Region

Fusing music with tradition

Total cacophony. That's the best way to describe the beginning of the Marching Hundred's Homecoming show rehearsal. The band's 290 members, crowded into a barely big enough room at the Creative Arts Center, chattered away while they tuned their instruments and looked over the music they'd just received for Saturday's halftime show. But the noise died down as director David C. Woodley approached the center of the room to make his announcements. People shushed their friends, and one girl snapped, "Shut up!"

TGIF and human sexuality

Forty minutes of last Friday was spent with a stack of 100 questions on pink attendance sheets and Brian Dodge's intrepid Human Sexuality class. Too little time, too many questions, but it was the first time I'd been given written questions by a class, and it suited the 40 minutes just fine. I brought the questions home with me, and thought I'd answer a few:

Getting guns out of the wrong hands

Vice President Al Gore has proposed several new ways to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, while maintaining the rights of law-abiding citizens to own guns.

With candidates like these, who needs presidents?

Four score and several years ago, our forefathers did a bunch of stuff that created a more perfect union, or something like that. But, albeit unbeknownst to them, they also set the wheels in motion for what could be our nation's greatest crisis since the XYZ Affair: the 2000 presidential election. (Sorry, I promise not to make anymore obscure historical references.)

Candidates debate on education issues

With the election less than a month away, Texas Gov. George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore are firing shots in the battle for better education which have national and local ramifications. In last week's presidential debate, both candidates emphasized improving American schools and attacked many issues surrounding the improvement of education. They each agreed on the need for teacher accountability, better testing performance, localized control of schools and overall improved quality of schools.

Forum introduces candidates

With just over a month until Election Day, the first in a long series of public forums for candidates kicked off last night at Monroe County Public Library.

Libertarians push for recognition, political gains in upcoming election

America's third largest political party is switching into high gear for November's elections. The Libertarian party is supporting 113 candidates in Indiana and more than 1,400 nationwide. Libertarian Jim Billingsley, a Monroe County resident, said he wants people to know that a vote for Libertarians is not a vote wasted.

Race for coroner's office carries political overtones

Responsibilities of a coroner: 1) investigate all deaths that are a result of violence, casualty, suspicious circumstances or when they occur suddenly to someone in good health; 2) identify the decedent, establish time of death, cause of death and manner of death; 3) file a report on the findings with the coroner's office, and in some counties with the clerk's office.

Bush moves up in polls

With elections less than a month away, Texas Gov. George W. Bush has overtaken Vice President Al Gore in multiple opinion polls since last week's presidential debates. A Gallup Poll, conducted Thursday to Saturday, is the most recent organization to report a Bush lead, at 49-41 percent in Bush's favor.

Digital Democracy

With Americans able to conduct bank transactions, order airline tickets and shop for almost anything online, it might seem logical to many to cast votes from a personal computer instead of going to the polls.

Mudslingers take to the Internet

Add one cup of virtual water to one cup of virtual dirt, mix in a few political enthusiasts, and the result is a large political mudslinging fest splashed across the Internet.

Civility reigns in second debate

'Civility' was the key word this time around as presidential nominees George W. Bush and Al Gore turned in the sighs and angry expressions for a more subdued form of discussion. The debate docused primarily on issues that have had less media exposure than others during the campaign.

Candidates target swing voters

Swing voters, or those people whose loyalty is sworn to neither the Democrats nor the Republicans, could be the deciding factor in this year's presidential election.

Candidates for county council

Parties focus on differences in race for 3 council seats

Four votes decided the last county council election. This year, candidates realize the race could again be close and are campaigning hard to outline their differences. With three seats open on the council and six candidates in the running, Democrats and Republicans are holding fast to party lines.

Candidates for county commissioner

Commissioner race pits experience against outsiders

In with the new, out with the old. Or is it one is silver and the other gold? The political experience between the candidates for Monroe County Commissioner vary from several years as a commissioner to little political experience. Seats are open in District 2 and 3 and the third commissioner seat will open up in two more years. In each district there are two candidates -- with incumbent commissioners possessing the experience of county government politics, and their opponents fresh-faced and ready to battle.

Vigil honors slain woman

Four life-size, female silhouettes provided a visual reminder of domestic violence at a candlelight vigil Monday night at the Showers Building, 401 N. Morton St. Each silhouette on display in the lobby represented a woman killed as a result of domestic violence in Bloomington since last September.

Science talk memorializes late professor

James P. Holland and Homer A. Neal first crossed paths in the late 1950s when they were both IU students from the same small area of Kentucky. Holland was in graduate school; Neal was a freshman. Both faced the issues with which African-American students across the country were dealing: fear and hatred.

Final presidential debate excludes third parties

While Texas Gov. George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore make their way to St. Louis for their final presidential debate today, another candidate will air his views -- although 40 million Americans will not tune in.