Archived NewsBytes located at the bottom of the page

March 31

• Twenty-four Lowell, Indiana, high school students paid more than $48,000 for a trip to Paris that school officials have cancelled due to the war in Iraq.  A spokesman for the insurance company is investigating whether the money will be refunded.  The question being:  Is the war declared or not declared?  The refund hinges on that answer.
  
  
• In the first detailed profile of homeschooled children, a government report reveals that most live in cities and have well-educated parents rearing a handful of children on one income.  There could be as many as 992,000 homeschoolers.  The families that have one income have sacrificed to live on one income.  Most parents say they homeschool their children to give them a better education and not necessarily because of religious beliefs, although religion was second on the list of reasons.
  
  
• It seems that it is now or never for Orange County residents to get their casino.  After ten years of tenacious fighting for the casino, often billed as the only thing that can save Orange County, the fight may be over. Activists are out of money.  Indiana's House approved the casino bill, Bill 1902, earlier.  If the Indiana Senate Finance Committee, which is chaired by Lawrence Borst, of Greenwood, does not approve the bill by next Monday, it will die.  Borst opposes the bill.
  

March 28

• "Make Seymour Shine", the annual city-wide clean up campaign, starts March 30th and continues through April 5th.  No phone calls for pick-ups are necessary except for cars.  Set trash out on your regular trash day. There is free pick-up of all items for residential and small business clean-up (up to one pickup load)  Separate trash, metal and yard waste. Items accepted for pickup include appliances and all other scrap metal,  household furniture, debris, and re-model debris, and yardwaste (limbs, grass, leaves, garden waste).  Appliances with freon also will be taken free of charge, but no debris from demolition of buildings will be accepted.  For car removal (title required) call 524-1100.  Items accepted for drop-off include aluminum cans, batteries (household and automotive), cardboard, magazines, office paper, mail, tires, pain and recyclables.  Household hazardous waste (pesticides, old fuels, cleaners) MUST BE CHECKED IN.  Drop off available at 1100 E Fourth Street Rd.  This program is sponsored by the Greater Seymour Chamber of Commerce Beautification Committee in cooperation with the City of Seymour & Jackson Col. Solid Waste Management District.
  
  
• Area residents are being warned about a scam.  A company identifying themselves as Mikrotek is calling area businesses and asking for information about their office equipment to clear up a "mix up" with their order.  This is a scam.  If you receive one of these calls, please note that this is a company out of Missouri and is not affiliated in any way with the local Chamber member company Mikrotek or its owner, Mike Allen.
  
  
• Indiana's state attorney general's office is warning residents of possible war and terrorism-related scams.  Imposter Websites and e-mail campaigns seeking donations to fraudulent relief funds and illegitimate charities were among the deceptive acts discovered after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.  Other scams preyed on the fears of biological and chemical warfare by offering equipment and bogus herbal remedies for protection.  Attorney General Steve Carter says residents should avoid giving donations under pressure from solicitors and ask for an address and contact name along with a telephone number to verify the campaign.
  
  
• There has been another study!  Yes, this time researchers have found another reason for healthy living.  Symptomless, unnoticed strokes more than double the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.  The finding leads researchers to believe that many people could prevent the mind-robbing disorder by keeping their heart and blood vessels healthy by exercising, eating a balanced diet and quitting smoking.
  

March 27

• On Wednesday night, the Bloomington City Council approved a ban on smoking in public and most workplaces, but gave private clubs and over-18 clubs extra time to comply.  The clubs getting extra time have until January 1, 2005.  The ordinance was passed 8-1.
  
  
• The state of New York has gone one better.  A statewide smoking ban was passed Wednesday by their legislature and immediately signed by their governor, making New York the third state to stamp out cigarettes in virtually all businesses.  The measure is to take effect in July.  Exemptions to their ban include private residences, personal cars, Indian casinos, and "cigar bars" already registered in New York City.  New York joins California and Delaware as having the most stringent indoor smoking prohibitions in the nation.
  
  
• IU Trustee Steve Ferguson says the committee searching for IU's next president has narrowed its list of candidates down to ten to twelve who will be interviewed.  Some of the candidates might bow out, so it is unknown how many interviews will actually take place.  The names of the candidates are being kept secret.
  
  
• A man who investigators have said was the leading suspect in the disappearance of IU student Jill Behrman pleaded guilty to a reduced charge in an unrelated case.  Prosecutors dropped a felony rape charge in exchange for Uriah J. Clouse's guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge of battery against a Bloomington woman in 2001.  Monroe Circuit Judge Marc Kellams sentenced Clouse to one year in jail, but because Clouse received credit for time served, he will be released April 10.
  
  
• The owners of a Jeffersonville pawn shop burglarized by thieves who stole more than a half-million dollars worth of property are suing the store's alarm company.  The lawsuit alleges that ADT Security Services failed to call the store manager and Jeffersonville police when the company's system detected a possible buglary on March 2, 2002.  It states that the onsite manager at ADT's central monitoring station ordered the alarm condition "cleared from the monitoring screen."  The Saturday night burglary was not discovered until Monday morning when the shop manager returned to open the store.  A police report says that ADT did not attempt to contact the manager at all.  The burglary remains unsolved.
  
  
• Seven women have been charged in Wisconsin with identity theft for allegedly taking part in a counterfeit check operation that targeted residents in Indiana and eleven other states.
  
  
• A U.S. citizen, born in Iraq, is being held in Elkhart without bail pending his trial on charges of illegally funneling about seven million dollars to his home country.  U.S. attorneys says thirty-five year-old Mazin Abdulhay Al-Saeed us a flight risk even though his family lives in northern Indiana.
  
  
• An Indianapolis businessman badly burned in a fire at his restaurant has told investigators that intruders entered the eatery and set him on fire.  Thirty-seven year-old Abdullah Naderi says he was cleaning his restaurant, the Eastern Kitchen Buffet, on Monday when two people entered the restaurant and set him on fire.  Naderi, who is originally from Afghanistan, suffered second and third degree burns to about sixty percent of his body in the fire.  The fire remains under investigation.
  

March 26

• The I.U. School of Law has a new dean, Lauren Robel, who had been the acting JDean since last summer.  She was chosen from among 25 candidates considered during a nationwide search.
• The local Wal-Mart is part of the statistics!  Wal-Mart Corporation employs more people than the U.S. Postal Service.  Annual sales .. $220 billion.  Number of suppliers - 30,000.  Typical starting hourly wage of a Wal-Mart Associate - $6.50.
• A new study by the University of Central Florida says most of the schools left in the NCAA Basketball Championship series have failed to graduate the majority of their players in recent years.  Two schools who are scheduled to play each other Friday, Butler and Oklahoma, represent the best and the worst graduation records.  The study indicates Butler, a small private school in Indianapolis, graduates 86 percent of its basketball players.  The University of Oklahoma --- ZERO!
• More than 1,000 students, parents, and teachers will visit the I.U. Bloomington campus on March 29th for the 2003 Indiana Science Olympiad Tournament Final.  Members of the Indiana Army National Guard and the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division will be on hand to assist students, ensure safety and supervise the traditional bottle rocket launchers and "storm the castle" catapult events.
• After investigating the crash of a tractor-tanker containing approximately 9,000 gallons of propane which resulted in the death of the driver, Indiana State Police believe that the driver did enter a curve too fast for safety, although he was not traveling at an excessive speed.  Billy Mark Woolston, 24, of Paoli, was inexperienced in the operation of a tractor-taker combination vehicle, and he did not have a tanker endorsement on his commercial driver's license.  The investigation is continuing into several contributing circumstances.
• France has every right to disagree with America, but France has moved from simple dissent to active hostility toward America.  French President Chirac warned East European nations that if they side with America, France will oppose their membership in the European Union.  Just as France is exercising the right to disagree, Americans are beginning to exercise their right to boycott French products and companies.
• An autopsy was carried out yesterday to find out why an Elverado, IL, baseball player died during baseball practice.  Elverado High School Senior Scott Rosenberger collapsed on the field and died.  Coach Todd Trip says the team had been doing drills and working on footwork.
• Franklin, IN, police report that a two-year-old girl who died Sunday suffered head injuries that may be consistent with shaking.  The child died at an Indianapolis hospital two days after she was taken there by her mother's roommate, 26-year-ol Raul Gonzalez.  Police say Gonzalez denies any knowledge of how the child was injured.
• In June 2000, a judge found that three Texas lawyers, or someone they hired, had tampered with evidence in a $2 billion suit blaming Chrysler for a deadly car crash.  The judge slapped the San Antonio lawyers with nearly $1 million in sanctions.  Now the F.B.I. is investigating the trio's action.  What's happened to the lawyers?  Not much.  Two are still practicing in Texas and the third moved out of the country.  Only $289,000 of the penalty has been paid to Chrysler.
• As mentioned yesterday, the Boilermakers have advanced to the East Regional semifinals of the NCAA women's basketball tournament Sunday at Dayton, Ohio. Purdue is in the Sweet Sixteen for the eighth time in school history and second time in four years under Christie Curry. They lost in the second round in 2000 and '02.  Last night the luck of the Irish came through as Notre Dame upset Kansas State (ranked No. 7 nationally, playing on its home floor), ending Kansas State's 22-game home winning streak.  Notre Dame now advances to the semifinal game Sunday in Dayton.  This match-up is the first for the two in-state rivals in the NCAA tournament since the 2001 championship game, which was won by the Fighting Irish.
• YOU BE THE JUDGE!!  It didn't take People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) long to leap to the defense of the mine-sweeping dolphins and sea lions serving our country by looking for and marking mines that dot the shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf.  Along with the troops and military equipment, humanitarian aid is also going to pass through that channel as soon as it can be opened.  The PETA group state: "Our troops deserve the best defense possible, but PETA opposes the use of dolphins, sea lions, or any other marine mammals.  The project is cruel and cannot provide a reliable defense or surveillance for our troops.  The Navy claims they are not putting these animals in harm's way, but they've removed these animals from their homes, relocated them to foreign waters in the Persian Gulf and are forcing them to not only inspect the waters, but to actually swim up to potential terrorist under the water, clamp a cuff on their leg, and deploy a floating marker.  How can anyone say these animals are not being put in harm's way?  The bottom line is that dolphins cannot provide a reliable defense.  These are living beings with minds of their own, and though they are incredibly intelligent, they have no idea that lives will be lost if they fail to perform tasks properly.  Yet, the military wants to rely on the actions of these animals in order to protect our troops.  Our troops deserve the best defense possible and this isn't it.  The animals and our troops deserve better."  What do you readers think?

March 25

• Around 10:36 a.m. Monday there was an attempted hijacking of a fuel taker truck on southbound SR 37 near Martinsville.  It was reported that two men in a GMC Yukon truck with flashing blue and red lights and no license plate tried to get the taker to stop.  The police have a description of the puffy-faced, bald, goateed male passenger who pointed the gun, but the tanker's driver did not get a good look at the Yukon's driver.  The FBI office is helping Indiana State Police with the investigation, and the bureau has prepared a composite drawing.  Anyone with information on the attempted hijacking is asked to call the Indiana State Police at 1-317-897-6220 or the FBI at 1-317-639-3301.

• It's not quite time to put out those tomato plants!  Although the past few days of warm sunny weather make a person want to start that summer garden, keep in mind that this is Indiana, and, although daffodils, forsythia, and other shrubs are blooming, it is only the last week of March.  We are NOT past that possible last frost date yet.  The bottom line is that there will be a cooling trend over the next few days.  After a mostly sunny morning today, there may be occasional showers and scattered thunderstorms with highs near 60 degrees.  Chance of rain is 80 percent.  Showers may continue this evening with overnight lows in the upper 30's.  Tomorrow should be partly sunny with highs in the upper 50's and tomorrow night's lows again in the upper 30's.  Those nighttime temperatures may cause the spring peepers to chatter instead of chirp!

• Hospitals and pharmacies across Indiana are preparing to comply with new federal regulations that could make it more difficult to check on a hospitalized friend or pick up a prescription for someone else.  Health care workers throughout the nation will have to comply with additional federal privacy regulations when the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act takes effect April 14.  The new rules were drafted by the Department of Health and Human Services to replace a patchwork of existing medical-record privacy laws that vary from state to state.  By making all hospitals, doctors' offices and pharmacies follow the same regulations, federal officials hope to safeguard the confidentiality of medical records that are transmitted or stored electronically.  Patients will notice few changes, with one main exception. They will be asked to review a privacy policy and sign a form acknowledging they understand their rights.  The new regulations give patients the right to restrict the release of information on their condition.  Patients can limit what information is shared, even to the level of other family members, whether or not they want their names on the hospital's registry.  If they choose not to be listed, the hospital can only indicate that their names do not appear on the registry.  Many Indiana pharmacies are busy training staff and signing agreements with other organizations who share patient information, said Lawrence Sage, vice president of the Indiana Pharmacist Alliance.

• The Boilermakers have advanced to the East Regional semifinals Sunday at Dayton, Ohio. They'll face the winner of Notre Dame versus Kansas State, who play their second-round game tonight at Manhattan, KS.  Purdue is in the Sweet Sixteen for the eighth time in school history and second time in four years under Christie Curry. They lost in the second round in 2000 and '02.  A Purdue matchup with Notre Dame would be the first for the in-state rivals in the NCAA tournament since the 2001 championship game, won by the Fighting Irish. But it will take an Irish upset for the Boilers to get their shot at revenge. Kansas State is 29-4, ranked No. 7 nationally and playing on its home floor.

• As of Monday, U.S. Representative Steve Buyer (R-IN) was waiting to be deployed. Rep. Mike Pence, another Hoosier Republican, said Buyer is one of three reservists with the most experience in processing prisoners of war.  Buyer was a private-practice lawyer in Monticello when he was called up during the first Persian Gulf War to serve as an operational law judge advocate.  Buyer kept his current deployment a secret from his colleagues until last Thursday night. When House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., announced to Republican lawmakers that "one of our own" was called up, Pence said the reaction was "electric."

March 24

• The FBI in Indiana plans to interview more than 200 Iraqi nationals living and working in the state.  FBI Regional Director Tom Fuentes says that it is an outreach effort to see if any agent of the Iraqi Government has contacted these people.  Fuentes says the names were taken from immigration records.  He stresses they are not suspected of terrorist ties and their neighbors should not be alarmed.
• Eastern tent caterpillars are likely to be a problem again this year in this area.  They produce webs in the central crotches of trees.  They are an early season pest and begin feeding on leaves just as the leaves begin to break bud.  They are relatively easy to control and rarely affect the health of the tree.  Call the Purdue extension office if you find the need for more information.
• Parents around the state, occasionally visit the libraries of their children's elementary schools.  In Rosedale, IN, the school's principal has pulled two books from the shelves until they have been reviewed.  A sexually graphic book about teenage pregnancy and another about race are drawing the ire of some parents who say the volumes do not belong in an elementary school.  The books were among about 1500 purchased for an accelerated reading program.

• Indiana University's Assembly Hall will remain free of advertising banners under a three-year marketing agreement.  The agreement with Learfield Communications prohibits permanent commercial signs either inside the bowl of the basketball arena or in the concourse or lobby areas.  IU's interim athletics director said restricting advertising in Assembly Hall is worth it, even though permitting advertising banners could generate up to $600,000 a year.  The agreement will permit limited signage for marketing promotional items such as cellular phones and credit cards in the concourse--advertising that's already allowed at the hall.  The IU athletics department and Jefferson City, Mo.-based Learfield announced the three-year agreement in January. The contract is technically with Learfield subsidiary Indiana University Sports Properties, which has held IU marketing rights since 1993.  Under the IU contract, it produces and sells marketing opportunities including the IU Radio Network, coaches' radio shows, football and basketball game programs, sponsorships and signage in IU's Memorial Stadium.  The agreement will produce at least $3.9 million over the three years, with revenue increasing over the contract's life, Clapacs said.  The overall amount is a little less than IU has been receiving from its old marketing contract, which expires this June, Clapacs said.  Former IU Athletics Director Michael McNeely told university trustees last fall that his department, with its budget $1 million in the red, was considering "limited, tasteful" advertising at Assembly Hall. But McNeely resigned under pressure in November.  A request for proposals for the marketing contract was changed to delete a proposal for revenue from advertising signage at the hall.

• Bedford residents, Dr. M. Borhan and his wife, Bettina, have just returned from a visit with their son who is attending class in France.  In Paris, upon hearing Mrs. Borhan speak English, on waiter never returned, another poured coffee on the doctor.  Taxi drivers, while polite, charged double or triple the normal cost of the ride.

March 21

• U.S. Rep. Steve Buyer, 44,  has said his experiences in Iraq during the first Gulf War inspired him to run for Congress.  Now, the six-term Indiana Republican is returning to active duty to serve in the war against Iraq.  A Gulf War veteran and an Army reservist since 1987, Lt. Col. Buyer will act as an operational law judge advocate.  Buyer asked for an immediate indefinite leave of absence from House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who granted the request.  During the first Gulf War in 1990, Buyer served as a legal adviser at a prisoner-of-war camp in the Persian Gulf, and investigated alleged war crimes.  Buyer told his colleagues he again will be working at a POW camp, possibly in Kuwait.  He was elected to Congress in 1992 and represents all or part of 12 counties in west-central Indiana's 4th District.  While Buyer is on active duty, his congressional office will be operated by his staff. He will continue to draw his congressional salary.  Three other House members are in the reserves and one is in the National Guard. One senator, Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is in the reserves.  Members of Congress who are in the reserves are put on standby when they take their oath of office, normally keeping them from being activated. However, call-up decisions are handled case by case.

• The Indiana Senate passed legislation Thursday that would make it easier for classroom teachers to display the American flag and lead students in the Pledge of Allegiance.  House Bill 1056, approved 49-1, also would let public schools display "In God We Trust," a national motto, and continue to have a daily moment of silence in the classroom.  "It's all optional for the local school corporations," said Sen. Johnny Nugent, R-Lawrenceburg, the bill's sponsor.  The bill requires Indiana's attorney general to defend its provisions against any constitutional challenges.  Rep. Terry Goodin, a Democrat from Crothersville and superintendent of its public schools, said he will ask House lawmakers to vote in favor of Senate changes made to the bill, sending the measure to Gov. Frank O'Bannon for his signature.  When the House passed the bill 89-2 on Feb. 17, it did not include the provision allowing schools to post "In God We Trust." Schools are not required to post the motto, however, nor does it require students to participate in the pledge if they don't want to or their parents don't want them to. The moment-of-silence law replaces current law allowing a brief period of silent prayer or meditation.  The bill would take effect July 1 if it becomes law.

• Bedford radio station WBIW's sister station, WWEG FV 102.5, that plays the Real Country format responded to the requests of listeners.  Mike Shannon, program director, has shelved all albums of the "Dixie Chicks", at least for the time being.  You will recall that Natalie Mains of the Dixie Chicks said from the stage of a London Theatre that she was "ashamed" of President Bush..ashamed that he also was from Texas.  As a consequence of her statement, the Dixie Chicks have been dropped by many radio stations.
• Indiana residents solidly support the war effort.  In a poll taken by the Indianapolis Star, 73% were either very much or somewhat supportive of military action.  Jassem Alawady is an Indianapolis man who fled Iraq in 1991 when Iraqi troops attacked his hometown and then spent years in a Saudi Arabian refugee camp before being able to move to America.  He has a hatred of Saddam Hussein.  Right now, he understandably fears for the safety of relatives that remain in Iraq.
• Amazingly, the discovery of the data recorder from the shattered Columbia may hold clues as to what destroyed the space shuttle.  A spokeswoman for the Accident Investigation Board said the ship's recorder was intact buy sustained some heat damage.  Officials are hoping that temperature and aerodynamics pressure data can be retrieved from its magnetic tape.
• Eight Republicans defied their party leaders and the White House, enabling the Senate to reject the oil drilling in the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge.  Development of the millions of barrels of oil beneath the 100 mile coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife refuge in northeastern Alaska has been at the heart of Bush's energy plans.  Again the environmentalists won.
• The Global Warming experts had better not made a call in Denver.  The worst blizzard in history shut down the city, stranding thousands and bring businesses to a halt.  The snow should help alleviate the water shortage in that western state.  It will take days to clear the Denver airport of stranded travelers.  Now, avalanches threaten skiers in the mountains.

March 20

• Forsythia and daffodils are starting to bloom!  The spring "peeper" are chirping loudly both day and night!  Spring arrives tonight and with it comes the possibility of severe thundershowers.  Unsettled weather is expected to leave Indiana by Friday afternoon. High water levels will continue along East Fork White rivers through March 24, so persons with interests along rivers and streams should be alert to high water through Monday.
• Last summer the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Michael Newdow, a Sacramento atheist who said his daughter shouldn't be subjected to collective recitations of the pledge. On Feb. 28, the court stood by that ruling. refused to reconsider its that ruling which said that a California school district's policy and practice of voluntary recitation of the Pledge was unconstitutional.  The Court claimed that using the phrase "one nation under God" violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.  Today the House voted to condemn the court's rulings by passing a nonbinding resolution (400-7 with 15 members abstaining) that states the phrase "one nation under God" reflects the religious faith central to the founding of the nation and that its recitation is a patriotic act, not a statement of religious faith.  It urged the Attorney General to appeal the decision of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to the Supreme Court and encouraged the continued voluntary recitation of the pledge in school classrooms.  Bush administration officials have criticized the rulings, but have not said whether the administration will appeal the case to the Supreme Court.  The House resolution says the appeals court rulings are inconsistent with Supreme Court decisions that voluntarily reciting the pledge and similar patriotic expressions is consistent with the First Amendment. Lawmakers warned that the court decision also threatened school recitations of other historic documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address.  The House and Senate approved similar resolutions last summer.  Rep. John Hostettler said, "The public acknowledgment of God has been commonplace from our nation's independence 227 years ago to the prayers that begin the sessions of Congress and the Supreme Court today," said Hostettler.  "The Declaration of Independence was crafted on the premise that rights of men are endowed by 'their Creator,'" he added. "The delegates to the Constitutional Convention turned to prayer when debate broke down.  George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other presidents have called for national days of prayer and fasting.  Our founding documents, our national monuments, even our currency all recognize the hand of God in the formation of this great nation and our continued dependence upon his mercy," Hostettler added. "The Court has turned two centuries of our heritage on its head."
• More Microsoft Windows problems!  Yesterday Microsoft Corp. issued a warning about a serious flaw in almost every version of its popular Windows software that could allow hackers to seize control of a person's computer when victims read e-mails or visit Web sites. Microsoft assessed the problem's urgency as critical, its highest level, and urged customers to download a free repairing patch immediately from its Web site, www.microsoft.com/security.   Russ Cooper, a security expert for TruSecure Corp., based in Herndon, Va., predicted that antivirus software will be updated to protect users who might receive infected e-mails and that Web sites with infected pages would be shut down quickly once they are detected.   The problem involves tricking Windows into processing unsafe code built into a Web page or e-mail message, and  it affects so many different versions of Windows, from Windows 98 to its latest Windows XP editions.  Microsoft said customers using the newest versions of its e-mail software, Outlook Express 6 and Outlook 2002, are protected from hackers trying to exploit the problem using e-mails, and older versions of Outlook would also be safe if customers had manually applied another security patch, which Microsoft released in 2000 after the spread of the damaging "ILOVEYOU" virus.  Microsoft said customers could manually adjust settings hidden deep within its Internet Explorer browsing software to prevent Windows from processing the dangerous code. Experts, however, said that was not easy to do for many users and that it would cripple convenient functions for many popular Web sites.

March 19

• The ultimatum given by U.S. President George W. Bush to Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to leave his country or face war, will expire Thursday at 0100 GMT (8 pm EST Wednesday).  As the nation moves towards war in Iraq, our thoughts and prayers are with our troops serving in the Persian Gulf and in the war on terrorism.   If you would like to submit the name of a friend or loved one to be displayed on a list of those who are serving in the Persian Gulf or in the war on terrorism, e-mail SeymourOnLine telling us the name, rank, age, branch of service, area of deployment, and hometown of the person, as well as how to stay in touch with you for future updates.
• The Brownstown Chamber of Commerce has scheduled a legislative breakfast with State Sen. Becky Skillman, State Rep. Eric Koch, State Rep. Terry Goodin, and State Rep. Dennie Oxley on March 29th at W.R.Ewing, 1105 W. Spring St in Brownstown.  The agenda will include a question and answer session and the public is invited to attend.  For further information, call Patricia Butt at 812-358-5374 or the chamber office at 812-358-2930.
• The city's annual clean up campaign "Make Seymour Shine" will be March 30-April 5.  It is sponsored by the Greater Seymour Chamber of Commerce Beautification Committee in cooperation with the City of Seymour and the Jackson County Solid Waste Management District.
• Specialists at the Crane Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center have been working to prepare electronics for war planes that will be used if a war breaks out with Iraq.  Since September 11, 2001, Crane staffers have worked to meet the demands of a heightened defense presence and the technology required.

• The state of Indiana is charged with estimating local income tax revenue for the year ahead.  It then notifies local governments of the projections, collects the money and distributes it. The money is from three taxes -- county option-income taxes, county adjusted gross income taxes and county economic-development income taxes.  Eighty-five of Indiana's 92 counties have adopted at least one of these taxes.  According to state officials, an unexpected, two-year drop in income-tax collections threw off those projections, and Indiana law did not allow the state to withhold tax payments or to lower them as the economy worsened.  The state claims 36 counties were overpaid by a total of $87.5 million, and it expects to recover that money over the next few years by paying those counties less in local income taxes than the state collects on their behalf.  Next year, the state plans to recover $9.5 million; the state also will cut income-tax distributions by 7 percent, or about $56.7 million, to counties in 2004 because of lower tax collections.  The counties believe they should not be forced to pay back the overpayments because it was the state's "mistake" and the forced payback could bankrupt the counties.  Schultz said income forecasts are never exact and the state and counties are now suffering because of a decline in tax collections.  She went on to say that the state should not have to absorb the loss simply because too much was distributed to counties, just as it would not keep extra money from counties if tax collections were higher than expected.  Of the 36 counties that owe money, Hamilton County would be hit hardest. Under the state's calculations, it must pay back more than $31.3 million. Area counties in the group and how much they owe are Bartholomew ($2,443,344), Brown ($241,465), Greene ($334,061),  Jackson ($1,465,145), Jennings ($279,372), Lawrence ($814,064), and Orange ($117,592).

March 18

• On Monday, the Indiana Senate unanimously approved a bill that would require the Indiana Department of Commerce to design a trademark for products that were produced or assembled in Indiana.  The trademark must be designed and submitted to the Indiana Secretary of State's office by July 1, 2004.
  
  
• Indiana's House adopted a resolution honoring disabled veterans and Joseph Carroll, commander of the Disabled American Veterans of Indiana.  Carroll was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for meritorious service during the Vietnam War, and has spent several years working on behalf of military veterans.
  
  
• Indiana's Senate also approved a resolution honoring a Manchester College professor who was named a national Professor of the Year in 2002.  James R.C. Adams, a forty-two year art professor, was honored. Adams, 74, has no plans to retire.
  
  
• Indiana health officials have alerted county health departments to watch for cases of the dangerous, flu-like illness spreading in Asia.  The disease has killed nine people worldwide, but no cases have been reported in the United States yet.  The illness spreads quickly and seems to have originated in Asia, where new strains of influenza often develop.  No travel bans have been issued.
  
  
• After listening to President Bush speak last night, NCAA president Myles Brand says the NCAA basketball tournament could be delayed by war, although no decision has been made.  The tournament is scheduled to begin Thursday at four sites, including the RCA dome.  The women's tournament starts Saturday.  Military action could begin as early as Wednesday, according to Bush's speach.
  
  
• Last night, President Bush gave Saddam Hussein an ultimatum - leave Iraq within 48 hours.  It appears that war in just days is likely.  Iraqi leadership has rejected the U.S. ultimatum.  Foreign diplomats are leaving Baghdad, and U.N. weapons inspectors flew out of Iraq earlier on Tuesday, after being ordered out by the U.N. Secretary-General on Monday.  Almost 300,000 U.S. and British troops are in the region, poised to attack, backed by five aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf.
  
  
• In conjunction with the upcoming war with Iraq, the Homeland Security Department raised the national terror alert to orange, indicating a high risk of terrorism against American interests.  Governors have been called on to deploy National Guard troops or extra state police to protect bridges and other key public facilities.  Additional federal security officers are being sent ot monitor the borders, airports, seaports, railways, nuclear power plants, and even elements of the nation's food supply and distribution system.
  
  
• What would happen if the nation's terror alert status goes to red?  Red means that there is a severe risk.  Local officials are reluctant to talk about what would happen, but if they followed plans being discussed elsewhere, they could restrict traffic around likely terror targets or shut down public buildings.  Local officials are wanting people to live their lives as normally as possible, and to not create a pani

March 17

• Over the weekend, the search was expanded to find more bones that might be the remains of missing I.U. student Jill Behrman.  Dental records have confirmed the skeleton found on March 9, a little north of Paragon in the woods, are the remains of Behrman, who has been missing since May of 2000.  This weekend's search turned up more bones at the site, but more analysis by an anthropoligist is needed to conclude if they are Behrman's.
  
  
• If you were out and about Sunday, you might have noticed the state having its first Amber Alert.  As it turns out, it was a false alarm.  The Schererville Police Department sent the alert at 12:39 p.m. after witnesses saw an adult white male place two children, a boy and a girl, in the trunk of his car.  After police located the man and his car, it was discovered that no abuse or fould play had occured.  Once the Amber Alert was issued, television and radio stations statewide began announcing the descriptions of the vehicle, suspect, and children.
  
  
• Venezuelan oil production is up to three million barrels a day.  That's of importance to us, because Venezuela supplies thirteen percent of our oil.  The crippling national strike at the world's fifth largest exporter is recovering from the failed two month walkout aimed at forcing President Hugo Chavez to resign.  He has now fled the country.
  
  
• The United States, Britain, and Spain, withdrew their resolution from the table today, abandoning their efforts to win U.N. backing for a war with Iraq.  The United States has advised the United Nations to withdraw its inspectors from Baghdad.  Countries have closed their embassies, and foreign journalists left the country Monday.  President Bush plans to address the nation tonight to give Saddam Hussein a final ultimatum - leave the country to avoid military conflict.  U.S. officials are reviewing whether to raise the national terror alert.
  

March 14

• Anyone who has not paid their energy bill before 5:00 p.m. today needs to contact their utility company immediately to avoid waking up tomorrow morning and finding they have no power.  Utilities are encouraging customers with outstanding balances to enroll in energy assistance programs.  Better yet, contact your utilities to discuss payment plans.  Once you are disconnected, a reconnection fee, plus the overdue balance will be required to restore power.
  
  
• Child pornography is easily found through online file swapping services that are usually used to share music and movies.  Children who use the services could easily access pornography inadvertantly.  Investigators used the names of popular singers, actors, and cartoon characters (names children might be likely to use) to retrieve pornographic images.  Pornography is increasingly finding a home on peer-to-peer networks, which connect individual users to each other.  There is typically no cost and a greater promise of anonymity on a peer-to-peer network.
  
  
• A former mental patient, known for his fondness of quoting the Bible, abducted and sexually assaulted a six-year-old Martinsville boy before submerging him in a freezing creek.  Eugene Allen, Jr., age forty, was being held without bond Thursday in the Morgan County Jail on preliminary charges of attempted murder, child molestation, sexual battery, and criminal confinement.  Police said Allen had admitted attacking the boy.  Motorists called police Tuesday after seeing the boy standing by Indiana 67 near Martinsville.  Allen is a well-known figure around Martinsville.  Earlier he was sentenced to two years in a state mental hospital for arson, and last year he was arrested after being accused of molesting a twelve year-old boy, but was found not guilty when the boy gave conflicting accounts.  Allen, also known as "Rev. Gene" told the press he was trying to baptize the child.
  
  
• The Bloomington City Council gave tentative approval for a ban on smoking in public and most work places.  A final vote is expected March 26.  Although some business owners said the ordinance could hurt their business, the Greater Bloomington Chamer of Commerce passed a resolution supporting the ban.  Bloomington's current ban on smoking applies only to new public buildings and in businesses that changed owners.  The new ordinance would extend the ban to all businesses.  The council is considering some exceptions to the new ban, such as for private clubs.
  
  
• More than two years after her disappearance, the remains of missing Bloomington resident Jill Behrman have been found.  Dental records were used to identify the remains, which had been found by a hunter who was scouting the countryside north of Paragon for the upcoming turkey season.  Although the discovery ends the question of where she was dumped, investigators are hoping the new crime scene turns up additional evidence in the case.  Bedford attorney John Plummer III, who is representing suspect Uriah J. Clouse on an unrelated rape charge, feels the discovery of Behrman's remains was evidence of his client's innocence.
  

March 13

• A bill that would require Indiana children to be vaccinated against chickenpox before entering kindergarten triggered debate in a state Senate committee.  The bill, which would require children to be vaccinated before the 2004-2005 school year, passed the House on a second vote after failing a first one.  Indiana already requires all children to be vaccinated for diptheria, whooping cough, tetanus, measles, rubella, polio, mumps and hepatitis B.  The Indiana Department of Health supports the bill.
  
  
• If you play Powerball and bought a ticket for the September 14 drawing, you had better check to see if you still have the winning ticket.  Two tickets matched all the numbers for the $103 million jackpot.  The other half of the jackpot was claimed months ago.  The holder of the winning Indiana ticket has until 5:00 p.m. today to claim the prize.  Once the deadline passes, if the prize has not been claimed, the cash amount of the jackpot is distributed among the participating states.
  
  
• Florida theme parks are feeling the pinch of war jitters.  The parks have never completely recovered from the attendance dip that followed the 911 attacks.  Business dipped again last month when the government raised the terror alert level to code orange, and the heavy snowstorms in the northeast further reduced the crowds.  Walt Disney World doesn't release exact attendance numbers, but an industry publication says the number of international visitors dropped twenty percent in the year following the 911 attacks.
  
  
• Last week, the law caught up with Hughes Electronics.  The aerospace giant was ordered to pay a record-setting thirty-two million dollars fine for selling sensitive technology to China.  The U.S. State Department charged Hughes with one hundred twenty-three violations of the Arms Export Control Act in selling satellite and rocketry know-how to China's military and space authorities in Beijing.  The Hughes penalty falls heavily on its new parent corporation, Boeing Satellite Systems.  They have seven years to pay the fine.
  
  
• Charles Barkley, former basketball star and TNT sports analyst, is quoted as saying, "I can't believe that Dad Rather didn't just kill Saddam Hussein when he was interviewing him."  Barkley also suggested that Mr. Rather should have said, "Hey, Saddam, let's go get something to eat," to set up an attack with a fork.
  
  
• Miracles do happen!  Incredibly, police near Salt Lake City say missing teenager Elizabeth Smart has been found alive.  The fifteen year-old was found in the car of a drifter who was pulled over in a traffic stop on Wednesday.  A police spokeswoman said, "Two separate women called in and said they thought they had spotted "Emmanuel", whose real name is Brian David Mitchell.  He once did work on the Smart's home.  Elizabeth Smart's uncle reacted to the report by saying, "Miracles do exist."  The Smart family became interested in Mitchell in mid-October when Elizabeth's younger sister, the sole witness in her disappearance, told her parents she thought he could have been the one who stole Elizabeth.
  

March 12

• Indiana will receive more than $11.3 million from the newly formed U.S. Department of Homeland Security to be used to train and equip emergency first responders.  The funds are part of the Fiscal Year 2003 budget that was signed into law in February.  Additional federal homeland security money will be made available to Indiana through other federal agencies in the coming weeks and months.
  
  
• Law enforcement officials around the country will soon start posting pictures of sex offenders on the internet.  It's constitutional, according to a Supreme Court ruling that lets states report on the histories of such convicts after they're released.
  
  
• Reverend Tom Grey, Executive Director of the National Coalition Against Gambling Expansion, notes that many states with gambling also have budget deficits.  Indiana is one of them.
  
  
• Prepared for a terrorist attack?  Overall, preparation for any terrorist attack is the same as you would take for a big storm.  Have several days worth of canned goods, a manual can opener, and plenty of soap and water.  Also, remember to keep a better-operated radio handy with extra batteries.
  
  
• In July, the Supreme Court will rule on the question:  Must taxpayers fund online pornography in public libraries?  The court is considering the case that challenges the right of Congress to require public libraries to install filtering software if they receive federal money for internet sources.  The Children's Internet Protection Act passed by Congress in 2000 requiring such software has never been enforced.  The ACLU, the American Library Association, and others argued it was censorship.  Libraries have accepted one billion dollars from taxpayers.  Over fourteen million Americans use the public library computers for research or for surfing the net.
  
  
• Those who look for the union label have more trouble finding it every year.  Organized labor's share of the U.S. workforce continued its decades long decline last year, according to the labor department, falling to 13.2 percent.  That is far below the 20.1 percent of U.S. workers who were unionized in 1983, when the government first recorded such data.  Unions are now focused on organizing government workers.
  
  
• Contingency plans are in the works in case war drives sports off television or out of arenas.  The NCAA has no plans to cancel the basketball tournament, which features sixty-five teams competing from March 20 to April 7.  Scenarios extend beyond college basketball.  NFL Europe players say they worry about traveling.  Baseball player Kevin Millar pulled out of 6.2 million dollar deal to play in Japan, citing concerns about a war.  Tiger Woods gave a two million dollar appearance fee and withdrew from the Dubai Desert Classic in the United Arab Emirates, just nine hundred miles from Iraq.
  

March 11

• Indiana University students on the south side of campus in Bloomington were temporarily displaced Monday night after a malfunctioning electrical substation caused a power failure.  Several residence halls and academic buildings in the southern half of campus were evacuated Monday night after students reported smelling smoke.  No fire was confirmed.  Although many rumors about a terrorist attack were circulating, university officials were working toward quelling those unfounded statements.
  
  
• A Bloomington mosque is warning that FBI anti-terrorism surveillance targeting foreign student could lead to anti-American backlash in their home countries.  The Islamic Center of Bloomington said that "These students will return to their homelands to become important figures in government, academia, and industry.  By frightening them and making them feel unwelcome, we will be generating even greater anti-American sentiment in the next generation of world leaders.
  
  
• A warning today from Britain's Naval Commander about a continued threat from Al-Qaida.  The British Admiral says Al-Qaida suicide boats are posing a threat to U.S. Coalition ships in the Persian Gulf -- and that the threat will increase if war breaks out.
  
  
• President Bush is sounding familiar notes of skepticism about Saddam Hussein.  Bush says, in his weekly radio address, that it's clear Iraq continues to violate U.N. demands by refusing to disarm.  Bush is trying hard to persuade U.N.  opponents to vote for imposing a deadline.
  
  
• A high school teacher in Phoenix finds himself unemployed after sending a bizarre valentine to a student.  The card contained the message, "Die, die, die."  Police say some students who got similar cards from R. Scott Jones thought it was a joke.
  
  
• As of a year ago, more than eleven percent of the U.S.-population was not born in the country.  The government says the foreign-born population is at an all-time high, but the rate of growth has slowed, in part because of a lagging economy and post-September 11 immigration changes.  At present, there are over six million Moslems in the U.S.
  
  
• A boost for the argument that violent television can turn kids into violent adults.  University of Michigan researchers looked at the viewing habits of boys and girls in the 1970's.  They say those who watched violent shows were more likely to abuse their spouses or commit crimes as young adults.
  
  
• The U.S. Supreme Court will be considering limits on the way police officers question suspects.  In accepting an appeal from a convicted drug dealer, the court will be revisiting its landmark 1966 Miranda ruling, which says officers have to warn people they arrest of their right to remain silent.

March 10

• Two investor groups are investigating the possibility of opening limestone quarries about ten miles northwest of Bloomington. The first site is a 350-acre site purchased a month ago by the Edgeworth family.  The family also owns the Victor Oolitic Stone Co., and plans to open the Big Creek Stone Quarry by May or June.  The operators plan to employ 25 to 30 people by 2006.  The other group of investors recently purchased the former Hoosier Calcium Corp. mine.  Five partners with American Limestone, Inc. purchased the property last August.  The company hopes to begin quarry operations within 30 to 45 days, and will hire as many as a dozen employees the first  year.
   
• About two-thirds of Indiana's licensed payday lenders have quit the business in the past eighteen months.  That's when the State Supreme Court ruled that they had to follow the state's interest-rate ceilings.  The amount of active loans reported recently to state officials is a fraction of the $288 million in loans reported in 1998.  At the industry's peak, about one hundred twenty licensed lenders were in business in Indiana.  That has dropped to thirty-six active lenders.
  
  
• About fourteen hundred SBC Indiana phone customers could be getting some money soon.  A federal judge has approved a $430,000 settlement in an eight-year-old lawsuit over a billing dispute.  Indiana consumers filed a class-action lawsuit in 1995 against SBC's predecessor, Ameritech.  They say Ameritech charged them for a service covering repairs without telling them that it was optional.  ABC sent phone cards to hundreds of customers as part of an earlier settlement, but many customers weren't satisfied.  Reimbursements will vary, depending on how long each customer was billed.  SBC has not said any wrongdoing was involved.
  
  
• Indiana's lingering winter is not causing most residents to think about mosquitoes, but Purdue Animal Medicine professors say it is time for horse owners to vaccinate their animals to protect them from the mosquito-borne West Nile virus.
  
  
• Things look tougher for Indiana lawmakers who are trying to write a new two-year state budget.  Figures released Thursday, show state tax collections last month came in 51.5 million dollars below target.  Tax collections have run one hundred sixty-six million dollars above forecast during the first six months of this fiscal year, but they also fell below target in January partly due to poor holiday sales.  Collections are now just thirty-two million dollars above forecast for the year.
  
  
• In late January, McDonald's Corporation announced it lost $344 million in the fourth quarter.  Its first quarterly loss ever, and more than four times greater than it had forecast just five weeks earlier.  The world's largest restaurant owner has announced that it is begging future earnings guidance, at least for 2003.  CFO Matthew Paul says McDonalds will focus their entire organization on the long term and try to take the focus off the short term.
  
  
• The race is on to patch a security hole on millions of e-mail computer servers.  The concern:  the flaw could be exploited by hackers to potentially disrupt America's infrastructure as war looms with Iraq.  The hole was found in December.  Government officials worry that a cyberterrorist could gain control of tens of thousands of computers and launch waved of frivolous e-mail, which could slow networks or render them useless.  That could disrupt business communications at a time when companies are increasingly supplying the military.  The way to reduce the risk is to patch as many machines as quickly as possible.
  
  
• U.S. Senator Evan Bayh wants to stop American companies from avoiding paying taxes by moving their "paper headquarters" out of the United States.  In recent years, twenty-six American companies have set up off-shore post office boxes in places such as Bermuda to claim the corporation is based in a foreign country for tax purposes.  Bayh remarked:  While most corporations are law-abiding, patriotic and responsible members of the business community, there are some that simply avoid paying American taxes.  It is fundamentally unfair that some companies exploit tax loopholes while good corporate citizens play by the rules and have to make up the difference.
  

March 7

March 6

• A child pornography investigation is underway at Purdue University.  On Tuesday, University Police seized computers and electronics from seventeen students and searched several on-campus rooms.  No arrests have been made yet.  Any student found to be involved in child pornography could face university sanctions and criminal charges.
  
  
• The United States Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that Indiana and other states have the right to put pictures and addresses of convicted sex offenders on the Internet.  This decision struck to the very heart of a challenge to Indiana's Zachary's Law.  Although the Indiana Civil Liberties Union is disappointed with the federal ruling, they still have plans to fight publication of the offender's information in the Indiana Supreme Court.  The federal court decision comes just in time, since Indiana's attorney general is set to present arguments to the Indiana Supreme Court on Monday.  The nation's High Court decision will play a major part in the state's case.  The new state offender website is pretty limited to names and counties for the most part.  Sheriffs in all 92 counties are responsible for registering the offenders.  They are taking photographs, but are not publishing them until they get the all-clear, which could come later this month.
  
  
• The Big 10 race is over, and the winner this year is... Wisconsin.  The No. 24 ranked Badgers beat No. 14 ranked Illinois last night 60-59.
  
  
• An 85-year-old widow in London has become determined to not be resuscitated against her will by doctors.  She has tattooed the words "Do Not Resuscitate" across her chest.  The former nurse says she does not want to die twice. "By resuscitating me, they would be bringing me back from the dead only for me to have to go through it again."
  
  
• The next time you think you are having a bad day, you should think about a sixty-one year-old German man who was robbed twice in five minutes.  The man first had his mobile phone stolen at a gas station by youths who then fled.  When he pursued the thieves on foot, a passing car with three men claiming to be plainclothes police stopped him, searched him, and drove off with his wallet.
  

March 5

• The Seymour boys basketball team saw their season come to an end last night when they lost to New Albany 64-44 in Game 1 of sectional play.
  

• Indiana's House on Tuesday passed a reworked version of Gov. O'Bannon's economic package, and it will now move on to the Senate, where it's future is darker.  Republicans control the Senate, and they remain opposed to the primary component of the bill - borrowing against any portion of future tobacco settlement payments to fund economic development initiatives.  Borrowing would fund research-and-development ventures and move products to market.  It also includes money for rural development and so-called technology parks - high-tech versions of industrial parks.
  
  
• Other action in the house saw passage of a bill that would require the use of car booster seats for young children.  Current state law requires that children through age 3 be in safety seats while riding in motor vehicles.  The bill would require that those between the ages of 4 and 7 at a minimum be in child booster seats and be restrained by lap and shoulder belts.  Under the bill, fines imposed for violations would be put into a fund to help low-income parents purchase booster seats.  They can cost between $30 to $80.  Without a booster seat, seat belts can result in neck and internal injuries for children who weigh less than eighty pounds.
  
  
• Just when you think Indiana's abortion law passed in 1995 will go into effect, another lawsuit puts its future in question.  With that one on hold, the Indiana Senate passed yet another abortion bill on Tuesday, this one requiring health care providers to give pregnant women more information before performing an abortion.  The information would include information about the availability of ultrasound imaging before the abortion.  The bill now goes to the House for consideration.
  
  
• The House passed a bill that would change casino enforcement.  State police would be replaced by other officers on Indiana's riverboat casinos over a two year period.  The specially trained officers and auditors would be under control of the Indiana Gaming Commission.  The casinos that currently pay for trooper services would also pay for the new officers.  The Senate will get a turn at this bill next.
  
  
• France, Germany, and Russia said Wednesday that they will "not allow" passage of an American-backed U.N. resolution to authorize war against Iraq.  President remained confident that the resolution would be passed. Secretary of State Colin Powel told Russia's state-controlled Cannel One television in an interview aired late Tuesday that the Unites States was prepared to lead a war against Iraq with or without the consent of the United Nations.
  
  
• Not only is the United States building its forces near Iraq, for what seems to be certain confrontation there, they also are basing more heavy bombers near North Korea and will formally protest the communist nation's "reckless actions" using MiG fighters to intercept a U.S. surveillance plane.  The U.S. has not suspended the surveillance flights and does not plan to, but officials are considering having U.S. fighter jets escort similar flights in the future. The North Korean fighters were carrying heat-seeking missiles.  The North Koreans shot down a U.S. Navy EC-121 surveillance plane in 1969, killing all 31 Americans aboard.
  

March 4

• Boys basketball sectional play gets underway tonight at 6:00 p.m.  Our Seymour boys will take on New Albany in game one of the evening.
  
  
• U.S. Senator Dick Lugar will present two Hoosier students with four-year $20,000 college scholarships this Saturday, March 8, at the 20th Annual Fund for Hoosier Excellence Banquet.  The banquet will be held on Saturday, March 8, at 6:00 p.m. at the Indianapolis Marriott Hotel Ballroom 7-10, second floor, 350 West Maryland Street, Indianapolis.
  
  
• Sage Telecom announced that the company has received certification from the Indiana Regulatory Commission to provide local telephone service in the state of Indiana.  The company plans to compete in SBC/Ameritech markets by offering a choice of local service providers to consumers and small businesses.
  
  
• Indiana Severe Weather Awareness Week is this week, March 2 - 8.  The goal of severe weather awareness week is to increase our understanding of severe weather and everyone's role to help reduce tornado deaths and injuries.  All schools, businesses and residents should take time now to create a plan or review what they should do in the event of severe weather.
  
  
• A bill that was designed as a way to prevent identity theft has been rejected by the Indiana House.  The bill would have strictly limited public access to birth and death records.  Medical researchers would have been able to access death certificates, but not the public.  Although the bill could be reintroduced because it did not get a majority 51 votes against it, the bill's sponsor, Rep. Peggy Welch, D-Bloomington, says she does not intend to reintroduce it.
  
  
• On Monday, the House approved legislation that would establish a more comprehensive system for problem gamblers to relinquish their rights to visit Indiana's ten casinos.  The measure would creat a list administered by the Indiana Gaming Commission where people could place their names.  The bill would prohibit casinos from sending advertisements to people on the list or from cashing their checks.  The bill now goes to the Senate.
  
  
• The Indiana House also passed a bill that would prohibit sex crimes victims from being required to take polygraph tests, although they could still take the tests voluntarily.  The Senate will get their chance at this bill now.
  
  
• The Indiana House passed a bill that allows parents to seek court-ordered drug or alcohol treatment for their troubled children before the child gets arrested.  If a judge grants the request, parents will still have to pay for the treatment.  The bill heads to the Senate next.
  

March 3

• The Seymour boys basketball team will see action in the first sectional game of this year's tournament that begins this Tuesday night at 6:00 p.m.  Seymour will play New Albany in game 1.  The winners of game 1 and game 2 on Tuesday will play in game 3 on Friday night.
  
  
• Federal agents have had an increased presence on college campuses since September 11.  Indiana's universities and colleges have close to twelve thousand international students enrolled.  Recent flights of an airplane over Bloomington and recent interviews were prompted in response to intelligence indicating the possibility of terrorist attacks inside and outside the United States if the U.S. invades Iraq.  The plane was simply assisting with physical surveillance.
  
  
• Patients at an IU sleep clinic now have another reason to be losing sleep.  A computer hacker may have gained access to their personal information.  IU School of Medicine officials said the hacker broke into a clinic computer downloading Social Security numbers, dates of birth and other sensitive information of at least seven thousand patients.  The sleep center incident is the third breach of IU's cyber system in more than two years.
  
  
• Governor O'Bannon is unsure whether there is enough support in the House to pass his economic development package next week.  That is despite the fact that he's a Democrat and his party controls the Chamber.  The House is expected to vote on the plan Tuesday.  The state is $850 million in debt.

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