Region

Hoosiers back home and rolling

STATE COLLEGE, PA -- Mike Davis had one wish. Before IU set out on its three-game road swing that ended Wednesday in Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center, IU's coach wanted two road wins. He got his wish, and the Hoosiers return Saturday to Assembly Hall, where they will play five of their next six, including four of their next five Big Ten games. IU (12-6, 5-1 Big Ten) pounded Penn State (5-12, 1-5) 85-51, marking the first time since the 1992-1993 season the Hoosiers have recorded three Big Ten road victories before February. "Ideally, we wanted to come out of this road trip (winning) one of three, and we get two of three," Davis said. "Now we have three road wins in the Big Ten, which is good."

7-year-old escapes kidnapper

PHILADELPHIA -- The rumor going around 7-year-old Erica Pratt's blighted neighborhood was that her family had come into money. A lot of money.

Debate surrounds meeting

Three hours and numerous interruptions of parliamentary procedure after the beginning of Monday night's IU Student Association's Congress meeting, the group has a new budget for the 2002 fiscal year, beginning July 1. The satisfaction of unanimously passing a bill, however, was fleeting, with the death of the Academic Standards Act proposed by the executives soon to follow.

Come on down! See what you've won

Congratulations IU! You have claimed your first Big Ten Championship since 1993. You have defied the oddsmakers and become the conference dark horse. You're 6-3 against teams ranked in the top 25 at the time you played them. You're ranked in the top 25 in each of the major polls, and you have undoubtedly earned yourself a spot in the Big Dance. Your reward? The fifth-seeded, Michigan State.

Violence drove blacks from their homes

As a little girl, Doria Dee Johnson often asked about the man in the portrait hanging in an aunt's living room, her great-great-grandfather. "It's too painful," her elderly relatives would say, and they would look away. A few years ago, Johnson, now 40, went to look for answers in the rural town of Abbeville, S.C.

Afghans look to America, UN for peace

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Cynical after more than two decades of war, many Afghans said Tuesday that their hopes for peace rest mostly with the United Nations and the United States rather than the Afghan factions holding talks in Germany. "We know these people. They would not be sitting together if the United States and the United Nations did not force them," said Sami Ullah, a father of eight who earns barely 50 cents a day selling odds and ends in Kabul's main market.

Around The Region

SOUTH BEND -- A judge ruled that constitutional questions in other death-penalty cases are no reason to eliminate capital punishment as a potential sentence in an upcoming triple-murder trial. Monday, St. Joseph Superior Court Judge William T. Means also refused to grant Phillip Stroud's motion for a trial delay.

Listen to this as you throw back a few

Phantom pop sounds are Quasi's sword

Although probably more famous for their former band associations, Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss have been steadily forging their own musical identity with Quasi. While Weiss has served time with Sleater-Kinney, and Coomes was in Heatmiser with Elliott Smith, the divorced twosome have recorded five albums together since 1996. The Sword of God, the Portland, Ore., duo's latest, continues to build on the band's previous musical themes, with enough new experiments and variations to keep things fresh.

Notre Dame comes to IU on 7 game winning streak

Mike Brey has gone seven games and hasn't needed to call a 30-second timeout yet. No momentum swings for the opponents. No scoring runs that have put Notre Dame in danger of losing. No games closer than 13 points. Brey, the second-year Fighting Irish coach, is confident but fears that all might change tonight when Notre Dame meets IU at 7 p.m. tonight in Assembly Hall. It will be the home opener for IU (4-2) and the first true road test for the Irish (7-0). In its only other road game, Notre Dame wiped out DePaul 82-55. "I'm counting on our experience to help us in that atmosphere and set the tone," Brey said. "Our experience can keep us pretty steady."

Coming together

In a room full of strangers, a man spoke up. "I'd rather see my son dead than gay," he said. His son, who was sitting next to him, was silent. His wife shrank in her seat. While many parents have become more accepting of their homosexual children, some parents still struggle, said Doug Bauder, coordinator for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Student Support Services. That's part of the reason PFLAG, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, exists.

Period epic goes kung fu

Hoosiers blow past Utah

SACRAMENTO - IU coach Mike Davis admitted it after the game Thursday night. Truth be told, he didn't have to wait that long to divulge his secret. It was obvious to his players that Davis was nervous before the Hoosiers took on Utah Thursday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Arco Arena in Sacramento. "I was so tight it was unbelievable," Davis said with a laugh. "(junior Tom) Coverdale walked over to me today during the shoot around and said, 'Coach, just relax, we're going to win.' I was wound up so, so tight because this game, this game was so important for Indiana basketball, for me, for ourselves and for our team." With so much on the line, Davis was justifiably nervous. But after the Hoosiers whipped Utah, 75-56, Coverdale appeared to know what he was talking about heading into the game.

The man, the mystery: Lance Armstrong

The kid is good. There is nothing else you can say about Lance Armstrong. The man is dominating his sport much the same way Tiger Woods has been dominating the sport of golf in the past few years.

Suspect arrested in USS Cole bombing

Pakistani authorities arrested and turned over to American custody a Yemeni microbiology student wanted in connection with the bombing of the USS Cole, Pakistani officials confirmed Sunday.

Egg hunt offers adults candy, prizes

The date of the Egg Scramble has been changed to Saturday, April 6 due to an overwhelming number of cancellations because of the IU men's basketball game. Registration has been extended to 5 p.m. Friday, April 5. In 30 seconds, it's over, but with the slew of prizes literally up for grabs, it is bound to be worth attending. The fourth annual Egg Scramble, sponsored by the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department, will be held at 8 p.m. Saturday at Bryan Park. The event is for adults over 21 only, and pre-registration is required by 5 p.m. today. Last year, the event was filled up with all 350 available spots, but this year there is still room left.

Soundtrack falls short with Rap, R&B, Rock jumble

Most soundtracks these days load discs with songs by a few popular artists, throw in tracks by some obscure bands, sprinkle a few up-and-comers in the mix and hope the album will bring in the bucks.

Kid from the north country

Volleyball team earns first Big Ten win against Iowa

IU's loss to Minnesota's volleyball team Friday didn't stop them from beating Iowa Saturday night. The Hoosiers now stand at 4-9 in the season and 1-5 in the Big Ten. IU fell to Minnesota Friday in three games. With 15 kills, freshman Karla Crose led the Hoosiers, and sophomore Melissa Brewer helped out with 13 kills. Junior Laurie Gardner returned after recovering from a shoulder injury earlier in the week. Even with the help of Gardner being back and the skills of Crose and Brewer, IU managed to have 29 hitting errors on their side.

Taliban enemy buried

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Thousands of people gathered Sunday in a small village in Afghanistan's mighty Hindu Kush mountain range to bury opposition leader Ahmed Shah Massood, who died from wounds in a suicide attack against him.