This is the WFHB Local News for Monday, March 23rd, 2026.

In today’s newscast, WFHB explores “restaurant culture in Bloomington” on a new episode of Voices in the Street produced by Youth Radio. More in today’s feature report.

You’ll also hear Laynie Pitts, executive director of Indiana University Student Television. Students get hands-on experience and Bloomington gets crucial local news coverage, later in the show on a new episode of Activate!

‘No Kings’ Rally on the Square This Saturday

A nationwide No Kings Day rally will take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday on the Monroe County Courthouse lawn.

No Kings Day is a protest movement to what advocates call authoritarian actions by the second Trump administration. The event will feature speeches from local organizers, a live performance from local musician Carrie Newcomer and information tables from various groups such as the League of Women Voters.

Last week, WFHB News interviewed Chris Robinson, spokesperson for the 50501 Movement, who walked through policies of the Trump administration that prompted this protest.

“The overall violence, the violence of incarceration towards immigrants itself, is an issue, the escalation of hostilities with Iran,” said Robinson. “Those are a couple of the most recent things that are the particular talking points that we’re looking at right now.”

This rally, labeled as No Kings 3.0, is the third event of its kind, following previous rallies in June and October 2025. The Bloomington rally coincides with thousands of other No Kings protests happening across the country.

Locally, participants are encouraged to bring non-perishable canned goods to benefit Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard.

Final prep for primary voting in Monroe County includes split vote on poll worker training packet

This next headline comes from Dave Askins of the B Square Bulletin. The article was published on March 20th.

April 7 marks the start of early voting for this year’s May 5 primary elections, which means the deadline for registering to vote is April 6.

As that date gets closer, on Friday (March 20) Monroe County’s election board completed some of the final housekeeping to get ready for voters to cast their ballots. On Friday’s agenda was the approval of poll-worker training materials, which passed on a split vote.

The election board had already voted on the locations of 28 different polling locations throughout the county for Election Day—but those locations likely won’t get final approval until next week. The polling locations for May 5, which will be different for many voters compared to past years, are expected to appear on the March 26 meeting agenda for county commissioners.

April 7 marks the start of early voting for this year’s May 5 primary elections, which means the deadline for registering to vote is April 6.

As that date gets closer, on Friday (March 20) Monroe County’s election board completed some of the final housekeeping to get ready for voters to cast their ballots. On Friday’s agenda was the approval of poll-worker training materials, which passed on a split vote.

The election board had already voted on the locations of 28 different polling locations throughout the county for Election Day—but those locations likely won’t get final approval until next week. The polling locations for May 5, which will be different for many voters compared to past years, are expected to appear on the March 26 meeting agenda for county commissioners.

Once those locations are given final approval by the commissioners, a postcard mailing will be sent to voters alerting them to their correct polling location. The state of Indiana also maintains an online lookup service where voters can find their correct polling location on Election Day.

In addition to some countywide races there are several contested races in this year’s primaries on the township level.

At Friday’s meeting, Monroe County election supervisor Kylie Farris told election board members that the first set of absentee ballots had already been sent out—on Monday (March 16) this week. Farris told The B Square about 130 ballots were mailed on Monday, with smaller numbers each day for the rest of the week for a total of under 200 for the week, she said. Four years ago, in the 2022 primaries, the total number of voters who cast an absentee ballot in Monroe County was around 1,000.

As part of their business on Friday’s agenda, Monroe County’s election board signed off on updated poll‑worker training materials, but only after the Democratic Party’s appointee to the board, Penny Githens, pressed for a clearer, written requirement that emergency procedures actually be reviewed with poll workers.

Farris said those site-specific procedures are included in site‑specific binders given to inspectors and covered orally when materials are picked up. But Githens objected that the inspector checklist itself was silent on that point.

The sharpest exchange unfolded like this:

Githens: It’s not on their checklist of things to do, and it should be.

Farris: Again, that’s an item that we go over when they pick up the materials, so.

Githens: It should be on the checklist—and I don’t understand why you’re so opposed to it.

The item was added to the checklist.

The board was split over how much detail about polling‑place safety and emergency procedures should be attached to the resolution on adoption of the training materials.

On a 2–1 vote, members agreed to strike the exhibits, leaving the main training packet in place, but dropping some supporting materials that had raised safety and election‑integrity concerns. Githens voted no, saying she thought at least some of that material should be easily available to the public.

Tenants Expected to Vacate Seminary Pointe Apartments by July 7th

Local residents have expressed concern about the lack of affordable housing in downtown Bloomington after the county terminated leases at Seminary Pointe apartments, a site tied to planned expansion of the Bloomington Convention Center.

Seminary Pointe apartments and surrounding businesses, including Jeff’s Warehouse, Bluetip and Friendly Beasts could be displaced for convention center expansion.

During the March 12th meeting of the Monroe County Commissioners, community members spoke out against the possible demolition, saying it’s one of few affordable places downtown.

Community member Barry Herbers criticized what he sees as a lack of transparency and limited options for those currently living in Seminary Pointe Apartments.

“I actually asked the people living there if they had been helped. The man I spoke to the longest is a recovering addict,” said Herbers. “He told me he was laid off and that he’s just trying to stay off the street. He said this apartment was a lifeline for his family, and you are cutting his lifeline.”

The transfer of the properties will need to be approved by both the County Council and County Commissioners.

The county has notified tenants that their lease ends on July 7th. Right now, County Attorney Jeff Cockerill says they are working with tenants to help them find a new place to live.

Featured Segments:

Indiana University Student Television is a student-run organization that allows IU students to get hands-on experience running real broadcast operations. For example, last election season IUSTV did 12 hours of election night coverage. Recently IUSTV was a finalist for the Associated Collegiate Press Broadcast Pacemaker award, honoring the top college broadcast programs in the nation. Laynie Pitts started out filling in as a photographer behind the scenes and now she is Executive Director and Producer. Laynie says IUSTV is producing content useful for a Bloomington audience on a new episode of Activate!, coming your way right now on the WFHB Local News.

Credits: