Region

Passports now required for more spring-breakers

By Kyle Wood · Tuesday, Feb. 13,2007 1:49 a.m.

A new passport law for U.S. citizens traveling to Canada, Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean could cause problems for students leaving the country for spring break.

Valentine's Day fundraiser will help elderly, feature live music

By Alisha Chaudhary · Tuesday, Feb. 13,2007 1:46 a.m.

This Valentine's Day, you can dance and have a ball, all while benefiting elderly people who have been restricted to their homes. The Area 10 Agency on Aging is organizing an event called the "Have a Heart for the Homebound Valentine's Day Swingdance and Dinner" at Players Pub on Wednesday.

'Harry Potter' hysteria ignites after news of final book's release date

By Katrina Loh · Tuesday, Feb. 13,2007 1:37 a.m.

July 21, 2007, will mark the end of an era for freshman Scott Lillard. "I've been a 'Harry Potter' fan since seventh grade," Lillard said. The last book in the "Harry Potter" series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," will be released this July to the joy and sorrow of many. Author J.K. Rowling announced the release date Feb. 1 on her Web site. "I can hardly believe that I've finally written the ending I've been planning for so many years," Rowling said on JKRowling.com.

Police find 15 hours of video from peeper

By Paige Ingram · Tuesday, Feb. 13,2007 1:07 a.m.

A man arrested last week for peeping in the men's locker room of the Health, Physical Education and Recreation building is now being charged with a felony after police found more than 15 hours of DVDs he had recorded.

Ivy Tech student fled scene of accident, leaving behind unregistered handgun

By Paige Ingram · Tuesday, Feb. 13,2007 12:37 a.m.

Kyle A. Dempsey, an Ivy Tech student living in Ashton Center, fled the scene of a car accident he was involved in early Saturday morning, leaving behind an unregistered handgun, according to the IU Police Department.

Student robbed by resident assistant impersonators, according to IU Police Department

By Paige Ingram · Tuesday, Feb. 13,2007 12:31 a.m.

A student had his wallet stolen from McNutt Quad on Sunday by two men posing as resident assistants, according to the IU Police Department.

School of Social Work partners with Indiana Department of Child Services

By Jennifer Salts · Tuesday, Feb. 13,2007 12:25 a.m.

Abused and neglected Hoosier children now have another ally in their fight for better lives. Through a government-funded initiative, the IU School of Social Work has partnered with the Indiana Department of Child Services to provide training for new and experienced workers, as well as for supervisors and managers in the child welfare system. The partnership calls for $6 million over the next three years

Scam e-mails target Credit Union members

By Michael Zennie · Tuesday, Feb. 13,2007 12:23 a.m.

The latest round of phishing attacks on IU Credit Union members displays a higher level of sophistication than previous scams -- though experts say this should come as no surprise. The e-mails, sent to many IU students, faculty and staff as well as others outside the University, "warned" members that the credit union detected errors in their accounts due to fraudulent activity and urged them to click what looked like a link to the IU Credit Union Web site.

UPDATE: 6:42 p.m.: Chancellor says presidential search may end within a month; names of 2 possible finalists listed in e-mail from IU professor

By Brian Spegele · Monday, Feb. 12,2007 11:23 p.m.

The IU board of trustees will likely select the University's next president within a month, said Ken Gros Louis, IU's chancellor, citing widespread faculty discontent as a reason for the likely hastened decision. The prediction comes as two names surfaced in an e-mail by IU chemistry professor Theodore Widlanski to some faculty members last week that interim Provost Michael McRobbie and Ora Pescovitz, associate dean of research at the IU School of Medicine, were likely two of the search's final candidates.

State House Democrats want cigarette tax hike

By Mike Smith · Monday, Feb. 12,2007 10:58 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana House Democrats plan to introduce a health-insurance plan Wednesday that might include a proposed cigarette tax increase of 4.5 cents per pack -- far less than that sought by Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels -- to provide health coverage to more Hoosiers.

Community attempts rebound after Indiana auto-parts factory shuts down

By Tom Murphy · Monday, Feb. 12,2007 10:38 p.m.

CONNERSVILLE, Ind. -- Banners bearing the label "Positively! Connersville" beam happy thoughts to drivers passing through downtown, while storefront signs in this eastern Indiana city remind pedestrians "the future is in our hands."

Lousy cheating rat

By Xi Zhang · Monday, Feb. 12,2007 10:38 p.m.

Have you ever seen the Chinese Zodiac? Take a look at it and you might notice it lacks a cat, but the rat is in first place.

Online charter schools respond to local demand from K-12 students

By Kelsey Nash · Monday, Feb. 12,2007 10:36 p.m.

Imagine getting up for school each morning and only having to move as far as the nearest computer. This could soon be the reality for public-school students around Indiana. Ball State University has authorized its sponsorship of the first virtual charter schools in the state, said Larry Gabbert, director of the Office of Charter Schools at Ball State.

Fact or fiction: Is light beer better for you?

By Nadia LaMantia · Monday, Feb. 12,2007 10:33 p.m.

Could a beer a day keep the doctor away? Not necessarily, but a pint a day isn't bad for you, says Caleb Staton, head brewer at Bloomington's Upland Brewery.

Lonely no more

By Gal Shifron · Monday, Feb. 12,2007 10:32 p.m.

The need to form social connections is deeply rooted in the human psyche. It is secondary only to physical and safety needs. We all need to feel a sense of belonging; it is part of what it means to be human. Young adults especially need to feel connected to a group to belong to the human family. Feeling alone or out of place causes a great deal of stress.

4:07 A.M. – CRUNCH TIME; TERM PAPER DUE AT 8 A.M.

Procrastination: Internet, games, e-mail leading to large spike in work-delaying

By Haley Beck · Monday, Feb. 12,2007 10:31 p.m.

The mantra of the procrastinator -- "I do my best work under pressure" -- is also a perpetual myth on campus.

Around the World

Monday, Feb. 12,2007 10:22 p.m.

House Democratic leaders circulated a nonbinding resolution Monday saying that Congress "disapproves of the decision of President George W. Bush ... to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq." The measure, expected to come to a vote by Friday, also says that "Congress and the American people will continue to support and protect the members of the United States armed forces who are serving or who have served bravely and honorably in Iraq."

Iran rejects U.S. accusations it armed Shiite insurgents in Iraq

By Ali Akbar Dareini · Monday, Feb. 12,2007 10:21 p.m.

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran on Monday rejected U.S. accusations that the highest levels of Iranian leadership have armed Shiite militants in Iraq with armor-piercing roadside bombs. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a televised interview that his country was opposed to conflict and bloodshed in Iraq and that problems in Iraq should be solved with dialogue, not by force.

UPDATE: 6:24 p.m.: New round of phishing attacks target IU Credit Union members

By Michael Zennie · Monday, Feb. 12,2007 10:10 p.m.

The latest round of phishing attacks on IU Credit Union members displays a higher level of sophistication than previous scams -- though this should come as no surprise, experts say.

IU moves back into Top 25

By Aaron Beard and Doug Feinberg · Monday, Feb. 12,2007 9:29 p.m.

Duke's Top 25 streak is over. Saddled by its first four-game losing skid in 11 years, Duke fell out of The Associated Press poll Monday for the first time since the end of the 1995-96 season. The Blue Devils had been in the media poll for 200 straight weeks -- the second longest streak behind UCLA.