Archived NewsBytes located at the bottom of the page

September 28

• John Mellencamp will be 50 years old on October 7th, and more than 20 bands will turn out for the 3-day Mellenbash in Mellencamp's home town of Seymour.  An outdoor concert at the Southern Indiana Center for the Arts in Seymour will be the climax of the a three-day tribute, which has been expanded in honor of the singer's birthday.  Event organizer, Kevin Plummer of Bloomington,  said the event  kicks off Oct. 5 and Oct. 6 at Kilroys Sports Bar in Bloomington.  Performers will include bands from Indiana and several other states, including some members of Mellencamp's band, although Mellencamp is not scheduled to perform.  However, some of his family members are expected to attend.  Proceeds from the event will go to raise money for Farm Aid, the Southern Indiana Center of the Arts, and the New York Red Cross disaster fund.  Seymour's Oktoberfest is October 4-6.

• Indiana currently has plans to close the Muscatatuck State Developmental Center within two years, but a state commission has been told that the state should back off that plan if it wants to ensure adequate care for disabled residents and avoid dealing an economic blow to southeastern Indiana..  The 2003 deadline was put in the two-year budget bill that became law.  The center makes up 7 percent of the Jennings County work force.  Officials with the Department of Commerce and Department of Workforce Development said steps already are being taken to soften the economic blow of the closing.  But some employees believe that some of the residents won't get adequate care in community settings such as apartments or group homes.  A group of 12 to 14 parents plan to file a federal lawsuit soon in hopes of blocking the closing.

• Eagles are doing well in Indiana.  Forty eaglets this year is a record and their nesting range expanded to new areas of the state.  Nests were spotted built as far north as Tippecanoe and Clinton counties and as far east as Jackson and Bartholomew counties, said officials with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.  The birds built 35 nests -- another modern-day record for the state.  Eagles nested this year in 20 Indiana counties, including all the counties near Lake Monroe south of Bloomington.  Twenty-one pairs of eagles reproduced successfully, producing the 40 young eagles.  From 1985 to 1989, young bald eagles were captured from nests in northern states, where eagles were plentiful, and raised and set free at an isolated tower beside Lake Monroe.  The DNR released a total of 73 bald eagles at Lake Monroe in an attempt to get the birds to resume nesting in the state. Eagles mature at age 4 or 5 and typically return to within 100 miles of where they fledged in order to nest.  This year, bald eagle nests were found on Lake Monroe, Lake Lemon and Lake Greenwood at the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center, along the White River in Morgan, Owen and Greene counties and a nest on Richland Creek in Greene County, on the Tippecanoe and Wabash rivers in north-central Indiana and, to the east, on the Driftwood River near Columbus and at Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge near Seymour.

• Gov. Frank O'Bannon will activate Indiana National Guard troops to provide security at the state's commercial airports in response to a request from President Bush.  O'Bannon has directed the state's adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Robert Mitchell, to identify the Nation Guard members needed for the airport duties.  Indiana will need 55 National Guards troops to cover 12 checkpoints at six airports, O'Bannon said. Those checkpoints will be at airports in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, South Bend, Evansville, Gary and Lafayette.

September 27

• Last year there was a nationwide shortage of flu vaccine, but it is expected to plentiful this year.  The bad news is that it has been delayed, and it may be more expensive.  Some health care providers in Indianapolis already have received portions of their orders, and statewide, health care providers should receive at least some vaccine by the end of October.  The flu season in Indiana is usually January through March.  This year, one reason for the delay is that only three manufacturers are making the vaccine.  Another reason may be an overreaction to last year's shortage, she said. Instead of ordering from only one vaccine maker, some health care providers have placed orders with all three -- just in case.  The cost to the patient this year may increase from $5 per shot to perhaps $15 because the three remaining pharmaceutical companies that produce the vaccine had to modify their production facilities in order to meet the country's demand.  Health officials are urging healthy people to wait until after Nov. 1 to be immunized. High-risk people -- the elderly, people who have chronic medical conditions and women in the second or third trimester of pregnancy -- should receive shots first, at their earliest opportunity. 

September 26

• Area military surplus stores are scrambling to restock their supplies of gas masks as citizens become worried about the possibility of chemical or biological attacks by terrorists.   State health officials believe the chance of a chemical or biological attack in southern Indiana is slim, but the state health department has updated its bioterrorism plan and those of several Indiana counties in recent months.  It is believed that densely packed larger cities would be a more likely and attractive target for terrorists than would the modest sized cities and smaller towns of southern Indiana.

• The House has passed a measure naming the federal courthouse in downtown New Albany after former 9th District U.S. Rep. Lee Hamilton.  The effort to name the building for Hamilton is sponsored by all members of the Indiana congressional delegation.  The proposal still must pass the Senate.  During his 34 years in Congress, Hamilton became chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and also lead the panel that investigated the Iran-Contra scandal.  Hamilton is now director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington and of Indiana University's Center on Congress.

• This is good news for those traveling I-64 east of Louisville!  If you've been inconvenienced by the weekend shutdown of Interstate-64, you will be happy to know the job is several weeks ahead of schedule.  Next Monday the Interstate is expected to open permanently.  This means a very large bonus for the construction company.  Since the project began back in August, the westbound lanes have been black topped and 50,000 square yards of new sod has been placed in the median.  New guardrails, designed to give the interstate a park-like look, have been installed. 

September 25

• Regular Amtrak train stops in Columbus?  Amtrak says it is ready, but city officials in Columbus must first decide where to build the passenger boarding platform!   City officials are talking about the possibility of integrating the platform into a proposed senior center, but the they are unsure whether and where the center actually will be built.  Even if the city approves a platform, a public survey would be needed to determine whether enough people in the city would use it.  However, Amtrak has said it would be willing to stop regardless of the interest level because the stops would take little time.  Amtrak specifications require that the platform be at least 200 feet by 10 feet and would include lighting and parking.  The city would have to pay the entire cost of the project, and there have been no cost estimates made yet.  Amtrak trains traveling between Indianapolis and Jeffersonville currently pass through Columbus twice daily on regular freight tracks.

• The Monroe County Justice Building was closed early Monday after a bomb threat. A call was received in the office of the court administrator around 9:30 am from an unidentified man who said he would blow up the building at 3 pm because his brother was imprisoned a year and a half ago. Explosive-sniffing dogs from Crane were brought to the scene. Nothing was found.  Employees were sent home at 2 pm as a precaution.

• And yet another virus!  This time it is posing as a program to collect votes about whether the United States should respond militarily to the Sept. 11 terrorist attack.   Instead of collecting votes, the virus deletes computer files.  Sent via a mass mailing from Microsoft Outlook,  the virus currently appears with the subject line "Peace between America and Islam" and carries an attachment named WTC.exe. The body of the E-mail contains the message:  "Hi. Is it a war against America or Islam? Let's vote to live in Peace."  It is considered a medium-risk virus, but it still carries a destructive payload.   Infected users will have their systems' C drive formatted. The virus also deletes certain antivirus products, and drops the files WTC.exe and mixDaLaL.vbs. The virus also replaces HTM and  HTML files with the message: AmeRiCa . . . Few Days WiLL Show you What We Can Do ! ! ! it's Our Turn >>> ZaCkEr is So Sorry For  you." The Trojan requires that the Visual Basic Runtime Library MSVBVM50.DLL be available on the targeted computer system.   Protect yourself and DO NOT OPEN ATTACHMENTS!!

• This weekend is the 19th Annual Native American Days Festival at the Angel Mounds State Historic Site in Evansville.  A new 7,500 square foot addition at the site's museum will be opened to the public.  It features a visitors center, whop and classrooms.  In the new exhibit which opens this weekend, visitors will visit a three-dimensional village populated by sixteen life-like figures of Mississippian Indians going about their daily tasks.  Several thousand people of the Middle Mississippian culture lived in the town on the Ohio River from about 1100 to 1450 A.D., and the site was the home of the chief, as well as a regional trading center.   The exhibit  includes about 350 American Indian artifacts such as pottery and knives.  For more information, visit the website.

September 24

• Fall is in the air!  The Mitchell Persimmon Festival activities continue throughout the week, ending with a BIG parade Saturday afternoon.  Can Oktoberfest be far behind?!   The first part of the week will be cool with highs around 60 degrees and lows dipping to 40 degrees tonight and possibly into the upper 30s tomorrow night.  Wednesday is expected to warm up again.

• The Fourth Annual Ride to Recycle bicycle tour is Saturday.  Sponsored by the Recycling Committee, registration for  the "Volkride Tour"  will begin at 8 a.m. at the National Guard Armory parking lot near Freeman Field.  The registration fee is $15, which includes a commemorative T-shirt, $10 without the t-shirt.  German food will be available at Wegan Lutheran Church and in the armory parking lot until 5 p.m., and snacks for the riders will be available at other Lutheran churches along the tour.  Riders may ride 100, 62, 43, or 20 miles around Jackson County before ending the ride at the Armory.  In past years approximately 100 riders have participated, but so far this year 107 riders have already pre-registered.  Riders under the age of 18 need to provide a signed parental permission form and younger riders are encouraged to attend the Bicycle Rodeo Saturday afternoon from  1-3 p.m. in the Armory parking lot.

September 21

• Saturday, September 22nd is the Falls Fossil Festival at the Falls of the Ohio State Park in Clarksville.  Visitors will have the opportunity to explore 400-million-year-old fossil beds with guided hikes and special educational programs.  There will be door prizes and fun for the entire family!  Find out more:  Falls of the Ohio

• Nearly 650 military reservists in the 434th Air Refueling Wing and all but two of the Stratotankers at the Grissom Air Reserve Base are among the 29 units that have been called to active duty as a result of the war on terrorism.   That number amounts to half of Grissom's personnel and is almost double the number called from any other unit in the country.  The Stratotankers are flying gas stations that refuel aircraft during flight.  The unit was last deployed in 1999 for the air strikes against Kosovo.  

• U.S. flags are currently flying at half-staff.  Do you know the code for displaying the flag?  According the flag code on the American Legion national website, when the U.S. flag is displayed at half-staff, other flags being displayed from adjacent poles are also lowered to half-staff or removed.  If there is room, other flags can be displayed beneath the United States flag from the same pole; otherwise these other flags should be removed.  When the flag is displayed on a house and cannot be lowered to half-staff, a black streamer should be attached to the top of the pole, allowing the streamer to fall naturally.  A flag that is mounted on a wall or in a window should have a black bow-knot either with or without streamers attached at the fastening points.  Should the flag be displayed during inclement weather?  At night?  According to the code, it should not be displayed during inclement weather unless the fabric is nylon or some similar nonabsorbent material, and it is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset unless it is properly illuminated in the darkness.

• "Gifts of the Czars 1500-1700: Treasures from the Kremlin" opens Sunday at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.  This will be its only stateside stop and features an exhibit of golden, jewel-encrusted treasures given to Russia during the reign of the great czars.  It consists of a 105-piece collection of glittering metalwork and fine silver from Moscow's Armory Museum, and 96 of the pieces have never been seen in the United States.  The exhibit cost the museum more than $1 million to produce, and it is hoped that it will draw at least 100,000 visitors during its stay.  The exhibit will close on January 13th.  The museum will issue tickets restricting visitor time to a few hours.   Indianapolis Museum of Art

September 20

• Deer continue to be a problem for state parks, as well as countless private property owners.  The Indiana Department of Natural Resources will address the problem in the thirteen state parks with hunts in November and December to control the deer population.  Qualified volunteer hunters are being invited to participate in the herd reductions scheduled for Nov. 19-20 and Dec. 3-4.  Six hundred hunters will be allowed at Brown County State Park.  That is more than twice the number allowed at any other site.  Hunting will also be carried out at Chain O'Lakes, Charlestown, Clifty Falls, Harmonie, Indiana Dunes, Lincoln, Pokagon, Shades, Tippecanoe River, Turkey Run, Versailles and Whitewater. Only archers will participate in the herd reduction at Clifty Falls State Park.  DNR biologists survey vegetation at the state parks to determine whether a deer reduction is necessary to protect a park's ecology.  Hunters must be Indiana residents, at least 18 years old and hold a valid hunting license. Applications are due to the DNR by Oct. 17.

• The Indiana University campus could lose another fraternity because of alcohol violations.  In the past eighteen months four fraternities have been kicked off the campus for that reason.  On Wednesday Pi Kappa Alpha was suspended after officials learned from the parents of a fraternity pledge that he had been taken to the hospital for drinking too much alcohol.  The other fraternities that have been thrown off campus are Sigma Alpha Mu, Alpha Sigma Phi, Theta Chi and Beta Theta Pi.  Pi Kappa Alpha was also suspended in 1998 when a student died after drinking too much. 

• There has been a series of bomb threats at Purdue University and the Tippecanoe County Courthouse in the last eight days.  Several of the calls have been traced to a pay phone at a Village Pantry store, according to Tippecanoe County Sheriff.  County commissioners ordered closed all but two entrances to the courthouse, which was the target of an attempted truck bombing in 1998. Metal detectors were in place at those entrances.  Purdue University is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved with bomb threats on campus.  The state's new anti-terrorism law classifies making bomb threats as a felony, punishable by up to three years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

• Kentucky's largest balloon festival may be grounded this weekend because of air restrictions put in place after the terrorist attacks on September 11th.  Plans are still on for the Adam Matthews Cheesecake Balloon Festival, however, and the sponsor of the event says they have a backup plan if necessary.  The event is expected to draw about 90 balloonists from the U.S. and Canada to Bowman Field even if the balloons are not allowed to fly.  The festival is scheduled to begin Friday at 5:30 p.m. with a concert and a balloon glow.

September 19

• The Mitchell Persimmon Festival starts this weekend with a candlelight tour in the village at Spring Mill State Park.  The WWEG Road Rally takes place this Sunday at Mitchell High School. It's part of the 55th annual Persimmon Festival. Registration starts at 11:30 a.m., driver's meeting at 11:45 with the Rally beginning at 12-noon. The entry fee is $10 per vehicle. All drivers will receive something.

• Indiana now claims 12 confirmed cases of the West Nile virus.  Recently seven were found in Floyd, Lake, and Porter counties.  Mosquito control efforts are being stepped up in Floyd County, but Lake County claims it has not plans or money left to wage a fight against the mosquito problem this fall, which is considered the best time to kill mosquito larvae.  In New Albany, city officials agreed Monday that the city street department will use chemicals that kill mosquito larvae in standing water.

• State Rep. Robert Alderman of Fort Wayne wants to create a commission to investigate possible cases of price-fixing in the energy and gasoline industry in Indiana, especially after prices at some stations in Indiana reached between $3 and $5/gallon the day of the terrorist attacks.  He plans to introduce his proposal for legislation during the January session of the General Assembly, which would create the Indiana Commission on Energy Pricing to be comprised of four Senate members, the Attorney General, and the Superintendent of the Indiana State Police.  He envisions that the group would investigate energy prices in Indiana to determine if there were any cases of price-fixing or other types of collusion resulting in artificially high prices, and it  would have be given the power to subpoena witnesses and swear them under oath so untruthful testimony could be regarded as perjury.  Many station owners and operators that raised prices last week have since offered refunds to customers.

• An Indiana University art historian has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be the next chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities.  President Bush nominated Bruce Cole in May.  The Senate confirmed the appointment for a four year term by a unanimous vote.  The endowment has a budget of $120 million, most of which is spent on grants to scholars, museums and other organizations to advance the humanities.

• Security firms are sounding the alarm about a new Internet worm  that appears to be spreading faster than Code Red, which infected  several hundred thousand servers running Microsoft Internet  Information Services software in July. The security firm first  noticed the worm, named Nimda, at 9:08 a.m. EDT Tuesday. This worm is using at least a dozen vulnerabilities to spread.  All of the vulnerabilities Nimda exploits are known and there are  patches or software work-arounds available. Nimda infects servers  running Microsoft's Internet Information Services software  versions 4 and 5. It also infects and spreads from desktops  running Windows ME, 2000, and 98.  It appears the worm spreads three ways: by directly locating  vulnerable systems over the Internet and replicating itself in a  similar way to Code Red; by infecting local shared drives; or via  E-mail, where the worm comes as a file named README.EXE.  Again, users of personal computers are advised they should not open attachments!

September 18

• The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive Thursday, September 20th, at the Brownstown Church of the Nazarene from 1-6 p.m.  Make plans now to donate.

• A man who helped create Santa Claus Land in 1946 died last night at the age of 86. Williams "Bill" Koch Sr. Died at his home in Santa Claus.

• Terrorism in Indiana?  During the last session of the Indiana General Assembly a new state law was enacted to address the threat of terrorism in the state.  The law became effective July 1st and classifies manufacturing a weapon of mass destruction and calling in phony terrorism threats as felonies.  The law defines terrorism as "the unlawful use of force or violence or the unlawful threat of force or violence to intimidate or coerce a government or all or parts of the civilian population."  It also requires the State Department of Health to provide training and certification standards for administering vaccines, antidotes or antibiotics in response to terrorist acts, and provides some immunity to paramedics and other emergency workers responding to terrorism.   Since 1998 there have been several anthrax hoaxes in the state, as well as a truck bombing at the Tippecanoe County Courthouse,. a car bombing at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, and a number of arson and other incidents near Bloomington for which a radical environmental group has claimed responsibility.

September 17

• Thursday's regularly scheduled blood drive was answered with a very large turnout of prospective donors.  Within an hour of opening, 75 persons had registered and several more were waiting in line.  The goal for the drive was 85.  Prompted by the tragedies of the week and individuals' desire to help, the large turnout replenished a dangerously low blood supply.  Another Community Blood Drive is planned this week, this time at the Brownstown Church of the Nazarene on September 20th from 1-6 p.m.

• Daytime temperatures this week will be in the 70's with the possibility of showers and thunderstorms nearly every day.  

• Tax Rebate checks are in the mail this week to those taxpayers whose Social Security numbers end with "80-89".

• Because of last week's tragedies, baseball and NFL games were canceled through yesterday.  Regular schedules will be resumed today.

September 14

• A touch of fall is in the air.  Today will be mostly sunny, with highs in the upper 60s. and tonight's lows are expected to be in the mid 40s. More of the same is expected for Saturday.  It should be a great weekend to visit the Watermelon Festival, which starts this afternoon on the square in Brownstown, with the parade tomorrow.

• An Indianapolis man has been identified as the apparent drowning victim found in the White River near Williams Wednesday night. 39-year-old Frank McNabney is believed to have drowned after being knocked off his personal watercraft by a low hanging tree.

• A Salem man convicted of murder in Orange County will be released from prison on parole in about six weeks. 54-James Scott Hammack was covicted of shooting 28-year-old Rodney Gilstrap of Vallonia to death in 1976.

• NWSC Crane is now open on its regular schedule.  The Bloomington gate is open 24 hours. The Burns City Gate is open from 5:30-8:30 a.m. and 2:30-6 p.m. The Bedford and Dover Hill gates remain closed. 

• While professional and college sports events around the country are cancelled for the weekend, high school sports will continue (at least in Indiana). BNL travels to Seymour to face the Owls. Mitchell hosts Corydon.

• Monroe County prosecutors have dropped the charges against the man accused of spiking trees in Morgan-Monroe State Forest in June 2000.  The reason for the dismissal is that investigators suspect that it was a conspiracy behind the spikings.   Ambrose was a prominent opponent of efforts to log Indiana's forests and was thought to be a member of the radical environmental group known as the Earth Liberation Front.  According to a probable-cause affidavit, DNR employees saw a car registered to Ambrose at Morgan-Monroe State Forest around the time the trees were spiked.  State conservation officers said spikes similar to the ones used in the forest were sold at the Bloomington Lowe's store shortly before the spiked trees were discovered.  A store videotape showed a man who looked like Ambrose buying the spikes.  Police seized tools, gloves and other items from Ambrose's apartment in July 2000 and sent them to an FBI lab for analysis.  Tree-spiking was only one of several acts of vandalism that occurred last year and for which the Earth Liberation Front claimed responsibility.  Other acts included arson and vandalism of logging and road building equipment.  Charges could be refiled.

September 13

• Don't forget the blood drive that is scheduled today from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the First Baptist Church, 505 Community Drive.

• The Jackson County Watermelon Festival starts tomorrow afternoon on the square in Brownstown  and  continues through Sunday afternoon.  The event features various events, exhibits, and crafts, as well as a parade on Saturday. 

• Crane NWSC has reopened. Army personnel are to report for work starting today. Navy personnel may report for work or use annual or comp time unless they are considered essential personnel. The base was closed for all non-essential employees Tuesday and Wednesday.

• State officials are considering eliminating a once-popular lake in Southern Indiana by tearing down a dam. The lake at Spring Mill State Park is half-filled with sediment and clogged with odorous weeds. The lake has not been cleaned since 1977. Cleaning the lake would cost more than $ 5-million, with dredging done every 10-15 years. Eliminating the lake would require a one-time cost of over $ 3-million.

September 12

• Area sites where blood drives had already been planned for yesterday were overwhelmed with donors and had to turn many away.  Monroe County could not accept any more, and the scheduled drive in Lawrence County met its quota in less than two hours.  The American Red Cross of Jackson County has a scheduled  blood drive tomorrow, Thursday, September 13th, at the First Baptist Church, 505 Community Drive, from 12:30 to 5:30 pm in Seymour.  Even before the tragedies yesterday, blood was needed to replenish an already low supply.  Offer to donate blood tomorrow the the American Red Cross of Jackson County Blood Drive!

• There were very long lines to gas stations around this area and other parts of the midwest. Rumors that Tuesday's attacks would drive up gas prices prompted citizens to flock to stations to fill up before the "price hike". An industry spokesman said that attacks should have very little effect on gasoline supplies. Statements like that did little to stop some gas station owners from taking advantage of a bad situation. A few stations in the area raised their prices. Some in the state raised their prices for regular gasoline as high as $5 per gallon.

• Thousands of passengers were stranded in airports yesterday as the FAA suspended all flights in the U.S.  At Indianapolis International, arriving passengers retrieved baggage and sought lodging. Airlines put up passengers in airport hotels, and, in some cases, arranged bus travel so people could reach their ultimate destinations.  The airport activated an emergency security plan and locked down all four concourses.  All the airport's 67 fire and police personnel were called to work. Staff conducted security sweeps of airport property, and airport construction projects were halted.  Road access to the airport was closed.

• The Indiana Department of Education allowed school corporations to cancel ISTEP-Plus testing on Tuesday because of the terrorist attacks in the United States.  The testing for grades 3, 6 and 8, and that for the high school graduation qualifying exam (GQE), under a revised schedule.  Testing on the GQE is to continue as originally scheduled Wednesday and Thursday, and Friday if cancellations on Tuesday makes it necessary.  ISTEP testing in the other grades can be rescheduled between Wednesday and Sept. 28 as school corporations decide, but there can be no testing done Sept. 18-19 because of Rosh Hashanah.  Superintendent of Public Instruction Suellen Reed said school administrators and teachers know their students best and can determine what is best for them.

• In Middlebury, IN, residents several people have reported seeing a slender black creature roaming near their homes in rural Elkhart County.  The watch is on  for a panther.

September 11

• Another Day of Infamy!  This morning two hi-jacked airliners crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in Manhattan.  The towers have collapsed and there has been a horrific loss of life.  An airliner also crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.  These acts of terrorism are being called acts or war.  Manhattan is closed.  All flights in the country have been cancelled. The military is on highest alert, and many sites across the country, especially where large crowds gather, are closed. 

  LOCAL

  *Many churches have planned Prayer Services for tonight.  Check with your church.  Attend the service, and pray!

  *Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center has increased its security level.  NSWC Crane has safety measures and security plans in place and will be taking appropriate measures to increase the force protection posture.

  *Indiana National Guard has been put on alert.

  *Cincinnati Reds game for tonight (9/11) has been cancelled.  Tomorrow night's game is on hold and will be announced as soon as a decision has been made.

• Layoffs for Otis Elevator in Bloomington will be taking place over the next year and a half. 460 of the roughly 800 jobs will be eliminated as the company shifts production of low-rise elevators from Bloomington to Mexico.

• Gov. Frank O'Bannon on Monday ordered an indefinite freeze on most state hiring and new building projects in response to the latest sign that Indiana's fiscal crisis is deepening.  Out-of-state travel by state employees was also ordered cut in half.  O'Bannon said he may ask lawmakers next year to approve measures such as a cigarette tax increase or cuts to major programs such as education unless the revenue picture brightens soon.  The governor continues to claim that lawmakers haven't gone far enough to curb spending, while Republicans level criticism against the governor that he has repeatedly failed to demonstrate fiscal discipline, stating that O'Bannon's staff played a key role in negotiating the budget that emerged from the General Assembly.  O'Bannon let the budget bill become law without his signature.

• Brown University released results from a recent survey of 1,680 government websites in the nation.  Indiana's Web was ranked first in the nation, up from 21st last year!   Indiana achieved its 1st place ranking by expanding both its online services and the amount of information available online.  Other states in the top five were Michigan, Texas, Tennessee and Washington.

• The Monarch Migration has begun and the University of Kansas is studying the butterfly's trek south to Mexico.  Butterflies will be tagged at various locations in the U.S.  Each fall beginning in late August, millions of monarch butterflies east of the Rocky Mountains migrate to Mexico. The butterflies then return the following spring to the United States.  Most butterflies have a lifespan of two or three weeks. But monarch butterflies can have lifespans of eight or nine months this time of year. Instead of mating right away, their bodies prepare for the strenuous flight. They stop to consume nectar, cluster at night and by day conserve their fuel in flight by gliding on air currents.  Most of the monarchs that leave Mexico in March will be dead before they get out of the southern United States. Their offspring continue the journey back home, reproducing as they move northward.

September 10

• Indiana ranks ninth in the nation in total federal farm payments. Farmers here received government crop subsidy checks totaling nearly one-point-one billion dollars last year. The subsidy checks averaged $15,445.

• A dead crow found in Floyd County  has tested positive for the West Nile virus, state health officials said.  The bird is the second in Indiana to be found with the virus. Another crow found in Marion County tested positive for the virus last month.  No human cases have been confirmed in Indiana.

• Students in grades three, six, eight and 10 will begin assessment testing in the next two weeks, some of them beginning today.  Last year's scores indicated that  more students were failing and unable to answer basic questions in math and English.  The state's new accountability law which demands better performance from schools puts pressure on schools, as well as students, to show improvement on the tests.

September 7

• The People of the Gundahquah Camp Circle of the Indiana Indian Movement will conduct its fourth annual Harvest of Knowledge on Saturday and Sunday at Black Swan Lake Campground.  There will be Native American games, cooking demos, crafts, story telling, history, and food.  Gates open at 10 a.m. each day.  Admission is $3/person or $5/carload.  Drumming and dancing will be scheduled at various times during the weekend.

• U.S. New & World Report has released its annual lists of ranking of colleges and universities across the country.  The colleges are analyzed by reputation among peers, graduation and freshman retention rates, class sizes, percentage of full-time faculty, SAT and high school class rankings, alumni donations and admission selectivity, and are ranked in different categories.  How did those in Indiana rank?  The University of Notre Dame was among the 50 highest-ranked national universities.  Among the top 50 national public universities,  Purdue was 21st, while Indiana finished 28th.  Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology ranked first for the third consecutive year among 150 engineering schools.  DePauw University placed 40th in the top 50 of national liberal arts colleges, and for the first time, Wabash College made it into the top 50 liberal colleges list with a ranking of 48.  Valparaiso University was number one among Midwestern university rankings for liberal arts colleges, while Butler University was 4th and the University of Evansville was 10th in the same category.

• Last month the West Nile virus was found in a dead bird in southeastern Marion County.  This week it was confirmed in the Chicago suburbs.  State health officials continue to test for the West Nile virus and it is reported that they are inundated with samples to be tested.  The virus can be transmitted to humans through mosquito bites and can be fatal, especially to the elderly or those with weak immune systems.  Indiana residents are encouraged to contact their local health departments if they find dead crows, blue jays or raptors -- and not handle the animals themselves -- so they can be tested for the virus, as they have been more susceptible to the virus than other species.

• Purdue University has announced the new dean of the Schools of Engineering.  Effective January 1st, Linda P. Katehi, current associate dean for academic affairs in the University of Michigan College of Engineering, will assume the post overseeing the Purdue's engineering program encompassing thirteen schools, one of the largest in the United States, with an undergraduate enrollment of almost 6,000, a graduate enrollment of about 1,800 and a faculty of about 270.

• Indiana University officials are pleased as they report a record 96,219 student enrollment.  This number is the result of a record enrollment at six campuses this year.  

• In today's computer news, a research firm Computer Economics has estimated the worldwide costs 
  related to cleaning viruses from infected systems, lost productivity, and restoring damaged files reached $10.7 billion through August of this year and that one more major outbreak such as the LoveBug virus or Code Red worm could push the costs over last year's record $17.1 billion.  It was reported that most large companies have reduced virus-related costs this year by taking precautions, such as installing antivirus software.  However, many smaller companies, especially home offices, have gone online using the Internet and e-mail as a business tool without the necessary protection.  That is trouble waiting to happen.

September 6

• The Seymour Main Street organization is having a public meeting tonight at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall for everyone who is interested in the success of the downtown.  The guest speaker will be the Director of Indiana Main Street.  The mission of Seymour Main Street is "ongoing planning and implementation to promote and preserve the historic downtown as a vibrant, safe, accessible area to live, work and do business".

• By November 14th the removal of Market Square Arena will be finished and there will be a temporary parking lot with lights.  Where is all that rubble going?  A Hancock County businessman has secured preliminary zoning approval from Hancock County to build a hill for a snow slide at I-70 and Mount Comfort Road.  There has been no decision on a permanent use of the Market Square property, but proposals (such as apartments) are being considered.

September 5

• Vandalism in the park continues.  It was no small feat, and it is a puzzle that it was done without anyone noticing!  On Monday, Labor Day, sometime between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., the 1,500 pound cannon at Shields Park was knocked off its foundation.  The park was full of people, but no one reported the act of vandalism.  The cannon, dating back to 1864, was knocked off its foundation in July also, and other vandalism has occurred in the park as well.  The fish pond has been poisoned and picnic tables, electrical panels, and light bulbs have been destroyed.  Citizens and park users are urged to help protect the public property by reporting any suspicious activity immediately to the police.

• During the fiscal year that ended June 30th, Purdue University raised $173.9 million in private funds, a 53 percent increase over 1999-2000.  Murray Blackwelder, the university's new fund-raising chief, started work July 1st and hopes to raise at least $200 million in private gifts during this fiscal year with optimistic plans to launch a multiyear campaign with a goal of at least $1 billion starting in October 2002.  He points out that every Big Ten school, except Purdue and Indiana University, has either completed a fund drive of $1 billion or more, or is working on one. Private funds are used to endow professorships, build laboratories, develop specialties, construct buildings and provide scholarships.

• Tuesday the National Park Service officials presented a plaque recognizing the role of the Falls of the Ohio region in the 1803 Lewis and Clark Expedition.  Although the city of St. Louis has always been credited as the starting point of the expedition, U.S. Rep. Baron Hill, D-IN, pointed out that the group first had to travel down the Ohio River from Clarksville.  More than 80 sites will participate in a nationwide bicentennial celebration of the expedition in 2003.  An amphitheater, overlook and sculptures of expedition events will be placed at the Falls of the Ohio site. The project is expected to cost about $5 million, said Clarksville Town Council President John Minta.  As many as 30 million visitors are expected to visit events along the trail between 2003 and 2006.

September 4

• If you are still waiting for your tax rebate check, this week is your turn if your Social Security number ends in "60-69".

• Labor Day is over; pools are closed until next Memorial Day, and it's back to work!  The weather for the week looks great until Friday.

• Indianapolis officials are planning  a 1-2 year feasibility study concerning a light-rail line that would connect the Indianapolis International Airport and downtown.  Some believe the city the city should build the airport line before the proposed system planned for northeast Marion County.

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