This is the WFHB Local News for Monday, May 3rd, 2021.

Later in the program, we have a Few Minutes with the Mayor - a weekly segment where Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton answers questions on community issues. More coming up in our feature reports.

Also coming up in the next half hour, we have coverage on Bloomington's public zoning debate set to resume on Tuesday. More in today’s headlines.

But first, your local news brief:

Covid-19 cases are still high in Monroe county, with an average of 16 people per 100,000 testing positive per day. However, 29% of residents have gotten fully vaccinated - 3% lower than the national statistic. Although the CDC continues to encourage wearing masks and social distancing, they announced that fully vaccinated citizens after two weeks may gather in small groups without masks or social distancing.

Yesterday afternoon a U-Haul truck drove into the side of the tattoo and piercing studio - Evil by the Needle - while people were inside. Bloomington Police Department officers on scene are continuing to gather information about the incident. The two people inside the building were pushed to the other side of the studio by the truck and rushed to the hospital with minor injuries.

On Saturday, Bloomington’s only LGBTQIA+ inclusive nightclub, The Back Door, opened back up after more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Co-owner Smoove was reported to have applied for five loans to pay for utilities and keep the space over the past year as he quote “was all in favor of people over profits.” About 70 people celebrated the grand reopening outside on the newly renovated patio. The Back Door plans to continue to require masks for the time being and will slowly return back to business as usual.

COVID-19 Press Conference 

Mayor John Hamilton announced three new positive COVID-19 cases among city employees at the April 30th Coronavirus Press Conference. Monroe County Health Administrator Penny Caudill talked about an upcoming vaccination site at the Boys and Girls Club. She said the resources from the Bloomington Convention Center site would be going towards outreach programs to help eliminate barriers to receiving vaccines.

Caudill said some local vaccine sites have been taking walk-ins, as well. Indiana University Assistant Vice President Kirk White confirmed that Assembly Hall is accepting walks-ins starting an hour after the site opens. The Boys and Girls Club pop-up vaccination site will be May 6th.

Holcomb Sues General Assembly Over Emergency Powers Law

Governor Eric Holcomb filed a lawsuit against the Indiana General Assembly over a law that gives the state legislature more authority during a public health emergency.

House Enrolled Act 1123 allows the Indiana General Assembly to convene for a special session if the governor declares an emergency. It also regulates how the state spends federal stimulus money.

After its passage, Governor Holcomb vetoed the legislation. Then, lawmakers overrode the governor’s veto.

According to the lawsuit, Holcomb says the ability to call a special session is given solely to the governor in the state constitution.

The complaint says, “the General Assembly has impermissibly attempted to give itself the ability to call special sessions, thereby usurping a power given exclusively to the governor under Article 4 and 9 of the Indiana Constitution.”

On Friday, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita moved for the court to strike the lawsuit, which Rokita calls “unauthorized.” Rokita said the law is constitutional and it leaves the governor’s ability to call a special session “untouched.”

He added, “The Constitution does not authorize the judicial branch to resolve disagreements between the other branches over legal policy, even when those disagreements implicate constitutional di...

This is the WFHB Local News for Thursday, April 29th, 2021.

Later in the program, we have an excerpt from this week’s episode of Interchange. Producer Doug Storm talks with journalist Vincent Bevins about his book The Jakarta Method: Washington's Anticommunist Crusade and the Mass Murder Program that Shaped Our World. More coming up in today’s feature reports.

Also coming up in the next half hour, on Wednesday, Mayor John Hamilton announced that the city will resume annexation plans starting this spring. More in the top-half of today’s show.

Bloomington City Council Committee of the Whole 

Screenshot of City Council Meeting (Community Access Television Services.)

The Bloomington City Council Committee of the Whole began discussion over multiplexes in Bloomington. Development Services Manager Jackie Scanlan presented the ordinance, which would classify duplexes as permitted use. She said if more units are built in Bloomington, the overall price to live in Bloomington would drop.

Councilmember Dave Rollo introduced an amendment that would prevent duplexes from being built in Residential Zones 1 through 3. He warned that people living in single-family homes would sell to investors, making a large profit and raising the cost of all homes in Bloomington. Councilmember Jim Sims questioned Rollo on where homeowners would move, in Bloomington, after selling their houses.

After hours of public comment, Councilmember Steve Volan moved to adjourn. Councilmembers agreed 5 to 3. The Bloomington City Council will continue discussion of amendment one at a special City Council meeting on May 4th.

The City of Bloomington Resumes Annexation Plans

Bloomington Annexation Map (Photo courtesy of the City of Bloomington.)

On Wednesday, Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton announced that the City of Bloomington will move forward with annexation plans starting in early May.

Four years ago, the city of Bloomington underwent plans to annex almost 10,000 acres of Monroe County land. However, that year, the Indiana General Assembly addressed the city’s annexation in the state budget. Section 11.8 of the budget prevented Bloomington’s annexation plans and barred the city from annexing the proposed areas for five years.

Then, the City of Bloomington brought a lawsuit against Governor Holcomb seeking relief on the grounds that the General Assembly violated special legislation and the single-subject rule.

Special legislation refers to laws that target a small, identifiable group but not all members of a given class — meaning the law targeted the city of Bloomington and not the state of Indiana.

In December 2020, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled that the state legislature was unconstitutional by banning the city of Bloomington from annexing several areas of land in a 3-2 vote.

Mayor Hamilton outlined the decision to move forward with the annexation starting this spring in a 4-minute video announcement on Wednesday.

According to a city press release, Bloomington City Council will discuss fiscal plans in a May 12th meeting. A final vote on the ordinances is expected sometime in September.

In the meantime, public opinion will be offered at a later date and a slew of hearings are set to take place with the possibility of in-person meetings.

Some county residents outside of city limits are concerned with annexation ordinances, fearing higher taxes. A Facebook group even sprouted up in 2017 called the Citizens Opposed to Radical Annexation.

However, others like Council President Jim Sims,

This is the WFHB Local News for Wednesday, April 28th, 2021.

Later in the program, WFHB News speaks with Alex Crowley, Director of Economic & Sustainable Development with the City of Bloomington and member of the Board of Directors for the Lake Monroe Water Fund. More on that in today’s feature report.

Also coming up in the next half hour, we have Better Beware - your weekly, consumer-watchdog segment on WFHB. More at the bottom half of our program.

But first, your local headlines:

Bloomington Park Commissioners 

The Bloomington Board of Park Commissioners talked about the Public Health in Parks initiative. Health and Wellness Coordinator Jess Klein presented the partnership between Bloomington Parks and Recreation, the Monroe County Health Department, IU Health, and Centerstone. She proposed a longer program that alternated between Seminary and Switchyard Parks.

Klein added that the sharps containers initiative will also be rolled into the Public Health in Parks program. Commissioner Kathleen Mills asked what Parks and Rec could do to reduce the number of sharps found outside of containers. Klein responded putting the containers in more discrete places could help. She says the stigma of having needles prevents people from disposing of them in more public places.

Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the partnership.

Bloomington Board of Public Works

Project Engineer Neil Kopper presented an amendment to a service agreement at the Bloomington Board of Public Works meeting. At the April 27th meeting, he recommended an amendment to an agreement for consulting services for the Seventh Street Bike Lane Improvement Projects.

Kopper stated the change would reduce fees paid to the contractor. The motion passed unanimously. The next Board of Public Works meeting is May 11th.

MCCSC School Board

The Monroe County Community School Corporation School Board discussed Online learning in the 2021 to 2022 school year. Assistant Superintendent Doctor Markay Winston talked about the need for consistency in online lessons. She said that, moving forward, MCCSC would have teachers exclusively teach online or in-person. She proposed other changes that would make hybrid learning easier on both teachers and students.

Doctor Winston clarified that a lottery would be used to choose who qualified for Kindergarten through eighth grade online learning if the school corporation received too many applications. Board Member April Hennessey asked what this lottery would look like. Doctor Winston was not sure, but she said student choice would focus on equity.

Board member Brandon Shurr showed concern that students may not be able to get vaccinated before the beginning of the school year. He asked Doctor Winston if families waiting to see if the vaccine will be available will be unable to apply for Online learning.

The deadline for the first round of applications is May 14th. The next MCCSC School Board meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 18th.

Feature Reports:

According to its website, the Lake Monroe Water Fund is an active funder for watershed projects that conserve, protect and sustain Lake Monroe as our shared community water resource.

Lake Monroe has a watershed of 276,000 acres. It also serves as the primary source of drinking water for 128,000 Monroe County residents and as a supplemental source of water for Brown County.

(Photo Courtesy of Visit Bloomington).

The man-made lake was built to last about 100 years. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finished constructing the lake in 1965. And according to the Lake Monroe Water Fund, the lake has no coordinated plan to manage and sustain it.

(Photo courtesy of the City of Bloomington).

The Lake Monroe Water Fund partners with local organizations,...

This is the WFHB Local News for Tuesday, April 27th, 2021.

Later in the program, in the aftermath of the FedEx shooting in Indianapolis, our correspondent Max Campbell interviewed an expert source on gun control and the President of the Sikh Student Association at Indiana University. Campbell submitted that story last week. In today’s show, we revisit that report.

Also coming up in the next half hour, we have Artbeat - a segment where Dr. Filiz Cicek interviews artists, activists and educators about their work. Today’s guest is Jacky Comforty. More following today’s feature report.

Ellettsville Town Council 

The Ellettsville Town Council discussed whether they would return to in-person meetings. At the April 26th meeting, Councilmember Scott Oldham presented the option for councilmembers to begin meeting in-person at Ellettsville Town Hall. He said he is willing to go back to in-person meetings, but it would be better to wait for COVID-19 cases to trend downward.

Councilmember Dan Swafford expressed his preference that council meetings should be both in-person and online options. Resident Russell Ryle agreed. He added that using Zoom has made council meetings more accessible to more people.

Councilmember William Ellis echoed the importance of accessibility. Councilmember Pamela Samples motioned to table the conversation until the May 10th council meeting. Councilors supported the motion unanimously.

US Census Bureau Releases 2020 Census Data, Indiana Keeps 9 Congressional Seats

On Monday, the U.S. Census Bureau released changes made to congressional seats after the 2020 census. Indiana will keep its 9 seats for the next ten years, according to the census bureau.

Indiana is one of 37 states without any changes to the amount of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Dr. Ron Jarmin, acting director of the U.S. Census Bureau, described which states will gain seats, which states will lose seats and which will remain the same.

Congress has 435 members and every decade, the seat memberships are divided up based on population in a process called “congressional apportionment.”

According to the US Census Bureau, Indiana has 6,785,528 residents for the 2020 Census. In comparison, the state population stood at 6,483,802 people during the 2010 Census. That means the state grew by 301,726 people.

Altogether, that marks about a 4 percent growth in the state population. The state census website says that about 70 percent of residents participated in the 2020 Census.

In a news conference on Monday, the census bureau reported that the last decade marked the slowest population growth in the U.S. since the Great Depression, with a 7.1 percent increase.

Feature Reports:

Flowers placed in memoriam of the victims (Photo courtesy of NBC News).

In the aftermath of the FedEx shooting in Indianapolis, WFHB Correspondent Max Campbell interviewed an expert source on gun control and the President of the Sikh Student Association at Indiana University.

This story aired last week on the local news, but we feel this story is still relevant and important for you to hear. We turn to correspondent Max Campbell for more.

Up next, we have Artbeat - a segment where Dr. Filiz Cicek interviews artists, activists and educators about their work.

In today’s episode writer, director Jacky Comforty talks with Dr.

This is the WFHB Local News for Monday, April 26th, 2021.

Later in the program, we have the latest edition of a Few Minutes with the Mayor - a weekly segment where listeners pose questions to Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton. More in today’s feature report.

Also coming up in the next half hour, the Indiana State Department of Health is now requiring local clinics to allow walk-in visits to receive the Covid-19 vaccine without an appointment. More in today’s headlines.

COVID-19 Press Conference 

At the April 23th COVID-19 press conference, Mayor John Hamilton talked about an illegal large gathering that took place last week. He said a party that occurred at an apartment on south Walnut Street had hundreds of attendees.

Assistant Vice President at Indiana University Kirk White emphasized that the University is taking breach of COVID-19 restrictions seriously. He said the Dean will be following up with students even though there are only a few weeks of semester left.

This past weekend would have been Little 5 weekend, though the race was postponed. White said the Bloomington Police Department would be patrolling for students who are celebrating how they would normally celebrate for Little 5.

State to Allow Walk-In Appointments for Covid-19 Vaccine

The Indiana State Department of Health announced that local clinics will now allow walk-in vaccines without the need of an appointment.

Health officials encouraged state residents to walk into a vaccine clinic to get their shots starting on Monday, April 26th.

Monroe County Health Administrator Penny Caudill gave an update on the walk-in addition during last Friday’s Covid-19 press conference.

Brian Shockney, president for IU Health’s South Central region commented on the change to the walk-in option.

On Sunday, ISDH reported 832 new Covid-19 cases with over 860 people currently hospitalized due to Covid-19.

As for Monroe County, 25 new cases have been reported as of Sunday, according to data from the state health department. Almost 30 local residents are currently hospitalized with Covid-19.

Caudill provided more context on Monroe County’s coronavirus data during Friday’s press conference.

Caudill described the vaccination effort in both the state and in the county. She also touched on last week’s pause of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

Starting last Saturday, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and several other state clinics began administering the one-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine after an 11-day hiatus.

During last Friday’s local press conference, IU Spokesperson Chuck Carney quoted local researcher Dr. Aaron Carroll, saying a person is more likely to be struck by lightning than getting the rare blood clot reported in six patients who received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

Bloomington Historical Preservation Commission

The Bloomington Historical Preservation Commission discussed the partial demolition of a historical house.

Assistant Director of Housing and Neighborhood Development Brent Pierce presented a request to partially demolish the Thomas Smith house and add a garage to the building.

Commissioner Chris Sturbaum was surprised the house is not locally designated as Historic. He expressed caution moving forward with any changes due to the home’s historical importance.

Sturbaum referenced the Thomas Smith house’s current garage. He said the first garage was approved because it was disconnected from the house.

Commissioners agreed the Thomas Smith house should not be demolished. Commission Chair Jeff Goldin motioned for the site to receive Historic designation. Commissioners approved the motion unanimously. The site will be reviewed at a future Common Council meeting.

Last Thursday, a lone gunman killed 8 people and injured several others in a mass shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis.

Flowers placed in memoriam of victims in front of FedEx facility (Photo courtesy of NBC News).

Over the past year, leading up to this tragedy, multiple concerns were raised regarding the shooter’s mental health. These concerns were so significant that at one point in March of 2020, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department seized a shotgun from the shooter’s possession. Despite this, nearly a year later, a loophole in Indiana’s Jake Laird Law, also known as the Red Flag Law, allowed the guns used in the FedEx shooting to come into the shooter’s possession.

To further understand the Jake Laird Law and how this loophole was exploited, WFHB met virtually with Indiana University Professor and former Mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Paul Helmke. Paul has used his expertise in gun legislation and public policy in positions as the former president and CEO of the Brady Center and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

When asked about what the Jake Laird Law actually was and how it was supposed to function Helmke said, "Indiana actually is one of the leaders in the country in terms of trying to take weapons away from dangerous people. Back in 2004, there was an incident where an individual killed a family member, killed a police officer shot and wounded four other police officers and then was killed by the police. After the shootout, it was determined that the weapons he used to kill the other police officer had actually been seized by the police earlier and had been returned to him. And when our legislators and law enforcement folks realize that there was no law on the books that would have allowed law, the police to keep those weapons, they passed this Jake Laird Law. Basically, it was a copy of what Connecticut had done six years earlier. And it's really a gun removal statute more than just a red flag is Indiana law enforcement the power to ask a judge to take away someone's weapon, actually, they can take it away without a warrant and then get approval from the court, or they can get the approval from the court first. But if an individual who has been identified as dangerous, has a weapon, this gives the police the power to take that weapon away, then they're supposed to be hearing 14 days later to determine whether that's permanent or not. So that's a good law to have on the books."

However, regardless of this law and the action taken to previously seize his guns, the shooter was still able to obtain these firearms legally. Helmke speculated the degree to which this shooting could have been prevented, saying “It it's always difficult to say that something could have been prevented. But I think in this situation, something more could have been done to make this harder for this to have happened. Here's an individual whose mother identified him as dangerous over a year ago. And because she told the police about that, they came in and took a shotgun away from him over a year ago, the FBI got involved over a year ago, the Marion County prosecutor got involved over a year ago. And under Indiana's law, his fact then was taken and apparently he didn't ask for it back. But because Indiana's law only focuses on removing that gun until there's a court order that says this person is dangerous, he had the right to go out and buy other guns. And so last summer on two separate occasions, he bought dangerous weapons and then he used them last week, if we had to had a law on the books, that the motive said that dangerous person that is identified as dangerous at the police fill is dangerous that the family fill is dangerous that that person should be put on the prohibited purchaser list. And then if the person contest that they have a chance to get off the list,

This is the WFHB Local News for Thursday, April 22nd, 2021.

Later in the program, WFHB Correspondent Max Campbell reports on last week’s mass shooting in Indianapolis. He speaks with Indiana University Professor and former Mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Bill Helmke and President of the Sikh Student Association Ravleen Kaur Ahuja. More in today’s feature report.

Also coming up in the next half hour, WFHB’s Spring Fund Drive kicks off today. WFHB’s Kade Young and Jake Jacobson offer a testimonial in light of our fund drive, which is taking place from Earth Day to May Day. More following today’s feature.

Bloomington City Council 

The Bloomington City Council continued discussion on amendments to the Unified Development Ordinance at their April 21st meeting. Zoning Planner Ryan Robling presented an ordinance that reduces the floor plate size and density of student housing. He said building plans can exceed these limitations if they meet affordable housing incentives.

Councilmember Isabel Piedmont-Smith proposed an amendment to the ordinance. She suggested student housing may also exceed limitations if the plan meets sustainable development incentives. Director of Planning and Transportation Scott Robinson supported this amendment. He said the ordinance was meant to include these incentives.

Councilmembers unanimously voted to adopt the amendment. Robling said the ordinance would remove a requirement that builders send notice to landowners within 300 feet of construction. Councilmember Dave Rollo proposed an amendment that reinstated the requirement. He questioned Attorney Mike Rouker as to why the city does not support this practice now even though they supported it before.

Resident Cathy Crabtree agreed that the notice is confusing. Peidmont-Smith suggested the council should not legislate courtesy. The amendment failed 8 to 1. Councilmembers unanimously voted to approve the ordinance as amended.

Monroe County Commissioners 

The Monroe County Commissioners moved to approve additional funds for intersection improvements. At the April 21st meeting, Highway Director Lisa Ridge talked about the project, which will make improvements to the intersection at Curry Pike, Smith Pike, and Woodyard Road. She said the Indiana Department of Transportation stepped up to help fund the project.

Commissioner Penny Githens identified the intersection needs a lot of work. Commissioner Julie Thomas commented that this will help build on previous improvements made to the intersection. Commissioners unanimously approved the funding.

Monroe County Redevelopment Commission 

The Monroe County Redevelopment Commission discussed its partnership with the Richland Bean Blossom Community School Corporation. County Attorney Jeff Cockerill presented changes to the commission’s agreement with RBBCSC. He explained the changes clarify the difference between STEAM education and the Ready Schools Program.

Richland Bean Blossom Superintendent Jerry Sanders clarified that the STEAM curriculum is not being replaced. Ready Schools Project Coordinator Jaime Miller said the content is being changed to align with local employers. Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the agreement.

Feature Reports:

Up first, we turn to WFHB Correspondent Max Campbell for an interview with Indiana University Professor and former Mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Bill Helmke, an expert on gun policy. Campbell also speaks with President of the Sikh Student Association Ravleen Kaur Ahuja. We turn to Correspondent Max Campbell for more.

This is the WFHB Local News for Wednesday, April 21st, 2021.

Later in the program, we have an excerpt from our public affairs program, Interchange, a show that questions how we understand ourselves. Today’s excerpt comes from last week’s show, “Mr. Trotter, the President, and the Klan with Kerri Greenidge.” More in today’s feature report.

Also coming up in the next half hour, we have Better Beware - your weekly consumer-watchdog program hosted and produced by Richard Fish.

Your Local News Brief

The WFHB Local News Brief breaks down the daily local news cycle into 2-3 minutes of what you need to know each day. Listen live Monday through Thursday at 1:30 p.m. on WFHB Community Radio. Visual broadcasts of the news briefs are available on our Youtube channel, WFHB-TV.

The Kohr building, on Rogers Street, in between First Street and Second Street, just moved closer in the process to be redeveloped into, what the City of Bloomington calls, affordable housing.

The City of Bloomington bought the building as a part of a deal which saw the City buy the old Bloomington Hospital site on Second Street from the IU Health.

Next year the IU health is slated to move from the site to their new location, which is currently under construction, on the 45/46 bypass.

Earlier this year, the Bloomington City Council voted unanimously to give the one-hundred-and-twenty year-old Kohr building an historic status. The developers who won the bidding process, submitted a proposal that would set aside a number of permanent supportive housing units for the unhoused.

Since the beginning of the pandemic last March, Bloomington Transit has offered its public bus services free of charge. The decision to do so was motivated in large part by safety and distancing precautions which would make it difficult to take fares.

Yesterday however, Doug Horn, one of the Bloomington Transit board members considered reinstating the bus fares at the Transit board meeting. Lew May, Bloomington Transit’s General Manager said that drivers support a return to fares because they have seen an increase in disruptions on buses caused by people experiencing homelessness.

In an opinion piece in the B-Square Beacon, Dave Askins, wrote, “Surely the disruptive behavior on buses of some individuals experiencing homelessness should not guide our policy choices on bus fares.”

Askins went on to note that fares account for only about four percent of last year’s Bloomington Transit budget. Another seven percent or so of the the budget came from Indiana University’s contribution to Bloomington Transit.

After some public comment, the Board ultimately voted to extend the free rides until at least May 18th.

Board of Public Safety 

The Bloomington Board of Public Safety talked about new hires at the Bloomington Police Department. Bloomington Police Chief Michael Diekhoff announced that the BPD had hired its second social worker at the April 20th meeting. He revealed that a third social worker will join the police department in May.

Board member Luis Fuentes-Rohwer was surprised BPD had made two new hires without presenting them to the board. Diekhoff clarified the board only needs to approve the hiring of sworn officers, not civilian positions. The next Board of Public Safety meeting is on May 18th.

263 Cases of the B117 Variant in Indiana

Health officials are warning of the highly transmissible B117 variant of Covid-19. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Indiana has seen 269 Covid-19 variant cases. The CDC says that 263 of those cases are the B117 variant,

This is the WFHB Local News for Tuesday, April 20th, 2021.

Later in the program, we turn to WFHB Correspondent Aaron Comforty, for an interview with Dave Askins, the founder and writer for the B Square Beacon. Askins spoke about the Bloomington Plan Commission vote last month to recommend that the City Council adopt the new zoning changes in the UDO, the city's new Unified Development Ordinance. Stay tuned to hear the interview in today’s feature report.

Also coming up, the state of Indiana alloted $1.9 billion into K-12 schools and hopes to raise teacher salaries in its two-year budget. Governor Holcomb made the announcement today. More in your daily headlines.

But first, your local news brief:

The WFHB Local News Brief breaks down the daily local news cycle into 2-3 minutes of what you need to know each day. Listen live Monday through Thursday at 1:30 p.m. on WFHB Community Radio. Visual broadcasts of the news briefs are available on our Youtube channel, WFHB-TV.

Bloomington Redevelopment Commission 

Director of Economic and Sustainable Development Alex Crowley shared updates on the Old Hospital site with the Bloomington Redevelopment Commission. At the April 19th meeting, Crowley revealed that a proposal had been selected for reuse of the Kohr building on Second Street. He said the proposal would redevelop the Kohr building into a residential building. IU Architect David Walter added the proposal has a lot of potential.

Commissioner Deborah Myerson asked how many units would be built. She wondered about the proposed cost of housing. Crowley said the room number is in flux, but that the proposal focused on low-income housing.

The city will move forward with the selected partner and work on a formal resolution. The resolution will come back to the Redevelopment Commission in the future for more discussion.

Indiana Allots Almost $2 billion for K-12 Schools in 2-Year Budget, Hopes to Raise Teacher Salaries

At 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Governor Eric Holcomb announced an investment into the state’s K-12 schools as a part of the two-year budget.

After a compromise between Holcomb and state lawmakers, the state allotted 1.9 billion dollars for K-12 schools over the course of the next two years.

One element of the budget compromise includes a 600 million dollar down payment to raise teacher pay in Indiana.

Governor Holcomb spoke about the education portion of the state budget during a press conference on Tuesday.

In addition, the two-year state budget includes tuition support for public schools. It will also increase funding for private school choice programs.

Speaker of the House Todd Huston discussed teacher pensions and the increased funding.

Huston also addressed increased funding for private school choice programs.

According to a report by the Indiana Next Level Teacher Compensation Commission, it would cost an estimated $600 million to raise teacher salaries to a competitive wage.

The report says it hopes to raise starting teacher pay to 40,000 dollars per year with an average teacher salary of 60,000 dollars per year.

According to the commission, Indiana’s average teacher salary ranked 38th in the nation at just over 51,000 dollars during the 2018-2019 school year.

Monroe County Commissioners

The Monroe County Commissioners discussed an amendment to personnel policy at their April 14th meeting. County Attorney Jeff Cockerill presented the amendment, which would allow county employees to receive benefit time while attending the funeral of another county worker.

This is the WFHB Local News for April 19th, 2021.

Later in the program, we have the latest edition of A Few Minutes with the Mayor - a weekly segment where Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton answers listener-posed questions on community issues. More coming up in today’s feature report.

Also coming up in the next half hour, a mass shooting in Indianapolis left 8 dead and several wounded. More coming up in today’s headlines.

But first, your local news brief:

Photo courtesy of University of Michigan.

Covid-19 numbers continue to trend upwards in Indiana and across the U.S. Indiana is averaging over 1,300  confirmed cases of Covid-19 per day. The actual number of new cases is likely much higher than that, but most cases go unconfirmed. The statistics are according to the Indiana State Department of Health.

The rise in cases represents a 40 percent increase from the beginning of last month. Over 900 hundred Indiana residents are currently hospitalized with complications

While Covid-19 related deaths are relatively low right now, in the single digits, past trends suggest that in a couple weeks or so, deaths could rise to 20 to 25 per day.

The current rise in case is now undoubtedly a fourth wave. This fourth wave is already more widespread than both the first and the second wave. The fourth wave appears to be fueled by new more contagious and more deadly strains.

While the State of Indiana has lifted its Covid-19 safety precautions, Monroe County recently announced that it will impose a public mask mandate, limitations on bars and restaurants, and limits on gathering sizes until at least May 28th.

Over 1.5 million Hoosiers have been fully vaccinated so far, another 2 million have received the first dose of either Moderna or Pfizer.

About half of Indiana’s population has received at least one dose of a Covid-19 Vaccine. About 1,800 Monroe County residents are getting vaccinated everyday on average.

About one-fifth of the county has received at least one dose. Over 30 Monroe County residents are testing positive for Covid-19, on average at this point.

COVID-19 Press Conference

Director of Public Engagement Mary Catherine Carmichael reported one new COVID-19 case among city workers at the April 16th Coronavirus Press Conference. Monroe County Health Administrator Penny Caudill talked about the temporary freeze on administering the one-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine. She explained the freeze had a small effect on Bloomington's vaccine rollout, because the city mainly gives the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.

Reporter Dave Askins wondered what feedback the county is receiving from the group contracted to help enforce the mask mandate. Caudill clarified that there are no mask police in Monroe County. Carmichael added that wearing a mask is a personal responsibility.

Caudill encouraged Hoosiers to continue to wear masks, wash hands, and socially distance.

Bloomington City Council Committee of the Whole 

The Bloomington City Council Committee of the Whole discussed 8 of 10 zoning ordinances recommended by the Plan Commission last week. Development Manager Jackie Scanlan presented an ordinance that would change what projects would be brought before the Plan commission. She said raising the minimum unit threshold from 30 to 50 helps bring more by-right projects in front of the public.

Councilmember Steve Volan pointed out that the Plan Commission cannot deny by-right projects. Councilmember Dave Rollo suggested that a public hearing could encourage builders to make changes.

The Commission of the Whole made Do Pass recommendations on all 8 ordinances. The City Council will continue discussion on the ordinances at their April 21st session.

Bloomington Commission on Sustainability