This is the WFHB Local News for Wednesday, June 26th, 2024.

Later in the program, a supercell storm hit Monroe County yesterday leaving thousands without power. More in today’s feature report.

Also coming up in the next half hour, Better Beware – your weekly consumer watchdog segment on the WFHB Local News. More in the bottom half of the program.

But first, your local headlines:

Supercell Storm Leaves Thousands Without Power

A supercell storm with winds ranging from 55 to 70 miles per hour hit South Central Indiana on Tuesday leaving over 100,000 residents without power across the state.

Monroe County was among the most impacted. Monroe County Emergency Management issued a local disaster declaration saying the county was impacted by “wind damage, downed power lines and trees, public structure damage as well as life safety issues.”

According to Duke Energy, rough terrain is making assessment and power restoration challenging. As of 2:20 p.m., the estimated time of restoration is June 27th at 11:59 p.m. Duke Energy’s power outage map claims that crews are on the scene and out working to make repairs.

Angela Protogere, spokesperson for Duke Energy Indiana, said that Monroe County was “ground zero” in terms of damage.

Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Professor at Indiana University Cody Kirkpatrick made a public social media comment last night stating “After six hours of power being out in Bloomington, the temperature in my freezer is a blurry 41 F. If you are out of town during this, consider that everything in your freezer will have thawed and should be tossed.”

Protogere walked through challenges crews are facing in restoring power in Monroe County, including rough terrain and fallen power lines.

She said that crews of all forms including linemen, damage assessors and tree trimming crews are tirelessly working as power restoration efforts begin to rise.

Protogere provided safety tips for residents navigating the struggles of the power outage – specifically advising residents to avoid downed power lines.

Local residents expressed frustration in the delays for power restoration. One Reddit user in Bloomington posted that in their view Duke Energy needs to be better regulated. The post said, “I realize that weather like yesterday is beyond the control of anyone, but how is this utility company never prepared to address outages quickly? They want to dramatically raise rates in the area but they can’t even be bothered to manage their grid.”

Protogere thanked customers for their patience and assured work is underway and progress is being made.

Monroe County Emergency Management says that if you were impacted by the storm and are in need of sheltering assistance due to your residence being damaged, please reach out to them at [email protected] or 812-349-2546.

Bloomington City Council

The Bloomington City Council met this Tuesday, June 18th. During their meeting, the council members approved a new salary grade system for the city’s non-union employees. The council ordinance will affect approximately 430 positions, and will result in pay increases potentially totaling $10 million dollars. Director of Human Resources Sharr Pechac presented the ordinance.

Council Member Hopi Stosberg questioned the potential fiscal impact of the ordinance.

Pechac responded.

City Council President Isabel Piedmont-Smith asked for more details on the $10 million price tag.

Pechac elaborated on the number of employees whose position and pay grade will need to be reviewed.

Deputy Mayor Gretchen Knapp also responded to Piedmont-Smith’s question, saying that they have options on how they implement the pay grade increase.

The ordinance was unanimously approved. The next Bloomington City Council meeting is Wednesday, July 31st.

Bloomington Board of Public Works

The Bloomington Board of Public Works took place on June 18th. During the New Business section, Bloomington Engineering Field Specialist Kyle Baugh shared a request from Strauser Construction for a sidewalk, bike lane, and alley closure on Grant Street.

The two board members present, Kyla Cox Deckard and James Roach unanimously approved the closure request.

Baugh also shared a request for a planned closure on North Walnut Street near Miller Showers Park. He said it will be maintained by the Parks and Recreation Department.

Cox-Deckard asked when the closure would take place. Baugh responded.

The board passed and approved this motion.

Next, Engineering Field Specialist Alex Grey spoke about the city-wide fiber project, and shared a lane and sidewalk closure request.

The board approved the sidewalk closure request.

The next Bloomington Board of Public Works meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 2nd.

Bloomington Utilities Service Board

At the Bloomington Utilities Service Board meeting on June 17th, the board heard from Champlin Architecture about their designs for the proposed Utilities Service Center and Maintenance Facility. Champlin Architecture contracted with Weddle Brothers Construction Manager Chris Ciolli on the project. He shared background information on the work that had been done up until this point.

Ciolli noted that the cost has increased over time, and said that it is up to the board to decide how to proceed.

Champlin Principal Architect Sean Bright shared details about the building design, and pointed out special features they designed in line with the city’s values and priorities.

Ciolli shared costs for the two proposed buildings, and highlighted that costs are variable and could increase by as much as 6 percent every year.

Ciolli emphasized that the timeline is contingent upon whether or not they conduct another rate case study.

The next Bloomington Utilities Service Board meeting will be held on July 1st.

Better Beware: 

Up next, “Pig Butchering” on Better Beware – your weekly consumer watchdog segment on the WFHB Local News. We turn to host and producer Richard Fish for more.

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