This is the WFHB Local News for June 14th, 2021.

Later in the program, we have a Few Minutes with the Mayor - a weekly segment where WFHB Assistant News Director Jake Jacobson poses questions to Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton on community-related issues. In today’s segment Jacobson asks Mayor Hamilton about overnight military testing in Bloomington last week and a city employee who recently died from Covid-19. All that and more in today’s edition of A Few Minutes with the MayorMore coming up in today’s feature report.

Also coming up, a rally took place over the weekend outside an IU Health facility in Indianapolis to oppose the hospital system’s vaccine mandate. In early June, officials at IU Health, the state’s largest hospital system, announced that all employees will need to receive the Covid-19 vaccine by September 1st. Protesters say the move violates “individual liberties” despite the hospital network’s offering of religious or medical exemptions. More in today’s headlines.

But first, your local news brief:

Photo courtesy of University of Michigan.

The amount of COVID-19 cases in Monroe County has decreased by 8% within the last two weeks. 49% of the population 18 and over has been fully vaccinated with residents in Monroe County 65 and older being 80%. For those who have not been vaccinated, Monroe County is still considered a high risk area for COVID-19 and are encouraged to wear a mask in public settings. Now citizens who have not been vaccinated have a fourth option - Novavax. In clinical trials it proved to prevent moderate to severe disease from contracting coronavirus and had a 9 out of 10 efficiency - higher than Johnson & Johnson. To schedule an appointment to get the COVID-19 vaccine, visit cdc.gov.

On Thursday members of the Bloomington community joined together to protest the vaccination requirement for all students, faculty and staff at Indiana University. The march was labelled as the “Rally for Medical Freedom”, with alumni and students announcing their strong beliefs against this mandate. This comes after the announcement that documentation of the vaccination will not be required. Some posters being displayed said “My body, my choice,” and “Mandate Medical Freedom.”

With only a final few days left in office, Indiana legislators have been scrambling to find a way to spend their $3 billion portion of the federal coronavirus relief money. Following in line with other states, the money will be going to schools, businesses, and highways. However, legislators have focused on spending that money elsewhere, creating a program helping members of the working class earn short-term training certifications in order to advance their careers. With such a short amount of time for this to go through, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ryan Mishler says that there wasn’t enough time to create specifics on the spending. President of the nonpartisan Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute says that this $75 million deal is “eyebrow-raising”

Local COVID-19 Press Conference - City Employee Died Due to Complications with Covid-19, Optumserve Testing Site to Close  

(Photo courtesy of Community Access Television Services).

At the June 11th Coronavirus Press Conference, Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton said Bloomington has reported zero positive COVID-19 cases among city employees for the 4th consecutive week. However, he confirmed that a city employee has died from COVID-19 complications.

Monroe County Health Administrator Penny Caudill announced that the Optumserve testing site at the National Guard Armory will be closing by June 30th. She acknowledged that the testing site played a pivotal role in bringing COVID-19 numbers down, but that the demand for testing has dropped significantly.

Caudill said it is free to get tested at the community testing site...