This is the WFHB Local News for Tuesday, August 3rd, 2021.

Later in the program, WFHB Correspondent Max Campbell reports on both the City of Bloomington and the Monroe County perspectives on annexation.

Campbell has spent weeks conducting interviews and reporting on the city’s effort to annex 10,000 acres of Monroe County land. Today’s feature, which aired last Thursday, concludes his series on annexation.

Also coming up in the next half hour, a joint task force between the City of Bloomington and Indiana University submitted its final recommendations to rename Jordan Avenue. More in today’s headlines.

But first, your local news brief:

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has granted Indiana Farm Bureau a statewide permit for members to perform takes on black vultures. According to federal law, “takes” can include hunting, capturing and killing birds. Black vultures have been known to often prey on young cattle and sheep, which is an issue particularly present in southern Indiana. The Indiana Farm Bureau explained in a news release Monday that the birds are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, so they can’t be killed without a migratory bird depredation permit.

The Richland-Bean Blossom Community School Corporation will be requiring all students and staff to wear masks, regardless of vaccination status. The first day for school in the county is August 11th. The new requirement was put in place over the weekend via an email to families by the R-BB superintendent, Jerry Sanders. Sanders explained to parents that the change was made as a result of the Monroe County Health Department’s announcement of a new health order up for approval due to worsening COVID-19 data for Monroe County. This new health order will be discussed at the board of health meeting today and will go to the Monroe County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday.

The Gary Jet Center is welcoming ten puppies today who will all become service dogs for the center. The eight week old puppies will be flown out by volunteer pilots and arrive around 3:30 p.m. Canine Companions provided the dogs. Canine Companions is a non-profit business that gives adults, children and veterans with disabilities service dogs at no cost. They are based in Santa Rosa, California. After 18 months the puppies will begin professional training with the organization.

Bloomington Redevelopment Commission

The Bloomington Redevelopment Commission discussed a contract for the West 17th Street Reconstruction Project. At the August 2nd meeting, Engineering Department Project Manager Matt Smethurst requested more funds for the project. He identified two parts of the project that went over the requested budget.

Commissioner Nick Kappas asked if this would be the last change order for 17th street. Smethurst assured commissioners that the only remaining change order would be in the City’s favor.

Commissioner Kappas clarified the commission likes to keep a 5 to 10 percent buffer for projects. He hoped the returned money could bring the 14 percent overage into that acceptable range.

Commissioners approved the change order unanimously.

Joint Task Force Submits Recommendations to Rename Jordan Avenue

A joint task force between the City of Bloomington and Indiana University completed a report with recommendations to rename Jordan Avenue.

The task force recommended renaming the section of Jordan Avenue from Davis Street to 17th Street to “Eagleson Avenue” and the section from 17th Street to Fee Lane to “Fuller Lane” or “Mattie Fuller Lane.”

The street was named after IU’s seventh president, David Starr Jordan, who was a major figure in the American Eugenics Movement, an ideology that influenced Nazi Germany during the Holocaust.

In October 2020, the IU Board of Trustees voted to remove the s...