Good afternoon. This is the WFHB Local News for Thursday, December 3rd, 2020.

Later in the program, we have an excerpt from the latest episode of Bring It On! - where IU Professors Talk about Black Theater and Post-Trump Civil Rights. That’s coming up later in today’s feature reports.

Also coming up in the next half hour, the Monroe County Public Library changed its policies back to curbside-services-only by appointment through early 2021. We will hear from Mandy Hussey, Communications & Marketing Manager for the Monroe County Public Library later in the broadcast.

But first, your local headlines:

Governor Holcomb Provides Covid-19 Update

Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb said that the state prepares for an increase of Covid-19 cases after the Thanksgiving holiday. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy File)

In a press conference on Wednesday, Governor Eric Holcomb said the state of Indiana prepares for a coronavirus surge after the Thanksgiving holiday.

However, the governor did not tighten statewide Covid-19 restrictions, despite the expectation of rising cases.

This comes after Indiana hospitals have seen a surge in new Covid-19 patients. The Associated Press reports that Indiana hospitals are treating more than quadruple the number of Covid-19 patients, as compared to late September.

As of Wednesday, there are 3,362 total Covid-19 hospital patients. 243 admissions were reported on Wednesday alone, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.

Right now, 45.2 percent of ICU beds are in use for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. 34.5 percent of ICU beds are in use for non-Covid patients. That means only 20.5 percent of ICU beds are available across the state.

As for ventilators, almost 70 percent of ventilators are currently available.

Dr. Kristina Box, state health commissioner, provided a breakdown of Covid-19 across the state in the Wednesday press conference.

On Thursday, ISDH reported a single-day record of 8,500 new Covid-19 cases.

Monroe County Commissioners Meeting

Jail Commander Sam Crowe requested an amendment to the Provision of Health Care for Incarcerated Patients Agreement during the December 2nd Monroe County Commissioners meeting. He said the amendment would increase mental health services.

Community member Janet Arthur questioned who would be hired for the position. Crowe said the position would be employed through Advanced Correctional Healthcare.

Commissioner Julie Thomas said the amendment would cost approximately 62 thousand dollars. Commissioners unanimously approved the amendment.

Bloomington City Council 

The Bloomington City Council discussed the Comprehensive 2020 Year End Appropriation Request from the General Fund during their December 2nd meeting. Controller Jeff Underwood said the total appropriation is approximately one million six hundred and thirty thousand dollars.

Underwood stated the ordinance has no impact on city tax rates. He presented an amendment to the Sanitation fund request.

Council members unanimously approved the ordinance as amended.

MCPL: Curbside-Services-Only through Early 2021

Monroe County Public Library is now offering curbside services by appointment only through early 2021. We talk to Mandy Hussey on why the change was made, an error we made in our reporting earlier this week and what the future holds for MCPL. Photo by Kade Young.

The Monroe County Public Library is changing its policies back to curbside-services-only by appointment through early 2021.