Region

Casino exhibits French paintings

LAS VEGAS -- The French countryside could not be farther away, in distance or sentiment, from the long stretch of neon lights that line the Las Vegas Strip.

Lotus season opens with peek at annual event

As soon as West African artist Mamadou Diabate took the stage carrying what appeared to be a large onion, the audience immediately realized that they were in for something special. In reality, Diabate's instrument was a kora, and his performance was one of the many events of the night which culturally broadened Bloomington residents' and students' minds.

Walk features more than just galleries

Some loose talk about Bloomington acting the role of a viable arts community has blown through town this summer, yet the community seems hesitant to identify the city's place among the national and international art talent decorating the globe. The Downtown Gallery Walk commenced Friday evening, the second of four like-minded events scheduled about town during the year, showcasing nine Bloomington art galleries and the artwork contained within their walls.

FBI investigating apparent arson at Bloomington mosque

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The FBI is investigating an apparent arson at a mosque in Bloomington as a possible hate crime, an agency spokeswoman said. A burned Quran was found outside the mosque, said Nathan Ainslie, president of the Islamic Center of Bloomington. No one was inside the mosque when the fire occurred about 2 a.m. Saturday, he said. A passerby noticed the blaze and the fire was extinguished before doing any major damage. Damage was confined to the kitchen area, said Ainslie.

London bombings kill 40, injure hundreds more

Four bombings vibrated throughout London and rattled the capital city's mass transportation system Thursday, destroying three subway stations and ripping apart a double-decker bus during morning rush-hour traffic.

Cuba aid group to visit city

Pastors for Peace, a humanitarian aid group, will be making a stop in Bloomington next Monday as part of a continent-wide bus trip that started in Canada and Northern U.S. states and is expected to end in Cuba.

Baring the truth

LONDON -- Four explosions rocked the London subway and tore open a packed double-decker bus during the morning rush hour Thursday, sending bloodied victims fleeing in the worst attack on London since World War II. At least 40 people were killed, U.S. officials said, and more than 700 were wounded.

Leaving a legacy

The history of IU golf is told through individual blips of conference recognition scattered on the national collegiate golfing radar screen. And then IU golf coach Mike Mayer recruited Evansville native Jeff Overton. Overton's 2001 arrival in Bloomington received little student fanfare and even less campus community publicity. Besides the usual public relations memo and the student newspaper plug, neither Mayer nor the student body knew what to expect from a golfer who first caught the "golfing bug" sometime during his eighth-grade year in middle school.

New Assembly scoreboard to bring video, ads

Assembly Hall, which has been a part of IU since 1970, is going from outdated to state of the art with the addition of a new $1.99 million scoreboard/video board, IU Athletics Director Rick Greenspan announced Tuesday. The project is being financed by IU Sports Properties through the IU Foundation over a 10-year period. The project will not cost the athletics department any out-of-pocket expense. In addition to the new system, the athletics department is slated to receive $250,000 in revenue in the first year.

Former trustee elected by alumni

Patrick Shoulders will be serving a second term on the IU board of trustees. He was appointed by the governor three years ago, but this year won the single seat elected by the alumni. Shoulders said he was relieved to find out he'd won.

Motorcyclist dies in vehicle accident

An accident at the intersection of Ind. 45 and Curry Pike left one person dead and another in critical condition Sunday. Jean Ricciardi, 52, of Quinlan, Texas, was riding his motorcycle west on Ind. 45 when 76-year-old Thelma Prince of Bloomington struck him as she was turning left from eastbound traffic, according to Bloomington Police Department reports.

Research a priority in new IU mission

The culmination of an 18-month-long process came to end Tuesday with the release of the Mission Differentiation Report, something that IU President Adam Herbert proposed when he was inaugurated in Spring of 2003. The report, titled, "Eight Campus Identities, One Shared Destiny," is just less than 50 pages in length and details how each of IU's eight campuses should define their missions to best serve students and the state.

The Red Phone in gas stations?

It shouldn't take a holiday to inspire admiration for one's country, especially when you live in the best country in the world. For far too many Americans, however, now that the Fourth of July has come and gone, it's time once again to return to business as usual: complaining about everything and offering no solutions. It's certainly the American way to voice one's opinion but stating the obvious just doesn't seem to get much accomplished.

Piggybacking the poor while rich get richer

Somewhere in America lives a minimum-wage worker who isn't making enough money working full-time to support her or his family. In the meantime, Indiana's Congressional delegation voted six-to-three to support a $3,100 "cost-of-living" pay increase for all Congressional salaries in 2006.

2012 Olympic Games go to Great Britain

London was named the host of the 2012 Olympics Wednesday, beating out Paris, Madrid, Moscow and New York. The final vote for the winner of the Games of the 30th Olympiad was a contest between Paris and London, after three preliminary rounds "voted out" the other three cities. London barely won the vote by a count of 54 to 50.

Athletes vs. the media, the saga continues

Kenny Rogers of the Texas Rangers, with his recent rampage against unsuspecting cameramen, prompted me to think about other athlete vs. media battle royales. These clashes are often hilarious, and provide memories for a lifetime. So here goes with my Top 5 moments of athletes embarrassing themselves in front of the media:

Young IU wide receivers look to step up in 2005

If there is a position that sticks out like a sore thumb for lack of experience on the IU football team, it well could be wide receiver. But don't tell them that. "We got talent. We got dominant players," said junior return man/wideout Lance Bennett. "But we got to be dominant." Dominance is not

Think globally

The power of a community, a nation, is so strong. Its influence can overflow into other places and do incredible things to make powerful changes. However, we use our power to enforce our culture, laws, rules and beliefs onto other people without even thinking about it.

O'Connor? O'My!

Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's retirement announcement Friday triggers the first high court vacancy in 11 years. She was the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, and proved to be the linchpin in a string of major 5-4 decisions involving federalism, abortion and a host of controversial social issues. Replacing her will be daunting. The White House might struggle to pick another historic choice to fill her shoes while satisfying the country. I have a suggestion: Nominate me.