This is the WFHB Local News for Thursday, April 30th, 2026.

In today’s newscast, the City of Bloomington Volunteer Network recognized volunteers across the community this week for the annual Be More Awards. More coverage on that during today’s headlines.

Also coming up in the next half hour, WFHB Sports Correspondent Chase Dodson brings you today’s Sports News Briefing – a rundown of local, state and national sports news.

Monroe County commissioners OK $11.375M North Park land deal for jail; now to county council

By Dave Askins

The Monroe County Board of Commissioners voted 3–0 on Thursday to approve an $11,375,000 purchase agreement for the North Park site for construction of a jail and justice center.

It’s a move that commissioner Jody Madeira framed as “not so much a vote for North Park as it is a vote against this lawsuit,” which drew immediate comment from commissioner Julie Thomas who said North Park is the only viable option on the table.

Madeira put it like this:

Just because we move forward with this purchase agreement, by the way, does not mean that if a better option presents itself, we don’t have to go down this road. If we have a better option that presents itself tomorrow, we can go with that option, but this option is before us on the table today. So to all of those who say, “The commissioners love North Park,” this is not so much a vote for North Park as it is a vote against this lawsuit.

By the “this lawsuit” Madeira meant the fresh litigation that is expected to be filed by the ACLU, if the settlement agreement related to a 2008 lawsuit is allowed to expire and the ACLU dismisses the older case.

The most recent extension of the settlement agreement goes just through May 29, having been extended on an annual basis for several years. A condition on any further extension, beyond May 29, is the approval of a purchase agreement for North Park by county commissioners before the end of April, and an approval of the same purchase agreement by the county council at one of its two meetings in May. The first county council meeting next month falls on May 12.

North Park is a roughly 52-acre site, located off SR-46, northwest of Bloomington.

Thomas followed Madeira’s remark with a blunt assessment of alternatives, saying she does not see a realistic path for any other site to meet the deadlines tied to the county’s private settlement agreement with ACLU of Indiana. Thomas put it like this:

I’m going to offer my own opinion on “if something else comes up.” I don’t think there’s any possibility that anything else can come up and be ready for a bond, a bond initiation in July, because you would have to have everything else done,” Thomas said. “I just don’t see that that’s even possible. I mean, it wish it were. It’s just not.

This is the latest edition of B Square Bites – a collaboration between B Square Bulletin and WFHB. To read the full article, you can visit B Square Bulletin dot com and look for the headline: “Monroe County commissioners OK $11.375M North Park land deal for jail; now to county council.”

City of Bloomington recognizes volunteers in annual Be More Awards 

By Kade Young

The City of Bloomington Volunteer Network recognized volunteers across the community this week for the annual Be More Awards. The awards ceremony highlights community service and the impact of volunteers in Bloomington.

Marcus Whitehead, program director for the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County, says the work of volunteers inspires the community at large.

“There’s a ripple effect to what they do. It helped me understand that volunteering and serving others, it creates a a contagious spirit. Because when you see people that are serving in this way, and when they’re doing it on their own volition, spending their own time doing this, it inspires the rest of us,” said Whitehead.

Monroe County Community School Corporation Board Member Aja Jester says non-profits lost a significant amount of federal funding this year. Jester said many non-profit organizations would not have survived without the work of volunteers.

“We encountered a trend during 2025. Multiple organizations in Bloomington told us that they had experienced such a decrease in federal funds that elements of their programming could not have survived were it not for the dedicated volunteer or volunteer groups stepping in, sometimes even taking on the workload of a full time employee and kept vital, vital community programming operational for free,” said Jester.

WFHB is a part of this volunteer-driven community. One of the award winners, Winnie Dong, is also a Youth Radio producer at WFHB, so we want to note that connection. Dong won the award for Be More Creative. Cassie Hakken, marketing director at Constellation Stage and Screen, presented the award.

“As the show’s creator and producer, Winnie does it all. She conducts interviews, researches, guests, edits audio and promotes the show on social media for her work producing original media at WFHB,” said Hakken.

In her speech, Dong says her show, What the Health, focuses on public impact. She calls the award a victory for women who are shunned from creative fields.

“As a woman and a first generation student, I have faced many battles in my life – the right to have health care for my parents, the right to have an education and the right to have my work recognized,” said Dong.

Other awardees were recognized for work supporting immigrant and refugee communities. David Meyer, who volunteers for the Rotary Clubs of Bloomington and the Bloomington Rotary Foundation, won the Be More Bloomington award. Raquel Anderson from El Centro Comunal Latino presented the award.

“In 2025 the issue of immigrant and refugee welfare was front and center for our community as organizations like El Centro, Exodus Refugee Immigration and the Bloomington Refugee Support Network faced uncertainty and a growing sense of danger for their clients,” said Anderson.

Meyer discussed his experience volunteering with immigrant and refugee communities. He described the resilience and determination of refugees.

“I do hope and pray that our country will once again become a welcoming place for those that have fled violence in their home countries and refugees,” said Meyer.

Deputy Mayor Gretchen Knapp recognized volunteer efforts addressing homelessness, especially during extreme weather.

“Individuals living on the streets have to face a more immediate question, ‘where can I find a safe place to sleep tonight?’ This question becomes even more urgent during the winter, when unhoused community members are in severe danger of frostbite, hypothermia and even death as the temperatures drop below freezing and winter storms roll in now with increasing frequency,” said Knapp.

Knapp presented the Volunteers of the Year award to the Bloomington Severe Weather Emergency Shelter volunteers.

“Volunteering for the shelter is no small feat. It requires many people to interrupt their typical work and sleep schedules, their family lives. Volunteers begin setting up the shelters around 5 p.m. Others stay overnight to monitor the shelter and provide assistance and comfort to guests during the night, leaving only in the early hours of the morning after all of the guests have left,” said Dan Caldwell who accepted the award.

Each Be More Award recipient received a $1,000 cash award provided by the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County for the recipient’s nonprofit organization. To watch the full awards ceremony, you can visit this link.

Featured Segments:

Rising gas prices are hitting drivers across south central Indiana. WFHB Correspondents Emma Maher and Shane Gebhard spoke with Bloomington residents and food truck operators about how they’re adjusting to the higher costs.

And now, we turn to WFHB Sports Correspondent Chase Dodson who brings you today’s Sports News Briefing – a rundown of local, state and national sports news. That’s coming up next on WFHB.

Credits: