Hoosier Gazette

Kokomo's Tex Thornton headed for the Indiana Bowling Hall of Fame

Early on he set his sights on becoming a major league fastballer. But as Robert Wayne “Tex” Thornton would happily discover, a strike is a strike — be it 60 feet, six inches through the heart of a 17-inch rubber plate or 60 feet of hardwood into the mix of 10 stubborn pins.

Some 55 years, 37 championships, countless trophies and reams of memories later and being named to the Kokomo Men’s Bowling Association Hall of Fame (1990) by his peers, Thornton is slated for an even bigger honor. He’ll be inducted into the Indiana State Bowling Association Hall of Fame, March 4 in Anderson, site of the 2006 Men’s State Tournament.

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Air heads

Ashley Roscka and Rachel Matteson, Twin Lakes High School students, anticipate a shot during an animated air hockey game earlier this month during 5th Quarter at Monticello Christian Church. The church provides food, games and an evening of fun for students, following home boys basketball games.

photo from the Monticello Herald Journal

Not for the faint of heart

Skydive Greensburg: rated the #1 dropzone in the Mid-West

Sigur Rós is coming to Indy

"Takk..." album cover

The Icelandic band Sigur Rós is coming to the Murat Center in Indianapolis February 20.

For ticket information, click here.

To watch the music video to Glósóli from 'Takk...' click here.

11th Annual Evansville Westside Techmo Bowl Tournament

For 11 years, Evansville's Greg Eberhart has hosted a Tecmo Bowl football tournament, played on the original Nintendo game system. Below are the highlights of this year's event from the tourney's commish himself, including a high resolution photo of Eric Dassel, this year's winner:

Well…….Tecmo lovers it was once again a tourny for the ages! This year marked the 11th annual, that’s right 11 years we’ve been playing the greatest sports game ever invented. Whether that’s an accomplishment or just plain pathetic is a discussion for a different day.

Okay, on to the tourny high and low lights…….It didn’t take long for the usual first round upsets to begin, Flener started off the trend by knocking off three time champ Cummings 31-10. After missing last years tourny Flener came back with a determination that I have only seen in one other person’s eyes….Rocky Balboa, when he upset the heavily favored Apollo Creed. Cummings, on the other hand, has been on a steady decline after winning three straight championships, Squirt has been an early out the last three tournaments. Some say he has lost his “thumbs”, and was only a “paper champ”, only time will tell if he is able to acquire his game play again.

The next upset belongs to Leeds, the dark horse of the tournament. This was his first appearance, and he did exceptionally well for a “greenie”. After beating Griffin his next opponent was Wagler (Pounder), whom he narrowly pulled out a victory in a 16-14 battle. Leeds did all the fundamentals that it takes to win, kudos for his performance.

The matchup all Tecmo fans wanted to see happened right away. The past two champs, Eberhart & Cameron played each other to start their tourny. There was no hesitation from Cameron, going straight for the 49ers forcing Eberhart to choose the Giants. This was truly a tight played game by both, but in the end Cameron came out the winner by a score of 12-9.

The losers bracket saw Kirwer & Griffin lose their first game, putting them out for the day. They both had a rough draw and didn’t catch any breaks in their games. The giant killer Leeds was up to his ‘ol tricks again when he faced Eberhart. Leeds, the 25-1 underdog to win the tourny, stepped up his game and defeated Eberhart 22-14, opening the door for a Leeds/Pounder rematch. Pounder knocked off Cummings 24-10 and Patton 23-7 in consecutive games giving him the momentum he needed to avenge his earlier loss to Leeds. Pounder got his revenge and ousted Leeds to end his “Cinderella” day.

Patton easily defeated Flener setting up a Cameron vs. Patton showdown. Dassel also advanced in a 35-10 win over Kirwer. Next game Dassel vs. Leeds, and once again Dassel waxed his opponent 37-0, putting Dassel in a position to play for a spot in the championship round. Cameron defeating Patton in a closely contested game 28-21. This gave us Cameron (defending Champ) vs. Dassel (the crowd favorite). Dassel chose the Bills and Cameron the Eagles. In a close game throughout, Dassel made the call of the tournament (to that point) by going for it on 4th and 15 from his own 10 yard line. The fact that made this so unusual is that Dassel picked Run 3 and gained 25 yards on the play. This eventually led to him taking the lead for good and wrapping up a spot in the finals, winning 21-10.

Now, Pounder vs. Cameron for the right to face Dassel in the championship game. Pounder, Raiders, vs. Cameron, Bills. Pounder surprised everyone with his aerial assault instead of the ground-n-pound of Marcus Allen and Bo Jackson. However, Cameron was not going to let his title go down without a fight. In the fourth, with the ball and driving Pounder threw a pick in the end zone, which gave Cameron the closure he needed to hang on for the 20-14 victory.

Dassel vs. Cameron: Game 1
Up to this point Dassel had picked the right teams at the right times, saving the 49ers for this championship matchup. Dassel was looking to be the first champ in four years to win the trophy without a loss. All signs pointed to that direction, that is until Cameron used the Raiders and Eddie Anderson to shut down the passing attack of the 49ers, this forced Dassel to adopt more of a run selection and was ultimately the demise of his game leading Cameron to the win.

Dassel vs. Cameron: Game 2
In a game that is being dubbed, “the greatest championship game ever” we saw all the elements of drama. Dassel decides to forego the coin toss at the beginning of the game and wants player 2 controller (I believe this was a Jedi mind trick). Cameron can’t believe it and quickly picks his Oilers, with Dassel choosing the New York Football Giants. At first glance, one might think that this would be a shootout from the Oilers and a ball control game from the Giants. Actually, it was just the opposite; Cameron playing on Dassel weak pass D picked mostly runs and ended the day with close to 185 yds. on the ground and 45 through the air. Dassel continued with his passing attack and lit up the Oilers secondary for well over 240 yds. and under 50 rushing. In the fourth, Dassel has the ball on Cameron’s 15 yd. line with a 4th down and a 14-10 lead. A FG puts him up by a TD, but he opts to go and fails on the conversion. Side note: Dassel did not punt once the entire tournament, a fact that led to his dominance. Cameron has the ball with over 3 to play in the game and drives to Dassel’s 15 yd. line. Next, Cameron fumbles and Dassel recovers giving him the ball with a 4 pt. lead and time to milk the clock. However, in his “gunslinger” mentality Dassel comes out passing and throws a pick the first play. This gives Cameron the ball at the 30. He drives and scores giving him a 17-14 lead with a little over two minutes to play in the game. A quick pass and a nice run get him into FG range with a little under 1 min. to play. He takes a couple of shots at the end zone, but to no avail. 8 seconds to go 4th and 10 from the Oilers 35 yd line. Dassel decides to go for the win, with only one play left he chooses a shotgun pass. Drops back runs to the fifty and to the top of the screen, the throw is up and just as the Tecmo Gods have done for over a decade they allow Mark Ingram to catch a pass in between FOUR defenders and land in the end zone for the emotional victory 21-17. The crowd goes nuts, and Cameron sinks to the floor as if he has been DONKEY PUNCHED; he is rendered speechless and can only say one thing, “that’s Tecmo for ya”. Meanwhile, Dassel finally cements his legacy into Tecmo lore. When the “people’s champ” was asked about his historical victory, “what can I say? The Tecmo gods were lookin’ out for me today”.

If you made it this far, I’m impressed.

See ya next year

Westside Tecmo Bowl Commish

Massage therapy more than just the magic touch

"The personal contact that happens in a massage is intimate," Gibson said.

ALL SHOOK UP

Elvis Impersonator, Rod Carpenter, of Richmond, recently entertained the residents at Heritage Manor nursing home in Shelbyville.

Photo from ShelbyNews.com

Physical Educator is tops in his field

"P.E. is not glorified recess."

Boiler Bug Barn

Welcome home, creepy crawlies

Goodbye, old friend

The deal is sealed--Artest agrees to head to Kings

Campus invasion

IU is marketing itself just off Purdue campus

Filthy rectory has costly clean up

Apparently a former pastor didn't clean his rectory very often.

Robo Bucky

Fighting poachers with the DNR’s Decoy detective

Sudden Snow

Les Eger, Goshen, rides his bike along Logan Street through the snow on his way to work this morning. A snowstorm arrived quickly and ended abruptly this morning in the Goshen area.

(Photo by Jeff Arbogast/Goshen News)

No sled? No problem!

Use these instead.

Time to rebel

On April 2, when parts of Indiana change time zones and all of the state goes on daylight-saving time, Ted Fleischaker knows what he'll do: nothing.

"I'm not springing forward," said Fleischaker, Marion County, who publishes the gay newspaper "The Word" and collects clocks.

He doesn't think he'll be the only one engaging in a little bit of civil disobedience, because for many people, no issue is more important than this one, he said.

"I'm gay, and I care a lot more about this issue than gay marriage. Or property taxes," Fleischaker said. "I'm just kind of a time fanatic, and I'm just not doing it."

Beans in brownies?

By MONICA JOSEPH/Goshen News Food Editor

I stumbled across the idea to feature beans for the Good Taste page while on an interview for a completely different subject.

I was chatting with board members from CARE House, a “home away from home” for cancer patients, when we got off the subject as I often do when interviewing fun people. Somehow, the subject of Dietitian Becky Overholt’s “Black Bean Brownie” recipe came up.

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Sword Play

Greenfield-Central High School students performing in the upcoming production of “Romeo and Juliet” got a little taste of Hollywood during the weekend thanks to theater director Ted Jacobs.

Tim Weske, a respected stage-fighting expert who has choreographed hundreds of fight scenes for stars like Brad Pitt and Antonio Banderas, gave a weekend seminar and taught cast members the basics of staged sword fighting.

Good luck enforcing this law

Indiana one of seven states to prohibit online gambling

Be a ghost spotter

A fascinating - and at least somewhat credible - old legend exists within the ancient walls of Evansville's Willard Library: It's a living, breathing haunted house.

The first reported incident happened sixty years ago to a library employee who trekked through the snowy cold for his nightly duty. Since then, countless other employees and patrons have reported seeing this apparition, each giving an eerily similar description.

What the witnesses have reportedly seen is a ghostly vision of a woman dressed in grey - from the veil covering her face all the way down to her shoes. There have also been reports of "weird happenings among the shelves."

Is the legend true? We'll leave that for you to decide...

Click HERE to check out Willard's Ghost Cams.

Information from 14WFIE.com

Dog’s best friend may be his poop-scooper

Dog droppings seem to lie stealthily in wait for an unsuspecting victim, whether a dog owner or an innocent pedestrian.

What can you do? Hire a professional.

Indiana's top male model

E-mail your inquiries to the Hoosier State's very own Kyle Wonderful at kylew82@hotmail.com.

School Spirit

A student section at Hanover College’s men’s basketball game with Transylvania University looked like a Halloween costume party — after all there was Superman, the Incredible Hulk, Spiderman and various other characters — but it’s just the creative way some students show their support for the Panthers. Transylvania’s Joey Searle (50) managed to ignore the show while sinking two late free throws in the Pioneers’ 65-63 win over Hanover.

(Photo by David Campbell/Madison Courier)

Sudoku puzzles go from geek to chic at IU

Logic problems grow in popularity, help professors teach courses

Living Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, talks to Meadowlawn Elementary students about his life and struggles during a convocation Thursday morning.

Animal magnetism

Seth Lawyer, Evan Matlock, Kyle Jacobs (holding plaque), Aaron Jones, and teacher Scott Jacobs display the award they won for judging the quality of sheep, pigs and cattle in Denver, Colo.

Cheaters never win?

Students may not fully understand academic dishonesty rules

Indiana counties go back in time

All Hoosiers to get daylight-saving for first time in decades

Eating crow

How should a city of 60,000 humans respond to an annual invasion of 30,000 to 70,000 crows? Pass out free umbrellas?

UPDATE: Terre Haute crows face cannon blasts

Anything for charity

Huntington County Community Schools Superintendent laughs after being hit in the face with a shaving cream pie during halftime of the boys' basketball game Tuesday night. The event was sponsored by Team Copaxone, a group raising funds for the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Photo by Andrew Hancock

Chocola says 2006 a 'critical year' in Iraq

LAPORTE — A continuing transition from U.S. coalition forces to Iraqi-led army and then Iraqi police should help in speeding up the return of American troops, U.S. Rep. Chris Chocola, R-Bristol, said Tuesday.

So you want to be thinner

"I have never been the skinny chick."

Clermont women caught with their pants down

“Apparently, it was a birthday party for one of [Tyra’s] friends,” Police Chief Bill Newman said. “They were on the porch and they dropped their pants down and the husband of one of the ladies was on the sidewalk taking their pictures.”

In search of comfort on the commode

"My best friend and I went out the other day and bought two new toilets."

Lassie has got nothing on these guys

Morgan County Deputy Steve Hoffman pats Dusty, left, and Butch. Butch held a flashlight in his mouth while Dusty tried to keep his owner, Bill Burns, warm, saving the man's life Thursday evening.

Eating healthy may actually save you money

Everybody knows that a regular diet of greasy, sugary, fattening foods is bad for you. But it also is bad for your budget.

Students protest Coca-Cola's presence at IU

Eight students lying face down with faux morbidity in pools of their own red blood made of felt were of little concern to those in attendance at Saturday's trustee press conference.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

The golden arches at the McDonald’s on 30th Street in Connersville crashed to the ground during a storm that brought high winds late Friday, according to store Manager Julie Bennett. She said the sign fell just before midnight on Friday and sounded like a bomb when it hit the ground. She said she expects the store to get a new sign due to the amount of damage the arches sustained.

Ball State upsets No. 6 Penn State in men's volleyball

Dave Carlson made 38 assists and 2 service aces during last weekend's games.

Am I the only one who didn't know colleges had men's volleyball? Sounds like some kind of liberal conspiracy.

Monroe County's smoking ordinance has turned Ellettsville into an oasis

If your idea of an oasis is a town of 5,000 chain smokers.

A little dab will do you

Bingo gets a competitive edge at these area halls, where jackpots run as much as $1,000.

Picture this

One year after taking office, Gov. Mitch Daniels has finally gotten around to decorating his Statehouse office.

But he didn't just shuffle around some of the paintings of former governors. Instead, he cleared the office's south wall for a new set of portraits -- those of historically important Hoosiers.

Deer barges into Evansville movie rental store

Demands store's last copy of Bambi.

You’ll flip Over Flap-Jack’s in Lebanon

"I love to go out for breakfast."

Team Major Taylor leader banned from Little 500

The IU Student Foundation announced it will ban the director of Team Major Taylor, IU's first all-black cycling team, from all Little 500 activities.

The ban comes after a two-year investigation of Courtney Bishop about reported recruiting violations, in which time IUSF claims Bishop promised riders scholarships in exchange for participation on the team.

Your unfriendly neighborhood grouch

Don’t trash ‘grouches’: Sometimes they beat the blight

A bunch of bull

Madison man rides his way to rodeo stardom

Robo Dog

Dog-gone? Microchipping and licensing can bring him back home.

Hoot ya gonna call when you’re down and owl-t

One of the fiercest predators in Decatur County was recently captured with nothing more than a fishing net and a set of welding gloves.

‘Spank club’ uncovered in Kokomo

It might not seem intuitive that opening a club with whipping posts and leather floggers would improve public safety, but that’s exactly what Larry and Kathy King have in mind.

They wanted to go somewhere that makes Russia seem like paradise

Russian National Ballet to perform ‘Swan Lake’ at ISU.

Just a typical IU student

While browsing the shelves at Borders bookstore, this freshman picked up, "Teen Witch," the book that would change her life...

Losing it

Larissa Hittle, membership and marketing director for the YMCA of Michiana, shows a Speedo and child's cup of Kool-Aid that people have left behind. The 10-drawer file cabinet to her left also is full of abandoned items.

Geared to Amish

Buses take members of area Amish community to Florida vacations, other points of interest

No one goes there anyway

A call from The Brazil Times to dispatcher Kelly Althouse, Indiana Department of Transportation, Sunday morning was the first time the state received information about the eastbound exit sign being bent in half. She said that there could be a number of reasons why the sign has been down since at least Friday. The sign could have been hit by a semi or the wind could have blown it over. She encourages motorists to inform INDOT dispatch of items of this nature found on state roads and highways at (812) 232-7921.

Photo by Edie Campe/The Brazil Times

Certain foods can help keep you warm this winter

"Multipurpose Curried Split-Pea Purée" is a good cold-weather food that easily can be made into a soup.

I think I would rather freeze to death.

Decatur Central, Mooresville perform well in Mid-State meet

Decatur Central’s Aaron Kelso attacks the water as he races through the breaststroke portion of the 200-yard individual medley during Thursday’s preliminary round of the Mid-State Conference swim meet at Mooresville’s Curry Center Natatorium.

Logansport fights back

In the ongoing effort to improve community appearance, there is a new tool to fight an ongoing problem.

Logansport officials last week announced the creation of a graffiti hotline.

Rants, raves and random thoughts from Rushville

"Why in the world would anyone want to be like Rush Limbaugh? The man is a joke, his ideals are rubbish and concocted, plus he's a reforming drug addict. Oh, wait, he's a Republican, isn't he? Man, no wonder so many from around here want to be like Rush Limbaugh."

Of meatloaf, Indians and dogs

?????????????

Mount up your steed and prepare to ride

The headline, the photo, and the subject matter; this article has it all!

I hope they didn't pay top dollar for that camera

Another fine photo from the Decator Daily Democrat

Louise Wolpert displays a copy of Frederick Shroyer's, "It Happened in Wayland," in preparation for a "citywide read" of the book during the month of January. (Photo by Jim Langham)

West Terre Haute says no to Club Koyote

Click photo for larger view

Standing-room-only crowd turns out to protest exotic bar’s rezoning request

My name is Bond, James Jr. Bond

Now playing at Decatur County Memorial Hospital: “His, Mine and Ours,” starring James Bond.

Alice Jarman, from New Castle, gave birth to the first two Decatur County babies of 2006 on Tuesday at 11:35 a.m. Her daughter, Jasmine Marie Bond, came first and weighed in at 5 pounds. Her son, James Lee Bond Jr., arrived two minutes later and weighed 6 pounds 6 ounces. Jarman found out last spring she would give birth to twins.

The father was neither shaken nor stirred by the multiple births.

“Twins run in both sides of our family,” said James Bond, the proud dad.

The couple decided to name their first child together after him, which could be a mixed blessing.

“I have been razzed about it all my life,” Bond said. “People hang up when I call them on the phone.”

No Super Bowl for Brazil's cable subscribers

ABC still off Brazil cable, available from Indianapolis on Dish Network

Rosie the Riveter is coming to Evansville!

***SPECIAL EVENT***

ROSIE THE RIVETER

“THE GAL WHO BUILT THE LSTS AND P-47s”

TIME & DATE: 7:00PM ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2006

AT THE EVANSVILLE MUSEUM OF ARTS, HISTORY, AND SCIENCE

411 SE RIVERSIDE DRIVE

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL 812-435-8678

Sauerkraut: It smells like a winner

Drum roll, please.

"And according to foodies in the know, we're now pleased to announce that the hot new food for 2006 is ..."

Sauerkraut?

They don't know the year in Rensselaer

2001 Relay for Life a huge success
By LUKE DUNSCOMBE

RENSSELAER -- This year's Relay for Life proved to be bigger and better than anyone thought. The goal for this year was set at $80,000, and the actual money raised far surpassed that at over $135,000.

Nirider goes all distances

WeBo swimmer is a three-sport athlete

Exhibit features the abstract...

...and by abstract they mean "crap."

Lions and tigers in Flat Rock, oh my!

Some people who live near a farm where wildlife officers last fall removed several Bengal tigers, spotted leopards and black bears want state officials to deny a request from the animals' owner to keep three of them.

A public hearing was held Tuesday night on the wild-animal permits that the owner, Dennis Hill, has sought to keep a mountain lion and two tigers on his Shelby County property.

Poppy’s predicament

Top story from yesterday's Madison Courier:

Poppy the cat is working on his third life, and Kelly Misamore isn’t anxious for him to start a fourth.

Monticello joins us in the 21st century

City conquering Web site construction

(Notice how the Monticello Herald Journal's story on the matter is one giant paragraph)

Welcome to your one-stop source for Marion area real estate services

Daleville man's class ring returned 30 years after theft

Thirty years have passed since someone stole Ron Everett's high school ring, and as the years went by, he said he forgot about it, figuring it was long gone.

So he couldn't believe it when his ex-wife, a secretary at Daleville High school, called last week to say the gold ring with a blue stone inscribed with his initials had been sent to the east-central Indiana school.

Sharing Outdoors by Bill Quilliam

I was sitting here thinking about duck hunting, of all things. That is the coldest sport in the world.

Hulk Out!

Zionsville graduate Chuck Robinson has much to cheer about, as he has recovered from pneumonia to be a force on this season’s Carson-Newman College wrestling team.

Virtual Reality

Craig Weldy, owner of Shelby Virtual Systems and Mechnet network Name Center, holds a compact disc that contains computer data. When Weldy bought his first computer in 1978, the technology to make CDs didn’t exist.

Photo for THE NEWS by STEVE TALBERT

2005 was a very boring year in Greene County

The top 10 stories for 2005 in The Evening World/Daily Citizen's coverage area:

1 - Crane survives BRAC by keeping a majority of its jobs.
2 - Bureau of Motor Vehicles office in Bloomfield comes under fire.
3 - State buys Goose Pond and Beehunter Marsh.
4 - Gas prices skyrocket after hurricanes hit Gulf Coast region.
5 - Shakamak ISTEP problems.
6 - Worthington soldier killed in Iraq.
7 - West Gate @ Crane/Bloomfield dog killed (tie).
8 - Eastern Greene to build new high school.
9 - Linton library project moves forward.
10 - Ron Hasler to retire as Bloomfield School District superintendent.

From DailyCitizen.com

Minister aids Harrison, Floyd, and Clark schools in reaching Hispanics...

...and not by scaring the hell out of them either.

Giving himself a pat on the back

North Daviess Lady Cougar coach Roger Carrithers demonstrates to an official how he thought one of his players was fouled during the Lady Cougars’ 33-19 win at Loogootee on Thursday. North Daviess improved to 8-4 on the season with the win.

Photo By Mike Myers/Washington Times-Herald

Intuitive eating

The diet that's not

Polar Bear Plunge

MUNCIE -- What's it like to plunge your entire body into a pool of ice water in 40-degree weather?

Crown Point woman has to prove she's alive

Thelma Saberniak isn't dead.

But getting the federal government to believe it hasn't been easy.

Fiesta Fever

Loyal Notre Dame fans pumped up for some serious footbowl

New Years 2006

Alma and Nathan Blankenship of Muncie share a kiss while dancing to The Walking Catfish at a New Year's Eve party at Doc's.

Photo by Melanie Maxwell/TheStarPress.com

VIDEO: Kokomo's New Year celebration

With just seconds before the start of 2006, the New Year's ball slowly descended the side of the First National Bank in downtown Kokomo. The crowd of over 400 chanted the countdown cheering on the falling orb.

Does he look relaxed to you?

NBA lifestyle relaxes Keady

Former Boilermaker coach enjoying view from Raptors bench

Tuesday, January 31, 2006