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(03/13/09 3:37am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Downtown Bloomington Inc. had its annual meeting and award ceremony in the Bloomington Convention Center on March 12.Downtown Bloomington Inc. is a cooperative effort between city government and downtown businesses to make downtown Bloomington more hospitable and guest-friendly. Awards are given to businesses for their excellence in categories of restoration, renovation, achievement, arts and music.The group’s main goal is the betterment of downtown Bloomington. The nonprofit organization is celebrating its 25th anniversary of downtown improvement this year.The mood was formal but relaxed in the convention center’s grand room. Local business owners said they enjoyed networking and sharing stories with one another. Meanwhile, local band Sarah’s Swing Set entertained the crowd.The ceremony was introduced by Mayor Mark Kruzan and the awards were passed out by board members and excelling business owners.“I hope that Bloomington business owners are talking to each other, figuring things out like budgeting and encouraging each other through this economic downturn,” Kruzan said.Kruzan went on to discuss how improving downtown can bring in more revenue for small businesses. He said the efforts of each small business will in turn benefit those around it – especially those downtown.Debi O’heran, this year’s Downtown Bloomington president whom Becky Barrick will succeed, presented awards and displayed how proud she was of downtown businesses and the image they give the city.“I am proud of how well the downtown has progressed,” O’heran said. “We encourage businesses in downtown to strive for excellence and to help us capture the image of Bloomington as city to visit.”Some of the awards included Best Merchandising (O’Child Children’s Boutique), the Historic Preservation award (Showers Inn Bed and Breakfast), New Development Award (Midtown Lofts) and Downtown Business of the Year (Wandering Turtle Art Gallery and Gifts).“I am glad to see that our local community supports downtown and the arts by not only appreciating art, but buying it,” said Jamie Sweeney, owner of Wandering Turtle Art Gallery and Gifts. “Art is not expendable. We vote with our dollars, and if you buy art, you are voting for it and keeping Bloomington’s reputation as a Midwestern oasis of the arts.”Lisa Spencer, owner of Body Balance Massage and Nutrition, said she was a first-timer and a new committee member. Spencer said she was very excited to see fellow business owners’ success, the mayor’s support and the hard work everyone puts in to make the event happen every year.“I had a great time networking and meeting other small business owners,” Spencer said. “I am glad to see small business owners working together.”The meeting ended with Barrick’s appointment as committee president. Barrick said she was excited and expects to support all downtown businesses and committee members.“I look forward to serving the community through this leadership position,” Barrick said. “Together we can accomplish more.”
(03/12/09 12:58am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Monroe County has stepped up its efforts to prevent high school truancy and dropout rates through a new court program. The new system, a cooperative effort between Monroe County schools and the county government, will call truant students in on a weekly basis to deliver progress reports. Jay True, assistant principal at Bloomington High School South, said truancy courts have been used by the school for 10 years, but they weren’t as strict as the new system and often did not follow up with cases. However, as part of the new “Live Better” campaign launched last November, the truancy court has been rejuvenated with a fresher outlook and more community support.“Our goal is not to find students who miss class once or twice,” True said. “We’re trying to find habitual truants – students who miss class because of serious dysfunctions. If we can put our finger on the real problem behind truancy, we can put a stop to the cycle.”The new model was proposed to the city court system by Chris Gaal, Bloomington prosecuting attorney.The campaign is meant to coincide with President Barack Obama’s call to reduce high school dropout rates. In his Feb. 24 address to a joint session of Congress, Obama said the United States has one of the highest dropout rates of any other industrialized nation.“I have been working for two years to get this new model adopted,” Gaal said. “I think it will help troubled students. I am very optimistic, especially with the few cases we’ve had so far. We’ve seen so much success already.”Gaal said the truancy court is part of the public education campaign “Live Better,” which targets high school students with the support of over 20 local organizations. Sponsors include Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Boys & Girls Club of America, Commission on the Status of Black Males, Department of Child Services, Middle Way House and Rhino’s Youth Center.True said the campaign has a strong coalition behind it. “Live Better” posters are all over town, and every school encourages students to do the right things: attend class, graduate and be a valuable member of the community.“The posters are colorful and inviting,” Gaal said. “Everyone in the Monroe County community should be proud of where this can take our future. We hope to put an end to dropping out of high school, which will prevent potential delinquent behaviors.”Gaal said research demonstrates how poor attendance leads to dropping out of school and is linked to a wide range of social problems such as substance abuse, poverty, reliance on public assistance, poor physical and mental health, delinquent behavior, violence, adult criminal behavior and incarceration.Judge Steve Galvin, who has worked with juveniles in the past, will be heading the truancy court. Gaal said the court will have the students come in once a week for progress reports if charged. The judge will get a progress report weekly on attendance and ethics. If the student shows improvement, he or she will graduate from the program and the charges will be dropped.“It really is a good thing, but we will use it to prevent, not to punish,” True said. “Punishment is a harsh word, and I think that the truancy court is a good teaching system.”The goals of the program are to help schools defeat the rising dropout rates and keep American schools in contention with the rest of the world. Gaal believes the only way to successfully put an end to these growing figures of dropouts and crime is through grassroots work like the truancy courts and the “Live Better” campaign.
(02/25/09 3:30am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Bloomington was host to a forum Tuesday night in City Hall on the subject of economic justice for all on Tuesday.The city’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission sponsored the forum, which aimed to encourage a discussion of the causes and consequences of the current economic crisis the nation is facing.The panelists included some Bloomington heavyweights in community leadership: Sheldon Gellar, a research associate at the IU workshop in political theory; Martin McCrory an associate professor of the business law department in the Kelley School of Business; Warren Henegar from the Monroe County Council, and Jeremy Gilmore, an academic advisor of the Office of Mentoring Services and Leadership Development and associate pastor at the Second Baptist Church. Charlotte Zietlow, economic development coordinator from Middle Way House and the first female elected to a Bloomington city council, moderated the event.David Hummons, vice chair of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission, presented the event and explained the commission’s goal in Bloomington, which is to celebrate King’s birthday, support diversity in the city and reach out to the community to create dialogue with the Bloomington residents.The event’s target is to put King’s idea of economic equality on the table for Bloomington citizens to discuss justice for the poor during this economic downturn.“People forget that Dr. King did not just fight for racial equality, he was a big proponent of equality in economic quality of life for all Americans,” Gellar said.McCrory discussed public safety and possible projects to save money and engage the less fortunate in Bloomington to get involved in education and regulation in the community with more outreach programs that will encourage discussion.“When we host events like these, our goal is to encourage our citizens to speak and state the problems we are encountering as a community,” McCrory said.Gilmore said he thought the event was ideal because it compared today’s economic crisis to what took place in the 1920s. The forum brought to the table King’s theory on general economic justice for all and received a positive feedback from everyone present.“We need events like this if we want to create discussion,” Gilmore said. “By understanding what happened in Dr. King’s life and what he fought for, we can use that information regarding our current prospective situation and how the economy will effect Bloomington’s progress during these times of economic strife.”The “open-floor” event allowed citizens to step up and ask questions or give their own opinions on the matter.“I want more of these discussion forums,” Gellar said. “We want the public to understand what is going on and to bring the problems to the table like we did tonight. We can do it if we keep working hard and improving our community like Dr. King wants. God Bless, and yes we can.”
(02/20/09 3:39am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A truck that delivers and sells cookies, parked within walking distance, might sound unreal to IU cookie lovers. But that’s exactly what Insomnia Cookies is doing in Bloomington. The store, which was located on 302 North Walnut St., has been closed for two weeks and is now running business from a truck. The truck has the Insomnia Cookies logo on both sides and a flashing neon light indicating whether the truck is open or closed. The truck usually parks somewhere on Kirkwood, Assistant Manager Nacole Costanzo said.Joe Essenfeld, chief officer of operation for Insomnia Cookies, said the decision to close the store was voluntary.“A truck makes more sense in this location. Because our store wasn’t located on Kirkwood, we weren’t getting a lot of the business we wanted,” Essenfeld said. Elaine Carpenter, the regional manager of the Bloomington store, said business is better now that Insomnia is in a truck. “Mobile is better: We can be anywhere at any time. I believe most people that go to Kirkwood already know about the truck,” Carpenter said. Costanzo said she was very excited about the truck. She said she has not had difficulty adjusting to selling and baking on the go. “We are basically advertising and selling at the same time,” Costanzo said. “Sure, we have to adjust a little. Working out of a truck can be a little hectic, but our retail is definitely on the rise.”When the truck is parked, a generator and propane tank operate the basic heating and baking functions the truck needs, said Rebecca Kish, an in-store baker. Kish said she has been working for Insomnia since August of last year and encourages students to come try the cookies or order them online. “If you order online, we offer you some very good incentives – for every three to four orders we give you coupons for free cookies sent in e-mails,” Kish said. “We will still be loyal to our customers even though we relocated to the truck.”Trent Dyer, a delivery driver, said deliveries are still operating as usual, and that he was also excited about the truck’s potential. “We are basically on campus,” Dyer said, “so being this close makes my delivery trips short and easy. Plus getting there faster always keeps our customers happy and loyal.”
(02/19/09 3:19am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Indiana Geographic Information Council hosted its annual conference in the Bloomington-Monroe County Convention Center on Tuesday and Wednesday. The event featured new geologic products and technologies from companies around the nation.The event is usually held in Indianapolis, but moved to Bloomington this year.The conference had exhibits from 19 different organizations that provide technologies and services for mapping Indiana’s terrain and other geologic information. Each company exhibited computer applications and other technologies that will be used by city, state and federal governments.“These organizations are private, government-owned or not-for-profit. They all work to improve and ease our lives,” said Phil Worrall, executive director of the Indiana Geographic Information Council.Worrall said the Indiana Geographic Information Council includes nearly 300 active members.All the members are volunteers and work together to enhance technologies used by the state to create various maps of Indiana landscaping.Some of the maps are basic terrain maps, while others are used to locate natural resources or oblique images otherwise impossible to locate with older technology. “One of the most interesting exhibits we had today was a survey global positioning system from Seiler Instruments. The Global Positioning System they are developing would, for example, help in pinpointing accurately the locations of manholes, fire hydrants and other underground infrastructure for construction or repair purposes. I think this will be very interesting to see in the future,” Worrall said.“The setting here in Bloomington is perfect for this event. We had over 300 guests; the Convention Center was perfect for accommodating our visitors,” said Laura Haley, Geographic Information Systems manager. University Information Technology Services and the Indiana Geological Survey played a big part in supporting the program. The field of mapping is very broad and cooperation from different organizations is necessary for the information and technology to blend dynamically, Worrall said. People who usually would not come to Bloomington if the conference hadn’t been here realized how well-organized and well-suited the city was for the event, Worrall saidThe proximity of the Convention Center to the Marriott Hotel, IU campus and the many attractions downtown helped the event succeed. It also cut down extra costs the event would waste money on in a bigger city.Worrall said that several corporations had exhibited incredibly advanced technologies, specifically Pictometry International Corporation, which developed “bird’s eye view” images for online maps.The company “awed us all with its new work on mapping of energy sources,” he said.
(02/18/09 3:30am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indiana residents can look forward to better-quality drinking water and wastewater management because of provisions in the anticipated federal stimulus bill. “These improvements are part of the economic stimulus being worked on in Capitol Hill,” said Jim McGoff, director of Environmental Programs.The bill, which President Barack Obama signed Tuesday, will pump money into the Indiana State Revolving Fund. Funds normally provided by the state government will instead be provided by the federal stimulus plan. The approved projects include new treatment plants, wells, water mains and sewer rehab facilities for cities across the state.“The fund has to wait until this bill passes, and then it can use the amount determined by the EPA for improvements statewide. The committee has already chosen the 12 first communities that qualify for these improvements,” said Jennifer Alvey, Indiana public finance director.According to the Indiana Finance Authority, the projects will cost the federal government a total of $36 million. The individual projects vary in cost from a $320,000 wastewater treatment plant in Dugger, Ind., to a $10 million wastewater treatment plant in Peru, Ind. The government will dispense the amount to the state. Loans, grants or any form of repayment by taxpayers will not be involved. The Indiana Finance Authority is responsible for dispensing the funding for the projects and said it is very hopeful. “We’ve been in and out of meetings all day. These projects are going to be very helpful for Indiana residents. Jobs will be created with these projects, and public health is another issue in this case,” Alvey said.These projects are just the start of the upkeep of Indiana’s aging water management facilities. “The EPA has approved Indiana for 1 percent budget increases since 1989,” McGoff said. “We will start to use these funds to improve Indiana’s water management greatly within the next four years.”
(02/11/09 4:43am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Daniel Grundmann, city of Bloomington employee services director, was named the Partnership Award winner by the Indiana Association of Rehabilitation Facilities for his leadership and outstanding efforts toward people with disabilities. According to the city’s Web site, the Indiana Association of Rehabilitation Facilities is an organization composed of at least 80 companies statewide. Each year the association awards an individual, a business, a club or even an educational program an award for efforts in helping people with disabilities. Grundmann said he has been the city of Bloomington’s employee services director since 2001. He also serves as a business representative for DiversityWorks and actively participates with Options, Stonebelt and other programs, all of which work for development of employment for people with disabilities in numerous communities. “We at the city of Bloomington have been fortunate to work in partnership with key players in our community who understand how important this cause really is,” Grundmann said. Grundmann said he is also active nationally, advocating for more education and awareness for businesses regarding the benefits of hiring people with disabilities by guest speaking at events or participating as a discussion panelist at conferences and public events. Grundmann’s nomination came from Susan Rinne, executive director for Monroe County-based Options. “Daniel exemplifies all the characteristics of a community partner,” Rinne said in a statement. “His efforts around promoting employment opportunities for people with disabilities have been innovative and have led to lasting changes in how agencies like ours help people find jobs.” Rinne serves on the Indiana Association of Rehabilitation Facilities board and was recognized by the organization for her outstanding services as well.The association will present the award to Grundmann at its annual conference March 11 at the Sheraton Keystone Hotel in Indianapolis. Grundmann said he is flattered by the gesture and hopes he can continue on with his advocacy. “I am honored that INARF has recognized me,” Grundmann said. “And I’m especially grateful to all the self-advocates, dedicated staff, volunteers and members of organizations statewide that make it their mission to advocate for people with disabilities and educate the public.”