This is the WFHB Local News for Tuesday, March 31st, 2026.

In today’s newscast, Correspondents Shane Gebhard and Emma Maher report on the ‘No Kings’ rally that took place over the weekend on the Courthouse lawn. More in today’s featured segment.

Also coming up in the next half hour, Sports Correspondent Chase Dodson brings you today’s Sports News Briefing – a rundown of local, state and national sports news.

Novo Nordisk lays off over 400 employees in Bloomington

Novo Nordisk plans to lay off over 400 employees at its Bloomington facility. This makes up about 22 percent of the site’s workforce.

Novo Nordisk is a global healthcare and pharmaceutical manufacturer. It specializes in diabetes and obesity treatments, widely recognized for producing Ozempic and Wegovy.

The mayor’s office addressed the layoffs in a news release today saying they recognize the impact this will have on workers and their families.

Mayor Kerry Thomson says, “our focus is on the individuals affected. We know that this is a difficult moment for many, and we are committed to helping ensure that those impacted have clear paths moving forward.”

The mayor says the city’s working with the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation and other partners to connect impacted people with employment opportunities and available resources.

Convention center sign variances OK’d by Bloomington BZA

Left: Wayfinding sign examples for the Bloomington Convention Center from Schmidt Associates. Right: The notice of the BZA hearing was posted onsite at 3rd Street & College Avenue where the convention center expansion project is under construction. (Dave Askins, March 26, 2026)

On Thursday (March 26), as part of the convention center expansion in downtown Bloomington, the Monroe County capital improvement board (CIB) asked for and received several sign variances from the Bloomington board of zoning appeals (BZA) for its wayfinding package.

The convention center grounds cover about 6 acres along South College Avenue, South Walnut Street and South Madison Street. In the vocabulary of wayfinding experts, the area counts as a “campus.”

The variances from the usual limits, which were all granted by the BZA without controversy, cover three kinds of signage. Presenting the request to the BZA members was Bloomington’s assistant planning director, Jackie Scanlan.

For nine freestanding directional signs, the city’s rules generally allow just one sign per site, require it to sit at least 2 feet back from the right-of-way, cap the height at 4 feet, and call for landscaping at the base, with a base that’s at least 40% as wide as the sign is tall.

The variances allow some of those signs to be placed in or right next to the right-of-way, allow more than one per site, skip the landscaping, use narrower bases, and bump the height up to 5 feet. Also granted was a variance from the rule that ties freestanding signs to buildings set back at least 15 feet from the property line.

For 16 pole-mounted directional signs, Bloomington’s code generally keeps signs small—about 1.5 square feet—and doesn’t allow a freestanding pole setup. The variances granted by the BZA allow larger signs mounted on poles, including two that would sit in the right-of-way.

For replacement of the existing monument sign along South College Avenue, variances were granted from the usual rules, which limit that kind of sign to 15 square feet, 4 feet tall, and don’t allow internal lighting or digital displays. The new sign will be a little over 30 square feet—more than twice what’s normally allowed—stand taller than 4 feet, and include both internal lighting and an electronic message board. Planning staff recommended a condition that would cap the height at 6 feet.

Offering testimony from the public mic was Randy Cassady, who was not speaking in his capacity as a member of Bloomington redevelopment commission:

It’s the right thing to do. We’re building a convention center. Everybody needs to be able to see the signage, the directions to direct them where they need to be, the safety and the benefit of our community. This is something that is important, because while we may know where we are, as we bring people into our community, they need to know where they’re going, how to get there and have that impression of Bloomington with the positive aspect and while we may regulate signs, we also need them to help us through things.

League of Women Voters hosts candidate forum for County Clerk race

Candidates Tanner Branham, Tree Martin-Lucas and Joe Davis answered questions on a variety of topics, including: prioritizing voter registration, supporting marginalized groups and the importance of transparency in the clerk’s office.

Moderator Illana Stonebreaker asked the candidates what role the clerk should play in voter registration and voter turnout. Branham emphasized that he would like to see greater turnout with young voters.

“I am currently the chair of the Monroe County Young Democrats, and in that role, I’ve been tabling at every possible event we can to get young people engaged and with politics and registered to vote,” said Branham.

Tree Martin-Lucas outlined how the clerk’s office can boost voter participation while remaining non-partisan.

“I believe the Clerk’s Office plays a critical role in making voting accessible while always remaining nonpartisan,” said Martin-Lucas.

Branham agreed, saying he believes the clerk’s office should keep some distance from politics. He also emphasized transparency in the clerk’s office.

“I want to work bipartisan with our Republicans. I want them to feel welcome in the office,” said Branham.

The moderator then asked about vote centers. Vote centers are polling places that combine multiple precincts allowing voters to choose which location to vote regardless of their home address. Lucas voiced strong support, saying they prevent ballots from being thrown out.

“If we had vote centers, all of the votes would matter. Everyone would still have that voice,” said Martin-Lucas.

The other two candidates also expressed support for vote centers. However, candidate Joe Davis says it could make it harder for rural voters to cast their ballots.

“They’ll be closing many of our more rural precincts, and that is hard on the elderly. It’s hard on the student who might be going to Ivy Tech, who lives out almost at the reaches of one of our neighboring counties. So let’s continue to have this discussion,” said Davis.

When asked about how to gain the trust of the public, Davis says ethics and transparency are of the utmost importance. He also urged the clerk’s office to be as non-partisan as possible.

“The ability for the office to be transparent in how they conduct their role according to the law, and should there ever be any sort of problem or issue that it’s quickly revealed and there are measures taken to correct that oversight,” said Davis.

To view the full candidate forum, you can visit Community Access Television Services.

Featured Segments:

Now, we turn to WFHB Sports Correspondent Chase Dodson who brings you today’s Sports News Briefing – a rundown of local, state and national sports news. That’s coming up next on WFHB.

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