This is the WFHB Local News for Tuesday, July 2nd, 2024.
Later in the program, bills passed from the Indiana Statehouse’s 2024 session went into effect on Monday. WFHB News takes a look at several of these laws, including new voter ID rules, a higher-education oversight policy and a rollback of protections for the state’s wetlands. More in today’s headlines.
Also coming up in the next half hour, we have Lil Bub’s Lil Show – a co-production between WFHB and Lil Bub’s Big Fund.
But first, your local headlines:
Dozens of Laws Go Into Effect in Indiana on Monday
During this past legislative session, the Indiana Statehouse passed a total of 172 bills. Many of these laws went into effect on Monday.
House Enrolled Act 1264 requires voters to include credentials provided by the BMV or from a credit agency when registering to vote. Anyone who is flagged will have 30 days to prove citizenship. If a resident fails to do this, their registration would be canceled.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana denounced the law saying it will prevent eligible voters from exercising their rights.
In a statement, the ACLU wrote, “We also know that this law will disproportionately affect communities of color. Rates of identification-ownership are highest among white individuals, while other racial and ethnic groups disproportionately lack necessary photo ID.”
The Heritage Group, a conservative think-tank, tracks cases of voter fraud across the United States. Over the past two decades, the organization has counted only 47 cases of voter fraud in Indiana.
According to the ACLU statement, “Indiana’s new election law is a step backwards in the effort to protect voting rights and work towards solutions that foster inclusivity, rather than exclusion, in our democratic process.”
Also going into effect this week – Senate Enrolled Act 202. This law increases oversight of secondary education and requires tenured professors to be reviewed every five years. Furthermore, it requires that professors provide “free inquiry, free expression, and intellectual diversity” and would not allow them to receive tenure or promotions if they teach political views unrelated to their discipline.
It faced criticism from major public universities and drew controversy for its oversight over higher education. The Purdue-West Lafayette and Indiana University-Bloomington chapters of the American Association of University Professors, or A-A-U-P, released a statement opposing the policy in February .
The statement said, “Adoption of SB 202 would severely damage the ability of Indiana’s two public Research-1 universities—Purdue-West Lafayette and IU-Bloomington—to recruit and retain outstanding faculty, erasing the State of Indiana’s uniquely prominent national profile in higher education.”
State Senator Spencer Deery, a Republican representing West Lafayette, drafted the original bill. After Governor Eric Holcomb signed the bill into law in March, Deery said in a news release, “Indiana just sent a strong signal that our state is committed to academic freedom, free expression and intellectual diversity for all students and faculty…Universities that fail to foster intellectually diverse communities that challenge both teachers and learners fail to reach their potential. This measured bill makes it significantly less likely that any university will shortchange our students in that way.”
Lastly, House Enrolled Act 1383 went into effect on Monday. This law narrows the definition of what is considered to be a wetland and limits wetland protections.
WFHB Environmental Correspondent Zyro Roze discussed the legislation with Sam Carpenter, the executive director of the Hoosier Environmental Council. The interview took place on February 1st of this year – while lawmakers were deliberating on the bill.
Carpenter explained how House Bill 1383 would impact Indiana’s wetlands protections. He said the bill shifted some of the state’s Class III wetlands down to Class II, which took away safeguards in place to protect those wetlands.
State Senator Shelli Yoder, a representative for District 40 which encompasses a majority of Monroe County, drafted two failed amendments to House Bill 1383. In an interview with WFHB News, Yoder touched on the amendments, which she said drummed up some support but not enough to pass through the state senate.
Yoder offered a glimmer of hope amidst a bleak outlook for the state’s wetlands. Yoder touched on the passage of Senate Enrolled Act 246, which she authored. That law allows property owners with parcels of land with wetlands as small as half an acre to be classified as wildlands, which would allow them to apply for a tax break.
For more coverage on the state’s rollback of protections for wetlands, visit wfhb.org/deepdive.
City of Bloomington and Monroe County Offering Debris Pickup After Supercell Storm
Both the City of Bloomington and Monroe County are providing debris cleanup efforts in response to the supercell storm that hit the area last Tuesday.
The city partnered with Williams Tree Company in Martinsville to assist residents with tree debris removal. For the next two weeks, crews will collect tree and vegetation debris for residents who live within city limits.
According to a news release, residents are encouraged to place debris in piles near the road but ensure they are out of the rights-of-ways to “maintain safety and accessibility.” City-wide residents who need collections services can submit a request through the city’s U-Report system at bton.in/storm.
The city’s Parks and Recreation Department will also provide a public drop-off site for vegetation debris. This will take place at Lower Cascades Park at 3601 North Old State Road 37 starting Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. IDs are required. For more information, you can contact the City of Bloomington at 812-349-3400.
If you live outside of city limits, Monroe County government hired a private contractor to help with tree debris pickup. If you live within county jurisdiction, crews will pick up debris by township. The schedule for pickup dates are available below.
Monroe County Community School Corporation Board of Trustees Photo courtesy of the Indiana Daily Student.
The Monroe County Community School Corporation Board met this Tuesday, June 25th. During the New Business section, Chief Financial Officer John Kenny spoke about meal prices for this coming school year.
The board passed and approved this motion.
During Resolution 2023-12, former MCCSC Superintendent Jeff Hauswald spoke on the need to vote in favor of allowing free early childhood programs through local property tax levies.
MCCSC board President April Hennessey went on to speak in favor of this resolution.
The board adopted and approved the motion. The next Monroe County Community School Corporation Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 25th.
Bloomington Board of Park Commissioners
The Bloomington Board of Park Commissioners held its monthly meeting on Wednesday, June 25. Through money provided by the Commission in October 2018, a new art installation is being constructed at Miller Showers Park. Known as the Bicentennial Gateway, the sculpture seeks to welcome visitors entering from the city’s north side. Addressing the commission, Director of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Tim Street recapped the developmental history of the project.
Parks Director Street then described the financial and environmental challenges concerning public feedback on the gateway’s design.
Street summarized how the proposed amendments would meet the challenges encountered by the Department during the construction phase.
Street then told the Department about how a recently formed collaboration with the city’s Public Arts Commission would prevent the Parks and Recreation Department from exceeding its initial 1.25 million dollar approved budget:
Commissioner Jim Whitlach asked Street to clarify if the funds to the Public Arts Commission would impact the Parks Department’s overall budget. Street responded.
The Commission approved all three contract amendments unanimously. Next, the commission discussed a motion to install a new screen at Switchyard Park’s multi-purpose Pavilion. Switchyard Park’s General Manager of Recreational Facilities Hsiung Marler outlined issues with the current screen and how an upgrade would improve the event space:
Marler responded to Commissioner Whitlach’s question regarding alternate uses of the old projector should the new screen be approved.
The commission approved the motion unanimously. The Bloomington Board of Public Works will meet again on July 23rd.
Up next, we have Lil Bub’s Lil Show – a co-production between WFHB and Lil Bub’s Big Fund. We turn now to that segment on the WFHB Local News.
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Today’s headlines were written by Kade Young and Madison Stratton, in partnership with Cats – Community Access Television Services.
Lil Bub’s Lil Show is produced by Christine Brackenhoff and Stacy Bridavsky.
Our theme music is provided by Mark Bingham and the Social Climbers.
Engineer and Executive producer is Kade Young.
