This is the WFHB Local News for Tuesday, January 11th, 2022.

Later in the program, WFHB News Director Kade Young speaks with MCCSC Board President Brandon Shurr about a vacancy on the MCCSC school board. More in today’s feature report. Also coming up in the next half hour, WFHB Correspondent Nathaniel Weinzapfel reports on the climate disasters of 2021. But first, your local headlines.

Local Officials Convey the Severity of the Omicron Variant at Covid-19 Press Conference

Photo courtesy of University of Michigan.

At the Covid-19 Press Conference on January 7th, IU Health President Brian Shockney reported that the hospital is at the highest capacity it has seen, with individuals waiting to get into patient rooms every day. Shockney urged everyone to do their best to get vaccinated and take all precautions needed to slow the spread of Covid-19.

Board of Health Director Penny Caudill shared that Monroe County is still in an orange advisory category, but is on trajectory to reach the red category. Caudill said that the Indiana State Gravity testing site is available for drive thru testing and has improved its signage to make it easier for individuals to find.

Indiana University Vice Provost of External Relations Kirk White shared that IU decided to start courses in person.

White said that IU will continue to monitor cases on a daily basis and make changes if need be.

The next Covid-19 Press Conference will be held on Friday January 14th.

Ellettsville Town Council Voted on the Election of Officers and Approved a Contract with Ziptility

Photo courtesy of Elletsville.

On January 10th the Ellettsville Town Council voted on the election of officers. The council voted Pamela Samples into the position of President of the Town Council, and William Ellis as Vice President.

Director of Planning & Development Kevin Tolloty, recommended that Building Inspector, Ron Vandeventer, be appointed to the Board of Zoning Appeals. Katey Arthur was appointed to the Parks and Recreation Board. There is still a vacancy on the board to be filled by someone from the democratic party.

The board also approved a contract with Ziptility, an operations and asset management software, to help keep track of the town’s infrastructure. Town Manager Mike Farmer, explained why he would like to continue to work with Ziptility and expand their services moving forward.

Tyler Henke co-founder and CEO of Ziptility said he has been working with Ellettsville for four years now, and that their new software could help with more departments than just the Utilities department.

The council voted to approve the contract with Ziptility unanimously.

The Climate Disasters of 2021

By Nathaniel Weinzapfel

As 2022 gets underway, it is important to reflect a bit on the year we are leaving behind. During 2021, there were around 20 extreme weather events that occurred in the United States that totaled over a billion dollars worth of damage, with some weather events reaching even higher numbers. 

One of the notable events included is the mid-February freeze in Texas that caused the deaths of over 200 people and led to the majority of the state experiencing electrical blackouts and no running water. This was due to three severe winter storms pushing abnormally far South over the course of a 10 day period and a failure of the Texas States government to heed the warnings of regulators of the need to winterize power sources, primarily those of natural gas. Damages due to the winter storm and resulting cold wave caused an es...