Longform

Leach's return equals defensive improvement; Wilmont provides offensive spark off the bench

By Tyler Hoeppner and Tyler V. Hoeppner · Monday, Jan. 12,2004 12:52 a.m.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The Hoosiers have senior George Leach back. The senior center made his return to the basketball court after injuring his knee in the Nov. 29 game against Xavier. Leach has spent the past month sitting out and rehabbing his knee in hopes of being able to play again this season. The return was needed, as he helped lead the Hoosiers to a 59-57 win over Michigan in Crisler Arena.

U.S. enacts new foreigner entry policy

By Rami Chami · Monday, Jan. 12,2004 12:52 a.m.

IU students returning to the United States after winter break were among some of the first people to be processed through the new U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology program, known as US-VISIT. US-VISIT was developed by the Department of Homeland Security and is designed to help immigration officials verify and track visitors to the United States through the collection of biometric identifiers, such as photographs and fingerprints.

Bloomington fans cheer, celebrate Colts' win

By Alex Hickey · Monday, Jan. 12,2004 12:52 a.m.

Not since 1996 have Indianapolis Colts fans had this much to cheer about in January. A crowd of boisterous Colts fans looked for the team's biggest win since it was led by "Captain Comeback" Jim Harbaugh to the 1996 AFC Championship game. Colts fans made a lively appearance at Yogi's Bar & Grill Sunday and cheered the Colts to a 38-31 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Junior Kyle Hollon, a fan since he "could watch TV," was one of those on hand to witness the event and revel in the long road the Colts have traveled since the days of players like Jeff George and Don Majikowski.

Gros Louis faces budget issues in 2004

By Brian Janosch · Monday, Jan. 12,2004 12:52 a.m.

The New Year always brings resolutions involving weight, exercise or quitting a nasty habit. For Ken Gros Louis, however, the resolution is to end the year with a balanced budget. As the New Year rang in, Gros Louis officially took over the role left by former IU-Bloomington Chancellor Sharon Brehm on an interim basis. Although the role as chancellor is not scheduled to be long-term for Gros Louis, that doesn't mean his short amount of time will be lacking crucial campus issues.

Manning Up

By Alyson Brodsy and Barry Wilner · Monday, Jan. 12,2004 12:52 a.m.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Peyton Manning is headed to his first championship game with visions of wide-open receivers and undefended real estate in his head. Making Kansas City's defense look like a sieve, Manning led the Indianapolis Colts past the Chiefs 38-31 Sunday for a spot in the AFC title game next weekend. The NFL co-MVP knows he can expect a much bigger challenge from the New England Patriots than the Chiefs presented.

IU rebounds to road win

By Natalie A. Trout · Monday, Jan. 12,2004 12:50 a.m.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.-- IU sophomore guard Marshall Strickland said it's anybody's ballgame when you're talking about Big Ten basketball. While history shows that it's difficult to play on the road in the Big Ten, Sunday's game in Ann Arbor was clearly one for the Hoosiers. After a 34-point loss on the road to Wisconsin, IU bounced back from the loss and defeated the Michigan Wolverines, 59-57. IU made 42.9 percent of its field goals and made five of its six free throw attemps. "Anytime you get a road win in the Big Ten, it's like getting two wins," IU coach Mike Davis said.

Summit to discuss trade ties

By Alyson Brodsy · Monday, Jan. 12,2004 12:42 a.m.

MONTERREY, Mexico -- Latin American nations butted heads with the United States on Sunday as they prepared for a major regional summit, arguing over whether to isolate corrupt countries and whether to set a date for a contentious free trade accord.

The sick shuttle bus

By Maura Halpern · Monday, Jan. 12,2004 12:42 a.m.

While returning from vacation in Southern California during break, my parents and I took a rental car shuttle to the airport terminal when the bus began to shake and emit strange noises that didn't seem normal. As the shuttle slowly plodded to the America West terminal, the friendly driver told us that the shuttle's odometer read 280,000 miles and the engine was in its last months.

Protesters stone British forces

By Alyson Brodsy · Monday, Jan. 12,2004 12:41 a.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Hundreds of Iraqis hurled stones at British soldiers who waded into the crowd wielding batons in the southeastern town of Amarah on Sunday, witnesses said, a day after clashes that killed six protesters and wounded at least 11.

Proposed legislation to ban cell phone usage in cars

By Lori Geller · Monday, Jan. 12,2004 12:29 a.m.

Indiana drivers who yap on the phone in their cars could face stiff fines as a result of the proposed legislation to ban mobile phone use while on the road. The proposed bill, Bill 131, was authored by Indiana State Senator Rose Ann Antich-Carr last week, who cited safety as the reason for her proposal. "I truly believe cell phones are one of the causes of major accidents," Antich-Carr said.

I don't buy it

By Stephanie Morris · Monday, Jan. 12,2004 12:27 a.m.

The premise of MTV's show "Rich Girls" is simple: Ally Hilfiger and Jaime Gleicher hire cameras to follow them all day through expensive restaurants, boutiques and their sumptuous homes to demonstrate to the world that they are just ordinary teenage girls … who happen to have truckloads of money at their disposal. Hilarity and cringing ensue.

Fort Wayne area suffering from mercury contamination

By Alyson Brodsy · Monday, Jan. 12,2004 12:26 a.m.

FORT WAYNE -- A nearly 500 square-mile area near Fort Wayne has been labeled by an environmental group as the country's most mercury-contaminated location. The report by Environmental Defense said it used information compiled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to estimate the amount of mercury pollution throughout the country.

What's the big idea?

By Tony Sams · Monday, Jan. 12,2004 12:23 a.m.

President Bush's aides want him to have a "Kennedy moment" so badly they're actually ready and willing to steal a moment from John F. Kennedy himself. Specifically, they want to steal from a speech Kennedy gave to a joint session of Congress in 1961, during which he said he believed America "should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth."

Deadbeat parents to pay

By Chris Freiberg and Warren Christopher Freiberg · Monday, Jan. 12,2004 12:23 a.m.

The days of deadbeat parents gambling with their children's futures will soon be over if a new bill passes the state senate. Senate Bill 143, proposed by Sen. Richard Bray, R-Martinsville, would require casinos, betting parlors and racetracks to check the name of any person who wins more than $2,000 against a national database that keeps track of parents who owe child support.

Britney says more than 'I do'

By Brandon Houston · Monday, Jan. 12,2004 12:22 a.m.

By now most have heard about the spur-of-the-moment nuptials of America's pop princess Britney Spears. On Jan. 5, after 55 hours of marriage, Britney had a Las Vegas marriage to her childhood friend annulled. According to the petition for annulment, " ... the plaintiff and defendant did not know each other's likes and dislikes, each other's desires to have or not have children, and each other's desires as to state of residency.

Hang up and drive

By Alyson Brodsy · Monday, Jan. 12,2004 12:18 a.m.

Sen. Rose Ann Antich-Carr (D-Merrillville) is proposing a bill that would ban the use of cell phones while operating a motor vehicle, slapping violators with a $1,000 fine for breaking the law. The bill also features the ironic twist of encouraging other drivers to report disobedience -- given they don't use a cell phone to do it.

IU finishes installation of campus wireless connection

By Mike McElroy · Monday, Jan. 12,2004 12:13 a.m.

IU may have received national recognition for being one of the top 10 "most wired" universities by Yahoo! Internet Life, but it's not the wires getting the attention these days. Students can now access the IU network from nearly every campus building, thanks to the University Information Technology Services' completion of an initiative to provide the IU-Bloomington and IUPUI campuses with comprehensive wireless, or "Wi-Fi," coverage.

Hoosiers drop 3 of 5 over break

By Tyler Hoeppner and Tyler V. Heoppner · Monday, Jan. 12,2004 12:09 a.m.

IU coach Mike Davis has said all along that he wanted his team to be 7-4 as the Hoosiers headed into conference play. The Hoosiers entered the semester break at 4-3, and with three of four at home, seemed on their way to that goal. But IU couldn't get it done, and Tuesday's loss to Wisconsin in their Big Ten opener dropped the Hoosiers to 6-6 on the season.

Rains leave Indiana flooded

By Chris Freiberg and Warren Christopher Freiberg · Friday, Jan. 9,2004 1:55 a.m.

Morgan County and surrounding areas received a nasty New Year's Day guest that refused to leave -- flood. Four inches of rain have fallen on the county since the beginning of the year, leading to one death and stranding one motorist in his car overnight. According to Associated Press reports, Matthew Fitzgerald of Wheatland, Ind. was visiting his brother when his pickup truck stalled in the floodwaters of the White River Tuesday, forcing him to spend a freezing night in his car before he saw another motorist and was able to call police for help.

Gibbs to coach in D.C. again

By Alyson Brodsy and Joseph White · Friday, Jan. 9,2004 1:47 a.m.

ASHBURN, Va. -- After a decade of high-profile Washington Redskins failures, only one name could restore credibility in an instant: Joe Gibbs. And they got him. The Hall of Fame coach is coming back after an 11-year absence, a stunning development and a much-needed lift for a franchise that has been to the playoffs only once since he left after the 1992 season.