Results tagged “indiana”

Remember the Guess Brothers? They're the guys from Muncie who raised money using Kickstarter to help produce their newest opus, The Unhuman. According to a recent blog post they're almost finished shooting and intend to wrap by year's end. A few weeks ago their first effort, the short film Don't Go Into the Woods, was honored with a screening at The Drunken Zombie Film Festival in Peoria. Sadly neither could attend since the event was held at a theatre/bar and they're both underage! Head on over to their Kickstarter page and check out the trailer for the new movie. It's got a hatching alien egg and everything.

         

Designed by Chicago architect Howard Van Doren Shaw in 1917, East Chicago, Indiana's Marktown Historic District resembles a northern European village, except with smokestacks instead of windmills in the background. Referred to as the "Eighth Wonder of the World" by some, and the "Brigadoon of Industrial Housing Complexes" by others, the neighborhood is named after Clayton Mark — a manufacturer of well points who, like many of us, decided one day that he needed his own steel plant to more fully achieve his goals and dreams. So in 1916, he purchased some land and hired on Shaw to design a community for his prospective proles. Shaw was a star of the architecture world: He had worked for William LeBaron Jenny, designed homes for several rich Chicago families, and collaborated with Ralph Cram on the Fourth Presbyterian Church on N. Michigan Ave. The end result was a 40-acre area built in the English Tudor Revival style.

Indiana governor Mitch Daniels, himself a Republican, offered up some advice to Illinois Republicans trying to find their way out of the deep dark political wilderness they've been in since George Ryan left office. “Part of our formula here has always to keep the debate very civil—never personal criticism—and always try to have a better answer,” Daniels told the Tribune. “If Illinois Republicans think they’ll come back simply by putting up a picture of the former governor or lamenting the decline of this or that, then that’s not enough, and they wouldn’t deserve a return to office.” Daniels also said that having a better balance between the parties in power would lead to better governance. “I’m a fan of competitive politics,” said Daniels. “It’s not healthy when either side has a long-term monopoly. They get sloppy. They get arrogant. I do wish them well. I think Illinois would be well-served by a better balance, and then therefore a more active debate.”

We're biking down to Pierogi Fest in Whiting, IN tomorrow, camera in tow. The festival starts tonight with a parade along 119th Street and one of the highlights of said march is the Lawn Mower Drill Team. Here's some YouTube video of the 2007 edition.

Holiday celebrations ended abruptly and horrifically for many gathered on a pedestrian bridge in Merrillville, Ind. Saturday evening. The bridge, holding an estimated 100, collapsed as people dispersed after a fireworks show that evening, according to Chicago Breaking News. While there were significant injuries, no one died and everyone was rescued, reported a Merrillville dispatcher.

Here's your chance to be in the remake/reboot of A Nightmare on Elm Street. It stars Oscar-nominated actor Jackie Earle Haley as the supernatural slasher and a slew of attractive, no-name teenagers as the slashees. It's currently being shot around town at various high suburban high schools and in Gary, Indiana. Producers are looking for "REAL POLICE, REAL FIREFIGHTERS, REAL PARAMEDICS, REAL COFFEE SHOP BARISTAS, REAL BOOKSTORE CLERKS and REAL PRESS TYPES." (In other words, you phonies can all stay home.) The parts also include "males and females, all ethnicities, 18-years-of-age and up, to work in non-speaking roles as ONLOOKERS and SHOPPERS."

Stark Trek had an estimated budget of $160 million. Even Sam Raimi's new "low budget" horror movie Drag Me to Hell cost millions. Turns out you can get more bang for your buck in Indiana: The Unhuman is being made for around $500. Co-helmer Jacob, 13, sketched out the story for us: "A group of teens are working on a video project for school when a meteor lands bringing with it an alien infection. When some of the friends start showing up dead the remaining group must figure out which one of them (if any) have been infected by the virus." His brother Michael, 14, adds, "We know that there's been many different movies made with storylines like this. Beginning with Invasion of the Body Snatchers going all the way through to Slither. I don't want to say too much, but we're doing our own twist on this idea."

A new ad campaign rolled out on 25 Chicago buses this week that aims at giving atheists, agnostics and non-believers the same voice on public transportation that other religions have used for years. The Chicago slogan, which has been seen on buses running from the North to South Side of Chicago, including downtown reads: “In the Beginning, Man Created God.”

• Now that Mother's Day is over, let's focus on finding something to do with dear old Dad on Father's Day for a bit of bonding. How about robbing banks together?
• Lafayette, Indiana police are looking for information regarding the theft of a life-sized dog statue taken from in front of the public library. The sudden appearance of a life-sized dog statue atop a keg inside a Purdue frat house just a coincidence.
• Chicago's Roosevelt University is adding an athletic program after 20 years without one and are just working out some minor snafus, like not having any athletic facilities.

Indiana Health Commissioner Judy Monroe today confirmed the state's first case of swine flu, a "young adult" living in "northern Indiana." The patient is "doing well," according to Monroe. So far, the Illinois Department of Health has tested multiple suspected cases, but none have tested positive yet. Chicago's Public Health Department Chief Medical Officer Dr. Susan Gerber has reported a "deluge" of calls about potential swine flu cases from around the area, though none have proven to be true. Remember, folks, if you're coughing, it's probably...just a cough. Now, where do we line up again, FEMA? [Chicago Breaking News]

Known for their stark religious beliefs and refusal to use certain modern conveniences such as electricity, automobiles and insurance, the Amish population in Goshen, Ind. -- a town located 120 miles east of Chicago with population just under 32,000 -- might be making a few exceptions to get by during the recession.

The female Indiana high school student who wants to wear a tuxedo to her prom will be allowed to do so. The 17-year-old student had filed a lawsuit against the school, and she said she is a lesbian and doesn't wear dresses because they represent a sexual identity she rejects. On Friday the superintendent of the Lebanon school system released a press release that said

A 17-year-old girl is suing her high school in Lebanon, Indiana because they refused to let her wear a tuxedo to her high school prom. The student says she is a lesbian and doesn't wear dresses because they represent a sexual identity she rejects. The principal at the high school, located northwest of Indianapolis, claims that there is a special dress code for the prom that requires female students to wear a formal gown, but the ACLU of Indiana--which filed the claim on her behalf--say that the policy violates federal law because the school receives federal funding and because it violates her right of expression.

An Indiana man learned the hard way recently that referees for high school sports usually work another job. A man attending a game at Washington Township High School in Valparaiso, Indiana became so enraged he stormed out of the stands and confronted the group of referees calling the game. Unfortunately for him, one of the referees was also an Indiana State Trooper. According to the AP:

The trooper said he tried to walk away but the man pushed him. Fifield said he identified himself as a police officer and told the man he was under arrest, but the man said he couldn't be arrested by a referee. Officials said the man tried to choke Fifield with his whistle neckstrap. Fifield said that once the man realized he really had attacked a trooper, he retorted: "That's not fair.''

Indiana took the prize in Las Vegas last night, winning the 88th Miss American Pageant was Miss Indiana Katie Stam. Last night's win represents the first Miss America from Indiana. Stam won, despite having a case of laryngitis. She is a native of Seymour, and is attending the University of Indianapolis.

Photo by Katie Scully
• In case you missed any speeches today, WBEZ has you covered. Listen to Blago's press conference, The Mighty Quinn's response, and Illinois Sec. of State Jesse White's statement.
• Bob Benson, director of internal audit for the City of Chicago, and who came on after the Hired Trucks scandal, has been fired.
• Two Park Ridge teenagers have been arrested over a series of drive-by BB gun shootings that have left two people hospitalized; the teens have cited "boredom" as a motive.

The Arab television network Al-Jazeera has sent a documentary crew on the road in the United States to talk to voters and they visited the Northwest Indiana town of Chesterton this week. The crew, Graham Meriwether and Chris Henderson, are touring communities in the country, part of the Red Blue Road Trip project, to get a read on voters as the historic 2008 Presidential election. The two drive from town to town in a 2002 Honda and edit the footage together on the go. As for the fact they work with Al-Jazeera, the crew hasn't had much trouble. Henderson said, "It's not always the first thing we mention, but if they ask us who we're shooting for, we're honest about it. We don't really have anything to hide. We're cognizant that people may have hesitancy because what's been broadcast in the U.S. about it."

Indianapolis smells bad today. There's "a stench wafting across downtown" according to the AP, with some people describing a sewer or natural gas odor. My friend in Indy said it smells "like rotten eggs," but at least one person told the Indy Star it smells like burned potatoes, which...is not like the others. So far, noses are pointing to a sewer line hookup on the east side of the city. [Indy Star, AP]

Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana (bahahaa) announced today that they'll be adding the world's tallest water ride in 2009. The Pilgrim's Plunge uses an "open-air elevator" to lift 10-passenger boats 135 feet in the air. Then...wheee! These videos are cheesy but kinda fun. [AP]

The Indiana Dunes are home to wildly growing marijuana, according to the National Parks Service and Indiana law enforcement. Officials have apparently found plants growing throughout the park and its adjacent properties.

Officials for the Indiana State Fair win today's WTF award. The pulled this wedding photo (click to embiggen), which was the state contest's highest-scoring picture, because, according to fair officials, people complained about its content. You know, because it's a...married couple sitting? The hell?

Joseph Klinkman, 24, was sentenced to four years in prison after he was caught stealing urine. Some of the urine was his, and some was his friend's; they had both given samples to be drug tested, but apparently didn't think they'd pass because they'd taken a drug for recovering heroin addicts. Klinkman, of Chesterton, didn't steal anything else from the lab, but this line really got us: "[o]fficials estimated the value of each urine sample at $6.50." A cup of pee is worth about as much as a matinée. Good to know. [WBBM]

Danield John Collins, 39, pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of domestic violence/animal cruelty and two counts of neglect of a dependent. He forced his 7-year-old daughter to stab the family's cat.

A Jackson 5 museum is in the preliminary planning stages in Gary, but it got a visibility boost after patriarch Joe Jackson announced his support for the project yesteray. So far, there's no groundbreaking date and no timeline for completion. In other words, people are sort of talking about maybe doing a museum or something. The proposed museum would be built near I-80 on city-owned property, and might include the Jackson family's old house.

A walkway at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana, collapsed this morning, sending construction workers into Lake Michigan. The 16 workers are all members of Iron Workers Local 395 and were all wearing lifejackets, in compliance with Coast Guard regulations. No one was seriously injured. [NWI Times, what I like to think about when I hear "horseshoe"]

Mister Buckets Serious Time spotted this truly amazing award at the Elkhart County Fair in Indiana. The JFK quote really puts it over the top.

What the eff is going on in Munster these days? People are using cheese graters as weapons, depositing $1,000 bills and now 60-pound tortoises are roaming around. Good lord.

A Munster, Indiana woman attempted to deposit $2,000 in cash yesterday, but the bank called her and asked her to take her money back because she had deposited two $1,000 bills. The rare but legitimate bills are from 1934 and are each worth around $4,500.

[A bar] patron realized Plante didn't have a gun and used a bar stool to push him out of the bar, court records state. Plante fled, dropping a cheese grater on the ground, court records allege.

A 14-year-old Chicago runaway stole a charter bus yesterday and drove down I-80. Drove erratically, of course, weaving in and out of lanes, dragging the bus's muffler, and then hitting a construction wall. The teen has been charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, and luckily no one was hurt. [AP]