Region

Saddam absent from court

By Alyson Brodsy and Hamza Hendawi · Wednesday, Dec. 7,2005 8:48 p.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The trial of Saddam Hussein and seven co-defendants was adjourned Wednesday until Dec. 21 after two witnesses testified in a truncated session that the ousted president did not attend. After two prosecution witnesses described beatings and torture by the regime, Chief Judge Rizgar Mohammed Amin adjourned the proceedings and said the court would reconvene six days after the Dec. 15 parliamentary elections.

Hoosiers fall short in 2 tough-fought matches

By Josh Sacks · Wednesday, Dec. 7,2005 12:12 a.m.

Hockey enthusiasts searching for an emotional match would have been pleased with the multiple hard hits, penalties and even the fight that occurred this weekend when IU welcomed Davenport University. The Hoosiers played well, often out-shooting the Panthers, but not well enough as they dropped both games of the weekend series -- 6-4 Friday and 4-3 Saturday.

Hoosiers hope to rebound from tough loss to Louisville

By Tim O Brien and Tim O'Brien · Wednesday, Dec. 7,2005 12:10 a.m.

Coming off a tough road loss at Louisville, the IU women's basketball team (3-4) will wrap up its four-game road trip tonight versus Eastern Michigan University. On Sunday, against the Cardinals, the Hoosiers played a back-and-forth game, losing 72-67. With 2:10 remaining in the game, IU faced its largest deficit of the day with Louisville up 66-51. The Hoosiers refused to give in, hitting their final four 3-point attempts, including one by senior forward Jenny DeMuth at the buzzer, but time ran out on IU. The loss was the first road defeat of the season.

Big Ten proves too much for IU in '05

By Jake Brown and Jacob Brown · Wednesday, Dec. 7,2005 12:09 a.m.

The IU volleyball team wrapped up its season with the conclusion of the Big Ten schedule a little over a week ago, sending off a record-breaking senior while also paving the way for a record-breaking freshman to cement her place in IU lure. Senior Mandy Eberle played her last match as a Hoosier against Wisconsin and broke the single-season total blocks and block assist records in the process. By breaking the individual record, Eberle moved into seventh place all-time for both the total blocks and block assist records.

State of Embarrassment

By Andy Romey · Wednesday, Dec. 7,2005 12:08 a.m.

Last year, IU edged past Indiana State in a close game at home. This year, it was the Sycamores who edged past the No. 18 Hoosiers at their home. In a game where senior forward Marco Killingsworth wasn't his dominant self, IU fell to Indiana State 72-67 at the Hulman Center in Terre Haute. Killingsworth, who saw double teams all night long, committed seven turnovers and was held to just 10 points. "I thought they did a great job of playing Marco physical," IU coach Mike Davis said. "He's got to learn there are going to be nights where he only gets 10 points."

Iranian military plane hits apartment, kills at least 128 people

By Alyson Brodsy and Ali Akbar Dareini · Wednesday, Dec. 7,2005 12:07 a.m.

TEHRAN, Iran -- An Iranian military transport plane crashed into a 10-story apartment building as it was trying to make an emergency landing Tuesday, ripping open the top of the structure and igniting a huge fire. At least 128 people were killed.

Former professor acquitted on charges of aiding terrorist

By Alyson Brodsy and Mitch Stacy · Wednesday, Dec. 7,2005 12:07 a.m.

TAMPA, Fla. -- In a stinging defeat for prosecutors, a former Florida professor accused of helping lead a terrorist group that has carried out suicide bombings against Israel was acquitted on nearly half the charges against him Tuesday, and the jury deadlocked on the rest.

Supreme Court to rule soon on military recruiting at colleges

By Alyson Brodsy and Gina Holland · Wednesday, Dec. 7,2005 12:06 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court appeared ready Tuesday to rule against colleges that want to limit military recruiting on campus to protest the Pentagon's policy on gays.

Saddam tells court to 'go to hell,' vows not to return to trial

By Alyson Brodsy and Hamza Hendawi · Wednesday, Dec. 7,2005 12:04 a.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A woman testified at the Saddam Hussein trial Tuesday behind a beige curtain and with her voice disguised, telling the court of beatings, torture and sexual humiliation when she was a teenager at the hands of security agents.

IU to raise admissions standards

By Peter Stevenson · Wednesday, Dec. 7,2005 12:01 a.m.

Interim IU-Bloomington Chancellor Ken Gros Louis outlined a plan to raise academic standards at the Bloomington Faculty Council meeting Tuesday. "The goal is to enhance the quality of the incoming freshman class while also maintaining access and diversity," Gros Louis said at the meeting. The changes in standards will not be immediate. "Some of this really has to be spread over several years, because the expectations have to be known when you're a freshman in high school," Gros Louis said. He added that the plan will be implemented mainly in the office of admissions, and will affect incoming freshmen.

IU meets football revenue

By Michael Sanserino · Wednesday, Dec. 7,2005 12:01 a.m.

The IU athletics department made good on an Oct. 18 promise to the Bloomington Faculty Council by reaching its football revenue goals. IU Athletics Director Rick Greenspan announced Tuesday the department had met its $4.3 million revenue objective for the 2005 season, but declined to release the official tally. In a statement on Tuesday, Greenspan said figures were not ready for release because some of the game revenues have not been settled with visiting teams, nor have the numbers been audited. The $4.3 million revenue objective was $1.1 million more than the football income in 2004.

Groups: Low funds fault of new system

By Stephanie Susman · Wednesday, Dec. 7,2005 12:01 a.m.

During the days of walk-in paper registration, when students convened in one location to register for classes, student groups could easily promote their organizations to registering students by lobbying around that location. With today's computerized registration program, which students can complete from home, these groups do not have the same promotion ability they once had.

The art of selling dinner

By Audrie Garrison · Wednesday, Dec. 7,2005 12:01 a.m.

Food marketing is the battle between peanut chicken and chicken with creamy peanut sauce. The Nestle Prepared Foods Company turned to the Bloomington Cooking School Tuesday night to help recruit students from the Kelley School of Business to fight these battles. Representatives from Nestle, the company that owns Stouffer's and Lean Cuisine, invited about 20 Kelley students to the Bloomington Cooking School for the opportunity to meet Nestle representatives, learn more about packaged food marketing and watch a cooking demonstration by Bloomington Cooking School co-owner Matt O'Neill. Following the presentations, they enjoyed a dinner together.

Bust of O'Bannon created at college

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, Dec. 6,2005 11:57 p.m.

ANDERSON -- A bronze bust of the late former Indiana Gov. Frank O'Bannon was cast Tuesday at the Anderson University Art Foundry and will soon be displayed at the Indiana Statehouse.

A path less traveled

By Roy Maurer · Tuesday, Dec. 6,2005 11:56 p.m.

In 2000, at the age of 13, Burke Denning found the gateway to her faith at Borders bookstore. After convincing her father to buy her a copy of Silver Ravenwolf's "Teen Witch," she devoured it in two days and decided to become a pagan.

Proposed legislation would allow residents to vote at any site in county

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, Dec. 6,2005 11:51 p.m.

VALPARAISO -- Voters would be able to cast ballots at any polling site in their county instead of being limited to their home precincts under a proposal that state officials plan to present to the Indiana Legislature. The pilot program would be modeled after a system used by several Colorado counties, said Secretary of State Todd Rokita and state Rep. Andrew Thomas, R-Brazil. They said they plan to try to persuade lawmakers to pass the program this winter.

Plant could build Toyotas

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, Dec. 6,2005 11:49 p.m.

TOKYO -- Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., the maker of Subaru automobiles, has agreed with Toyota Motor Corp. to manufacture Toyota cars at a plant in Indiana, a news report said Monday, but a spokeswoman for Subaru of Indiana said the report was premature.

Freshmen reﬂection

By Alyson Brodsy and Megan Robb · Tuesday, Dec. 6,2005 11:48 p.m.

More than over 6,500 students on the Bloomington campus will face the end of a college semester for the first time next week. IU-Bloomington offers an especially wide array of services -- like writing tutorials and academic workshops -- to help students succeed academically throughout the semester. But it doesn't offer services that help freshmen reflect on the first semester of college and make the most of their transition to the second. The Academic Support Center, Student Academic Center or even specific academic departments would do well to add that responsibility to their agendas.

Hunters help control overpopulation in wild

By Roy Maurer · Tuesday, Dec. 6,2005 11:47 p.m.

Indiana's muzzleloader and late archery deer hunting seasons opened Dec. 3 and continues through Dec. 18, 2005 and Jan. 1, 2006, respectively, signaling the last opportunities to hunt the state's whitetail deer this year.

Our forgotten poor

By Alyson Brodsy and Patrick Schoettmer · Tuesday, Dec. 6,2005 11:46 p.m.

All I care about right now is finishing that last paper and then going brain dead for about three weeks. Well, not exactly brain dead because I have to take a placement exam in January. And, you have to stay on your toes around my family, or you're definitely going to wind up the worse for it. But you know what I mean.