Region

Warlord disappears before trial

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, March 28,2006 11:33 p.m.

ABUJA, Nigeria -- Former Liberian warlord Charles Taylor slipped away just after Nigeria reluctantly agreed to transfer him to a war crimes tribunal, and the White House suggested Tuesday that President Bush might cancel a meeting with Nigeria's leader. The Nigerian government said Taylor vanished Monday night from his villa in the southern city of Calabar, where he had lived in exile since being forced from power under a 2003 peace deal that ended Liberia's civil war.

Chief of staff resigns position

By Alyson Brodsy and Terence Hunt · Tuesday, March 28,2006 11:32 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- White House chief of staff Andy Card has resigned and will be replaced by budget director Joshua Bolten, President Bush announced Tuesday amid growing calls for a White House shakeup and Republican concern about Bush's tumbling poll ratings. Though there was no immediate indication of other changes afoot, the White House did not close the door on a broader staff reorganization. White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Bolten will have the authority to make personnel shifts if he deems them necessary. He declined to say whether top aides, such as the two current deputy chiefs of staff, Joe Hagin and Karl Rove, would remain in place.

Shalom Community Center celebrates opening of addition

By Roy Maurer · Tuesday, March 28,2006 11:29 p.m.

Bloomington's Shalom Community Center marked the expansion of its facilities Monday with an open house celebration at its new location.

Council president holds tempo for Monroe County

By Nicky Purser · Tuesday, March 28,2006 11:28 p.m.

When Sophia Travis settled in a booth at Roots vegetarian restaurant for an interview, she got straight to her usual business. She ordered her favorite dish: sweet potato fries. Then despite the waitress's doubtful teeters at the odd combination, she ordered the house tea.

Weekend race hits home for cancer survivor

By Candace A. Smith · Tuesday, March 28,2006 11:25 p.m.

The third annual Relay for Life cancer benefit will run Saturday and Sunday with the goal of remembering and honoring those who have lost their lives to cancer and celebrating those who have survived. For some, a walk around the track means supporting a mother or an uncle, but to others the event means much more.

Projectors reported stolen from 5 buildings

By Audrie Garrison · Tuesday, March 28,2006 11:25 p.m.

Faculty and staff members in five different buildings across campus reported projectors missing from classrooms Monday and Tuesday, totaling an estimated loss of about $15,000 or more, said IU Police Department Lt. Jerry Minger, reading from a police report.

IU United Way campaign exceeds goal

By Savannah Worley · Tuesday, March 28,2006 11:23 p.m.

United Way thermometers across campus, once stuck on empty, are now bursting. The thermometers depict the United Way 2005-06 campaign fundraising goal -- a mark the group exceeded by $22,135. The campaign raised $637,135 this year, exceeding its goal of $615,000, according to its Web site www.indiana.edu/~uwayiub.

UPDATE: IU to hire Oklahoma's Sampson as new head coach, media reports say

By Michael Marot · Tuesday, March 28,2006 6:53 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS - Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson is headed to Indiana, ready to take over the reins of one of the nation's most prestigious college basketball programs. Sampson told his players of the decision at a team meeting Tuesday, the same day Indiana players were informed of his hiring to replace Mike Davis. "I was caught by surprise a little bit," said Taylor Griffin, a freshman forward for the Sooners. "He made the decision. I guess it's better for the program. I guess it's better for him."

Collins film fest 'breaks illusions'

By Jordan Majewski · Tuesday, March 28,2006 2:41 p.m.

The Lost Film Festival, a traveling, independent multimedia show that highlights anti-authoritarian and anti-corporate films, is at 8:30 p.m. tonight at Collins Living Learning Center. This is the third consecutive year the festival has traveled to Collins LLC/ The event is free. "This (festival) is about breaking the illusions cast by Hollywood and CNN," said festival director Scott Beibin on the festival's Web site, www.lostfilmfest.org. "You won't see a lot of these at typical indie festivals."

Former IU standout Benson says ex-players have been contacted for input

Tuesday, March 28,2006 12:13 p.m.

IDS Sports Editor Matt Mattucci spoke with former IU standout Kent Benson, member of the 1976 championship team and the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. Here are his comments on IU's head coach search.

New coach's hiring to be announced 'within days'

By Sam Nissen · Tuesday, March 28,2006 12:12 p.m.

Larry MacIntyre, director of media relations, said he expects an announcement of the next IU men's basketball coach to be made "within days." He added that the announcement could come as late as the beginning of next week. MacIntyre's expectation, though, was only based on "me reading the tea leaves in front of me," he said. If a new coach is to be announced, IU President Adam Herbert and the personnel subcommittee of the Athletics Committee must approve of the selection of a coach early this week, according to the bylaws governing the committee and subcommittee member Bruce Jaffee, who is also a professor of business economics and public policy.

No Average Joe

By Alyson Brodsy and Ryan Corazza · Tuesday, March 28,2006 1:04 a.m.

The last Saturday night of spring break, members of the IU student body were all over the place. Some paraded on the beaches of Mexico and Florida. Others caught the IU-Gonzaga game on CBS. But on ESPN at about the same time, there was one IU student busy making history in Oklahoma City. His name is Joe Dubuque. The IU senior wrestler quietly won his second consecutive national title in the 125-pound weight class March 18. But really, there shouldn't be anything quiet about it -- at least that's what his coach Duane Goldman says.

No. 17 Hoosiers sweep weekend

By Lee Hurwitz · Tuesday, March 28,2006 12:42 a.m.

After starting the season off with seven straight losses to ranked opponents, the No. 17 IU water polo team capped a three-game sweep this weekend at the Fluid Five tournament in Bloomington. The Hoosiers have now won 13 of their last 14 games, including a second consecutive victory against No. 16 University of Michigan Saturday. A last-minute, 6-5 win versus the Wolverines Saturday and victories against Wagner University (13-9) and Marist University (12-6) the next day put the Hoosiers at 17-8 on the season. "In the last month, we've been doing nothing but get better and this weekend was more of a confirmation of the things we've been working on in practice," IU coach Barry King said. "We executed really well and now these are the outcomes that we are beginning to expect."

IU extends win streak to 6

By Evan Harris · Tuesday, March 28,2006 12:41 a.m.

After a week of traveling to Florida and undoing a four-game losing streak, the IU men's tennis team continued to pile up non-conference wins heading into the Big Ten season. The Hoosiers extended their winning streak to six after defeating Vincennes 7-0 Saturday at the IU Tennis Center, followed by a 6-1 win against No. 39 Penn State. "We have been playing well for the past couple of weeks," said IU coach Ken Hydinger. "We need to keep it going, because we have some tough matches coming up."

Are IU professors liberally slanted?

By Peter Stevenson · Tuesday, March 28,2006 12:39 a.m.

When Lauren Smith walked into her School of Public and Environmental Affairs class in the fall of 2004, she was expecting a math test. Most of the questions were straightforward, but the last question of the test asked who she would be voting for in the 2004 presidential election. "It almost looked like (our political views) would factor into our grade," said Smith, a member of several conservative groups on campus. Smith's experience highlights a growing trend on college campuses: concern among some students, especially conservatives, that some of their professors allow their political views to seep into their teaching.

Former rep talks foreign policy

By Katrina Babin · Tuesday, March 28,2006 12:39 a.m.

Because of the large turnout for former Congressman Lee H. Hamilton's lecture, "American Foreign Policy and You," Monday afternoon, Monroe County Public Library's auditorium space was designated standing-room only. The talk, a year-long effort sponsored by the Monroe County and IU Libraries, was designed to help citizens realize the importance of foreign policy in everyday life, said coordinator and IU faculty member Kate Cruikshank. Cruikshank, a policy papers specialist who created a coordinating exhibit on Hamilton for the Lilly Library, said Hamilton's 33 years serving Indiana's 9th District, service on foreign affairs committees and work with the Camp David peace accords makes him an ideal speaker on the subject. Hamilton is also director of the IU Center on Congress.

What a riot

By Alyson Brodsy and Peter Chen · Tuesday, March 28,2006 12:29 a.m.

I know we're not supposed to stereotype. Here at the most super-duper diverse campus ever, we should never pigeonhole someone based on his or her beliefs. But what am I supposed to do when French students protest and French unions strike? Seriously, folks, this is more than a little ridiculous. As soon as young Muslim français took to the streets last year, everyone said France needed to increase youth employment. As a result, France tries to pass a reform law helping jobless youths, at which point, young non-Muslim français promptly protest.

Thank you for the no

By Alyson Brodsy and Levi Harris · Tuesday, March 28,2006 12:29 a.m.

It's no secret that rejection hurts, no matter who does the rejecting. Throughout the years, I've become a student of rejection. Long ago, someone told me that although rejection is painful initially, someday I'd look back on it and smile. Though skeptical, I saved every rejection letter, e-mail and instant messenger conversation just in case. Last week, I thought back on some of my finest rejection moments to see if the smiling thing was true.

Give us a home where the fake pandas roam

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, March 28,2006 12:28 a.m.

The fake Facebook profile has become a hunted and endangered species now that "a panda" and "a monkey," some of IU's most popular fake members, have been forced to shut down their profiles. Facebook appears to be hunting down fake or misleading profiles because such profiles might confuse a casual reader. But do any of these casual readers really believe there's a panda writing a Facebook profile? Surely no one believes that award-winning musician Bobby McFerrin and Frylock of "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" go to IU. Why, then, is Facebook cracking down? We have no idea. Facebook might be a social networking tool, but it's also a forum for light-hearted fun and smirking sarcasm. Facebook must know that its service is full of falsity.

Al-Qaida conspirator testifies in 9-11 death penalty trial

By Alyson Brodsy and Matthew Barakat · Tuesday, March 28,2006 12:26 a.m.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui testified Monday that he and would-be shoe bomber Richard Reid were supposed to hijack a fifth airplane and fly it into the White House as part of the attack that unfolded Sept. 11, 2001. Moussaoui's testimony on his own behalf stunned the courtroom. His account was in stark contrast to his previous statements, in which he said the White House attack was to come later if the United States refused to release a radical Egyptian sheik imprisoned on earlier terrorist convictions.