IDS Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023
INSIDE, P. 10
Cream and Crimson Exhibit opens Indiana swim and dive season
Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com
Monroe County Health Department investigates illness after student death By Ruth Cronin
rmcronin@iu.edu | @RuthCronin6
A five-year-old boy from Rogers Elementary School in Bloomington passed away from an unknown illness on the morning of Sept. 29. The Monroe County Health Department began an investigation and has ruled out bacterial meningitis, but not other life-threatening bacterial infections or viral meningitis. Tests are pending to determine if there is any public health threat. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, bacterial meningitis is caused by bacteria and can be deadly, requiring immediate medical attention. Viral meningitis cases are often less serious than bacterial meningitis and usually get better on their own. The Monroe County Health Department has identified and been in communication with 35 close contacts to the student about potential exposure, according to a statement from Health Department Administrator Lori Kelly on Monday.
GINO DIMINICH | IDS
Grey Larsen (left) and Cindy Kallet (right) perform a traditional Irish song at 6 p.m. Sept. 29, 2023, at the 4th Street Stage for the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival. This year marked the 30th year of the Bloomington arts festival.
Bloomington celebrates Lotus Festival By Carolyn Marshall caremars@iu.edu
On Sept. 30, before the Waldron, Hill and Buskirk Park grass patches filled with picnic blankets and lawn chairs, volunteers for the Lotus Education and Arts Foundation’s 30th festival set up their tent stations. The event included artist lectures and demonstration workshops, live performances on Lotus’ main stage and visual arts activities in the artists camp from noon-5 p.m. One volunteer stationed at the artist workshop tent, Grace Rimkunas, said this was her third year volunteering for the Lotus festival. She recieved her master’s in arts administration from IU in 2021 and currently works at the IU auditorium. Rimkunas said this kind of festival was like
nothing she’s seen before. She said she expects festivals of this caliber to be in bigger cities which makes this festival so special to Bloomington. “The community of Bloomington, they appreciate and celebrate the arts like it’s no one's business,” she said. Rimkunas said the Lotus festival exposes the community to varying musical genres which they may initially be unaware of. She was especially excited for workshop artist Danmore Kusaya. For his workshop, Kusaya, who is originally from Zimbabwe, brought up a few of his students from Fairview Elementary School. They performed “Spirit of the Lion” which he said was a song representing humans’ connection to nature and all that
surrounds them. After the performance, multiple audience members went up to Kusaya to comment on his talent and thank him for his time with the students. “The music is the only reason why I’m here today. I like when people hear the music and hear the story and learn about where it comes from,” Kusaya said. From the audience, Tim Dunham expressed his appreciation for experiences offered by this festival. For his wife's birthday, the couple had gone to the Lotus festival music venues the night before, which they enjoyed thoroughly. By the main stage, audience member Michael Cain grooved to the IU African American Dance Company’s live performance. Cain graduated from IU with a degree in biology and has
The Monroe County Health Department said anyone who is contacted as a close contact is recommended to receive prophylactic antibiotics within 24 hours of a confirmed diagnosis, out of an abundance of caution. All 35 contacts have received postexposure prophylaxis, a medication used for unprotected contact with bacterial infections. For others with casual contact, such as in schoolrelated activities, the risk of infection is low. Parents are recommended to make sure their child is up to date on all vaccinations, according to the Monroe County Health Department. No other cases have been identified or investigated, according to the press release. The Monroe County Health Department said they responded out of caution but do not yet know if there is a threat to public health. They are working with the Indiana Department of Health and will update the Monroe County community and school system as more information becomes available.
been in Bloomington ever since. He’s been coming to Lotus since it started and said he is grateful for a community that supports the arts like Bloomington does. The executive director of the Lotus World Music and Arts festival, Katarina Koch, said that she feels connected to the town of Bloomington especially since she graduated from IU a few years back. She said that’s why she feels so strongly about Lotus’ mission, expressing appreciation for the support that Bloomington gives the organization. “We can bring music and art and help build the culture or allow the culture to come out of the woodworks.” she said.
IUSG announces preliminary results of congressional election
SEE LOTUS, PAGE 4
SEE IUSG, PAGE 4
By Colin Cunningham
cunnicol@iu.edu | @colincunningham
The IU Student Government announced its 2023-24 fall congressional election results Oct. 2. The election results of residential representatives and vacancy elections of academic representatives are as follows:
Central Neighborhood (3 Seats): » Anshu Roja Selvamani » Maddi Sponsel » Brandon Rodriguez
Northwest Neighborhood (3 Seats): » Ethan Hood » Aya Wiles » Shane Sanders
TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
SAMANTHA SMITH| IDS
Pumpkins are seen at Fowler Pumpkin Patch on Sept. 21, 2023. The location opened for the season Sept. 23, 2023.
Congress passes stopgap spending bill to avoid government shutdowndown
Family-owned pumpkin patch now open for fall season By Madelyn Hanes mrhanes@iu.edu
Fowler Pumpkin Patch, a family-owned seasonal pumpkin patch located at 5060 N. Greene County Line Rd., opened last week for its fall season. The pumpkin patch was founded eight years ago. Fowler Pumpkin Patch offers free admission to all with the option to par-
ticipate in activities for a small fee. The pumpkin patch is open 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Fowler Pumpkin Patch owner Perry Fowler said that the farm has been in the family for more than 50 years. Before that, his aunt and uncle ran a Christmas
The U.S. Capitol is pictued on Feb. 6, 2023, in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Senate narrowly avoided a government shutdown Saturday by voting 88-9 in favor of a stopgap spending bill, ensuring federal government funding until Nov. 17.
By Colin Cunningham
cunnicol@iu.edu | @colincunningham
tree farm for 60 years. He said the Christmas tree farm inspired him to open a pumpkin patch. Fowler Pumpkin Patch offers a variety of activities for families of all ages. Some of the activities include picking your own pumpkin, a corn maze, a petting zoo and hayrides. SEE PUMPKIN, PAGE 4
The U.S. Senate narrowly avoided a government shutdown Sept. 30 by voting 88-9 in favor of a stopgap spending bill, ensuring federal government funding until Nov. 17. President Biden promptly signed the bill into law hours before the 12:01 a.m. deadline on Oct. 1. If the deadline was not met, essential government
operations continue, while federal agencies devise contingency plans specifying which functions persist, cease, and how many employees are furloughed until the shutdown concludes. The House and Senate adjourned until Oct. 2, with negotiations expected to resume upon their return, as they need to pass another spending bill before departing for Thanksgiving, giving them more than a month to finalize the provisions for a
Bloomington's 7 Day Forecast
long-term spending bill. The legislation allocates $16 billion in emergency disaster assistance, a request made by the White House, and also extends the Federal Aviation Administration's authorization and funding until the year's end. The FAA is responsible for regulating and overseeing civil aviation activities to ensure safety, efficiency, and environmental sustainability. SEE SHUTDOWN, PAGE 4
SOURCE: XANDER LOWRY | XLOWRY@IU.EDU GRAPHICS BY: THE WEATHER CHANNEL
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