Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill will not be prosecuted for alleged sexual assault; The Bloomington Board of Park Commissioners authorized borrowing $10 million for proposed parks projects; The Town of Ellettsville is working to purchase two properties in the floodway of Jack’s Defeat Creek, in an effort to mitigate flooding; Monroe County Commissioners have designated the month of November as National Runaway Prevention …

The Bloomington Board of Park Commissioners yesterday authorized borrowing $10 million for proposed parks projects. The projects will be paid for by three separate bonds that collectively are known as the 2018 Parks Bicentennial Bond. Parks Operations Director Dave Williams said many of the proposed projects connect trails within the city. Once such project would follow Duke Energy power lines …

Monroe County Elections Supervisor Karen Wheeler is busy. Wheeler said over 1000 people are walking into Monroe County Elections Central in downtown Bloomington every day, to cast their ballot for the 2018 midterm election. With just two weeks left before the election, Wheeler said the number of early voters she’s seeing is on par with 2016’s presidential election. That’s unprecedented, …

One year ago, the Lawrence County Commissioners voted to discontinue their needle exchange program. Lawrence County was the second Indiana county to discontinue needle exchanges, which service areas hit particularly hard by the ongoing opioid epidemic. Needle exchanges are typically non-governmental agencies that offer clean syringes to drug users, in an effort to reduce the transmission of diseases, like HIV …

The US Forest Service is planning on conducting some 18 prescribed burns across Hoosier National Forest. The Forest Service announced today they are planning to burn some 4,500 acres of land in the state’s only national forest, this Fall. The burns will take place in Jackson, Martin, Orange and Perry counties, in South Central Indiana. The exact dates of the …

Let’s start with the fact that what we don’t know keeps on hurting us. Mary Jo McConahay’s The Tango War fills an important gap in U.S. awareness of World War II history. Beginning in the thirties, both the Allied and Axis powers were well aware of the need to control not just the hearts and minds but also the resources …

In this episode of the Bicentennial Journal, Bob Hammel tells the story of Preston Eagleson. who was born in Bloomington.  Eagleson graduated from Bloomington High School, and went on to be the first African-American to earn a letter in IU athletics.  He was also the first African American to receive an IU graduate degree. The Bicentennial Journal—looking back on 200 …

One year ago, the Lawrence County Commissioners voted to discontinue their needle exchange program; Donald Trump Junior was in Greenfield yesterday, supporting the election campaigns of Greg Pence and Indiana Republican Senate Candidate Mike Braun; The US Forest Service is planning on conducting some 18 prescribed burns across Hoosier National Forest. FEATURE A special prosecutor will not file sexual assault charges against …

Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders was in Bloomington on Friday. Sanders is on a 9-state tour to endorse Democratic candidates, including Indiana 9th congressional district candidate Liz Watson. Sanders spoke during a get-out-the-vote rally in Dunn Meadow, on Friday. The former Democratic presidential candidate then marched with Indiana University students and rally attendees to Monroe County Election Central, in downtown …

The City of Bloomington and Monroe County have been awarded a $30,000 grant, in support of law enforcement. The award comes from the 2018 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Justice. In the Bloomington City Council’s meeting on October 17, City Attorney Mike Rouker said the money could be used to purchase …