This is the WFHB Local News for Wednesday, September 22nd, 2021.

Later in the program, we have Artbeat - a segment where host Dr. Filiz Cicek poses questions to artists, activists and educators about their work. In today’s segment, Dr. Cicek speaks with Professor Emily Bobo about her poetry.

Also coming up in the next half hour, we have your weekly consumer-watchdog segment, Better Beware. Stay tuned for today’s episode, Robocalls Never End, in the bottom half of our program.

But first, your environmental news brief:

This week Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb issued a proclamation declaring the week of September 19th-24th as Pollution Prevention Week in the state. The goal of this proclamation is to encourage Hoosiers to take actions to implement pollution prevention practices in their everyday lives. By doing so, Hoosiers can help make the air, land, and water cleaner throughout the state. This week also includes the 24th Annual Indiana Pollution Prevention Conference and Trade Show which is an open conference that encourages the sharing of ideas and experiences that can help promote more environmentally sustainable practices.

Three Superfund sites in Bloomington have been removed from the Environmental Protection Agency’s cleaning list, as the agency states that the PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls)-tainted sites have been successfully cleaned. These areas were polluted by Westinghouse Electric Corp. which operated limestone quarry pits and the pollution came from PCB-Contaminated capacitors. These chemicals have the potential to cause cancer and damage the human nervous and reproductive systems. The EPA will continue to monitor the sites to ensure that there are no potential pollutants left.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been ordered by a federal court to add the lake sturgeon, an ancient species of fish that lives in the Ohio River basin, to the federally protected species list. The East Fork of the White River is where the last population of the species resides, and their population has decreased over time due to pollution and the construction of dams. Multiple environmental organizations have encouraged this decision, due to the importance of preserving the species before the genetic makeup of the population becomes too similar, and thus less viable for survival. This process is likely to take another year before the full protections come into effect if the species is indeed added.

Monroe County Commissioners Hear Appeal from Seven Oaks Classical School on Mask Mandate

The Monroe County Commissioners heard the Seven Oaks Classical School appeal at the Sept 20th meeting. According to President of the Commissioners Julie Thomas the citation was issued on August 19th 2021. Seven Oaks filed an appeal on August 26th. The appeal was based on three points.

Headmaster Dr. Stephen Shipp provided various reasons for why Seven Oaks should be exempted from enforcing the mask mandate surrounding the well being of the students and the impact that masks have on their ability to learn.

Attorney Margie Rice questioned Dr. Ship about the schools collaboration with the board of health, and whether or not there had been any communication between the school and the board of health director Penny Caudill. Caudill confirmed that the school had offered to assist with the implementation of the mask mandate and provided clear face shields for students and faculty to help students who need to see facial expressions and lips.

When Shipp asked Caudill about whether or not Seven Oaks had reported a distinctly higher rate of Covid-19 cases, Caudill said that the school did not. Commissioner Penny Githens commented that some studies provided as evidence were outdated since they don’t take the delta variant’s incre...