This is the WFHB Local News for Wednesday, July 22nd, 2020.

In today’s feature report, we look back at the legacy of John Lewis – a Georgia congressman and Black Civil Rights leader, who died on Friday. In September of 2015, he gave a talk at the IU Auditorium titled “The Power of Words.”

We revisit that lecture in today’s program.

Also coming up in the next half hour, you will hear from the Monroe County Community School Board meeting on Tuesday – where board members discussed reopening for the fall semester.

But first, your local headlines.

Here’s three things you need to know today. WFHB Correspondent Aaron Comforty filed today’s news briefing.

763 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Indiana on Tuesday, according to the Indiana State Department of Health which also attributed six new deaths to COVID-19 this week.

Locally, Monroe County saw five new confirmed cases yesterday, while Lawrence and Brown Counties saw two and three new reported cases, respectively.

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The Monroe County Community School Corporation announced its reopening plans yesterday. It committed to a five-day school week, with an online option for students who prefer that. Safety questions were at the heart of the corporation’s announcement and they noted that in some situations, like school buses, for example, maintaining social distancing would be impossible.

The school’s reopening has ignited passionate debate on social media. In an off the record comment, one teacher said. “I think about our principal. I know they couldn’t hold back from holding a crying student’s hand even if the kids face mask wasn’t on properly.”

On March 19th, the day when Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb ordered that schools close down in-person operations, twenty-three confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported in the state. Yesterday by contrast, as the end of summer break approaches, Indiana reported 763 new cases. Observers question whether transmissions will increase, with the return of in-person school. The school corporation outlined additional sanitation measures, intended to reduce transmission. They did not however address safety measures for the custodial staff who would carry out many of those measures.

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On July 28th, IU’s Confronting Racism Series continues with a live-streamed panel discussion on social justice and incarceration issues. The discussion will be live streamed on the Arts and Humanities Facebook page.

Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton and City Clerk Nicole Bolden say they will commit to participating in and providing anti-racism training for elected officials in Monroe County.

According to a city press release, the City will select a training program this week. A Request of Qualification, or RFQ, will be released on the city website and through social media to start the selection process.

The city is looking for programs that, “will supply staff and elected officials with tools and strategies to address structural racism and advance racial equity.”

The City aims to complete the training by the end of this year.

City Controller Jeff Underwood proposed the fourth Maximum Guaranteed Price or GMP for the Fourth Street garage to the Bloomington Redevelopment Commission. He said the total expenses for the garage are below the 19-million-dollar budget.

Underwood said only completely unknown factors could possibly cause the project to go over budget. City attorney Larry Allen said the redevelopment commission was also responsible for legal fees from cases trying to obtain the property of Juan Carrasquel for garage expansion.

Allen said because the project is RDC funded they must cover court expenses. Allen clarified the city took the case to court not the RDC. Commissioner Eric Sandweiss said the garage was planned to benefit the public and the court should have ruled in favor of the city.

This is the WFHB Local News for Monday, July 20th, 2020.

In today's program, we hear from attorney Katharine Liell and Vauhxx Booker on the two men charged for pinning Booker to a tree and threatening to “get a noose.” You will also hear A Few Minutes with the Mayor. In today’s segment Assistant News Director Sydney Foreman talks to Mayor John Hamilton about the mandatory mask mandate in Monroe County.

But first, your local headlines.

653 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Indiana on Sunday, according to the Indiana State Department of Health. ISDH also attributed one new death to COVID-19. Locally, Monroe County saw 14 new confirmed cases yesterday, while Lawrence and Brown Counties saw one and three new reported cases respectively.

 

County Health Administrator Penny Caudill said the Optum-serve COVID-19 testing site will run through August during a July 17th COVID-19 press conference. She said the new county health order included a mask mandate which began on July 17th, however there are some exceptions.

Caudill said all businesses must ensure customers compile with the mandate. She said beginning July 31st residential or non-commercial gathering events will be limited to 50 people. She said commercial gatherings would be limited to 100 people indoors or 150 outside. Caudill said bars cannot use bar top services and all dine in locations must space customers parties 6 feet apart.

Caudill said an online complaint process will be developed to bring attention to any organizations not in compliance with the order. Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton said local case numbers and hospitalizations are rising. He said the city of Bloomington plans to implement all sections of the new health order before July 30th.

President of Indiana University Health Brian Shockney said from July 6th to July 13th the IU health Hospital tripled its 5 COVID-19 patients. He said pending cases also increased.

Emergency Management Director Allison Moore listed locations where Monroe County residents can get face coverings.

Moore said an appointment can be made to collect coverings by phone call between 9am and 3pm at each location. She said phone numbers can be found online at co.monroe.in.us. 

 

A Bloomington Transit employee tested positive for Covid-19. The positive test means at least six city employees contracted novel coronavirus.

The employee works in bus maintenance and received a positive test last Wednesday. According to a city press release, the employee felt symptoms on Sunday, July 12th and has not worked since Saturday, July 11th.

The city said it plans to conduct internal contact tracing “in accordance with CDC guidelines” and “has determined no other employees were placed at risk of exposure.”

The employee was placed on paid leave for two weeks after the positive diagnosis. On Friday, the Monroe County Health Department issued a public health order requiring all county residents to wear a mask in public spaces.

Alice J. Wolfson, a local resident, said Bloomington Transit did not enforce the mask mandate in an incident over the weekend.

In a Facebook post, Wolfson said she went to the farmer’s market and took the bus home. She reported to the bus driver that one passenger was not wearing a mask.

Wolfson said in her post, “I asked the driver why he allowed this. He told me he wasn’t the mask police and that I could get off if I didn’t like it.”

In the mask mandate, the county health department said businesses and public accommodations are subject to “enforcement action” if they didn’t comply with the order.

However, it is not clear in the health order who would enforce the mask mandate.

Alice Wolfson said she reported the incident to customer service and the county health department.

This is the WFHB Local News for Monday, July 20th, 2020.

In today’s program, we hear from attorney Katharine Liell and Vauhxx Booker on the two men charged for pinning Booker to a tree and threatening to “get a noose.” You will also hear A Few Minutes with the Mayor. In today’s segment Assistant News Director Sydney Foreman talks to Mayor John Hamilton about the mandatory mask mandate in Monroe County.

But first, your local headlines.

653 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Indiana on Sunday, according to the Indiana State Department of Health. ISDH also attributed one new death to COVID-19. Locally, Monroe County saw 14 new confirmed cases yesterday, while Lawrence and Brown Counties saw one and three new reported cases respectively.

 

County Health Administrator Penny Caudill said the Optum-serve COVID-19 testing site will run through August during a July 17th COVID-19 press conference. She said the new county health order included a mask mandate which began on July 17th, however there are some exceptions.

Caudill said all businesses must ensure customers compile with the mandate. She said beginning July 31st residential or non-commercial gathering events will be limited to 50 people. She said commercial gatherings would be limited to 100 people indoors or 150 outside. Caudill said bars cannot use bar top services and all dine in locations must space customers parties 6 feet apart.

Caudill said an online complaint process will be developed to bring attention to any organizations not in compliance with the order. Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton said local case numbers and hospitalizations are rising. He said the city of Bloomington plans to implement all sections of the new health order before July 30th.

President of Indiana University Health Brian Shockney said from July 6th to July 13th the IU health Hospital tripled its 5 COVID-19 patients. He said pending cases also increased.

Emergency Management Director Allison Moore listed locations where Monroe County residents can get face coverings.

Moore said an appointment can be made to collect coverings by phone call between 9am and 3pm at each location. She said phone numbers can be found online at co.monroe.in.us. 

 

A Bloomington Transit employee tested positive for Covid-19. The positive test means at least six city employees contracted novel coronavirus.

The employee works in bus maintenance and received a positive test last Wednesday. According to a city press release, the employee felt symptoms on Sunday, July 12th and has not worked since Saturday, July 11th.

The city said it plans to conduct internal contact tracing “in accordance with CDC guidelines” and “has determined no other employees were placed at risk of exposure.”

The employee was placed on paid leave for two weeks after the positive diagnosis. On Friday, the Monroe County Health Department issued a public health order requiring all county residents to wear a mask in public spaces.

Alice J. Wolfson, a local resident, said Bloomington Transit did not enforce the mask mandate in an incident over the weekend.

In a Facebook post, Wolfson said she went to the farmer’s market and took the bus home. She reported to the bus driver that one passenger was not wearing a mask.

Wolfson said in her post, “I asked the driver why he allowed this. He told me he wasn’t the mask police and that I could get off if I didn’t like it.”

In the mask mandate, the county health department said businesses and public accommodations are subject to “enforcement action” if they didn’t comply with the order.

However, it is not clear in the health order who would enforce the mask mandate.

Alice Wolfson said she reported the incident to customer service and the county health department.

 

Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton held a Facebook live addre...

This is the WFHB Local News for Friday, July 17th, 2020.

Later in the program, we have a national affairs report from WFHB Correspondent Katrine Bruner. Bruner has a report on the future of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Also coming up in the next half hour, an excerpt from our latest sports podcast “Social at a Distance” with Danielle Patterson.

But first, your local headlines.

Up first, your daily coronavirus briefing. Jake Jacobson files this brief report.

 

Monroe County Health Department released a Health Order mandating masks. Beginning today at 5pm all people in Monroe County must wear a mask or face covering while in an indoor location that is not their home or the home of immediate family members. The covering must cover the individual's mouth and nose at all times. The Health Order Alert states Quote “A face shield, face covering, or mask must be worn outdoors in a situation when adequate physical distancing of 6 feet or more is not possible. There are exceptions to this mandate.” The order in full can be found at co.monroe.in.dot.us.

Charges were issued from the Monroe County Prosecutor’s office on Friday for several people involved in the July 4th racist attack on Vauhxx Booker. Aaron Comforty contributed to this next report. We turn to Jake Jacobson for more.

The Monroe County Council approved use of a Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act grant funds by the Monroe County Sheriff's Department. Sharif Brad Swaine said the funds would be used for disinfectant equipment during their July 14th meeting.

Swain said within an hour large rooms could be sanitized. He said the Monroe County Correctional Center has Not experienced any COVID-19 cases. He said not proposed items were previously budgeted in the Sharif’s general fund. Swain said the ionization system will save money.

Swain said the ionization system installation began on July 14th.

Also during the meeting, Council member Eric Spoonmore proposed a statement in light of racially charged events.

Council member Marty Hawk said the statement was from the democratic caucus. She said she would not support the statement.

Hawk said the movement has lost its intent and brought terror into the county. She left the meeting before the council took a vote. Council members adopted the statement.

The Brown County Democrat reported a positive case from a person working at the Brown County Courthouse. For more on the story, we turn to Jake Jacobson.

Woman’s Commission Chair Nichelle Whitney proposed a series of employee training to the Monroe County Commissioners during their July 15th meeting. She said the training is through Projects Do Right and would provide training in cultural competency and diversity education for Monroe County Employees.

Whitney said 50 percent of the community has a form of diversity. She said there are three training package options. She explained the most inclusive package.

Whitney said the cost would be 12 hundred dollars per employee. She said the training would happen over a two-year period. She said progress could be assessed throughout the two-year period. She said after the period videos would be available for continuous learning. She said the training will be individualized.

Commissioner Penny Githens mentioned if all employees participated the program would cost about 700 thousand dollars. She said she would not be comfortable spending that much money. Commissioners tabled the proposal until a later meeting.

Now it’s time for your feature reports. WFHB Correspondent Katrine Bruner filed this national affairs report.

Last week, U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg issued a ruling which requested that the Dakota Access Pipeline be shut down by August 5 for an additional environmental review.

This is the WFHB Local News for Friday, July 17th, 2020.

Later in the program, we have a national affairs report from WFHB Correspondent Katrine Bruner. Bruner has a report on the future of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Also coming up in the next half hour, an excerpt from our latest sports podcast “Social at a Distance” with Danielle Patterson.

But first, your local headlines.

Up first, your daily coronavirus briefing. Jake Jacobson files this brief report.

 

Monroe County Health Department released a Health Order mandating masks. Beginning today at 5pm all people in Monroe County must wear a mask or face covering while in an indoor location that is not their home or the home of immediate family members. The covering must cover the individual’s mouth and nose at all times. The Health Order Alert states Quote “A face shield, face covering, or mask must be worn outdoors in a situation when adequate physical distancing of 6 feet or more is not possible. There are exceptions to this mandate.” The order in full can be found at co.monroe.in.dot.us.

Charges were issued from the Monroe County Prosecutor’s office on Friday for several people involved in the July 4th racist attack on Vauhxx Booker. Aaron Comforty contributed to this next report. We turn to Jake Jacobson for more.

The Monroe County Council approved use of a Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act grant funds by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department. Sharif Brad Swaine said the funds would be used for disinfectant equipment during their July 14th meeting.

Swain said within an hour large rooms could be sanitized. He said the Monroe County Correctional Center has Not experienced any COVID-19 cases. He said not proposed items were previously budgeted in the Sharif’s general fund. Swain said the ionization system will save money.

Swain said the ionization system installation began on July 14th.

Also during the meeting, Council member Eric Spoonmore proposed a statement in light of racially charged events.

Council member Marty Hawk said the statement was from the democratic caucus. She said she would not support the statement.

Hawk said the movement has lost its intent and brought terror into the county. She left the meeting before the council took a vote. Council members adopted the statement.

The Brown County Democrat reported a positive case from a person working at the Brown County Courthouse. For more on the story, we turn to Jake Jacobson.

Woman’s Commission Chair Nichelle Whitney proposed a series of employee training to the Monroe County Commissioners during their July 15th meeting. She said the training is through Projects Do Right and would provide training in cultural competency and diversity education for Monroe County Employees.

Whitney said 50 percent of the community has a form of diversity. She said there are three training package options. She explained the most inclusive package.

Whitney said the cost would be 12 hundred dollars per employee. She said the training would happen over a two-year period. She said progress could be assessed throughout the two-year period. She said after the period videos would be available for continuous learning. She said the training will be individualized.

Commissioner Penny Githens mentioned if all employees participated the program would cost about 700 thousand dollars. She said she would not be comfortable spending that much money. Commissioners tabled the proposal until a later meeting.

Now it’s time for your feature reports. WFHB Correspondent Katrine Bruner filed this national affairs report.

Last week, U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg issued a ruling which requested that the Dakota Access Pipeline be shut down by August 5 for an additional environmental review. We turn to Katrine Bruner for more on the story.

Now, we have an excerpt from our latest sports podcast ‘...

More than three years after the epic pipeline began pumping crude oil across the country, Boasberg has stated, “given the seriousness of the Corps’ NEPA error, the impossibility of a simple fix, and the fact that Dakota Access did assume much of its economic risk knowingly, and the potential harm each day the pipeline operates, the Court is forced to conclude that the flow of oil must cease.” 

The decision for a review came after the April decision by a federal judge in Montana to halt the Keystone pipeline which opened the question of whether or not more extensive environmental reviews would be needed for the other projects.

The environmental review or appealing of the ruling could take from months to years to be completed. The thorough review would be done by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Almost four years prior, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe along with other Native American tribes stood on their land to protect and protest against the construction of the North Dakota pipeline that runs under a lake where the tribe gets their drinking water from. 

In December of 2016, the Obama Administration formally denied the permit needed to complete the last leg of the pipeline that crossed the Midwest from North Dakota to Illinois. 

Shortly thereafter, during President Trump's first days in office, he signed a number of executive orders causing conflict for many environmental advocates. Trump promptly approved both the Dakota Access and Keystone pipelines for the go ahead, also stating that the U.S. would be making their own pipes. His stance was largely due to the amount of jobs that the pipelines would create for the country. During a meeting with auto industry executives in 2017, Trump stated, “I am, to a large extent, an environmentalist, I believe in it… But it’s out of control, and we’re going to make it a very short process... And generally speaking, we’re going to be giving you your permits.” 

Although statements are not set in stone, analysts say that a Biden White House may not allow the pipeline to continue operating.

Former vice president and current Democratic nominee, Joe Biden has said that he opposes the Keystone pipeline and will, “weigh any project’s contribution to climate change before approving it." Stated in a Washington Post from last week. 

The fire of passion that was seen in the 2016 protests against the construction of the dakota access pipeline still continues to this day, even with the slight shine of light for advocates with the positive news from last week. 

Just two days after the court ruling, Energy Transfer spokeswoman, Vicki Granado stated in an email that they would not be shutting down the pipeline. Granado asked the court Wednesday to halt the order and sought an expedited appeal. As of now, the company will still be taking orders to move oil in August.

As the parent company of  Dakota Access, Energy Transfer holds the title of one of the largest partnerships in the United States with approximately 3,265 miles of refined products for pipelines.

Granado commented on the hope for an appeal stating, “The economic implications of the Judge’s order are too big to ignore and we will do all we can to ensure its continued operation.” 

She continued to support her statement by examples of loss revenue in the states that the pipeline runs through saying, “Billions of dollars in tax and royalty revenue will be lost by state, local and tribal governments in North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois. Farmers will suffer as crude transportation will move to rail, displacing corn, wheat and soy crops that would normally be moved to market."

Back in 2016, the tribes protesting argued in favor of stopping the pipeline due to negative impacts to drinking water and disturbance of ancient sacred sites in the area.

More than three years after the epic pipeline began pumping crude oil across the country, Boasberg has stated, “given the seriousness of the Corps’ NEPA error, the impossibility of a simple fix, and the fact that Dakota Access did assume much of its economic risk knowingly, and the potential harm each day the pipeline operates, the Court is forced to conclude that the flow of oil must cease.” 

The decision for a review came after the April decision by a federal judge in Montana to halt the Keystone pipeline which opened the question of whether or not more extensive environmental reviews would be needed for the other projects.

The environmental review or appealing of the ruling could take from months to years to be completed. The thorough review would be done by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Almost four years prior, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe along with other Native American tribes stood on their land to protect and protest against the construction of the North Dakota pipeline that runs under a lake where the tribe gets their drinking water from. 

In December of 2016, the Obama Administration formally denied the permit needed to complete the last leg of the pipeline that crossed the Midwest from North Dakota to Illinois. 

Shortly thereafter, during President Trump’s first days in office, he signed a number of executive orders causing conflict for many environmental advocates. Trump promptly approved both the Dakota Access and Keystone pipelines for the go ahead, also stating that the U.S. would be making their own pipes. His stance was largely due to the amount of jobs that the pipelines would create for the country. During a meeting with auto industry executives in 2017, Trump stated, “I am, to a large extent, an environmentalist, I believe in it… But it’s out of control, and we’re going to make it a very short process… And generally speaking, we’re going to be giving you your permits.” 

Although statements are not set in stone, analysts say that a Biden White House may not allow the pipeline to continue operating.

Former vice president and current Democratic nominee, Joe Biden has said that he opposes the Keystone pipeline and will, “weigh any project’s contribution to climate change before approving it.” Stated in a Washington Post from last week. 

The fire of passion that was seen in the 2016 protests against the construction of the dakota access pipeline still continues to this day, even with the slight shine of light for advocates with the positive news from last week. 

Just two days after the court ruling, Energy Transfer spokeswoman, Vicki Granado stated in an email that they would not be shutting down the pipeline. Granado asked the court Wednesday to halt the order and sought an expedited appeal. As of now, the company will still be taking orders to move oil in August.

As the parent company of  Dakota Access, Energy Transfer holds the title of one of the largest partnerships in the United States with approximately 3,265 miles of refined products for pipelines.

Granado commented on the hope for an appeal stating, “The economic implications of the Judge’s order are too big to ignore and we will do all we can to ensure its continued operation.” 

She continued to support her statement by examples of loss revenue in the states that the pipeline runs through saying, “Billions of dollars in tax and royalty revenue will be lost by state, local and tribal governments in North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois. Farmers will suffer as crude transportation will move to rail, displacing corn, wheat and soy crops that would normally be moved to market.”

Back in 2016, the tribes protesting argued in favor of stopping the pipeline due to negative impacts to drinking water and disturbance of ancient sacred sites in the area.

According to the “Final Environmental Assessment of the Dakota Access Pipeline Project Sectio...

On this episode, I get to sit down with Carrington Smith -the graduate advisor for the George Taliaferro Sports Association (GTSA). We discussed how GTSA works to maximize diversity and inclusion within the various sports communities on the Indiana University Campus and how important it is to have this organization in the midst of the Blacks Lives Matter Movement happening around us. Here it is, just for you- Clear and Uncut.

On this episode, I get to sit down with Carrington Smith -the graduate advisor for the George Taliaferro Sports Association (GTSA). We discussed how GTSA works to maximize diversity and inclusion within the various sports communities on the Indiana University Campus and how important it is to have this organization in the midst of the Blacks Lives Matter Movement happening around us. Here it is, just for you- Clear and Uncut.

This is the WFHB Local News for Wednesday, July 15, 2020.

Later in the program, Sydney Foreman and Kade Young take a look at the 'Black Lives Matter' mural overlay and the history of People’s Park.

But first, here are three things you need to know today.

Free Covid-19 testing is available at the Optum Serve site at the National Guard Armory at 3380 South Walnut Street (Sydney Foreman).

700 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Indiana on Tuesday, according to the Indiana State Department of Health. The state department of health also attributed three new deaths to the virus. Locally, Monroe County saw ten new confirmed cases yesterday, while Lawrence County saw eleven. 

***

Gregory Reed Travis used data compiled from John's Hopkins University to provide this Covid-19 graphic (Gregory Travis).

The percentage of Black people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in Monroe County is nearly double the percentage of Black people who live in Monroe County. 

According to the U.S. Census, Black people make up 3.7 percent of the population in Monroe County. Black residents have made up 6.5 percent of positive cases in the county according to ISDH.

That’s according to a WFHB comparison of the U.S. Census Bureau and Indiana State Department of Health data. The rate of positive cases among Black people in Monroe County is likely even higher than the reported 6.5 percent. That’s because the state health department’s racial categories can miscount Black people who also who identify as Bi-racial, Latinx, Asian, Indegeneous, or by another label, by grouping them into one category called “Other.” 

The number of People of Color in Monroe County who have tested positive for COVID-19 reflects a disproportion in the U.S., in which Black, Latinx, and Indegeneous people are at least two to three times more likely to become infected with the disease. 

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The Monroe County Public Library is hosting Virtual Storytimes on Tuesdays at ten AM this month. Children’s librarians will be leading a fun, short, preschool storytime. The program is geared to ages 2–6, but all ages are welcome! You find the virtual storytimes on the library’s youtube channel.

Sydney Foreman breaks down the latest Covid-19 press conference (Photo courtesy of Community Access Television Services).

Monroe County Health Administrator Penny Caudill said the county is working on a new health order during a July 10th COVID-19 press conference meeting. She said the order should be finalized by the end of July. She spoke about possible order mandates.

Caudill said the county is also considering a face covering mandate with reasonable acceptations. She said enforcement actions are still under consideration. She said most new cases are in young people ages 20 to 30 years old.

Emergency Management Director Allison Moore said the county continues to collect home made face masks. She said personal protective equipment and supplies for public and private schools were received last week for students and staff. President of Indiana University Health Brian Shockney said before school begins, parents should normalize wearing mask for children. Indiana saw its second largest increase in COVID cases.

Caudill said any student that experiences a positive COVID-19 case must notify the school. She said the schools will close areas or temporarily to clean any necessary areas. Caudill said testing is not a prevention measure. She said an individual acquiring routine tests could strain resources for others.

Photo courtesy of Al-Jazeera.

Marion County joined three other counties in issuing a mandatory mask mandate. According to its latest public health order, Monroe County does not require face coverings in public places.