Home > News & Public Affairs > WFHB Local News – May 27th, 2020
Photo designed by Madison True and edited by Sydney Foreman.

WFHB Local News – May 27th, 2020

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This is the WFHB Local News for Wednesday, May 27th, 2020.

In today’s show, Sydney Foreman and Kade Young provide an update on the Bloomington hospital site. Indiana State Department of Health reported 370 new positive cases and 21 new deaths from Covid-19. Also coming up in the next half hour your weekly consumer-watchdog segment, Better Beware, hosted by Richard Fish.

Your Local Headlines:

Indiana State Department of Health reported 370 new positive cases and 21 new deaths from Covid-19.

That brings the total number to 32,437 positive cases and 1,871 deaths caused by the virus. This comes after 235,333 total tests were issued. 13.8 percent of total tests came back positive.

There are about 6.85 million people living in Indiana. That means less than 4 percent of the state’s population has been tested.

Meanwhile, Indiana moved to Stage Three of its reopening plan on Memorial Day weekend.

***

Bloomington Board of Public Works approved a request for Right – of – Way Use on Kirkwood Avenue from Strauser Construction. Public Improvements Manager Sarah Gomez said right of way would take place at 115 Kirkwood Avenue. She said utility relocation delays delayed the project.

Gomez said Strause Construction has agreed to pay meter fees of approximately 27 thousand dollars, before meter block off. She said signage would be implemented at the beginning of construction. Gomez said construction would take place from June 15th 2020 through July 23rd 2021.

During the meeting board members also discussed change orders to the Kirkwood maintenance project. Senior Project Manager Roy Aten said change orders were for sidewalk repairs and bollard drainage.

Board members unanimously approve the change orders. The Kirkwood maintenance project is projected for a June 30th completion.

***

Tuesday began early in-person voting for the 2020 primary election.

In April, the Indiana Election Commission ordered that in-person early voting will take place from May 26 to June 1. Around 335 Monroe County voters cast their ballots at Monroe County Election Central Tuesday.

According to the Herald-Times, Monroe County Election Supervisor Karen Wheeler said her office has sent out nearly 23,000 ballots to voters who requested to vote by mail in the 2020 primary election. As of Tuesday, she has received a little over 8,000 back, she said.

In-person early voting will continue until noon June 1. Voters of Monroe County can cast their early ballots at Election Central, at 401 W. Seventh St.

Voters can also wait until Election Day to cast ballots in-person at the polling location that corresponds to their voting precinct. To locate your Election Day polling location visit monroecountyvoters.us.

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With the reopening of Indiana underway, businesses are eager to open their doors to their social-distancing community members.

Indianapolis is allowing restaurants to expand outdoor seating in an effort to bring in sales amid the reopening.

Facility Concepts, a Boone County furniture manufacturer, is offering free outdoor chairs to locally-owned independent businesses as a way to alleviate some of the unprecedented expenses for small restaurants.

There are six styles of outdoor chairs that are being offered, normally retailing between $100 to $150 a chair.

***

In cooperation with Simon Properties, Hoosier Hills Food Bank gave out free food to anyone in need in College Mall’s east parking lot Saturday.

According to Executive Director and CEO of the food bank Julio Alonso, the event provided 465 households with the equivalent of more than 21,000 meals.

With volunteer support provided by the Indiana National Guard, each household also received a bottle of hand sanitizer and information on SNAP benefits and food pantries, all done in a drive-thru procedure.

 

Feature Reports:

  1. The City of Bloomington purchased land from IU Health in 2018, and plans on deeply involving the community in the redevelopment of the site. WFHB’s Sydney Foreman and Kade Young dive into how the community will be involved in the redevelopment and the history of the site.
  2. Your weekly consumer-watchdog segment, Better Beware, produced by Richard Fish.

 

Credits:

You’ve been listening to the WFHB Local News.

Headlines: Alex Dederer, Kade Young and Sydney Foreman, in partnership with CATS.
Feature: Sydney Foreman and Kade Young
Theme music: Mark Bingham and the Social Climbers
Executive producer: Kade Young

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