a bad character.”Myers had hoped the trial could be moved to another county to avoid the publicity – a request that was denied.“Myers believes the denial for a change of venue laid the groundwork for an unfair trial throughout the entire proceedings,” the petition states.The Bakers also argue that jury misconduct compromised Myers’ right to a fair trial. The Bakers allege that some members of the jury were intoxicated in the evenings during the week of the trial, which the Bakers called “abhorrent misconduct.”The state has 20 days to file a response brief, and Myers gets 10 days after that to file a reply, said Kathryn Dolan, Indiana Supreme Court public information officer in an e-mail. The case should be fully briefed within the next month.“The Supreme Court will then decide whether to grant transfer and accept jurisdiction over the appeal or deny transfer,” she said.Myers’ attorneys filed an appeal Sept. 21, 2007, but the Indiana Court of Appeals upheld his conviction in May.The transfer and retrial being requested by the Bakers will be decided by the Indiana Supreme Court. Myers’ attorneys were not available for comment by press time.
(09/11/08 9:20pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Defense attorneys for the man convicted of murdering an IU student in
2000 submitted a petition Wednesday to appeal the decision to the
Indiana Supreme Court, alleging juror misconduct and constitutional
violations.John Myers II was sentenced to 65 years in prison in 2006 after being convicted of the murder of 19-year-old IU student Jill Behrman. The nationwide search that took place after Behrman failed to return from a morning bike ride came to an end March 9, 2003, when her body was found in Morgan County. She had been missing for three years. Myers attorneys, Patrick and Hugh Baker, listed several reasons for the transfer, including a polygraph reference which they believe tainted jurors opinions and “impermissible comments” by one of the prosecution’s chief investigators during testimony. A main discretion the attorneys claim to have been committed against their client is whether juror objectivity was tainted by the pretrial media publicity depicting Myers as a bad character. “Myers believes the denial for a change of venue laid the groundwork for an unfair trial throughout the entire proceedings,” the petition states.Myers attorneys filed an appeal Sept. 21, 2007, but the Indiana Court of Appeals upheld his conviction in May.The transfer and retrial being requested by the Baker’s will be decided by the Indiana Supreme Court. Myers attorneys were not available for comment by press time.
(07/23/08 10:40pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The image of a man tripping on drugs with a cigarette holder and a shaved head is how many people remember Hunter S. Thompson, said William McKeen, University of Florida Journalism Professor and author of the recently published “Outlaw Journalist: The Life and Times of Hunter S. Thompson.”McKeen said his new biography moves the focus away from Thompson’s reputation, to focus instead on his writings. “I think few people could use words the way Hunter could,” McKeen said. “He wasn’t concerned with having something that was consistently great. He lived for the peaks. And the stuff that was in between, well that was just the journey.”Famous for his crazy antics and drug-fueled lifestyle, Thompson was able to turn himself into his own best character for many of his writings. It was this ability that McKeen thinks trapped Thompson into the persona for which he is remembered. “He came up with his own creation, persona, Duke, the Hunter figure,” McKeen said. “This drug addled, burned out, savage kind of guy. It was a brilliant creation, this persona. It was also a trap because he couldn’t break out of it.”As a professor of journalism, McKeen said he has seen a lot of students come in and out of his classes who were inspired by Thompson. “The day after he killed himself, I went into my freshman journalism class and there were 322 very dejected people in there,” McKeen said. IU Journalism student Rama Sobhani said Thompson inspired him in numerous ways. “On my way out to Indiana from California for school, I made a detour to Woody Creek, Colo., where Hunter was from. It was a pilgrimage for me,” Sobhani said. “Hunter was the reason I decided to study journalism. I’ve read most of his books and hold the man in absolute reverence.”McKeen said Thompson has been a great teaching tool, because he helps to point out to students that it is impossible to imitate Thompson because his style is so distinctive. “I tried to imitate his style initially, but you learn pretty quickly that Hunter was a unique phenomenon and you could never do it like he did,” Sobhani said. “Besides that, Hunter’s writing had the quality it did because of the lifestyle he lived and that’s even harder to duplicate.”McKeen agreed that Thompson’s lifestyle would be difficult to match. “He used drugs the way the rest of us eat asparagus, and I say that as a person who really enjoys asparagus,” McKeen said. “It was a part of his daily life.”IU student Doug Evans said Thompson taught him how to be a good writer. “He is the reason I study criminology. I think that his book ‘Hell’s Angels’ is the greatest criminological ethnographic study ever written,” Evans said. “I have learned from Dr. Thompson that the way to become a good writer is to first enjoy life, then engulf yourself in a topic.”Thompson is well-known for his political coverage. He was infamous for digging deep into campaigns, and getting the feel of what was really going on although his story was not always accurate McKeen said. McKeen said that Frank Mankowintz recalled Thompson’s account of the 1972 presidential campaign to be “the most truthful, but least factual account” of the entire campaign. “Hunter once said of the government that whatever they say, the opposite must be true,” Sobhani said. “He understood the adversarial nature of the relationship between government and its citizens.”McKeen said he will miss Thompson’s observations in the upcoming elections and political action. “It’s so hard to get through this year without some sort of political commentary from Hunter Thompson. It’s like the loss of H.L. Minkin. It’s like, how are we going to have an election without him,” McKeen said. “Someday people will see what a great and astute political observer he was.”
(07/13/08 11:24pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Music echoed across Jordan avenue, blending with the distant sound of a train whistle.The IU Jacobs School of Music Summer Music Festival moved outside Wednesday evening for a free concert on the lawn of the Musical Arts Center. The Summer Concert Band, conducted by Stephen W. Pratt, performed at 7 p.m. Wednesday on the MAC lawn for a crowd of more than 200. Friends, families and music lovers alike sat together to enjoy the show. The Summer Music Festival outdoor concerts offer an opportunity for audiences to enjoy a free show in the fresh summer air. Weather permitting, the Summer Concert Band will be performing 7 p.m. Wednesdays through July on the MAC lawn. If it rains the performance will be moved to an indoor venue. Bonnie Lorenzen, a Ph.D. student in speech and hearing, attended the show with her family. “This is the first (performance) I’ve gone to this summer,” Lorenzen said. “I have a one year old so it has to be an outdoor concert.”The outdoor concerts are more conducive to families with young children and all the tiny members of the audience seemed to be enjoying themselves as many stared mesmerized at the full band playing less than 30 feet away.Pratt addressed the audience several times during the performance. “These next pieces by LeRoy Anderson are some of the most famous pieces you have ever heard, although you may not know it,” Pratt said. “But as soon as you hear it you’ll go ‘Oh, I know that!’”IU employee Becky Curtis and her daughter Michelle Harker sat on the sidewalk listening to the performance.“We heard about this from a flyer in the music school,” Harker said. “We’re very interested in attending more performances.”Curtis said she gained interest in Jacobs events after taking a class at the music school. She said she was able to pick out the different instruments being played during the performance as a result of her Jacobs school class. “I love the outdoors when the weather is like this,” Curtis said. “Enjoy nature and music.”
(07/11/08 8:31pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Music echoed across Jordan avenue, blending with the distant sound of a train whistle. The IU summer music series moved outside Wednesday evening for a free concert on the Musical Arts Center lawn. The Summer Concert Band, conducted by Stephen W. Pratt performed 7 p.m., Wednesday on the MAC lawn for a crowd of more than two hundred people. The crowd spread out on lawn chairs and blankets on the MAC lawn. Friends, families and music lovers alike sat together to enjoy the show. The outdoor concerts offer a special opportunity for the audience to enjoy a free show in the fresh summer air. Bonnie Lorenzen, a PhD student in speech and hearing was at the show with her family. “This is the first (performance) I’ve gone to this summer,” Lorenzen said. “I have a one year old so it has to be an outdoor concert.”The summer concerts are more conducive to families with young children, and all the tiny members of the audience seemed to be enjoying themselves as many stared mesmerized at the full band playing less than 30 feet away. Pratt addressed the audience several times during the performance. “These next pieces by LeRoy Anderson are some of the most famous pieces you have ever heard, although you may not know it,” Pratt said. “But as soon as you hear it you’ll go ‘Oh, I know that!’”IU staff member Becky Curtis and her daughter Michelle Harker sat on the sidewalk listening to the performance. “We heard about this from a flyer in the music school,” Harker said. “We’re very interested in attending more performances.”Curtis said she got really interested in Jacobs events after taking a class at the music school. She said she was able to pick out the different instruments being played during the performance as a result of her Jacobs school class. “I love the outdoors when the weather is like this,” Curtis said. “Enjoy nature and music.”
(07/03/08 3:59pm)
The sun shone bright on Showalter fountain as dozens gathered to watch several prominent IU faculty toss water in the faces of IU theater and drama students, as well as onto a display from the SoFA Gallery.\nThe College of Arts and Sciences launched its first “wrapped” bus 4 p.m. Tuesday in front of the Lilly Library at Showalter Fountain. \nThe bus was formally launched by College of Arts and Sciences Dean Bennett Bertenthal; chair of the Department of Theatre and Drama Jonathon Michaelsen; SoFA gallery representative Betsy Stirrat; and local graphic designer Tosh Swingley. The four dignitaries were provided with “launch cups” full of water from the Showalter fountain with which they used to splash the “wrapped” bus. \nThe bus was painted a bright blue and displayed pictures of IU theater and drama students in action on one side, and pictures of displays within the SoFA Gallery on the other.\n“I would like to think of it as a celebration of what we do,” Michaelsen said. “Not only for shows, but to say, ‘Here are the arts.’”\nJohn Kinzer, director of audience development in the Department of Theatre and Drama, was running around the opening in a “Cat in the Hat” style hat, smiling as he helped everyone prepare for the big moment. \n“We had a very short calendar for this,” Kinzer said. “We started talking about it in the spring.”\nKinzer said the idea for the bus came from the College of Arts and Sciences. Both he and Stirrat said College of Arts and Sciences Dean Jocelyn Bowie was the real machine behind the idea. \nThe Department of Theatre and Drama and the SoFA gallery worked together to get their message across before assigning the project to local graphic designer Tosh Swingley. Both departments hope the new bus will give students the extra push they need to go check out both the theater productions and the SoFA Gallery.\n“The message to the students is clear, it’s written across the top of the bus,” Kinzer said. “We are their theater.” \nStirrat said she likes the combination of the SoFA Gallery with the Department of theater and Drama because both put on so many great programs. \n“This university is more than a cluster of classrooms,” Dean Bertenthal said.
(06/09/08 1:23am)
People will be coming together this weekend to eat, drink and bid for the benefit of animals.\nThe fourth annual Wine/Beer Tasting and Silent Auction to benefit People and Animal Learning Services will take place Saturday.\nClose to a dozen local wineries and breweries are supporting PALS by providing a diverse selection of drinks to be sampled during the event. KRC Banquets & Catering will provide the venue and catering for the event.\nPALS, founded eight years ago by IU adjunct instructor Fern Bonchek, is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people with various disabilities through riding horses for therapy.\nPALS currently houses 11 horses trained to work with riders who need all different levels of therapy.\n“PALS serves children and adults with disabilities as well as at risk youth,” Bonchek said. “Therapeutic riding helps with an extensive list of disabilities; physical, cognitive and emotional.”\nAll proceeds from the event will go toward maintaining PALS programs and a scholarship fund for the riders.\nThe silent auction features more than 100 items varying from days of luxury and pampering for both people or horses, to a generous amount of gift cards from local businesses and restaurants.\nItems featured in this year’s auction include a $500 travel voucher, dinner and a night at the opera, Colts jerseys and a chance at four passes to Disney World.\nPALS Stable Manager Kara Lasher said she is still amazed at the long-term benefits that are provided through riding. Lasher encourages people not only to support PALS by attending the event, but to also volunteer.\n“How can I explain how something like this can change someone’s life,” Lasher said. “People have to come here and experience it.”\nThe event begins 7:30 p.m. Saturday at KRC Banquets & Catering, 216 S. College Ave.\nTickets can be purchased in advance for $20 at The Trojan Horse, or by contacting PALS, or at the door for $25.\nYou must be 21 years old with a valid ID to attend this event.
(05/19/08 3:15am)
INDIANAPOLIS – Gov. Mitch Daniels encouraged investors to look at the good they’re doing by investing in start-up life-sciences companies during a conference that stressed the importance of the life-sciences industry in Indiana.\nDaniels referred to small entrepreneurial companies that are able to look back at their early stages of production and say “That grant saved us.”\nThe conference, held Friday at IU-Purdue University Indianapolis’ University Place Conference Center and Hotel, was the final program in a four-part series that focused on creating more life-sciences companies and jobs.\nGuest speakers and panelists included Daniels, IU President Michael McRobbie, a mix of life-sciences venture capitalists and several state officials.\nUniversities in Indiana are a “hot spot” for research and development of life-sciences entrepreneurial companies, said August Wantanabe, a recently retired executive vice president of science and technology and former president of Lilly Research Laboratories with Eli Lilly and Company.\n“Scientists blossom when you put them in a lab with some funding and say ‘invent something good.’” he said. “They blossom.” \nWantanabe noted there is a great amount of activity in the life sciences in Bloomington at the moment, the most prestigious of which is the entrepreneurial company Marcadia Biotech, which creates products that treat diabetes and obesity. Wantanabe is the chairman of the board for that company, which is headed by IU Chemistry professor Richard DiMarchi.\nThe goal for life-sciences companies is to create jobs while creating products that help people, said panelist Bruce Kidd, director of entrepreneurship for the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. Kidd heads all programs designed to create or strengthen entrepreneurial companies in Indiana.\n“We’ve made 59 investments in 27 months, and 30 of those 59 are life-sciences companies,” Kidd said. “Before that, we just had a sprinkling of life-sciences companies. There’s been a dramatic increase in devices and therapeutics ... We try to invest in what we see as market-changing technologies.” \nAll of the speakers, including panelist John Diekman, touched on the importance of having a good team working on a product or getting a new company off the ground. Diekman is founder and managing partner of 5AM Ventures, a capital fund that helps shareholders invest in new and risky but profitable enterprises.\n“I think good people make a company,” Diekman said. \nHe emphasized that an entrepreneur should not be afraid of failure on his or her resume, especially during the early stages of a company. As a venture-capital firm, 5AM Ventures does not look for a good sales pitch – they look for a good product, Diekman said. \nWatanabe agreed, adding that he looks for the unmet need a new business’ product would fill. \n“Does the world need it?” he said.
(11/09/07 4:47am)
Anyone longing for the special Italian sauce specific to Greek’s Pizzeria’s pizza pies will have to wait a little longer than anticipated, said Greek’s owner Kyle Hawkins.\nThe original location of the restaurant closed its doors to customers Oct. 29, with the hope of being open for business sometime this week at its new home, located at 211 N. Walnut St., across from the Bluebird nightclub.\nHawkins said he is aiming to reopen by mid-November, but due to unexpected changes and the need for necessary inspections, a definite date has not been set. \nJeremy Hurley, a friend of Hawkins who is currently doing construction at the new Greek’s location, said construction is almost finished. The main focus now is getting the restaurant situated the way Hawkins wants it to be, as well as getting the kitchen machinery wired to the building, he said. \n“We’re basically just fitting Greek’s in now,” Hurley said. \nThe new restaurant will hold nearly twice the number of people as the old building, Hawkins said. The new location goes back much further, but keeps the same narrow feel of the old Greek’s, with additional space for arcade games and significantly more room for people to move around, he said. \nThe move from the old Kirkwood location was initiated by the Heartland Development Group’s purchase of the property and the company’s decision not to renew the lease for Greek’s Pizzeria, Hawkins said. Heartland Development did not return calls by press time. \n“I planned on moving at some point in time in Bloomington,” Hawkins said. “I hadn’t planned on it being so soon, but they weren’t renewing any leases so that just made things go a little faster for me.” \nHawkins said he hopes the new location will increase late-night business without taking business away from other late-night food services.\n“I’m not moving up there to start anything,” Hawkins said. “I hope I can start business and they can continue to keep their business.” \nGreek’s employee Matt Johnson thinks Greek’s’ business will increase dramatically in the new location. Johnson said Greek’s previously closed at 11 p.m., but he said it will be open until 3 a.m. in the new building. \n“I think our pizza is a lot more high-quality,” Johnson said. “I think being open later will bring in a lot of business.” \nJohnson said he and the rest of the previous staff were invited to stay on as Greek’s employees when the new location opened. Hawkins said he is currently looking to hire additional staff members to fulfill the requirements of the new building. \n“It’s a great environment, not stressful. I really like it,” Johnson said. “We’re just waiting for him (Hawkins) to move everything from the old store to the new store.”
(10/22/07 4:36am)
The bust of Herman B Wells sat under a white cloth, ready to be unveiled.\nMore than 100 people gathered at 2:30 p.m. Friday in the front lobby of the Wells Library for the dedication and unveiling of the long-anticipated bust of the former IU president and chancellor.\nThe dedication ceremony was highlighted by speeches from newly inaugurated President Michael McRobbie and Interim Dean of Libraries Patricia Steele. \n“So much that (Wells) accomplished defines what Indiana University is today,” McRobbie said. \nThe bust, sculpted by nationally acclaimed artist Marc Mellon, was a gift from the IU Foundation, said Susan Yoon, director of development for the IUB Libraries. The IUB Libraries contributed the marble pedestal the bust sits upon at the entrance of the Wells Library. \nYoon said the bust has been in the works for more than a year, and the unveiling happened to coincide perfectly with the inauguration of President McRobbie and “Celebrate IU” week.\nYoon said the bust is intended to help keep the memory of Wells alive. She said she hopes the bust will also raise student awareness as to who Herman B Wells was and how he influenced the IU campus. \n“Some of the administrators were here when (Wells) was here and they remember him, but 20 years from now, who knows,” Yoon said. “We want to increase student knowledge.” \nSteele said she was happily surprised by how enthusiastic student response was to the idea. \n“The response from the students has been incredible,” Steele said. “I thought having the bust right where everybody comes in would help students to visualize him. But I was not prepared for the enthusiasm. It’s very gratifying and I think it speaks very well for the students. I think they really understand that he made a difference here.”\nLaurie Burns McRobbie, President McRobbie’s wife, said she had heard of the legendary president and chancellor all the way back in Ann Arbor, Mich.\n“I knew a little bit about (Wells) and that he was a legendary president,” she said. “If you’re around the Big Ten, you get an idea of other schools’ traditions, but I didn’t realize how deeply loved he was by the institution.”\nPeople at the ceremony and reception area sang the praises of the late president and chancellor. In McRobbie’s speech, he credited Wells for the success of the music school, as well as for a commitment to the fine arts and for the beauty and reputation of the IU campus.\n“The quality of this campus is his vision realized,” Steele said. \nSteele said the strength of Wells’ belief in what IU could become is what made him such an excellent president.\n“He had a vision,” Steele said, “and he saw this place as something probably no one else would.”\nSteele said she can see a similar strength of vision in President McRobbie. She said McRobbie is going to take the international ties, forged by Wells, and lead IU into the “next generation.” \n “It was hard to be around Herman Wells and not feel the force of his personality,” Steele said. “And it’s very hard to be around Michael McRobbie and not feel the force of his vision and energy. And maybe that’s where we can connect them because vision and energy really are both of them.”\nThe bust of Wells is located at the main entrance of the Wells Library. The bust faces the door, smiling and greeting everyone as they enter the building.
(10/18/07 4:25am)
Nine days before Mike Sodrel announced he would be running for the 9th District congressional seat for the fourth time, Democratic incumbent Baron Hill filed his annual Federal Election Commission campaign finance report.\nHill has raised more than $900,000 for his 2008 campaign for reelection, he said in a statement. \nAs of last week, Sodrel hadn’t started fundraising yet, said Diego Morales, spokesman for Friends of Mike Sodrel. \nSodrel and Hill ran against each other in every 9th District race since 2002. Hill won in 2002, Sodrel won in 2004 and Hill won again in 2006.\nIn recent elections, money matters, said Massie Ritsch, communication director for the Center for Responsive Politics.\nRitsch said 93 percent of House races in 2006 were won by the candidate who spent the most money. \nHowever, according to the Center of Responsive Politics Web site, in the last three races between Hill and Sodrel, the winner raised less money overall than the other candidate. \nRitsch said as a former congressman and a man who is personally wealthy, Sodrel should not have a problem coming up with the financial means to compete with Hill. \n“This is a seat that Republicans want to win back,” Ritsch said. “So he’ll probably get a lot of support from his own party. The odds will probably even out pretty quickly.”\nHill defeated Sodrel twice, in 2002 and 2006, but Sodrel’s constituents do not think Hill will be as successful this time around. Morales said Sodrel decided to run another campaign because he was receiving an onslaught of encouragement to do so from the members of his party and the people of the 9th District. \n“This is a conservative district and that is why Mr. Sodrel is coming back to retake it,” Morales said. “It’ll be two to two, I’m very positive about it.” \nJennifer Wagner, communications director for the Indiana Democratic Party said she expects the race to draw a lot of media attention.\n“I think the biggest thing (Hill) has learned is that he has to be out there,” Wagner said. “These last races have been pretty ugly and, as a candidate, it’s important to put out a positive message. It’s important to show what you are doing.” \nThe 9th District covers four media markets, Wagner said. Therefore it is important for candidates to be well-funded in order to reach the entire district. \nOne thing both parties seem to agree on is that being a republican has often taken the results of Sodrel’s campaigns out of his hands. \nWagner said Sodrel won the district in 2004 by less than 1,500 votes even while President Bush took the district by more than 10 percent. The President’s popularity has decreased significantly since then she said, so being connected to the current President’s party may not help Sodrel in this campaign. \nMorales said the only reason Sodrel was defeated in 2006 was because Democrats were tying him to the Republicans receiving so much bad press at the time. \n“This will be a well-watched, well-funded race,” Wagner said.
(10/05/07 4:14am)
Dozens waited for a prick of the finger to draw a small drop of their blood to check their cholesterol and blood sugar levels Thursday in Alumni Hall. \nThe simple health exam was a precursor to the “Heart to Heart” program highlighted by a speech from Indiana first lady Cheri Daniels to raise awareness of heart disease, especially in women. \nThe room was lined with booths offering services such as blood pressure checks and calculations of body mass indexes, along with handouts of various health-oriented information pamphlets. \nIU is one of several universities Daniels is visiting with “Heart to Heart.”\n“This is a great opportunity to spread the word,” Daniels said. “It is much easier to change your habits when you’re 18 or 19 than when you’re 40 or 50.” \nIntroduced by IU’s first lady, Laurie Burns McRobbie, Daniels spoke about the importance of a healthy-heart lifestyle and touched on changes people can make to stay informed. \n“Heart disease doesn’t care if you’re tall or short, thin or not, and it certainly doesn’t care if you’re a Democrat or Republican,” Daniels said. “Heart disease is the number one killer of woman, and we want every Hoosier to know that.” \nBesides Daniels, Cindy Adams, a nurse practitioner with the Indiana Heart Hospital, and Jeanne Johnston, assistant professor in the IU Kinesiology Department, spoke, and all three speakers touched on a variety of subjects, focusing on knowing the modifiable factors which put people at risk of heart disease. Each speaker emphasized a healthy diet, the importance of an exercise plan and the risks of being a smoker. \n“Stop smoking,” Daniels said. “The number one thing you can do for your health is stop smoking.” \nAdams said more than 485,000 women die each year from heart disease. \n“That is equal to a World Trade Center attack every two and a half days,” she said. \nAdams said obesity and smoking play a huge factor into heart problems. \nWatching the line of people getting their cholesterol and body mass index numbers from booths around the room, Adams said people are often surprised to find out they are at much more risk than they expect. \n“People are surprised,” Adams said. “They don’t realize the risk factors they have that they didn’t know about. Being overweight is so socially acceptable now; people are surprised when they are obese from a health standpoint.” \nMcRobbie came to the event early to greet people as they arrived and went through screenings. McRobbie said she wasn’t initially involved in the program, but when she heard about it she offered to help in any way she could, and it led into her taking part in the presentation. \n“I thought it was a very, very important program,” McRobbie said. “It’s something I feel is good to get out there.” \nMcRobbie said she tries to lead by example, offering healthy foods at dinner parties and other functions, and taking on a more formal exercise program. \n“We’re trying to lead by example,” McRobbie said. \nSeveral women from Delta Zeta came to watch the presentation and support the spread of heart health awareness. Delta Zeta held “IU Goes Red” last February to help spread awareness about heart disease. The sorority passed out fliers and pamphlets and spoke during halftime at an IU women’s basketball game.\n“We had a sister pass away from a heart arrhythmia,” junior Mandy DeWeese said. “So we’re trying to show our support.”
(10/05/07 3:52am)
As of Sept. 7, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration terminated all payment and benefits to the department’s former chaplain Rev. Michael L. Latham.\nLatham was at the center of a controversy surrounding an Indiana program that placed a minister on the state payroll, a move some said violated the separation of church and state. The Freedom from Religion Foundation filed a lawsuit last May on behalf of several Indiana taxpayers, but the termination of the program had nothing to do with the case, said Marcus Barlow, director of communications and media for the Family and Social Services Administration. \nLatham, a Baptist minister formerly living in Fort Wayne, was hired in 2006 as chaplain to the administration, according to the Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy Web site. \nBarlow said an agency-wide chaplain was a new idea within the department, and Latham’s position was part of a new program that did not meet expectations. \nThe cancellation of the program occurred simultaneously with the foundation’s lawsuit, filed May 2. The Freedom From Religion Foundation is made up of more than 10,000 atheists and agnostics who work to promote free thought and to defend the separation of church and state, according to the organization’s Web site.\nDan Barker, co-president of the foundation, said several Indiana members and taxpayers brought the issue to the foundation’s attention. \n“Apparently Latham was speaking about ‘moral values’ at a meeting and made attendees very uncomfortable,” Barker said. “A man called us and said he was made uncomfortable by the expressions of homophobia and the right-wing Christian views being expressed.” \nBarlow said he had no knowledge of these particular complaints, but one of the objectives of the chaplain program was to have volunteer chaplains from different religions and with different viewpoints. He said the program simply did not work out the way the department planned. \nBarlow said the lawsuit had no influence on the state’s decision to end the program. \n“It was a pilot program,” Barlow said. “It didn’t live up to the goals we set up.” \nBarlow said the state was in constant evaluation of the program. He said Latham and the other employees in the program were supposed to be setting up volunteer chaplains and planning regular chaplain training sessions, neither of which occurred, and after a year of running the program the state decided to terminate it. \n“Whether it was because of (Latham), or because we set up a program that couldn’t be successful, I don’t know,” Barlow said. \nBarker disagrees with Barlow and the state’s claims regarding the impact the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s lawsuit had on the decision to end the program. \n“Of course the suit had an influence,” Barker said. “There was no publicity on this issue until we filed a lawsuit. The public awareness came about due to our lawsuit. Even if it is not to our credit, we are glad that it stopped.” \nIra C. Lupu and Robert W. Tuttle, co-directors of legal research for the Roundtable, wrote an analysis for how they think the case would have turned out had it gone to court. They concluded that the most likely complaint to hold in court would be the foundation’s claim that the state violated the Establishment Clause in the Constitution, which calls for the separation of church and state. \nBarker said with the exception of a military or hospital setting, the foundation sees no reason for any government agency to have a chaplain on payroll. He said the foundation would not challenge chaplains within the military, because they are present for people in need of the resource, which may be in short-supply depending on where the military unit is located. \n“Indiana isn’t a wilderness,” Barker said. “Any person who feels the need for clergy assistance has a church on every corner.” \nBarker said the foundation is happy with the state’s final decision, and that it does not care if it isn’t receiving credit for helping to influence that decision. \n“The awareness of state, church separation is important no matter what,” Barker said. “We don’t care who gets the credit. It’s not a battle.”
(10/05/07 3:50am)
Housing foreclosures are sweeping the country, and Indiana is no exception. \nIndiana ranks 10th in the country for the highest number of filed foreclosures, RealtyTrac Inc. spokeswoman Daren Blomquist said. RealtyTrac Inc. is a leading online database for foreclosure properties nationwide. \nIndiana foreclosure rates have increased by 41 percent since August 2006, Blomquist said. The foreclosure rates for the country as a whole have increased by more than 50 percent. \n“It’s becoming an issue that is dragging down the real estate market,” Blomquist said. “Foreclosures tend to be a lagging indicator, because they usually happen when the market is already in trouble.”\nDuring a Wednesday news conference available on the Democratic Senators’ Web site, Democrats called on the Bush Administration to “join them” in working to end this problem. \n“This is a national crisis,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid during \nthe conference.\nSenate Democrats are lobbying for several new programs, such as increased funding to prevent foreclosures and appointing a federal coordinator. \n“It’s too bad it has taken so long for us to realize we had a crisis,” Reid said. “The Federal Reserve has had more than 15 years to see a problem developing, and they simply didn’t react when they should have.” \nAnne Baldwin, a representative from the Indiana Association of Realtors, said subprime mortgages are a big reason for the rise in foreclosures. Subprime mortgages are offered to people with lower credit scores. Baldwin said these types of loans have a higher interest rate than conventional loans and often come with an adjustable rate mortgage.\n“Across the board, the subprime loans have hurt a lot of people, because they’ve gotten them into homes they shouldn’t have qualified for in the first place,” Baldwin said. “Because their credit is less than perfect they are directed toward a subprime loan, and they get into loan terms that can absolutely mystify an inexperienced borrower.” \nBaldwin said people finance with adjustable rate mortgages to cover the entire price of their homes, and over the course of two or three years the interest rate can rise so dramatically payments become unaffordable. \nWhen people borrow the money to cover the entire cost of their homes, coupled with an adjustable rate mortgage, they build up no equity. Baldwin said this leads to borrowers owing lenders more than they originally borrowed. \n“With the decline in the housing market, prices of homes have dropped, and it all snowballs,” Baldwin said. “When you have a high foreclosure rate in a community it brings down the value of other homes.” \nBlomquist said the foreclosure rate is likely to continue to increase into the next year.\n“A lot of the mortgages susceptible to foreclosures are resetting to higher interest rates through 2008, so that sets the stage for foreclosures to increase,” Blomquist said. \nKim Beatty, a client relations representative for W R Clouse & Associates Mortgage Company, said the most important thing right now is to educate clients so they understand the terms of their loans. \n“It’s important to get with someone you trust,” Beatty said. “Someone who is working for you and not their bottom line.”\nGov. Mitch Daniels’ administration has taken action to improve the financial education of Indiana residents. Baldwin said Daniels has ordered schools to provide financial education as early as elementary school. Baldwin said consumers will better understand credit and how to use their money through such programs.\nBaldwin encourages anyone who is in mortgage trouble to get in touch with the Indiana mortgage and foreclosure help line, the free service is set up to help people stuck in a bad loan, or in need of financial advice.
(09/20/07 4:00am)
"Friends with benefits" are experimenting with their boundaries, and it's making things hard.\nExperts say no-strings-attached relationships are easier to obtain than committed ones, but these "friends with benefits" may have trouble with coupledom in the future. Counseling and Psychological Services Director Nancy Stockton said experts worry that people who partake in these quasi-relationships will find a committed relationship extremely difficult.\n"It can delay the process of learning about real intimate relationships," she said.\nDebby Herbenick, IU sex researcher and educator, said the idea of "friends with benefits" has been an openly discussed subject for the last five to 10 years. She said the concept has probably been around long before now in some form or another, even if the "benefits" have not always included intercourse.\n"It could be that 50 or 100 years ago, instead of oral sex or intercourse, people were kissing their friends," Herbenick said. "This generation's willingness to go farther sexually before marriage leads to more sexual activity. It's not surprising that people are choosing to explore with their friends -- people who they are comfortable with and trust."\nJunior Elizabeth Meyer said she has numerous friends who have been involved in non-committed sexual relationships and she has never considered it to be a big deal.\n"People are busy," she said. "Friends with benefits is fun but doesn't take a lot of work."\nA few IU students shared stories about their own "friends with benefits" experiences, but few were willing to attach their names to their tales. Many claimed that when the sexual relationship ends, the friendship has a tendency to fall apart as well. In most cases the arrangement ended with one or both parties unhappy, students said.\n"The thing I see is that people get possessive, and at least one person usually has a hard time not acting like a significant other," Meyer said. "You can try all you want to, but feelings always end up getting involved." \nMeyer said the initial appeal of "friends with benefits" is the absence of boundaries or rules, but people tend to forget that after a while.\nHerbenick said there is no evidence to verify which sex is more likely to get hurt in these set-ups, but the parties involved should keep an eye on their own feelings and make sure communication is very clear.\n"On an individual level people need to decide if it is right for them," Herbenick said. "Within these relationships, people need to be clear and open with one another. Like with any relationship, you need to check in with yourself to make sure it still feels good to you"
(09/10/07 2:56am)
A panel of IU officials met Friday to discuss the changes being made in University security since the Virginia Tech shootings.\nIU Dean of the Faculties Jeanne Sept said the panel focuses on how individuals can work together to avoid a situation similar to the April 16 tragedy.\n“None of us needs to face a situation in isolation,” she said.\nDepartment officials and University professors attended the panel, which Sept said will continue to meet regularly, early and often.\nThe panel included eight officials from different parts of the University, including Dean of Students Dick McKaig and IU Police Department Capt. Keith Cash. Dialogue focused on the importance of good communication between all departments and urged anyone to call in concerns regarding a possible threat.\nIU attorney Kip Drew said after the incident at Virginia Tech she attended several meetings advising universities on appropriate emergency planning. She said IU is well-prepared, as it was even before the shootings.\n“There are procedures that have been in place for quite some time that should give people confidence,” Drew said.\nThe President’s Committee for Emergency Preparedness was formed after the shootings to create and submit a ‘campus security planning’ report. Law professor John Applegate, who is a member of this committee, said communication is already fluid among departments.\n“The issue is getting everything systemized so everyone knows what to do in the event of a crisis,” Applegate said.\nApplegate said situations like Virginia Tech are some of the least likely hazards facing the University. Security planning is also set up to organize the campus in the event of crises such as dangerous weather.\nBiology professor Mike Tansey said in the 37 years he has worked for IU, he has helped facilitate phone calls when others came to him with a situation. He said he has made hundreds of phone calls to different departments and he has never been let down.\n“I’ve never felt betrayed,” Tansey said. “I think people need to pick up that phone and communicate.”\nApplegate said the University’s top priority is finding an effective way to alert the entire campus in the event of a crisis.\n“E-mails, Web sites and texting are a part of it,” he said. “We are acquiring the infrastructure to do all that.”\nThe discussion closed with panel members stressing the importance of communication and awareness of emergency procedures.\n“Then the day the bad thing happens, you just have to do the best you can,” Drew said.