Longform

Trying to pick a team

The NCAA's slogan for the Final Four is a relevant question here in Bloomington. Because the easy choice was eliminated by Kent State on the tournament's opening day, the decision has become complicated. With just four teams remaining, the choice might appear to be simpler, but it is still very difficult.

SAE closed until further notice

After a Feb. 3 party was busted by the IU Police Department leading to a suspension from its national organization less than a week later, the IU chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon had the opportunity to rejoin the greek community next fall. Those plans were scrapped Wednesday as the fraternity's nationals closed the chapter until further notice.

Asian population on the rise

With the recent rise in the Asian-American population around the state, the timing was right to talk about their place in the Bloomington community.

Maryland's Juan Dixon doesn't miss in 33-point performance

ATLANTA - Maryland hasn't forgotten blowing a 22-point lead to Duke in the national semifinals last season.

Easy money hard to come by

College students are stereotyped as many different things, but wealthy is usually not one. Instead, students throughout Bloomington are searching for ways to pick up a quick buck, and it might not be as hard as it seems, they say.

Fifteen minutes of fame too much

Michigan State Spartans becoming road weary

Michigan State has the same overall record of 9-5 as the Hoosiers. But while Coach Mike Davis and IU have toured the country playing 11 of their first 14 games away from Assembly Hall, the No. 25 Spartans have had nine of their 14 games at home in the Breslin Center.

Texas: a different train of thought

The great thing about summer is the fact that you have no responsibilities. Oh sure, you might have a job or something, but you always get to have a vacation or some time off to yourself to do whatever you want. Maybe hang out at home, or take a vacation somewhere. My vacation this summer was to good ol' Dallas, or a suburb of it. A friend of mine from high school moved down there last summer, so I thought I would pay him a visit. I didn't get to see a whole lot of Texas, just the northern part of the state, which I drove through on my way down to Dallas.

Religion without ritual

On Saturday, Jan. 12, the Hatch home was the gathering place for a Bahá'í potluck dinner, where attending members of the Bloomington Bahá'í community were encouraged to bring not only food, but an international student, or someone of another culture.

Locals protest Staples' lack of recycled paper

About 25-30 protesters gathered outside Staples on Tuesday to raise awareness about what they say is the company's use of old-growth and publicly owned forests in paper products.

The sound of victory

Composed and collected, Maria Luisa Rayan climbed the stairs at the Musical Arts Center Sunday evening before a crowd of hundreds. Swathed in burgundy velvet, the striking Argentinian smiled graciously at the audience, shook the judges' hands and accepted her second-place award in the fifth triannual USA International Harp Competition. It was her third time entering the contest -- and her second emergence as runner-up. Two tries, and two second-place finishes. For some, such outcomes may signal defeat. Others may retreat from the instrument. But for Rayan, the harp is practically an appendage. It's evident in her caress of the strings, in her soft, transported expression as her hands graze the instrument.

Alumni connected to crime

Two former IU students were arrested Wednesday in connection with the murder of a woman in an attempted bank robbery that occurred almost 27 years ago. Bill and Emily Harris, both IU graduates, are among five former members of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), a radical revolutionary anti-war group of the 1970s, charged with the slaying of a woman outside a bank in Carmichael, Calif., a suburb of Sacramento.

Hoosiers back in action

Forget what happened two weeks ago. Throw out all the negative energy directed toward the football team. The Hoosiers have moved on from their embarrassing Sept. 6 loss at North Carolina State, and want to show fans their capabilities Saturday. "You saw a team against North Carolina State with a lot of confusion, because it was the first game of the year," said senior cornerback Sharrod Wallace. "I think this week we'll be more prepared, more confident and play a great game. As a team, our backs are to the wall. We're out there to prove a point: that we are a better team than people saw two weeks ago."

Ordinance may shift power to city officials

In a meeting postponed from last week, the Bloomington City Council heard new proposed amendments to the city's zoning ordinance that would give more enforcement powers to city officers to deal with environmental problems. The council gave preliminary approval to the amendments in a 6-0-3 vote, with council members Jason Banach, Andy Ruff and Jeffrey Willsey choosing to pass until the vote comes before the council next Wednesday for a final vote.

Team hurt by Jeffries' ankle

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Jared Jeffries' ankle is tender. And it's a tender topic. IU's sophomore forward began the Big Ten season on a tear, averaging 18.4 points and 8.9 rebounds per game prior to injuring the ankle before the Wisconsin loss, which he sat out.

Mendelssohn String Quartet kick off Summer Music Festival

The concert given by the Mendelssohn String Quartet Tuesday night at Auer Hall offered a fine chance to see a professional chamber group in action. The concert was one of many offered to the public during IU's 2002 Summer Music Festival, which runs through August.

New auditorium director ready for role

When Doug Booher volunteered as an usher at the IU Auditorium during is college years at IU he never imagined that auditorium would play such a large role in his life. Now after seven years of service, he has been named the director of the auditorium.

Hoosiers to take on Grizzlies

After getting swept in four games series at Michigan last weekend, the baseball team is looking to get back to winning when they take on the Division-III Grizzlies of Franklin College Tuesday at Sembower field.

O.D.B. needs out of the clink so his raps won't stink

State criticized for payments

EVANSVILLE -- Two groups critical of the proposal to extend Interstate 69 from Indianapolis to Evansville are denouncing the state's payment of more than $750,000 to a consulting firm.