IUPD

Union Jack attacked

An earlier than usual phone call prompted me to check the news last Thursday morning. I immediately felt sick. The terror attacks became all too real to me as the names of a handful of friends studying in London popped into my head. Thankfully, anxious e-mails asking for reassurance and desperate prayers for their safety were answered.

Kicking drug testing up a notch

Random drug searches involving dogs are already part of Carmel High School's drug policy but school officials are planning to intensify searching practices. The proposed policy involves random tests for drugs and alcohol for students who drive to school or participate in athletics, music or other extracurricular activities. Though ultimate responsibility for monitoring the students' habits belong to their parents, the school ought to take measures to discourage risky and harmful behavior since it does supervise the students for a large part of the day. Ensuring that students remain free of substance abuse is only part of creating a safe and healthy learning environment.

Staunching terrorism

Innocence took a heavy toll this week. More than 50 people died Thursday in London when terrorists exploded buses and trains, reducing innocent victims to strewn and unidentifiable body parts in the name of an extremist cause. Early Saturday morning, it hit closer to home. In an apparent gesture of revenge for those gruesome acts, someone set a Bloomington Mosque on fire.

Student earns honors for riding

In some ways, junior Samantha Roper is just like any other 20-year-old college student. She attends class, joins student organizations and dreams of a future in business. But, while most are still sleeping or relaxing after a hard day on campus, Roper heads to Rocky River Farms twice a day to pursue her hobby; horseback riding.

Program provides more than language learning

Africa is home to over 1,700 languages, which account for one-third of the languages spoken around the world. This summer and next summer IU is home to the Summer Cooperative African Language Institute, a program that offers courses in 13 of these languages and the cultures of the people who speak them.

IU Foundation appoints new chief

The IU Foundation has a new Chief Information Officer. Donald Grinstead started his new job on July 1. As CIO for the Foundation, Grinstead will be responsible for overseeing the implementation and use of new technologies.

Bloomington has some history of hate crimes

An IU student experienced feelings of anger, shock and disbelief as he learned exactly what it felt like to become the target of a hate crime. Sometime between 7:30 and 10 p.m. Monday, his car was vandalized -- covered in red spray-painted swastikas and the word "Jew" splashed on the side.

Community responds to hate crimes

Saturday morning's attempted arson attack on a Bloomington mosque was not the first time a religious hate crime has occurred in the city. Six years ago Won-Joon Yoon, an IU student, was shot dead outside the Korean United Methodist Church by a white supremacist. Last year a student's car was vandalized and had a swastikas and the word "Jew" spray painted on it. Despite these incidents the Bloomington community has rallied to the aid and expressed solidarity with the victims of hate crimes. The vandalized car of the student was repaired with money raised by the community and a solidarity walk in support of the city's Muslim community is in the planning stages.

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.