Women's Golf

Lawsuits filed over highway

State Budget Director Chuck Schalliol signed a 75-year, $3.8-billion agreement Wednesday that leased the Indiana Toll Road to a foreign consortium while a handful of Indiana residents filed two lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of House Bill 1008, commonly known as "Major Moves." Steve Bonney, a farmer from West Lafayette, was one of a group of six Citizens Action Coalition members who filed the first suit between 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. at the St. Joseph County Superior Court.

Ashley Crouse remembered at Kappa vigil

Dozens of white luminary bags lined the walkway of the Kappa Kappa Gamma house Wednesday night, just as they had one year earlier. Minutes before 8 p.m., members of the house filed out the door and sat down on their porch around a projector screen, waiting to honor their sister Ashley Crouse, who had died exactly a year ago in a car wreck. To remember her, they had collected photographs taken throughout the 21 years of her life and prepared a slideshow to present to Crouse's friends and family. As 8 p.m. passed, Crouse's loved ones filled the porch, spilling onto the stairs, into the walkway and even out onto the lawn. Hundreds of people had come to remember her life.

LongHorn Steakhouse set to open at College Mall this summer

College Mall-goers will have another choice when it comes to casual dining restaurants this summer. The mall, which already features Applebee's and TGI Friday's restaurants, will welcome its third sit-down restaurant when LongHorn Steakhouse opens near the parking lot by Dick's Sporting Goods. The restaurant is based in Atlanta and has about 240 locations nationwide. It is open every day for lunch and dinner and specializes in beef entrees. For those not interested in steak, the restaurant also features salads, chicken and a couple of salmon dishes. Harry Day, the marketing manager for LongHorn, was very enthusiastic about the restaurant's opening.

Middle Way House seeking new volunteers to boost staff

Middle Way House, Inc. will be holding a volunteer training session Saturday morning for anyone interested in one of the 20 volunteer programs offered by the women's shelter. The eight-hour training day will provide an overview of the effects of domestic violence and Middle Way's mission against it. "I think that most of us have an ethic that we're kind of an onwards and upwards society where things are generally getting better," said Colleen Yeakle, a spokeswoman for Middle Way House. "And I certainly think that too, or it would be difficult to do this work. But it's fair to examine -- why is this problem so persistent? Why is this so hard to change?"

Ceremony awards leadership, academics among students

Outstanding students and student organizations were recognized for leadership, academics, mentoring and community service at the fourth annual student leadership awards program Wednesday in the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center. The event also recognized graduating seniors from the Faculty and Staff for Student Excellence Mentoring Program, a mentor program initially established at IU to improve freshman retention rates. Additional campus organizations involved included the Office of Diversity Education and the Office of Academic Support and Diversity.

Rape reported at McNutt

A woman reported to the IU Police Department that an acquaintance raped her in a McNutt Quad dorm room the morning of April 6, said IUPD Lt. Jerry Minger. The woman reported that she told the man she did not want to have sex with him, but he forced her to, Minger said. She said they had been consuming alcohol. "She did indicate that she did not want to have sexual relations with him," Minger said. "He continued to force himself on her, and they did have intercourse."

Sexual assault victims can use University, city court system

Each year, a small number of IU students fall victim to sexual assault. Many accounts go unreported, making it hard to distinguish the actual number of sexual assaults, but for those that do get reported there are two options for punishment. A victim of rape or sexual assault can take the case through the University judicial system or through the court system. If the victim decides to go through the University judicial system, the case goes before the judicial board. The judicial board is made up of hearing officers who are trained for this specific type of case. The number of sexual assault cases reported in 2005 was 14, but the amount of cases that went before the board was less than that because most victims are unwilling to follow through and take their case beyond filing charges.

BUNNY BAWLING

Women hail Couric's move to CBS anchor

NEW YORK -- When people used to ask Connie Chung if a woman would ever get to anchor the network evening news all by herself, she'd say: "Not in my lifetime." Now Chung, very much alive, calls Katie Couric's move to CBS "a watershed moment." And she's not the only one who confesses to feeling a shiver of pride. From women's rights leaders like Gloria Steinem and Eleanor Smeal to ordinary TV viewers to Couric's own 10-year-old daughter, a lot of people think her history-making ascension to sole anchordom is a pretty big deal.

Olé to the IU production of 'Carmen'

Opening night for the IU production of Georges Bizet's "Carmen" was sold out, and seats were packed long before curtain. The production deserved every bit of this attention -- the performance of "Carmen" is by far one of the best of the season. The first and foremost aspect to the success of the performance was the music. The audience already had high expectations as some of the most famous melodies in opera come directly out of this particular opera, so emphasis must be placed on the musical aspect in order for the performance to be successful.

Lighthearted fun makes up for flimsy narrative in 'Mamma Mia!'

Campy and reminiscent, "Mamma Mia!" sure isn't the thinking man's ... or woman's musical, though Donna Sheridan (played by Laurie Wells) bears her femininity with stark ferocity, fighting "marriage, the institution for people who belong in an institution," as she and her on-stage friends put it. But what am I talking about? This isn't a musical with a plot. The thin veil of a story drapes the performers, reminding them to laugh or cry and throw out a dance move or two.

LOTS OF DOTS

'Holy Spirit on Grand Avenue' premieres tonight

A boy stabs a girl 22 times, killing her. Years later, three friends discuss her life, death and the changes that emanated from the tragedy. This is part of the premise of "Holy Spirit on Grand Avenue," a first-run play from the Bloomington Playwrights Project, which premieres at 8 p.m. Written by award-winning playwright Toni Press-Coffman, "Holy Spirit" centers around three friends who share a life-changing experience from their distant past. They discuss their feelings about the death and how it continues to change their lives. Also in the play are the ghost of the deceased girl, Diana, and her murderer, a 16-year-old boy.

Annual Union Board student film festival features 19 films this weekend

Student filmmakers will be able to showcase their talents tonight and Friday night at the Union Board's fifth annual Student Film Festival. The event begins at 8 p.m. in the Whittenberger Auditorium of the Indiana Memorial Union both nights. The event, free for IU students or $2 for nonstudents, will feature 19 films of all types: comedy, mystery, horror, science fiction, drama and artistic movies, Union Board Films Director and junior Dash Voorhees said.

SIDEWALK RUNWAY

Saying cheese on the street

The year was 1945 and the Allied forces had just learned of Japan's surrender; World War II was nearing an end. An anonymous sailor grabbed the first woman he saw, a pretty nurse, and tilted her back in a passionate, celebratory kiss. Alfred Eisenstaedt happened to be in Times Square that day and caught the spontaneous smooch on his camera.

Sight, smell, sip, summarize

Swirling, sniffing and swishing. Bordeaux, Pinot Grigio and Riesling. Who really cares what this lingo means? Chances are if you have ever swirled a glass of merlot, sniffed a flute of chardonnay or swished a goblet of port, then you've participated in a wine tasting. Wine snobs need not apply -- the art of tasting wine is based on using the senses to your advantage and being eager to appreciate the age-old practice. "There are two camps of wine drinkers," said Jerry Comfort, director of wine education at Beringer Blass Wine Estates in Napa, California. "There are beverage drinkers and drinkers (interested in) the historic growth of wine."

Australian PM faces corruption inquiry

SYDNEY, Australia -- Two of Prime Minister John Howard's senior aides have told a commission investigating alleged bribes to Saddam Hussein's regime in defiance of U.N. sanctions that they knew nothing of the scandal. Now it's Howard's turn to testify. Howard on Thursday will become the first Australian head of state in more than two decades to face an official inquiry. He will answer questions from the commission probing whether Australia's monopoly wheat exporter illegally paid millions of dollars in bribes to win contracts from Saddam's regime.

Italy's parliamentary election results remain disputed

ROME -- Italy's center-left leader Romano Prodi said Wednesday he doesn't fear a reversal of parliamentary election results, insisting his narrow victory is safe despite Premier Silvio Berlusconi's demand for a recount. Prodi emerged the winner of the hard-fought election, although his razor-thin margin has brought back the prospect of political instability in a country known for revolving-door governments. Berlusconi has refused to concede defeat, alleging voting irregularities.

Rice: It's time for action against Iran

WASHINGTON -- Denouncing Iran's successful enrichment of uranium as unacceptable to the international community, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday the U.N. Security Council must consider "strong steps" to induce Tehran to change course. Rice also telephoned Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, to ask him to reinforce demands that Iran comply with the agency's nonproliferation requirements when he holds talks in Tehran on Friday.