This is the WFHB Local News for Tuesday, August 24th, 2021.

Later in the program, WFHB Producer Michael Glab speaks with bookseller Rick Morgenstern, taken from a recent airing of Big Talk - a one-on-one conversation with some of the community’s most fascinating people. More coming up in today’s feature report.

Also coming up in the next half hour, Ivy Tech Bloomington will host a walk-in vaccine clinic on Thursday at its main campus. More coming up in the top half of tonight’s program.

Bloomington Board of Parks Commission 

The Bloomington Board of Parks Commission met on Wednesday to review and approve the 2022 Parks General Fund Budget. Board member Katherine Mills introduced the meeting and shared what the board members would discuss.

Director Paula McDevitt explained the meeting would be reviewing the upcoming budget for the Parks and Recreation Department, however, the budget would still need to be approved by the City Council. She shared survey data from Bloomington residents.

McDevitt shared the Parks and Recreation Department’s major initiatives, and how they have been successful in the past, and what needs to be improved upon moving forward. She focused on programs which declined due to Covid-19 that they are hoping to see increase in popularity again soon.

She highlighted the Parks and Recreation Department’s sustainability achievements and goals.

McDevitt went into depth on the budget proposed for the future of the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department.

The Bloomington Board of Park Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the budget as presented.

Ivy Tech Bloomington Will Host Walk-In Vaccine Clinic on Thursday

This week, Ivy Tech Community College’s Bloomington campus will host a vaccination clinic in partnership with Monroe County Public Health.

The walk-in clinic is part of a larger project, in which Ivy Tech collaborates with local pharmacies and health departments, to offer vaccine clinics at 17 of its campuses across the state.

Ivy Tech-Bloomington Chancellor Jenny Vaughan walked through some basic details of the clinic in a phone interview with WFHB on Tuesday.

“That will take place this Thursday, August 26th beginning at 11 a.m., and we will go all the way through 2 p.m.,” said Vaughan. “It will take place on our main campus on the west side of town in Shreeve Hall.”

Vaughan discussed which vaccine the clinic will offer and how Ivy Tech hopes to expand its vaccine options in future clinic sites.

“This particular clinic, we will be offering the J & J vaccination,” she said. “We are hopeful that perhaps that we might be able to have other vaccines besides the J & J - the Moderna or the Pfizer vaccination.”

She mentioned a few incentives available for students and faculty at Ivy Tech to encourage them to get the vaccine.

“We will be providing everybody who gets the vaccine and completes a survey for us, a $100 gift card to either Wal-Mart, Target or Amazon,” said Vaughan.

Vaughan explained why she believes getting the vaccine is crucial in the fight against Covid-19, as cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to surge - especially among those who have not yet received the vaccine.

“The more people who get vaccinated, the quicker we can all get back to normal,” she said.

Vaughan says that Ivy Tech may offer another clinic in the near future. In the here and now, she urged folks to come out to the clinic on Thursday to get the one-shot vaccine.

“We will hopefully be able to offer additional clinics throughout the fall semester,” said Vaughan. “I just ask everybody to do their part in getting vaccinated so tha...