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(07/26/07 12:23am)
I flipped through the previous Harry Potter book and searched for the summoning charm spell. I found it, then screamed incredibly loud. I pointed my wand toward the public library in my hometown and said “Accio Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!” The book flew to me, and as I caught it I “disapparated” back into my bedroom. Actually, all of that was a lie. I didn’t have to wait in line for “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” I somehow cheated the system and the book was given to me seven hours before it was officially released.\nI opened the book with ease and immersed myself the world of magic that has consumed my life for the last 10 years. The 759-page book had me shaking, sweating and swearing as J.K. Rowling took me through Harry’s last adventure in print. Did I want Harry to die? Were Ron and Hermione finally going to snog? What did I expect from a story I’ve been waiting for since I finished the sixth book “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince?”\nThe book begins with Harry leaving the Dursleys’ home because the protection around the house will expire once he turns 17. Harry sneaks away from the house with help from members of the Order of the Phoenix. Harry and the Order set up a decoy where they plan to fly to The Burrow with six other characters impersonating Harry by drinking polyjuice potion. Although the plan falls through and the real Harry is identified, they make it to The Burrow safely. \nHarry, Ron and Hermione all receive objects from Dumbledore’s will (the Quidditch Snitch, a deluminator, and a book of children’s stories written in Ancient Runes) and they set off to find the Horcruxes they need to destroy in order to kill \nLord Voldemort. \nFor months, the trio is on the run looking for the Horcruxes, when they realize the only way to destroy one is to use the Gryffindor sword, which is covered in \nbasilisk venom.\nThe trio ends up at Luna Lovegood’s house and speaks with her father Xenophilius about the three legendary objects that can beat death: the Elder Wand, Resurrection Stone and the Invisibility Cloak. Harry, knowing that he has one of the Deathly Hallows, sets out to find the other two. Lord Voldemort retrieves the Elder Wand in hopes of killing Harry with it.\nAfter narrowly escaping Lord Voldemort numerous times and breaking into Gringotts Bank, Harry returns to Hogwarts with the help of Dumbledore’s brother Alberforth after learning the last Horcrux is hidden somewhere in the castle.\nAfter fighting off Slytherin members, Harry finds the last horcrux, but it’s destroyed inadvertently when a spell misfires. He looks for Lord Voldemort to fight and lets Voldemort kill him. In a “dream sequence,” Harry sees Dumbledore and wonders whether he is really dead. Dumbledore explains that he is not really dead and he needs to continue fighting against Lord Voldemort. Returning from the dream, Harry pretends he is dead, and as Lord Voldemort is ready to declare his victory, the fighting in the castle ensues.\nTying together the previous six books, J.K Rowling lets Harry and Lord Voldemort fight until the end.\nThe book then flashes forward years in the future, where we finally see the conclusion of Harry Potter.\nWhen I read the last page of the book, I slowly shut the cover and gave a big smile to my bedroom wall. The last installment of J.K. Rowling’s portrayal of the boy who lived was not only, to me, an incredible way to end the series but the best way to end the last 10 years of my life. The book was enthralling, and it flowed almost effortlessly from the beginning to the end.
(07/26/07 12:15am)
Music company ReverbNation launched My Band, a Facebook application to help promote independent bands through the Web site, when the application became available July 17. \nAccording to its Web site, ReverbNation provides marketing solutions that musicians need in an online environment. Artists can use ReverbNation as a home base for their music and promote it across the Internet through social networks, blogs or the artist’s homepage. \nJed Carlson, co-founder of My Band and chief marketing officer of ReverbNation, said when a Facebook user clicks on the My Band application, it takes them to a “full blown” user profile. The profile includes a biography, band members, brand profile picture, genre, interactive tour map, links to buy tickets for their shows and a sign-up for the band’s mailing list. \nCarlson said unlike MySpace, the My Band application allows artists to upload an unlimited amount of songs. Each song can be up to eight megabytes, which is high quality music but not as good as a CD.\n“When Facebook opened up to a third-party application, it was natural to extend our artists’ reach to Facebook,” Carlson said. “It’s what we try to do for musicians.” \nCarlson said that only three days after the release of My Band, they had approximately 900 artists using the application, and that they have been adding nearly 200 bands a day since. \nNeal Moody, artist and customer service representative of ReverbNation, said the My Band application has been very well-received within the Facebook and ReverbNation communities. Moody explained that the application was received especially well by existing users of ReverbNation. \n“(My Band) integrates key parts of their ReverbNation account so easily and seamlessly to their Facebook page, allowing them to promote their band inside of Facebook,” Moody said, “which is something that was near impossible before.”\nMoody said ReverbNation has received a couple of feature requests regarding the new application. Most of the requests have been about adding the application to a group page, but because Facebook doesn’t allow applications to be added to groups, they haven’t been able to implement the suggestion, he said. \n“We talk about each suggestion an artist or user has, and in the past have implemented many suggestions from users into our own site,” Moody said. “We have made the My Band application to benefit the artist, so when they tell us ways that it could be better, we listen with open ears.”\nConor Logan, singer for the band The Logan and new media director at A&M Records, said his band started back in January with a focused goal to bring positive, hard-core rock music to everyone. He said it will be interesting to see if Facebook can really allow bands to have pages with which fans can interact.\n“Right now, I use Facebook myself for a personal page, but I can embed my music from iLike or ReverbNation into it so my friends that visit can listen,” Logan said. “But it’s still a personal page. That’s wholly different than a page that is strictly for pushing a band to its fans.”\nLogan said he feels the My Band application is important for every band. He explained that Facebook has a more personal approach than MySpace, but either way, it’s 100 percent crucial for bands to get their music across \nthe Internet.\n“The Internet is the biggest personal marketing tool ever,” he said. “Anyone that doesn’t utilize it to help promote what they are offering is really doing themselves a disservice.”\nLogan said he expects a mixed reaction to the Facebook application.\n“Some people will welcome this with open arms, but many will scoff and thus stay with what they are used to,” Logan said.\nCarlson said it’s too early to define success for the application, but ReverbNation figures it could be extremely successful if bands can adapt to the idea of individually joining Facebook and using the application.\n“Every artist (is) looking to promote (their band),” Carlson said, “and we give them the tool to do that.”
(07/25/07 11:58pm)
A Bloomington woman said she was assaulted Sunday morning near the 1200 block of West 11th Street. Bloomington Police Department Sgt. Jeff Canada said the victim was approached at about 4:20 a.m. by a black male wanting to bum a cigarette. The unidentified assailant proceeded to restrain the victim by grabbing her by the elbows. He then tried to kiss her, saying, "you know you want this," Canada said, reading from a police report. \nThe victim began screaming, attracting the attention of nearby witnesses. The 24-year-old woman's attacker fled the scene. Police said Monday no injuries were reported and that the subject in question is in his mid-30s, approximately 6 feet tall, has a skinny build, short black hair and a goatee.\nAnyone with information should contact the Bloom-\nington Police Department at (812) 349-3353.
(07/19/07 12:17am)
The Indiana Arts Commission announced July 11 that the National Endowment for the Arts awarded grants to libraries from the Indiana cities of Corydon, New Castle and Frankfort for a literary program called The Big Read.\nBloomington hosts a similar program, One Book One Bloomington, which ended in May. Ed Vande Sande, interim executive director of the Bloomington Area Arts Council, said the program has been running for the last eight years but that this year was the first time they partnered with The Big Read program. \nVande Sande explained the program ran independently with the help of a few corporations. He said the grant was approximately $10,000 and covered nearly 80 percent of the program.\n“When this grant became available, we jumped all over it,” Vande Sande said.\nVande Sande explained that the program ran independently with the help of a few corporations. With the NEA grant, they were able to have 18 different activities ranging from book readings in Monroe County Jail to a Tibetan fire purification ceremony. Bloomington had more activities to date than any municipality that participated in The Big Read, he said. \n“(We’ve) never been able to reach out because we didn’t have the funding to do it,” Vande Sande said. “It was really great. (The Big Read) brought in demographics and people that weren’t used to interacting with the arts council.”\nThe selected book for the program this year was Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451.”\nPaulette Beete, public affairs specialist for the NEA, said The Big Read began in 2006 when the NEA launched a pilot phase of the program. In 2007 they began their first year as a national program. The Big Read has two cycles in the program, running from January to June and September to December.\nBeete said the program developed out of a response to the NEA report “Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America.” The report listed 10 key points that identified a decline in literary reading among American adults.\n“We’re hoping we will be able to make reading a center of American public life,” Beete said.\nAccording to the report written by Dana Gioia, chairman of the NEA, the accelerating declines in literary reading among all demographic groups of American adults indicate an “imminent cultural crisis.” The report says “at the current rate of loss, literary reading as a leisure activity will virtually disappear in half a century.”\nGioia was unable to be reached for an interview before press time.\n“It is time to inspire a nationwide renaissance of literary reading and bring the transformative power of literature into the lives of all citizens,” according to the report. \nBeete explained the NEA wants the public to discuss novels with the same kind of enthusiasm as they would for “American Idol” or “America’s Top Model.” \n“The reason this is important (is) reading is the skill you constantly have to work at,” Beete said.\nShe said the program awarded both cycles with more than \n$2 milllion between approximately 200 communities around the nation. Beete said the program is highly competitive and that the NEA will be announcing the communities for cycle one for 2008 in November.\nVande Sande said Bloom-\nington will definitely be participating in the program in 2008 but would not know until after the fall what book the community would be reading. He said the program was phenomenal and feels it was a great chance for the community to come together.\n“It really helped highlight in a lot of different areas the joy and importance of reading,” he said.
(07/18/07 11:40pm)
J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye,” has been mod-ernized to fit our generation in Stephen Chbosky’s “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.”\nWritten in the form of letters to the reader, the story begins with the narrator, who calls himself Charlie, describing a high school guidance counselor appointment, after a student commits suicide. His writing is fueled by naivety, which is sometimes unbelievable but still captivating.\nThe story travels through Charlie’s first year as a high school student, bringing him to terms with love, sex, death and drugs. During his first couple weeks of school, he meets Patrick and Sam, who both eventually become his close friends. Throughout the year, Charlie finds himself falling in love with Sam and dealing with different cliques and challenges of high school.\nDuring the book, Charlie’s friends describe him as being a wallflower, always observing what is around him. Although he has his ups and downs in life, he learns through his friends and teachers that reaching that feeling of being infinite isn’t impossible.\nOne of the story’s most emotional and memorable scenes is when Charlie reads Patrick a poem, which is said to be a suicide note.\nThe story has the ability to make you laugh and cry while being able to drag you back into the world of high school. Even though the story ends on a relatively low note, it’s hard to hate it as a whole. Despite its unfortunate ending, it’s almost impossible to feel disconnected from any of the characters in the book. \nIt is barely more than 200 pages long and is a quick read for anyone looking to read a story modeled for our generation of geeks, freaks, punks and preps.\nThis coming-of-age tale effortlessly brings you into the mind of the current-day Holden Caulfield to prove that being a wallflower has its perks after all.
(07/11/07 10:54pm)
You know those songs you play on repeat or those movies you watch over and over? If you have any of those, “Ordinary People” will be the book you read cover to cover multiple times.\n“Ordinary People” is a novel about the Jarrets, the “perfect” family. Parents Beth and Calvin Jarret appear to be a happy couple with two sons, Buck and Conrad. After Buck dies and Conrad attempts to commit suicide, the Jarrets go through the pain and process of healing their family.\nWritten in a third-person limited omniscient narrative, the narrator, Guest, throws you into the life of the Jarrets a year after Buck dies. Conrad, who is still coping with the loss of his brother, has just been released from a psychiatric hospital for slashing his wrists in the bathroom. He attempts to go on with his life by getting back into his normal routine but still has difficulty with everyday life.\nCalvin suggests Conrad go see Dr. Tyrone Berger, a local psychiatrist. Conrad, who initially resists, finally goes, and learns to trust Dr. Berger, who helps him come to terms with Buck’s death. Calvin eventually visits Dr. Berger after feeling like he’s reached his midlife crisis.\nThroughout the book, Beth is virtually lifeless as she tries to deal with her son’s death. Her inability to love Conrad causes her to be distant and creates friction between her and Calvin. \nThe book flows naturally as it takes the reader through the trials and tribulations of life. Guest makes it possible not only to know the characters but to feel their heartbreak. She reminds us that things don’t always end with a smile, and sometimes, we have to make the best with what we have.\nIf you haven’t read a great book in a long time, “Ordinary People” will restore your faith in literature.
(07/08/07 9:59pm)
Bloomington singer and songwriter Jenn Cristy sets up her keyboard for a free concert at Third Street Park. As she checks her microphone, the crowd moves in and sets their blankets on the grass. Children are laughing, dancing and playing with each other. Cristy’s 4-year-old daughter, April, runs around her father, Ben Strawn.\nApril, who is wearing a red cowboy hat with a “Jenn Cristy” pin tacked into it, hugs her father and smiles. She says she’s proud of her mother. As Cristy gets ready to begin the concert, April looks up and says, “Hey, there’s Mommy!”\nCristy opens her set with a new song called “Collide,” which describes waiting for the good and bad things in life to crash into each other. She transitions right into the next song as approximately 400 audience members cheer her performance. \nDrummer Dave Dwinell has been playing behind Cristy for almost two years and feels they work well together. He said he likes the kind of product she’s making and feels other people like it, too. He said the main charm of Cristy’s music is that it appeals to a wide range of audiences. \nDwinell said Cristy’s music has matured since he started working for her, and she has become more confident about her work over the last two years.\nBloomington resident Beth Smith waited near the stage with her two children. She said she knows Cristy and her music because she used to work with Ben Strawn. \n“She’s very upbeat and friendly (on stage),” Smith said. “It’s not an act.”\nCristy said she’s been singing for as long as she could remember. She never took lessons as a child, but she sang in the choir and made up songs. Cristy said she wrote her first song when she was 11 and still remembers it.\nCristy started playing the flute and piano in elementary school, but switched to percussion in high school. During her senior year, she picked up the violin. Cristy also began playing guitar, oboe and trumpet while enrolled at IU.\nShe met John Mellencamp when she was a sophomore at IU. Two years later, she met him again and recorded with him on his CD “Cuttin’ Heads.” She said she played flute and percussion on the CD, and it was a brand new experience for her because she had never before recorded professionally.\nCristy attended IU for four years on a full swimming scholarship. She practiced swimming eight hours a day, and said she had to put her music on hold while she was swimming. However, once swimming was done, she returned to music.\n“The only thing I really carried from swimming to music is the heart-work,” Cristy said. “It’s a 24-hour job.”\nCristy met her husband through IU swimming. Strawn helped with the diving team and Cristy used to say hello to him every day for five years before she finally asked him out on a date while resting between tours. They have been married five years.\nStrawn said Cristy teaches him to be a better person and he learns something new from her every day. He said each song she writes is better than the last, and she has become more socially conscious, speaking out on issues about which she has strong opinions. \n“(She) becomes more and more passionate about what she does,” Strawn said.\nDrawing a lot of influence from Ben Folds, Queen, Billy Joel and Peter Gabriel, Cristy released her second album in 2006. She said that, although her first album was jazz-orientated, her second production focused more on rock ’n’ roll.\nAlthough she said she doesn’t like to make plans, Cristy hopes to get back into the studio this winter for a spring release. She said she’s keeping her fingers crossed, but sometimes things don’t always work out the way they are expected to, so she might not get into the studio that early.\n“It’s very expensive to go through that whole process, and I don’t want to rush any stage of it,” she said. “I am eager, though.”\nDespite the difficulties involved with booking shows at local bars in Bloomington, she said she hopes that, as the band grows, she’ll be able to play more shows in town. She said she loves playing in Bloomington, and the overall response to her music has been great.\n“People come up and say the most amazing things about my playing and my singing,” Cristy said. “It’s incredibly overwhelming sometimes, but I make sure it doesn’t get to my head because I always I feel I could get better. We all make mistakes.”
(07/06/07 12:24am)
A theme throughout Bloomington’s Fourth of July parade Wednesday morning was not only America’s freedom, but the call to support the \nnation’s troops.\nTalisha Coppock, executive director of Downtown Bloomington Inc., said she feels it’s important to support and honor the U.S. troops. \n“One of the reasons we have Independence Day is to recognize our current troops and veterans,” Coppock said. “Our hearts are with them.” \nAfter the Bloomington Community Band played the Star-Spangled Banner, the floats \nbegan flooding Fifth Street for the parade. The Bloomington Fire and Police departments led the way and were followed by the Bloomington Hospital Ambulance Service and paramedics. \nCoppock said the parade was sponsored by the American Legion Burton Woolery Post 18, 1800 West Third St., and hired approximately 50 volunteers for the event. She said nearly 10,000 residents were expected to line the streets for the parade.\n“We want to continue the tradition of (the) Fourth of July,” Coppock said. “We’re happy to see so many people out.” \nThe parade’s route ran down College Avenue and up Walnut Street, between 11th and Fifth Streets and lasted approximately an hour. Organizations such as Veterans of Foreign Wars, AMVETS, Red Hats and Purple Chaps, Clear Creek Cub Scout Group and the City of Bloomington participated in this year’s parade.\nMayor Mark Kruzan, Bloomington City Councilman David Sabbagh, Grand Marshalls Mike Pate and Buddy Newlin, and the Monroe County Fair Queen and IDS reporter Kate Middleton had their own floats in the parade. Each float had something different to offer the crowd; some floats distributed candy, while others gave out American flags.\nAfter the parade was over, judges announced the winners for the floats. The best overall float during the parade was Red Hats and Purple Chaps, a group of women riding horses.\nBill and Diane Hall said they are both in the U.S. Air Force. Diane Hall said they usually see fireworks in Fairfax, Va., but they were back in Bloomington for the holiday.\nThe Halls attended with their three children Ryan, Lucy and Wilson. Ryan was holding a red, white and blue baseball cap filled with candy that was thrown to the crowd from the floats.\n“It was great, we haven’t been to this parade in forever,” Diane Hall said. “It was fun.” \nBloomington resident Tricia Souhrada and her friend’s daughter Elizabeth Tilghman both said the event was brilliant. Tilghman said this was her first parade, and she enjoyed when the crowd received candy. \nThe Fourth of July celebration ended with The Stardusters Jazz Band playing from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. \nCoppock said planning for the event costs approximately $6,000. She explained that the veterans are a large part of the celebration and without them the event would be nearly impossible. \n“The veterans are a huge help with putting on the parade,” Coppock said. “It’s a lot of work that they put into everything.”
(07/05/07 5:15pm)
Vendors under red, white and blue tents sold Kettle corn, Polish sausage and Hawaiian shaved ice while bands entertained the crowd that began filling the north lot of Memorial Stadium on Tuesday night for the Amvets Post 2000 Independence Day Fireworks show. \nAmvets, along with other Veterans organizations, celebrates Independence day by hosting family gatherings and fireworks.\nDavid Cobb, chairman of the fireworks committee, said the entire event is paid for through donations and costs around $35,000. He said the fireworks display, which is provided by Sky Magic Pyrotechnics, is one of the biggest in the state and uses about $25,000 worth of fireworks. \nAbout 50,000 to 60,000 people attend the event every year, he said. \n“Whether you donate or not,” Cobb said. “You’ll have a good time.” \nCobb said the fireworks display was held the day before the Fourth of July because of daylight-savings time. Cobb explained that he didn’t want families to get home late and have to work the next day. \n“We’re celebrating Independence Day, not the Fourth of July,” Cobb said. \nMark and Yvonne Freeman and their son Ryan were busy for most of the night conducting their family’s John Deere tractor-powered train ride. Yvonne said they had just bought the train the night before in Kentucky and felt it would be a good addition to the event. \nThe Freemans own a farm that opens every October for pumpkin-picking and hay rides. Mark Freeman said because of their experiences with the pumpkin farm, he knew the train ride would be an instant hit with the children. Yvonne Freeman said her husband enjoys entertaining children. \n“He lives for this,” she said. “We call him our entertain-ment director.” \nRyan, 10, conducted the train around the parking lot of the stadium as younger children filled the seven train cars behind him. Ryan said navigating the train was really fun, and he is looking forward to doing it again. \n“I just asked my dad (to conduct the train),” Ryan said, “and he was too big to get in it.” \nBloomington City Councilman David Sabbagh and U.S. Rep. Baron Hill, D-9th, were among the crowd, and both gave short speeches before bands covering varying genres of music took the stage. Hill explained how important the holiday is for the men and women fighting overseas and how the residents of Bloomington need to “carry on the idea of freedom.” \nMike Williams, owner of Sky Magic Pyrotechnics, was setting up the fireworks prior to shooting them off at 10:15 p.m. The whole display lasted between 20 and 30 minutes, and each blast differed depending on the size of the shell. \n“We just try to light up the sky,” Williams said.
(07/02/07 1:06am)
As Independence Day gets closer and fireworks sales skyrocket, the Bloomington Police and Fire departments warned residents about the dangers of using fireworks.\nBloomington Fire Department Chief Jeff Barlow explained that consumer fireworks can be hazardous. He said the fire department received a safety video that talked about a 3-year-old child who was killed after he was hit in the head with a bottle rocket.\n“It’s dangerous to shoot off fireworks, and it’s dangerous to be reckoned with,” Barlow said. “It only takes a second.” \nBarlow suggested residents watch professional fireworks shows rather than shooting off their own from a backyard. But he said that, if someone is going to shoot off fireworks on their own property, they should always use a cleared, open area and wear safety goggles.\nBarlow said residents should always keep a fire-extinguishing mechanism available when shooting fireworks, such as a bucket of water, a hose or a fire extinguisher. He said even simple fireworks such as sparklers can reach temperatures as high as 1,000 degrees. \nHe also urged residents to call the fire department if they think their fireworks might have started a fire.\n“Even if it’s small, don’t hesitate,” he said. \nBarlow said since 2000 there have only been four fireworks-related fires reported in Bloomington. Two were vegetation fires, and the others were a structure fire and a vehicle fire, he said.\nAccording to Indiana law, on the Fourth of July consumer fireworks can be used between the hours of 10 a.m. and midnight. Fireworks can be used between 5 p.m. and two hours after sunset for five days following the holiday. \nBarlow said the law only allows residents to shoot off their own fireworks in three special locations: their own private property, the private property of someone else who has given permission to them to shoot fireworks and a special discharge location. But, Barlow said he does not know of any of these public shoot sites in Bloomington. \nHe said if someone is found shooting fireworks and they don’t have permission in that area, it is an infraction and can cost up to $500 per ticket. \n“The precautions are plentiful,” Barlow said. “Most people don’t think of the hazards until it’s too late.”\nBloomington Police Department Sgt. Jeff Canada said most 911 calls start anywhere from the Saturday before July 4 until the holiday. The calls are mostly alcohol-related, such as public intoxication, fireworks, domestic situations and noise violations, he said.\nAlthough the holiday is approaching and the department gets more calls, the Bloomington Police Department does not increase the number of officers on duty during the week. Extra force is not necessary during the week because out-of-the-ordinary problems do not occur, said BPD Capt. Michael Diekhoff.
(07/02/07 12:30am)
Tables, blankets, food vendors and families filled the Ivy Techfootballpatriotic
(07/01/07 11:45pm)
Blue skies forced their way through grey clouds as Bloomington kicked off its ninth annual Juneteenth Freedom Celebration on Saturday. \nThe celebration began with a parade from the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center to Bryan Park. Students holding banners fronted the parade as decorated cars and members of Zeta Phi Beta, Kappa Alpha Psi and the African Students Association followed. \nThe Juneteenth celebration originated in 1865, when slaves in Galveston, Texas, finally heard they had been declared free, a decision that had been in effect for more than two years. \nRed and white tents lined Bryan Park as the parade marched. Jewelers, sororities, fraternities, the American Red Cross and Ivy Tech Community College were among the organizations that set up under the tents. \nThe day’s activities started with speeches by Dean of Students Dick McKaig, Ivy Tech Community College Chancellor John Whikehart and Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan. \n“I think it’s appropriate we have this celebration before the Fourth of July because you cannot have a truly free country until all its people are free,” Kruzan said. “I think today is a great celebration to honor the fact that we all want to be \none community.” \nOther events that took place on the stage were the drumming workshop instructed by Kwesi Brown, the King and Queen pageant, the gumboot dance instructed by Madeleine Gonin and Spoken Word Talents. \nCouncilman David Sabbagh, Rep. Baron Hill’s representative Andy Ruff and former IU football star George Taliaferro were among the crowd Saturday afternoon. Taliaferro said this event is incredibly important to him, and he plans to attend it in the future. \n“This is my history,” he said. \nOyibo Afoaku, director of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, said the event is a yearlong process and throughout the months after it ends, coordinators look for speakers and other guests to be a part of it for the following year. \nAfoaku explained how important Juneteenth is for the black community. She said the celebration has increased in size each year since it started. \n“I think this event is important because the students need to understand the history of this great country,” Afoaku said, adding that she is glad the Bloomington community participates in the event. \nAfoaku said the event likely brought in 1,000 people, but it’s hard to tell if that number is reached because some people come and go throughout the day. \nPageant contestant Katrina Congress said this is her first year attending and being a part of Juneteenth. “I’m very excited,” Congress said. “(I) like the fact they took the time to celebrate the event.” \nIowa State University student and Juneteenth volunteer Gia Mason said she was interning with Residential Programs and Services here at IU over the summer and when she heard about the program she signed up for it as soon as she could. \n“Now (I’m) just enjoying the celebration and getting to know people.” Mason said. “(The) people here are nice and that’s what really counts.”
(06/28/07 4:00am)
Patriotic Fireworks Manager Josh Hernly sleeps in a tent with 3,000 pounds of explosives. Sounds dangerous, but as long as he doesn't smoke in the tent, there's nothing to worry about.\nWhen the hustle and bustle of the business day begins, Hernly rolls out of his air mattress bed to open up the tent, welcoming the world outside to join him in his firework specials. Stretching far past dinner time and darkness, the tent remains open until the final customers stop rolling in, and then it's back to bed for Josh to enjoy another night sleeping in a tent with a ton and a half of explosives.\n"I just blow up my air mattress and camp out," Hernly says about guarding the tent for a fortnight.\nPatriotic Fireworks is a company based out of Indianapolis, with a number of temporary businesses that open for the 4th of July season, like Hernley's tent by Cheeseburger in Paradise. \nJust up the road at Campus Costume, Owner John McGuire replaced his Jack Sparrow pirate display with a 35-inch Roman candle. Throughout the seasons, the locally owned costume store switches from selling Halloween costumes to Christmas decor, and this year, for the first time, John decided to break into the fireworks business.\nCostume sales were low during past summers, so in order to boost revenue, John decided to import fireworks from a distributor in Toledo, Ohio.\n"It was either this or the balloons, so we figured the 'boom boom' was the way to go," says Dario Andolini, a Campus Costume employee.\nBeing their first year selling fireworks, Andolini said Campus Costume has the lowest prices in town. \nLike McGuire and Hernly, firework businesses from all over the state decided to open up a seasonal shop in Bloomington. The summer's freedom festival brought in the managers of Anderson Fireworks and Mike's Fireworks. Both Ben Smith and Brad Barnes said they had friends in the business who recruited them.\nBen, manager of Anderson Fireworks, says the store opened toward the end of June and will close around July 6. Anderson Fireworks rented their retail space for only two months. Ben said he expects sales to increase as time ticks toward the holiday.\n"We've had a decent amount (of sales) for opening so early," Ben says. "We hope to make a lot of money."\nBrad, meanwhile, has been shooting off fireworks with his brother Greg in the parking lot of Varsity Court since he started working at Mike's Fireworks. Looking to increase sales during the summer, Mike's fireworks also started marketing their own brand fireworks. Inside the store they show a video that emphasizes the type of boom their brand firework has. \nNineteen years ago Steve Porter saw a man on the side of the road selling fireworks. He thought to himself, "selling fireworks would be a nice business to get into." Years later, he owns the only all-year firework store in town, Steve's Fireworks.\nSamantha Porter, Steve's daughter, said they do sell fireworks all year round but since fireworks are truly in season in the summer, they sell bibles in the off season. \nPorter explained that they have a new program running this year that offers customers a discount card that allows them 50 percent off of the entire store. She added that they have never raised their prices since they've been a working business.\nAfter July 4, these pop-up shops stay around town for a few days for customers to collect any last minute clearance bargains. The fireworks are then packed up and shipped out of town to their storage locations, to await the next firework season. It's then that Hernly finally deflates his air mattress, McGuire replaces the unsold fireworks with a giant Dora the Explorer costume, Smith and Barnes head back on to their hometown and the Porter family breaks out the bibles again.
(06/27/07 11:10pm)
The 15-year-old Bloomington teenager who was charged with murder Saturday after she stabbed her mother’s boyfriend in the chest will have a hearing this Friday to determine if she will be waived from juvenile court to adult court.\nOn Saturday, officers arrived at 701 E. Miller Dr., where they found a white male lying face down and an adult female with her twin 15-year-old daughters.\nMichael E. Lewis, 38, was transported to Bloomington Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead due to injury from a stabbing.\nLewis and the twin girls’ mother had arrived home and the girls had been watching television. Lewis wanted to watch the news when words were exchanged between them. Lewis allegedly kicked the family dog and left the residence, according to a BPD press release.\nThe suspect followed him out of the house and pushed him. The male retaliated and struck her in the face. The suspect’s sister then struck the male in the head with her fist as the other female went into the house to retrieve a knife.\nThe suspect’s sister attempted to stop her from approaching Lewis with the knife when she sustained a laceration and fracture to her right forearm. It is unknown if the fracture was caused from punching Lewis or from the knife, BPD Captain Joe Qualters said.\nThe suspect got around her injured sister and stabbed Lewis in the chest. Lewis collapsed outside and the knife was recovered at the scene.\nWhen officers attempted to detain the juvenile for investigation, she resisted arrest. The suspect’s sister attempted to intervene with the arrest and struck the officer in the back of the head.\nThe suspect’s sister was charged with battery for striking the officer in the head and was transported to Knox County Detention Center.
(06/27/07 10:51pm)
Two cameras, a projector, an umbrella, a photography light and a Tyrannosaurus Rex action figure were spread across the room as 16 people gathered in the John Waldron Arts Center on Tuesday for the Artists After Hours program.\nGraphic design artist Tim Street graduated from IU in 2003 and currently designs for the IU School of Journalism and teaches a graphic design course to juniors and seniors. Street has previously worked for The Indianapolis Star and Outside Magazine. He began the lecture “Digital Photography and Basic File Preparation” by discussing lighting techniques for pictures. Street explained that the best place to take pictures is outside. \n“Natural sunlight is your friend,” Street said.\nHe explained the best time to take a picture outside is during the “golden hour.” The golden hour is the time directly after sunrise and right before sunset.\nStreet set up a Tyrannosaurus Rex action figure on a round table. He explained that too much direct light on an object will cause a hot spot and a strong shadow in a picture. A photographer can use an umbrella to block out light or a filter to keep the light from hitting the object directly.\nThe next major point in the lecture was how to move photos from the digital camera to a computer. Street said there are two ways: USB cords that plug from the camera into the computer and a card reader.\nStreet ended his lecture by discussing how to edit photographs using Adobe Photoshop. He did not go in depth with the subject because of time constraints, but he was able to show the audience how to alter color balance and resize a photograph. \n“You can always resize a photo smaller but you can never resize it bigger,” Street said. “Remember that.”\nThe audience interacted with each other throughout the lecture, giving advice on different photography techniques. The director of arts development for the Bloomington Area Arts Council Jonna Risher said she believes the program is good for social networking and for artists to help each other brainstorm ideas.\nRetired IU professor Susan Klein considers herself an amateur photographer. She said she’s taken candid pictures of families, and she’s experimented with photographing objects significant to her.\n“I just want to learn to improve what I’m doing,” \nKlein said.\nKlein explained that, even though she’s not a professional photographer, she enjoyed Street’s lecture because he did go beyond some of the basics of photography but also related personally with the audience. \nCeramic artist and Director of the Prima Gallery Marcy Neiditz said she comes to Artists After Hours lectures when the topic interests her. She said she’s been taking photographs of her own work and wanted to start learning more about photography. \n“I said to Jonna if I learned one new thing it was worth it,” Neiditz said. “I learned three.”
(06/27/07 10:48pm)
Ben McClelland drives up to a home recording studio in a beat-up, black Honda Accord missing its muffler. He jokes that “This is the life of a struggling artist.” \nHe sets up his violin in the basement. The room is small but quaint. The walls are baby blue and the couches form a crescent shape around a recording microphone. He pulls out his 1925 violin made by L.S. Ross in Dallas, Texas, and begins to warm up by fiddling.\nFriend of McClelland and studio owner Richard Torstrick sets up the recording equipment in another room and adjusts volume levels as McClelland fiddles.\nMcClelland is putting the final touches on his album “Glasgow Ferry,” which will be released June 29. The first song he begins to record is “Dizzy Mary,” a song about a friend who, while she was out drinking with friends, saw a troop of clowns on stilts. He wrote the song about her tale of what she saw.\nAs McClelland warms up, Torstrick is in the opposite room, listening to the song as a whole. McClelland closes his eyes, breathes through his nose and sways his head as he gently moves the bow across the violin strings.\nAfter recording the fiddle for his CD, McClelland gets ready for a jazz show at Tutto Bene, a local wine cafe. The restaurant smells like wine and Italian food as McClelland and his band Blue Gypsy begin to play. The band’s jazz music flows smoothly over a silent restaurant as the sun begins to set.\n“The music is fantastic and so are the guys I work with,” McClelland says. “That’s a style that works well with the violin.”\nMcClelland met Torstrick in 2003 through the Bloomington Peace and Action Coalition. They were at a protest for the Iraq war when they discovered they both played the fiddle.\n“We have a common interest in the violin,” Torstrick said. “I told him about bluegrass. Ben wasn’t sure if he liked it, but I showed him some older bluegrass players.”\nMcClelland started playing the violin 33 years ago after learning about a program at the University of Providence. He said he was never pushed into playing the violin; it was just something he wanted to do. \nWhen he was six, he enrolled in a Japanese school program that taught a music method originated by Shin’ichi Suzuki. After high school, McClelland enrolled in Oberlin College to learn classical music. He said he slacked off when he realized the college scene wasn’t for him. McClelland quit and went back home to Rhode Island to play in a rock band. \nAfter moving to Mississippi with his parents, McClelland spent a summer in Austria and came back north to work with the Memphis Symphony.\nWanting to complete his violin training, he enrolled at IU in 1991 and worked on violin and composition for four years. He has been in Bloomington for 15 years. \n“My musical outlook extended exponentially to all the bluegrass and jazz here,” McClelland said. \nMcClelland is currently working for his own record label, ASL Records, and said he is in the beginning stages of forming his own music production company. He explained that over the past 10 years, music has undergone huge changes with recording companies.\nMcClelland’s fight for artistic freedom is what led him to create his own record label. His musical interests extended from classical to jazz to bluegrass, and he didn’t want to have his CDs only cover one specific genre.\n“Artists are trying to make their own path,” he said. “(There’s) more artistic freedom and in the long run more profit.”\nBloomington residents John and Julie Lawson met McClelland through Torstrick at a bluegrass gig. The Lawsons have been attending McClelland’s gigs for more than two years now and plan on supporting him throughout the rest of his career.\n“I think he’s versatile,” Julie said. “He brings a lot to it and he’s really talented.”\nJohn said McClelland plays all the types of music that he loves, such as bluegrass and jazz. McClelland also played classical music at his church, he said. \n“He’s got multiple levels of the different types of music,” John said.\nMcClelland said pinpointing the best violin experience was hard and said he’s had some incredible experiences he’ll always remember. One of his most memorable experiences was when he played in an orchestra behind Ray Charles. McClelland was front row in the orchestra and was able to stand feet away from Charles.\nMcClelland will leave July 23 for a U.K. tour. He has shows in Cardiff, Wales; Belfast, Northern Ireland and Edinburgh, Scotland. \nAfter his U.K. tour, McClelland will begin co-teaching a class titled “Entrepreneurial Skills for the Artist” at the John Waldron Arts Center. He said he plans to build his summer 2008 tour by working on publicity, booking and attempting to record a pop-electronica album. \n“And the rest of my life will be similar to this past season,” he said. “Teaching, gigging, playing in orchestras (and) enjoying life in Bloomington.”
(06/26/07 3:48pm)
A 15 year-old Bloomington teenager was charged with murder on Saturday after she stabbed her mother’s boyfriend in the chest.\nWhen officers arrived to 701 E. Miller Dr. they found a white male lying face down, and an adult female with her twin 15 year-old daughters. \nMichael E. Lewis, 38, was transported to Bloomington Hospital where he was later pronounced dead due to injury from stabbing. \nLewis and the mother of the twin girls arrived home and the girls were watching TV. Lewis wanted to watch the news when words were exchanged between them. Lewis allegedly kicked the family dog and left the residence, according to a Bloomington Police Department press release.. \nThe suspect followed him out of the house and pushed him. The male retaliated and struck her in the face. The suspect’s sister then struck the male in the head with her fist as the other female went into the house to retrieve a knife.\nThe suspect’s sister attempted to stop her from approaching Lewis with the knife, when she sustained a laceration and fracture to her right forearm. It is unknown if the fracture was caused from punching Lewis or the knife, BPD Captain Joe Qualters said. \nThe suspect got around her injured sister and stabbed Lewis in the chest. Lewis collapsed outside and the knife was recovered at the scene.\nWhen officers attempted to detain the juvenile for investigation she resisted arrest. The suspect’s sister attempted to intervene with the arrest and struck the officer in the back of the head.\nThe suspect was transported to Johnson County Detention center. A determination will be made by the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office about waiving jurisdiction from juvenile court to adult court, Qualters said. \nThe suspect’s sister was charged with battery for striking the officer in the head and was transported to Knox County Detention Center. \nNo other information is available at this time.
(06/25/07 12:34am)
After enduring rain Saturday morning, the skies cleared up, and Bloomington kicked off its 25th annual Taste of Bloomington fundraiser.\nWhite tents covered 38 different restaurants and services that lined the Showers Commons on Saturday afternoon as Taste of Bloomington coordinators in blue shirts walked around stamping hands, making sure everything began smoothly.\nVolunteer chairman Jeff Baird said the annual fundraiser takes about 2 1/2 hours to set up on the day of the event, after the Bloomington Community Farmer’s Market clears out. Baird said about 6,000 people were expected show up to the event throughout the day. \n“It’s a great time, everyone needs to come," Baird said. "The more the merrier.” \nThe festivities kicked off with live entertainment from Bloomington native singer-songwriter Jenn Cristy. Cristy said this was her first time playing Taste of Bloomington, and she would definitely play again. \n“I don’t play in Bloomington,” Cristy said. “It’s comforting to play shows here when it’s this welcoming.” \nCristy’s set was followed by a waiter-waitress race won by Cheeseburger in Paradise. Other bands such as the Toby Myers Band, Otiel & The Peacemakers, Dynamics and Here Comes the Mummies followed and continued to play until the fundraiser ended.\nMarinés Fornenino attended Taste of Bloomington with her 7-year-old nephew and said she has attended the fundraiser in the past. However, this is first time attending since she’s moved back to Bloomington. Fornenino said if she’s in Bloomington next year, which she expects to be, she will come again. \n“It’s a really great experience,” she said.\nFornenino said she had not sampled much food from the tents, but she did buy strawberry shortcake from BLU Boy Chocolate Café and Cakery and ice cream for her nephew from Bruster’s Ice Cream.\nKevin Mimms Sr. was with his two 5-year-old grandchildren on Saturday as they ran around and played games with each other. Mimms said he likes to try a lot of the food when he comes to the fundraiser. \nHe said this year was not the first year he attended Taste of Bloomington. \n“I spent a lot of years here on the other side of the fence,” Mimms said, referring his time working for the fundraiser. \nVicki Pierce, executive director of >Community Kitchen of Monroe County
(06/25/07 12:20am)
Man, 37, fights police officer \nTroy D. Harden, 37, was arrested Wednesday for battery on a police officer, resisting law enforcement, resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, possession of a handgun without a permit, possession of cocaine and being a habitual traffic offender.\nAt 2:44 a.m. BPD Officer Jared Oren said he saw a white Jeep Grand Cherokee driving erratically, said BPD Sgt. Jeff Canada, reading from a police report. When Oren checked the license plate, he noticed it did not match the SUV.\nWhen Oren activated his lights around Fee Lane and the State Route 45/46 bypass, the SUV began to drive faster, Canada said. The SUV turned right onto Milo Sampson Lane when Oren noticed it was starting to slow down. A female in the SUV tried to get out of the vehicle, but the vehicle accelerated and threw her from the car, Canada said.\nWhen the SUV came to a stop on Linden Drive, Oren saw the driver and another passenger, Jacob Deal, 21, run into a wooded area. Oren caught Deal and was arrested for public intoxication, Canada said.\nOren chased Harden, but the suspect got away several times. Oren said Harden charged him and struck him in the head. Oren was unable to handcuff him because Harden kept resisting, Canada said. As Oren and Harden continued to wrestle, Oren noticed the suspect reaching for his right pocket.\nOren used several methods to handcuff Harden, such as pepper spray and a neck hold.\nOfficers Ian Lovan, Josh McCoy and Lt. Jimmy Ratcliff arrived at the scene shortly after Oren struck Harden in the back of the head with a flashlight. Harden was finally taken into custody. Officers found a handgun in the SUV and a knife in Harden’s front right pocket, Canada said.\nOfficers located Chelsea Keiffner, 20, in the SUV, and she was taken to jail on a warrant for failure to appear in court.\nHarden was taken to the Monroe County Jail.
(06/25/07 12:09am)
Because I hail from the (not so) great state of New Jersey, I have been genetically modified to bleed New York Yankees and distastefully hate every other baseball team in Major League Baseball. After hearing the Yankees received funding to build a new stadium, I was not only angry but baffled. \n“New Yankee Stadium” is slated to open April 2009 and will be located just north of the existing stadium. The stadium’s exterior will look exactly like the current one, but the interior will be a suspended structure. \nThe new stadium will include a “great hall” that will have five to six times more square footage for retail than the original. Currently, Yankee stadium holds up to 57,468 people. The new stadium will only hold approximately 51,800 people but will include 60 new luxury suites (yeah, make more expensive seating – that’s what the Yankees need). \nAlong with the new stadium, the project will add a hotel, conference center and high school for sports-related careers.\nThe cost of all that? A reported $1.02 billion. That’s right.\nThe new stadium will receive more than $200 million from New York City for parking facilities, parkland along the waterfront and other work related to the stadium. The Yankees themselves will provide $800 million in private financing.\nAlthough the Yankees will be privately funding some of this work (they should; they are the highest-paid team in the MLB, with a total team salary of $195,229,045), the city will have to front more than $200 million toward a stadium that is going to look the same from the outside and seat about 6,000 fewer fans. That doesn’t seem right.\nAnd how is it that the Yankees can afford to build another stadium, when the New York Jets are not only forced to share a stadium with the Giants, but they have to play in New Jersey? Don’t get me wrong – I know the Jets play football, but how ridiculous is it that a team doesn’t have a stadium in the state they play for?\nMaybe the city should think about putting money toward better schooling in Harlem. Or maybe they can use that money to repave streets and clean out the subway system. Maybe even throw a couple dollars to the homeless guy staring at you on the street. At least fork over a couple G’s and give the Jets/Giants a place to play in NYC. \nHonestly, the Yankees should save their money and revamp their current stadium. When I went to Atlanta last year for spring break, I had the opportunity to take a guided tour through Turner Field. Not only was I allowed in the press box and onto the field, I got to physically stand next to the $10 million high-definition video screen. The Atlanta Braves were able to make something new out of their stadium without spending a billion dollars and, although Turner Field houses fewer fans, it looks, feels and smells better than Yankee Stadium.\nAnd if they do decide to continue with this new stadium, they can take the extra money from funding and install a video screen (similar to Turner Field) – but on the outside of the stadium, so the 6,000 fans who don’t have seats during the season can see it from the streets.