This is the WFHB Local News for Wednesday, November 3rd, 2021.

Later in the program, we revisit a report from WFHB Correspondent Kayan Tara on the Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition’s attempts to unionize.

Also coming up in the next half hour, a caution to Facebook users on Better Beware - your weekly consumer-watchdog segment on WFHB hosted and produced by Richard Fish. More following today’s feature report.

But first, your Environmental News Brief:

Indiana University has recently been the recipient of criticism following the decision to cancel a meeting with Sunrise Bloomington, a grassroots environmental organization. This meeting had a goal of discussing possible first steps that Indiana University’s charitable foundation could take to reduce the amount of fossil fuels that power the campus. According to the IndyStar, the meeting was cancelled due to the demand for transparency from Sunrise Bloomington, who want the public to be able to view the discussions. While this is a disappointing setback, it represents the culmination of months of work from Sunrise Bloomington in the form of petitions that called on IU to reveal financial documents that are tied to the fossil fuel industry. As of now, the two parties are still planning to meet on a future date.

After months of discussions in both houses of Congress, moderate Democrats, Progressives, and President Joe Biden have reached a deal on the White House’s Build Back Better Plan. This budget deal allocates $555 billion dollars to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide. One of the key programs in the deal are tax credits for companies that make the purchasing of environmentally friendly products easier and cheaper, such as electric vehicles or the installation of solar panels. Independent experts have predicted that the legislation will reduce the United States’ annual greenhouse gas emissions by almost 17%, which is an important first step in the fight against climate change.

An interesting new environmental development has occurred in the country of Colombia. For many years, wildfires destroyed the beautiful forests of the country, and left barren wastelands in its wake. Researcher Juan Carlos Sesma, a Spanish retail consultant, developed an idea to replace the lost habitats. Using drone technology, Sesma created seed dropping drones that would fly over the burned areas and drop tree seeds, resulting in new forests. At first, the plan was unsuccessful, as most seeds failed to take root. However, the seeds began to be encapsulated with nutrients that enabled them to last longer before being buried. The company, CO2 Revolution, has stated that they will not be satisfied with their work until they have planted one extra tree per person on the planet.

Local Health Officials Discuss Covid-19 Response

Photo courtesy of University of Michigan.

At the Covid-19 Press Conference on October 29th, Indiana University President Pamela Whitten spoke, thanking everyone involved in helping students get back to in-person activities.

IU Health Director Penny Caudill explained when the Covid-19 Health Regulation extension would expire.

She also said that although the mask mandate might end shortly this is not the end of the pandemic. Individuals who have gotten vaccinated will not be required to wear a mask anymore, however precautions should still be taken, and individuals who are unvaccinated are still recommended to wear a mask to protect themselves and those around them.

President of IU Health Brian Shockney shared that the hospital is seeing a steep decline in Covid-19 cases. According to Shockney, Monroe County is doing better than other counties due to our mask mandate.