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(08/23/07 3:38am)
A Rural Transit bus driver was arrested Tuesday after he reportedly struck two children with his hand.\nCharles D. Glass, 72, pulled over the Rural Transit bus because the children were being “too loud.” According to the probable cause affidavit, Monroe County Deputy Roger Watkins was dispatched to the bus to see if it had broken down. When Watkins entered the bus, he noted the children were “extremely upset and crying.”\nWatkins was told by 10 witnesses on the bus that the driver slapped two 9-year-old children, one on the face and one on the back.\nGlass admitted to authorities that he struck one victim in the face, but denied striking anyone on the back, according to the affidavit. He said he had to pull the bus over five times to get the children to stay in their seats.\nAnother bus was called to transfer the children from the Rural Transit bus. The children were on their way from school to the Boys & Girls Club . \nAccording to the affidavit, Glass was placed under arrest and interviewed at the Monroe County Sheriff’s office. Glass was booked into the Monroe County Jail after he admitted to striking the child. \nGlass has since been released from jail on bail.\nJewel Echelbarger, executive director of Area 10 Agency on Aging, which runs Rural Transit, said she feels everybody deserves a trial. Rural Transit has not yet reprimanded Glass for his action. Echelbarger said Glass has had an “absolutely perfect record” with Rural Transit and said he has the right to defend himself.\nShe said she was unsure if Glass would still be driving for the bus system. \n“I have known this man for a very long time, and I can only speak very highly (of him),” Echelbarger said. “I have the utmost respect.”
(08/23/07 3:37am)
Two months after two men robbed the Monroe Bank, the Bloomington Police Department issued a warrant for the arrest of suspect Malik Malik in connection to the crime.\nAccording to a June 7 police report June 7, a man later identified as Matthew L. Martin entered the Monroe Bank, located at 4191 W. Third St. in Highland Village, pepper-sprayed a patron and a bank teller before demanding that the teller empty the drawer. The suspect fled the bank with an unspecified amount of money.\nAuthorities said they assumed the suspect was assisted by another male.\nMartin was initially identified when a Monroe County Jail inmate contacted BPD Det. Richard Crussen, saying Martin confessed to him that he had committed the crime, according to a probable cause affidavit filed by Crussen. Based on a conversation with an inmate who had spoken to Martin, Malik was the getaway driver for the robbery. The inmate said Martin was upset that Malik had left him at the scene of the crime. \nOn July 2, Martin was interviewed in the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department and was advised of the bank robbery investigation Crussen was conducting. Martin told officers he was in Chicago at the time of robbery. \nMartin provided Crussen with his cell phone number. A review of the cell-phone records proved that Martin was in the Monroe County area during the robbery, according to the \naffidavit.\nMartin has been in custody since a June 21 hearing for previous probation violations, BPD Capt. Joe Qualters said. \nCrussen issued a warrant Aug. 10 for Malik for assisting with the robbery, according to the affidavit.\nQualters said he would like to warn those who may be harboring a known fugitive that they can be charged with assisting a criminal.\nMalik has not been located. BPD encourages anybody who has information regarding his whereabouts, they are encouraged to contact BPD at \n339-4477.
(08/23/07 1:38am)
Strokes of bright blue and red watercolors paint the story of Bloomington artist Layla Caplinger’s life. They show her past, her struggles, her journey to artistic freedom. And now, they’ve won her a spot as the featured artist in the Rhythms of the Soul exhibit, now at Bellevue Art Gallery. \nThe exhibit is a loose representation of letting go, freeing spirits and cleansing the soul, said Johnnie Belinda, board member of the Bellevue Art Gallery, housed in the lobby of the Bloomington Playwrights Project.\nFor Caplinger, it was a chance to artistically portray her life after a car accident left her with uncontrollable seizures.\nCaplinger said she painted the portraits as a way of reflecting on how she dealt with her injury. Without art, she said, she never would’ve made it through the last couple of years.\n“I can put my feelings into this art,” she said. “Painting is a whole new world.”\nThe Aug. 17 opening reception brought a group of local artists to discuss Caplinger’s artwork. Despite the emotional background of her portraits, Caplinger welcomed questions throughout the night. Explaining to other artists the experiences that led her to where she is, Caplinger never forgot to mention the importance art played in her recovery.\nBloomington artist Joanne Shank, a gallery member, said she enjoyed viewing Caplinger’s artwork in the gallery. Piecing together Caplinger’s accident, Shank said it was nice to see all of Caplinger’s portraits as a whole.\nThe exhibit will be on display at the gallery, 107 W. Ninth St., until Sept. 28.\nBelinda said the shows usually last for two months and involve different styles of art. The next exhibit, Memoirs, will begin Oct. 5 on The Gallery Walk downtown and feature a different artist. \nCaplinger, who recently became a member of the gallery, is currently in the process of writing a book that focuses on art and visual writing. For her, writing, like her art, is created best when she allows her thoughts to flow without hesitation. She said art is more than a hobby, it’s therapy.\n“It’s just something I have to do, like breathing,” she said. “(It’s) not something I think about, just something I do.”
(08/22/07 4:07am)
The IU student accused of battery and confinement while performing an “exorcism” pleaded not guilty during his initial hearing on Aug. 10.\nEddie Uyesugi, of Paoli, Ind., could face up to nine years in prison and $10,000 in fines if convicted, his attorney Matt Blanton said. Blanton said Uyesugi could be sentenced to probation. \nUyesugi was arrested Aug. 1 after turning himself into authorities, saying he performed an unauthorized “exorcism” on a 14-year-old autistic boy in late May.\nUyesugi, 22, told the boy’s mother that he could cure her son’s autism by performing an “exorcism,” according to a probable cause affidavit. The boy’s mother said she assumed the “exorcism” was authorized by the church.\nDuring the “exorcism,” Uyesugi punched the boy 20 times in the face and stuck his fingers down the boy’s throat in an attempt to “cast out the demons,” according to the affidavit. The “exorcism” lasted 11 hours, leaving the boy’s face bruised and swollen.\nUyesugi told police the “exorcism” was the victim’s mother’s idea, which the mother denied. He told Monroe County Sheriff’s Det. Brad Swain that she had asked him to pray over her son. \nWhen he began praying, the boy became upset and violent. Uyesugi restrained the boy and admitted to striking him “once or twice.” Uyesugi said the boy gagged, but it was not because of his attempt to cast out the boy’s demons, according to the affidavit. \nUyesugi was a pastor-in-training at Cherry Hill Church Ministries, located at 417 E. 16th St. On Aug. 1, the church issued a press release denouncing Uyesugi for his behavior and the harm it caused the boy. \nUyesugi was asked to cancel his membership in the church. His pre-trial conference is scheduled for late September.
(08/22/07 4:06am)
A Bloomington man was arrested early Sunday after two women told police officers that he groped them.\nTrevor L. Richardson, 21, faces preliminary charges of sexual battery, Bloomington Police Department Det. Sgt. Jeff Canada said, reading from a police report.\nThe victims told officers they were walking on Eighth Street and Indiana Avenue when they were inappropriately touched by the man. The two women called the police and described the suspect to officers. An officer in the area located a suspect that matched the description at Eighth and Lincoln streets, Canada said. \nThe suspect said he accidentally bumped into the two women and said he may have touched one of them. The victims confirmed to officers that the suspect in custody was the man who grabbed them, Canada said.\nRichardson was taken to the Monroe County Jail. \nBeating with blunt object lands local man in hospital\nA Bloomington resident was arrested Monday morning after he allegedly struck a man several times in the head.\nMichael Jones , 46, was found in an alley between Fifth and Sixth streets after fleeing from a fight that started in front of the Shalom Community Center, located at 219 E. 4th St. , Canada said.\nBPD Sgt. Scott Oldham found the victim of the assault unconscious when he arrived at the scene. After BPD Det. Robert Shrake arrived, the victim was conscious but vomiting, Canada said. Because of the injuries the victim sustained, officers said they suspected a weapon was used.\nThe victim told officers that he could not remember anything about the fight.\nWhen officers located Jones, he told them he hit the victim three times but denied using a weapon. Witnesses told officers that Jones struck the victim in the head with an object resembling a bat or an axe handle, Canada said.\nThe victim was taken to the Bloomington Hospital for \ninjuries.\nJones was transported to the Monroe County Jail and is being held on a $5,000 bond.\nLawrence County man faces drug, fraud charges\nA Bedford man was arrested Monday afternoon after trying to obtain prescription pain killers from the Bloomington Hospital.\nNathan Baker, 25, was arrested on multiple charges after he gave a fake name in an attempt to get prescription drugs for his alleged back pain, BPD Sgt. Jeff Canada said. \nAccording to police reports, Baker went to Bloomington Hospital and requested pain killers. He told hospital employees that his name was Randy Baker but accidentally signed his real name on the paperwork.\nWhen BPD Officer John Colemen arrived, he reviewed the hospital security tape and ran the license plates from Baker’s car.\nAfter Coleman ran the plates and learned the car was stolen, Baker told him a girl had dropped him off at the hospital and he didn’t know the car was stolen.\nBaker was arrested for possession of stolen property, attempting to obtain a prescription drug by fraud and for an outstanding warrant from Martin County for resisting law enforcement. He had allegedly also attempted to obtain painkillers from an unspecified Bedford hospital in the past, Canada said.
(08/22/07 3:38am)
Pamela Keech hasn’t moved from New York yet and she already has goals for Bloomington’s art community.\nAfter a nationwide search, the Bloomington Area Arts Council announced in a press release that Keech will take the helm of executive director beginning Sept. 4.\nKeech replaces Miah Michaelsen, who left in July to take a job with the City of Bloomington as assistant director of economic development for the arts. Ed Vande Sande, BAAC development and marketing director served as interim executive director throughout the summer and will continue until Keech begins in September.\n“Pamela Keech has every skill that we need at this point, not only for the arts council but for the arts community and arts economy,” Vande Sande said.\nKeech has been the curator of the Lower East Side Tenement Museum in Manhattan for the last 15 years. She is also the President Emerita of the Society of Fellows at the American Academy in Rome.\nKeech said she feels those two positions will help influence her plans for Bloomington. \n“I think what we want to do is to organize everything,” she said. “There’s so much going on – it’s overwhelming I think.”\nShe said she wants to bring new ideas to Bloomington as well as new ways of doing them. She added that her ultimate goal is to bring a little bit of art to everyone in the five-county area.\nKeech said one of her first goals is to get the arts in Bloomington under better financial footing. Once she feels out the community she will then implement plans to make the arts more accessible \nto residents.\nAccording to a BAAC press release, the BAAC Board President Gerald Sousa said Keech is passionate about the role of the arts in local communities.\n“She has demonstrated success in building non-profit organizations by fostering collaboration, garnering support and inspiring others with her vision,” Sousa said in the release.\nVande Sande said Keech has the training, experience and passion that the BAAC needs to lead the arts community. He said because she is an artist she understands what the community needs at a very fundamental level. \nHe said he suspects people might be concerned about Keech’s appointment. He said he feels she’ll combine some of her Midwest sensibility with the flair she attained from the east coast.\n“She’s going to blow some people away,” Vande Sande said.\nKeech said she is currently in the process of moving to Bloomington and said she couldn’t be more excited to start her new job.\n“I think Bloomington is poised to become a major arts force in the Midwest and I’m looking forward to becoming a part of that,” Keech said.\nKeech will be speaking at the BAAC annual meeting at 5 p.m. Sept. 11 in the John Waldron Arts Center Auditorium.The meeting will cover plans for the upcoming year and the new Board of Trustees will be elected, according to the BAAC Web site. It will be free and open to the public.
(08/06/07 12:55am)
Police are warning students and Bloomington residents that burglaries could be on the rise as students return to campus. Both the Bloomington and IU police departments stress that taking simple preventative measures, such as locking doors and being aware of suspicious activity, can easily deter theft. \nA residential home on the 600 block of East Maxwell Lane was burglarized early in the morning July 30. The owner of the residence came home to find his basement door pried open, Bloomington Police Department Capt. Joe Qualters said, reading from a police report. Two bottles of vodka, kitchen utensils and personal papers were missing. \nQualters said residents in the 100 to 600 blocks of First Street, Second Street, Maxwell Lane and University Street should be aware of burglaries in the area. He said there have been a string of recent burglaries in which families have come home to find missing DVDs, cologne and change. \nQualters said given the time of the year, when people are moving in and out of their rented houses and apartments for the upcoming semester, break-ins are more likely to occur. He said burglars will likely be looking for doors to pry open at the back of residences. \n“People should make sure they secure their residences as well as look for suspicious behavior and individuals,” Qualters said. \nIUPD Capt. Jerry Minger said the police department usually deals with larcenies and burglaries in the dormitories or public IU buildings. Minger said IUPD gets one or two robberies, in which possessions are actually taken, during the school year. In 2006, they had 69 burglaries, which are forced entries. He said larceny is probably the largest criminal problem on college campuses.\nMinger said students will leave their books, clothing, bookbags and other small items around, and people see this as a prime opportunity to steal them. \nMinger said people should be less worried about theft during move-in, when more people are around and campus is congested.\n“It does come down to being aware of your surroundings and being responsible for your property,” Minger said.\nMinger added that if anyone has anything taken, they should call IUPD.
(08/06/07 12:53am)
IU student Edward Uyesugi II, of Paoli, Ind., the man who performed an unauthorized exorcism on a 14-year-old autistic boy in May, will have his initial hearing Friday, Aug. 10. \nUyesugi, 22, was arrested Aug. 1 after turning himself in to authorities, police said. Uyesugi was charged with battery and confinement after he reportedly punched the boy approximately 20 times in his face and stuck his fingers down the boy’s throat, causing him to vomit.\nThe exorcism was denounced by Cherry Hill Church Ministries, the church where Uyesugi was a pastor-in-training. Uyesugi was asked to resign his membership in the church. \nUyesugi’s bond was set at $5,000 surety plus $500 cash. Monroe County Jail staff said Uyesugi was booked at 12:30 p.m., Aug. 1, and released at 1:48 p.m. the same day.\nMatt Blanton, Uyesugi’s attorney, said he will plead not guilty to the charges.\nBlanton said Uyesugi is still an IU student and is expected to graduate in December.\nBloomington is not the only city that has been in the news recently for a controversial exorcism.\nPhoenix police officer Sgt. Joel Tranter said he received a phone call July 28 about a possible exorcism in a residential home. When officers arrived on the scene, they heard a 3-year-old girl crying in a bedroom of the house. The door to the room was barricaded by a bed, Tranter said.\nAfter officers pried the door open, they witnessed Ronald Marquez, 49, choking the girl on a bed. The girl’s 19-year-old mother was standing alongside the bed chanting, naked and covered in blood, Tranter said.\nOfficers had to use a stun gun to force Marquez, the girl’s \ngrandfather, off of her. Marquez had to be stunned two additional times before officers were able to take him into custody. Shortly after being taken in, Marquez stopped breathing and died later that night at the hospital. \nTranter said the family believed there were demons inside the home. He said the family was “very religious” and superstitious.\nThe girl was taken to a children’s hospital and then transported to Child Protective Services. The girl’s mother was taken to the hospital for facial injuries, Tranter said.\nPolice are still investigating the matter, and no arrests have been made.\nCandy Brown, an IU associate professor in the department of religious studies, said the idea of exorcism stems from the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament and as way to cast out demons from the sick or insane. She said the technical term is “deliverance.”\nBrown said a true exorcism is never violent. One must love the possessed person and figure out how the demon entered them in the first place, she said. \nShe said the instances in Bloomington and Phoenix are atypical of authorized exorcism.\nBrown said true exorcisms consist of prayer, oil and maybe a single hand on the possessed person’s head or shoulder, but nothing forceful. However, she said some exorcisms stray from such procedures. \n“(People) do all sorts of things out of the name of religion,” Brown said.
(08/05/07 11:52pm)
For more than 30 years, the Fourth Street Festival of Arts and Crafts has been a Bloomington tradition.\nThe John Waldron Arts Center kicked off the festival Friday, Aug. 3, with an open reception that previewed local artists’ work.\nApproximately 100 artists gathered at the Rosemary P. Miller and Flashlight galleries in the center to celebrate one thing: local art. \nBloomington artists created the Fourth Street Festival in 1976, and it has since grown to include artists from all over the country, according to the event Web site.\nEd Vande Sande, interim executive director of the Bloomington Area Arts Council, said the works of nine Bloomington artists are on display in the center, and approximately 55 to 60 more are being displayed throughout the neighborhood.\n“It’s such an eclectic sample of everything in the neighborhood,” he said.\nThe purpose of the event was to provide a social atmosphere where artists and patrons \ncould mingle.\nJohnnie Belinda, Bloomington artist and board member of the Bellevue Art Gallery, 107 W. Ninth St., said she has been an artist her entire life but has only become serious about it in the last seven years.\nBelinda said she feels the BAAC helps the arts community because of all the classes and workshops it has to offer.\n“I think everybody is creative,” she said. “They just have to come out of their box.”\nBelinda describes her work as experimental and said a lot of it comes from her psyche and meditation. She said she writes down what she sees so she can paint it later, and she has recently been painting nude body forms and \npet portraits.\nShe said the one thing she loves most about being an artist is being able to create what’s on her mind.\nBloomington artist Carol Miller said most of her work is abstract or expressionist, but she doesn’t like to give her work a title.\n“(I love) painting experiences with color,” she said.\nMiller explained that she lived in California earlier in her life and, while there, she noticed art that was on trash cans, buses and buildings. She said that even though there is a lot of art in Bloomington, the city needs more public art.\nMiller was showing two pieces of artwork in the Flashlight Gallery.\nVande Sande said Bloomington’s art economy is very small, totaling approximately $45 million.\n“We’re not even at half our potential,” he said, “and the city recognizes that ... to try and help those things \n(move) forward.”\nHe explained that the arts community needs to focus on cultural tourism because, to him, some of the best artwork happens through collaboration. \nVande Sande said he hopes to increase the arts economy in Bloomington. He is confident it will happen, especially with Miah Michaelsen, former executive director of the BAAC, now working as the director of economic development for the arts with the City of Bloomington.\nAlthough the doors to the reception closed at 7 p.m., the rest of the Fourth Street Festival will be held Sept. 1 and Sept. 2 at Fourth and Grant Streets and is open to the public.
(08/02/07 12:30am)
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department arrested a Paoli, Ind., man Wednesday afternoon on felony charges of battery and confinement after he performed an “exorcism” on a 14-year-old autistic boy over the course of 11 hours, police said.\nSheriff’s Department Det. Brad Swain said Edward F. Uyesugi, 22, turned himself into police at 12:30 p.m., Wednesday. \nWitnesses told police Uyesugi had said he punched the boy in the face 20 times and stuck his fingers down the boy’s throat in an attempt to “cast out the demons” in him, according to a probable cause affidavit.\nUyesugi was a pastor-in-training at Cherry Hill Ministries, 417 E. 16th St., the affidavit said. \nAccording to a press release Cherry Hill Ministries issued Wednesday, the church denounced Uyesugi for his behavior and the harm it caused to the boy. \n“We emphatically denounce the method, manner and mentality of this unauthorized and unsupervised exorcism attempted by this young man,” Pastor Kim Norris said in the press release.\nUyesugi was asked to resign his membership in the church.\nAccording to court documents filed July 20, Uyesugi told the boy’s mother that he could cure her son’s autism by “casting the demons out of him.”\nThe boy’s mother said Uyesugi was adamant that the boy be brought home from the group home in which he was living so Uyesugi could preform the ritual. The mother told police she was under the impression Cherry Hill Church Ministries knew about the “exorcism” and gave consent to it, according to the affidavit.\nThe mother said that when she brought her son home May 28, Uyesugi became loud and boisterous, causing the teenager to attempt to flee the room. Uyesugi grabbed the boy and pinned him to the floor, where he struck him. saying, “Come out, you filthy demon!” according to the affidavit. The mother told police she witnessed Uyesugi punch her son several times.\nLater, the boy was restrained on the bed for several hours while Uyesugi punched him repeatedly, \naccording to the document. Uyesugi directed the boy’s 15-year-old brother to assist with the exorcism. The boy’s two sisters told police they witnessed Uyesugi stick his fingers into their brother’s mouth, causing him to vomit, the document shows. The action was repeated numerous times. At one point, blood was present in the vomit, and when the mother pointed it out, Uyesugi denied it was blood and called it “Satan,” according to the affidavit.\nAfter the first session, which ran from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., Uyesugi announced that boy’s name would be changed to “Israel.” When the boy resisted the name change several times, Uyesugi announced the demons were still there and began the ritual again, according to the affidavit. The boy tried to flee but was stopped by his older brother, who did not understand what was going on.\nUyesugi wrapped his arms around the boy and pulled him up the stairs. When he broke free and ran into his mother’s room, which he considers a “safe place,” Uyesugi pursued the boy and the “exorcism” continued until midnight, according to the affidavit. The boy’s mother said she told Uyesugi that she was going to call the church about the ritual but was told by Uyesugi to stay where she was.\nThe following morning, the boy’s face was swollen, and he had black eyes and bruises across his face. The boy’s mother called Pastor Kim Norris to complain about the ritual Uyesugi performed on her child. She drove her son to the church to show Norris the injuries, according to the affidavit.\nSwain spoke to Uyesugi and his attorney June 27. Uyesugi told Swain that he has known the boy’s mother for some time and expressed concern about her son’s autism. She told Uyesugi another pastor she knew had informed her that her son had a demon in him, Uyesugi said. He said the mother had told him to pray over her son. When he began praying, the boy became upset and violent. Uyesugi restrained the boy and admitted to striking him once or twice. Uyesugi said the boy gagged, but it was not because of an attempt to cast out demons, according to the affidavit.\nThe mother denied she suggested her son’s condition might be due to demons, according to the document. \nUyesugi said he had never seen a child act as violently as the boy did, but he did not originally bring up the issue of demonic possession, according to the affidavit. \nSwain interviewed Norris on July 3 and learned that Uyesugi told Norris he had struck the boy in the face 20 times after he became aggressive. Uyesugi also told Norris that he put his fingers into the boy’s mouth to “pull out the spirit,” according to the affidavit. Norris described the events as bizarre and ridiculous and told Swain they had no basis in the teachings of the church.\nSwain said he would like to talk to Uyesugi again and ask Uyesugi why his version of the events are so different from the one reported by the boy’s mother and Norris.\nUyesugi is being held at the Monroe County Jail with a $5,000 bail. No court date has been set.
(08/02/07 12:04am)
Imagine a life without Facebook – and think quick, because the owners of ConnectU, a rival social networking site, are seeking to shut down Facebook after alleging that its creator, Mark Zuckerberg, stole their ideas.\nThe founders of ConnectU said Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO and founder, agreed to help finish a computer code for their Web site but stalled and eventually launched Facebook. The lawsuit against him includes fraud, copyright infringement and misappropriation of trade secrets. ConnectU’s founders are asking the court to shutdown Facebook and give control of the company and its assets to them. \nConnectU originally filed a suit in 2004, but it was dismissed on a technicality and immediately re-filed. The owners of ConnectU, brothers Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss and Divya Narenda, claim that in 2002 they began working on a social networking site for the Harvard community called the Harvard Connection.\nIn 2003, the founders of ConnectU asked Zuckerberg to complete software and database work on the site. After being asked repeatedly to finish, Zuckerberg assured them he was working hard to complete it, the lawsuit said.\n“Such statements were false and Zuckerberg never intended to provide the code and instead intended to breach his promise ... and intended to steal the idea for the Harvard Connection and in fact he did so,” the suit claims. \nFacebook launched in February 2004 and currently has 31 million users. ConnectU launched three months after Facebook and only has approximately 70,000 users. \nAccording to court filings, Facebook’s attorneys said ConnectU has no evidence against Zuckerberg and deny he stole the ideas from his \nfellow classmates.\n“Each of them had different interests and activities,” Zuckerberg’s attorneys wrote. “Only one of them had an idea significant enough to build a great company. That one person was \nMark Zuckerberg.”\nZuckerberg, the Winklevosses and Narenda could not be contacted before press time. \nIU doctoral student Wayne Buente, who teaches a class focusing on the benefits of social networking, said the allegations made by ConnectU seem to be serious.\n“As for Facebook shutting down, I don’t see that happening, as it is a major player in Web 2.0,” he said. “Its ‘market share’ in online social networking is just too great.” \nBuente said he suspects a settlement between the ConnectU founders and Zuckerberg will be reached before Facebook can be shut down.\nIncoming freshman Alexis Parker said she uses Facebook every day to check messages and to take up time. She said she doesn’t even write people back and finds it mostly useless.\n“Obviously I don’t care,” she said in regard to Facebook shutting down. “Facebook is so boring. It really wouldn’t matter to most people. It’s just a dummy-down version \nof MySpace.”\nParker said she has watched her roommate click between a class paper and Facebook multiple times. She said if students didn’t have Facebook, they would focus more on \ntheir studies. \nSenior Keely Malayter said Facebook shutting down would be difficult at first, but students lived without Facebook long before its invention, and it wouldn’t ultimately make a difference. \n“So goes life,” she said.\nMalayter uses Facebook a couple of times a day and feels indifferent to the lawsuit. She said she does not feel shutting Facebook down would help students focus more on their studies.\n“There are plenty of other distractions,” she said. “It won’t make a big difference if Facebook is there or not.” \n– The Associated Press contributed to this story.
(08/01/07 11:52pm)
Jonathan Safran Foer’s first novel “Everything is Illuminated,” published in 2003, manages to bring together three different story arcs.\nThe story follows three main characters. The first is Jonathon Safran Foer, a young Jewish-American man who is looking for a woman that might have saved his grandfather from Nazis in his family’s town of Trachenbrod, Ukraine. The second is Alex, a Ukrainian who serves as Jonathan’s translator, and the third is Alex’s grandfather. The story also includes Alex’s grandfather’s “seeing-eye-bitch” named “Sammy Davis, Junior, Junior.” \nThe first arc consists of Jonathan’s tale of the citizens of Trachenbrod. The second and third arcs are both narrated by Alex. One is in the form of a letter to Jonathan, and the other is the tale of his journey with Jonathan and his grandfather.\nWhen I first started reading “Everything Is Illuminated,” I didn’t know what to expect from it. Was I going to cry? Was I going to laugh? Oh, I laughed, and I pouted a little toward the end. The book’s dialogue between Alex, his grandfather and Jonathan are so humorous and well-written, I found it hard not to grab my stomach while reading.\nOne of the best aspects of the novel is Alex’s broken English. At first, I thought the dialogue was meant to drive the reader crazy, but as I progressed through the novel it became both hysterical and interesting seeing how broken his English really was. \nDespite the novel’s obvious tummy-tickling power, if you don’t follow the different story arcs carefully, you might get confused and lost in a world you don’t quite understand. \n“Everything is Illuminated” is a book for anyone who enjoys a well-written novel about a determined man and the journey he encounters to find out more about his history. Bring along a box of tissues, though, because you might need to wipe away the tears – not from crying, but from laughing.
(08/01/07 11:49pm)
Indiana writer Kit Ehrman’s fourth mystery book “TRIPLE CROSS” won the Best Book of Indiana Award in 2007 doesn’t mean she’s solved all the mysteries of writing. \n“I’m struggling with a bit of writer’s block right now,” she said. “For me, it only happens when I allow myself to be pressured by expectations.”\nBut that doesn’t mean she’s giving up any time soon. \n“When you’re writing, it’s time to put aside the editor and agent and reviewers and concentrate on the story,” Ehrman said. “I try to work out all the kinks in the plotting phase so that once I begin to write, I can fly.” \nEhrman’s passion for writing was fueled by her love for reading mystery stories. Although Sherlock Holmes is her favorite detective, contemporary author Dick Francis is her biggest influence. She said she was so caught up in the horse world that Francis portrayed in his novels that she was compelled to quit her job and start work in the horse industry, where she worked for more than 25 years. \nOn July 22, 1996, Ehrman attempted to write her first novel. She said that although she didn’t start writing seriously until she ended her career in the horse industry, she remembers that date because of a journal she kept. \nIn 2002, she said she was reading a novel about horses and was disappointed with the ending. She said she made the “ultimate mistake” by thinking she could write the novel better.\n“Needless to say, I discovered that writing an exciting, suspenseful ending and keeping your hero smart is difficult to pull off,” she said. “But I fell in love with the writing process.” \nEhrman’s first book “At Risk,” released in 2002, is about a 21-year-old protagonist Steve Cline, a barn manager, who is kidnapped and nearly murdered after thieves attempt to steal horses from the barn where he works. Cline tracks down the thieves himself and in the process accidentally becomes an amateur detective.\nShe said she thought of the idea for Steve Cline and the story line while working as a barn manager at a hunter-jumper facility in Maryland.\n“Dealing with a large number of animals meant that I’d occasionally walk into a disaster of some sort,” she said. “An injured or dead horse, or on a lighter note, 25 school horses running loose, and I was the only person around to keep them from getting on the road.” \nEhrman said she asked herself, what would have happened if she walked into a disaster generated by someone up to no good? From there, Ehrman created her main character. She said she wanted a male hero because she knew it would be more fun to write a male protagonist. \nAfter she developed a plot and main character, Ehrman began writing her first novel.\nEhrman said one of her best experiences as an author was winning the Best Book of Indiana Award in 2007. The award was sponsored by the Indiana Library Federation, which made it even more special to her.\n“That kind of recognition is great, but it’s also wonderful to receive an enthusiastic letter from a reader who got what I was trying to do with a particular scene or book,” she said.\nMystery author Beverle Myers said she met Ehrman four years ago through Sister in Crime, an international support and networking organization for female mystery writers. She said they have also had book signings and other promotional events together. Myers said Ehrman’s books are so well-written that when she reads them she is immediately drawn into the world of horses, a topic she knows nothing about. \n“Her love and respect for the animals is also very evident,” Myers said. “Though the protagonist of her novels is a young man, Steve Cline, I see a lot of Kit in Steve.”\nSusan Whittaker, owner of Viewpoint Books in Columbus, Ind., has known Ehrman for nearly five years. Whittaker said it is important for authors to have small, local writers such as Ehrman display their works in independent bookstores. Independent bookstores generally are more willing to stock and feature books by local authors than the chain stores, she said. \n“Every year our best-selling titles are from local authors,” Whittaker said. “When you get a local author who writes at the high level that Kit does, it works for both of us.” \nAlthough Ehrman is a stay-at-home mom, she said being a writer changes after being published. She said the promotion side of the job takes up approximately 50 percent of her time, which puts more pressure on the writing aspect of her career. \nEven though getting published is difficult and time-consuming, Ehrman said if you’re willing to become a writer, you have to go back to the basics of writing. \n“Have faith in yourself. Write for yourself, not for a trend. By the time you get someone to look at your work, the trend will have changed, anyway,” she said. “When you write from the heart, it shows.”
(07/30/07 3:00pm)
Imagine bumper cars. Bumper cars plus dirt and revving engines.\nThe Monroe County Fair’s Demolition Derby began with a bang in front of a sold-out crowd Saturday night.\nBulldozers lined the Grandstand arena at the Monroe County Fairgrounds as volunteers watered the dirt for the upcoming demolition derby. Families filled the bleachers and waited for live-action bumper cars.\nWally Hamilton, chairman of the demolition derby and a retired driver, gave a prep talk to all the drivers about 20 minutes before the first race. He ordered the drivers to line up their cars so they could pull into the arena in an orderly fashion.\nThe objective was simple: The last car running wins.\nHamilton explained that there were about 90 cars driving in the derby throughout the 10 different races. He said the derby receives the highest attendance of any event during the fair.\nGraffiti-decorated cars revved into the arena and began to smash and collide. Most drivers drove backward, knocking other cars off their wheels and spinning them around.\nBloomfield resident and derby driver Shawn Clayton has been driving for more than 20 years. He said he had a friend who owned a car that was never going to be driven. Clayton then took the car and began his derby driving days.\nClayton said that being a part of the derby is fun and serves as a way of releasing stress.\n“It becomes an adrenaline rush. You put so much time and effort into the cars,” he said, “and you go out there and destroy them. It’s a relief.”\nClayton said throughout his driving career he has only received minor injuries – such as broken ribs. He jokingly said his wife would probably disagree with him on that.\n“(The cars are) pretty safe,” he said. “Well, as safe as drivers make them.”\nFirefighters, paramedics and sheriff’s deputies lined the gate of the arena in case of an emergency. Hamilton explained that there are certain safety regulations for the cars in the derby. Drivers must remove all glass, chrome and plastic from their vehicles. Also, the driver’s door must be welded shut for protection, the gas tank must be relocated to the backseat and all drivers must wear a helmet and a seat belt.\nDuring the last 10 years while working for the Monroe County Fair board, Hamilton said the worst injuries he has seen was a dislocated shoulder, a few lacerations, third degree burns and some cases of mild whip lash. \nSarah Inman, a paramedic for the Bloomington Hospital Ambulance Services, said the event always leads to minor cuts and scrapes. She said the paramedics were on the scene and ready for any major injuries.\nShe said the worst injuries she can recall while working a demolition derby are a clavicle injury and some head injuries. \n“Although a lot of times (the drivers) don’t want to be seen after an injury,” Inman said. \nThe Van Buren Township Fire Department waited alongside the arena with fire extinguishers as the cars rammed into each other. Firefighter Rusty Clark said most of the cars don’t get much hotter than an average car driving up and down the road, but some cars will “bust a transmission” and look like they’re on fire.\n“Fires are frequent but pretty small,” he said.\nClark said there have been times during the derby that they have had to flip a car back over and even cut open the vehicles with hydraulics. He added that the fire department was present and ready for anything might occur. \nAudience members roared as each car began revving its engine. Bloomington resident Tammy Hoene and her son Bryan sat on the bleachers with fixed eyes on the cars destroying each other. \nHoene said her son has been going to the derby since he was a little kid and is usually interested in the show during the beginning. She said she’s always been to the derby and thoroughly enjoys it.\n“They’re loud. (I love) the crashes,” she said. “They put on a really good show.”
(07/30/07 12:58am)
Police arrest man for fondling himself in public\nA man from Princeton, N.J., was arrested Saturday evening after exposing himself in Big Lots, 3620 W. Third St., according to a police report read by Bloomington Police Department Sgt. Faron Lake.\nGerman Lopez, 36, was standing in an aisle of Big Lots when a girl walked by and noticed he had his hands down his pants, Lake said. Lopez turned around and fondled himself in front of the girl, the report said. She quickly alerted her mother, who told security about the incident.\nLopez fled the store and was located by officers in front of Blockbuster, 3707 W. Third St., and arrested on charges of vicarious sexual gratification, a felony, the report said.
(07/30/07 12:18am)
Just because Charlie Nelms is leaving IU does not mean his energy and passion for equality will be forgotten. \n“I want to challenge you to make sure that the appointments you make reflect a commitment in equity and excellence through all our dimensions of our University and community,” said Nelms, the former vice president of institutional development and student affairs. \nOn July 25, the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center held a farewell reception for Nelms, who announced in June he would be leaving IU for a chancellor position at North Carolina Central University. \nThe dimmed Ruth N. Halls Theatre in the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center was filled with students and faculty. Nelms and his wife Jeanetta sat patiently in collapsible chairs on the side of the stage.\nIU President Michael McRobbie was the first guest speaker during the reception. McRobbie talked about how Nelms always enforced respect within the community. McRobbie’s speech was followed by faculty members presenting different gifts such as a painted portrait of him, picture frames and a sculpture. \nBloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan presented Nelms with a plaque declaring July 25 “Charlie and Jeanetta Nelms Day” in Bloomington. \nNelms spoke last at the reception as he thanked IU for his opportunities over the past two decades. \n“They say you can’t go home again,” he said. “That’s not a true statement because I’ve been able to come back to Indiana on a number of occasions.” \nNelms ended his speech by urging the audience to not forget Africa and the issues of \ndiversity. \nVicki Roberts, assistant vice chancellor for academic support and diversity, said she’s known Nelms for more than 12 years and is sad he is leaving. She said his energy, passion and vision will always be around the University even if he is not. \nRoberts said the reception for Nelms was a great way to end his vice presidency.\n“I think people enjoyed (the reception),” she said. “There are a lot of expressions of good will. It shows how much he’s loved.” \nSenior Susan Johnson spoke on behalf of Higher Education and Student Affairs as well as other students. She said she has known Nelms since she came to IU. She said she was interested in becoming vice president for student affairs one day, and her relationship with Nelms “clicked.” \n“He was someone who loved and looked out for me and for my family,” she said.\nJohnson explained that Nelms was the conscience of the University, always reminding people not to forget certain issues. \n“He was more than a vice president,” she said. “He was a mentor.”
(07/29/07 11:35pm)
Despite heavy rains and low crowd attendance Friday evening, Leighann Edwards, a 4-H organizer, set up obstacles for the Monroe County Fair’s 4-H Dog Agility Show. \n“Normally if it’s not raining, the bleachers are full,” Edwards said. “But because of the rain, I doubt we’ll get anybody.”\nAs the rain got heavier, approximately 100 people filed into the stands as contestants and their dogs set up for the show. \nEach dog had two trials to run around the 10 obstacles in the arena. There was no winner this year because there was not enough time to practice during the week, she said. Every dog, however, did receive a blue ribbon after its run around the course.\nMost dogs were slow at first – clocking in anywhere between a minute-and-a-half to two minutes. Edwards had to stay on the track during each dog’s run to make sure the canine made it through the course.\nEllettsville, Ind. resident Scott Dreher registered his German Shepherd Sadie for the first time this year in the show. During both trials, Sadie started off fast but became distracted when the crowd began cheering. Sadie ran the course in about a minute for both trials.\n“My mom and step-dad took her to training when she was a baby,” he said. “She still doesn’t listen to me though.”\nDespite the distraction, Dreher claims that Sadie would have gone faster if he had run the course with her.\n“She performed pretty well for first time,” he said.\nBloomington resident Michelle Sears and her daughter Hannah attended the dog show for the first time this year. Sears said her family has been going to the fair for as long as she can remember.\n“We wouldn’t know what to do not coming to the fair,” she said.\nHannah said she enjoyed watching the different breeds of dogs and seeing whether they could make it through the various obstacles. She said she would definitely come back to the dog show the next year.
(07/29/07 11:31pm)
Asher Nicholson, a 27-month-old dressed in plaid shorts, a tan hat and T-shirt and black Converse sneakers, ran around the auditorium during the Monroe County Fair Baby Contest on Saturday afternoon.\nAsher’s mom Sheena chased him around as he climbed bleachers and moved chairs. She grabbed her son and picked him up as he smiled.\n“I want to see the big lights,” Asher said, pointing to the stage.\nHe grabbed his New York Yankees dog tag hanging around his neck while his mother kept telling him he would be in the big lights soon.\n“Bribery,” Sheena said. “I just reward him when he’s good. I usually give him something to look forward to.”\nFamilies filled the auditorium Saturday at the Monroe County Fairground for the annual Baby Contest, a lighthearted pageant meant to judge the county’s cutest infants. Children of all ages ran around, laughed, cried and slept as volunteers set up the stage.\nThe contest began at 3:30 p.m. and consisted of nine different categories based on age. Parents walked each baby onto the stage and showed their child to a panel of three judges. There were 205 babies total and 17 winners. \nMyra Powell, Monroe County Fair committee member, said the baby contest started at the fairgrounds in 1955. Powell helped register the babies for the contest and walked through the event to make sure everything was running smoothly.\n“We actually usually have bigger numbers,” she said. “It was down a bit this year.”\nThe contest ended at 6 p.m. with only a handful of people still in the crowd. Throughout the contest, the chairs began emptying as families waited for their child’s category to be called.\nSheena and Asher waited in line as other children were being shown to the judges. She explained that this was the family’s second night at the fair and that usually they are more interested in the livestock area. \n“I like the cows,” Asher screamed.\nSheena said Asher took part in the baby contest when he was a newborn and was very excited to be a part of it this year. \n“I hope he wins,” she said. “(The baby contest) took longer than they said it would.”\nThough Asher did not win his age category, he grinned anyway and gave a big wave to the three judges. He left the auditorium holding his mother’s hand and smiling.
(07/26/07 12:33am)
Steve Volan, owner of The Cinemat, has a movie complex. Literally.\nDespite his love for movies, Volan does not have enough time to keep running The Cinemat, 123 S. Walnut St., and he put it up for sale July 20. \n“I am probably one of the least uniquely unqualified people to run the place,” Volan said. “Mostly because I haven’t been willing to work the store to be there full time.”\nThe Cinemat is a five-year-old independent video-rental store that has approximately 5,000 rental titles, 80 percent of which are DVDs. The store also includes a screening room that can hold up to 100 patrons and has a permit to sell beer, according to a press release.\nThe Cinemat is not a huge box office success, and Volan has struggled to make business, he said. He knows there is someone out there who would probably do a better job \nthan him.\n“I’ve got at least two other jobs that I do in addition to the store,” he said. “It’s time for me to find somebody else.”\nVolan currently works on the Bloomington City Council and teaches an eight-week course at IU.\nSince the store went on sale, Volan has been approached by several people about buying The Cinemat, but he said the question is not “‘Does somebody just want to buy it?’ but, ‘What will they do to the store when it is bought?’”\n“Will (the store) break out into parts? There are a lot of possibilities.” Volan said. “I’m hoping to find someone who wants to run the store as is.”\nIn 2001, a video and music store on the square closed down after 15 years. Volan heard it was closing down and asked the owner to see his books. When the owner had given up hope that somebody wanted to buy it, Volan said he could make something of the store. Unfortunately, Volan could not come to an agreement with the owner.\n“For the moment, I thought, ‘too bad.’” he said. “About a year later, it was still a good idea, and I found the right space for it.”\nThe Cinemat opened in August 2002. \nDave Pruett, marketing director of the Buskirk-Chumley Theater said he owns Cinephile Film Arts, a non-profit arts group that supports filmmakers. Pruett explained that he always used the Cinemat for his film screenings. \n“Steve and the Cinemat have always been nice enough to let us use the space and not charge us anything for it,” Pruett said.\nHe said once the store is sold, it is likely that he won’t be able to use the screening room as much.\nDespite the difficulty of running a business, Pruett said he feels Volan has done an incredible job running The Cinemat, especially because Volan works two other jobs.\n“The problem is that the screening room is something that he has to pay rent on,” Pruett said, “and it’s really hard to re-coop the money from spending to keep the room going.”\nPruett said there’s a likelihood that The Cinemat might close altogether. \n“If it goes away, it will be a major loss. You don’t find too many towns with a screening room available to the public,” he said. “I hope someone is able to step up and take the burden off Steve and keep it around.”\nSince the initial opening of the store, the video collection has grown tremendously, and he’s managed to make the store more efficient, Volan said. Despite the struggle with the business, the problem has not been with video collection.\n“The video has always pulled its weight,” he said. “The movie-screening business is really hard.”\nVolan explained that he always felt there needed to be something to complement the videos, so he put together a movie theater in the back of The Cinemat. He said there was a lot of built-in expense for the movie screening that required a lot of leg work. He said he had to put up fliers to get people to come out to see the movies. \nVolan said he always wanted to expand his business to a Web development project. Unfortunately, he never had the time and he knows it will be \nhard work.\n“For someone who never wanted to own their own business, this is a pretty good opportunity,” he said.\nVolan explained that as much as he loves movies, he loves Bloomington even more. He said he had a great opportunity to serve Bloomington.\n“I know I’m holding the store back,” he said. “I’d rather not see the store go away. (But) a more organized and focused owner can take the \nstore somewhere.”
(07/26/07 12:31am)
Dr. Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, passed over for the position of IU president just last March, already has big plans for her new role as interim vice president for research administration. \n“I am incredibly privileged and honored,” Pescovitz said. “I would love to be able to do streamlined infrastructure to help do more productive discoveries within the University (to) greater contribute to help the economy.” \nIU President Michael McRobbie announced Tuesday in an IU press release that Pescovitz will serve the new position in addition to continuing her two current roles of president and chief executive officer of Riley Hospital for Children and as executive associate dean for research affairs at the IU School of Medicine. \nMcRobbie said in the IU press release that he chose Pescovitz for the job because she has been \noverseeing these functions in the IU School of Medicine for seven years and has done an incredible job. \n“As an experienced medical researcher herself, Dr. Pescovitz understands the importance of having an infrastructure that promotes and facilitates research productivity,” McRobbie said in the release. “She recognizes the importance of applying the highest ethical standards to the conduct of research, and she understands how vital rigorous compliance with research rules and regulations is to research universities such as IU.”\nUntil now, responsibility for administration and regulatory compliance has been distributed among several different offices at different campuses. McRobbie said having one vice president for these responsibilities will result in a more efficient and streamlined system of providing high-quality administrative support to faculty members.\nMacIntyre said Pescovitz had several meetings with McRobbie after he was elected president and expressed her desire to do anything to make his presidency successful. \n“She is indeed doing what she can to help,” MacIntyre said.\nPescovitz said she never would have accepted the job if the University did not already have talented faculty to help within the area.\n“I think IU has tremendous potential,” she said, “and McRobbie hit the ground running. I’m flattered and delighted to be a part of it.”\nEven though Pescovitz believes the job will be demanding, especially since it covers all eight campuses, she is not intimidated.\n“It’s a challenging job,” she said, “and I like challenges.”\nAccording to the press release, research administration covers everything from preparing and tracking grant proposals to negotiating awards and contracts with sponsors in private industry and government. Regulatory compliance involves ensuring proper biosafety procedures are in place, monitoring animal care and use, human subject protections and research integrity.\nPescovitz will also oversee the Indiana Genomics Initiative, which was funded by $155 million in grants from the Lilly Endowment.\n“I think if we do our job really well, research productivity in the University will skyrocket, and we’ll be behind the scenes,” she said. \nPescovitz is currently the Edwin Letzter Professor of Pediatrics at the IU School of Medicine. She served as the director of pediatric endocrinology and diabetology at the IU School of Medicine and Riley Hospital from 1990 to 2004 and led an ambitious strategic planning effort to develop Riley Hospital into one of the nation’s top children’s hospitals, according to the release.\nPescovitz has won multiple awards, including the IU School of Medicine’s highest teaching award and the Distinguished Alumni Award from Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, according to the release.