Community Arts

College Mall under major renovation

By Michael Peiper and Michael Pieper · Wednesday, June 9,2004 9:50 p.m.

The College Mall is currently undergoing major changes including massive construction work as well as additions of new stores inside.

'Steel Magnolias' comes to Brown County Playhouse

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, June 9,2004 9:47 p.m.

A staple of southern Indiana cultural life for more than half a century, professional summer theater returns to Nashville, Ind., tonight as the Brown County Playhouse opens its doors for its 56th season with a production of Robert Harling's comic tragedy "Steel Magnolias." The Playhouse opened in 1949 as a collaborative effort of former drama professor Lee Norvell and Nashville businessman A. Jack Rogers.

Grammy winner Rickie Lee Jones takes Buskirk-Chumley stage

By Shauna Steele · Wednesday, June 9,2004 9:45 p.m.

Grammy award-winning musician Rickie Lee Jones will perform at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater at 8 p.m. tonight. Best known for her 1979 hit "Chuck E's in Love," Jones currently focuses on songs with strong political statements. "She was really big at one time. I think she took time off for a while," Bloomington resident Kay Olges said. "People would probably recognize her music if they heard it."

Ohio State coach Jim O'Brien fired for paying money to potential recruit

By Alyson Brodsy and Rusty Miller · Wednesday, June 9,2004 9:42 p.m.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State hired Jim O'Brien to clean up a disreputable program. On Tuesday, the university fired O'Brien because he admitted he gave a recruit $6,000 five years ago -- not long after he ran off several problem players left over from the previous coach.

Knight agrees to contract extension

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, June 9,2004 9:41 p.m.

LUBBOCK, Texas -- Bob Knight agreed to a three-year contract extension that will keep the basketball coach at Texas Tech until 2009. Athletic director Gerald Myers told The Associated Press Wednesday the agreement probably will be signed next week. Knight's contract pays him $250,000 a year and runs through May 2006.

IU divers inch closer to Athens dream

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, June 9,2004 9:40 p.m.

With both IU men's and women's diving teams steeped in tradition, the U.S. Olympic Trials for diving saw a large Hoosier contingent invade St. Peters, Mo., in their quest to qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Of the 83 divers to compete in the Trials, 12 either currently attend IU or have graduated from the Bloomington campus.

Bird gone a fowl

By Jeff Fuldauer · Wednesday, June 9,2004 9:39 p.m.

As part of ESPN's tribute to the past 25 years in sports (a.k.a. their method of plugging High Def programming), reporter Jim Gray examined the core differences between "Old School" and "New School" athletics. Among the issues were John Stockton's short-shorts, end zone celebrations, throwback jerseys, bling-bling and the number of zeros in a player's contract. But no matter which school you want to associate yourself with, the issue of racial inequality in sports always seems to rear its ugly head.

Bush seeks wider NATO involvement in Iraq

By Alyson Brodsy and Martin Crutsinger · Wednesday, June 9,2004 9:37 p.m.

SEA ISLAND, Ga. -- President Bush, hoping to build on momentum from a U.N. victory on Iraq, said Wednesday he hopes for a wider role for NATO in post-occupation Iraq. But the French immediately voiced reservations.

Republicans conclude Indiana convention

By Alyson Brodsy and Mike Smith · Wednesday, June 9,2004 9:30 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Conservative activist Eric Miller told delegates at the Republican State Convention that with hard work and the right stand on issues, they could guarantee that Mitch Daniels is elected governor in November. Miller, who lost to Daniels in the May 4 primary, had billed Tuesday's speech as a public endorsement and afterward said it was one.

Army contractors to destroy toxin

By Alyson Brodsy and Rick Callahan · Wednesday, June 9,2004 9:29 p.m.

NEWPORT, Ind. -- In a cavernous, pipe-filled structure known simply as the Utility Building, Army contractors are getting ready to destroy a Cold War-era concoction so lethal it could kill untold millions.

Replacement found for Shelters Inc.

By Benjames Derrick and Benjamin Derrick · Wednesday, June 9,2004 9:29 p.m.

Last June, homeless people who lived at Shelters Inc. weren't the only ones hitting hard times as the shelter closed down. However, The Community Kitchen of Monroe County gave the shelter a helping hand as it temporarily housed it's neighbors residents.

Say goodbye to sunlight ... the best of E3 is here

By Phil Kijak · Wednesday, June 9,2004 9:24 p.m.

Every spring, the video game community shuts down and converges in California to show off the latest and greatest video games that will drain the free time and free will of guys like me in the upcoming year.

Israeli officials begin planning Gaza withdrawal

By Alyson Brodsy and Mark Lavie · Wednesday, June 9,2004 9:23 p.m.

JERUSALEM -- The governmental committee in charge of overseeing Israel's withdrawal from Gaza held its first meeting Wednesday, despite new turmoil in Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's ruling coalition over the plan.

One 'Monster' of a movie hits DVD

By Matt Waters and Matthew Waters · Wednesday, June 9,2004 9:22 p.m.

"Monster" is the story of Aileen Wuornos (Charlize Theron), a prostitute serial killer just trying to survive.

Likability won't matter as much as you think

By Tony Sams · Wednesday, June 9,2004 9:19 p.m.

A few weeks ago I was chatting on the telephone with Mickey Carroll, the director of the Polling Institute at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. The institute had released a national poll that put a rather interesting twist on the presidential race, and it snagged my attention. "I'm always worried people will think we're being wiseguys or frivolous or kidding around," Caroll said in a thick New York accent.

Where's moral clarity?

By Jeff Lightfoot · Wednesday, June 9,2004 9:18 p.m.

With the Indiana Pacers no longer in the hunt for an NBA title and the summer television season now in full swing, there was no escape from last weekend's media onslaught. Breathless anchors praised the courage of the veterans of D-Day and extolled the optimistic oration of the late President Ronald Reagan. The networks often seemed unsure of how to balance these two titanic events, jumping from World War II to the Cold War with transitions smooth enough to give viewers whiplash. All the while there was a common theme linking D-Day to the Reagan's presidency, an ideal that is missing from our current struggle in Iraq.

Comments on false nerdism

By Jordan DeLong · Wednesday, June 9,2004 9:17 p.m.

I hate style nowadays. I can't stand how dorky things are all of a sudden becoming mainstream. I remember a time when nerdy was still nerdy, retro meant old and you got made fun of if you wore plastic glasses. It was a simpler time: There were the people chasing trends, and then there were the few nerds who weren't buying. We didn't have new Air Jordans, but we did have our trusty Chucks. Instead of struggling through early '90s pop, we dusted off the old classics or listened to independent artists. We may not have been interested in shooting the three-point buzzer-beater, but we were passionate about RAM, hard drives and trackballs.

U.S. military to pull out from Korean border

By Alyson Brodsy and Hans Greimel · Wednesday, June 9,2004 9:15 p.m.

PANMUNJOM, Korea -- The U.S. military is on track to pull almost all its troops from their last outpost on the tense border with North Korea by October, a U.S. Army officer said Wednesday, amid discord over relocation plans. The two allies were also eyeing more negotiations over a U.S. troop withdrawal proposal that would be the largest reduction of American forces on the divided Korean Peninsula in three decades.

So much for liking good music

By -Nate Bethea · Wednesday, June 9,2004 9:15 p.m.

I'll be honest -- I bought the hype, caved in to peer pressure and went out and bought a copy of Xiu Xiu's Fabulous Muscles.

The bad manner of Chicago

By Emily Cooper · Wednesday, June 9,2004 9:15 p.m.

As I got off the phone with a man working for a Chicagoland newspaper, I shook my head and realized that the phone call had confirmed my suspicions about the rudeness entrapping Chicago. My current task in my Brown County Convention and Visitors Bureau internship is to update our media database. So I called this fellow, explaining who I was and asking if I could have a moment of his time to verify some information. Expecting a polite "uh-huh" on the other end, I began to read his contact information to him but was interrupted by a loud, nasal snort.