January 31

• Seymour's boys basketball team will try to improve on their 7-6 record tonight when they host Floyd Central at 7:30 p.m.  Tomorrow night they will host Columbus North at 7:30 p.m.  Seymour's girls basketball team will try to improve on their 7-11 record tomorrow afternoon when they host Rushville at 2:30 p.m.  The girls play last night and lost to New Albany 34-49.
  
  
• Brownstown's boys basketball team will try to improve their 10-5 record tonight when they host Charlestown at 7:30 p.m.  Brownstown's girls basketball team lost to North Harrison last night 58-65.  They record now stands at 9-7.  They play tomorrow afternoon when they host Corydon at 2:30 p.m.
  
  
• The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is looking for volunteers to count frogs and toads beginning in February as part of a nationwide program monitoring amphibian populations.  The populations have been declining worldwide since the 1980's.  Amphibians are considered a barometer of the Earth's health because they are so sensitive to environmental changes.  Indiana is home to sixteen species of toads and frogs.  Four of those:  the Northern Crawfish Frog, Eastern Spadefoot Toad, Northern Leopard Frog and Plains Leopard Frog, are of special concern to scientists because of decreased habitat.  Volunteers will be asked to monitor frogs and toads from mid-February to late July or early August.  Surveys will be conducted at night, usually after a rainfall or mist.  Several workshops will be held to train volunteers.  The project is run by the U.S. Geological Survey.  More information can be found at the Frogwatch site.
  
  
• Indiana homeowners may not see as much of a break in property taxes as Gov. O'Bannon has led us to believe last year.  The newly discovered 17-year-old error in the way homestead property tax credits have been applied means that actual property tax savings could dwindle to nothing by 2006, since Gov. O'Bannon ordered the error fixed. Some lawmakers are even questioning if there really was an error.
  

January 30

• U.S. Rep. John Hostettler was named chairman of the House Immigration, Border Security, and Claims Subcommittee on Wednesday.  The Immigration Subcommittee is one of five subcommittees that falls under the jurisdiction of the House Judiciary Committee. Its oversight responsibilities include the Immigration and Naturalization Service, legal immigration programs, illegal immigration, border control, terrorism, detention and trafficking.  
  
  
• If you were watching the Indiana Pacers game on Monday night, you might have seen the Pacers' forward Ron Artest have a run-in with Heat coach Pat Riley and flash an obscene gesture toward the crowd.  Artest also committed a flagrant foul on Heat guard Caron Butler by pushing him into the stands.  For his actions in that game, Artest has received a four game suspension.  The suspension will cost Artest about $84,000 in pay, and it started with Wednesday night's home game against the San Antonio Spurs.  Artest has said he thinks the punishment is too harsh for his actions.  This suspension is Artest's second of the season.  The first suspension was for three games and was imposed after he hurled a TV monitor and smashed a $100,000 camera in New York.  He has also been fined for shoving Dallas' Raja Bell.
  
  
• It is old news that United is going through bankruptcy proceedings.  Report published Wednesday indicate that United Airlines may soon close the Indianapolis maintenance facility as part of the re-organization efforts.  That move threatens to put 1,500 people out of work.  Indianapolis is fighting back by putting together a panel that will try to come up with ways to convince United that keeping their facility in Indianapolis is a cost-effective move.

January 29

• Brownstown's boys basketball team lost last night at Austin 70-84.  Their record now stands at 10-5.  They play next on Friday night when they host Charlestown at 7:30 p.m.
  
  
• Yet another bill has been introduced for consideration in the Indiana House.  House Bill 1762, authored by Rep. Jeffrey K. Espich, R-Uniondale, would change the way Indiana calculates its gasoline tax to keep pace with inflation.  The tax formula would be tied to the Consumer Price Index and also would compensate for improving gas mileage.  The tax could not be lowered below the previous year's amount, even if inflation slowed and fuel efficiency decreased.  The state Legislative Services Agency estimates that the new formula would lead to an increase of four tenths of a cent per gallon in 2004, followed by an increase of seven-tenths of a cent per gallon in 2005.  Money raised through gas taxes goes directly to state and local highway budgets and also helps pay the state police.  Budgets are facing federal budget cuts.  There is another bill that has the same formula changes proposed in House Bill 1762, but also seeks a flat four-cent increase over the next two years.
  
  
• On Tuesday, Gov. Frank O'Bannon gave a formal send-off to about six hundred members of the Indiana National Guard who have been activated for anti-terrorism efforts.  The ceremony at Camp Atterbury recognized troops from several southern Indiana armories who have been training since January 2 at the base.  On the same day, around two hundred Indiana Air National Guard members learned they were being sent to Turkey and were scheduled to leave Thursday for a thirty-day deployment.
  

January 28

• The score for the Seymour girls basketball team is in.  They won in overtime when they hosted Scottsburg last Saturday 46-42.  Their record now stands at 7-10.  They play next on Thursday, January 30, against New Albany at home.  Game time is 7:30 p.m.
  
  
• The Brownstown boys basketball team has a game tonight.  They travel to Austin for a game time of 7:30 p.m. Brownstown's girls basketball team played Hauser last night at home.  They won with a score of 65-46.  Their record now stands at 9-6.  Their next game is on Thursday, January 30, hosting North Harrison at 7:30 p.m.
  
  
• Leading abortion opponents are looking for quick action in the new Republican-controlled Congress.  They expect quick approval of a ban on a  late-term abortion that some refer to as a partial birth abortion.
  
  
• An explosives law is likely to hamper avalanche control at some ski resorts.  It's meant to keep explosives out of the hands of terrorists, but ski resorts say it's making it more difficult for them to control potentially deadly avalanches.  A provision of the Homeland Security Bill bars nonresident aliens from handling explosives on the job.  Avalanches are a serious threat in the steep, rugged mountains in the Rockies and Sierra Nevadas.
  
  
• A virus-like infection is slowing traffic on many parts of the internet.  It's interfering with web browsing and the delivery of e-mail.  Sites monitoring the health of the internet reported significant slowdowns around the world.
  
  
• The Indiana's General Assembly is considering House Bill 1434, a bill which would require motorists with children ages 4-7 in the car to have them strapped into a booster seat.  The current law requires car seats for children through age three.  After that, only seat belts are required.  The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children use bookster seats when they have outgrown their car seats, from about the ages 4-8 and when they weigh 40-80 pounds.  Children in the proposed bill are at risk of damage to their organs because the seat belt crosses their stomachs instead of their hips and waist.
  
  
• Another house bill under consideration is House Bill 1586.  This would make Indiana only the second state in the nation to ban cell phones from most motorists' hands and require them to use a hands-free headset for cell phone conversations.  Several other states have passed less-broad restrictions on using a cell phone while driving.  The bill would make it a Class D infraction, punishable by a $25 fine, for any motorist other than emergency personnel to fail to use a headset while talking on a cell phone.  It would not prohibit someone from picking up the cell phone to turn it on or to dial a number, or from making an emergency phone call to physician, police, or fire personnel.  A similar bill was introduced in the 2002 session, but failed to get a hearing in the Republican-controlled Senate.
  

January 27

• In Seymour boys' basketball action this past weekend, the boys hosted the Bedford North Lawrence Stars on Friday night and won 60-55.  Saturday night saw the boys hosting New Albany and winning 82-76.  Their record now stands at 7-6.  They play again this coming weekend, hosting Floyd Central on Friday night and Columbus North on Saturday night.  The Seymour girls' team saw action on Saturday against Scottsburg, but the scores have not been reported yet.  The girls will play next on January 30 when they host New Albany.
  
  
• The Brownstown boys' basketball team played last Friday night at Brown County.  Brownstown came out on top 53-50.  Their record now stands at 10-4.  They will play next tomorrow night, January 28, at Austin.  The Brownstown girls' team played on Saturday at Brown County and won 68-59.  Their record now stands at 8-6.  They play next tonight when they host Hauser at 7:30 p.m.
  
  
• The U.S. Census Bureau will ask about five thousand Indiana households to take part in a trial of new forms that could be used for the next nationwide census in 2010.   The agency plans to contact those households by the end of this week to test twelve new forms.  The bureau will also test software that could allow residents to file census forms online.
  
  
• More than forty Indiana schools will be among about eight hundred schools nationwide that will administer a revised Scholastic Aptitude Test in March.  The pilot SAT, which will be officially administered for the first time in March 2005, will not county as an official college-entrance exam. The pilot test includes an essay-writing section for the first time.  The results of the pilot test, which will be given for free, will not be passed on to admissions directors.  The new test will have three sections:  a writing section, a critical thinking section that is currently called the verbal section, and a math section that will include second year algebra and trigonometry questions.  A perfect score on the new test will be 2,400.
  

January 24

• Seymour's boys' basketball team (5-6) has a busy weekend ahead.  They first will host Bedford North Lawrence  tonight at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday night, they host New Albany also with a game time of 7:30 p.m.  Seymour girls' basketball (6-10) will host Scottsburg on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
  
  
• Brownstown boys' basketball team (9-4) will travel to Brown County tonight for a game time of 7:30 p.m.  Brownstown's girls basketball team (7-6) also travels to Brown County.  They will be there on Saturday for a game time of 2:30 p.m.
  
  
• Investigators say a halogen floor lamp sparked a fire that killed a four-year-old Indiana girl.  Fire officials say the lamp fell against a mattress, leading to a fire in the family's trailer that killed Ashlee Mosley.  The U.S. Product Safety Commission says the thin halogen bulbs used in halogen floor lamps can reach temperatures of 1000 degrees.  That's hot enough to ignite mattresses, drapes, and other combustible material.
  
  
• For the second straight day, area schools have operated under a delayed schedule due to the weather.  The National Weather Service says the cold weather will gradually begin to ease a bit beginning Friday night.  We might even see highs reach the mid thirties on Saturday.
  

January 23

• Brrr!  That sums up our weather forecast through the weekend.  The state remains under a wind chill advisory for this morning, and this cold air has caused most schools in the state to be on a one- to two-hour delay.  The National Weather Service says the cold temperatures will be with us for a while.  We are not expected to get above freezing until sometime next week.
  
  
• Indiana is getting it share of making the top ten on many undesirable lists.  The latest is Indiana's third place ranking in releasing more cancer-causing pollutants into the air and water in 2000.  The state which were worse than Indiana were Texas and Pennsylvania, according the the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.  Forty-three percent of all carcinogens released in the state were emitted in Elkhart County.  Elkhart leads the nation in recreational-vehicle production, which will be affected by new state and federal rules requiring resuctions in the emissions of styrene and methylene chloride used in fiberglass and foam manufacturing.
  
  
• Eli Lilly and Co. has announced that earnings in the final quarter of 2002 rose twenty-eight percent.  This increase marks the second straight quarter of earnings increase following a year of declines after Lilly lost its Prozac patent.  However, continuing concerns from the FDA about Lilly's manufacturing problems have overshadowed the earnings news.  Lilly has directed more funds and personel to upgrade quality control, and now must pass re-inspections at its problem manufacturing plants.
  
  
• The city of Indianapolis needs help... at least when it comes to the Colts.  The city has hired a sports-industry consultant from Florida at $14,000 a month in taxpayer money to help with negotiations between the city and the Indianapolis Colts.  It could cost the city as much as $168,000 over the course of the negotiations.  The consultant has said that the team's small-market status does not alter what is important to making NFL deals work.
  

January 22

• We are under a Wind Chill Advisory for tonight through Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service.  Cold arctic air will move across central Indiana tonight.  Temperatures will be at or near zero with some areas bottoming out below zero.  These cold temeratures, in combination with northwest winds 15 to 25 miles per hour, will make the wind chill values between 15 and 24 degrees below zero.  Those planning to venture outdoors should use common sense and dress warmly, making sure that all exposed skin is covered.  If you have outdoor animals, make sure that they have proper shelter away from the wond and cold temperatures.
  
  
• The Seymour girls' basketball team hosted Jeffersonville last night, and lost 50-64.  Their record now stands at 6-10.  The girls will play their next game this weekend on January 25, when they host Scottsburg at 2:30 p.m.
  
  
• Time will tell, they say.  Maybe Indiana University would have been better off settling financially out of court over the Bob Knight firing - maybe not.  At this point in time, Indiana University has spent more than half a million dollars defending itself in lawsuits related to the firing of the popular coach.  Four lawsuits have cost the university $533,552, according to records provided by university officials.  More than half of that amount was spent in a lawsuit filed by the Indianapolis Star seeking access to personnel records related to the firing.  IU won the initial round, but the newspaper appealed the case.  The university is currently battling a lawsuit by forty-six alumni and basketball fans, one by former Knight assistant Ron Felling, and then there is also Knight's own lawsuit.
  
  
• People who consume deer meat can breathe a sigh of relief, so far.  State officials say that none of the hundreds of Indiana deer screened for chronic wasting disease have tested positive for the deadly, incurable disorder.  Officials do caution that they are not even half-way through testing all the samples that have been collected.  So far, 639 deer brain samples have been tested out of the 1,361 that have been sent to a lab in Ohio.  Chronic wasting disease was first discovered in Colorado thirty-five years ago, and has been spreading east.  By November, it had spread to northern Illinois, about one hundred miles from Indiana.  The disease is similar to mad cow disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which affects humans.
  
  
• A work of art in process.  That is how you can describe the restoration of the marble columns and walls in St. Mary-of-the-Woods' ninety year-old Cecilian Auditorium, except they really are not made of stone at all.  They are made from a plaster imposter that looks and feels like the real thing. The college has hired an Indianapolis company to restore the plaster columns and borders throughout the school's Conservatory of Music auditorium.  It was built in 1913, in an Italian Renaissance style.  The damage, which consists of several cracks and fallen pieces, was caused by minor earthquakes.  The work will cost fifty-five thousand dollars, and is being paid for through private donation.
  

January 21

• The Seymour boys' basketball team (5-6) played last on January 17 at Martinsville.  The outcome?  They lost 44-52.  Their next game is this Friday night at Bedford North Lawrence at 7:30 p.m.  Seymour's girls' team (5-9) played last on January 18, but the results are still not available on our Scoreboard link.  They next play on January 21 when they host Jeffersonville at 7:30.
  
  
• Brownstown's boys' basketball team (9-4) won on January 17 against Silver Creek.  They will play next at Brown County at 7:30 p.m. on January 24.  Brownstown's girls' team (7-5) beat Jennings County on January 18 33-48.  They will play next on January 23 at South Ripley at 7:30 p.m.
  
  
• Officials at Dunn Memorial Hospital in Bedford are asking for help from the public.  The problem?  No one can find the answer to the question of when the hospital opened its doors.  The hospital first operated in a two-story frame house in Bedford.  The month and day of its founding are the subject of the search.  Officials plan a celebration of the hospital's centenntial year in 2004.  Although officials hope to determine the month and day of its opening, the committee still plans to organize a celebration even if an exact date cannot be determined.
  
  
• Officials at Columbus Regional Hospital say they can no longer afford to offer free ambulance service to the far reaches of Brown County.  They have done so for fourteen years.  The hospital did not offer the county a new bid for service.  The hospital said it would not leave Brown County without ambulance service, but negotiations are underway over a solution.  For the past three years, the service has been free.  Before that, the county paid the hospital a $60,000 stipend for service.
  
  
• As you may know, the space shuttle Columbia was launched with an Israeli astronaut on board.  Since the launch, the astronauts have already captured video images of an electrical phenomenon.  The Israeli atmospheric study has captured images of an elf - a luminous red, bagel-shaped, electrical event that occurs above a thunderstorm in less than a millisecond.  The images are the first ever scientific images ever recorded from space, and they were captured by chance.  The scientists had originally wanted to study dust storms over the Mediterranean to monitor desert dust migrating through the atmosphere.  Unfortunately, January is one of the worst times to study dust storms.  Because of the lack of dust storms, scientists have focused on plumes of pollution coming out of Europe.  The goal is the same:  to see how the particles affect cloud formation and, consequently, climate.
  
  
• U.S. Rep. Mike Pence has downplayed remarks made about a new role for Camp Atterbury.  He made comments to an Indiana newspaper about a new role for the base, and now says that those comments reflected "wishful thinking by a congressman that certainly does not represent any official position of the Pentagon or the military generally.  Indiana's two senators and other members of the congressional delegation are not aware of any new role for the base.  Camp Atterbury is operated by the Indiana National Guard and used largely for training pilots and ground troops.
  

January 20

• Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  All government offices are closed, and there will be no mail delivery.  Many banks are closed for the day.  Call first today, just to make sure your business detination is open.
  
  
• Two non-profit groups are trying to preserve a site where one of the state's last executions by hanging took place.  The site is the Martin County courthouse in Shoals, which was built in the 1800's.  The Martin County Historical Society and the Trinity Springs Mustering Elm plan to petition officials to save the historic building.  The building housed the trials of the infamous Archer Gang.  Three of the members were hanged illegally on the front lawn.  The fourth member was later captured and legally hanged in 1886.
  
  
• Harrison County Hospital has purchased thirty-eight acres of land near Corydon in southern Indiana to construct a thirty-three million dollar building.  But, county officials are divided over a proposal asking the county to pay half the cost of a twenty-year bond for the project.
  

January 17

• The Bureau of Motor Vehicles will close all license branches and administrative offices Saturday, January 18 through Monday, January 20, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  License branches and administrative offices will reopen on Tuesday, January 21, with normal business hours.  Motorists can use BMV Express automated services for renewing standard vehicle registrations by touch-tone telephone at 1-877-4-NEW-BMV, via the Internet at www.bmvexpress.IN.gov or at any self-service terminals when branch service is  unavailable.
  
  
• Congressional Rep. John Hostettler gave us his response to a troubling article that appeared on the front page of the Washington Post, quoting government data that the homicide rate for U.S. infants is now virtually equal to the murder rate for teenagers.  In response, many indicate there has been a growing disregard for human life since Roe vs. Wade.  Hostettler has stated that Norma McCorvey, then known as Jane Roe and Sandra Cano, known then as Mary Doe, have acknowledged that their cases were built on lies.  Today, Hostettler reminds is that McCorvey and Cano are pro-life and are asking the Supreme Court to rehear their cases.
  
  
• U.S. Rep. Baron Hill is touring high schools in southern Indiana to discuss with students legislation that would reactivate the nation's military draft.  Hill, a Democrat who represents the state's 9th district, opposes the proposal.  Rep. Charles Rangel, a Democrat from New York, has proposed requiring military service and other types of national service.  Rangel is a veteran of the Korean War and opponent of military action in Iraq.  He believes Congressional support of any war would wane if their  children were the ones put in harm's way. Although the draft ended in 1973, men have been required since 1980 to register for the draft on their 18th birthday, in case the draft is ever needed again.
  
  
• A day after U.N. inspectors found twelve empty rocket warheads capable of carrying chemical weapons, Saddam Hussein called on his people to rise up and defend the nation against a new U.S.-led attack.  The rockets were not listed in Iraq's weapons declaration.  Although the discovery was considered "troubling and serious", they have not yet been called a violation of U.N. resolutions. 
  

January 16

January 15

• The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for Thursday for southern Indiana.  Snow will begin in the southwest Wednesday night and spread to central and northern regions through the day on Thursday.  Total snow accumulation is expected to be three to six inches
  
  
• On Tuesday, K-Mart Corporation announced store closings as is proceeds through Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.  No local stores were effected with this round of closings, although there are twelve stores in the state of Indiana that will be closing.  Three of the stores are in Indianapolis.
  
  
• Have you been sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for the fifth Harry Potter book to come out?  Wait no more.  The fifth book will be published on June 21, according to J.K. Rowling's publishers.  "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is 768 pages long, and one third longer than book four.
  
  
• On Monday, January 13, FAO Inc, the parent company of FAO Schwarz and Zany Brainy toy stores announced it has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection.  Is it any surprise that the reasons cited are weak sales and intense competition from discounters such as WalMart?  In December, the company announced that it would close 70 stores.  Now the number of store closings has climed to 75 to 80 of its 253 stores.  The company also runs The Right Start.  Company closures are expected to affect all three chains.
  

January 14

• There's not much good news in tonight's State of the State Address from Governor Frank O'Bannon.  Indiana has lost 120,000 jobs to the recession and faces an $850 million budget deficit.  Gov. O'Bannon is expected to discuss his plan to improve the state's economy, which has been criticized by members of both parties.
  
  
• Indiana democrats have been rejected again by a potential candidate for governor in 2004.  U.S. Rep. Baron Hill said on Tuesday that he would not run.  He is the sixth big-name Democrat to decline a bid in the past six weeks.  The announcement leaves former state and national Democratic Party Chairman Joe Andrew and state Senator Vi Simpson of Bloomington as the party's most likely candidates.
  
  
• In the past year, more women are discovering theraputic benefits to sewing.  Many women who once may have scoffed at the idea to pick up knitting and crochet needles, or to try their hand at quilting and other kids of sewing, have found sewing helps decrease heart rate and blood pressure.  Sewing can be rewarding and relaxing.
  
  
• Roe-vs-Wade turns thirty years old this year.  The number of abortions among teenagers is dropping much faster in states with strong parental consent laws.
  
  
• Indiana's year-round population of bald eagles continues to grow.  Thirty-six pairs attempted to nest last year, up from twenty-eight pairs the year before.  Patoka Lake and Lake Monroe are two local areas where eagles make their homes.

January 13

• Indiana has a smallpox vaccination plan that has been approved by the federal government.  The state just does not have the money to pay for all the vaccinations at this point.  There is enough money to pay for the first phase of the program - to innoculate health department and medical staffs.  There is not enough money to pay for innoculating emergency and health care workers.
  
  
• Indiana's Family and Social Services Administration says many of Indiana's farmers and other residents are not claiming a tax credit.  The agency says the money could have been claimed by at least 57,000 residents who qualify for the earned income tax credit.  That's a federal tax break designed to help people in lower income brackets.  The agency says someone who made less than $34,000 last year and has two or more children probably qualifies for the tax break.  People who qualify and have not claimed the credit may also be able to abck file as many as three years.
  
  
• While in Congress, Frank McCloskey lobbied in favor of building I-69 through Monroe County.  Now he has had a change of heart.  He wants state officials to reconsider their decision to build the I-69 extension through the Bloomington area.  Now that he has been living in the area again, he has become sensitive to the strong feelings of the interstate opponents.
  
  
• State Rep. Dale Grubb of Covington wants to create a five dollar bounty on coyotes in parts of Indiana where they threaten domestic animals or wild game.  He says the proposal was prompted by sheep farmers, but he also believes coyotes are responsible for a lack of rabbits and game birds.  It is legal to hunt coyotes in Indiana from October through February, and landowners may take coyotes anytime on property they own.  Under Grubb's bill, a person would deliver both ears of the animal to a conservation officer.  Coyote bounty claims would then be paid by township trustees from revenue from the state's dog tax.
  
  
• Although a state program is meeting its goal to clean up underground storage tanks, some say Indiana should conduct inspections more often to ensure the tanks do not start leaking again.  Cleanups have been well-funded over the years, but the state's compliance program has not.  Indiana has just five inspectors for more than 14,500 tanks, which means tanks are inspected about once every five years.  Federal rules require owners to remove or upgrade old tanks within ten years and clean up tainted property.  The state program reimburses owners for most cleanup costs.  Most other Midwestern states inspect tanks every three years.  The EPA does not mandate how often states must inspect tanks.
  
  
• Senator Joseph Lieberman has announced that he is running for president in 2004.  Lieberman had said since 2000 that he would not run if Al Gore ran again.  Gore announced in December that he would not run.  Lieberman joins a crowded field.  Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt, Massachusettes Sen. John Kerry, and North Carolina Sen. John Edwards are all running.  Others still considering are:  Connecticut's senior Senator Christopher Dodd;  Senators Bob Graham of Florida and Joseph Biden of Delaware;  former Sen. Gary Hart of Colorado; and the Rev. Al Sharpton, a civil rights activist.
  

January 10

• In local basketball action... Seymour's boys' basketball team will try to improve on their 3-5 record tonight when they travel to South Decatur for a game time of 7:30 p.m.  After a good night's sleep, they will host Franklin tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m.  The girls' basketball team will travel to Mitchell on Saturday for a game time of 2:30 p.m.
  
  
• I-69 is a step closer.  On Thursday afternoon, Governor Frank O'Bannon made his recommendation for extending I-69 from Indianapolis to Evansville.  The proposed route would go from Indy to Bloomington via State Road 37, then over to Washington and down to Evansville.  The estimated cost of the project... between 1.6 and 1.8 billion dollars.  Gov. O'Bannon cited the proximity to Crane as one of the route's advantages.  Officials are hoping the closeness of the interstate will help to protect the base from closure during Pentagon budget cutbacks.
  
  
• Governor O'Bannon has proposed a two-year budget plan that cuts agency spending, flatlines basic funding for schools and universities, and diverts $750 million in pension accounts and other funds to help shore up the state deficit.  Lawmakers from both parties called it a good starting point, but predict that changes will be made.
  
  
• Did you have dreams of flying like the Rocketeer after seeing the movie?  You could be one step closer.  A strap-on flying machine is up for sale on eBay.  There are only two catches.  First, the price is one million dollars.  Not many of us have that much!  The second catch, and perhaps the most important, is that you have to agree not to use it!  Hey, I didn't say you would be able to fly.  It seems that designers of a personal aircraft that they hope might one day transport soldiers over land mines or fly commuters above rush hour traffic are putting their one-of-a-kind device up for auction to help raise cash for further research.
  

January 9

• Governor Frank O'Bannon has scheduled a news conference for today to announce the state's recommendation for the planned Interstate 69 extension through southwestern Indiana. The announcement is set to be made in Evansville, which could be a sign that the route will be one of the direct corridors studied.
  
  
• A convenience store in Gnaw Bone, Indiana, has its breaded tenderloin featured in last week's issue of Gourmet magazine.  Gnaw Bone Food & Fuel owner Beni Clevenger thought it was a joke until the photographer showed up to stage a phot shoot with a sandwich.  Former Indiana University basketball coach Bob Knight was a regular visitor during the offseason.  Since the magazine came out with the review, the store has welcomed dozens of new visitors.
  
  
• President Bush has given the thumbs up to Indiana's school accountability plan, which state education officials have repeatedly said serves as a model for other states.  The state's plan requires schools to show yearly progress.  President's Bush's No Child Left Behind Act requires annual testing of students in math and English for all students in grades three through eight beginning in 2005-06 and awards more control to families with children in poorly performing schools.  Students in high school must be tested once.  Indiana laready requires that students be tested on ISTEP-Plus in grades three, six, with, and ten.  The state had planned to phase in tests in grades four, five, and seven before the federal law was passed.  Indiana will also being testing in science beginning this year.
  
  
• Bloomington's State Senator Vi Simpson has said she will announce today her decision about being a Democtratic candidate for Indiana's governor.  Simpson is the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee and is chairwoman of the State Budget Committee.  U.S. Rep. Baron Hill is expected to announce his decision as early as Friday.
  
  
• Soap-making kits made by Pace Products Inc. and sold under the name "Soap Making for Kids" have been recalled.  The kits had the words "SCHOLASTIC INC." and "Made in U.S.A." printed on the back of the box.  The kits were sold nationwide through Scholastic Book Clubs and book fairs from March 2000 through November 2002, and at bookstores from March 1998 through November 2002 for about $8.  There have been reports of burns, including a six year-old girls with a burn on her hand.  the Consumer Product Safety Commission advised the kits be taken away from kids immediately.  Consumers should contact the company at 1-800-541-7670 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST for information on returning the kits for a refund.
  

January 8

• Radio broadcasters and representatives of law enforcement made up a group of approximately seventy officials who attended a seminar Tuesday in Jasper concerning the implementation of Indiana's Amber Alert System.  The presenters stressed the importance of getting the alert broadcast in a speedy accurate manner.
  
  
• Indiana cars will be displaying new plates this year.  Out with the "Back Home Again" plate, in with the new plate bearing the state's web address, www.IN.gov.  Wait a minute, you say!  That was not what the people voted on!  Last May, Gov. O'Bannon unveiled the folksy plate design featuring a farmhouse and a white picket fence over the familiar "Back Home Again" refrain.  BMV officials over-road that decision for marketing reasons, according to BMV spokeswoman Media Trent.  She said, "We gave the most basic address we have, and it's a service to our citizenry."  The design in green, blue, and white pastel colors shows a farm field with a two-story white house surrounded by a white picket fence in the distant background.  The new design will remain in effect through 2008.
  
  
• Thousands of Indiana families owe public school districts hundreds of thousands of dollars for textbooks that most states provide free.  Indiana is one of ten states that don't fully fund textbooks used in public schools.  That means that when the parents don't pay, school officials must take them to small-claims court to collect the money.  The average cost for textbook rentals and fees for students in Indiana was $70.77, according to the Indiana Department of Education.  Indiana helps pay textbook fees for students qualifying for the free or reduced-price federal school lunch program.  State Representative Peggy Welch, of Bloomington, helped introduce legislation to pay for at least part of every student's textbooks during the past two biennial budget cycles, and plans to do so again this year.
  
  
• In Indiana legislative efforts yesterday!  People would pay a tax on bottled water to help keep the state's water supply clean.  The bill introduced Tuesday would impose a two cent tax on each liter of bottled water.  It is estimated this tax would generate five million dollars a year.  Another bill introduced on Tuesday would increase landfill tipping fees by two dollars a ton, to produce an estimated thirty million dollars a year.  The money would go to Clean Water Indiana, a program designed to save soil and reduce polluted stormwater runoff that reaches rivers, lakes, and streams.  The program was created in 1999, but has not received funding since 2001.  The proposed increases would be used for soil and water conservation, farm land protection and other conservation programs.
  
  
• Indiana Democrats have gotten turned down again.  This time former Indiana House Speaker John Gregg has said he will not run for governor on the Democratic ticket in 2004.  There is sure to be more speculation that U.S. Rep. Baron Hill would seek the nomination, but he has not announced a decision yet.  Former state and national party chairman Joe Andrew and state Senator Vi Simpson of Bloomington have also expressed interest in the opening. 
  
  
• Many Indiana Republicans are hoping that White House Budget Director Mitch Daniels seeks the GOP nomination for governor in 2004.  Other Republicans already running are former U.S. Rep. David McIntosh, state Senators Luke Kenley of Noblesville and Murray Clark of Indianapolis; conservative activist Eric Miller, and Petersburg Mayor Danny Harris.
  

January 7

• It seems that Indiana University will be back in film once again, only this time it will have Liam Neeson.  No other details about the film are available, but Neeson will be playing the role of pioneering sex researcher Alfred Kinsey.  Kinsey, a biology professor, is best known for his "Kiney Reports" based on research and interviews conducted in the 1940's.  Neeson has contacted the Kinsey Institute to prepare for the role.  Filming is expected to begin this spring in Toronto.
  
  
• United Airlines, who filed for bankruptcy protection last month, says that it is cutting some fares by as much as seventy percent in hope of attracting more business travelers.  Beginning yesterday, coach fares with no advance purchase for direct flights to and from Chicago and Denver as well as thousands of markets around the country reached by connecting service are being cut by as much as forty percent.  The fares on tickets purchased seven days in advance for the same flights are being cut as much as seventy percent.  United also says it will cut back food service on many domestic flights beginning today.
  
  
• State lawmakers are set to open their new session this afternoon, but there is no consensus on how to erase a $760 million budget deficit and boost Indiana's lagging economy.  Gov. O'Bannon has already announced a sweeping economic-development plan for consideration, but it has drawn mixed reviews from both parties.  O'Bannon is expected to present a budget proposal this week that does not include tax increases to shore up the deficit.  Pro-gambling legislation is expected to get consideration once more, due to its potential to raise tax dollars.  Lawmakers are also expected to consider bills that would limit unsolicited e-mail, better protect people from identity theft, and change laws on alcohol sales.  Proponents of Daylight Saving Time have also pledged to push their cause again.
  
  
• Yesterday, the U.N. nuclear watchdog gave North Korea a second chance to abandon its suspected nuclear weapons program - delaying possible U.N. sanctions.  Today, North Korea says that sanctions would mean war.  The International Atomic Energy Agency refrained from immediately turning to the U.N. Security Council, but the agency's chief says it will do so if North Korea does not comply.  President Bush, in trying to assure envoys from Seoul and Tokyo, has said "We have no intention of invading North Korea."  
  

January 6

• So, you're tired of seeing snow already?  Never fear, temperatures by Wednesday are expected to reach a high of near 50.  That should help much of the snow melt!
  
  
• Indiana University has gotten its share of notoriety lately for the adult movie that was secretly filmed on its Bloomington campus in October.  One state lawmaker wants to see more harsh discipline taken against stidents who take part in this type of activity.  Disciplinary hearings were held for two students, but no criminal charges were filed.  State Rep. Woody Burton, R-Greenwood, is sponsoring a bill this session that would require IU and other state universities to expel any student who participates in a sexually explicit film on campus.
  
  
• They say that timing is everything, and Indiana's judges may find this to be true the hard way.  Indiana's judges are planning to lobby for a seventeen to twenty-one percent increase in pay, but lawmakers could be unwilling to grant the request due to the state's budget crisis.  Indiana's base salary of $90,000 ties for 47th-lowest in the country.  The pay raise would raise Indiana's rank to the middle of the national rankings.  It would be the first pay raise for Indiana's judges since 1997.  The revenue from a proposed $12 fee that would be added onto court cases filed or resolved each year would pay for the increase.
  
  
• State lawmakers will also be considering ways to reverse a decline in the numbers of volunteer firefighters.  Many rural Indiana communities have a dangerous shortage of firefighters during the daytime hours.  Several lawmakers expect to offer legislation this week that would entice more people to volunteer.  One proposal would give state income tax credits to the volunteers.
  
  
• It is official.  U.S. Senator Evan Bayh will not make a run for Indiana's governor in 2004.  That leaves Indiana democrats scrambling to find a candidate.  It is rumored that most of the speculation now rests on Congressman Baron Hill and former Indiana House Speaker John Gregg.  Hill is expected to make a decision this week.  Republicans have plenty of candidates who have tossed their hats into the ring.  One of the five considering a run is White House budget director Mitch Daniels.  David McIntosh has already announced his intention to run again on the GOP side.
  
  
• Some have said that the Bush administration is too eager to go to war with Iraq.  Rep. Charles Rangel, D-New York, plans to introduce a bill in the next session of Congress to make military service mandatory.  He feels that such legislation would make members of Congress more reluctant to authorize military action.  The Korean War veteran feels that there would be more willingness to work with the international community, if officials were more aware that the soldiers were coming from families who were concerned about their kids going off to war.

January 3

• Bob Knight has filed a lawsuit against Indiana University alleging that he was fired without cause, without a proper meeting of university trustees, and without a chance to defend himself.  He claims he suffered losses in excess of two million dollars from media contracts, endorsements, camps, a shoe contract, and other sources.  IU attorney David Mattingly has responded in documents filed last month, saying that IU had the right to fire Knight regardless of what he did to merit dismissal.  Mattingly is quoted saying that the association between Knight and IU in the public mind was "a source of both pride and, regretfully at times, embarrassment."  He said that IU could have avoided paying out Knight's contract if it had fired him for cause, but it chose not to do so.  At this point, the lawsuit is a he-said/she-said disagreement that is proceeding in court.
  
  
• The state of Indiana is keeping us in suspense waiting for the much anticipated decision on the I-69 route.  Last year, they were saying a decision would be announced by the end of the year.  As the end of the year approached, they said it would not be until later.  Now, they are saying that "later" MAY come sometime next week.  Governor O'Bannon has been on vacation for two weeks, and he is the one that is making the final decision.  On Thursday, state transportation officials confirmed that they had relayed their recommendation to the governor.  The recommended route consisted of one specific corridor, according to Transportation Commissioner J. Bryan Nicol.  No other details are being released at this time.
  
  
• It is officially off.  The proposed merger of Guidant Corp. and Cook Group will not take place.  The companies have announced they did not expect clinical trials on drug-coated stents to meet standards set in their merger agreement.  This is a set-back for Indianapolis-based Guidant in the race for the potentially lucrative drug-stent market, that the company was hoping to enter in 2005.  Guidant will pay Cook a fifty million dollar breakup fee to end their deal. If Guidant enters the U.S. drug-coated stent market in 2005, it will do so with a different drug that will be obtained from a California-based company.  Guidant has said it will continue trying to produce a drug-coated stent with Cook, but getting the results to improve will be a key factor.
  
  
• A lesson for us all, do your research before undertaking a new venture.  Two would-be Canadian thieves found out the hard way that you need to know how to drive a car if you are going to steal one.  Police said the two males accosted a pizza delivery man in Alberta early Wednesday and demanded the four pizzas he was carrying, as well as his cash.  The bandits evidently changed their minds at some point and jumped into the man's car.  Unfortunately for the thieves, the seventeen year-old who got behind the wheel did not know how to drive a stick shift.  This made the dynamic duo decide to go back for the pizzas, since they knew what to do with those.  Police arrested both boys and recovered the pizzas.
  

January 2

• Although there has been a snow advisory in effect for this morning, the total accumulation is estimated to be just an inch of snow.  The snow should taper off by noon, according to the National Weather Service.  Temperatures are predicted to remain steady under the cloudy skies at 30.  Snow is likely again tonight, with another inch possible.
  
  
• Also, don't forget that the East Fork of the White River remains under a Flood Warning through Sunday morning.  Avoid driving on roads with standing water.  The melting snow and rain have caused river levels to rise.
  
  
• Seventy more people have been called up to active duty, all of them from Grissom Air Reserve Base.  The 434th Air Refueling Unit is heading out Friday morning.  They returned one year ago from an "Operation Enduring Freedom" mission to the Pacific and Southwest Asia.  No details are available as to when they will return or where they are going.
  
  
• Earlier we reported that officials in Owen County might have to close the county home for the indigent if money could not be found to cover operating expenses.  That time has come.  Supporters of the home raised only $12,000 of the $125,000 needed to keep the home open.  That money will be returned to donors.  The last residents moved out of the home last week.  Officials have not decided what to do with the building, which dates from the 1880's.
  
  
• Indiana farmers will be participating in a census soon.  They will receive forms in the mail soon for the 2002 Census of Agriculture.  The census is the nation's largest and most detailed portrait of agriculture in the United States.  More than two million forms were mailed nationally, with nearly 83 million going to Indiana farmers.  All of the data collected is confidential.  This is the twenty-sixth time the agriculture census has been conducted.  The first one was in 1840.