Region

Reaction just plain queer

By Alyson Brodsy · Friday, Dec. 5,2003 12:25 a.m.

About a decade ago, religious groups and social conservatives were upset because some schools were purchasing the book "Heather Has Two Mommies" for school libraries. They thought the book, which describes the life of a young girl raised by lesbian parents, was immoral and threatening, and they got Congress to block the use of taxpayer funds to buy the book.

Suspect held for $5 million

By Dave Kolpack · Friday, Dec. 5,2003 12:20 a.m.

The man charged in the kidnapping of a North Dakota college student was ordered held on $5 million bail Thursday after his lawyer said he wanted to stay behind bars for his own safety. As Alfonso Rodriguez Jr., 50, appeared in court, law officers in two states continued the search for 22-year-old Dru Sjodin, missing since she left work at a Victoria's Secret at a Grand Forks mall Nov. 22.

Troops honored for the holidays

By Alyson Brodsy and Verena Dobnik · Friday, Dec. 5,2003 12:20 a.m.

NEW YORK -- The Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center came to life in a blaze of 30,000 lights Wednesday night before a crowd of thousands of New Yorkers and visitors from around the world.

Studio offers alternatives

By -Jenny Kobiela · Friday, Dec. 5,2003 12:19 a.m.

Bloomington's only paint-your-own pottery studio is expanding its merchandise by offering a new way for customers to get creative -- Plush to Stuff animals.

Documentary focuses on the unsung awards

By Alyson Brodsy and Frazier Moore · Friday, Dec. 5,2003 12:17 a.m.

NEW YORK -- "The Award Show Awards Show," which isn't an awards show but a documentary, wants you to know there are 565 show-biz awards competitions each year, of which 100 are televised. That's more than one broadcast every four days.

Interim library director named

By Alyson Brodsy · Friday, Dec. 5,2003 12:17 a.m.

Associate Director Cass Owens was appointed interim director of the Monroe County Public Library at a special meeting held by the library's board of trustees Wednesday, after the resignation of former director David Ivey.

Ballet cast gives tea for audiences

By -Jenny Kobiela · Friday, Dec. 5,2003 12:16 a.m.

Children and adults will have the opportunity to meet and greet characters from the IU Ballet Theatre's performance of "The Nutcracker" from 12:45 to 2 p.m. Saturday in the lobby of the Musical Arts Center. The Nutcracker Holiday Tea has run for six or seven years.

Group collects items for homeless GLBT youth

By Elise Baker · Friday, Dec. 5,2003 12:16 a.m.

In the holiday spirit of giving, the Bloomington's Parents and Friends of Gays and Lesbians held its December meeting Wednesday and asked those who attended to bring donations of items on the Indiana Youth Group's "wish list," which the group will distribute to homeless gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) youth.

Lingerie: function or show?

By Patrice Worthy and Patricia Worthy · Friday, Dec. 5,2003 12:13 a.m.

Women don't wear underwear -- they wear lingerie, I read in The New York Times over Thanksgiving break. The phrase brought on a cringe, but it also made me smile. The word "lingerie" has a tendency to do that sometimes. Sometimes undergarments can make me feel very proud to be a woman.

Holiday classic returns to stage

By Benjames Derrick and Benjamin Derrick · Friday, Dec. 5,2003 12:12 a.m.

The IU Ballet Theatre's production of "The Nutcracker" will play at 8 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at the Musical Arts Center. Ballet professor Jacques Cesbron is reinterpreting choreography for this production. Cesbron is making this production similar to the one from last year.

Around The World

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Dec. 4,2003 1:13 a.m.

JERUSALEM - Israeli police raided a West Bank mosque on Wednesday, capturing two Palestinians who allegedly were planning to attack a school. One was reportedly wearing an explosives belt.

Peterson pleads innocent to charges of murdering wife

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Dec. 4,2003 1:10 a.m.

MODESTO, Calif. -- Scott Peterson pleaded innocent Wednesday to charges of murdering his wife and unborn son. A judge scheduled his trial to begin Jan. 26.

Briton charged with helping 'shoe bomber'

By Alyson Brodsy and Audrey Woods · Thursday, Dec. 4,2003 1:10 a.m.

LONDON -- A British man arrested last week in southwestern England was charged Wednesday with conspiring with convicted "shoe-bomber" Richard Reid in an explosives plot, police said. Sajid Badat was charged with three offenses, including that between Sept. 1, 2001, and Nov. 28, 2003, he "unlawfully and maliciously conspired with Richard Reid and others unknown" to cause an explosion "likely to endanger life or cause serious injury" in the United Kingdom or elsewhere, London's Metropolitan Police said.

Coroner: struggle with police killed man

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Dec. 4,2003 1:09 a.m.

CINCINNATI - The death of a 350-pound black man who collapsed after being clubbed by police in a videotaped beating was caused primarily by the struggle, the coroner said Wednesday in a case that has heightened racial tensions.

School to keep students inside after Ohio shootings

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Dec. 4,2003 1:04 a.m.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Officials at an elementary school hit by a bullet last month are keeping students inside for recess this week after authorities linked the shooting to 11 others along a five-mile stretch of interstate, the superintendent said Wednesday.

Mourners bury Indiana soldier killed in Baghdad

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Dec. 4,2003 12:38 a.m.

LOOGOOTEE, IND. -- Hundreds of mourners packed a small funeral home to remember an Indiana soldier who died when a Humvee overturned in a canal outside Baghdad.

Skate park opening delayed

By Holly Pilewski · Thursday, Dec. 4,2003 12:37 a.m.

Hold the skateboards. Put away the pads and helmets. Local skaters will have to wait until next spring to try their skills at the new Bloomington skate park. The proposed site, located at Upper Cascades Park, was planned for a winter opening, but has been pushed back to later next year.

Around The Arts

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Dec. 4,2003 12:33 a.m.

The African American Dance Company will present its annual Dance Studio Concert at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Willkie Auditorium. Directed by Iris Rosa, the company's original choreography presents a fusion of modern, jazz, African and Latin American dance styles. In

A sleeker 'Battlestar Galactica' returns to TV

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Dec. 4,2003 12:30 a.m.

LOS ANGELES -- "Battlestar Galactica" is returning as a four-hour miniseries, backed by hype befitting a science fiction classic in the same galaxy as "Star Wars" or "Star Trek." Never mind that this classic was a campy space opera that lasted just one season.

Review board names 'Mystic River' top film

By Alyson Brodsy and Christy Lemire · Thursday, Dec. 4,2003 12:30 a.m.

NEW YORK -- "Mystic River" wound its way to the top of the National Board of Review's list of the best films of 2003. Director Clint Eastwood's intensely moody tale of murder, friendship and lost innocence in a blue-collar Boston neighborhood stars Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Marcia Gay Harden and Laura Linney.