Major news events of the year

March 2008

Mar 1 - Carmel, Heritage Christian, Plymouth and Fort Wayne Canterbury high schools were the winners of the Indiana girls basketball state finals.

Mar 2 - Dmitry Medvedev, Vladimir Putin's handpicked successor, was elected president of Russia in a landslide.

Mar. 10 - Hoosier John Mellencamp was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Mar. 10 - The Associated Press released results of a five-month investigation which found numerous pharmaceuticals in the drinking water supply of at least 41 million Americans in 24 major metropolitan areas - including Indianapolis where caffeine was detected.

Mar. 11 - Democrat Andre Carson defeated Republican Jon Elrod 54 percent to 43 percent in a special election to fill Indiana's 7th congressional seat left vacant by the death of Julia Carson - Andre's grandmother.

Mar. 12 - The entire Indianapolis metro area failed the Environmental Protection Agency's air pollution standards and was placed back on a list of smog offenders. Marion County was one of 25 counties in Indiana and 345 counties nationally that exceeded recommended ozone levels.

Mar. 12 - New York Governor Elliot Spitzer said he would resign effective March 17, after being unveiled as a customer of a high-priced call-girl.

Mar. 12 - Indianapolis' Downtown Canal was refilled with water following its first cleaning in 20 years.

Mar. 13 - Indiana lawmakers reached an agreement on a property tax reform measure to cap taxes at 1 percent for homeowners and 3 percent for businesses.

Mar. 14 - Time ran out in the Indiana legislature on a much-debated bill that would have cracked down on employers who knowingly hired illegal immigrants.

Mar. 14 - Army Staff Sgt. Collin J. Bowen, 38, formerly of Marion, Ind., died at Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas where he had been undergoing treatment for wounds received Jan. 2 in Afghanistan.

Mar. 15 - Presidential candidate Barack Obama visited Central Indiana, speaking to a packed house at the Plainfield High School gymnasium.

Mar. 17 - Army Staff Sgt. Michael Elledge, 41, formerly of Brownsburg, Ind., died when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Iraq.

Mar. 18 - Former President Bill Clinton made the first of many campaign trips to Indiana on behalf of his wife Hillary.

Mar. 18 - The Federal Reserve cut interest rates again, this time by 3/4 of a percent, to 2.25%

Mar. 20 - Hillary Clinton campaigned in Indiana, emphasizing the economy - particularly job creation.

Mar. 23 - Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter announced he would not be seeking a third term in office.

Mar. 23 - With the deaths of four U.S. soldiers in Baghdad, the American death toll in Iraq surpassed 4,000.

Mar. 24 - Indiana Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh said that he was stepping down at the end of the season and giving full responsibility for the team to Pacers President Larry Bird.

Mar. 24 - Angie's List unveiled a new service in which members would begin rating physicians, dentists, pharmacies and health insurers.

Mar. 25 - The No Child Left Behind Progress Report was released and, in Indiana, 54 percent of schools met their goals for passing rates on ISTEP tests - up slightly from 52 percent in 2007. In Marion County, the passing rate was 42% -up from 40% in 2007.

Mar. 26 - Eight months after flawed property tax bills were tossed out, new reassessments were approved for Marion County with more of the tax burden shifting to industrial and commercial properties.

Mar. 28 - Amazon.com confirmed that it would build a distribution warehouse, employing 1,200 people, in Boone County in Central Indiana.

Mar. 28 - Appearing in Fort Wayne, Ind., Hillary Clinton made it clear she had no intention of quitting the race for the Democratic nomination for president saying she still believed she would be the next president of the United States. She reiterated her intention to stay in the race one day later in Indianapolis, calling the competition between her and Barack Obama good for democracy.

Mar. 31 - The Indiana Department of Child Services released its report on child abuse and neglect deaths for fiscal year 2007. They found that 36 children died as a direct result of maltreatment by caregivers - the first significant decline since the mid-1990s.