This is the WFHB Local News for Monday, June 8th, 2026.

In today’s newscast, you’ll hear Janet McCabe, former deputy boss of the EPA and current policy adviser at the IU Environmental Resilience Institute here in Bloomington. McCabe has strong words for the federal administration she left behind later in the show in a feature report.

You’ll also hear Andrea Kleesattel from Windfall Dancers, talking about the special dance floor they have for classes and rehearsals. Learn more later in the show on a new episode of Activate!

Monroe County election board sends complaints about candidate for clerk to prosecutor

By Dave Askins

Monroe County’s election board voted Thursday, June 4th, to send two separate complaints about county clerk candidate Joe Davis to the county prosecutor. The board concluded there was “substantial reason” to believe he violated state election laws during the May primary’s early voting period.

In the race for the Democratic Party’s nomination for clerk, Davis came third in a three-way race, which was won by Tree Martin Lucas.

The three‑member board consists of Nicole Browne, Danny Shields, and Penny Githens. They unanimously agreed to forward both complaints to the Monroe County prosecutor under the state law that governs investigations of alleged election law violations. The prosecutor may in turn refer the matter to the Indiana State Police.

The first complaint, filed by Karen Wheeler, a former Monroe County election supervisor, alleged four categories of violations: campaign signs lacking the required disclaimer; electioneering inside the “chute” (the 50‑foot zone leading to the entrance of the polls); following voters after they cast ballots; and potentially misleading claims by Davis that he was a “practicing jurist at law.”

The second complaint, from voter Carol McGarry, alleged that Davis’s approach to her on April 30 as she arrived to vote was intimidating and amounted to electioneering too close to the entrance.

Davis, who ran in the Democratic Party’s primary for Monroe County clerk and says now that he is attempting an independent run in the fall, denied any legal wrongdoing. He told the board he was trying to clean up the early voting site, improve access for voters, and deliver a fast campaign pitch that emphasized his court experience and his plans to improve accuracy in the clerk’s office. He apologized to McGarry “if you felt intimidated” but maintained that, out of a thousand people he spoke with, she was the only one who complained.

The board stressed that Thursday’s hearing was not a trial, but a screening step required by state law. That step is to decide whether the evidence presented should be referred to the prosecutor. After extended back‑and-forth with Davis about timing, points of procedure, and his desire to cross‑examine witnesses, the board ended the presentations and moved into their own deliberations.

Davis arrived about 20 minutes into the hearing, which started with the board’s adoption of the procedures, and the hearing of Wheeler’s complaint. When he arrived, Davis asked for more time to bring all of his exhibits, which included a shovel, a broom, several 5-gallon pails with dirt, books, and files. Davis also asked for time to review the procedures that had been adopted. Davis complained that the 10-minute timer was on a screen that was not in his immediate field of view.

At one point, Davis exhausted the patience of Shields, who was presiding over the hearings as chair of the election board:

I’m sorry, sir, this poor, poor me stuff is not wearing well with me. I mean, I appreciate what’s happening here, but I’m like: Everybody in here was here at 1:30, OK? You chose not to be, for whatever reason. You know, I go back to some people saying: On time is 10 minutes late. And you make your own choice with that, but you’re truthfully to me, you’re not helping your case right now. You’re just not.

That was the latest edition of B Square Bites – a collaboration between B Square Bulletin and WFHB. To read the full article, you can visit B Square Bulletin and look for the headline: “Monroe County election board sends complaints about candidate for clerk to prosecutor.”

Bloomington City Council approves letter in support of land swap to preserve Seminary Pointe

By Kade Young

The Bloomington City Council met on June 3rd and approved a letter to the redevelopment commission supporting a land swap between College Square and Seminary Pointe. Councilmember Isabel Piedmont-Smith said the land swap could preserve or even add affordable housing in the area.

“There are multiple ways to leverage this property to advance affordable housing and enable downtown residency for those who otherwise could not afford it,” she said.

Councilmember Matt Flaherty said while he supports the letter, he does have some reservations about public subsidies for the convention center.

“My concern here is that we’re not just talking about public expenditure to preserve affordable housing,” said Flaherty, “but we’re also talking about public subsidy for convention center, that’s TIF revenues, and how much is a little bit unknown, because the properties were bought at different times.”

Councilmember Dave Rollo said he wants to leave negotiations up to the redevelopment commission.

“I think, in spirit, I would like to see this negotiation happen. In terms of the specifics, I think it’s up to the RDC to negotiate that, and perhaps they can arrive in the middle somewhere,” said Rollo.

Local activist Bryce Greene spoke on behalf of the group Bloomington Homes for All during the public comment portion of the meeting. Greene addressed Flaherty’s remarks, saying this land swap is unprecedented.

“I think that the this case is exceptional enough that no one can really claim that it’s a precedent for anything that we can anticipate in the future,” said Greene.

Greene clarified why he believes the letter from the city council is important.

“The leases for Seminary Point are set to be extended to August 31st,” said Greene. “Every second that it’s unclear that there’s a solution on the table, more and more of the people and businesses in Seminary Point are making plans to leave.”

Another resident, Barry Herbers, said he’s glad the city is listening to activists and taking the land swap into consideration.

“It’s such a relief to know that there’s people in our government who are as hopeful about keeping that place like thriving and beautiful and communally oriented for people of all different income brackets,” said Herbers.

Housing Solutions Director for Habitat for Humanity Sarah Woolford announced that Bloomington Homes for All will give a presentation on June 20th in support of preserving Seminary Pointe.

“You all will be invited, as well as members of the CIB and RDC, just so all of the decision makers and also people of the public can come and kind of have a presentation of what we hope to bring to the community in regards to this incredible property, and how we envision improving it,” said Woolford.

Matthew, also a member of Homes for All, said he doesn’t want to see people and businesses displaced as a result of convention center expansion.

“As a reminder, like the land that we’re trying to save is considered like super affordable land. We’re talking like 30 to 40% AMI being served just by this land alone, as well as like five, you know, four to five flourishing businesses, nonprofits that really would love to stick around and stay there and keep their communities,” he said.

The letter passed by an 8-0 vote. The next Bloomington City Council meeting will take place on June 10th.

Featured Segments:

One of our nation’s foremost environmental policy experts returned to Indiana University recently and has strong words for the federal administration she left behind. Janet McCabe was deputy administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from 2021 to 2024. McCabe is currently a senior policy advisor for IU’s Environmental Resilience Institute here in Bloomington, and she says current EPA policy puts business interests above environmental concerns. Correspondent Jack Reeves has that story in a feature report produced in partnership with The Media School at Indiana University.

Windfall Dancers is a Bloomington-based nonprofit dance company that believes movement is more than performance. Managing director Andrea Kleesattel says it’s about connection; through classes, workshops, and community collaborations, Andrea invites people of all ages and abilities to move, create, and belong. Learn how to volunteer at Windfall or utilize their programming on a new episode of Activate!, coming your way right now on the WFHB Local News.

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