173 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(09/10/14 9:12pm)
Grab some 21-year-old friends, seven or eight beers per person, something to keep time, and prepare yourself. The goal here is to drink one shot glass full of beer every minute for an hour. We recommend finding a good power hour playlist on YouTube or a music website so you don’t have to count minutes and can just take a drink whenever the song changes. Of course, know your limits and drink responsibly.
(07/13/14 10:59pm)
Before Herman B Wells took charge of IU as president in 1938, the University was a small Midwestern college with just 11,000 students. By the time he died in 2000, it had become a world-renowned institution with more than 90,000 students on eight campuses.
(06/05/14 7:27pm)
Before Herman B Wells took charge of IU, the University was just a small Midwestern college with 11,000 students.
(05/05/14 12:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Tuesday is Primary Day in Indiana.Voters from across the state will turn out to vote for the Republican and Democratic parties’ slates for the general election in November.What is the primary?Primary elections happen in May. Unlike the general election, the primary is a single-party ballot.When they arrive at the polling site, voters choose whether they want to vote as a Republican or a Democrat and are given a ballot of hopeful candidates for the respective party. Voters cannot cast ballots for both parties.The winners of the primary will appear on the Nov. 4 general election ballot.Who’s running?Though there are many races affecting Bloomington in this primary, only seven are contested.U.S. House of RepresentativesDistrict 9, Republicans Mark Jones, Kathy Lowe Heil, Todd YoungU.S. House, District 9 Democrats Bill Bailey, James McClure, J.S. Miller, William “Billy” ThomasMonroe County Clerk Democrats Ashley Cranor, Linda RobbinsMonroe County Sheriff Democrats Mike Pershing, Stephen Sharp, Catherine “Cathy” Smith, Brad SwainMonroe County Council, District 2Republicans Marilyn Brinley, Brian Ellison, Jennifer Mickel, Paul WhiteMonroe County Council, District 4Republicans Barak “Barry” Jayne, Greg KnottBloomington Township BoardDemocrats Kim Alexander, Dawn Allen, Robert “Bob” Loviscek, Barbara McKinney, Bill SturbaumWhat do you need to vote?First and foremost, every voter must be registered to vote in Indiana. You can check your registration status at indianavoters.com. If you can’t find yourself in the database there, try any other names you might be registered under and then call the Monroe County Election Board at 812-349-2690.State law also requires a valid state ID at the polling place.“The biggest thing is ID,” Monroe County Election Supervisor Ruth Hickman said.State-issued IDs include Indiana driver’s licenses, passports or student ID cards from any state college or university, including IU and Ivy Tech Community College.Those who don’t bring an ID are issued provisional ballots that only count if they bring in an ID to the county clerk’s office by noon May 16.“We don’t turn people away,” Hickman said. “It’s their responsibility to bring in whatever piece is missing.”Where do you vote?Voting takes place in precincts based on the voter’s registered address. You can check that on indianavoters.com, too.Student voters, in particular, should make sure to check where they’re registered and where the correct polling place is.“Say in 2012 when you registered you lived in a dorm and now you live in Varsity Villas,” Hickman said. “Of course you’re not on the rolls. You registered to vote in 2012 when you lived in Foster Quad.”Those who have moved recently should go to whatever polling place is listed on indianavoters.com and then change their registration address so they’re ready to go for the general election, Hickman said.
(04/30/14 7:40pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Indiana attorney general has announced a new coalition of agencies and associations that will work to curb official corruption in the state.The Public Integrity Coalition will train elected officials and public employees from local governments throughout the state in best financial practices and how to prevent embezzlement of public money.“With some additional training as to proper best management practices for accounting for the public’s money and good office practices, that might prevent some of these situations before they occur,” said Bryan Corbin, public information officer for the attorney general’s office. “If somebody does do something dishonest, maybe someone else will catch it.”The announcement by Zoeller follows the announcement made last week of a broad financial plan by Mayor Mark Kruzan and Deputy Mayor John Whikehart that would place more accountability on government officials following an embezzlement scandal with a former city project manager.The coalition, announced Tuesday by Attorney General Greg Zoeller, will build upon the existing roles of his office and the State Board of Accounts, which conducts audits of local government units like cities, counties, school corporations and libraries. When these audits turn up misused or embezzled funds, they’re forwarded to Zoeller’s office, which works to retrieve the money.“Literally, we serve as the collection agent for the State of Indiana,” Corbin said. “We can take any sorts of civil action that a creditor can take against a debtor to collect on debts.”The trainings around the state, which Corbin said will begin soon, will be done in partnership with existing associations of local government officials that represent cities and counties at the state level.“The important thing to understand about this coalition is the two key partners here are the two organizations that represent local officials,” he said. “Why reinvent the wheel when there are already two very effective associations that already represent public employees?”Right now in Indiana, cases remain open on more than $11 million of misappropriated public funds. About two-thirds of those cases have been uncovered since January 2009, when Zoeller became attorney general, according to documents released by his office.“The vast majority of those who serve in public office are honest and strive to serve constituents efficiently, and only a small minority violate the public trust and enrich themselves with taxpayers’ money,” Zoeller said in the coalition’s announcement Tuesday. “Some public corruption might have been prevented with greater supervision and training for officials and employees.”In that same time, $4.5 million has been collected by the attorney general’s office through its role as public debt collector.“While corruption is not rampant in local governments in Indiana, it takes only a few bad apples to reinforce negative perceptions among the public of all public servants, which is unfortunate,” Zoeller said in the announcement Tuesday.In Monroe County, there are currently seven open misappropriations cases that, in total, are worth $204,678 to local governments.“We’re happy to go and file lawsuits if necessary,” Corbin said. “But wouldn’t it be preferable if people simply didn’t misappropriate in the first place? Wouldn’t it be preferable if people simply followed the rules as they should?”
(04/30/14 4:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After being asked for bids by the Republicans and Democrats, Indianapolis won’t be the host city of a national political party convention in 2016.News broke this past week that the Democratic National Committee put Indianapolis on a list of 15 cities it would request a proposal from. The city was already out of the running for the Republican National Convention.“The city has studied this for many, many months when we were first approached,” said Marc Lotter, communications director for Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard. “The city already has 18 other conventions booked during the time frame the two parties were looking at to host conventions.”The mayor’s office considered the opportunities to be the host city for either convention but realized the drain on city resources would be too significant to make it work, Lotter said. The cost to the city and private donors could be massive.“The financial commitment would be double the amount of money required to host a Super Bowl,” he said.The Marion County Democratic Party, meanwhile, is crying foul. Joel Miller, chair of the county party organization, said the city refused to bid for the Democrats’ convention without seriously considering it in the first place.“My issue with what the city did wasn’t the fact that they denied it, it’s the fact that they denied it before ever even considering it,” Miller said. “I think they denied it because it’s the Democratic convention.”That’s not the case, Lotter said. Refusing to bid on the conventions was not a political ploy by Ballard, a Republican, he said.“This is, again, both political parties,” Lotter said. “This is not about one party or the other.”The Marion County Republican Party could not be reached for comment.Still, Ballard’s office and the Democrats are in agreement on one point: Indianapolis shouldn’t rule out a national party convention at a later point.Even though 2016 isn’t an option, Visit Indy, the tourism and conference bureau for the city, is always looking at opportunities like the political conventions, Lotter said. In 2000, the city placed a bid for the Republican convention. It has received initial interest in a bid for other election years, as well.“We’re considered the No. 1 convention city in the country,” Miller said. “We can put on NASCAR races, the Indy 500, Super Bowls, NCAA final fours. If we can do all of those things, we should certainly be able to come together to put on something like one of the national political party conventions.”
(04/29/14 2:20am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Before it became Building and Trades Park, and even before local kids swam in “The Blue Hole,” the lot just off Second and Rogers streets was a bustling limestone quarry teaming with stonecutters.“You can just imagine what working conditions would’ve been like here,” Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan said, standing before a crowd of union officials and community members in that park Monday evening.He was there for a Workers’ Memorial Day event to dedicate the latest in a series of development efforts to turn Building and Trades Park into a memorial for local workers, particularly those who have been injured or killed on the job.“It’s too often forgotten in the politics of today,” Kruzan said. “In improving working conditions and wages, unions are as necessary today as they were then.”Workers’ Memorial Day, celebrated each year on April 28, is a national remembrance of laborers who have died and the founding of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, according to OSHA’s website.In Bloomington this year, the event was marked with the unveiling of an interpretive sign in the park that explains the history of local industrial workers, the quarry that used to sit in its place and the surrounding Prospect Hill Neighborhood.“We’ve had a dream of a workers memorial for years, and it’s started to fall into place,” said Jackie Yenna, president of White River Central Labor Council of AFL-CIO. “We’re trying to do something each Workers’ Memorial Day to honor fallen workers.”Together, the city, White River Central Labor Council and the Prospect Hill Neighborhood Association have installed the interpretive sign, a mural depicting various trades and two 2,500-pound limestone benches carved by Bloomington artist Dale Enochs. One bench is inscribed with “In honor of all workers” and the other reads “To good neighbors,” a testament to the community of unions and residents that have developed Building and Trades Park.“It’s been a community project, really,” Yenna said.For the unveiling, the labor council and the neighborhood association brought in Kruzan, Bloomington Parks and Recreation Director Mick Renneisen and Ron Simko from the Indiana Occupational Safety Standards Commission.Their message was one of the community banding together to continue building the park. They spoke about volunteers from IU Health Bloomington Hospital across the street from the park, neighborhood families painting the mural and donors helping make the massive limestone benches and new sign possible.“The timing was right for a workers memorial and also for the neighborhood and community,” said Cynthia Bretheim, Prospect Hill Neighborhood Association president.But overarching all of that was the day’s initial purpose: to remember fallen workers.“This is a truly awesome display, right here, of community support,” Yenna said. “Remember working men and women every time you come in here. Remember them because they’re the people that strive to build this country up, and a lot of them have died doing that.”Then the sign was unveiled and the band began to play.“We have laid the wide foundations, built it skyward stone by stone,” the old workers’ song goes. “It is ours, not to slave in, but to master and to own. While the union makes us strong.”
(04/22/14 2:48am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Campaigns for the 2014 primary election are underway, but on-campus organizations must navigate University and party policies as they seek votes for their candidates.IU has a number of policies regulating the actions of employees and student groups, which are designed to protect the University’s tax-exempt status and ensure the public perceives the institution as nonpartisan.“As a political organization on campus, we can’t actually get funding from IUSA,” said Morgan Mohr, political affairs director for the IU College Democrats. “We just don’t get money from the University period, because all of our action is politically oriented.”IU takes the funding and other policies designed to eliminate the appearance of candidate endorsement very seriously, said Mark Land, associate vice president for University Communications. They were communicated to students and employees via an email last week from IU vice presidents Mike Sample and Jackie Simmons.“While a single violation of our policies regarding political activity isn’t likely to threaten our tax-exempt status, we have a responsibility as an institution to be nonpartisan as it relates to political elections,” Land said in an email. “The University takes great care to not be seen as endorsing individual candidates.”The Board of Trustees long ago established strict fundraising policies that limit not only political events on IU’s campuses, but also other kinds of fundraising, Land said.Except for scholarships and other funds that directly benefit students or the University, fundraising events are generally not allowed. This is especially true for politics.“We do not believe that we can support external groups’ fundraising efforts that do not benefit students or the institution in some way,” Land said.For student organizations like the College Republicans and College Democrats, this means finding funding through outside donations. It also means working with IU officials to ensure they’re complying with University policies.“Now that I’m leading a group, I have to make sure we comply with the University,” IU College Republicans Chairman Riley Parr said. “We’re a group under the University’s umbrella, and so we have to make sure we follow the University’s rules. From at least my look at them, they don’t seem unduly burdensome.”The campus party organizations are also limited at this stage in the campaign by their own policies, which generally lead them not to endorse candidates in contested primary races. Because their goal is to elect as many officials as possible from their party, they channel most of their efforts into the November general election, Mohr said.The College Republicans do the same, Parr said, but the organization might make an exception this year for the 9th District U.S. House of Representatives race.“At least formally we haven’t decided as a board that we’re going to change that policy, which isn’t really a policy but just something that’s understood,” Parr said. “I’m 100 percent behind Todd Young, and I don’t think he’s going to have a problem in the primary. We may make an exception in this case and issue a statement of support for Congressman Young.”For the most part, right now, campus groups are thinking about the long-term and planning how they’ll campaign in the fall. Groups are encouraging students to vote, and especially to vote for candidates from each respective party.“We know this isn’t the sexiest election,” Mohr said. “The top of ticket is secretary of state and state auditor. But those play a really important role in state politics.”
(04/21/14 2:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Gov. Mike Pence ended a week-long trip to Germany with the announcement of a third German company locating some operations in Indiana.Pence, first lady Karen Pence and representatives of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation met with the German companies, which together promised more than $5 million in investment and jobs in the state.“I am encouraged for the future of Indiana with the successful meetings we have already held in just a few days’ time here in Germany,” Pence said in a press release after the third day of the trip. “We are gaining knowledge of what Indiana can do to build upon its established position as a leading location for foreign direct investment.”The economic investment is coming from three German companies. DOT, an orthopedics company, plans to invest $4.5 million and create about 20 jobs in Columbia City, Ind., near Fort Wayne.NORRES, an industrial hose manufacturer plans to invest $1.9 million in South Bend, creating 30 jobs there.Jäger Group, which supplies rubber, plastics and metal components, will expand to La Porte, Ind., investing $4.5 million and creating about 50 jobs.“When selecting a location for growth, company executives often narrow down their choices based on what they know, so trips like this are designed to make sure they know Indiana,” Pence said in a release.Representatives from Pence’s office and the IEDC could not be reached for comment due to the state government’s closure Friday in observance of Good Friday.This is Pence’s second foreign trip since being sworn in as governor in January 2013. He led a delegation to Japan in September along with the IEDC. Gov. Mitch Daniels, Pence’s predecessor, led several trips of this kind as well.“After traveling across Germany this week, I feel a rush of excitement for the future of Indiana,” Pence said. “Germany appreciates the uniquely Hoosier talent of developing and building the products that drive growth and spark innovation.”
(04/17/14 3:37am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A federal judge’s decision to grant the first legal same-sex marriage in Indiana won’t change state law, but a local representative says it could be the first step in ending a long-lasting political debate.On April 10, United States District Court Judge Richard Young temporarily ordered the state to recognize the marriage between two Northwest Indiana women who were married in Massachusetts.The order refers only to the two women, one of whom is terminally ill, so existing state statutes banning the recognition of same-sex marriages aren’t affected by the judge’s order. The women are two of many suing the state in an effort to reverse state statutes banning same-sex marriages.“There is no change in legal requirements for granting marriage licenses,” Public Information Officer Bryan Corbin from the attorney general’s office said in a statement. “County clerks are still prohibited by law from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.”By May 8, a preliminary injunction hearing will take place. Attorney General Greg Zoeller’s office will continue to represent the state in the process, Corbin said in a statement.Yet State Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, says it’s a step toward ending a debate that has dominated the legislature this year.“All it does is point out the fact that the issue is ultimately, probably, going to be solved by the federal courts,” Pierce said. “Federal judges are ruling in favor of same-sex marriage.”This conflict between judges and state legislatures changing marriage policy has been at the center of the fray about a proposed Indiana constitutional amendment to solidify the existing same-sex marriage ban.For 10 years, Indiana legislators have grappled with the amendment. This spring, legislators delayed it by passing a watered-down version.“It began when unelected judges started interpreting the people’s statutes and changing what they said,” Sen. Michael Young, R-Indianapolis, said during the final debate about the amendment, called House Joint Resolution 3. “I’d rather have 6 million people decide this than one judge.”Before HJR 3 could become law, the General Assembly would have to approve it again before presenting it to the public on a ballot.Legislators haven’t had much discussion about how the court case could factor into the political debate because they aren’t in session right now. But Pierce said by the time the General Assembly considers the issue again next session, he thinks the courts might already have settled the debate.“It may be the case that no matter what Indiana puts in its constitution, the federal courts my very well rule that it violates the federal constitution, which supersedes state law,” he said.
(04/16/14 3:41am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With less than one month until the May 6 primary election, candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives are deep into fundraising.Incumbent Rep. Todd Young, R-9th District, and challenger Bill Bailey, a Democrat, have raised and spent more than the other five candidates running for the seat, according to quarterly filings with the U.S. Federal Election Commission.Young, in particular, raised more than $200,000 from contributions in the first three months of the year, though this will be his third congressional election. Bailey has raised close to $5,000.Young and Bailey’s fundraising advantage to this point is hard to compare to other candidates running for the seat. Most of the other people who have declared candidacy with the Indiana Election Division have not filed campaign finance data with the FEC for this quarter.“The candidate listing is not campaign finance,” said Abbey Taylor with the Indiana Election Division. “They’re candidates in the state of Indiana, but they file their campaign finance with the Federal Election Commission.”Candidates do not have to file a statement of candidacy or any campaign finance disclosures until they have raised or spent $5,000. Still others might have filed by mail, which takes two days to process. The deadline was Tuesday.In the May 6 primary, voters will choose from a slate of candidates within a party, and the winners will run in the November general election.Republican candidates are Young, Kathy Lowe-Heil and Mark Jones. Young first won the seat in 2010 against then-incumbent Baron Hill, a Democrat. Lowe-Heil is a Southern Indiana native and was a delegate to the state Republican Party in 2012, according to her campaign website. Jones described himself as a fiscal conservative in a March primary debate.Democratic candidates are Bailey, James McClure, J.S. Miller and William Thomas. Bailey is a former Seymour mayor and Chamber of Commerce president. McClure describes himself as a “Jeffersonian Anti-Federalist Democrat.” Miller, who has filed expenditures with the FEC, was a policy analyst for six years at IU. Thomas’s campaign information could not be found online.
(04/15/14 4:25am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Two Indiana congressmen will have office hours in Bloomington in the coming weeks to meet with constituents.Rep. Todd Young, R-9th District, will be in town to speak with small groups of citizens about issues and concerns.Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., will have staff available to discuss citizen concerns and help with problems they’ve encountered with federal agencies.SEN. COATS9 to 11 a.m. Wednesday in Bloomington City Hall, 401 N. Morton St.Staff from Coats’s office will be on hand to help constituents with problems they have encountered and discuss issues that concern them.Recently, Coats has been involved with legislation sanctioning and preventing the United States from recognizing Russian sovereignty in Crimea.He has also sponsored bills about reviewing federal government regulations. The Sound Regulation Act of 2014 calls for cost-benefit analysis of government regulations on the grounds that growing prescriptive regulation has limited the possibilities of American industry and that agencies are unable to review the rules they enforce.He has also called for delayed implementation of the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare.REP. YOUNG11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 24 in the 9th District Constituent Service Center, 320 W. Eighth St., suite 114.Young will meet with groups of four constituents at a time for 15 minutes apiece. Time is first-come, first-served, and constituents should call in to 812-336-3000 ahead of time.Young recently sponsored a bill to change the Affordable Care Act’s definition of full-time employment from 30 to 40 hours per week.He, too, has sponsored and supported similar bills in attempts to delay the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.His seat is up for reelection in November, and he is running against two other candidates — Kathy Heil and Mark Jones — in the Republican Party primary May 6.
(04/11/14 4:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>He’s called for sanctions, been banned from Russia and is now pushing for the United States to not recognize Russian sovereignty over Crimea.Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., has been one of the loudest voices in Washington, D.C., opposing Russia’s military actions in the disputed Crimea territory.On Wednesday, Coats introduced his latest effort on this front — a bill that would prevent the U.S. from recognizing Russian sovereignty in Crimea. It’s called the Crimea Annexation Non-Recognition Act, and it outlines seven policies related to the annexation.“A policy of non-recognition will communicate the seriousness of this situation and help reassure our allies precariously placed on Russia’s borders,” Coats said in a statement.The conflict in Crimea is a crisis of national identity. Is the Massachusetts-sized chunk of land part of Ukraine, as it has been since 1954? Or should it be annexed by Russia, the ethnic origin of many Crimean residents?Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the annexation of Crimea, claiming popular interest on the peninsula and the ethnic origin of many there as justification.“In people’s hearts and minds, Crimea has always been an inseparable part of Russia,” Putin told the Duma, Russia’s legislature, in March. “This firm conviction is based on truth and justice and was passed from generation to generation, over time, under any circumstances, despite all the dramatic changes our country went through during the entire 20th century.”In the U.S., Putin’s actions have been viewed by many politicians as an attempt for political positioning.Coats’ bill would prevent U.S. investment in Crimea involving Russia, oppose international assistance to Crimea via the Kremlin in Moscow and require a variety of U.S. agencies to take action.“The American response must be much greater than a verbal slap if we want Putin to understand his actions in Ukraine are unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” Coats said.This isn’t the first time Coats has thrown himself into this fight.Coats introduced a resolution March 5 to issue harsh sanctions and urge international punishment for Putin and the Russian government. After settling differences with Sen. Dick Durban, D-Ill., the resolution urged President Barack Obama to propose various economic and political sanctions on the international scale.In response, Putin banned Coats, along with several other members of Congress and the Obama administration, from Russia. To this, the senator responded with 10 tweets about the things he’d never be able to do as a result.He quipped he will no longer be able to vacation in Siberia, play tennis with Maria Sharapova or compare the nation to Russiaville, Ind.Putin, meanwhile, has continued to push for Crimean annexation and claimed the land as Russia’s. In Washington, Coats fights the other side.“The steps outlined in this bill will supplement prior congressional action and pave the way for additional sanctions to show our disapproval of this bully on the playground,” Coats said in a statement.
(04/09/14 3:40am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Rep. Todd Young, R-9th District, is trying to change the Affordable Care Act’s definition of full-time employees.It’s the latest attempt by Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives to change or repeal part of the ACA, commonly called Obamacare. Young’s bill, called the Save American Workers Act, seeks to raise the ACA’s definition of full-time employment from 30 hours per week to 40 hours per week.“We just recognized this is going to be a problem,” Young said. “We knew that would be painful to lower-income and middle-income Americans during a down economy.”The 30-hour definition of a full-time worker is part of the employer mandate, the part of the ACA that requires employers to provide health benefits for full-time employees with the goal of increasing employer-funded health care.Young said the problem is some employers are reducing hours rather than funding health care for employees working between 30 and 40 hours per week.“I’ve been hearing from a lot of hourly workers in particular,” Young said. “They’re unhappy with this provision. Some have spoken quite candidly with employers about this. Others believe they’ve already had their hours reduced as a result.”If passed, the Save American Workers Act would reduce the number of people receiving health care coverage from their employers by about one million.It could also increase federal government spending on Medicare and other health programs by as much as $7 billion in the next five years, according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office.IU has implemented policies that limit part-time employees to 29 hours per week. Similarly, Ivy Tech Community College President Thomas Snyder, testifying before Congress in January, said the community college has cut back on hours for thousands of its adjunct professors.Although Young’s bill passed the Republican-controlled House, precedent indicates it will likely struggle in the Democrat-controlled Senate. An analysis by POLITICO Magazine in January showed that House Republicans have tried about 50 times to repeal or dramatically change the ACA. Young has supported many such bills.“Those bills have not received a floor vote in the U.S. Senate,” he said. “I don’t know what decisions the Democratic leadership in the Senate will take with respect to this legislation.”
(04/08/14 2:51am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indiana has set a goal to recycle half of all municipal waste.There is no deadline, and no one’s quite sure how far along the state is already, but legislation passed and signed this session seeks to make the 50-percent goal a reality.“The legislature agreed that Indiana should strive to achieve 50 percent, which many others states have set a goal at,” said Carey Hamilton, executive director of Indiana Recycling Coalition. “We do have a lot of work to do. We’ve got to make recycling more convenient to all Hoosiers.”Indiana Recycling Coalition has been pushing the legislature for a 50-percent goal over the course of the past few years. The group was founded in 1989 as a lobbying and education group for issues regarding recycling and waste reduction.The goal itself was chosen because other states had already identified it and because the coalition and other supporters saw it as a way to strive for more recycling in Indiana, Hamilton said.Although the coalition has been pushing for the goal for some time, at this session it gained traction. The bill passed both houses unanimously and was signed into law by Gov. Mike Pence on March 25. State Sen. Mark Stoops, D-Bloomington, was one of the bill’s sponsors. He identified it as one of his priorities at the beginning of the legislative session.“Indiana doesn’t do a very good job at turning a lot of recyclables into markets that could recycle them,” Stoops said in January. “This is something that could create a number of jobs in Indiana.”Moving forward, the legislature is tasked with putting together a study committee to set out a plan, according to the legislation. This could include a number of policy initiatives geared toward increasing recycling in the state, Hamilton said.One of the biggest obstacles, though, is that no one is sure how much recycling is happening now. Hamilton said the coalition estimates about 20 to 25 percent of the state’s municipal waste is being recycled.“We don’t really know because we haven’t required reporting from all sectors that recycle,” she said.But the new law does require this reporting, so the state can gain a better understanding of the current state of waste reduction.“Where we are today, we know that’s going to take some work,” Hamilton said. “We know we’re not close to 50.
(03/28/14 5:10am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indiana became the first state in the country to drop nationally standardized K-12 curriculum standards this week.The standards, called Common Core, seek to align schools throughout the country so high school graduates have the skills and knowledge they need to enter further education or a career, according to the initiative’s website. Forty-five states and Washington, D.C., had signed on to use the common standards, until Gov. Mike Pence signed the law this week that removed Indiana.“I believe our students are best served when decisions about education are made at the state and local level,” Pence said when signing the bill.Common Core sets standards for English language arts and math curricula. By adopting Common Core, states choose to integrate those standards, rather than developing their own, which is one of the primary arguments of elected leaders who supported leaving the program.“Indiana has taken an important step forward in developing academic standards that are written by Hoosiers, for Hoosiers,” Pence said.Although Indiana’s the first state to pull out of Common Core after committing to it in 2010, other states are weighing the decision. About 100 bills have been introduced this spring in legislatures nationwide to slow or stop the standards, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.In Indiana, having standards that aren’t aligned with other states could mean that many resources such as teaching materials and standardized tests offered by Common Core won’t be applicable to the state’s public schools, said Jan Bergeson, director of secondary education at Monroe County Community School Corporation.“A lot of the resources created around the nation for support in classrooms will not fit our standards, Indiana’s standards,” Bergeson said. “We will need to select resources carefully to make sure they support our institutions.”State-approved standards, Common Core or otherwise, are used by school districts to develop their courses.Locally, MCCSC identifies the most important standards for students and prioritizes those in developing courses. There are too many standards to use them all in course development, Bergeson said.“We shape courses around the standards we deem as being essential for students to learn,” Bergeson said. “Standards are key. They’re our foundation.”Despite the decision to leave Common Core, the Indiana Department of Education is still going through a process to revise the state standards this spring.Bergeson said the drafts of standards she’s seen have largely been in line with Common Core.The final standards, which are being developed for “college and career readiness,” according to the Department of Education website, are scheduled for a vote in April, but Bergeson said she’s been told the final approval could be in the summer.“We’ll adjust,” she said. “We’ll make it work. I think we’re just waiting to see what is determined.”
(03/24/14 3:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Same-sex marriage, guns in schools, expanding protections of the Lifeline Law — the topics handled by the Indiana General Assembly this session ran the gamut.The legislative session ended just before IU’s spring break. During the course of two and a half months, state legislators considered divisive questions like constitutional amendments and the kinds of decisions that are made unanimously in both the Senate and House of Representatives.“The work we have done has built on the success of the last legislative session and, I believe, will lead to a more prosperous future for Indiana,” Republican Gov. Mike Pence told the members of the General Assembly in an end-of-session address March 13. “And Hoosiers will be glad to know that most of what we accomplished was passed with broad and bipartisan support.”Pence detailed successes in pre-kindergarten and the economy, but he didn’t speak about controversial same-sex marriage measures or other, more divisive questions.Here are the four biggest things that happened — or didn’t happen — in the 2014 session.Same-sex marriageOne of the session’s most controversial issues was a measure to put language in the state constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman.After a similar measure was passed by the last General Assembly, this session’s votes were the last hurdle before the amendment would be sent to voters for final approval. Interest groups throughout the state lined up on either side of the issue, including IU, which opposed the amendment.But a significant language change in the House, which eliminated provisions banning “a legal status substantially similar to marriage,” means the amendment won’t be presented to voters in November, even though it passed both houses. The earliest voters could see it is 2016.Supporters argued the amendment, which would solidify existing state law, is important to prevent judges making legal changes as other states have done, including, most recently, Michigan.Opponents said adding roadblocks for same-sex marriage would be bad for the state’s economy.Ultimately, few legislators really got what they wanted. The measure passed, but it was significantly weakened.“I’m a big fan of one-man-one-woman marriage, and I’m a big fan of the language we voted on in 2011,” Sen. Scott Schneider, R-Indianapolis, said before voting yes. “Sometimes you have to learn to take half a loaf instead of the whole loaf.”Lifeline Law expansionThe Lifeline Law, which grants immunity for underage individuals who call 911 under the influence of alcohol, was expanded to protect people in more situations.“It expands your protections if you’ve been using alcohol or drugs and you’re reporting a medical emergency, or you’re the victim of a sexual assault or you’ve witnessed a crime and you’re reporting that crime,” Sen. Mark Stoops, D-Bloomington, said when the law passed.Before, Lifeline only applied to medical emergencies.Additionally, steps have been taken to allow police and prosecutors some wiggle room when considering individuals who call 911 under the influence of illegal drugs.Throughout the creation in 2011 and expansion this year of the Lifeline Law, university student governments, including the IU Student Association, have been involved by testifying before the General Assembly and working with legislators on developing language.Guns at schoolIn the final days of the session, legislators approved a law that allows guns in school parking lots.Under existing state law, having a gun anywhere on school grounds is a felony, but the new law allows employees and high school students who are members of gun clubs to possess firearms in their locked cars in the parking lot.The bill passed the Senate 38-10 after conference committee and then the House 75-24.Backed by the National Rifle Association and gun-rights advocates, supporters said the bill is necessary to protect teachers’ and students’ Second Amendment rights.Opponents, meanwhile, argued that guns should not be on school grounds or that school districts ought to be given the power to decide whether their parking lots would be gun-free.Pre-kindergarten vouchersIndiana approved a program that would use state funds to help low-income families pay for pre-kindergarten education from private schools.It’s part of a nation-wide consideration of if and how to fund preschool. President Obama discussed it in his State of the Union address this year, and Gov. Mike Pence put the measure forward as one of his primary goals for the session.The program is a pilot that could be expanded if successful. It would give as much as $10 million per year to needy families, a range of $2,500 to $6,800 per child.Pence and the state’s Republicans have been advancing a large-scale school voucher program that uses state funds to help pay tuition at private schools in the state, which the pre-K pilot falls into.“Last year, we expanded opportunities for low-income kids to attend the school of their choice,” Pence said. “This year, for the first time ever, Indiana has funded pre-K education so low-income kids can start school ready to learn.”
(03/14/14 4:01am)
Long hours are common for Monroe County and Bloomington plow drivers, especially during record-setting winters like this one.
(03/11/14 3:44am)
This week's bills to watch: electronic delivery of insurance documents and government reductions to a variety of state programs.
(03/06/14 6:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>An expanded Lifeline Law will soon grant Hoosiers increased immunities when they call 911 under the influence of alcohol.The legislation, which passed the Indiana Senate and House of Representatives without opposition, builds on existing protections to grant immunity from prosecution for underage individuals who report medical emergencies or crimes they witness. The current Lifeline Law only applies to medical emergencies caused by alcohol consumption.“It expands your protections if you’ve been using alcohol or drugs and you’re reporting a medical emergency, or you’re the victim of a sexual assault or you’ve witnessed a crime and you’re reporting that crime,” Sen. Mark Stoops, D-Bloomington, said.Throughout the process of creating the Lifeline Law in 2012 and expanding it this legislative session, student representatives from universities around the state have been heavily involved. Members of the IU Student Association helped draft the original language and testified at the Statehouse about the expansion.Many of the ideas in the expansion came from IUSA and other student government organizations in the state, said Sen. Jim Merritt, R-Indianapolis, the bill’s author.“They painted a picture, accurately so, about sexual assault going unreported because an individual was drunk,” Merritt said. “Expanding it so that if you’re a victim of a crime or you witness a crime that you’re given immunity as well, and that’s primarily from the students themselves.”In addition to introducing new situations in which underage drinkers will be immune from prosecution, the Lifeline Law expansion establishes a “mitigating circumstance” for individuals who call 911 for medical emergencies while under the influence of illegal drugs.This mitigating circumstance would give police and prosecutors the option not to arrest or file charges if the 911 call were the only reason a person using drugs was caught.“It’s not full-blown immunity, but it allows police or prosecutors to waive any charge related to that,” Stoops said. “That’s important.”He said there is a problem of sexual assaults and some other crimes going unreported in Monroe County, and he hopes this expansion will help the county prosecutor.Stoops filed a bill this session that would have granted immunity to 911 callers under the influence of drugs and controlled substances. It was absorbed into Merritt’s bill during the session.“My original language proposed immunity,” Stoops said. “As far as I’m concerned, we don’t want any barriers for somebody reporting an emergency situation. It’s certainly more important that we’re finding out if somebody’s overdosed or somebody’s the victim of a crime than having to place more importance on the fact that somebody might be abusing drugs.”Now, Merritt said his goal is to ensure people, and especially students, understand the immunities and mitigating circumstances granted by the Lifeline Law. He will visit college campuses with Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller and speak at freshman orientation programs.Merritt and other legislators have collaborated with retailers around the state, including Big Red Liquors, to better communicate about the Lifeline Law’s provisions when people purchase handles of hard liquor.“It’s my responsibility to continue to educate the masses of kids who go to Indiana colleges,” Merritt said. “A lot of times that’s where our problems lie — is kids who have newfound freedom.”Although the Lifeline Law expansion does not include the full immunity accounted for in Stoops’s bill, he said he was pleased with the bipartisan nature of the law. Not only was the expansion unanimous in both the Indiana House and Senate, but the passage of the original law was, too.“We do have bipartisan efforts on a lot of bills that both Democrats and Republicans feel strongly about,” he said. “The Lifeline bill really reflects shared concerns.”Follow reporter Michael Auslen on Twitter @MichaelAuslen.