40 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(10/02/13 3:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Friends and family filled People’s Park on Tuesday in remembrance of Crystal Grubb.After Crystal’s body was found in a corn field in 2010, an autopsy revealed she was murdered.Crystal’s family wants justice. No one has been charged, but Crystal’s boyfriend was named a suspect.“The family believes he’s the actual one that’s done it and the other two are scared to talk. That’s what we feel,” Penny Grubb, Crystal’s aunt, said. “I can’t believe they haven’t done nothing, it’s been this long.” Tanya Burton-Miller, Crystal’s cousin, said officials are using the three men who were with Crystal the night she died in order to snitch on people for using or cooking methamphetamine instead of getting the people who killed her. They had been cooking meth the last night Crystal was seen.“If they didn’t care if they killed one they aren’t gonna care if they kill another,” Penny Grubb said.She said her daughter was supposed to be with Crystal the night of the murder but she didn’t end up going. As people arrived they congregated around a folding table, where they were asked to sign their names in a white binder and were handed bottles of Kroger water with a baby blue rubber bracelet. The bracelets read ‘In Memory of Crystal.’ Green ribbons were pinned onto people’s shirts.Standing atop a park table, Penny Grubb, Bob Jones and Rob Barry played a song for Crystal. Penny Grubb said she replaced the word “Mother” with “Crystal” in “Will The Circle Be Unbroken.”Janice Grubb, Crystal’s mother, put everyone into a line, and they walked toward the Monroe County Courthouse Square. The group stopped briefly in front of the Monroe County Justice Building and aimed their signs toward it.The group received honks and shouts throughout the circle route. Rose and Abby, Crystal’s daughters, carried signs that read “We love and miss you Mama.”Colleen Moore, a friend of Crystal, held a sign that read, “I love my sister and miss her very much.” Moore said although they are not sisters, they were really close and Janice wanted her to hold that sign.Moore said walking brings a lot of public awareness that Crystal is still remembered.“It seems like every time there’s a big public awareness, that’s when the detective says ‘We’re close!’ Then nothing happens,” Moore said. This was the third year that family and friends have walked for Crystal.The night ended in tears as the group circled around Janice Grubb while she played Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” on a boom box.“Even if I’m in a wheel-chair next year I’m coming and walking,” Penny Grubb said.Follow reporter Mary Hauber on Twitter @mary_hauber.
(09/26/13 4:58am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When construction crews began work on the Interstate-69 project near her home in March, Indian Creek Township resident Sandra Tokarski noticed something wrong.Heavy rain accumulated near her home about 13 miles southwest of Bloomington, and she said she discovered in a streambed on her property a sediment runoff that could cause environmental and health problems.Tokarski argued the state has not used adequate erosion control to ensure sediment does not run into the intermittent stream on her property, which empties into Indian Creek. Although the Monroe County Plan Commission has showed interest in alleviating the issue, she said she and her husband Thomas Tokarski have received little response from the Indiana Department of Transportation and Indiana Department of Environmental Management after filing complaints with state and federal agencies.“I-69 is too political for them to do what they should do, which is to stop the project until they find a way to do it without contaminating underground waters and surface waters,” Tokarski said.The Section 4 corridor of I-69, which runs through Indian Creek Township, extends from Crane to Bloomington. Section 4 is scheduled to open by the end of 2013, according to the I-69 Evansville to Indianapolis project website.Scott Wells, a member of the Commission, said they addressed the water quality complaint in a letter to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, the Indiana Department of Transportation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. INDOT issued a response to the I-69 concerns about two months later, on Sept. 9. “As INDOT receives complaints or identifies concerns with erosion control or sediment, our staff immediately begins working on the necessary corrective action,” Elliott Sturgoen, I-69 director of operations, wrote in the response. “INDOT takes the conditions and commitments that have been set through the environmental studies and design of Section 4 of I-69 very seriously.” Significant rainfall was blamed for the sediment contamination in the water.Will Wingfield, the state media contact for INDOT, said the department requires erosion control measures capable of addressing two inches of rain per hour during a rainstorm. Wingfield said more than two inches per hour would be a significant rainstorm.The area received significant rainfall on June 26 and 27, with up to six inches of rain per hour, exceeding the design capacity, Wingfield said.“Since that time, we immediately cleaned up what was in our right of way,” Wingfield said.When shovels and five-gallon buckets were not enough to remove the sediment erosion, Wingfield said INDOT brought in vacuum trucks to finish the job.“Basically, our permit is such that if sediment goes off-site, then it is our contractor’s No. 1 priority to clean that up,” Wingfield said.Clean-up can be a slow process, Wingfield said, because once it is off-site, the department has to work with neighboring property owners to get access.Wingfield said INDOT’s erosion control measures are in place because, while sediment occurs naturally in water, an excessive amount can cause problems.IDEM Public Information Officer Dan Goldblatt said IDEM has been working with contractors to mitigate contaminated water, and they have a full-time staffer on-site to make sure of it.IDEM aims to prevent sediment runoff so INDOT does not have to mitigate the problems afterward, Goldblatt said. Goldblatt said a common pretreatment is putting down sand and rock to catch the water runoff, allowing the water to run through while trapping the sediment.This keeps rainwater and sediment out, unless there is an extreme rain event, Goldblatt said.Despite the significant rains, Monroe County Drainage Engineer Todd Stevenson said more could have been done to keep the sediment out of the water. He said spreading mulch over the ground would have been a way to help reduce the amount of sediment that left the site. “That is something that has been done in various degrees, but in my observation, it has not been done as well as it should have been done,” Stevenson said. Stevenson said the biggest problems with sediment runoff so far have been in the Indian Creek watershed.“I have been out there after heavy rain events, and I have seen the mud that has come off I-69 into receiving streams and onto adjacent properties,” Stevenson said.Stevenson said the sediment is also getting into springs. One family who uses its spring to wash clothes is unable to do that when it gets muddy, he said.“The last week or two ago they built some dams to control sediment that should have been there all along,” said Indian Creek Township resident Clark Sorensen. “They are backtracking and adding things that should have been there the whole time.”Sorensen said he has been opposed to I-69 all along and wishes people would do the right thing so the environmental impacts would be minimized.“They are cutting corners every chance they get, and it takes a toll on the environment when they do that,” Sorensen said.Follow reporter Mary Hauber on Twitter @mary_hauber.
(09/24/13 3:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Monroe County residents can now apply for a free eight-week course to learn more about their local government.The application for this year’s Monroe County Citizens’ Academy is due Friday.The City of Bloomington also conducts a Citizens’ Academy, but classes have already begun. The academy is a series of eight classes that give Monroe County residents the ability to learn more about how the government operates and how residents can become more involved, said Cindy Percifield, Monroe County Extension Office secretary. “I encourage anyone who is interested in participating in civic life or knowing more about it to get involved,” Monroe County Council Member Cheryl Munson said.The academy provides residents with a look at the functions of county government and will educate residents on activities of local government, according to the Monroe County website. “It gives a great overview of the different aspects of county government,” Munson said. “The fun thing about it is that you get to talk to department leaders and get their firsthand perspective of how their office or department works.” Percifield said this course is a good way for people to learn the services the county offices provide.“It is hard for anyone to get a very full picture of county government because of its breadth,” Munson said. “This is the best way to learn something about how our county works and where they can fit in and make contributions to our civic life.”People know how the courts work from watching television, Munson said, but there is so much more to the system than that. The academy meets from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesdays from Oct. 2 to Nov. 20. The eight sessions will take place in various county offices.Applicants must be 18 years old or older. Percifield said anyone who lives in Monroe County is welcome to apply, including students, and she has not seen an application turned away. The courses are free and funded by the Monroe County Commissioners and the Monroe County Council. Submitting an application to the academy is free and can be found at co.monroe.in.us. “It opened my eyes to many aspects of county government, and now I’m sitting on the County Council,” Munson, who took the course, said.Follow reporter Mary Hauber on Twitter @mary_hauber.
(09/16/13 4:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A U.S. government law enforcement agency is enlisting the help of iPhone users in tracking down sexual predators.U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations launched Operation Predator, which shares with the public photos of and information about fugitives and suspected child predators. The app is available for free download on iTunes or the iPhone app store.ICE is working on making the app available to other smartphones.Operation Predator users can navigate through four different sections of the app: Home, Alerts, News and Partners.The Alerts section features photos and information in hopes people can recognize and help locate fugitives. The News section displays recent news involving sexually abused and exploited children.ICE Public Affairs Officer Dani Bennett said ICE knows when a crime has been committed because of the visual evidence — photographs or videos — that the fugitives post on the internet. But the suspect is still a Jane or John Doe because they have not been successfully identified from the image.In order to find the John Doe, ICE makes public appeals to see if anyone can recognize the suspect.Bennett said the idea of the app was to make the information available to the public directly so people could download it and help. “The bad guys are using social media to post,” Bennett said. “We, as law enforcement officers, will use the same tools to do good things.”Tips can be submitted through Operation Predator by phone or online anonymously in the Home section. In order to choose whose information was to be displayed in the Alerts section, Bennett said they examined all the fugitive cases around the country and worked with agents involved in those cases. Those included were the cases for which agents thought a public appeal would be most helpful. Mary Armstrong-Smith, community partners director for Prevent Child Abuse Indiana, said sexual abuse of children is a big problem in Indiana.Prevent Child Abuse Indiana’s vision is to live in a state where children flourish, free from abuse and neglect. As an organization, Prevent Child Abuse Indiana is about stopping child abuse before it has a chance to start, Armstrong-Smith said.In regards to the new iPhone app, Armstrong-Smith said it could be helpful.Operation Predator was downloaded 36,000 times in one day.“This app is the first of its kind that specifically lists people that are wanted in criminal investigations,” Bennett said.Follow reporter Mary Hauber on Twitter @mary_hauber.
(09/13/13 3:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A raise in minimum wage was proposed in a bill by President Barack Obama in February. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., proposed a separate minimum wage raise in March.Obama proposed minimum wage be raised to $9 per hour with automatic adjustments for inflation, while Harkin and Miller propose it be raised to $10.10 per hour.Minimum wage, the minimum hourly wage an employer can pay an employee for work, is $7.25 in Indiana, which is also the federal minimum wage.A raise in minimum wage would affect the way some businesses function.Danielle Schafer, store manager at Bloomington’s Plato’s Closet, a gently-used clothing store, said a raise in minimum wage would change how much money the store makes, because the crew labor percentage would be higher.The crew labor percentage is the percent payroll takes of the total sales.Schafer said she would also have higher expectations of her employees if the minimum wage were raised. There would be less floor coverage in the store, which could affect the organization and the overall sales, Schafer said.IU Economics Professor Gerhard Glomm said if the point of raising minimum wage is to alleviate poverty, then there are a few issues that must be taken intoconsideration.Glomm said raising minimum wage is not well-targeted. He gave the example that his daughter worked a minimum wage job in Bloomington this summer. If the minimum wage were raised, it would be helping middle class teens, who would probably be using the money to go out to eat or to the movies, Glomm said.If workers were to move from part-time to full-time or earn more, they would probably not qualify for food stamps or housing subsidies anymore, Glomm said.“Raising minimum wage creates another class of people who drop out high school prematurely, and this is the last thing we need as a country,” Glomm said.Glomm said if people want to help those in poverty, there are other ways to do it.One alternative to raising minimum wage is to raise earned income tax credit. An EITC reduces the amount of tax a worker owes and may also give them a refund.Glomm said raising EITC gives more incentive to hire people than raising theminimum wage.If a fast food restaurant hires people at minimum wage, and minimum wage were to be raised, it is probable that other costs will go up. In the end, it will be the customers who will be paying for the wage raises, Glomm said.Glomm also said there are strong theories that say raising minimum wage would destroy jobs, but other theories say it might create jobs.Follow city government reporter Mary Hauber onTwitter @mary_hauber.
(09/05/13 4:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Sen. Jim Merritt, R-Indianapolis, recently partnered with Big Red Liquors of Bloomington to help raise awareness of Indiana’s Lifeline Law.Since the first home football game of the season, Aug. 29, all 13 Big Red Liquors in Bloomington have placed flyers in customer’s bags about the Lifeline Law, and informational posters hang from walls in their stores. The Lifeline Law provides immunity for crimes of public intoxication, minor possession, minor consumption and minor transportation of alcohol to people who reveal themselves to law enforcement while seeking medical assistance for a person suffering from an alcohol-related emergency.Merritt said Big Red came to him with concern about where the alcohol goes once it leaves their stores.Merritt said officials at Big Red said they felt like they have a connection with the community and wanted to be partners on raising awareness for the Lifeline Law.The Lifeline Law is made to encourage people call for help in alcohol-related emergencies when it is needed.However, the law does not provide legal protection to the individual in need of medical attention.“I am so pleased Big Red Liquors is willing to help in this important cause,” Merritt said in a press release. “Obviously they are concerned about the community they invest in, and where the legally purchased alcohol goes once it leaves their stores. I’m confident this new push will have a positive impact and increase awareness of the Lifeline Law on campus.”“Big Red has a really unique platform to speak directly to the audience that needs to know about the Lifeline Law and we felt like as a responsible business that it was the right thing to do,” Matt Colglazier, Big Red media and promotions director, said.Colglazier said as Big Red started this Lifeline awareness process they discovered people did not really know about it, and if they had heard of it, they were not sure about the details. Alcohol is against the law for minors and they should not be consuming it, Merritt said, however he acknowledged the fact that people do make mistakes and binge drink.“Keep calm, call 911 and save a life," Merritt said.In order to raise awareness all over the state of Indiana, Merritt has traveled to 15 high schools and numerous college campuses within the past year to talk about Indiana’s Lifeline Law.Merritt said the evidence that the law has been successful is in the stories he hears. “I do believe it’s working. That’s why I continue to get up every morning, to figure out how to spread the word,” Merritt said.
(09/05/13 2:22am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>More than $100,000 in revenue has come from the parking meters installed in downtown Bloomington.The meters grossed $85,315 in cash and $62,744 in credit in August. The numbers do not account for credit card fees, staff time and meter payments, which will be subtracted.In an IDS article from Aug. 20, Susie Johnson, director of public works for the City of Bloomington, said money collected from the meters will go into a fund used to provide resources to the downtown area, such as improving sidewalks, keeping downtown clean and paying for parking garages and parking infrastructures. “Everything has been moving along quite well,” Johnson said. She said no problems have come up that they weren’t able to immediately fix. Some local residents and business owners said parking meters affect downtown business and change their parking habits.“The parking meters have changed where I’ll go get breakfast,” Bloomington resident Lucas Gladson said. “It is an inconvenience to have to pay to park here.” He said he prefers using coins as opposed to credit or debit options when paying to park.Paula Chambers, owner of The Dance Circus, a dance wear store, said four of her customers came in last week commenting on the meters. “I am losing time with my clients,” Chambers said. “They are rushed, and it is not good for business.” Since the parking meters have been put in place, Chambers said she has seen her customers no longer come in to browse, but simply buy what they came for and leave.Stefano’s Ice Cafe on Kirkwood Avenue has also been affected by the implementation of the parking meters. “I used to have a group of 10 to 15 people who came every Monday for breakfast, but now they can’t afford to pay to park so they don’t come,” owner Ahmad Popalyar said. Popalyar said there has been a decrease in the people who come in and grab something to eat to go. He said some customers know about free three-hour parking, but it’s still a hassle. The first three hours of parking are free at the Walnut Street Garage, Fourth Street Garage, Fourth and Washington Lot, Sixth and Lincoln Lot and the Third and Washington Lot. The Fourth Street Garage is free after 6 p.m., daily.“Most people are really upset about the meters,” Popalyar said.Follow reporter Mary Hauber on Twitter @mary_hauber.
(08/30/13 5:28am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The proposed 1-percent food and beverage tax to fund expansions of the Bloomington Monroe County Convention Center will not go forward following about six months of investigation and public comment.The Monroe County Council scrapped the proposal because of a division in the community and on the Monroe County Council to responsibly go forward with the tax, Monroe County Council President Geoff McKim said.The vote had been scheduled to take place on Sept. 10 at the city council meeting.There were too many city officials and citizens who said they would rather work with Monroe County’s innkeeper’s tax first, McKim said, a 5-percent tax for people staying in hotels or motels.Monroe County Council member Rick Dietz said there was a strong consensus among elected officials and the public that the possibility of increasing the innkeeper’s tax should be explored prior to using the proposed food and beverage tax.“I think there are some elected officials who will find the innkeeper’s tax more politically palatable,” McKim said.”It is going to be popular because it isn’t local at all.”However, a change in state law would be necessary to increase the county’s innkeeper’s tax, McKim said. If the innkeeper’s tax were increased from 5 percent to 8 percent, it would generate $1.2 million in extra revenue. The food and beverage tax would generate twice that amount, McKim said.Because the revenue from a raised innkeeper’s tax would be less than the revenue from the proposed food and beverage tax, a more detailed analysis of projects would be necessary to move forward.The expansion of the Convention Center was aimed to make an economic impact that could create jobs and entice visitors, McKim said.“If we only do a minor expansion, it may not bring all those benefits, so there may not be a point,” McKim said.Dietz said he saw a strong consensus that the Convention Center is a valuable community asset and that it does need to be expanded to meet current and future needs.“I anticipate that there will be a strong effort to try to secure additional or alternative sources of funding for the expansion,” Dietz said.Follow reporter Mary Hauber on Twitter @mary_hauber.
(08/28/13 4:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Monroe County Council proposed a 1-percent food and beverage tax increase to fund expansions of the Bloomington Monroe County Convention Center.The increase would tax sales of prepared food, such as in restaurants or at the deli section of a grocery store, and would affect Monroe County. Monroe County Council Member Shelli Yoder said she would like to see economic development.“I actually want to see the convention center expand,” she said. “I am open to the food and beverage tax.”The proposal is written so most of the money collected would go to the City of Bloomington, although everybody throughout the county would pay the tax, Monroe County Council Member Marty Hawk said.Instead of a food and beverage tax, others are considering an innkeeper’s tax— levied on places such as hotels and motels — to raise the funds. Monroe County has a 5 percent innkeeper’s tax.“I believe that there is a majority of the council who might prefer to have an increase in innkeepers tax,” Hawk said.Likewise, Yoder said she has heard from constituents and commissioners who say they do not want to put forth a food and beverage tax before increasing an innkeeper’s tax.Yoder said the innkeeper’s tax would affect the people using Monroe County’s hotels and motels, the same individuals using the convention center.“It isn’t that folks don’t want an expansion on the convention center,” Yoder said. “It is that they would rather have it in the way of an innkeeper’s tax.”Hawk also said his constituents oppose the tax.“My district has made it very clear that in order to represent their wishes that I would vote against this tax,” Hawk said. “I’m there to vote to represent my district, and they have not been convinced that this additional tax they would pay would have benefit.”According to the food and beverage tax ordinance, the use of county revenues may only finance, refinance, construct, operate or maintain a convention center, a conference center or related tourism or economic development projects.County fund revenue not needed for expenses associated with the convention center may go to other economic development or tourism development activities.Yoder said she sees there might be an issue with the way the legislation was written.“The legislation is written that the money collected from the food and beverage tax would first be put forth for the expansion of the convention center or other economic development tourism-related projects,” Yoder said, “That can be interpreted in many different ways.”Yoder said in order to move forward with the tax, the citizens of Monroe County might need a more formal announcement of what the city intends to do with the funds collected.“I believe in the intentions of the city and county in wanting to expand the convention center,” Yoder said.William Ellis, moderator for Monroe County Citizens Against the Food and Beverage Tax said the group does not believe outlying areas will benefit.“Some of us feel the case has not been made for expansion and the numbers given have had some serious questions about them.”The Council will vote on the proposed food and beverage tax Sept. 10.Follow reporter Mary Hauber on Twitter @mary_hauber.
(08/23/13 3:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Downtown parking meter enforcement was the main focus of Thursday’s 2014 budget hearing, where City of Bloomington departments presented proposals for the upcoming fiscal year. Budget hearings ended Thursday after four days.On Thursday, budgets for various entities of the Public Works Department, including Sanitation, Parking Enforcement and Animal Control, were discussed.Discussed to help enforce downtown parking is the Rapid Response Team, which is expected to help keep downtown Bloomington clean by completing tasks such as power washing sidewalks and weeding, said Susie Johnson, public works director for the City of Bloomington. The Rapid Response team will also increase graffiti ratification efforts downtown.“They will be the team that handles weird things that happen downtown that need attention,” Johnson said.Another addition to the parking enforcement budget will be an added staff member to increase presence in parking garages. The 2014 budget also includes parking enforcement officers, who are available to assist people with parking meters.Johnson said the parking enforcement officers have already been on the streets greeting people, asking if they need help with the meters and telling them about the parking garage availability.“Two or three times I have been approached out on Sixth Street by people willing to talk about the meters,” City Council Member Stephen Volan said, “I am happy that this is being done. This is one of the more complicated changes to city policy that we’ve done in a while.”Marty Spechler, city council member, said the parking enforcement should make sure that property owners are not at a disadvantage, as those who do not want to pay to park may go to the edge of parking zones and take advantage of other’s properties. For those who do not wish to pay to park, there are free spots available throughout downtown. For the first three hours, free parking is available in the Walnut Street Garage, Fourth Street Garage, and parking lots located at Fourth and Washington streets, Sixth and Lincoln streets and Third and Washington streets. “I think it was a really good idea to leave free spots. It helps people who think the meters are an imposition on their cash flow,” Chris Sturbaum, city council member said. “I hope we get to a spot where we put in our quarters and know that we are supporting downtown. I am hoping people decide to grin and bear it.”Johnson said increases in the 2014 parking enforcement budget will help increase income from the new parking meters. As a result, the meter fund will allow investments in downtown, she said.Volan said he would like to see pie charts that demonstrate the revenue being brought in by the parking meters for the next hearing of the 2014 parking enforcement budget.“We need to know to what extent the revenues are covering the expenditure of generating the revenues,” Spelcher said. “We need a revenue and expense quota for parking. We wouldn’t have the Rapid Response Team, parking garage improvements and such without the revenue.”
(08/20/13 4:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Something new lines the streets of Bloomington: parking meters.The idea of implementing meters started in 2007, when the city commissioned a parking consultation of the downtown area, said Susie Johnson, director of Bloomington public works. Recommendations were made on how to manage the downtown parking resources, such as changing the management of parking garages and installing meters.Bloomington was not ready for meters in 2007, Johnson said. She added that street parking spaces are not growing, but are constricting.One factor putting pressure on the on-street parking spaces is the growth in downtown Bloomington’s residential sector, Johnson said. With more people living in the downtown area, more cars are parked long-term on the streets. “With the influx of hundreds of new downtown residents and hundreds more employees, we want to ensure that there is sufficient turnover in on-street parking for customers of downtown businesses,” Mayor Mark Kruzan said in a parking meter FAQ on the Bloomington website. A 2007 study was performed by Bloomington City Government, Walker Parking Consultants, the Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Bloomington, INC, assessing the availability of downtown parking. Since the study was performed, 509 bedrooms, 6,080 square feet of office space and 44,797 square feet of retail space has been built.Bicycle corrals have also replaced several parking spots throughout downtown, further limiting street parking, Johnson said.Adding meters aims to encourage people to use parking garages, consider walking or bicycling or using public transportation, Johnson said. “It will incentivize folks to take any long-term parking needs to the garages to free up street spots for people to do their business downtown,” Johnson said. Johnson said the meters will make it easier and cheaper for people who work downtown to park in a garage all day than to have to move their car to a different street spot every few hours.Money collected from the meters will go into a fund that will be used to provide resources to the downtown area, such as improving sidewalks, keeping the downtown clean and paying for parking garages and parking infrastructures, Johnson said.The meters will be enforced Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Drivers can pay with credit cards, debit cards or coins.Johnson acknowledges that nobody wants to pay to park.“Anytime there is change, it upsets folks,” she said. “But I think in the long run this is the best decision we can make for our downtown to professionally and effectively manage a finite resource.”
(06/30/13 10:30pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest are widely known social networking sites where users can connect and share ideas via the Internet. A newer social commerce site, Kumbuya, emerged in September 2012. This new site recently hired two IU alumni, Jason Klarfeld and Lee Anne Benjamin. Klarfeld, a 2009 Kelley School of Business graduate with a B.S. in Finance, has taken on the job of Kumbuya’s Director of Business Development. “As Director of Business Development, my role is to come up with tactful ways to get users and businesses to register on Kumbuya and engage with the platform,” Klarfeld said. Kumbuya Media Contact Samantha Harris said Kumbuya can be described as a community driven social commerce site for like-minded individuals to come together on things they love. After joining Kumbuya, anyone can start a “community” and become the community leader.A community can be centered around anything. However, the idea is the community leader will create it based on something they care about. Then, other members who are interested in the same things can join and everyone will collaborate based on that content.The main aspect that makes Kumbuya different from other social media sites is that members can choose to sell products or services within a community. Furthermore, if the community leader decides to allow the item to be sold, they will receive a cut.“Social commerce is what makes it different,” Harris said. “If you are on Pinterest and you like something you have to go to another website to buy it. On our website you conduct business right there, and members are able to make money from other member’s actions. Community leaders can make money even if it’s not their product they’re selling.”Klarfeld said networking is an important aspect of Kumbuya.“Everyone uses Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, but having a large following will only reward you with a pat on the back,” Klarfeld said. “With Kumbuya, you can actually monetize off of your network and build strong business relationships.”Kumbuya has almost 60,000 users and over 6,500 communities, Harris said. Klarfeld said he enjoys working for Kumbuya because he likes Kumbuya as a company itself. “We have become passionate about this platform and there is no other social site out there like it,” Klarfeld said.
(06/09/13 11:15pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Limestone carvers demonstrated their techniques Friday at the WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology, to kick off the 17th Annual Indiana Limestone Symposium.“Flap your wings,” symposium director Sharon Fullingim said to a small crowd who were trying their hand at carving. She demonstrated how to hold the tools, and let people carve away. WonderLab Assistant Gallery Manager Andrea Oeding said she likes having an event like this at the WonderLab as part of the Indiana Limestone Symposium. June is Limestone Month, and Oeding said it’s nice to have something in Bloomington since the symposium itself is in Ellettsville, Ind. This event brings a little part of it closer, she said.“We love the hands-on art that our visitors can try,” Odeing said. She also enjoys the fact the visitors are able to actually meet the limestone sculptors and work with them.The idea of the Indiana Limestone Symposium came from a trip Amy Brier, Indiana Limestone Symposium executive director, took to Italy. She explained that in Italy, sculptors would work on quarry blocks together. She wanted to model something after this back home. The Indiana Limestone Symposium is more of a workshop than what she saw overseas, Brier said. Another sculptor had his station set up in front of the Wonderlab and was carving “Inspire” into his limestone block. Terence Lankford, a limestone sculptor and social worker at Binford Elementary School, explained that he has his students choose a word to carve into the limestone. Lankford gives his students the option to use their recess to carve with him rather than running around on the playground.Lankford said it is a good project to work on because of the hands-on quality of the activity. He described the process of limestone carving as something he can focus on and let go of worries.“It’s very repetitive, and it’s fun,” Lankford said.The availability and access to tools is what brought Lankford to Bloomington to work on limestone. He has been carving for about 19 years.Other events were available to children attending the event, such as making sidewalk chalk and creating blue-prints of limestone buildings.Sculptor Sharon Collings Licata has come to Indiana from South Carolina every year since 2007 for the Indiana Limestone Symposium. “The symposium is wonderful for people who want to start working on bigger stone,” Licata said. She explained that at the symposium, people can learn many of the different aspects of working with bigger stone, such as moving and installing it.Licata said she also likes to come simply for the camaraderie. “We go to dinner together, and the newbies are always welcomed immediately,” Licata said.Fullingim explained that this is the first event of the symposium, which will be held in Ellettsville, Ind. until June 29. There are many opportunities for beginners, whether they are adults or children. For more information, visit Limestonesymposium.org.
(05/30/13 12:28am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Construction started last Friday, May 24, at the Herman B Wells Library parking lot. This lot will eventually be the new home of the School of Global and International Studies. Doug Porter, director of IU parking operations, said that the west half of the Wells parking lot will house the new building. “In the final plan, about two thirds of the existing east half of the parking lot will return as parking spaces,” Porter said. These spaces will be spots for employees of the library and handicapped parking spaces.He explained the change to the parking lot as essentially the same lot, just smaller. There will be another parking garage built, but the details have not been finalized, Porter said.“It will be somewhere in the vicinity of the main library, somewhere on the main side of campus,” Porter said.For the duration of the project, the staging area for construction will take up the majority part of the parking lot. This staging area is used for the materials and equipment, Porter said.“It will look like it’s taking up the whole lot,” Porter said.Jim Halliday, a software programmer at the libary, said that the loss of a parking lot will have a definite impact on the library, despite the number of nearby spaces that have been changed to library use only.“There are only so many spaces they can convert,” Halliday said. “I think it will still be an issue in the end. They aren’t really adding any spaces overall, they are just changing them.” According to a letter from Provost Lauren Robel, the location of the School of Global and International Studies will be beneficial. “The new school’s proximity to the Wells library and our fine arts buildings will be of great benefit to the campus community,” Robel said.In the letter, Robel addressed library staff who are worried about finding somewhere to park.“Please be assured that parking for faculty and staff will continue to be available in the vicinity of the Wells library and that parking for A and C permit users will be expanded in nearby lots and garages.”Porter expects that people will use the 11th and Fee garage, 10th street parking lot and Jordan Avenue garage as parking for the library.“Those are the places we would expect people to move to to get to their place of work,” Porter said.
(05/19/13 11:38pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“I call architecture frozen music,” German playwright and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said. If this is so, IU’s campus is a concert and limestone is the melody, IU vice president emeritus Terry Clapacs said.Clapacs was one of the longest-serving vice presidents in IU’s history and supervised the development of over two-thirds of what is now IU.Clapacs, who is working on an upcoming book, spoke at City Hall on Friday as part of the Rosemary Miller Lecture series. He titled his lecture “Limestone: The Tie That Binds.”“It’s not only a tie that bonds buildings on campus, but a tie that bonds Monroe County and Bloomington and IU together,” Clapacs said.The uniform look of IU is one of the reasons everyone likes the campus, Clapacs explained. There are two factors which create this consistency.First, the landscaping, which is consistent throughout campus in its beauty.Second is the building vocabulary, Clapacs said. The majority of IU’s buildings around campus are limestone, and if they aren’t, limestone has influenced the design and appearance of the building.Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate.There is an abundance of limestone in Monroe County because the area was largely unaffected by glaciers. “For the most part, it was never glaciated, which was fortunate for us,” Clapacs said.Part of Clapacs’s lecture also focused on the previous campus that held IU.Serving as the IU campus for 60 years, the Seminary Square campus met its end in a fire. Science Hall, which housed the school’s library, was struck by lightning. People took this fire as a sign that campus was in the wrong place, Clapacs said. This area is now a park in Bloomington.When the Board of Trustees had to decide whether to move the campus to Indianapolis or stay in Bloomington, Bloomington received the majority of the vote, and the trustees purchased 20 acres on which to rebuild the campus.IU’s first limestone building, Maxwell Hall, was built in 1890. Clapacs said this building is his favorite. He is commissioning a painting of the building which will include his dog.“I think the University got it right the first time out of the box,” Clapacs said. An interesting detail that brings the previous campus into the current one is the Rose Well House. The Rose Well House had originally been a part of the Science Building from the old campus, and was kept in storage for many years, Clapacs said. It was intended to be where the Sample Gates are today, but did not allow enough free flow of students. It now sits slightly away from the Sample Gates and Kirkwood Avenue.Two buildings on campus are not quite as favorable to Clapacs as the rest.Ballantine was described by President Herman B Wells as one of his three mistakes, Clapacs said. “Ballantine is limestone, but completely out of style with the rest of campus,” Clapacs said.The IU Art Museum also stands out to Clapacs. “I’ll tell you what I think about the Art Museum,” Clapacs said. “I love the building itself. As it stands alone, it’s lovely in many ways.”However, he said in conjunction with the other buildings around Showalter plaza, it does not fit so well. “The Showalter Plaza centerpiece is the IU Auditorium, and the angle coming out of the art museum distracts the eye of someone coming into the circle,” Clapacs said.These buildings do not take away from IU, however. “The beauty of this campus is not something that’s new,” Clapacs said. “It’s a place that’s easy to love and it’s a lot of what we all have spent our lives trying to do.”
(05/03/13 3:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A wooden box, filled to the brim with dirt, and five shovels tied with red and white bows sat in front of the IU Auditorium Monday, a ceremonial groundbreaking for the new Global and International Studies Building. This Monday marked the inauguration of the IU School of Global and International Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences and many faculty, students and scholars filled the Auditorium to celebrate and listen to speakers. Keynote speaker Senator Dan Coats (R-Ind.) emphasized the importance that students become saturated with a global perspective.“Thousands of students will spread to over 250 study abroad locations and bring knowledge back to share with other students,” Coats said.Coats also discussed shared values, which he said are one of the anchors of globalization. “Few things connect us so universally and globally as our shared values,” Coats said. Senior Alicia Nieves said her generation will be defined by global decisions, making this school necessary.“For the first time in human history we all have access to information instantly,” Coats said. “We have the potential to transform global politics in a positive way.”Vice President Joe Biden also had a word for the people in attendance at the inauguration. While he said he wished he could be there in person, a video would have to do. “Good luck to IU in your new venture, I am sure you’ll be a great success,” Biden said.Provost Lauren Robel greeted the audience from the stage Monday in a variety of languages. “Bonjour, bonjourno, namaste, good day,” she said.Following her greeting, Robel began her speech by showing photos on the large screen of various locations around the world, photoshopped to appear behind the Sample Gates. “Students who walk through the Sample Gates will have opportunities that extend through the entire world,” Robel said. “This school is a portal to the world and for the world.”One of the aims of the new school will be to help provide a campus-wide global perspective. “We will educate you well for a global era,” Robel said.Larry Singell, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said that half of the jobs that will exist when students graduate have not even been discovered.“We will be teaching students to solve problems that haven’t even been defined as problems yet,” Singell said.Concerning the groundbreaking of the new building, IU President Michael McRobbie said he is proud to note that the new building will be funded entirely by the university.The School of Global and International Studies has fostered high hopes in many, including Robel, McRobbie and Singell.“Students will not only succeed in the global world but be leaders,” Singell said.The inauguration concluded with the groundbreaking and a piece played by the IU Jacobs School of Music Jazz Trio.
(04/10/13 7:19pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Professor Jamsheed Choksy has been appointed as a scholar for the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.The commission is designed to protect rights to freedom of religion or belief and make policy recommendations.Throughout the summer, Choksy will research how political changes in the Middle East are impacting various religious communities, so he can make suggestions to the commission. The commission will then evaluate and summarize his findings and send them to Congress, Choksy said. His research will focus on the current hot spots of conflict: Syria, Egypt, Iraq and Bahrain.Part of Choksy’s research will be studying the communities and seeing what causes conflict within them.To function well, societies need to tolerate people of different backgrounds, beliefs and particularly religions, Choksy said. Explaining his interest in this area of study, Choksy said most of the world’s religions have their roots in the Middle East.“Our overall goal is to help ensure there is a smooth social transition as a society starts rebuilding,” Choksy said. The U.S. is taking more action now, Choksy said. The commission explores how the U.S. can efficiently be an external mediator, because as Choksy explained, when there are groups or individuals in conflict, external mediators are often necessary. “One of the paths for the commission is to figure out what new approaches we can take to try to help these communities better help each other and accommodate their differences,” Choksy said.Research on this commission is important to the U.S. because it has a particular interest in this part of the world, but also because it provides it with a lot of foreign aid, he said.“They need to make sure U.S. money is being spent well,” Choksy said.Another goal is to mitigate the impact on the lives of people who have nothing to do with the conflict. “We are trying to find ways so people aren’t being targeted because of their religious beliefs,” Choksy said.Currently, Choksy is signed on for one year with the commission. After that, his future with the commission will be decided. Choksy will continue teaching at IU in the fall. He will also become chairman of the Department of Central Eurasian Studies this fall.“Ultimately, we are making sure the functions of these societies there are peaceful and harmonious,” Choksy said.
(03/07/13 1:34am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU will recycle more than 5,000 pounds of plastic, metal, paper and cardboard today alone, according to a poster near a trash receptacle in Wright Food Court.For No Waste Wednesday, volunteers helped students organize their trash into the correct receptacles at Wright Food Court.The No Waste Program, which is a part of the IU Office of Sustainability, is dedicated to informing students about how to reduce waste. Graduate student Mark Milby, No Waste Program coordinator, said the program works with Residential Programs and Services to help improve their recycling system.The waste bins in IU dining halls have compartments for plastic, plastic bottles and trash only. With all these options, students can be unsure of where to put their waste.“One of the places IU definitely needs more education on recycling is in the campus dining facilities,” he said. “The most powerful way to change someone’s behavior is peer-to-peer modeling.”Milby said the No Waste Program would like to see a 40 percent landfill reduction by 2020. One of the ways to reduce trash is by not producing the waste, Milby said. Students can buy a reusable cup from RPS at any dining hall, which will greatly reduce waste.The reusable cup only costs 59 cents to fill at dining halls.Freshman Ellie Symes,No Waste Wednesday volunteer, said recycling is something she thinks is important. As dining hall customers came to the trash bins, she offered guidance about which receptacle their waste belonged in.“I don’t really pay attention to it at all,” said sophomore Bofan Chen, Wright Food Court customer. “I usually throw it all in one.”The majority of students leaving Wright Food Court shoved all the contents of their tray into the largest “TRASH ONLY” receptacle. “It is a total rumor that everything goes to the same place,” Milby said. “I’ve seen it, I’ve followed it and I’ve ridden in the trucks.”However, Milby said it is important to keep the trash separate. Milby said when a bag arrives at the facility to be sorted, if there is a lot of trash in the recycling, they will not have time to sort it, so the recyclables will be tossed. “If people think it is a social norm to recycle, they’ll do it,” Milby said. “We’re trying to make it the social norm.”
(02/28/13 4:40am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Liberal Arts and Management Program Student Advisory Board will be raising money to help elementary students receiving government aid at Fairview Elementary School in Bloomington. At 7 p.m. today, the LAMP Student Advisory Board will have a trivia night fundraiser in the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center Grand Hall, LAMP Student Advisory Board member Alex Wilson said. A make-your-own sundae bar, refreshments and prizes will be available. All IU students are welcome to participate in the trivia night. “We opened it up to all students, not just those in LAMP, to make it more fun and competitive and raise as much money as possible for Fairview Elementary School,” Wilson said. Wilson said about 80 to 90 percent of students at Fairview Elementary are from families receiving government aid, whether it is food stamps or other government subsidies.However, this is not the first time LAMP has reached out to Fairview Elementary. Sydney Hofferth, LAMP Student Advisory Board member said that last year LAMP sponsered an etiquette dinner to raise money for the school. “This is the first big fundraiser we’ve ever had,” Hofferth said.Wilson emphasized the meaning of this fundraiser.“We think it is important that as IU students in the Bloomington community we help them out as much as we can,” Wilson said.Money raised from trivia ticket donations will be given to the school to be used where needed, most likely for winter clothing and school supplies for the students, Hofferth said. LAMP has been working with a social worker at the school who makes sure the kids have what they need, she said. “A lot of IU students may fail to remember that not everyone in the Bloomington community is as well off as they are,” Wilson said.Teams of eight to 10 people will participate in trivia rounds, and students are encouraged to sign up with their team, although smaller groups can sign up and join together with other small groups.Wilson said students will compete in multiple rounds of trivia in four different categories, and there will be shorter competitive games in between rounds, such as speed puzzles. Wilson also illustrated the positive response from the community. There are more than $400 worth of prizes such as gift cards and apparel from local businesses, he said. Hofferth said some of the establishments that donated gift cards include Yogi’s, Bloomington Bagel Company and Dats. “If you come and play you have a pretty good chance of getting a lot of great prizes. And free ice cream,” Hofferth said.
(02/21/13 3:53am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Jackets were thrown off as members of the IU Figure Skating Club warmed the rink Monday night at the Frank Southern Ice Arena. Sophomore Elisabeth Bell, president of the IUFSC, said the team was practicing for its spring show, “Love to Skate,” at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Frank Southern Ice Arena. Admission is $5.The show will include ice dancing and freestyle numbers, and anyone on the team is welcome to participate, Bell said. IUFSC encompasses all different levels of figure skaters and consists of a recreational team for people of all skill levels and an intercollegiate competitive team for skaters with more experience. There are about 25 members, about 12 of which compete, Bell said. All different levels of skaters make up the IUFSC, from people who have just started learning to skate to one who has been skating for 24 years. Recently, the club took fifth place in the region at the competition they held, called The Hoosier Challenge, Bell said. The competitive intercollegiate team competes three times a year. Sophomore Kadie O’Malley, vice president for IUFSC, talked about the music selections for the show, which will include popular songs such as “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis and “Wannabe” by Spice Girls. “There is a big variety, but they’re all good songs,” O’Malley said. “They’re everybody’s favorites.” During Monday’s practice a few pairs practiced their duets for the show. Graduate student Rachel Fyall and her partner danced on the ice to “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. The duo will perform at “Love to Skate,” Fyall said.Graduate student Cori Weinel said she started learning tricks last summer with a coach in Columbus, Ind., but is also learning at practices with the experienced members. Weinel will be performing a freestyle number, which consist of jumps and spins, at the show. “I just like to skate,” she said. “It’s fun.”