Thursday, April 30, 2015

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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, A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 5 | I D S N E W S . C O M

IDS

Woman reports battery at Teter From IDS Reports

A female resident at Thompson Hall in Teter Quad reported a suspicious male on the floor around 8:15 p.m. He was accused of battery and fled the scene, according to an IUBloomington crime alert sent shortly before 11 p.m. Wednesday. The suspect is unknown, but police know the male is 6 feet tall and was last seen wearing a white ski mask with dark clothing and carrying a duffel bag. The female resident was not injured. The IU Police Department urges anyone with information about the case to call 812-855-6706. This story will be updated. Alison Graham

BASEBALL

MARY KATHERINE WILDEMAN | IDS

James Roberts is one of the first participants of Monroe County’s new Mental Health Court, a preventative court designed to address offenders’ mental health concerns. Roberts was charged with check fraud, a felony and served a year in the Monroe County Jail beginning in February 2014.

IDS INVESTIGATES HEALING AND PUNISHMENT

Staying afloat New preventative court tackles mental illness in the justice system By MK Wildeman marwilde@indiana.edu

A group of about 10 people sat under the fluorescent courtroom lights, waiting to speak to the judge. They had all been in trouble with the law and were all facing inner battles with mental illness. They had been given a chance to rehabilitate through Mental Health Court under the guidance of Todd Judge Kenneth Todd. On that rainy morning in February, the preventative court was only in its first month. Mental Health Court is meant to ensure that people struggling with mental health concerns make their meetings, take medications and find a secure living situation. Monroe County has done what it can to address an in-

creasing number of mental health-related cases in the justice system; the new preventative court is the latest of these attempts. Todd just cannot be sure that it will work. * * * Mental Health Court usually starts at 8 a.m., but that Tuesday morning, Todd was late. The participants chatted idly to pass the time. They talked about boyfriends or girlfriends, new apartments and fresh tattoos. A boredlooking officer popped his bubblegum. When the judge arrives, one of the first to be called to his bench is a young man in a faded blue shirt. Soft-spoken and polite, James Roberts explains his living situation to Todd. Roberts has schizophrenia, and it had only been two weeks since he was released after a year in jail. Nothing about jail was

easy. Although he was able to get his medications during his stay, he said the drugs hardly helped. He felt like there was no air to breathe. During his year in jail, he saw many of the same people come and go. Those with a mental illness oftentimes didn’t know how to help themselves, Roberts said. When Roberts came to jail, he decided it would be his last stay. He had been locked up before and couldn’t do it anymore. He comes from bad circumstances in Indianapolis, he says, and now he deserves better. “There were some things I went through that I shouldn’t have to go through anymore,” Roberts said. Now, his housing is uncertain. For the moment, he’s staying in a rehab center run by Centerstone, Bloomington’s behavioral healthcare provider. Todd is pleased with Roberts’ progress. The rest of the

This is part three of a three-part series Read the entire series on idsnews.com. participants give him a hearty round of applause. But not everyone does as well as Roberts. Of the 10 to 12 people enrolled, Todd said three have already had significant issues in the first two weeks. Jeremy, one of the court participants, has gotten off track with his group meetings. Todd is concerned he is living in a cheap motel where many people battling addiction stay. He instructed Jeremy to find a new place to live. “Jeremy,” Todd said. “You’re like a roller coaster.” * * * Bloomington has never been a “nail ’em and jail ’em” SEE MENTAL HEALTH, PAGE 6

IU loses fourth straight in extras 6-5 By Michael Hughes michhugh@indiana.edu | @MichaelHughes94

IU was one out away from breaking its three-game losing streak. The Hoosiers had their closer, senior Ryan Halstead, on the mound with two outs, a runner on second and a two-run lead. Halstead threw a curveball low and inside, what he said was as good a pitch as he could throw. What followed wasn’t good. Indiana State outfielder Landon Curry sent the ball sailing over the wall in right field for his second career home run to tie the game at five. All middle infielders Nick Ramos and Casey Rodrigue could do was turn to each other, laugh and say “come on.” An inning later, Indiana State SEE BASEBALL, PAGE 6

Joint party celebrates local art, music By Adam Smith adbsmith@indiana.edu | @adbsmithIU

2015 Pulitzer Prize winner speaks to class By Alyson Malinger afmaling@indiana.edu | @aly_mali

Lisa Falkenberg, winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary, visited Ernie Pyle Hall to share her journalistic journey. Falkenberg spoke on Wednesday as a guest of J360: Behind the Prize, taught by professor of practice Tom French. Over the course of the semester, students in the class heard from top media professionals who have won or been finalists for top prizes, including the Pulitzer. After each talk, the audience participates in a question and answer session. Falkenberg won the Pulitzer on April 20 for her work at the Houston Chronicle, which the Pulitzer board praised “for her provocative metro columns written from the perspective of a sixth-generation Texan, often challenging the powerful and giving voice to the voiceless.” Her series of columns last summer about grand jury abuses formed the bulk of the 10 columns submitted for the prize. This is the first Pulitzer Prize awarded to the Houston Chronicle. Touching on her recent win, Falkenberg considered last year even more shocking when she was first nominated as a finalist. She joked that this year she felt a lot of pressure from her colleagues to

SCOTT TENEFRANCIA | IDS

Lisa Falkenberg, 2015 Pulitzer Prize winner for Commentary, speaks with students Wednesday in Ernie Pyle Hall.

win a Pulitzer after being a finalist. The few days after winning the Pulitzer are busy for the winner, French said, and everyone who they have ever met in their life will want to congratulate them. A self-identified introvert, Falkenberg said she felt weird having all eyes on her.

As a columnist, Falkenberg said she has to let the creative side of her brain take over, even when on deadline. “I didn’t write the column,” Falkenberg said. “A little muse comes in every time I need a story and writes the column for me.” As a child of a truck driver fa-

ther and a stay-at-home mother, Falkenberg said she was known as the annoying girl always asking questions. When she discovered journalism in a class in high school she said she thought there could be no better job in the SEE PULITZER, PAGE 6

Union Board’s Live From Bloomington and Canvas Creative Arts Magazine celebrate the arts in and around the Bloomington campus, and tonight they are joining together for a special event. Live From Bloomington and Canvas Creative Arts Magazine are hosting a premiere party at 7 p.m. today in the Blockhouse. Live From Bloomington is celebrating the vinyl record release of its 2015 compilation, and Canvas Creative Arts Magazine is celebrating its spring 2015 edition. The event will feature poetry readings, art installations and live music. Bands from Live From Bloomington’s compilation are performing, including Sunspots, The Underhills and Fluffer. Connor Foy, director of Live From Bloomington, said Canvas Creative Arts Magazine and Live From Bloomington collaborate on the event because the Union Board committees that support local arts need to stick together. “It just makes a lot of sense to do those things together because in the grand context of what Union Board can do, like the Little 500 concert, the rest of us have to kind of band together to make a big splash,” Foy said. SEE PARTY, PAGE 6 LIVE FROM BLOOMINGTON AND CANVAS RELEASE PARTY 7 p.m. today, The Blockhouse


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