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October 26

• A US District judge says she'll try to make a quick decision in a case involving a ten commandments display at the Washington County Courthouse. Attorneys from the Indiana Civil Liberties Union want the display removed. Lawyers for the county say the commandments provided the foundation of the nation's laws. - WBIW
• Columbus police say the manager of a Christian bookstore accused of stealing $1600 from the store tried to fool police into believing he'd been battered and robbed. 28-year-old Gilbert Matteucci told police he was in the family Christian bookstore when he was knocked unconscious by a blow to the head. - WBIW

October 25

• Bob Knight may be leaving Indiana pretty soon. At a charity fundraiser last night in Indianapolis, he said he was making his last public speaking appearance in the city. It was Knight's first public appearance since a rally shortly after Indiana University fire him September 10th. (FYI...today is Knight's 60th birthday) - WBIW
• By a unanimous vote, a new Ten Commandments monument will be placed on the Lawrence County Courthouse lawn. The Commissioners approved the placement (which may be temporary). The monument is a gift from the limestone industry to the state and was to be placed on the Statehouse lawn. Those plans were thwarted because the ICLU sued to stop it. The governor's administration has appealed the suit. The case is before a federal court in Chicago. - WBIW

October 24

October 23

• About 400 people attended a rally in Salem yesterday. They were there to support a state law that allows local governments to post the ten commandments in public. The Indiana Civil Liberties Union and others have protested that decision. - WBIW

October 20

• The Earth Liberation Front is responsible for destroying logging equipment in Martin State Forest. Indiana Department of Natural Resources spokesman Stephen Sellers says fuel lines and hydraulic fluid lines were cut, sand was poured in gas tanks and crankcases, glass guages were smashed, and seats cut in the incident discovered Wednesday morning. An ELF spokesman says this likely won't be the last time the group strikes in Indiana. - WBIW

October 19

October 18

• A union leader predicts that a fourth of the 3200 at Bloomington's GE plant will be laid off just days before Christmas. GE gave notice to 870 workers this week that they may be laid off December 15th in the first of two furloughs at the plant. Local union president Steve Norman says early retirements and transfers will affect the number of layoffs but predicts 800 would be laid off in December. - WBIW

October 17

• News organizations are complaining about restrictions on access to prisoners at the US penitentiary in Terre Haute. This comes in the wake of a "60 Minutes" interview with condemned Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh in March. McVeigh is on death row at the prison. A Hoosier State Press Association official says authorities have agreed to work toward a compromise. - WBIW
• The student whose run-in with Bob Knight started the process which led to the firing of the oft volital coach, has left Indiana University. Kent Harvey, along with two brothers (Kyle and Kevin), left the state with their mother and stepfather. Kent Harvey had been the target of death threats since the coach's dismissal. So far, the three brothers have not transferred to another school. - WBIW

October 16

• The man responsible for restoring an Indiana Historical Landmark says gambling should be a part of its future. Bill Cook says gambling is a part of the West Baden Springs Hotel's history. - WBIW

October 13

October 12

October 11

• Brown county will have a new jail and the location is set. Still, county officials are seeking input from the public about how the facility looks and what it will cost. Commissioner Amy Couch says they will have meetings on the subject every two weeks because they want to hear from the community. A meeting will be held tonight.
• Indiana University President Myles Brand delivered his state of the university address yesterday -- about a month later than planned. Brand was scheduled to deliver his address shortly after he fired Bob Knight. He postponed the speech because he did not want its academic message to be clouded by feelings about the coach's dismissal. Brand talked yesterday about the arts and humanities.
• Purdue President Martin C. Jischke says the university will provisionally join the Workers Rights Consortium and the Fair Labor Association. The two groups help ensure that university clothing is not produced with sweatshop labor. A committee of students, administrators and faculty had recommended membership in both groups this spring.

October 10

• An Indiana University student was in serious condition after an automobile accident Monday afternoon. 22-year-old Kevin Moss of Bloomington was listed in critical condition after the accident at Bloomington Hospital. Police say he was traveling north on Indiana Business 37 when his car ran off the road and struck a pole. The cause of the accident is under investigation. - WBIW
• Today is it! It's the last day to register or transfer voter registration in time for the fall election. Both actions can be handled through the County Clerk's office. It is also the first day to vote an absentee ballot in the clerk's office. People may register to vote after today, but those people will not be allowed to vote in the November 7th election. - WBIW
• Crane's annual Fall Foliage Tour takes place this Sunday. The base's Bloomington and Crane gates will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors will have a choice of a self-driven or bus tour. A map of the route will be available in the brochures distributed at the gates. - WBIW

October 9

• Columbus Day.  Government offices are closed today.

October 6

• Police say a Bloomington woman drowned when a strong current swept her vehicle off a bridge into a rain-swollen creek. The body of 29-year-old Lorita Johnson-Schultz was found more than four hours after the incident was reported by a passerby yesterday. - WBIW
• Monroe Circuit Judge Elizabeth Mann has excused herself from hearing a lawsuit against Indiana University over the firing of coach Bob Knight. The case could end up in one of three neighboring counties (Greene, Lawrence or Owen) instead. The 46 plaintiffs say a series of meetings between IU President Myles Brand and members of the board of trustees were in violation of the state open meetings law. IU denies the law was violated. - WBIW
• Remember, City and County government offices will be closed this Monday in observance of Columbus Day. - WBIW

October 5

• A Columbus man who shot and killed his estranged wife has been sentenced to 60 years in prison. 43-year-old Mark S. Pickens pleaded guilty July 13th to the murder of his wife, Patricia Pickens. He shot her five times on July 1st, 1999. - WBIW
• Advocates for people with developmental disabilities say the state helped increased the services available to disabled people. But they say more work needs to be done. The Director for ARC of Indiana, Kim Dodson spoke yesterday at a forum in Bloomington. - WBIW
• Time is running short to register or change registration information if you want to vote in the general election. This coming Tuesday is the last day to stop in the County Clerk's office and update the information. It will also be the first day to cast an absentee ballot. People may register after the Tuesday deadline, but those registering after that day will not be allowed to vote in the General Election on November 7th. - WBIW

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