Region

U.N. inspectors continue hunt

By Abdullah AlShihri · Monday, Dec. 16,2002 12:10 p.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- U.N. inspectors hunted for weapons of mass destruction at missile plants and nuclear complexes Sunday, while an unusual visitor -- Hollywood star Sean Penn -- spoke out in Baghdad against a U.S. attack and in support of the Iraqi people caught up in an international crisis. In Berlin, meanwhile, the German defense ministry said the United Nations had asked it to supply the inspection operation with unmanned spy aircraft to help in the search for banned Iraqi weapons or the facilities to make them.

Pakistani police foil bomb plot

By Abdullah AlShihri and Zarar Khan · Monday, Dec. 16,2002 12:10 p.m.

KARACHI, Pakistan -- In a foiled suicide bomb plot, Islamic militants planned to ram an explosives-laden Volkswagen into a car carrying U.S. diplomats in Karachi, Pakistan police said Sunday. Police said they arrested three men Friday and Saturday and seized about 250 sacks of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer used in explosives. They said the suspects had been trained at a camp in Afghanistan run by Islamic militants fighting Indian rule in the disputed province of Kashmir.

Phi Taus returning to campus

By Josh Sanburn · Monday, Dec. 16,2002 12:08 p.m.

Plans are under way to bring Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity back to IU after almost a decade of absence. The fraternity will begin rebuilding its Beta Lambda chapter in spring of 2003, according to a news release by the fraternity. The colonization process will attempt to entice students to rebuild the defunct fraternity through a series of awareness and recruitment campaigns. "We're confident it is an experience that can be successful at IU," said director of Phi Kappa Tau's chapter services Mike Gabhart.

Freshman explodes against Boilers

By Aaron Beard and Zach Eldridge · Monday, Dec. 16,2002 12:02 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS -- A pivotal reason why the IU women's basketball team lost by a mere two points to arch-rival No. 6 Purdue Saturday was the performance of freshman center Angela Hawkins. The 6-foot-3-inch center grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds in addition to scoring nine points. "This was her second back-to-back wonderful game," coach Kathi Bennett said. "She has been especially good defensively."

Emotions run high in Indy

By Aaron Beard and Matt Pera · Monday, Dec. 16,2002 12:02 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The RCA Dome generally doesn't host a college basketball game until the NCAA or Big Ten tournament. But when IU and Purdue faced off in a pre-conference showdown Saturday night, many of the characteristics of a high-stakes conference or March Madness game were present.

Hoosiers pleased with play despite loss

By Natalie A. Trout and Aaron Beard · Monday, Dec. 16,2002 11:55 a.m.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The women's basketball team was looking for the ultimate upset over 6th ranked Purdue Saturday in the RCA Dome. A repeat of last year's victory over the Boilermakers would have been the perfect way to prove they were a team worth competing with. While the final score was in Purdue's favor 51-53, it turned out to be a loss that showed IU can compete. "I really like where my team is at right now," coach Kathi Bennett said. "We started coming together, and it's a positive step for us."

Down to the wire win in 'Dome'

By Alexandra R. Moses and Sarah Meinecke · Monday, Dec. 16,2002 11:54 a.m.

INDIANAPOLIS - It appeared as if the IU men's basketball team had the game under control. After scary moments of lost leads, waning offensive moments and blown game plans, the Hoosiers seemed to be in the clear against Purdue. But the theme of Saturday's "Duel in the Dome" was fighting, and the Boilermakers intended to do that to the final buzzer.

Killing Chicago River may stop infestation

By Alexandra R. Moses and Brandon Loomis · Monday, Dec. 16,2002 11:52 a.m.

CHICAGO -- It's impossible to kill all the exotic species sloshing between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River basin, so some scientists suggest killing the river that links the two watersheds. It's a radical long shot of an idea that bucks the federal Clean Water Act. But the fact that some wildlife advocates would even think of returning the Chicago River to its former, sludgy self underscores the ecological and economic disaster wrought when Asian carp, zebra mussels and other undesirables emigrate.

Daniels thinking about bid for governor

By Alexandra R. Moses and Mark Jewell · Monday, Dec. 16,2002 11:50 a.m.

INDIANAPOLIS -- White House budget director Mitch Daniels said Saturday he was "seriously thinking" about running for Indiana governor in 2004 and would devote his full time to a candidacy if he runs. As he has for months, Daniels remained noncommittal and asked for patience from Republican backers who are urging the former Eli Lilly & Co. executive to run.

Local ice rink serves amateurs and pros

By Alexandra R. Moses and Lindsay Baron · Monday, Dec. 16,2002 11:49 a.m.

Lori Crum glides across the ice rink, gracefully completing spins and jumps, her ivory skates slicing across the slick, smooth ice. There are usually 10 skaters whizzing around the rink during this time. But this Monday, she is the only one. Crum, a child therapist in Bloomington and a member of the Frank Southern Ice Arena's figure skating club, said she uses her lunch hour to skate during the rink's noon to 1:30 p.m. weekday sessions.

Lack of educators causes shortage of nurses

By Ab D. Phillip and Rebecca Cook · Monday, Dec. 16,2002 11:47 a.m.

YAKIMA, Wash. -- Hospitals across the country are desperate for nurses like Tracey Rasmussen, a 34-year-old mom with a warm, down-to-earth bedside manner and a 3.9 grade point average. There's a nationwide shortage of nurses, as anyone who's spent time in a hospital lately knows. And by 2020 that shortage is expected to grow to more than 800,000 nurses nationwide, according to projections by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. But the problem isn't finding people who want to be nurses; it's getting them into nursing schools.

Housing costs rising at Purdue

By Ab D. Phillip · Monday, Dec. 16,2002 11:46 a.m.

WEST LAFAYETTE -- Undergraduate students living in Purdue University residences will pay an average of 5.7 percent more during the next academic year. The rate increase was approved Saturday by the school's board of trustees. The new room and board schedule gives undergraduate students living in university housing a variety of options, with the average cost being $6,024 per year for a double room and 15 meals per week.

Semester at sea ends

By Ab D. Phillip and Peter Bernard · Monday, Dec. 16,2002 11:45 a.m.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Young adults often sing the praises of attending college away from home, and Margate, Fla., resident Jeanly Louis just returned from 100 days of studying about as far from home as he could get. "We spent time in Japan, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Saigon, Malaysia, India, Kenya, South Africa, Brazil and Havana," said Louis, 21, who sailed into Port Everglades last week after a whirlwind cruise around the globe aboard the SS Universe Explorer.

Department of kinesiology first to offer degree

By Ab D. Phillip and Obaid Khawaja · Monday, Dec. 16,2002 11:43 a.m.

IU's School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation has established the first ergonomics masters degree program in the nation. The department of kineseology adopted this program to offer expertise in a profession that is increasing in importance. According to the International Ergonomics Association Web site, ergonomics is a "systems-oriented discipline which now extends across all aspects of human activity."

IU United Way approaches goal

By Ab D. Phillip and Asma Khalid · Monday, Dec. 16,2002 11:42 a.m.

Serving as the largest of 220 organizations involved in the annual Monroe County United Way campaign, IU provides over 40 percent of all community donations. "If you take away that 40 percent, I can't imagine what would go unfunded in this community," IU UW liaison Matthew Pontius said. This year, for the first time in three years, IU is $31,000 short of making its $600,000 goal.

Meal point dilemma

By Ab D. Phillip and Takashi Nakamichi · Monday, Dec. 16,2002 11:41 a.m.

Freshman Amber Watson walks across the Wright Food Court cafeteria, carrying a sub, soda, chips and a bag of Kellogg's Pop-Tarts toaster pastries. She paid $1.49 for the Pop-Tarts. Only about 100 yards west, 10th Street Market, a small Asian market, sells Pop-Tarts for 73 cents a bag including tax. But Watson said she'd rather buy it at the food court to use her meal points. Like Watson, meal-point holders keep buying at the IU-run cafeterias and convenience stores, though most items are 10 to 200 percent more expensive than outside the university.

Scholar's Inn Bakehouse food varies

By Adam Streer · Monday, Dec. 16,2002 11:37 a.m.

Most of the time, I love exotic food. With finals looming just a few days away, this was not one of those times. I needed some good old fashioned comfort food. With this in mind, I found myself in The Scholar's Inn Bakehouse.

A POPS kind of Christmas

By Kristen Van Hoesen · Monday, Dec. 16,2002 11:36 a.m.

It wasn't Radio City, and it wasn't Carnegie Hall. But it was Christmas. Christmas With the Pops Saturday night rang full of the traditional music and magic of the holidays, as the warmth of Christmas carols resonated through the IU Auditorium, sheltered from the snow and icy winds outside.

Rocking out in high heels

By Jane Charney · Monday, Dec. 16,2002 11:35 a.m.

Most of the time, I can't even wrestle my way to walking in one-inch heels, much less three-inch ones. But the ability to walk in heels isn't Jeffrey Eisner's main talent (though I have to give major props to any guy who can handle 90 minutes of standing, dancing, running and jumping in three-inch heels).

Students publish literary journal

By Maura Halpern · Friday, Dec. 13,2002 12:39 a.m.

This is the creativity of everyday life -- the folklore of IU students. Feelings about life, love and pain are espoused for everyone to read. This is the new edition of Canvas, IU's creative arts magazine that was unveiled Wednesday evening at the Indiana Memorial Union's State Room East.