Region

Man arrested for student's 2000 murder

MARTINSVILLE -- A Morgan County grand jury has indicted a suspect in the 2000 murder of IU sophomore Jill Behrman. Indiana State Police arrested John R. Myers II, 30, in his Ellettsville home without incident Sunday. He is currently being held in the Morgan County Jail. Myers was charged with one count of murder. The grand jury also indicted Alisha T. Evans on two counts of perjury, both class D felonies, for allegedly lying to the grand jury about her relationship with certain witnesses involved in the case.

Behrmans find little closure

MARTINSVILLE, -- Marilyn Behrman doesn't like the word "closure." "I don't really believe there is such a thing," she said after being asked whether the arrest of the man who prosecutors believe killed her daughter, IU sophomore Jill Behrman, would give the family closure. "Our daughter Jill is 19," she said. "Her friends are 25 now. There is no closure."

No hail in Florida

During spring break, I went to New Smyrna Beach, Fla. Every day was beautiful, the air smelled of happiness, and the wine flowed in with the tide. For one entire week, I was in heaven. It didn't rain a single day, I was with my friends and we could do whatever we pleased. After that one week of similar conditions to what must lie beyond the pearly gates, I once again returned to the place where I actually live: hell. And hell is full of tornadoes, hail storms and responsibility.

What's in a leak?

Is it still a leak if the president does the leaking? This seems to be the question many are asking in light of recent testimony from I. Lewis Libby, in which he indicated that President Bush declassified information to give to a New York Times reporter. Libby, in case you don't recall, used to be the vice president's chief of staff before the FBI arrested him on charges of perjury. Libby states that Bush declassified part of a classified report in July 2003 that described Saddam Hussein's alleged connections to al-Qaida in order to bolster his case for war.

Christ's cross

I still remember the first time I noticed an elementary school classmate wearing a crucifix. I was raised Southern Baptist, so I'd never seen a cross with the Jesus still on it. When I asked my Sunday school teacher why our crosses were so plain, she explained that it was ridiculous to parade around images of a naked, suffering, lonely Christ. The important thing to remember was that he arose, after all.

The Day of Silence

Dissent - The Day of Silence is a paradox -- supporters of the GLBT cause remain silent, but in doing so draw more attention to themselves. It is nothing more than another publicity stunt. What's troubling about this particular cause is that it completely intrudes into the lives of everyone, regardless of their stance on the issue. Even one person's silence in the classroom or workplace can impede effectiveness by adding inconvenience.

Kenyan military plane crashes, 14 dead

NAIROBI, Kenya -- A military plane carrying politicians to a peace conference crashed while attempting to land in northern Kenya during bad weather Monday, killing at least 14 people, including two assistant Cabinet ministers. President Mwai Kibaki declared three days of national mourning. Four of the 17 people on the plane were pulled from the fiery wreckage alive and flown to Nairobi for treatment, witnesses said. One survivor died on the way.

Bush dismisses report of military plans against Iran

WASHINGTON -- President Bush said Monday that force is not necessarily required to stop Iran from having a nuclear weapon, and he dismissed reports of plans for a military attack against Tehran as "wild speculation." Bush said his goal is to keep the Iranians from having the capability or the knowledge to have a nuclear weapon. "I know we're here in Washington (where) prevention means force," Bush said during an appearance at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. "It doesn't mean force necessarily. In this case it means diplomacy."

Immigrants take to streets for 'day of action'

ATLANTA -- Tens of thousands of immigrants spilled into the streets of Atlanta and other cities Monday in a national day of action billed as a "campaign for immigrants' dignity." In North Carolina and Dallas, immigrant groups called for an economic boycott to show their financial impact. In Pittsburgh and other cities, protesters gathered at lawmakers' offices to make their voices heard as Congress considers immigration reforms.

RELIEF

State waterways too polluted to fish, swim

INDIANAPOLIS -- Nearly 1,600 streams and lakes in Indiana are unsafe to fish or swim in because of pollution ranging from animal waste to chemicals, a state report concludes. The report classifies 30 percent, or more than 9,500 miles, of the state's 31,844 miles of streams, and 93 of its 1,504 lakes, as too polluted for swimming, fishing or both because of pollutants such as bacteria, fertilizer, chemicals, mercury and sediment.

Heart disease main killer in 3rd world

BEIJING -- Each year cardiovascular disease kills 13 million people in developing countries, almost triple the number who die from AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined, researchers said Wednesday. Cardiovascular disease, including heart disease, heart failure and stroke, is the world's biggest killer, and it often strikes people in their prime working years of 35 to 64, experts said during a four-day health conference. In China, deaths from cardiovascular disease have skyrocketed alongside the country's rapid economic development, making it the No. 1 killer, fueled by smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity, said Dr. Runlin Gao, a cardiologist at Fu Wai Hospital.

Schools push for required PE

FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- At Moore Elementary School, fourth-grader Michael Turri looks forward to 30 minutes of jump-rope at the start of the day. "It really gets my brain going," the 10-year-old said. "You need to do this stuff to get through life." That's one of the approaches this suburban Nashville school takes to thwart a growing childhood obesity problem. Students at Moore are required to take PE every day.

NASA to crash space probe into moon to search for water

LOS ANGELES -- NASA plans to crash a space probe into the moon in 2009, producing a collision so violent it will be visible on Earth through a telescope, the space agency said Monday. The moon crash, part of a larger mission that includes a lunar orbiter, is a quest for ice. Water is the key ingredient for supporting future human outposts on the moon, a goal of the Bush administration.

MARCH

Man who robbed restaurant on the loose

Bloomington police are looking for a man who robbed a Chinese restaurant at knifepoint Sunday night. Bloomington Police Department Detective Sgt. David Drake, reading from the police report, said the man entered Sunny Palace restaurant, 1143 College Mall Rd., took all of the store's money and left on foot at about 10:46 p.m. The man seemed to be heading toward the University Commons apartment complex, Drake said, reading from the report. Witnesses described the suspect as being a white man in his 20s, "heavy-set" and wearing a gray IU sweatshirt, jeans and a denim hat.

Suspect faces 2 felony charges

A 23-year-old man who admitted to stabbing a Ramada Limited Motel clerk during a robbery could serve as many as 100 years in prison or as few as 20, if convicted. Defendant Chad A. Luck faces one count of attempted murder and one count of robbery resulting in serious bodily injury. Both charges are class A felonies with maximum fines of $10,000 each.

Bank robbery accomplice arrested at his apartment

Bloomington Police arrested a second suspect for robbing the Regions Bank on College Mall Road just before spring break. After initially charging IU junior Maggy Baurley with robbery March 11, police continued the investigation and arrested Bloomington resident Damion P. Bridgewater, 21, Sunday. He was preliminarily charged with conspiracy to commit robbery.

Police: Man responsible for 5-car accident

A man driving about 70 miles per hour hit a moving car and three parked cars Monday morning, then crashed into a house. Aside from a few minor injuries to the passengers in the two moving vehicles, no one involved was seriously hurt. Bloomington Police Department officers cited Bryan T. Roof, 19, on a preliminary charge of reckless driving. At about 9:30 a.m., Roof and a friend were traveling north on Lincoln Avenue in a maroon Pontiac Grand Am, said Detective Sgt. David Drake, reading from the police report. Because of Roof's excessive speed, he was unable to stop at a stop sign, according to the report.

CAMPUS QUIZ

It's difficult to notice the stone figurine of a woman less than five feet long resting peacefully in the grass beneath a large tree on the south side of the School of Education. Those who do notice the figure, however, are often struck by its most distinguished characteristic -- its lost head. Prior to the construction of the School of Education, the area was used by fine arts faculty and students, said Adelheid Gealt, director of the IU Art Museum.