This is the WFHB Local News for Monday, July 19th, 2021.

Later in the program, WFHB Assistant News Director Jake Jacobson interviews Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton, in today’s edition of a Few Minutes with the Mayor.

Jacobson tackles local issues ranging from affordable housing to the allocation of American Rescue Plan Act funds. All that and more in the bottom half of tonight’s program.

Also coming up in the next half hour, all criminal charges were dropped against the woman who drove into a crowd of protesters in downtown Bloomington last year. More in today’s headlines.

But first, your local news brief:

Photo courtesy of University of Michigan.

In an overnight ruling last night, federal judge Damon R. Leichty affirms Indiana University’s vaccine requirement, saying that, “The Fourteenth Amendment permits Indiana University to pursue a reasonable and due process of vaccination in the legitimate interest of public health for its students, faculty, and staff.” This result comes after 8 IU students sued Indiana University for the vaccination requirement, with the students ranging from incoming freshman to graduate students. Because of this ruling, all students, faculty and staff will be required to have the vaccine before returning to campus with religious and medical exemptions and those who are taking all online classes.

The Bloomington-Monroe County Metropolitan Planning Organization is holding a public meeting tonight from 7-8:30 through Zoom to get community input on the 2022-2026 Transportation Improvement Project Document. Attendees of the meeting will contribute to the decision making on where the Transportation money goes. A zoom link for the meeting is posted on the Indiana Daily Student website and the City of Bloomington website.

The Delta variant of COVID-19 is expected to become the dominant variant in Indiana, with the CDC saying that it is 50% more transmissible than the original Alpha variant. Many medical professionals in Indiana are worried, as less than 50% of the population is vaccinated. The counties that are extremely high risk in Indiana include Newton County, Warren County and Montgomery County. Monroe County is currently high risk, therefore the CDC encourages all non-vaccinated persons to continue wearing a mask and social distancing.

Coronavirus Press Conference

At the July 16th Coronavirus Press Conference, Monroe County Health Administrator Penny Caudill talked about the COVID-19 Delta variant. Caudill said that the majority of positive COVID-19 cases are still the Alpha strain. She cautioned that the Delta variant is growing, and that residents should be aware of the ways they can help lower their own risks.

IU Health President Brian Shockney said that 99 percent of patients admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 symptoms are unvaccinated. He commented on the lower vaccine rates of neighboring counties and identified it as an opportunity for Monroe County to help lower the risk of catching COVID-19.

Future Coronavirus Press Conferences will continue biweekly. The next press conference will be on July 30th.

Bloomington Environmental Commission

The Bloomington Environmental Commission discussed Lake Monroe as a water source. Commissioner David Parkhurst gave an update on Friends of Lake Monroe at the July 15th meeting. Commissioner Dedaimia Whitney asked what the group would do if Indianapolis made a bid to use Lake Monroe as a water supply. Parkhurst responded that they had discussed it at length. He said he wasn’t sure there was much they could do about it.

Commissioner Michael Litwin suggested that Lake Monroe could not support both Bloomington and Indianapolis during extreme droughts. Commissioner Sam Armstrong agreed and suggested that be the focus of an argument against an Indianapolis bid.