The Daily from Ball State Unified Media
Blake Taylor poses with his girlfriend, Sara Pecina. Taylor died in January 2013 after his car rolled over into a ditch filled with flood water. PHOTO PROVIDED BY SARA PECINA

'It never gets easier'

January 14, 2014

Crashing noises and then eight seconds of silence ended Sara Pecina’s final conversation with her boyfriend. Pecina and then freshman pre-business major Blake Taylor tried to talk on the phone every day to make their long distance relationship work. This included Jan. 13, 2013, when Taylor was driving back to Muncie after spending the weekend with his dad. He was talking to Pecina through headphones. Forty-five minutes into their conversation, Taylor’s car hydroplaned off the road, landing upside down in a ditch that was filled with flood water.

Ryan Penneau looks at the crowd during his Take Back College presentation Monday at Pruis Hall. Penneau
NEWS

Campus speaker brings high energy to engage students for success

By Emma Rogers / January 14, 2014

There are many motivations for going to college, but they should all lead to an intentional university experience, said a speaker on campus. College speaker Ryan Penneau visited Ball State on Monday to give his “Take Back College” presentation, which focused on motivating student’s to take advantage of their time in school to benefit their life after graduation. The main point that Penneau wanted students to take away from his presentation was “to have an intentional college experience.” Penneau’s high-energy method of speaking pushed the crowd to be enthusiastic about changing their attitudes about college.

NEWS

West Lafayette police obtain military vehicles to use as moving shield

By The Associated Press / January 14, 2014

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — An armored carrier the West Lafayette police department recently acquired from the U.S. military is being refitted and will soon serve as a “moving shield” for officers, the city’s police chief said. Police Chief Jason Dombkowski said the big truck, which has armored plating intended to protect its occupants from bomb blasts, is essentially on permanent loan from the military but can be recalled by the federal government at any time.

NEWS

Southwest grounds pilots of plane that landed at wrong airport

By The Associated Press / January 14, 2014

DALLAS — The pilots of a Southwest Airlines flight that mistakenly landed at the wrong Missouri airport were grounded Monday, less than a day after they touched down at a small airfield that gave them only half as much room as normal to stop the jet. After passengers were let off the plane Sunday evening, they noticed the airliner had come dangerously close to the end of the runway, where it could have tumbled down a steep embankment if it had left the pavement.

NEWS

NYPD arrest one of their biggest critics for fake ticket sales

By The Associated Press / January 14, 2014

NEW YORK — An outspoken opponent of the New York Police Department’s stop-and-frisk policy was accused of selling bogus tickets to Broadway shows and other sought-after events, according to court documents. Angel Ortiz, 19, was charged with grand larceny Monday. His lawyer didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.

NEWS

Supreme Court turns down proposal to ban 20-week abortions

By The Associated Press / January 14, 2014

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected Arizona’s attempt to ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The decision doesn’t disturb most of the similar prohibitions that other states have on the books. On Monday, the justices declined to reconsider a lower court ruling that says the law violates a woman’s constitutionally protected right to terminate a pregnancy before a fetus is able to survive outside the womb.

NEWS

Muncie votes to oppose recently renamed HJR-6 as state delays decision

By The Associated Press / January 13, 2014

The Muncie City Council voted unanimously Monday night to oppose bill House Joint Resolution 3. The bill, previously known as House Joint Resolution 6, would add an amendment to the Indiana Constitution defining marriage as between a man and woman, effectively banning same-sex marriage in the state. The proposed amendment also would ban anything “similar” to same-sex marriage, including civil unions. Supporters and opponents disagree on whether the proposal would also bar health and tax benefits for same-sex couples.

NEWS

Ball State alumnus looks to bring free shotgun program to Indianapolis area

By Tyler Juranovich / January 12, 2014

A Ball State alumnus plans to bring free guns and a safety program to Indianapolis in February, in an attempt to prove an armed and trained community reduces crime. The Armed Citizen Project chooses neighborhoods in cities with average to high crime rates and then offers a free pump-action shotgun to any willing citizen in the neighborhood who also passes a background check and takes part in a gun safety program.

NEWS

STEM sector jobs thrive in Indianapolis, state lags behind

By The Associated Press / January 12, 2014

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s efforts to add high-tech jobs have paid off in Indianapolis and surrounding counties — at the expense of the rest of the state, a newspaper analysis has found. The Indianapolis Business Journal analyzed U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and found Indianapolis had 39 percent more jobs in the STEM fields — science, technology, engineering and math — in 2012 than in 2001. That’s more than double the national growth rate of 17 percent.

NEWS

Today's bulletin board

By Staff Reports / January 12, 2014

Monday, Jan. 13 Take Back College Ryan Penneau, award winning public speaker and founder of Take Back College, will present a guide for first-year students at 6:30 p.m.

NEWS

Trustee president announces retirement plans

By Rachel Podnar / January 10, 2014

Hollis Hughes has stepped down as president of the Board of Trustees for Ball State after three years in the position, but will remain a trustee for two more years to fulfill is term. Hughes called his last three years the “opportunity of a lifetime.” He has served on the board for 25 years- as a member in 1989, as secretary in 2006 and as president in 2011.

NEWS

Cold weather leads to pipe problems

By Tyler Juranovich / January 10, 2014

Sections of two residence halls faced repairs after freezing temperatures caused pipes to burst Thursday. Studebaker West Complex and Kinghorn Hall are still in need of some repairs after the winter storm.

NEWS

Trustees vote to increase room and board annual increase rate

By Rachel Podnar / January 10, 2014

Ball State’s Board of Trustees voted today to increase the cost of room and board for students not on the Premium Plan. Room and board rates have increased about 3 percent annually for the past five years, according to a university press release. The board voted for those rates to rise to 3.9 percent annually.

NEWS

Temperatures and rain could lead to minor flooding

January 9, 2014

As the temperature starts to warm up and snow melts this weekend, Ball State may experience minor flooding. Dave Call, an assistant meteorology professor, said low-lying places that normally experience excess water due to heavy rainstorms may flood this weekend. The National Weather Service predicted a high of about 44 degrees Saturday. Call said this is warmer than the temperatures Muncie has been experiencing, but it isn’t high enough above the freezing point to anticipate widespread flooding.

Wind turbines spin near a home on Feb. 17, 2010, in Shabbona, Ill. The turbines are required to be at least 1,400 feet from the foundation of nearby homes. MCT PHOTO
NEWS

Wind turbines divide Indiana communities

By Lacy Bursick , Paige Southerland and Mitch Marlow / January 9, 2014

Indiana’s wind resources could provide more than 400 percent of the state’s current electricity needs, but the turbines have caused unrest in several towns. Indiana is currently ranked 15th in the U.S. for wind resources, according to the National Renewable Energy Lab. Its 930 wind turbines account for more than 2.7 percent of the state’s energy production, according to the Indiana Office of Energy Development.

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