This is the WFHB Local News for Wednesday, March 24th, 2021.

Later in the program, we have an excerpt from last week’s edition of Big Talk. Producer Michael Glab speaks with author Laurie Borman whose work "1oo% American’ Hate Groups, Christian Nationalism, and the Indiana KKK,” was recently published in the Limestone Post.

Glab says his discussion with Borman is particularly relevant this week in the wake of the mass killing of Asian-Americans in Georgia.

Also coming up in the next half hour, a protest took place earlier this afternoon at the Sample Gates on Gathering Against Asian Hate. More on that in today’s headlines.

Your Local News Brief

 This morning the Indiana State Department of Health announced that all Indiana residents, aged sixteen and older, will be eligible to sign up to receive a Covid-19 vaccine on March 31st.

A handful of other states have already opened up vaccine eligibility to their entire adult populations. In Indiana, almost one million people have been fully vaccinated. That’s about one in six people in the state.

Another million and a half people have received the first dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. The Indiana State Department of Health has documented almost 700,000 cases of Covid-19 in the state. While that is likely an undercount, it represents a large group of Hoosiers who may still have some immunity to the virus.

In Monroe County, about one in seven people has received a full vaccine dose. Another fifth of the population has received their first shot. About 1,000 Monroe County residents are receiving the vaccine everyday.

Hoosiers who are 40 years of age and older are currently eligible to sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine. Pre-K through high school teachers and staff, and Hoosiers who work in child care are also eligible. First responders or healthcare workers still qualify to sign up for the vaccine, as well.

If you qualify, you can sign up online by visiting ourshot.in.gov, over the phone by calling 211 for assistance, or by contacting one of Indiana’s Area Agencies on Aging.

And a local landmark was demolished yesterday. It wasn’t known for its architecture or for being structurally sound, but for years the Players Pub served as a hub for local musicians and as a touring stop for bands making their way through this part of the Midwest.

Last month, the City Council voted not to give the building an historic status, which would have prevented its demolition.

While the Pub, as it was known, has been closed since early 2019, the demolition of the building, was for some, a symbol of the decline in local music venues. In recent years

Local Music mainstays like Rhino’s, The Void and Max’s Place have all closed down.

Gathering Against Asian Hate Protest at IU Sample Gates

The Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition organized a Gathering Against Hate protest at the Sample Gates. One organizer holds up a sign containing a QR code to sign up for the socially-distanced event (Young).

At 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, about 150 demonstrators gathered at the Sample Gates to protest the rise of violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.

The Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition organized the protest. Protesters held signs that said, “Protect International Students” and “Racism is a virus.” Another said, “You can’t love Asian culture and not stand with the Asian Community.”

An organizer, Pallavi Rao, spoke at the protest over a megaphone. She led demonstrators in a chant.

"Stop Asian hate," shouted protesters in unison.

This protest comes in the aftermath of a shooting...