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(10/29/10 8:39pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District is in the north-central portion of the state and includes South Bend. The seat is currently represented by Democrat Joe Donnelly. Before Donnelly, the seat was held by Republicans.The 2nd District race between Donelly and his Republican opponent Jackie Walorski has been considered a tossup.Joe Donnelly (D)Donnelly is the incumbent of the Indiana 2nd District seat for the U.S. House of Representatives and is a small business owner as well as an attorney. Before that, he was President of the Mishawaka Marian High School Board of Education, and a member of the Indiana State Election Board.EconomyHe said he supports legislation that would close tax loopholes that he said would make it easier for American companies to outsource their labor overseas.Donnelly also said he supports additional small business tax cuts.“We are starting to see economic progress, but we can always do more to create the conditions necessary for our small businesses to succeed,” he said.To combat the debt crisis, Donnelly said he supports Pay-As-You-Go budgeting, which involves using funds that already exist within government, rather than borrowing. EducationDonnelly touted his experience as a former school board president.“I pledge to continue to work hard at the federal level to ensure that Hoosier schools and teachers have the resources they need to provide our children with a quality education,” Donnelly said.He voted to expand the Federal Pell Grant Program, lower student loan interest rates and supported legislation that he said saved teaching jobs.National SecurityDonnelly noted the importance of maintaining an active military force and said he plans to vote to ensure the military has the tools, training and leadership it needs to do its job.Gay RightsDonnelly’s official campaign positions do not discuss gay rights, but in May 2010, he voted against a bill that would repeal the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell military policy after military review and approval. In 2007, he voted against amending the definition of hate crimes to include those related to gender identity and sexual orientation.AbortionDonnelly identified himself as pro-life. “I have always and will continue to vote according to my faith and my conscience on life issues,” he said.Source: www.donnellyforuscongress.comJackie Walorski (R)Walorski is the Assistant Minority Floor Leader for the Indiana State House of Representatives. She has worked as a college administrator and for various nonprofit organizations.EconomyWalorski said she promises to fight against unnecessarily expensive government regulations, particularly on small businesses, and also against legislation that she believes will kill jobs, like cap and trade regulations.“We cannot spend our way out of this recession,” she said.Walorski listed among her accomplishments as a State Representative a vote to create the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.Walorski said among her other plans are cutting all taxes, and she said she opposes the value-added tax.EducationWalorski did not discuss plans or proposals for education policy on her campaign website. National SecurityWalorski did not discuss plans or proposals on the subject of national security on her campaign website. While she was a member of the state legislature, there were no votes related to the military.Gay RightsWalorski did not mention gay rights on her campaign website. While she served in the state legislature, there were no votes on that subject.AbortionWalorski identified herself as pro-life. She has voted against taxpayer support of organizations like Planned Parenthood.“I don’t think taxpayers should pay for abortions in this state or this nation,” she said.Source: www.standwithjackie.com
(10/27/10 3:44am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The ads plastered on the Monroe County Community School Corporation’s website and on writings chalked on the sidewalks around campus remind passersby to “Vote Yes on #2,” the MCCSC referendum which would help provide about $7.5 million of funding to Monroe County public schools.Ballot question two, the MCCSC referendum, would impose property taxes of 14.02 cents per $100 of assessed valuation over the next six years to help fund Monroe County public schools.While the ads and chalkings spread the word trying to convince citizens to vote yes, some candidates are pushing the opposite. Among them is Steve Hogan, the 60th District Republican candidate for the Indiana State House of Representatives, which includes much of Monroe County.“I think the referendum is a very short-sighted, short-term mandate that isn’t going to even touch what the problem is,” Hogan said.In his Oct. 20 press release, Hogan said the real problem is a broken system. The recent budget cuts have come from the general fund which pays for maintenance, personnel and programs. But there are other education funds for, among other things, capital improvements and repaying debts.Hogan recommended in the release that funding crises such as these could be avoided if the system itself was restructured so that budget cuts could come from these other funds instead of the day-to-day running budget of the school district.“We have $72 million in our general fund. We’ve got $52 million in a building fund,” Hogan said. “But if we can’t hire teachers, if we’re letting teachers go, I hope we’re not continuing to put money into the building funds.”Hogan said he wants to fix the problems at a state level within the legislature, and he criticized his opponent, Democratic incumbent Peggy Welch, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, for not advocating for more money to go to Monroe County schools.“The only way to fix this problem is to immediately address what’s going on from the legislature. There’s no reason in the world that the legislature in an emergency act in January can’t free up money for operating costs for schools,” Hogan said.But those involved in the Vote Yes on #2 campaign and at the MCCSC Board disagree.“Well, you know, if the legislature would see fit to appropriately fund schools then that might be all right,” MCCSC Board President Jeannine Butler said. “But unfortunately legislators are not going to raise taxes because then their constituents won’t be happy, so then schools are caught in the middle.”Butler said the problem is the state took control of funding of public education two years ago, just before the national economic downturn. This downturn, she said, affected the state’s income from sales and property tax and many services took huge cuts, not least of which was public education.“That problem created a situation for Bloomington and Monroe County Community Schools, where they had to actually cut $5.8 million out of that general fund,” Jack Peterson, communications chair for the Vote Yes on #2 campaign, said. “And that’s a mammoth, mammoth chunk of money that they did not get.”Peterson and Butler agree that school funding needs to happen on a local level.“If you look at local control of schools, which is built into the Constitution of the United States, you have to think that local schools’ control means that the local schools and the local community have a strong influence on funding schools,” Butler said.Hogan said he believes the system must be fixed on a state level, but that doesn’t mean he does not support local schools.“To me it’s inappropriate to pass a referendum that’s $50 million over the next 6 years into a mandate on what isn’t addressing the problem,” he said.
(10/22/10 3:22am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Monroe County Election Board has decided not to implement satellite voting this year. However, there may be one question left: Why? The core of the debate was the creation of early voting sites at various locations throughout the county.This year, voters registered in Monroe County can vote early at the Curry Building on West Seventh Street. However, in 2008 there were several sites open in Monroe County to early voters, including some on the IU campus.When the same question came up this year, it was not passed by the Monroe County Election Board the first, second or the third time it was proposed. The issue was very important to some residents. Students for Access to Voting Early staged a march to the Monroe County Justice Building for one Election Board meeting on Sept. 14.Republican Election Board member Judith Smith-Ille said emotions were running high at the board meetings where the issue was debated and decided.Jan Ellis, Democratic Election Board chairwoman, supported satellite voting for this election during all three meetings.“Whatever we can do to make it more convenient to vote, we need to do,” Ellis said.For Ellis, it was an issue of accessibility and making it easier for people to access early voting sites rather than having them all come to the Curry Building.“Somebody had brought up in one of our meetings that we should make voting as convenient as banking,” Ellis said. “Why not make it easy to vote when it’s the most important right we can exercise?”Smith-Ille, on the other hand, said the satellite voting decision was an issue of funds and accessibility for handicapped voters.She said, based on her recollection, the board never actually voted on satellite voting itself, but rather on an amendment that would have added to the list of voting sites. In any case, Smith-Ille said she would not have supported satellite voting for this election.“This is an off-year election,” Smith-Ille said. “Do the candidates and do I as a human being wish it was more exciting? You bet I do, because hard-fought elections are what get people out to vote. But I don’t think the satellites are necessary.”Smith-Ille said the budget for this year’s election did not provide for satellite voting sites.The other issue, she said, was that two of the three satellite voting sites from 2008 are not handicap accessible according to the Americans with Disabilities Act or the Help America Vote Act.“They have 32 criteria to make a polling place handicap accessible,” she said. “It’s the level of the parking lot, how the parking lot is paved, the distance of handicap spaces to the door to where you vote.”This is why the Election Board recommended the Monroe County Commissioners reinstate a committee designed to address the issue of the Help America Vote Act’s enforcement within the county. If those issues were resolved, Smith-Ille said she would be in favor of satellite voting locations. “I would support satellite voting, but it’s got to be mathematically a good thing to do,” she said. “As a member of the Monroe County Election Board, I will never vote for any voting place for satellite voting that is not handicap accessible according to HAVA.”Monroe County Clerk and Elections Board member Jim Fielder provided a sort of middle ground. He said he supported satellite voting locations, but not those on the IU campus.“My reasoning for that is that I feel like satellite voting should be open to different people,” Fielder said. “At each election, I feel like we need to get satellite voting out into the county where it is hard for some people to get in and vote.”He said the Curry Building is close enough to campus for students to be able to vote early if they so desire. Fielder also said on Election Day there are polling places on campus for some of the precincts, so many students may be able to vote without even leaving their dorm rooms.He said there are better places to hold satellite voting than on campus.But Fielder said opposition to on-campus satellite voting is not the same as opposition to the student vote.“I hope that just because there’s not satellite voting out on campus doesn’t mean that this will keep the students away,” Fielder said. “We certainly want them to be our voters if they want to be voters here in Monroe County.”
(10/21/10 3:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Those who remember the surge of voters during the 2008 presidential election should not expect to see the same zeal when voters head to the polls Nov. 2, officials said.According to the Indiana Election Division’s Voter Registration and Turnout Statistics, 70 percent of registered voters participated in the 2008 general election, compared to only 49 percent in 2004 and 43 percent in 2000.But this year, officials expect a much lower turnout, and generally, less excitement about this election.“It’s historical that off-year elections are not that heavily engaged in,” Monroe County Clerk Jim Fielder said. “That’s really sad because I just always look at it that if you have an opportunity to vote, you should vote.”In the 2010 primary election on May 4, only 12 percent of the county’s registered voters came to the polls, as compared to 45 percent in 2008 and 13 percent at the last midterm election in 2006.One issue, Fielder said, is that midterm elections do not generally get people as excited as presidential elections do. And even during presidential election years, other factors contribute to how many people turn up at the polls.“Historically, unless you’ve got an election that really gets people fired up, like the Obama election in ’08, you’re not going to get people out,” he said. “We do see a better turnout, of course in presidential election years, but it’s all about the candidates, basically.”Dale Simmons, co-general counsel for the Indiana Elections Division, echoed Fielder’s predictions for this year’s election.“It’s a federal election but not a presidential election,” Simmons said. “My personal prediction is that it will be a lower turnout.”The other reason officials expect a dramatic drop in voter turnout compared to 2008 is that the 2008 election was itself an anomaly.“I think you probably got a one-time situation with 2008,” Fielder said. “I would be very surprised if we saw another turnout like that in our lifetime,”But the low expectations of unremarkable midterm years combined with the sudden peak in political interest in the 2008 election has led to a 2010 midterm election in which no one can guess what the voter interest will be.Fielder said this year’s early voter turnout has not been notably high, but they have seen a constant flow of people coming in. He said the service’s usage is encouraging to county officials.“I try not to be a doomsayer about what the registration percentage or what the percentage turning out to vote is going to be,” Fielder said. “But we do have to look at the history.”
(10/20/10 1:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Between May 17 and Oct. 13, the Monroe County Voter Registration Office has processed 2,749 new voter registrations, according to its records.While that figure might seem to be a lot from a surface glance, a look at the same statistic for 2008 shows something much different. For roughly the same date range in 2008 during the previous elections, the voter registration office reported 10,140 new registrations in Monroe County.“Certainly, registrations from 2008 were pretty heavy, so the figures will be pretty high,” Jim Fielder, Monroe County clerk, said.Overall, though, the total number of people registered in the county has remained roughly the same since the last election. This year, there are 91,313 registered voters in the county, compared to 91,532 during the last election.“We have a lot of inactive voters in Monroe County,” Fielder said.He said the state has a system for determining which voters are inactive or might have moved elsewhere. This leads to some inactive voters being removed from Monroe County voting records every year.But even that system designed to streamline the numbers and maintain more accurate records isn’t fail proof.There are people registered to vote in Indiana who have long since moved out of state, Dale Simmons, co-general counsel for the Indiana State Elections Division, said.He explained even when people register to vote in another county or state, their existing registration in Indiana doesn’t disappear. Usually the state can merge a duplicate record between two counties, but it cannot do so between states.This leads to highly inflated voter registration figures, such as the 88,560 people registered to vote in Monroe County for the primary May 4. Only 12 percent actually voted, the lowest primary turnout in the past 10 years.But lower voter registration numbers isn’t from lack of trying, Fielder said.“I feel like we definitely have been trying to encourage folks to register and vote,” he said. “Voter registration has actually gotten so easy now that not a lot of people actually come in and register in person.”Though the deadline to register for the Nov. 2 midterm election has passed, U.S. citizens should remember to register before the next municipal or primary election. According to Indiana state law, students may register either in their home precinct, no matter what state they are from, or here in Bloomington.
(10/19/10 3:16am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Roughly two dozen people gathered just before 4:30 p.m. Monday in the middle of Dunn Meadow to show communal support for Todd Young.Young, the Republican candidate for the 9th Congressional District, attended a debate with the other candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives seat several hours later that evening.As people approached the group, they joined in the playful conversation which could only be described as political small talk.“How’s the hope-y, change-y thing working out for you?,” a woman participant asked. The event was organized by the IU College Republicans and was promoted and supported by Young on his Facebook page in the days leading up to the event.“I think this is a good turnout,” said junior and internal vice president of IU College Republicans Jeff Cummins. “We’ve got a good mixture of students and people from the community, and that’s what we like to have.”Most of the people in attendance were IU students affiliated with the IU College Republicans. Some had come out of curiosity, wondering what a Congressional debate would be like.“I’ve never been to a debate before and I thought it sounded like it would be interesting,” said junior Aaron Hemmerlein, a member of the IU College Republicans.But there were also other members of the community at the gathering. Among them was Bloomington resident Naomi Knirk who showed strong support not only for Young, but also for the efforts of the IU College Republicans.“We’re very proud of you,” she said to Cummins.Despite Young’s promotion of the rally and many attendees’ expectation that he would make an appearance, he was not at the event. Instead, Cummins and Justin Kingsolver, president of the College Republicans and Indiana Daily Student columnist, spoke informally about the organization to pump up the small group of people for the upcoming debate.But Cummins said showing the community that there are college students interested and active in political movements was a primary goal of the rally.
(10/13/10 5:09am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This November, there will be more to vote on than congressional representatives. Yes, voters will declare opinions about candidates for the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, but there are more than a dozen other elected offices at the state, county and city levels that voters will also decide on.Here, the IDS clears things up on a few of these lesser-known political positions.State officesSECRETARY OF STATEThe Secretary of State runs an office with a handful of duties important to citizens: elections, business services, securities (investor protection) and motor vehicle dealership licensing. This is also the third highest-ranking position in state government.AUDITOR OF STATEThe Auditor of State is the chief financial officer for Indiana. Duties include accounting for state funds; paying bills; overseeing and disbursing tax money for counties, cities, towns and schools; and paying state employees.TREASURER OF STATEThe treasurer is the chief investment officer for Indiana. The treasure’s job is to maximize the return on Indiana’s investments.STATE REPRESENTATIVES AND SENATORSThe members of the Indiana General Assembly, also called State Senators and State Representatives, form the legislative branch of the state of Indiana. Their jobs are to make laws on a state level, similar to what the U.S. Congress does on a national level. Judicial officesCIRCUIT COURT JUDGEThe judges of the Circuit Court are elected by community members. The court has jurisdiction over all cases filed within Monroe County, including everything from petty traffic violations to serious felony offences, such as murder.CIRCUIT COURT PROSECUTING ATTORNEYThe prosecuting attorney is responsible for an office of lawyers who represent the state in criminal trials within the Monroe County Circuit Court.CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURTThe clerk aids the Circuit Court judges in their role by maintaining and preparing court documents. This office also manages elections, although regulated by the state, are conducted within precincts on a county level.county officesCOUNTY RECORDERThe recorder is responsible for all legal documents held by the county, including records of real estate, elections, various affidavits and contracts.COUNTY SHERIFFThe sheriff’s office is responsible for law enforcement and correctional facilities within Monroe County. The sheriff oversees this office, essentially a county-level police force combined with the county penitentiary.COUNTY ASSESSORThe assessor maintains property records and other information related to property and property tax within Monroe County.COUNTY COMMISSIONERThe county commissioners are the executive and legislative arms of county government. The entirety the County government is under their command, with the exception of financial issues.COUNTY COUNCILThe county councilors are responsible for money use within Monroe County, including appropriation of funds, the budget, tax rates and the power to borrow money for the county.City officesBLOOMINGTON TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE AND BOARDTownships in Indiana are small geographic designations within a county that are generally responsible for public services such as road maintenance, planning, trash collection and fire protection. In Monroe County, the township is directed by a board of three members plus a trustee.MONROE COUNTY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATIONThe seven-member Board of School Trustees for Monroe County schools is responsible for the oversight of public education within the county.
(10/06/10 4:24am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Ken Florek and Jeremy Kline’s Friday nights are not those of a typical student.While other IU students hit the town, these two seniors head to the sidelines.That’s because Florek and Kline coach football at Bloomington High School North, and are two of the many IU students who volunteer or are on salary as coaches at Monroe County middle and high schools.“It’s almost like an internship for a business major,” said Florek, who plans on becoming a teacher. “I’m learning how to work with the kids and how to be part of a school.”Similarly, Kline said he hopes to coach at the collegiate level in the future, and the hands-on experience at Bloomington North is part of the appeal.But career goals and practical training aren’t the only reasons IU students are involved in area youth athletic programs. For these two students, coaching is also a good way to stay involved in the community and in football, but as Kline said, “coaching is different from playing the game.”Senior Lucas Smith echoed this sentiment. Smith is the head girls’ cross-country coach at Tri-North Middle School in Bloomington.“Kids think about others more than you think they do,” Smith said. “You don’t notice these things until you start coaching.”Smith said he first got involved as an assistant coach at Bloomington High School South his freshman year, then he moved to Tri-North as an assistant after taking a year off. When the former cross-country coach graduated last year, Smith was next in line.He said his passions for running and for the kids are what drive him.“I really enjoy working with the kids in a non-school capacity,” Smith said. “I have a passion for the sport, and I want to get as many kids involved as possible.”Behind the scenes, there are other stories brewing.Monroe County Community School Corporation,, like much of the country’s education systems, is struggling financially, and budget cuts have become a very real threat.This school year’s budget for the MCCSC included roughly $750,000 worth of cuts, which nearly eliminated salary funding for the county’s a™thletic and extracurricular activities.In the end, a coalition of parents and other community members was able to raise nearly all of the money that was cut and was able to restore more than 400 jobs required to run the county schools’ extracurricular programs, according to the group’s website.Even though that scare is done, the threat of a similar event is still present. Should something like this happen again, Tri-North’s Athletics Director and Assistant Principal Keith Bush said he is optimistic about the important role college students could play in salvaging athletic and extracurricular programs.“College students are quicker to volunteer or coach for a little less as far as salaries are concerned,” Bush said. “We’ve got people willing to give their time.”Bush acknowledged the recent omnipresence of budget cuts and how difficult it is to make those tough decisions and to deal with the repercussions. But he stressed the positive outcomes of having college students on staff coaching for area schools.“It’s beneficial to have students interested in it, and they can connect with our kids, as well,” Bush said.Coaching offers opportunities for students, too, Bush said. He said it’s a good level to enter into the profession and find out if one might be good at coaching.But for those on the front lines of coaching — the students themselves — it’s about the experience.“Stories happen every day,” Smith said. “You remember that show from when we were growing up, ‘Kids Say the Darndest Things’? It happens all the time.”But perhaps Florek best summed up his experiences with the Bloomington North football team.“It’s the thing I’m most proud of in my college career so far,” he said.
(10/06/10 3:31am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Indiana State Police is warning citizens about the danger of
accidents between cars and deer during this time of the year, citing
16,225 deer-related accidents in 2009 in Indiana.
There were 7,129 accidents between January and August 2010, according to a press release issued by the ISP.
“They happen more this time of year with the harvest coming in,” said
Sgt. Curt Durnil, public information officer for the ISP Bloomington
District. “The deer population is now getting a little more brave than
in recent years.”
Though Durnil does not have an estimate as to whether the total number
will increase this year or not, he did say the police expect the
frequency of these accidents to increase this fall.
As a result, students and residents are urged to drive more carefully.
The ISP gave some advice to help drivers avoid dangerous situations.
The press release recommended using high beam headlights whenever
possible and looking for the reflections from the deer’s eyes. It also
mentioned that deer frequently travel in groups.
“Do not assume you missed the deer because more could follow,” Durnil said in the release.
Above all, ISP advise normal cautionary measures while driving, such as wearing a seat belt and staying alert.
In the event that an accident does occur, Durnil said drivers should move their vehicles out of traffic.
“Folks don’t want to move their cars because they feel like the police
can’t do their job,” he said. “We suggest you move it into the nearest
driveway or parking lot. Get it off the roadway.”
Accidents with deer should always be reported to the police and drivers
should obtain a crash report to give to their insurance companies.
— Michael Auslen
(10/01/10 3:28am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The midterm elections are just around the corner, and with the Republican Party trying to regain seats in the U.S. Senate, the future of Congress rests with people in states such as Indiana, where the incumbent, Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., is not running for re-election.Bayh announced on Feb. 15 he would not run in the election for his seat, a position he has had since 1999. There is some speculation that he may run for governor in 2012.Instead, the candidates for the soon-to-be-vacant seat are Republican Dan Coats and Democrat Brad Ellsworth.Coats is a former Senator from Indiana who, since leaving public office in 1999, has worked for various lobbying companies in Washington, D.C.Ellsworth is currently a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Indiana’s 8th District.With a little more than a month remaining until Election Day, most recent polls released by the polling company, Rasmussen Reports, have reported Coats to have a lead of about 16 points. Nevertheless, both campaigns are treating the election as being much closer.“He is running the campaign as though he’s behind,” said Pete Seat, Coats’ campaign communications director.In 2008, Indiana’s votes for the presidency went to Democratic candidate Barack Obama. A Republican frontrunner for a major national position is a distinct shift from the election two years ago. But a Republican leading the Senate race in Indiana is to be expected, said James Madison, an IU Department of History professor.In fact, he said, Indiana hasn’t really been a bipartisan state since the early 20th century.Not only does Indiana’s history hint that the population generally leans toward the conservative side of the spectrum, but there also could be other factors at play.“When you have a unified government during the midterm elections, you get what’s known as a midterm penalty,” said Yanna Krupnikov, an assistant professor in the IU Department of Political Science. “Voters push back on the party in power.”Despite these trends, the Ellsworth campaign remains optimistic.“The only poll that really matters is election day,” said Ellsworth’s campaign Communications Director Elizabeth Farrar.Farrar also noted that some consider the Rasmussen polling method to be inaccurate, stating their campaign is assuming the real results are much closer.Some, however, are claiming that the final outcome of the Senate election is, in a way, irrelevant.Bayh has frequently voted more conservatively than the majority of the Democratic Party, based on statistical analysis from the website, govtrack.us. Govtrack is an independent and non-partisan website that was released in 2004. Ellsworth is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate and conservative Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, and he could be considered even more conservative than Bayh, according to Govtrack.So, the question becomes: Does this election matter if both Coats and Ellsworth are going to vote conservative?Political Science professor Gerald Wright said the election still matters because though Bayh and Ellsworth are more conservative than most Democrats, Coats will be more conservative than both of them. There’s also something to be said for the value of numbers, even if majority doesn’t bring votes.“Maybe Ellsworth wouldn’t go with the Democrats every time,” Krupnikov said. “On the other hand, it’s important who controls the Senate. Having a majority matters to the Democrats.”The tendency of voters to lash out against strong, single-party control of government, especially during times of economic uncertainty, will very likely mean a gradual shift away from the Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate.“The point I’d make is that the Democrats will lose a lot of seats, but that doesn’t mean they’re doing a bad job,” Wright said. “It’s a natural reaction to previous wins and fluctuations in the economy more than a rejection by the average voter of the president’s policy.”
(09/29/10 3:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>What was temporary is now permanent. That is until the Monroe County Board of Commissioners decides to lift a burn ban that was originally scheduled to end Sept. 29. On Sept. 23, the Board instituted a burn ban within county limits.The ban makes note of the recent dry conditions in the area and prohibits certain uses of fire due to an increased risk of widespread fires in Monroe County. “We’ve had exceedingly dry weather and a lack of rainfall,” Jason Oberle, Monroe County Administrator, said. “That and wind made the fire hazard high.”Specifically, it outlaws recreational fires not enclosed in a fire ring with a 23-inch diameter, height of 10 inches and open burning of any kind — except charcoal and propane grills.Burning of debris is banned as well. The original, temporary ban of Sept. 23 was extended until the Board decides to lift the ban, according to a proclamation released on Sept. 24.A specific date has yet to be released. Of course, the ban will probably not be lifted for some time, due to the continuous low amount of precipitation, Scott Smith City of Bloomington fire prevention officer said.For Bloomington residents, there are further fire restrictions, in accordance with Bloomington Municipal Code. Within city limits, no open fires are allowed without a city permit, unless they are in fire pits or grills intended for the preparation of food.But above all, officials stressed caution.Drew Daily, Morgan-Monroe State Forest’s fire coordinator, deals with fire dangers and helping local authorities decide what is safe and what is not on a daily basis.“Be cautious with smoking products,” Daily said. “Honor the bans counties put in place. Make sure fires are attended at all times and that there’s a method to put them out nearby.”
(09/21/10 2:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Around the corner from the elevator on the fourth floor of the Kelley School of Business, students can now find a one-stop shop for Kelley apparel and merchandise.The Bstore opened Aug. 1 and is now managed entirely by business students. “We saw the need for an apparel store,” said junior Alyssa Brooks, co-marketing director and one of the founders of the Bstore. “Our faculty adviser had heard a lot of professors and students ask for a place to get T-shirts, backpacks and folders.”Additionally, the store helps Kelley-affiliated student organizations raise money by allowing members to staff the store and receive 40 percent of the profits generated.“Different clubs get to use the Bstore for a certain amount of time, and their club gets some of the profit,” said senior Pat Elwood, a member of the Real Estate Club, which ran the Bstore the week of Sept. 13.The store is particularly appealing to student groups who want to raise significant amounts of money that they can use for their programs and activities, Elwood said.But the difficulty seems to be attracting customers.“We’ve had a decent student response,” Brooks said, “but we’re struggling with people knowing about us.”For now, Brooks said, the store has a relatively small inventory. Despite the small selection, students have been impressed by what they see. To spread awareness, the store will have a grand opening Wednesday through Saturday with special hours Wednesday and Thursday from 3 to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon.The store is operated on a large scale by an all-student board of directors, which is part of the Kelley School of Business Women’s Financial Association, Brooks said.The store itself is always staffed by students, and all the designs on the store’s apparel are student-made. The shop also has plans to expand to more products and new designs so there will always be something new, she said.Brooks and the board of directors said they are optimistic and confident that when Kelley students know more about the Bstore they will be more interested in supporting the fledgling student shop.Yet the store’s success in the future will rely on its ability to attract students, which some business students think is not likely to happen.“If people are looking for shirts, it won’t be the first place they’ll look,” junior Chris Dunn said. “It’s not something I see expanding much farther.”
(09/15/10 2:48am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>There’s no denying that Bloomington is a cycling town. But while most students catch bicycle fever during Little 500 in April, the members of the IU Cycling Club train year-round for races in Bloomington, throughout the Midwest and across the nation.“People who are really motivated ride five or six days a week,” senior cyclist Eric Young said. “And there are races all over on weekends.”Young, similar to many other members of the club, competes for IU against other schools in the Midwest. There are many disciplines in which cyclists compete, but the most popular for IU students are road and track. The Collegiate Track Nationals will take place this September in Indianapolis, and IU will be sending several riders, including Young, who placed third at the event last year. Recent graduate and former vice president of the Cycling Club, Matt Neibler, said Young will be one of the top competitors again at nationals. In fact, said Neibler, the IU team as a whole is likely to do very well.“They have a really talented group of kids this year,” said Neibler. “They’re going to make us proud.”In addition to intercollegiate road and track competitions, many Cycling Club members are also involved in Little 500.“The people that do Little Five and like cycling enough, do it in their spare time,” said Young, who also races for the Cutters in the Little 500.But the Cycling Club is more than competitive racing. There’s also a social aspect. The group has “no-drop” rides through town every Friday afternoon, and anyone who rides a bike at IU is welcome to join.The club also gives riders a chance to get to know other people on campus who have similar interests. Given that many members of the club compete against each other in Little 500, the opportunity to get to know other cyclists as teammates is, to junior Amy Dickman, very appealing.“It brings all the Little Five teams together,” said Dickman.“We have to work together as teammates.”Cycling Club has programs for riders of all levels: from “no-drop” community-building events to high-stakes, competitive races.For both novices and experts, Dickman summed up the cycling culture at IU: “Bloomington’s the perfect place to ride.”