This is the WFHB Local News for Monday, January 26th, 2026.

In today’s newscast, you will hear Jennifer Burt from the Bloomington Winter Farmers’ Market, the oldest winter farmers’ market in the state of Indiana. Hear more later in the show in a feature report.

And you’ll also hear Kyleigh Brown from IU’s Queer Student Union, creating safe spaces for students struggling to feel seen. Learn more later in the show on a new episode of Activate!

Monroe County Under Red Travel Advisory Following Winter Storm

Monroe County officials are urging residents to stay off the roads after about 14 inches of snow fell on Sunday evening.

The county is currently under a “red” travel warning – the highest level of advisory in Indiana. This means you should limit all travel with the exception of emergency management, essential emergency personnel and public safety workers.

Both Monroe County Community School Corporation and Richland Bean Blossom Community Schools were closed today for in-person learning. Brown County schools also canceled in-person classes.

Indiana University is currently undergoing limited operations with all classes moved to virtual. Same goes for Ivy Tech Bloomington – the campus is closed and all operations are virtual.

As of this reporting, MCCSC will operate under E-learning tomorrow due to inclement weather. RBB schools are also operating under remote-learning tomorrow.

The City of Bloomington suspended regular travel pickup for Monday and potentially for the rest of the week. Residents are advised to keep trash carts off the streets to assist snowplows.

Both city and county offices were closed today and expected to reopen tomorrow morning. Bloomington Transit resumed limited services at 1:30 p.m. today after being suspended on Sunday. Significant delays are expected.

With temperatures plummeting well below freezing, local organizations are opening up warming stations to help residents stay warm and safe. A list of these warming stations is available at the photo below.

Monroe County CIB Tackles Convention Center Construction, New Proposal for Host Hotel

The Monroe County Capital Improvement Board met on January 21st to discuss construction updates on the Bloomington Convention Center expansion and to hear a new proposal to build the host hotel directly south of the Convention Center.

Andrew Scere, project manager for Weddle Brothers, gave an update on convention center construction, saying they have completed over 25 percent of the work.

Board President John Whikehart asked whether Dora Hospitality would seek public subsidies. Company President Vince Dora told the board they can build on the city-owned south parcels and said they won’t seek public subsidies.

Next, Founder Russ Louderback touched on the timeline for the project, specifically how long it would take to evaluate the site and build a new hotel.

Board Member Jay Baer asked about brand clarity and convention center booking requirements. Louderback responded that they shouldn’t get “too hung up” on branding, and he maintained it will be a high-end boutique hotel.

Senior Vice President at J.S. Held Deb Kunce reminded the board of the minimum requirements needed for a “host hotel” to support the convention center.

The CIB will meet again on February 5th for a special session to further review the new proposal by Dora to build the hotel directly south of the Bloomington Convention Center.

Ellettsville and Richland Township Move Forward with Merger Plans 

The Richland Township and Town of Ellettsville Reorganization Committee met on January 21st and discussed subcommittee report deadlines.

The committee decided report drafts should be completed by February 27th and finalized by March 6th. Committee member Scott Reynolds says the timeline should allow adequate time for the reorganization committee to finalize the broader plan by its April 1st deadline.

The committee members asked that the subcommittees present updates at the reorganization committee meetings planned for February 4th and 18th. Committee member Andrew Henry summarized the discussion on timelines.

The committee decided they would meet every other Wednesday unless a special meeting is needed for subcommittees to ask questions and bring updates.

Next, Parks, Recreation and Cemeteries subcommittee member Jim Perry said the subcommittee had decided on two meetings set for February 5th and 12th. He asked for instructions on the responsibilities and processes of subcommittees.

Town Attorney Darla Brown said the best template is the Sheridan Adams Township reorganization plan. Town Manager Mike Farmer said the subcommittees could call him for questions. He extended the offer to the public as well.

Committee member William Ellis said the reorganization website is live at ellettsvillerichlandinfo.org. The committee is working to include a Zoom option for the public at their next meeting.

The Richland Township and Town of Ellettsville Reorganization Committee will meet next on February 4th.

Featured Segments:

The Farmers’ Market is typically associated with summer, or at least not the extreme cold of severe winter weather we are currently experiencing. But did you know Bloomington has a WINTER farmers’ market? The oldest one in the state, actually. Correspondent Elizabeth Noble has that story in a feature report produced in partnership with The Media School at Indiana University.

Members of the queer community sometimes struggle to feel seen on their school campus. The Queer Student Union at Indiana University Bloomington is trying to make things easier. Kyleigh Brown is the Queer Student Union president. Recently Kyleigh was awarded a grant that funded a gender-affirming clothes closet at the IU LGBTQ+ Culture Center. Now they’re working on a transition toolkit and updating their map of non-gendered restrooms on campus. Kyleigh is here to talk about creating safe spaces for queer students on a new episode of Activate!, coming your way right now on the WFHB Local News.

Credits: