Region

Local politicians square off in forum

Four sets of county government candidates met last night at the Monroe County Public Library for an open debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters and the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce.

Undecided voters quiz Bush, Gore

ST. LOUIS -- The town hall format in Tuesday night's presidential debate not only allowed the candidates to walk around, but gave more room for swinging a few punches.

Green Party protests exclusion from St. Louis debate

Nader didn't get in. Despite the efforts of hundreds of chanting, banner-waving protesters, Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader didn't get his chance to debate with Vice President Al Gore and Texas Gov. George W. Bush.

The monolithic myths

Columbia City, Ind., has always prided itself on its Christmas decorations. Each year of my young life, I was shunted off to the Whitley County Courthouse on Christmas Eve to sit on Santa's lap and receive a bag of oranges and a bag of haystacks (those vanilla creamy things covered in chocolate). The line would be long because everyone did the same thing. When the ritual was fulfilled, we'd go the four blocks home to find that Santa had arrived. In a Christmas Eve family, the whole set-up was a little hard to believe.

Exhibits

Redsteppers channel school spirit on the field

It's 4 p.m. Women wearing snug black pants with flared legs wander into the Gladstein Fieldhouse in groups of two and three, joining the rest of the group in a jumble on the floor. As more women file in, the noise level in the fieldhouse rises and the reverberation of the echo makes the chatter nearly indecipherable. "Alpha block, please!" says Janis Cooper Parker, Redsteppers' coach, addressing the dancers. The women switch on a tape and begin to stretch and twist themselves into contortions resembling pretzels, warming up to a Dave Matthews Band song.

Perry argues medical issues

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat agreed to end the violence that has plagued the Middle East for the last two weeks. While a lasting peace is still uncertain, Paul Perry, Democratic challenger for the 8th district congressional seat, said the United States should support Israel.

Attorneys' settlement efforts fail

Despite a teleconference attempt last week, IU and the Genocide Awareness Project haven't reached a compromise to settle group's civil rights lawsuit against the University.

Citizens' lawsuit shapes up

A lawsuit filed by Indiana citizens and IU alumni against the University for avoiding state laws is beginning to take shape. The plaintiffs now know who will defend the University, what judge is likely to hear the case and what is likely to happen next.

BPD Blotter

Hoosiers look to avenge Penn State victories

Amanda Welter just wants to beat Penn State -- once. In Welter's four years in Bloomington, IU has knocked off the perennial power Nittany Lions in only one game. One game in 19 tries.

Golfers take team, individual titles at Legends

It could have been a long, depressing winter. As the last tournament of the Hoosiers' fall season, the Legends Intercollegiate would decide whether the next five months would be spent celebrating their success or dwelling on missed opportunities. As it turns out, they won't have much time for the latter.

Soccer team expects tough match

The men's soccer team earned itself a No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament Sunday when it beat Northwestern in its final home game. Next order of business: ensuring more home games come NCAA tournament time.

Football team tries to salvage season

Ten minutes was all it took. After getting pounded 58-0 at Michigan on ABC regional television and before 110,909 fans, the seniors and leaders of the football team called a meeting Sunday afternoon to discuss the loss.

Angle gets title shot at 'No Mercy'

In a prelude to Sunday's pay-per-view, "No Mercy," and in front of a sold-out crowd at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Eddie Guerrero set the stage for "Monday Night Raw" by entering the ring first and bad-mouthing Chyna. Look for these two to stay broken up, as Guerrero will face Bad Ass Billy Gunn Sunday. You could even see Gunn with the Intercontinental Title come next Monday's Raw. Rikishi then gave an interview about Stone Cold Steve Austin. His feelings were hurt because The Rock did not appreciate him running over Austin to help launch his career. Later in the show when Austin came out to address the crowd, Rikishi came on the big screen.

Momentum grows as crew team rows

The crew team added another strong performance to the list of fall accomplishments at the third annual Lemonhead Regatta Saturday afternoon at Lake Lemon in Bloomington.

When sparks turn into firestorms

The police in riot gear, complete with shields and helmets, stood guard around IU President Myles Brand's house. Their dogs were nipping at the feet of the crowd, composed of people chanting "Hey hey! Ho ho! Myles Brand has got to go!" and of those just trying to get a glimpse of the action.

Housing alliance receives award for helping disabled

Some people with disabilities spend their entire lives renting an apartment or sharing a group home. Less than 1 percent of people with disabilities own their own homes, as opposed to 66 percent of all Americans, according to the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community. The Back Home in Indiana Alliance, coordinated by IU's Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, is working to change that. And the program has received high marks for its efforts; the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently named it the "Best of the Best" in terms of housing programs.

Evening childcare available for student-parents

Beginning next semester, evening childcare will be available for student parents. The program is a combination effort between Returning Student Services, Sunflower Daycare Cooperative and the IU Daycare Support Center. IU is affiliated with several daycare facilities, such as Campus Children's Center and Campus View Childcare Center, but the need for evening childcare has been a growing concern.

Panel explores risks faced by sororities

A 19-year-old sorority woman attends a formal dance held in Chicago. She consumes too much alcohol and dies. Who should be held liable for her death?