This is the WFHB Local News for Monday, February 9th, 2026.

In today’s newscast, you’ll hear Captain Stacey Mitchell from the Bloomington Fire Department, talking about the renovation of Fire Station Three. Learn more later in the show in a feature report.

You’ll also hear from Courtney Payne-Taylor from the Boys & Girls Club. In 2025 more than a thousand volunteers helped club kids learn just about anything, and this year they need YOU to join the fun. Hear more later in the show on a new episode of Activate!

Bloomington Council Calls on City To End Contract with Flock Safety

The Bloomington City Council met on February 4th. Councilmember Isabel Piedmont-Smith urged the city to end its contract with Flock Safety – a surveillance company whose technology has been utilized by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Councilmember Hopi Stosberg reiterated Piedmont-Smith’s statement, adding that children have been caught in the crosshairs of ICE.

Stosberg touched on young people who are walking out of school to protest ICE deportations in the United States.

In a town hall on January 26th, Mayor Kerry Thomson addressed the city’s contract with Flock Safety, saying the city uses Flock for “targeted investigations.”

Late last month, WFHB News spoke with Pat Wall, organizer for the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and co-host of our punk show Radio Regazzo. He explained how the city uses Flock cameras.

Stay tuned to the WFHB Local News tomorrow. We will have more coverage on the latest city council, where councilmembers discussed the temporary suspension of the Kirkwood Avenue outdoor dining program.

Capital Improvement Board Votes to Reset Convention Center Host Hotel Process

The Monroe County Capital Improvement Board met for a special meeting on February 5th to discuss the convention center host hotel. Board member John Whikehart explained the events leading up to the meeting.

Whikehart continued that Dora Hospitality was selected as the hotelier in October 2024, and the company preferred the North property. Fourteen months later, in December 2025, the city and Dora reported there was no possibility of moving forward on the North site. Whikehart said Dora proposed building on the South site with a land donation, and the city responded that the parcels’ prices would have to be negotiated.

Whikehart motioned to end the current Request for Proposal process with Dora and reset. Board member Jay Baer supported the motion.

Board members Doug Bruce, Adam Thies and Jim Silverstein also spoke in favor of the motion. The board voted unanimously to approve the motion, ending the current process with Dora Hospitality.

Whikehart said the board has long expected a gap between completion of the convention center and construction of a host hotel, adding that Visit Bloomington is still booking conventions using existing local hotels.

The next Capital Improvement Board meeting will be on February 18th.

Featured Segments:

Bloomington Fire Station 3 is once and again up and running after a four million dollar renovation this past fall. Station 3 is located at 900 North Woodlawn and is also called “University Station” because it’s the one that responds to fires on the IU campus. Before the renovation University Station had never gotten any serious updates since being built in 1963. Correspondent Chase Dodson has that story in a feature report produced in partnership with The Media School at Indiana University.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Bloomington serve 650 local kids every weekday. Courtney Payne-Taylor got her start at the Boys & Girls Club teaching kids how to skateboard, and now she’s the People & Culture Director, which means she oversees staffing, volunteers, and service-learning programs. In 2025 more than a thousand volunteers helped club kids learn just about anything, and Courtney is asking YOU to join the fun on a new episode of Activate!, coming your way right now on the WFHB Local News.

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