Chief IlliniwekThe University of Illinois Board of Trustees’ decision to deactivate the Chief Illiniwek mascot led the NCAA to lift sanctions that had barred Illinois from hosting postseason sports since 2005. The NCAA had deemed Chief Illiniwek an offensive use of American Indian imagery. Chief Illiniwek was created in 1926. Each year a student performed an Indian dance at home football and basketball games in buckskin regalia and impressive headdress.University of Illinois will keep the terms Illini and Fighting Illini. Activists against the chief, such as John McKinn, a Maricopa Indian who is assistant director of academic programming for the school’s Native American studies program, think the use of those terms is still offensive and should be abolished, as well.

Basketball Final: Illinois 54, Michigan 42

Chief Illiniwek’s final appearance will be at a University of Illinois basketball halftime show next Wednesday.

In 2005 the NCAA deemed Illiniwek — the University of Illinois mascot portrayed by buckskin-clad students who dance at home football and basketball games and other athletic events — an offensive use of American Indian imagery and barred the university from hosting championship postseason events. American Indian groups complained for years that the mascot, in use since 1926, is demeaning. Proponents of Chief Illiniwek say it honors the contributions of American Indians.

The University of Illinois received a letter from the NCAA dated Thursday that said the school will no longer be banned from hosting postseason events if it ends use of the mascot and related American-Indian imagery.

On Friday, a Champaign County Circuit Court judge rejected two students’ request for a court order to ban the University of Illinois from “capitulating to the NCAA by announcing the retirement of Chief Illiniwek.”

The NCAA said it believes its sanctions are legal.

There has been no announcement about a new mascot, but the University of Illinois will keep the phrase ‘Fighting Illini.’

‘Hail to the Orange’ lyrics below …

Hail to the Orange
Hail to the Orange,
Hail to the Blue,
Hail Alma Mater,
Ever so true!
We love no other
So let our motto be
Victory, Illinois! Varsity!

Follow this story at The Daily Illini

At 2:00 a.m. Sunday, March 11, 2007 we will be starting the new Daylight Savings Time that was approved by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The new Daylight Savings Time that starts this year 2007 will add about one month to Daylight Savings Time.

The change means:  (1) we now change the clocks by SPRINGING FORWARD the second Sunday in March instead of the first Sunday in April; and (2) we change the clocks by FALLING BACK the first Sunday in November instead of the last Sunday in October.

You can find more helpful information about time at Arlingtoncards.com/time …

You can find more helpful information about the sun and daylight at these two pages:  Arlingtoncards.com/sun and Arlingtoncards.com/sunclock.

The National Fire Protection Association and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommend that we change the battery in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors when we change the clocks for Daylight Saving Time.