Longform

Smallwood gifts apartment

By David A. Nosko · Friday, April 15,2005 1:16 a.m.

Free rent and disc jockey joy are sure to draw a crowd. Bloomington residents, students and guests gathered for the second annual "Apartment Sweepstakes" goodwill event and gift give-a-way early Thursday evening at Smallwood Plaza, 455 N. College Ave. B97 radio station -- WBWB 96.7 -- provided musical morale for the party, and Smokin' Jack's Rib Shack offered free meat and soda pop.

Around The Arts

By Alyson Brodsy · Friday, April 15,2005 12:44 a.m.

National Society of Arts & Letters gives 2005 awards The Bloomington Chapter of the National Society of Arts & Letters presents the 2005 Visual Arts and Performance Competition and Exhibition through April 18 in the Rosemary P. Miller Gallery at the John Waldron Arts Center, 122 S. Walnut St. IU students represented in the exhibition will showcase their work at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Warner Music Group gets new 'Bad Boy'

By Alyson Brodsy and Alex Veiga · Friday, April 15,2005 12:42 a.m.

LOS ANGELES -- Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and Warner Music Group inked a joint venture deal that gives the record company a 50 percent stake in the hip-hop mogul's Bad Boy Records label. Under the deal announced Thursday, Warner will market and handle digital and physical distribution of Bad Boy's new and catalog releases worldwide. The label's roster of current and former artists includes Mase, Mario Winans, Notorious B.I.G. and P. Diddy himself.

Around The State

By Alyson Brodsy · Friday, April 15,2005 12:41 a.m.

Lilly Endowment's assets shrink along with sagging stocks INDIANAPOLIS -- The sagging price of Eli Lilly and Co.'s stock cut the value of Indiana's largest charitable foundation by 20 percent last year. But Lilly Endowment officials said the drugmaker's stock still performed well.

Registration to end for birding marathon

By Michael Beal · Friday, April 15,2005 12:39 a.m.

Area bird watchers interested in testing their endurance and willpower in an exhausting but rewarding 24-hour marathon can register until 5 p.m. this afternoon for the 15th annual Monroe County Bird-A-Thon. The midnight-to-midnight birdwatching extravaganza will be held May 7.

Def Poetry slams it simply

By Joelle Petrus · Friday, April 15,2005 12:39 a.m.

At the Def Poetry Slam Showcase Wednesday night, artists Tommy Bottoms, Dana Gilmore and Malik Salaam regaled a crowd of more than 100 people at the Indiana Memorial Union's Alumni Room. For two hours, the three poets rotated in this order until each had performed three times with the microphone.

Rapper speaks at first annual banquet

By Alyson Brodsy · Friday, April 15,2005 12:38 a.m.

In an effort to get more students involved in the recently developed NAACP chapter at IU, a First Annual Freedom Fund Banquet will take place at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Bloomington Convention Center, 302 S. College Ave.

Save the Lords!

By Adam Sedia · Friday, April 15,2005 12:22 a.m.

Well, it appears Britain's Labor Party is at it again. This time, they plan to change centuries of parliamentary practice and call for a mostly elected House of Lords. Here's a brief overview of the current situation. The House of Lords is the upper of the two houses in the British Parliament. It is composed of 714 members, 92 of whom are hereditary members, others are appointed by the Queen, and 25 are bishops of the Anglican Church. Its powers have been curtailed in past years, but it still can challenge and stall legislation from the House of Commons.

Oregon judges repeal gay marriage licenses

By Alyson Brodsy · Friday, April 15,2005 12:21 a.m.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Oregon Supreme Court on Thursday nullified nearly 3,000 marriage licenses issued to gay couples a year ago by Portland's Multnomah County, saying a county cannot go against state matrimonial law. "Oregon law currently places the regulation of marriage exclusively within the province of the state's legislative power," the high court said in its unanimous ruling.

Pope Michael

By Jeff Alsott and Jeff Alstott · Friday, April 15,2005 12:20 a.m.

Now that Pope John Paul II has been laid to rest, the question of his successor presses heavily on the Catholic and political world. Monday, the cardinals will meet to begin the selection process, which, according to Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, will take up to three days. In the interest of expediting this process so as to return the Catholic Church to a sense of stability, I would like to offer up a nominee that the Cardinals will immediately see is the perfect choice for the position: Michael Jackson.

4 charged in oil-for-food scandal

By Alyson Brodsy and Larry Neumeister · Friday, April 15,2005 12:20 a.m.

NEW YORK -- Four more people were charged Thursday in the scandal in the U.N. oil-for-food program, including a Texas oil executive and a South Korean businessman who was at the center of a 1970s corruption case involving Congress. The indictment also suggested that money skimmed from the oil program might have ended up in the hands of two U.N. officials. Their names were not released.

Congress passes bankruptcy legislation after 8 year battle

By Alyson Brodsy and Marcy Gordon · Friday, April 15,2005 12:19 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Tens of thousands of people who want to wipe out their debts in bankruptcy court would have to work out repayment plans instead under legislation Congress approved Thursday. A 302-126 vote by the House sent the legislation to President Bush, who is eager to sign it, the biggest rewrite of the bankruptcy code in a quarter-century. It marks the second major change in law to benefit business since Republicans increased their House and Senate majorities in last fall's elections.

Vanishing funds

By Sara Schrock · Friday, April 15,2005 12:18 a.m.

Imagine you've been busting your butt, and you get a two-cent tip on a $40 tab. Now you know how scientists feel in the wake of new budget cuts proposed for two of the major science funding agencies: the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. It's just insulting.

18 killed, 36 wounded in Iraq suicide car bombings

By Alyson Brodsy · Friday, April 15,2005 12:18 a.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Two car bombs exploded near the interior minister's offices Thursday, killing 18 people and wounding three dozen. Al-Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility for the blasts, which caused the biggest death toll from an explosion in more than a month.

Military officials charged with smuggling Ecstasy

By Alyson Brodsy and Larry Neumeister · Friday, April 15,2005 12:17 a.m.

NEW YORK -- A U.S. military pilot and a sergeant were being held on federal narcotics charges after admitting they flew an Air Force jet from New York to Germany and returned with 290,000 pills of Ecstasy worth millions of dollars, authorities said Wednesday. Capt. Franklin Rodriguez, 35, and Master Sgt. John Fong, 36, were arrested Tuesday when their cargo plane returned to Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, about 40 miles north of New York City.

U.S. Marshals capture 10,000 fugitives

By Alyson Brodsy and Mark Sherman · Friday, April 15,2005 12:17 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- More than 10,000 fugitives wanted for murder, rape, child abuse and other crimes have been arrested in the largest coordinated crackdown by federal, state and local law enforcement officials in history. The number of arrests during the weeklong effort was 10 times the average for such a period, according to the U.S. Marshals Service, which led the nationwide dragnet timed to coincide with National Victims' Rights Week.

Past tense tension

By Alyson Brodsy · Friday, April 15,2005 12:16 a.m.

At midnight, the Indiana Daily Student hits its deadline. At that time, our reporters have to stop thinking about yesterday's news and start thinking about today's. Unlike other forms of media, newspaper news will always be slightly older than television, radio and Internet news.

Warrant issued for DeJesus

By Mike Malik · Thursday, April 14,2005 4:39 p.m.

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Alberto DeJesus in connection with leaving the scene of a fatal accident at the intersection of Third Street and Hawthorne that occurred late Monday night.

Wright declares for NBA draft

By Josh Weinfus and Josh Weinfuss · Thursday, April 14,2005 11:23 a.m.

IU junior guard Bracey Wright declared he would forego his senior season and enter the NBA draft, IU coach Mike Davis said in a statement Wednesday. "I am excited about the possibility of playing in the NBA and it has always been a dream of mine," the 6-foot-3 Wright said in a statement. "I want to thank coach Davis and all of the assistant coaches for the things they have taught me. I also want to thank my teammates for being there for me throughout my career."

Little 500 Concert Guide

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, April 14,2005 4:29 a.m.

Tonight The Roots, presented by Union Board, at 8 p.m. at the IU Auditorium. Tickets are $27 for students with valid student ID and $35 for non-students. Tickets are available at the IU Auditorium box office or any Ticketmaster location.