IUPD

Daniels defends road toll for I-69

By Ben Woodson · Friday, Sept. 30,2005 12:56 a.m.

Gov. Mitch Daniels stopped in Bloomington Thursday to discuss his new plan to make the future I-69 a toll road from Indianapolis to Evansville. This plan will include what is currently Indiana State Road 37, a major north-south corridor for Bloomington.

'Darth Vader' to take over Buskirk-Chumley

By Gavin Lesnick · Friday, Sept. 30,2005 12:47 a.m.

With a vintage 1977 Darth Vader mug clutched firmly in hand, Gary Wood waited in line at an Indianapolis science fiction convention, hoping to get an autograph from David Prowse, famed for portraying the classic villain in the first "Star Wars" trilogy. Wood got the autograph, but he also got something he hadn't expected: a new cast member for an independent movie he was directing, titled "Saving Star Wars."

Let's roll

By Alyson Brodsy and Brian Stewart · Friday, Sept. 30,2005 12:31 a.m.

President Kennedy once declared that triumph in "a long, twilight struggle," would come at a steep "price," impose a heavy "burden," and entail genuine "hardship." So why is it that the government has refused to ask Americans to sacrifice for victory in this war? The standard retort is that it doesn't need to, that the wealth of America's treasury allows it to deliver both guns and butter. But by now, it is plain that America's war footing at home or, to be coldly honest, the lack of one, is undercutting its war abroad.

Cocaine Kate

By Alyson Brodsy and Amanda Dorman · Friday, Sept. 30,2005 12:29 a.m.

As she effortlessly struts down the runway, cameras flash, the crowd gushes and fellow models glare with envy. The 5-foot-6, 105-pound Kate Moss has done for fashion what Jenny Craig has done for weight loss. The fashion industry worships her: She is credited for spearheading the highly controversial "waif" look in the 90s; she was once ranked the fifth highest paid model; she has starred in several notable documentaries; and she has been the face for high-end designers, such as Calvin Klein, Gucci, Versace and David Yurman.

Don't screw class

By Alyson Brodsy and Amy Obermeyer · Friday, Sept. 30,2005 12:27 a.m.

To all the members of the Facebook group "Screw class, let's get drunk," specifically those who believe in its (dare I say) "philosophy," I have a wonderful suggestion. You cannot go to class as often as you please, get drunk as often as you want and, most importantly, not waste your (or your parent's) money simultaneously: Just drop out.

The content of the University's character

By Alyson Brodsy · Friday, Sept. 30,2005 12:26 a.m.

The debate about diversity, always divisive, has reached a new pitch. It is with this background that we raise the rhetorical question: Is IU-Bloomington diverse enough?

Man pulls knife at hip hop battle

By Alyson Brodsy · Friday, Sept. 30,2005 12:22 a.m.

A knife was pulled on the host emcee of a charity rap battle sponsored by Hip Hop Congress Thursday night in front of Collins Center after a confrontation between two attendees, according to witnesses. Details were unclear at press time. "It was just a couple of dudes who couldn't behave themselves," said Hip Hop Chapter President Alex Pyatetsky. "We don't condone this behavior."

Grant allows IU to process larger data

By Mike Wilson · Friday, Sept. 30,2005 12:21 a.m.

IU researchers will soon make full use of precise digital instruments that produce massive volumes of information, enabling more accurate pictures of the stars and important genome research with the potential to affect cancer research. The National Science Foundation announced Tuesday it is providing IU with a $1.72 million grant to build a data capacitor, which will temporarily store massive amounts of data waiting to be analyzed by supercomputers, according to a release.

'Apprentice' runner-up speaks to IU

By Ashley Rhodebeck · Friday, Sept. 30,2005 12:19 a.m.

Kwame Jackson, NBC's "The Apprentice" first-season runner-up, said some might call him a serial entrepreneur, which has two meanings. "It means someone who has to start businesses," he said. "Now, the real definition of serial entrepreneur is someone who's so broke they only eat cereal. So, I'm definitely a serial entrepreneur."

Controversial museum scrapped from 9/11 Ground Zero plans

By Alyson Brodsy and Amy Westfeldt · Friday, Sept. 30,2005 12:14 a.m.

NEW YORK -- Bowing to pressure from furious Sept. 11 families, Gov. George Pataki on Wednesday removed a proposed freedom museum from the space reserved for it at Ground Zero, saying the project had aroused "too much opposition, too much controversy."

Disney gives African art to Smithsonian

By Alyson Brodsy · Friday, Sept. 30,2005 12:11 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- A major collection of African artwork, some dating to the 1400s, was donated Thursday to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African Art. "This is a collection that has been sought after by everyone in the museum world because it is so great," said Smithsonian Secretary Lawrence Small. "Finally, for reasons I wholeheartedly agree with, it came here."

Singer Baez tests community standards for language

By Alyson Brodsy and David Bauder · Friday, Sept. 30,2005 12:09 a.m.

NEW YORK -- Another musician has tested the tolerance level for bad language on prime-time television, but she's no raucous rock star. Would you believe it's Joan Baez? The 64-year-old folkie was interviewed as part of "Bob Dylan: No Direction Home," the two-part "American Masters" series directed by Martin Scorsese that aired this week on PBS. She talked about how fellow musicians were frustrated with Dylan's use of the F-word.

'Darth Vader' relishes fans, avoids limelight

By Gavin Lesnick · Friday, Sept. 30,2005 12:08 a.m.

Dave Prowse estimates that 99.9 percent of "Star Wars" fans are perfectly normal, sensible human beings. Still, in the more than two decades since Prowse last appeared as Darth Vader in "Return of the Jedi," that one-tenth of a percent has added up. Whether it's being bombarded by fans while on a plane or visiting houses completely turned into "Star Wars" shrines, Prowse has noticed the craze the movies and his character spur in some people.

Week in Review

By Alyson Brodsy · Friday, Sept. 30,2005 12:03 a.m.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger followed through Thursday on his promise to veto a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in California, saying the issue should be decided by voters or the courts. "This bill simply adds confusion to a constitutional issue," the Republican governor said in a veto message. Schwarzenegger had announced his intention on Sept. 7, a day after the Legislature became the first in the country to approve a bill allowing gays and lesbians to wed.

Car bomb kills 60 north of Baghdad

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Sept. 29,2005 11:57 p.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Three suicide attackers exploded near-simultaneous car bombs in the heart of a bustling, mainly Shiite town Thursday, killing at least 60 people and wounding 70 amid a new surge of violence before an Oct. 15 referendum on Iraq's constitution.

Fast-spreading blaze rages through SoCal neighborhood

By Alyson Brodsy and Gillian Flaccus · Thursday, Sept. 29,2005 11:56 p.m.

LOS ANGELES -- A wind-whipped 17,000--acre wildfire raced across hills and canyons along the city's northwestern edge Thursday, threatening homes and forcing hundreds of people to evacuate. Some 3,000 firefighters aided by aircraft struggled to protect ridgetop houses along the Los Angeles-Ventura county line, a rugged, brushy landscape west of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley. Officials said the blaze was 5 percent contained as it burned toward such communities as Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Calabasas and Agoura.

Roberts becomes 17th chief justice

By Alyson Brodsy and Jesse J. Holland · Thursday, Sept. 29,2005 11:54 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- John G. Roberts Jr., a conservative protégé of the late William H. Rehnquist, succeeded him Thursday and became the nation's youngest chief justice in two centuries, winning support from more than three-fourths of the Senate after promising he would be no ideologue. Roberts, at 50, becomes the 17th chief justice, presiding over a Supreme Court that seems as divided as the nation over abortion and other tumultuous social issues. The court opens a new term on Monday.

1st Hindu temple in Indiana to serve nearly 3,000 families

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Sept. 29,2005 11:46 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Plans are underway for the state's first Hindu temple, a sprawling, elaborate structure dedicated to worship of a dozen deities. The temple's construction on the city's east side underlines the growth of Hindu population and culture in the city, The Indianapolis Star reported in a Thursday story.

Mile-long walk to raise breast cancer awareness

By Elizabeth Peacock · Thursday, Sept. 29,2005 11:44 p.m.

Barbara Joseph's inspiration for the Breast Cancer Awareness Walk came from her good friend Melody Martin, a breast cancer survivor who founded the walk. "This is her passion," Joseph said of her friend. The event is not focused on raising money; instead, the main goal of the Breast Cancer Awareness Walk Saturday is to raise awareness about breast cancer. The first 1,000 walkers will receive a free T-shirt. Participants can walk without paying a fee or giving a donation, though donations will be accepted. Sponsors, such as Bloomington Hospital Regional Cancer Institute and Southern Indiana Radiological Associates will donate $200 for each walker and have already donated enough money to cover all of the walk's expenses.

IU awaits money to remove 7th Street fence

By Allie Townsend · Thursday, Sept. 29,2005 1:56 a.m.

The chain link fence paddock on Seventh Street next to the IU Auditorium will continue to stand until IU gets the money to renovate the area, said Bob Meadows, the University architect. IU erected the fence in the fall of 1997 as a staging area for construction at the Auditorium, Meadows said. When the renovation was completed several years ago, the University didn't have the money to replace the fence with an alternative, but didn't want to reopen Seventh Street to through traffic, he said.