This is the WFHB Local News for Wednesday, July 28th, 2021.

Later in the program, WFHB News Director Kade Young speaks with Allison Kuehr, Communications & Public Relations Manager for the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, about scholarship and stipend opportunities for student teachers. More in today’s feature report.

Also coming up in the next half hour, Richard Fish covers spyware that might be on your cell phone in today’s edition of Better Beware - your weekly consumer-watchdog segment.

MCCSC School Board 

The Monroe County Community School Corporation School Board discussed its re-entry policies. At the July 27th meeting, Board President Cathy Fuentes-Rohwer introduced adjustments to COVID-19 protocols during the 2021 to 2022 school year. MCCSC’s COVID-19 policies include a mask mandate for all students and unvaccinated staff members. Board member April Hennessey questioned Superintendent Doctor Jeff Hauswald on where the information could be found publicly.

Board member Elizabeth Ruh asked if parents could change their child’s enrollment status based on CDC guidelines. Doctor Hauswald said they could by contacting the MCCSC directly.

Board members voted to approve the policy unanimously.

Bloomington Board of Parks Commissioners

Photo courtesy of City of Bloomington.

The Bloomington Board of Parks Commissioners discussed hiring security at their July 27th meeting. Parks and Recreation Operations and Development Director Tim Street presented an amended contract with Marshall Security that would hire additional security guards on top of the overnight security for Switchyard Park. He said unarmed officers would patrol the B-Line Trail and Bloomington parks in two shifts throughout the day.

Commissioner Jim Whitlatch suggested that Parks Commissioners encourage the Bloomington Police Department to patrol city parks more. Commissioner Kathleen Mills said hiring security was an extraordinary step for Parks. She suggested that this was the best possible temporary solution.

Commissioners approved the addendum unanimously.

Monroe County Council Work Session

At their July 27th Work Session, Monroe County Councilors discussed the fiscal impact of annexation. Representatives of the advisory firm Baker Tilly presented the results of an independent fiscal impact report on Bloomington’s proposed annexations. Baker Tilly Partner Deen Rogers introduced a tool that allows residents to calculate their own estimated tax impact. He said the tool uses 2021 tax information, whereas the annexation documents use information from 2019.

Baker Tilly Partner Paige Sansone identified some variance between Baker Tilly’s report and Bloomington’s official report. However, she said overall the two reports were comparable.

The full report can be found on Monroe County’s website at co.monroe.in.us under recent news.

Environmental News Brief

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has issued a warning and recommendation to all Hoosiers concerning the recent air quality issues that are resulting from the acres of wildfire out west. Due to the prolonged drought and heat waves, the wildfires have continued to expand over the past month. The smoke and particulate matter from the fires enters the air and moves across the United States and over Bloomington. Citizens should stay alert concerning updates about air quality in Bloomington and the local area.

The Biden Administration has reversed a Trump era policy regarding the methods that coal-fired power plants dispose of wastewater that contains chemicals such as arsenic and lead. Multiple power plants in Indiana have sought to sign permits under the Trump era policies to avoid the harsher regulations that will...