WFHB Local News – July 29th, 2024

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This is the WFHB Local News for Monday, July 29th, 2024.

Later in the program, Indiana University recently released third-party findings from its review on the arrests made of Dunn Meadow protesters in April. More in today’s headlines.

That’s Maria Douglas from Hoosier Asian American Power, encouraging civic engagement among Indiana’s Asian-American community. Learn more later in the show on a new episode of Activate!

But first, your daily headlines:

Extreme Hot Temperatures This Week, Monroe County Offering Cooling Stations

Temperatures are expected to reach over 90 degrees Fahrenheit this week.

Extreme hot temperatures pose a serious threat to health and safety. Monroe County is offering temporary cooling stations at 8 locations throughout the community.

According to a press release put out by Justin Baker, Deputy Director of the Monroe County Emergency Management Agency, cooling stations are facilities where individuals who do not have air can cool down and continue on their way.

Baker says that food, showers and areas to sleep are not available. Pets must also be in a carrier. Cooling stations will be available Tuesday through Thursday this week at locations around the county.

Hours of operation will be from 10 a.m to 6 p.m. The county will monitor the weather to determine if they need an extension.

IU Releases Findings from Third-Party Review of Dunn Meadow Protests

Indiana University recently released its findings of a third-party review of the arrests made of Palestine solidarity protesters in Dunn Meadow earlier this year.

The review came from the law firm Cooley, LLP located in Chicago. It includes eight recommendations for the university moving forward, advising that IU should approve a new expressive activity policy.

Within the last hour, IU updated the expressive activity policy that goes into effect August 1st. The policy is meant to reflect IU’s commitment to free speech on campus. The temporary installation of structures, including tents, must be approved by the University. Unapproved structures, such as tents, flagpoles, and signs , would be subject to removal by the university without notice. They are restricting “expressive activity” between 6:00 am and 11:00 pm. 

IU President Pamela Whitten said in a statement, “I am grateful for this independent and thorough third-party perspective. We sincerely appreciate the depth and detail of Cooley’s independent review and will leverage their insights to move forward with purpose, guided by our core values and tirelessly pursuing our top priority: a safe campus with freedom of speech for all.”

In late April, Indiana State Police and the IU Police Department arrested 57 people at Dunn Meadow who were protesting Israel’s war on Palestine. This came after an overnight policy change stating that university approval must be given for signs, tents, and other temporary structures on campus.

The day following the policy change, snipers were spotted on the roof of the student union, a state police helicopter surveilled the demonstration, and both students and faculty received bans from campus.

Since 1969, Dunn Meadow has been designated as an area to hold public forums for expression on all subjects. The university drew backlash from organizations and schools within the university, such as the directors of the Indiana Memorial Union Board and the Media School who showed concerns about free speech.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed suit against Indiana University, saying the university violated the First Amendment rights of three plaintiffs facing a one-year ban from campus for their participation in political protests on the IU-Bloomington campus. The Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office dropped chargers for those arrested at Dunn Meadow calling the process, “constitutionally dubious.”

In May, WFHB News spoke with two organizers, Soha and Elena, both students at the university, who chose to only divulge their first names. Soha described how protesters view the overnight policy change by the university, which she says contradicts historical precedent.

Elena denounced the university’s response to what she says are peaceful protests. She described the “brute force” used by police, saying she was injured during the demonstrations.

The report released by IU last week partly justified the actions of the university saying “IU leadership’s decision to change the Dunn Meadow policy was permissible under university policies and applicable legal standards, including the First Amendment; however, doing so the night before the planned encampment caused a number of unintended negative consequences.”

The IU Board of Trustees plans to implement the new expressive activity plan on August 1st.

Monroe County Council

The Monroe County Council met on July 23rd, 2024. The council first heard from Planning and Transportation Director Jacki Jelen, who asked for an additional appropriation of funds to pay for the required notice mailings they will send to county residents to inform them about the Unified Development Ordinance public hearing.

Council Member Pete Iverson asked for updates on the C-D-O and where the public can access information about the changes. Jelen responded.

Council Member Trent Deckard said he was in support of the appropriation, saying he appreciates physical postcards.

During public comment on the request, President of the Monroe County Planning and Transportation Commission Member Jeff Morris asked the council to approve the request.

County Commissioner and Planning and Transportation Commission Member Julie Thomas also spoke in support of the request.

The council approved the appropriation request unanimously.

The next Monroe County Council meeting will be held on August 13th.

Monroe County Community School Corporation

At the Monroe County Community School Corporation Board of Trustees meeting on July 23rd, the board heard from Interim Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment Alexis Harmona introduced the first reading of an Equity-Centered Sexual Identity and Gender Inclusive policy, and shared background information on how the policy came about.

Board members expressed their support of the policy. Next the board heard from Interim Superintendent Dr. Markay Winston gave an update on the Childs – Templeton Merger.

Winston shared that they will host a variety of community engagement meetings in August.
The next MCCSC School Board meeting will be held on August 27th.

Feature Report:

Up next, we have an editorial produced by local journalist Dave Askins for the B Square Bulletin. We now turn to that segment on the WFHB Local News.

WFHB News is proud to partner with The Media School at Indiana University to offer internships and volunteer opportunities in broadcast journalism. Earlier this month, the Media School hosted the High School Journalism Institute, drawing hundreds of students from all over the country to Bloomington for a week of intense workshops. WFHB hosted the podcasting workshop, where students produced new episodes of Activate!, our weekly feature spotlighting people working for positive change in our community.

This week’s episode was produced by Kingsley Southard and Carys Gill. These were two of our most engaged student producers, and Kingsley won our “Editor’s Ear” Award for her sound judgment. Their episode features Maria Douglas from Hoosier Asian American Power, an organization recently reinvented to focus on civic engagement among Indiana’s Asian-American community. When Maria heard about an Asian IU student being stabbed while riding the bus in Bloomington in January 2023, she got mad. Really mad. This hate crime ignited a drive in Douglas to fight racism in Indiana. Learn more on a new episode of Activate!, coming your way right now on the WFHB Local News.

Credits:
You’ve been listening to the WFHB Local News,
Today’s headlines were written by Kate C, Sam Hall, Kade Young and Noelle Herhusky-Schneider, in partnership with Cats – Community Access Television Services.
Our feature was produced by Dave Askins.
Activate was produced by Kingsley Southard and Carys Gill with support from Chad Carrothers and Michelle Moss.
Our theme music is provided by Mark Bingham and the Social Climbers.
Engineer and Executive producer is Kade Young.