I N D I A N A D A I LY S T U D E N T | T H U R S D AY, F E B R U A R Y 6 , 2 0 1 4 | I D S N E W S . C O M
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Business tax cut could hurt schools, services BY KATE STARR kastarr@indiana.edu
THE LOUD INTROVERT GLORY SHEELEY | IDS
Kenny Childers’ has played music for more than two decades in Bloomington. He is currently collaborating with indie-pop duo Lily & Madeleine for their second album and finishing recording a new album for his band, Gentleman Caller.
Bloomington’s Kenny Childers has performed for 23 years, singing about love and loss BY LYNDSAY JONES jonesly@indiana.edu
Kenny Childers said he never doubted music would be some part of his life. When he’s not distributing IUanyWare software for University Information Technology Services, Childers fronts the local alternative rock band Gentleman Caller. “I was drawn to music at an early age, in kind of an obsessive way,” Childers said. “I would listen to the radio as a kid, and if I heard a song I liked, then that was it. That’s all I would listen to, over and over.” Childers has been involved with music professionally for 23 years, occupying various roles in local bands such as Stranded at the Drive-In, Velo Deluxe and Mysteries of Life. A fifth album for Gentleman Caller is expected to release at the end of the summer. The album will precede a tour,
something Childers said he doesn’t enjoy. “I don’t like crowded spaces,” he said. “I like being on stage, I like it when we’re driving. But that whole getting to a place and waiting to play, and the talking and the feeling like I have to be turned on is kind of exhausting. I’m kind of a loud introvert.” Childers plays guitar and bass in addition to being a lead vocalist. Long-time friend David England said Childers is as proficient a lyricist as he is a musician. “He writes songs constantly,” England said. “He has enough songs to make at least two albums right now.” He said Childers’ reputation as a lyricist allows the musician to collaborate with local artists Heidi Gluk and duo Lily & Madeleine. Childers said he is also helping England write a record of his own. “He’s just all over the place,” England said. Childers’ lyrics might derive some
writing — some other weirdos that I connected with, and we helped push each other’s writing.” When he’s not in the studio or at UITS, Childers raises his two children. He has a 4-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son. “I don’t really have time for anything else,” Childers said. Though Childers agreed Gentleman Caller has the potential to make it big, he said it’s not something he thinks about. “It’s not something I dwell on,” Childers said. “It’s not a healthy way to think, for me.” Childers said his goal is to continue making music and writing lyrics, regardless of the outcome. “I kind of realized it’s not a choice for me,” he said. “It’s what makes me happy. It’s the thing I’m doing where I feel most like myself.”
of their power from how personal they are, England said. Gentleman Caller’s third album, “Wake,” contains lyrics expressing the grief Childers felt at the loss of his daughter, Roxy, at 37 weeks. “He’s got some demons,” England said. “If you want to get down there with him, they’re in his songs.” Childers said his lyrics are part of his therapy, and his approach to mental health. “I guess you pick up baggage in life as you go sometimes, so writing through those things makes those things matter,” Childers said. “It gives them a place. I guess songs are a little bit like exorcisms for me.” Childers said his hands, often covered in ink, are a testament to his love for words. So is his English degree from IU that he received in 1996. “I was an English major because I liked books and writing,” Childers said. “I think it helped because I met a lot of cool people through creative
Follow reporter Lyndsay Jones on Twitter @lyndsayjonesy.
Despite weather, no closing Wednesday BY TORI FATER vrfater@indiana.edu
IU-Bloomington operations continued as scheduled Wednesday despite a “watch” travel advisory issued by Monroe County Emergency Management and a winter storm warning issued for central Indiana. A watch advisory, according to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security website, means travel conditions threaten the safety of the public. The Department of Homeland Security recommended only essential travel, meaning travel to and from work or in emergency situations, and recommended emergency action plans should be implemented by schools, government agencies and other organizations. IU spokesman Mark Land said he and Provost Lauren Robel spoke with members of the facilities’ staff and the human resources department early Wednesday morning. Based on that input, Robel decided not to cancel classes or close campus. “It stopped snowing around midnight or so,” Land said. “Our
guys had all night to work on it, and they had really done a nice job by five o’clock this morning.” He said the group considered the weather forecast and road conditions and received input from Emergency Management as well. “We get input on what the road conditions are in the city, what other local governmental agencies are doing,” he said. “Ultimately it’s the provost’s decision, but she gets a lot of input before she makes it.” Monroe County has been under a watch advisory two other days in 2014 — both during the so-called polar vortex in early January. IU President Michael McRobbie closed all IU campuses during the polar vortex. According to protect. iu.edu, IU-Bloomington was closed 9 p.m. Jan. 5 to 5 p.m. Jan. 7, with only essential personnel required to report to campus. Land said it was simpler to close campus at that time than it would be when classes were in session, because there were few campus events scheduled, and many IU employees and students had not yet returned to campus. He said the decision to close campus also took into account the
SLICK ROADS CAUSE DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS Turn to page 3 for information on car crashes that occurred in southern Indiana. dangerous weather conditions at the time. “No one’s saying that it’s not snowy and slow and sloppy, but there’s a difference between inconvenience and if it’s safe to come to class,” Land said. If classes were canceled, Land said, students and faculty would receive an announcement from IU Notify. Yesterday, when there was no change in the status of campus operations, IU Communications announced on Twitter that campus would remain open and
classes would meet as scheduled. Monroe County was downgraded to “advisory,” the lowest local travel advisory status, at 11:56 a.m. Wednesday. An advisory status means routine travel may be restricted or hazardous in certain areas. “There’s a lot of discussion,” Land said. “Obviously we don’t want to put anybody at risk, but at the same time we have a responsibility to educate students.” Follow reporter Tori Fater on Twitter @vrfater.
The Indiana State House and Senate passed separate bills Jan. 30 that would reform the business personal property tax. Supporters argue reform will help develop small businesses, but fears about lost revenue have sparked congressional debates. The business personal property tax requires that businesses pay a tax on any equipment used to produce income or hold investment. The tax produces about $1 billion in revenue a year. Without the tax, local governments will have to deal with lost income. Local governments would lose about $700 million, $150 million of which would come from school districts and about $24 million of which would come from libraries. The Senate’s bill, known as SB 1, would exempt small businesses with less than $25,000 of personal property from paying the tax. The House bill, HB 1001, would give counties the option to exempt new equipment from the tax while still taxing any old equipment in use. The key difference between the two bills is that SB 1 is a mandate whereas HB 1001 is a countyby-county option. After passing, the Senate bill was referred to the House for review, and the House bill was referred to the Senate. HB 1001 had its first reading in the Senate on Tuesday and was referred to the Tax and Fiscal Policy committee. Rep. Eric Turner, R-Cicero, who authored HB 1001, said he believes the House’s approach will do more good than harm despite lost revenue. “Well, you could argue you can’t take something away that you never had,” he said. “Let’s say a county elects to do this and it brings in new investment to that county. If you assume that that new investment would not have come otherwise, then the county would not be losing anything.” But school and local government officials have expressed concern about the potential losses in funding. Turner argues the cut could lead to a decrease in unemployment rates as businesses expand. He said this could produce new real estate and get more children into schools, which would eventually generate more revenue from the state. Troy Phelps, business adviser at Bloomington’s Small Business Development Center, shares a similar point of view. “Well, obviously any kind of tax cut that will help small businesses is a really good thing if you keep in mind that small businesses really are what drive the economy any time the economy tanks, so to speak,” he said. “Helping small businesses to survive is a good investment of taxpayer money. But, of course, I work for small businesses all day.” Turner said he believes giving counties the option of whether or not to cut the tax is necessary to prevent financial damage. If the county does not think the potential economic growth will outweigh the revenue losses, he said, it can continue to tax businesses’ equipment through the personal property tax. However, neither Turner nor Phelps thinks the counties will decide the latter. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m not convinced that just because we have a tax cut for small businesses that it has to be made up dollar-for-dollar on the other side of the fence,” Phelps said. “I think the overall impact will make up for it.”
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