This is the WFHB Local News for Monday, July 17th, 2023.

In today’s feature report, local journalist Dave Askins of the B-Square Bulletin provides a report on M-C-C-S-C redistricting from the media outlet’s “Morning Bulletin.” More in today’s feature report.

Also coming up in the next half hour, Mary REER-dun with the Bloomington chapter of the Sierra Club. Invasive plants are choking out native wildlife in the Hoosier National Forest and the Sierra Club is fighting back. Stay tuned to learn how you can help later in the show on a new episode of Activate!

But first, your daily headlines:

Monroe County Election Board

A banner reads, "Vote Here Today," at 401 W 7th Street, Suite 100 (Young).

On July 13th, the Monroe County Election Board continued their discussion on Joseph Davis’s potential candidacy. President of the Board David Henry introduced the discussion.

Davis spoke to the board, and explained why he wants the Election Board to reconsider signatures from his petition.

Davis expressed concern that there are barriers for third party candidates to get on the ballot.

One barrier he specifically noted was voter registration for individuals who don’t have a stable home address. Davis said that some of his signatures came from residents who used the Shalom Center as a home address. Board Member Judith Benckart commented that four signatures were approved that were registered at the Shalom Center, and that that address was being considered.

County Clerk Nicole Browne shared that she reached out for advice on what the state procedure is for re-examining registration status, and found out that the election board does not have the power to process the candidate’s petition like he requested.

The Monroe County Election Board will meet again on August 3rd.

Bloomington City Plan Commission

During the July 10th meeting of the Bloomington City Plan Commission, commissioners heard a proposal to rezone 140 acres of land on South Weimer Road. Development Services Manager for the City Jackie Scanlan walked through the petition.

Scanlan continued a property overview of the petition.

Scanlan said that the petitioner, Sudbury Partners LLC, plans to build up to 6,000 new housing units on the property over the next decade. Plan commissioner Flavia Burrell asked about the housing types that the petitioner plans to build on the property.

During public comment, local resident Deb Pekin said she has concerns about the accessibility of Weimer Road.

The plan commission will continue to discuss the proposal in future meetings. The next Bloomington City Plan Commission will happen on August 14th.

Feature Report:

In today’s feature report, local journalist Dave Askins of the B-Square Bulletin provides a report on M-C-C-S-C redistricting from the media outlet’s “Morning Bulletin.” We turn to Dave Askins for more.

Mary Reardon coordinates hikes for the local chapter of the Sierra Club. Invasive plants are choking out native wildlife in the Hoosier National Forest and the Sierra Club is fighting back. Activate! is a partnership between WFHB and the City of Bloomington Volunteer Network, working together to build a strong, healthy and engaged community. You can learn more about volunteer opportunities in the WFHB listening area at bloomingtonvolunteernetwork.org or by emailing [email protected].

Credits:

You’ve been listening to the WFHB Local News,

Today’s headlines were written by Noelle Herhusky-Schneider, in partnership with Cats - Community Access Television Services.

Our feature was produced by Kade Young.