February 28

• The Seymour boys basketball team hosts Silver Creek tonight at 7:30 p.m.  Their section begins next week!
  
  
• The Brownstown boys basketball team takes on highly-rated Orleans tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Brownstown's home court.  Brownstown's record is 16-5.  Orleans has a 19-2 record.
  
  
• Orange County residents have jumped the first hurdle.  Yesterday, the Indiana House passed a bill to grant their economically depressed area a casino.  Now comes the bigger hurdle... the Indiana Senate.  The bill could land a casino between the mile or two that separates French Lick and West Baden Springs.  The bill could face serious trouble in the Senate, because Senate President Pro Tem Robert Garton, R-Columbus, and Senate Finance Chairman Larry Borst, R-Greenwood, have opposed the casino proposal and helped block its passage during last year's special session.
  
  
• Bloomington residents can rest easy, now that the FBI has come forward to say they are the ones responsible for the aircraft seen flying around the city at all times.  The aircraft is being used as part of anti-terrorism surveillance, and many of those being watched are foreign nationals.  The FBI is not aware of any terrorist threat directed toward Bloomington or Indiana.  Several foreign students at Indiana University have also been questioned in recent weeks.
  
  
• Around two hundred reservists from the 434th Air Refueling Wing have been recalled to support the U.S. war on terrorism, according to officials at Grissom Air Reserve Base.  The recalled reservists, including KC-135 aircrew members, aircraft maintenance personnel, and support staff, were to report to Grissom this weekend.  It is anticipated that the reservists will deploy to provide refueling support for Operation Enduring Freedom.  The 434th Air Refuleing Wing is the largest KC-135 Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command.  KC-135's are used to refuel aircraft in midair.
  
  
• Union membership dropped last year to the lowest level in almost two decades as manufacturing companies, hemorrhaged traditional union jobs faster than organizers could build new membership in other areas.
  
  
• In 1935, famed aviatrix Amelia Earhart joined the Purdue University faculty as a women's career counselor.  Earhart disappeared in 1937 over the south Pacific Ocean in a Purdue purchased plan while she was attempting to fly around the world.  A Purdue exhibit of some of her most personal items entitled "The Flight Trails Exhibit" will be open on the Purdue campus from March 10 until April 27.
  
  
• Yesterday, the Indiana Senate passed a bill that would require every Indiana polling place to be accessible to elderly voters and voters with disabilities by 2006.  The legislation also provides a clear definition of accessibility for county clearks to use when designating polling places.  The money to make the required improvements to the voting system would be available under the federal Help America Vote Act.  The bill now goes to the House for consideration.
  
  
• In more Senate action yesterday, a unanimous vote passed a bill that aims to improve supervision of Indiana students who are suspended or expelled from school.  This will authorize a voluntary program that allows students and their legal guardians to participate in an informal hearing with a local judge at the school. The House will now get a turn to consider this bill.
  
  
• Now that Saturday is only one day away, Iraq has finished grumbling about demands to destroy missiles.  They have decided to comply with United Nations demands and begin destroying missiles banned by U.N. resolutions on Saturday.  U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix is glad Iraq is been more cooperative, but finds it hard to understand why a number of these measures that Iraq is now complying with could not be started earlier, as requested.
  
  
• Flying on Delta Airlines in the future?  Delta has announced plans to begin testing a new government plan for air security next month that will check background information and assign a threat level to everyone who buys a ticket for a commercial flight.  The system, ordered by Congress after the September 11 attacks, will gather much more information on passengers than has been done in the past.  Delta will try it out a three undisclosed locations, and a comprehensive system could be in plave by the end of the year.  The nationwide computer system will check such things as credit reports and bank account activity and compare passenger names with those on government watchlists.  Civil liberties groups object to the plan.  Airlines already do basic checks of passenger information, such as method of payment, address, and date the ticket was reserved.  The system was developed by Northwest Airlines in the early 1990's to spot possible hijackers.  Unusual behavior, such as purchasing a one-way ticket with cash, is supposed to prompt increased scrutiny at the airpost.
  

• A Bedford man was apparently bilked when his bank account was drained by a sophisticated internet scam, that originates in Russia.  The scam looked perfectly legitimate and was titled "verify your ebay account".  He entered his bank account, social security and driver's license numbers.  he had been using the internet to do his banking. According to Major Dennis Parsley of the Bedford Police Department, the scam drained his bank account within a few minutes.
  
  
• Bloomington residents have terrorist worries over a small aircraft flying at night.  Aviation officials are remaining silent on the purpose of these night flights.  The white, single-engine propeller airplane has been circling the city late at night and around noon recently.  Officials are aware of the plane, but cannot divulge its purpose.  They can only say that people should  not be alarmed by the aircraft.  The aircraft is in contact with air traffic control.  The flights are described by officials as law enforcement surveillance, even though both the state police and FBI deny any knowledge of the aircraft and its flights.
  
  
• Earlier this week, Shapiro's Delicatessen suffered a fire.  The owner of the landmark downtown restaurant does not expect to reopen until April.  The repairs turned out to be more extensive than was first thought, after the staff had planned to reopen on Wednesday.  The restaurant's roof caught fire a few hours after a roof leak had been repaired.  The fire was caused by a roofer using a torch to fix a seam.  The fire was confined to an upstairs storage area that had been the living quarters for Louis and Rebecca Shapiro, Russian immigrants who opened the grocery and deli in 1905.
  
  
• It is expected to be announced later today that the national terror alert will be lowered from orange to yellow soon.  The elvel was raised to orange on February 7, based on intelligence gathered.  Since no attack has occured, it is possible the intelligence was incorrect or misinterpreted.  It is also possible that enhanced security measures or other factors caused the terrorists to change their plans.  Although the national terror alert level may be lowered, citizens are reminded to be alert to suspicious activity.  Be alert, be prepared.
  
  
• It's a sad day in the world of children's television. Fred Rogers, public television's icon host to "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" for more than thirty years, died of cancer early today.  He died at his Pittsburgh home.  Rogers had been diagnosed with stomach cancer sometime after the holidays.  From 1968 to 2000, Fred Rogers, an ordained Presbyterian minister, produced his show at Pittsburgh public television stations WQED.  The final episode, which was taped in December 2000, aired in August 2001.  Rogers composed his own songs for the show.  His message remained simple:  "Love yourself and each other."  He was 74.
  

February 26

• Have you seen the blue-star flags flying?  If not, you may.  The flag, once hung by families whose loved ones went off to fight World War II, is making a slow comeback.  When the National Guard unit based in Jasper, IN, was called up in December, one hundred residents gathered at the Dubois County Courthouse and ran a blue-star flag up the pole.  The American Legion now has a program that sells the flags across the nation.  Lee Harris, a spokesman for the American Legion based out of Indianapolis, says "We want to see the American people understand through the blue-star banner program that this war on terrorism is really a local issue."
  
  
• Indiana may have more muscle to recover Medicaid costs if a bill before the General Assembly becomes law.  Senate Bill 331, sponsored by Sen. Patricia Miller, R-Indianapolis, would remove a $125,000 exemption included in a law passed last year allowing the state to file liens against property owned by nursing home residents.  To qualify for Medicaid, applicants must show their income does not cover the costs of care and that they are destitute, apart from limited assets.  The current law states that when children are gone and residents or their spouses no longer need the home, the home must be sold.  The first $125,000 raised can go to the patient's heirs;  the rest must be paid to the state.  Miller says that removing the $125,000 expemption could mean at least $2.7 million a year toward rising Medicaid expenses.  Last week, the Senate voted 46-4 to send the bill to the House.
  
  
• When Major League baseball avoided a strike last summer, the players and the owners agreed on a drug testing plan.  One substance they did not agree to ban from the game, unlike the Olympics, NCAA, and the NFL, was ephedrine.  The wight-loss stimulant is blamed for contributing to the death of Baltimore Orioles prospect Steve Bechler.  Bechler's widow is suing the manufacturer of Xenadrine RFA-1, Cytodyne Technologies.  Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports magazine, on Monday renewed its call for a ban on the use of ephedra and is asking the Food and Drug Administration and major league baseball to prohibit the use of ephedra.
  
  
• Tha nation is technically not in a recession and various economic litmus tests provide conflicting details.  Oil prices remain high and U.S. crude inventories have plummeted to the lowest level since 1975.  Bankruptcy filings jumped to a record high last year, according to government figures.  Credit-card and consumer debts are especially high.  Yet, new home construction hit a sixteen-year peak in January, thanks to ultra-low interest rates.
  

February 25

• Officials are looking into what led to a fatal head-on collision between two Muncie men who were riding snowmobiles in eastern Indiana.  Conservation officer Duane Ford says the men were wearing helmets and were considered experienced snowmobile riders.  Blowing snow could have made it easy for both men to become disoriented and not see each other approaching.
  
  
• State officials are blaming a mail services company for botching the license plate renewals of more than two-hundred thousand motorists.  Earlier, the BMV accepted responsibility for the snafu.  BMV Commissioner Gerald Coleman shifted the blame to Smartmail Services, which the state had tapped to sort vehicle registration renewal mail and deliver it to the U.S. Postal Service.
  
  
• The cause of a fire at Shapiro's Deli on Meridian Street in Indy is currently under investigation .  About 100 customers were evacuated yesterday afternoon when the fire broke out in an area above the restaurant, now used for storage and formerly the living quarters of Louis and Rebecca Shapiro, who opened the deli in 1905.  The restaurant itself suffered some smoke and water damage.  Brian Shapiro hopes the restaurant will be able to reopen Wednesday, but the Board of Health will make the final determination. 
  
  
• Officials from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management are urging school administrators to remove mercury from any buildings.  The request comes after a recent rash of spills in the schools.  Some of the spills stem from incidents of students using mercury in a chemistry lab.  Others come from broken thermometers.  A state law that will limit severely the use of mercury or mercury-containing products in schools takes effect July 1, 2003, but officials urge educators to not wait.  Mercury is a highly toxic, naturally occurring element that has been associated with human neurological, reproductive and immune problems.
  
  
• We've been hearing about bacterial meningitis cases in children in other states, now there have been two elementary students in Huntington County that have been diagnosed with the serious infection.  Bacterial meningitis is a serious infection of the fluid and membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.  It is spread through coughing, kissing, and other close contact.  The symptoms are flulike and can include a high fever, headaches, nausea, vomiting, and a stiff neck.
  
  
• In 1989, ex-Cincinnati Reds play Pete Rose agreed to a lifetime ban from baseball.  There are now thoughts that he might be reinstated by commissioner Bud Selig.  Baseball officials have said that Rose must admit he bet on baseball if he is ever to get reinstatement.  As long as he is banned, he is ineligible for the Hall of Fame ballot.  Being on the ballot is not Rose's goal, according to former team mate Mike Schmidt.  Rose would really like to work in baseball, possibly managing a team.  Although Schmidt would like to have Rose reinstated by the Red's opening day this year, he will keeping fighting for Rose until he is reinstated.

February 24

• The American Red Cross has launched the "Together We Prepare" campaign.  There are five simple steps:  1.  Make a plan, 2.  Build a kit, 3. Get trained 4. Volunteer, 5. Give Blood.  Every two seconds a person in the United States needs a blood transfusion, yet only fiver percent of the eligible U.S. population donates.
  
  
• Indiana's new abortion law will will go into effect and require women to receive in-person counseling eighteen hours before the procedure.  The U.S. Supreme Court declined without comment today to hear a challenge to the law.  This law was passed in 1995, but was never fully implemented.  The counseling is to inform the patient about the abortion procedure and alternatives to it.
  
  
• It just takes some people longer for the message to sink in.  Indiana still ranks among the top five states with the highest adult smoking rates, despite $32.5 million budgeted for anti-smkoing initiatives.  Indiana was ranked second in 1997, and the most current ranking is fourth, with an estimated one in four residents smoking, according to the state Health Department.  It seems to officials that Indiana's adults do not find smoking as socially unacceptable as other states.  Another contributing factor may be that Indiana ranks eighth in production of tobacco.
  
  
• Today, the United States and Britain will introduce a resolution finding Iraq in ciolation of its U.N. obligations, referring to serious consequences and declaring that Baghdad has not taken advantage of the final opportunity to disarm peacefully.  The resolution is expected to be accompanied by a deadline for a vote, which is expected by mid-March.  The next six days are critical for Saddam.  Top U.N. inspectors say Iraq still is not fully cooperating of providing evidence to answer outstanding questions about its nuclear, chemical, biological and long-range missle programs.  To demonstrate that Iraq is cooperating, Saddam must do more to answer these questions and comply with Blix's order to begin destroying all Iraq's Al Samoud 2 missiles and the engines and components for them by Saturday.
  

February 21

• We are under a Flood Watch through Tuesday.  Lowland flooding will occur from Saturday evening through Tuesday in southern Indiana.  Flooding will affect local river roads and idle agricultural lands.  River levels may approach and slightly exceed levels experienced during January.  Motorists should avoid flooded roads and take alternative routes.  Keep children away from flooded areas.  Recreational and agricultural interests should be alers to changing river conditions.
  
  
• Hundreds of Hoosier motorists who went online to get their license plates and renew vehicle registration are still waiting to ear from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.  The bureau had so many renewal requests over the internet in January, it is having a hard time getting everyone's plates in the mail on time.  More than forty thousand people re-registered online in January.  That is four times the amount of people who registered on line during the same month last year.  As such, the BMV is asking law enforcement agencies to be lenient on drivers with tags that may be newly expired, because those drivers may still be waiting for their new registration to come by mail.  Everyone expecting a new plate and registration in the mail for the next renewal deadline eight days from now should get their plates on time.
  
  
• The band Great White was scheduled to play at a club in Indianapolis next week.  That is, until a deadly fire broke out at a Rhode Island nightclub Thursday.  The Eight Seconds Saloon at Rockville and Lynhurst has confirmed that there will not be a show as scheduled on next Thursday, and they do not know if it will be rescheduled.  Along with the seventy-five people who died and 150 who were injured in last night's fire in Rhode Island, the band's lead guitarist is missing.
  
  
• The Indiana House on Thursday approved a two-year state budget plan that increases education spending slightly, freezes Medicaid and prison spending at current levels and still spends more than the state expects to take in.  It does not raise state taxes, though.  The plan was passed on a straight 51-49 party-line vote in the Democratic-controlled House, and is sure to undergo some changes in the Republican-controlled Senate.  House Republicans have criticized the bill saying that it does nothing to create jobs, which they say is the most important thing.  The Senate is expected to pass their version of the budget by the first week in April.  That would give the House and Senate at least three weeks to reconcile differences, since the deadline for adjourning the special session is not until April 29.
  
  
• Also on Thursday, the House unanimously passed a bill that would impose tougher penalties for intentionally injuring or killing police animals.  The billed now will go to the Senate for consideration.
  
  
• In other proposed legislation, there is a bill being sponsored that is aimed at ensuring that those convicted of domestic battery will be banned from owning a firearm, as the federal law already does.  The House Public Policy, Ethics and Veterans Affairs Committee postponed voting on the bill until next week.
  
  
• The Indiana Senate was not idle yesterday.  A bill was passed that would prohibit a municipality or county from restricting the height of amateur radio antennas to less than seventy-five feet above the ground.  The intent of the bill was to ensure that local governments comply with directives from the Federal Communications Commission.  Concerns about terrorist attacks have increased the need for licensed amateur radio operators, who are unable to communicate consistently without high towers.  The bill now goes to the House for consideration.
  

February 20

• Indianapolis has beefed up security restrictions, but enforcement of those restrictions could put a heavy load on security personel.  As such enforcement will rest with people who have no experience in security, bomb detection, survceillance or counter-terrorism.  Those people are the dozens of drivers who shuttle travelers from hotels, parking lots, homes, and businesses to the terminal at Indianapolis International Airport.  They will be entrusted to conduct mandatory security checks on their vehicles.  Beginning on February 12, airport security officers have been positioned at a makeshift guardhouse near the terminal enterance.  For the first couple of days, agents kept busy inspecting commercial vehicles.  The process was slow and created delays of more than thirty minutes for a trip that typically takes no longer than five.
  
  
• The U.S. 231 bridge has been temporarily repaired following an accident was caused by a damaged joint in the pavement on Wednesday.  The joint had already been damaged before Wednesday's crash, but the accident caused additional damage.  Permanent repairs to th bridge will be made in the spring.  The U.S. 231 bridge links southern Indiana with downtown Owensboro, KY.
  
  
• Indianapolis native Jane Pauley, the co-anchor of "Dateline NBC", will be leaving NBC in June after twenty-seven years with the network.  Pauley decided to not renew her contract, instead choosing to begin the next phase of her career.  Details of Pauley's plans were not disclosed.
  

February 19

• All school corporations are facing the necessity of making up classroom time from having cancelled classes due to our winter weather.  Most will tack days on at the end of the year.  There will also have to be some adjustments to programs like graduation.
  
  
• Coyotes are safe, at least this year.  A proposal that would have allowed the state to put a bounty on coyotes died Wednesday in committee.  The Department of Natural Resources and animal rights activitsts opposed the measure.  Instead, the committee endorsed a bill that would clarify the current law by allowing landowners experiencing problems with coyotes to kill the predators year-round.  They could trap or kill the animals with bows or firearms, or hire people to do that.  They could not use poison.
  
  
• The Indiana Sentate approved a bill Tuesday that would strengthen Indiana's open-container law.  Under current law, a person drinking in a vehicle alone can be charged with an infraction and fined up to $1,000.  Stiffer penalties exist for drivers who are impaired or intoxicated.  If there are others in the car with open containers of alcohol, drivers face fines only if they have a blood-alcohol content of .04 or higher.  The new bill would remove the blood-alcohol provision and subject drivers to fines up to $1,000 if there are any open containers of alcohol in the passenger sections of vehicles.  The bill now goes to the House for consideration.
  
  
• Indiana University students who took to their apartment a two hundred pound bronze statue have not been charged with theft.  The bronze statue belongs in a rock garden that is being renovated.  It disappeared last April after I.U.'s Final Four run.  The students showed it to their landlord, who is a director for the IU Foundation.  The landlord then called the police.
  
  
• Income is down at the 8.3 million member United Methodist Church.  To cut costs, the UMC's global ministries board is paring its mission force of 2,100 people in seventy four countries by eleven percent.  Which is why cries of outrage went up from the grass roots when it was learned that the directors had hired retiring top executive Randolph Nugent as a consultant.
  
  
• The "Bumbling Bank Robber" is not a slapstick movie character, but he could be.  After stealing about $16,000 from a Wachovia Bank in Miami on September 30, Charles Edward Jones, convicted in Federal Court last week of bank robbery, had a string of mishaps that eventually helped to convict him.  Fleeing the bank, Mr. Jones stuffed his gun into his waistband and accidentally fired into his pants.  He was not injured, but as he stepped onto the street, a van delivering school lunches hit him.  He stumbled to his get-away car, but he left his gun, two gold teeth, and hat on the street.  The FBI, which gave him his nickname, linked DNA from the teeth to Mr. Jones.
  

February 18

• Area schools were closed again today because of the snow.  most area schools were on a 2-hour delay, although Jennings County and Crothersville were closed.
  
  
• Once mainly a U.S. phenomenon, Fabless Chip Companies are sprouting up around the world.  For U.S. Semiconductor companies, the global growth in Fabless companies could be a threat.  The best Chinese and Indian engineering talent increasingly stays at home, rather than pursuing careers abroad.  China and India could become design powerhouses, while U.S. companies struggle to recruit and compete with lower-cost locales.  U.S. trained Chinese engineers are now attracted back to their homeland by its booming economy and fertile entrepreneurial opportunites.
  
  
• With all the talk of terrorism, and the nation being on orange alert, Mary Conklin of the Hoosier Hills Red Cross Chapter recommends the following provisions for an emergency:  Make a disaster plan;  have a supply of fresh water, non-perishable foods, a can opener (manual), infant care materials, blankets, medication, and learn CPR and first aid.  It is also suggested that you keep a portable radio with fresh batteries.  
  

February 17 - President's Day

• The weather has been wreaking havoc with travel so much this weekend, that all area schools have been closed today.  There is good news, though.  This winter weather will not last past today.  The high today will only be up to 30.  Tomorrow, we will see much of the snow and ice we have on the ground begin to melt as the high reaches into the lower 40's.
  
  
• It appears that the effort to get Indiana on to Daylight-saving time is dead.  Committee chairs do not seem to be interested in moving on the issue.  Indiana is one of only three states that does not change its clocks twice a year.  Lawmakers have rejected at least twenty-four attempts in the last thirty years to institute a change.  The issue has many sides to it.  Some people want no change, some want to go to Eastern Time, and yet others lean toward Central Time.  Instead many legislators want to concentrate on bills that might help the state's budget crisis.
  
  
• After an outcry from many local emergency officials, the state of Indiana is considering replacing the 16,000 masks already purchased.  The masks will protect an emergency worker for six minutes against deadly chemicals and are used primarily when dealing with industrial accidents.  The masks being recommended by many other emergency directors want a different mask that will protect firefighters and other personnel for seventy-six minuts.  A committee of emergency officials will meet February 27 to discuss the possible replacement.
  

February 14

• Camp Atterbury has been called upon by the Pentagon in the buildup of forces for a possible war in Iraq.  National Guard and Reserve troops from throughout the United States will be training at Camp Atterbury. The site is the first of its kind to be called upon by the Pentagon at this time.  In the next ten days, more than five hundred Indiana National Guard troops are expected to arrive at the camp.  The extra soldiers will help train the troops arriving from Indiana and other states.  More than fourteen hundred soliers have already passed through Atterbury to train for operations in the war on terrorism.
  
  
• Indianapolis Democrats have been dealt another blow.  The first blow was current Lt. Governor Joe Kernan announcing that he would not seek the job of governor in this fall's election.  This second blow is the resignation of the state party chairman, who is under the dark cloud of a federal investigation.  He has found himself entangled in a federal grand jury inquiry in northwest Indiana, but has not been told he is a target.  Gov. O'Bannon said he will be consulting with other party leaders, including U.S. Sen Evan Bayh, about a replacement.  O'Bannon said he plans to make a recommendation on a new chairman within the next week.
  
  
• Although no weapons of mass destruction have been found yet, chief inspector Hans Blix says that many prohibited materials remain unaccounted for.  Blix also reported that a panel of experts found that one of Iraq's new missle systems exceeds the range limit set by Security Council resolutions.
  
  
• HIV infection rates in the United States that have remained stable for years now, appear to be rising.  The increase appears to be driven partly by the growing population of sexually active people who are living with HIV coupled with a steep rise in risky behavior.  The use of the internet to meet potential sex partners, illicit drug use and treatment optimism contribute to the rise.  There's a potential for a whole new wave of HIV infections, especially among the young, according to a spokesman for AIDS services in Washington.
  

February 13

• Who's the wise-guy who deposited all those odd snowballs in our yards?  Mother Nature, of course!  Our fresh layer of snow got whipped by those fierce winds we had into rare, snowball-shaped formations that are more commonly found in the arctic regions.  They are called "snow rollers" by meteorologists.  They are rare because they need specific conditions to form - temperatures need to be between 28 and 34 degrees.
  
  
• A developing storm system over the southern Plains will bring interesting weather to Indiana for the weekend.  We are being told to expect rain, freezing rain or snow beginning late tonight.  The freezing rain will change to rain during the day on Friday.  By Monday, we are expecting to be back to partly sunny skies.  Sorry it has to happen on the weekend, kids!
  
  
• Indiana's Attorney General Steve Carter is urging consumers to report suspicions of excessive gasoline prices, which have risen sharply amid fears of a war in Iraq.  Carter's office is encouraging reports either via the Internet at http://www.in.gov/attorneygeneral/consumer/gasletter.htm or by calling a gouging report hotline at 1-866-241-9753.  Indiana's General Assembly last year passed the Fuel Price Gouging Law following the gouging incidents following the September 11, 2002, terrorist attacks.
  

February 12

• On Wednesday, the Indianapolis International Airport tightened restrictions on trucks, taxis, and delivery vehicles in response to a heightened terrorist alert.  The new rules restrict the movement of commercial vehicles near the airport and have moved lanes for taxis to wait to a staging area away from the terminal.  Passengers who want a taxi will have to push a call button at the lower level of the airport terminal.  The process will take a little longer for passengers to get a taxi.  Airport security workers will inspect parking, car rental and hotel shuttles before allowing them onto terminal roads.  Curbside luggage chech-in will still be allowed.
  
  
• Changes have been proposed for requirements for licenses day care centers.  Public hearings, scheduled for later this month, would improve the health and safety of more than one hundred thousand Indiana children in licensed centers.  The proposals would increase training requirements for "lead caregivers", who would be required to have an associate's degree or equivalent training.  They would also be required to obtain at least twelve hours of continuing education in areas that include discipline, health, nutrition and sanitation.  Existing rules only require that caregivers be at least eighteen years old and provide evidence of continuing education in early childhood development.
  
  
• Action by lawmakers in the Indiana House yesterday saw approval of a bill that would restrict how insurance companies use a customer's credit history to determine rates or coverage eligibility.  This bill now goes to the Senate for consideration. 
  
  
• Indiana's House also endorsed a bill that would limit extracurricular activities for students the week the I-STEP-Plus exam is administered.  The bill would require students to complete extracurricular activities by 8:30 p.m. the night before the test.  The bill would apply to students in Kindergarten through twelfth grade at all schools that administer I-STEP-Plus.  The Senates will be next in line to consider this bill.
  

February 11

• While driving through Marion County, you may notice there are a lot of billboards touting Indiana University.  This is part of an awareness campaign by the university to make the state aware of the university's contributions to the state.  I.U.'s marketing director Lisa Townsend feels it will help increase support for higher education during the current legislative session.  The current campaign has cost the university $35,000.  Purdue has also begun a small campaign.
  
  
• Monday afternoon saw the departure of more Indiana troops to take part in Operation Enduring Freedom.  One hundred and sixteen Hoosier marines left Indiana Monday to travel to Camp LeJeune in North Caroline, where the company will await orders.  Our prayers go with them and every other American being sent into action.
  
  
• On Monday, the federal government warned Americans to take the latest threat of terrorism seriously and to prepare for a possible attack involving biological, chemical or radiological weapons.  Officials recommend that citizens stockpile enough food, water and medicine to last at least three days, and have duct tape and plastic sheeting to seal windows and doors.  They advise that Americans educate themselves on how to survive a possible attack with a weapon of mass destruction.  This is the first time the government has issued such stark guidance through the media.
  
  
• The American Red Cross has a set of steps they recommend in the case of a terrorism attack.
      1.  Create an emergency communications plan.
      2.  Establish a meeting place.
      3.  Assemble a disaster supplies kit.
      4.  Check on the school emergency plan of any school-age children you may have.
  For details on these steps, go to the Red Cross website at http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/keepsafe/unexpected.html
  
  
• If disaster strikes:
      Remain calm and be patient.
      Follow the advice of local emergency officials.
      Listen to your radio or television for news and instructions.
      If the disaster occurs near you, check for injuries.  Give first aid, and get help for seriously injured people.
      If the disaster occurs near your home while you are there, check for damage using a flashlight.  Do not light matches or candles
          or turn on electrical switches.  Check for fire, fire hazards and other household hazards. Sniff for gas leakes, starting at the
          water heater.  If you smell gas or suspect a leak, turn off the main gas valve, open windows, and get everyone outside quickly.
      Shut off any other damaged utilities.
      Confine or secure your pets.
      Call your family contact - do not use the telephone again unless it is a life-threatening emergency.
      Check on  your neighbors, especially those who are elderly or disabled.
  

February 10

• Seymour's boys basketball team played last Thursday night at Madison and won 64-55.  Last Friday night they hosted Salem and won 72-52.  Their record now stands at 11-6 for the season.  Their next game is on Thursday at Shelbyville at 7:30 p.m.
  
  
• Seymour's girls basketball team played last Thursday at BNL and lost 39-51.  They end the season with a 7-13 record.
  
  
• Brownstown's boys basketball team played last Friday night against Clarksville and won 89-63.  They also played last Saturday night at Paoli, but the score of that game has not been reported. Their next game is on Thursday night, February 13, at Crothersville at 7:30 p.m.
  
  
• The Brownstown girls basketball team finished their schedule last Thursday night at South Decatur.  They won 87-19 and finish the season with an 11-8 record.
  
  
• Gasoline prices in Indiana have risen around twenty cents per gallon within the past month, more than twice as much as the price increase across the nation.  The national average was $1.55 per gallon.  Although there is no shortage of crude oil or refined gasoline, many service station owners and their suppliers fear the uncertainties that a war with Iraq may bring.  Other factors cited in the price rise include recent oil industry strikes in Venezuela and greater winter demand for heating oil.
  
  
• Can it be true?  Losing weight and getting fit can save you money on your tax return?  It seems to be.  The Internal Revenue Service ruled last year that tax payers diagnosed as obese by their physicians can claim certain weight loss expenses as tax deductions.  Prior to this ruling, Americans could only deduct the expenses of a weight-loss program if their doctor recommended the program to treat a specific disease, such as diabetes.  There are two things which may keep this new ruling from boosting your refund.  First, the obese person must have enought deductible expenses to exceed their standard deduction and make itemizing worthwhile.  Second, the total of your medical expenses must be more than 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income.
  
  
• Time is running short for the General Assembly.  The partisan divide is showing itself insidiously.  The Democrat-controlled House faces a March 4 deadline for passing bills, including a two-year budget bill, and sending them to the Republican-controlled Senate for consideration.  Republicans have faulted Democrats for sitting on GOP legislation that would create a bipartisan commission to examine every aspect of state government and root out waste, duplication, and innefficiencies. Democrats are working on a budget bill, but are taking their time to consider all factors, and politics is one of those factors.
  

February 4

• Indiana University continues to interview candidates in search of a president to replace Myles Brand, who has asked for a six year unpaid leave of abscence from Indiana University.  Brand is now the head of the Indianapolis-based National Collegiate Athletic Association.
  
  
• Indiana legislators have a base salary of $11,600, one of the lowest in the country.  However, they receive a number of lucrative perks that most part-time workers do not receive.  Lawmakers are entitled to health insurance for themselves and their families, and lucrative retirement accounts in which taxpayers kick in $4 for every $1 legislators contribute.  Indiana lawmakers average an annual pay of $37,210.  It has been noted that more and more legislative seats are filled with retirees and lawyers.
  
  
• The National Automobile Dealers Association recently met in San Francisco for their eighty-sixth annual convention.  Their chief economist, Paul Taylor, projected new car and light truck sales of 16.5 million in 2003.  However, if the U.S. goes to war with Iraq, that total volume will likely decline by 200,000 vehicles as the conflict chills American spending.  Understanding that the past four years have been the best in the history of automotive retailing, there's momentum for the long run.
  
  
• The commerce department announced that housing starts hit 1.7 million in 2002.  It was the best year in home construction since 1986.  Optimists say home sales will continue to soar this year.  Bearish observers wonder how long families can afford to go house hunting, since the unemployment rate ended 2002 at an eight-year high.  They say the Federal Reserve props up the market by holding down key interest rates as Wall Street muddles in mediocrity.  A 30-year fixed-rate mortgage could be had for 5.95 percent last month, according to Freddie Mac.  That's the lowest level since the early 1960's.
  

February 3

• A long-awaited Doppler radar complex is now scouting the skies over three states for severe weather.  Our area is included, and we can be relieved that it's up and running well before tornado season.  The new Doppler will double the average warning time for a tornado.