This is the WFHB Local News for Tuesday, May 10th, 2022.

Later in the program, WFHB Correspondent Zyro Roze continues his conversation with Ashleigh Ewald - writer, advocate and podcaster in an ongoing interview series.

More in today’s feature report.

Also coming up in the next half hour, WFHB News Director Kade Young reports on last night’s protest and march over abortion rights.

But first, your local headlines.

Bloomington City Council Approves LIT Increase

Photo courtesy of the City of Bloomington.

The Bloomington City Council heard a report from the Commission on the Status of Women at their May 4th meeting.

The Bloomington Commission on the Status of Women presented a Capstone Project Report on Gender Equity in Bloomington. Elizabeth Gribbins, Christina Samons, and Adam Shifriss presented the report. Elizabeth Gribbins introduced the study.

Adam Shifriss gave some policy recommendations and key data points on the report, focusing on employment and pay.

Gribbins shared what the council and commission can do to address the wage inequity.

During public comment Bloomington Resident Hue Cramer spoke about the environmental hazard of gas leaf blowers.

The council held its final vote on modifying the Monroe County Local Income Tax rate. Council member Dave Rollo expressed concern about the timing of the increase in local income tax.

The council voted unanimously to increase the local income tax by 0.64%. The tax increase would also apply to all of Monroe County, because the local income tax rate is decided by the Monroe County Local Income Tax Council - of which the Bloomington City Council makes up a 56.7 percent majority.

The next city council meeting will be held on May 11th.

Ellettsville Town Council

Photo courtesy of Elletsville.

At the Ellettsville Town Council meeting on April 25th, the council decided between two bids they received for help updating the town’s personnel policy.

Treasurer Sandra Hash recommended that the council approve a contract with New Focus. Hash said their bid was less expensive and that their references had positive things to say.

Council member Scott Oldham said that he was in favor of her recommendation.

The council approved the contract unanimously. Town Marshal and Chief of Police Jimmy Durnil introduced their candidate George Robinson for the position of Assistant Chief Deputy.

The council approved the appointment of George Robison as Chief Deputy unanimously. He was sworn in by Hash directly following the vote.

The next Ellettsville Town Council meeting will be held on May 2nd.

Feature Reports:

Protesters gather at the courthouse lawn in support of reproductive rights (Young)

Up next, WFHB News Director Kade Young covers last night’s protest at the Monroe County Courthouse over abortion rights in a story titled “Community is Truly Our Last Line of Defense” - Bloomington Residents Demonstrate Support to Defend Roe v. Wade. We turn to Young for more.

In today’s feature report, WFHB Correspondent Zyro Roze continues his conversation with Ashleigh Ewald - writer, advocate and podcaster about how Generation Z is changing attitudes on climate change and cultural shifts. We turn to Roze for more.

Credits:

You’ve been listening to the WFHB Local News,

Today’s headlines were written by Noelle Herhusky-Schneider, in partnership with Cats - Community Access Television Services.

Our features were produced by Kade Young and Zyro Roze.

Our theme music is provided by Mark Bingham and the Social Climbers.

Engineer and Executive producer is Kade Young.

This is the WFHB Local News for Monday, May 9th, 2022.

Later in the program, we have some recent prison-related news and announcements from Kite Line - our public affairs program devoted to covering prison issues in the Midwest and beyond.

More in today’s headlines.

Also coming up in the next half hour, we have Strike Mic - Voices from the Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition in light of their strike against Indiana University.

But first, your daily headlines.

Monroe County Commissioners

At the Monroe County Commissioners meeting on May 4th County Assessor Judy Sharp addressed the public’s concern about the increasing property value assessments.

Sharp explained that the property value assessments are law. Commissioner Julie Thomas commented

Treasurer Jessica McClellan reminded the public of the approaching tax deadline, and gave suggestions for how and when to pay them.

Commissioner Penny Githens commented on the price of sidewalk repairs after Payroll Advisor Jordan Miller read off the claims docket.

GIS Coordinator Jared Eichmiller presented the request to purchase more licenses for Geographic Information System Software for county staff in the amount of $7,350.

The commissioners approved the request unanimously. The next meeting will be held on May 11th.

Bloomington Redevelopment Commission

On May 2nd at the Bloomington Redevelopment Commission meeting Director of Housing and Neighborhood Development John Zody shared that HAND will host a tenant resource fair on Saturday May 21st.

Zody also reminded the public that there are requirements for maintaining lawns to a maximum height of eight inches or less.

Director of Economic and Sustainable Development Alex Crowley presented an agreement with Buskirk Chumley Theater Management Incorporated. He explained that they have worked with them for many years and so they would like to approve a three year contract.

City Legal Larry Allen spoke in support of the contract and said that the B-C-T Management partnership has been stable.

The board approved the contract unanimously. The next commission will be held on May 16th.

Feature Reports:

Up next, we have some recent prison-related news and announcements from the producers of Kite Line - our public affairs program devoted to prison issues in the Midwest and beyond. Kite Line airs each Friday at 5:30 p.m. on WFHB. The program is available online or wherever you get your podcasts.

Up next, we have Strike Mic - Voices from the Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition in light of their strike against Indiana University. We turn now to that segment.

In today’s feature report, WFHB Correspondent Zyro Roze speaks with Ashleigh Ewald about how Generation Z influences attitudes on climate change and cultural changes. We turn to Roze for Part Three of an ongoing interview series.

Credits:

You’ve been listening to the WFHB Local News,

Today’s headlines were written by Noelle Herhusky-Schneider, in partnership with Cats - Community Access Television Services.

Our feature was produced by Zyro Roze.

Kite Line and Strike Mic are produced by Mia Beach.

Our theme music is provided by Mark Bingham and the Social Climbers.

Engineer and Executive producer is Kade Young.

On Sunday, April 10th, a 97.8 percent affirmative vote by IU graduate workers set into motion the largest indefinite strike Bloomington has seen in decades. Everyday that we can, WFHB’s Strike Mic will bring you to the frontlines of this movement, allowing you to understand the issues and the action through the voices of the participants themselves.

Today, the Bloomington Faculty Council is holding an regency session for the first time since 2005, when its No-confidence voters to the firing of IU president Adam Herbert. This meeting was triggered by a petition of more than 200 faculty in response to the Indiana Grad Workers strike. Many hundreds are inside, possibly clearing the 800 person quorum for a no-confidence vote. We are sharing the perspective of two grad organizers on the context and stakes of this meeting and will share updates on what went down inside tomorrow.

WFHB will continue to air updates as the strike unfolds in the coming days. You can learn more at www.indianagradworkers.org.

In the late afternoon of Saturday, April 30, a dozen members of the Indiana Grad Workers Coalition picketed a major donors' dinner at the IU auditorium.

They were joined by several community supporters including a union steamfitter and a member of the Monroe County Education Association.  The dinner celebrates IU donors who contribute at the one, five, and 10 million dollar levels.

Today, we are sharing audio from the demonstration, which was aimed at reaching donors and letting them know that their contributions are not reaching IU classrooms via instructors' wages.

On Sunday, April 10th, a 97.8 percent affirmative vote by IU graduate workers set into motion the largest indefinite strike Bloomington has seen in decades. Everyday that we can, WFHB’s Strike Mic will bring you to the frontlines of this movement, allowing you to understand the issues and the action through the voices of the participants themselves.

WFHB will continue to air updates as the strike unfolds in the coming days. You can learn more at www.indianagradworkers.org.

This is the WFHB Local News for Thursday, May 5th, 2022.

Later in the program, we have an excerpt from Interchange – The Knowledge of Power: Graduate Worker Exploitation at Indiana University. More in the bottom half of our program.

Also coming up in the next half hour, the Bloomington Board of Zoning Appeals met late last month to discuss a sidewalk on a property on West Seventh Street. That’s coming up next in your daily headlines.

Bloomington Board of Zoning Appeals

At the Bloomington Board of Zoning Appeals meeting on April 21st, Planning Development and Services Manager Jackie Scanlan presented a petition for a sidewalk variance on a property located at 935 West 7th Street.

Scanlan shared that the petitioners were informed of the sidewalk standards when they were building the house and that it was included in their site plans.

Scanlan said that city staff visited the site and deemed that it would be feasible to include a sidewalk. Scanlan shared why this property having a sidewalk is important for the future of sidewalk connectivity in the area.

The petitioner Patrick McAleer presented to the board explaining why they are requesting the variance.

The board voted to postpone their decision on the sidewalk variance to consult with the city staff again.

The next meeting will be held on May 26th.

Feature Report:

In today’s feature report, we feature an excerpt from Interchange - our public affairs program devoted to answering the questions that shape how we understand ourselves. This excerpt comes from the live broadcast last Tuesday where host Doug Storm interviewed members of the Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition who have been on strike for almost a month.

Storm welcomes Three PhD candidates at Indiana University: Marina Mecham is in the History Department, Anne Kavalerchik is in the Sociology and Informatics Departments, and Nathan Douglas is in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. The conversation begins with host Doug Storm asking our guests about IU President Pamela Whitten’s doctoral thesis. We turn now to an excerpt from Interchange on WFHB.

Credits:

You’ve been listening to the WFHB Local News,

Today’s headlines were written by Noelle Herhusky-Schneider, in partnership with Cats - Community Access Television Services.

Our feature was produced by Doug Storm.

Our theme music is provided by Mark Bingham and the Social Climbers.

Engineer and Executive producer is Kade Young.

This is the WFHB Local News for Wednesday, May 4th, 2022.

Later in the program, WFHB News provides a rundown of the local primary results in today’s daily headlines. Also coming up in the next half hour, we have your weekly consumer-watchdog segment Better Beware hosted and produced by Richard Fish. More following today’s feature.

But first, your environmental news brief:

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has recently proposed adding a new species to the state’s endangered species list. The prairie tarachidia, which is also known as the Prairie Bird-Dropping moth, has the distinctive coloring of its namesake, bird droppings. The moth is an important species because it is a great indicator of the health of Indiana’s habitats, as the moth is vital to the food web. The Indiana DNR currently has over 150 species listed as endangered in the state and plans to add a few more. Ideally, species are delisted once they recover in their natural habitat. The DNR hopes that by adding the moth to the endangered species list, more awareness will be raised and the species could be saved.

This year, the organizers of the Indianapolis 500 have decided to not release balloons during this year’s race. This is the third year in a row without the balloon launch, but the prior reasons were all COVID-19 related. The explanation of this decision for this May is due to the environmental and wildlife impacts that the balloons have. The balloons are known to travel very far, with some ending up in Ohio, and most of them make their way into the ecosystem which can have negative impacts for wildlife. Some species, such as turtles, are known to eat balloons which can lead to suffocation or starvation. Experts have done tests on the balloons launched in the past and have found them to only degrade after four years. Environmental groups have praised this move by the Indy 500 as it helps lower the environmental footprint of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

After almost a year of weekly airings, this is my last Environmental News Briefing. Once I graduate, I’m moving back to my hometown, leaving Bloomington and my WFHB family behind. Thank you for listening to these weekly briefings and I hope they have allowed you to stay informed and knowledgeable about the environment here in Bloomington, in Indiana, and throughout the world. At the current moment, there are plans to continue the segment, with a fellow environmental correspondent stepping up to take the mantle. But for now, thanks again.

Bloomington Board of Park Commissioners

On April 26th at the Bloomington Board of Park Commissioners meeting, Director of Parks and Recreation Paula McDevvit asked the board to approve a suspension appeal of a park visitor.

City Attorney Michael Rouker gave the commissioners background information on their ability to issue a temporary park suspension and explained why one has been submitted for resident Matthew Mulligan.

Matthew Mulligan spoke in his defense against the suspension.

Board member Jim Whitlach asked Mulligan if he was at the park that day, and if he did in fact pull in front of Delilah’s car intending to block his vehicle from exiting the park parking lot.

Mulligan said he did not do it.

City Attorney Rouker and Council Member Whitlach asked Clark Delilah a series of questions about his encounters with Mulligan.

The board unanimously approved the suspension of Mulligan from city parks for ninety days. The board will have a special meeting to approve the 2021 annual report draft on May 9th.

Monroe County Primary Election Results

A banner reads, "Vote Here Today," at 401 W 7th Street, Suite 100 (Young).

Indiana held its primary election on Tuesday. In today’s edition of the local news,

This is the WFHB Local News for Tuesday, May 3rd, 2022.

Later in the program, WFHB News has special coverage on the 2022 Indiana Primary Election which takes place today. More in today’s feature report.

Also coming up in the next half hour, the Bloomington City Council continues its discussion on raising the Local Income Tax. That’s coming up next in your daily headlines.

Bloomington City Council Continues Discussion on Increasing Local Income Tax

Photo courtesy of the City of Bloomington.

On April 27th the Bloomington City Council continued their discussion on raising the Local Income Tax.

Council member Kate Rosenbarger asked the mayor about how reducing the proposed Local Income Tax rate would affect the budget - if it would affect the budget as a whole or eliminate funding for specific programs. Mayor John Hamilton responded.

During public comment Russ Skeeba shared that he was against raising the Local Income Tax. Skeeba said that the community is too divided to make any decisions.

Council member Jim Sims commented that the council has a tough decision to make when so many people want different things, and shared what he would like to see funding for.

The council will vote on the Local Income Tax at their next meeting on May 4th.

Bloomington Board of Public Works Approves Street Closure Request from CBU

At the Bloomington Board of Public Works meeting on April 26th the board heard from Engineering Public Improvement Manger Emily Herr about accepting East Short Street into the city’s inventory.

The addition was approved unanimously. The board also approved a street closure request from the City of Bloomington Utilities for East Queens Way and the intersection of South Montclair Avenue from April 27th 2022 until May 18th 2022.

Engineering Field Specialist Paul Kehrberg shared that the work will be done between 9 to 3, and said that the street will be open in the evenings. Board president Kayla Cox Deckard asked if arrangements have been made for the residents on the street to ensure they will have access to their driveways during that time.

Kehrberg said that he will make sure that Bloomington Utilities coordinates with them. The board approved their request unanimously. The next meeting will be held on May 10th.

2022 Indiana Primary Election

A banner reads, "Vote Here Today," at 401 W 7th Street, Suite 100 (Young).

Indiana’s primary election is today - Tuesday, May 3rd. The results of the 2022 primary determine the party nominees for the general election in November.

Hours for polling places in Monroe County are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., but if you are in line by 6 p.m. you will still have the opportunity to cast your ballot.

Monroe County Election Supervisor Karen Wheeler says that she believes the primaries are more important than you think for both political parties in the United States.

At around 12:30 p.m. Wheeler said the voter turnout has been slightly slow. However, she says the turnout looks somewhat similar to the last midterm primary.

She provided essential information voters need to know for this year’s primary election.

Wheeler talked about the importance of exercising your right to vote and what that means to her.

Tom Henderson has worked the polls at Binford Elementary for about a decade. He said voter turnout seemed low at around 1 p.m. but he said he hopes to see more voters before the polls close.

Henderson, who is a volunteer at WFHB Community Radio, gave his input on the importance of primary elections.

Prior to the election, Monroe County Election Central pushed out the message that more poll workers were needed.

This is the WFHB Local News for Monday, May 2nd, 2022.

Later in the program, Indiana’s primary election begins tomorrow, Tuesday, May 3rd. More information on where, when and how to vote and some information on local races in today’s headlines.

Also coming up in the next half hour, we have Strike Mic - voices from the Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition in light of their recent strike against Indiana University.

Monroe County Commissioners

At the Monroe County Commissioners meeting on April 27th, Monroe County Sheriff Brad Swain updated the commissioners on how the sheriff’s office has been implementing the software Lexipol to electronically keep track of their policy documents and procedure manuals.

Swain said that they also have been using the program to send out training bulletins that the officers are expected to keep up to date on.

Swain said that Lexipol has been a beneficial program for the Sheriff’s department.

Commissioner Penny Githens said she was very pleased the program has been so useful. She also asked how much the program will cost moving forward since it was initially funded using grant money.

Swain said that he was not sure about the exact figure, but said he can provide it in the future. The next commissioners meeting will be held on May 2nd.

Bloomington Utilities Service Board

Photo courtesy of Schmidt Associates.

On April 25th at the Bloomington Utilities Service Board meeting, Capital Projects Manager, Daniel Hudson shared bids for the Monroe Water Treatment Plant Filter Rehabilitation Project.

According to Hudson the bid from Michelin Stark is for $3,256, 845. And the bid from Building Associates is for $2,304,700.

Board member Kirk White asked how much the department originally expected the bids to cost. Hudson said that their estimates were much smaller than the bids they received.

Hudson said that the department staff will bring their recommendation to the next board meeting in two weeks. The next Bloomington Utilities Service Board meeting will be held on May 9th.

Indiana Primary Election Information

A banner reads, "Vote Here Today," at 401 W 7th Street, Suite 100 (Young).

Where, When and How to Vote

Indiana’s 2022 primary election begins tomorrow, Tuesday May 3rd. Early voting for the primary ends at 6 p.m. tonight on May 2nd.

Polling times are from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. but if you are in line by 6 p.m., you will still be able to cast your vote.

To vote on election day, you will need a valid form of identification issued by either the state of Indiana or the U.S. government.

In order to find out where to vote, meaning your designated polling place, visit indianavoters.in.gov.

Indiana House District 62

Indiana House District 62 will be a race to watch during this election cycle. Monroe County Commissioner Penny Githens and outgoing Sheriff Brad Swain have announced their candidacy for the Democratic primary. They will face either Dave Hall or Greg Knott - candidates for the Republican primary - in the General Election come November.

The Democratic and Republican challengers will not face off against an incumbent - as former District 62 Representative Jeff Ellington announced last year that he will change his residency to Bloomfield in order to run for the House District 45 seat. According to the Indy Star, the recently-passed redistricting maps show that the once reliably red House District 62 will now become more competitive.

The new maps exclude Martin, Davies and Greene counties while gaining Brown County, more of Monroe County and parts of Jackson County.

Monroe County Sheriff's Race

Another race of local interest - the Monroe Cou...

by Nathaniel Weinzapfel

Introduction:

First held in 1970 and recently reaching its 50th year anniversary, Earth Day is an annual holiday held to demonstrate support for environmental protection and celebrate life on our planet, with over a billion people participating in related events worldwide. This holiday has been extended to encompass all of April, in what has been aptly named Earth Month. In celebration of Earth Month there have been a series of news stories that began last week focusing on how Indiana is likely to be affected by climate change. Researchers have rigorously studied what Indiana’s future will entail, and these stories will cover the likely outcomes and provide some specific context. This is the fourth episode of the series, focusing on the future of severe weather in Indiana based around an interview with Dr. Cody Kirkpatrick, a Senior Lecturer with the Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences at Indiana University.

Extreme Weather News Reports Segment:

And we begin at six o'clock with an I-Team 8 investigation and a warning about Indiana's electric grid this winter. A new report suggests that a major winter storm could lead parts or all of the state without electricity. This is a big deal.

We're joining you from Kilroy’s tonight, right on Kirkwood Avenue here in Bloomington. And as you can see, there's still a lot of cleanup happening here from those floodwaters last night. Those with Kilroy's tell us they're hoping to open by Tuesday. 

It's tomorrow that our severe weather threat moves in. Check this out. Almost the entire state of Indiana is in that enhanced risk. That's a level three out of five. That means severe weather is going to be likely and this threat is going to be an overnight threat that makes it even more dangerous.

And the cold is stretching across the Midwest. The mayor of Indianapolis urged residents to stay indoors. “Even 10 minutes of exposure may very well be harmful.”

Extreme Weather:

Among the effects of climate change most publicized are extreme weather events. While it is still difficult to pinpoint how climate change might have impacted a singular historical event, scientists have found that overall, the planet is likely to experience an intensification of heat waves, droughts, storms, and winter weather. These more extreme variations in the weather of Indiana pose quite a danger to the state. Severe weather events can increase the amount of illnesses and deaths among vulnerable populations and lead to billions of dollars worth of damages to local communities state-wide. Essential services, such as emergency response vehicles, water supplies, and electricity could also be temporarily disrupted during these events. Overall, if climate change continues, this increase in severe weather events could harm Indiana and its Hoosier residents.

Heat Waves:

In the previous episode, heat waves were discussed in regard to its impact on Hoosier farmers. To reiterate the findings, heat waves are projected to become more common due to climate change. Overall, summers in Indiana will be hotter. It is predicted that the number of days above 90 degrees Fahrenheit could last for about two and a half months on average during the summer months. While for many people this just means they will stay inside more or head to the pool, these events can actually be quite deadly, as Dr. Kirkpatrick describes:

“Here in Indiana, I think a lot of people don't consider heat waves as severe weather or as a type of extreme weather. But on average, in the United States, heat causes the most fatalities, the most weather related fatalities every year. Greater number than tornadoes, than flooding, and hurricanes on average, every year. And with warmer temperatures that we know are occurring, and are going to continue to occur, you can, with those warmer temperatures,

On Sunday, April 10th, a 97.8 percent affirmative vote by IU graduate workers set into motion the largest indefinite strike Bloomington has seen in decades.

Everyday that we can, WFHB’s Strike Mic will bring you to the frontlines of this movement, allowing you to understand the issues and the action through the voices of the participants themselves.

WFHB will continue to air updates as the strike unfolds in the coming days. You can learn more at www.indianagradworkers.org.