FEATURE House Joint Resolution Three, Indiana’s proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage and civil unions, had its second reading on the House floor yesterday afternoon. An amendment striking the second sentence of the two-sentence bill was proposed by Representative Truitt of House District 26. The second sentence read, “Provides that a legal status identical or substantially similar to that …

The City of Bloomington Sanitation Division announced a three-hour delay for sanitation services, due to the National Weather Service’s Wind Chill Advisory. City administrators and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union representatives decided the best solution for the safety of workers and for sanitation services was to delay rather than to cancel. Services will begin tomorrow at …

BREAKING: An amendment striking the second sentence of HJR3 is approved, and moves on to the Senate. It is dissimilar enough from HJR6 that a 2014 referendum is most likely off the table. EARLIER: Citizens are crowding the Indiana Statehouse today in anticipation of a second reading of House Joint Resolution Three, and a vote by the Indiana House of …

Bev Smith and William Hosea welcome guest Guy Loftman, along with BIO contributor Cornelius Wright. PART ONE Back on November 5, 2013, the public was invited to explore alternatives to the war on drugs. The event, co-sponsored by the Monroe County Branch of the NAACP, gave a prevailing thought that there is much evidence that the War on Drugs is, …

During the sub-zero temperatures this winter, the City of Bloomington is reminding residents to insulate pipes and to let water flow through faucets, to help prevent water lines from freezing; The Bloomington City Council heard from residents on Wednesday who are frustrated with Governor Mike Pence’s refusal to expand Medicaid in Indiana; With the proposition for a higher minimum wage in Indiana, …

This morning the Indiana House of Representatives adopted the committee report from yesterday’s Elections and Apportionment Committee meeting, during which House Joint Resolution 3 passed, 9 to 3. The proposed amendment to the Indiana constitution, which explicitly states that same sex couples do not have the right to get married, may now continue through the legislative process, and is expected …

The Monroe County Plan Commission gave its approval January 21 to a company seeking to build a new cell tower southwest of Bloomington. County Planner Jackie Scanlan told the commission there are no other towers near the proposed site, which is on East Lane, just west of State Road 37. Scanlan responded to a question from commission member Scott Wells. …

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management, or IDEM, has issued a press release detailing ways to deal with winter weather while staying safe and environmentally friendly. If you use chemical salts to melt ice off your sidewalk, be sure not to over apply or allow the salts to fall on your lawn or garden, since excess salts can be damaging …

In this episode of Interchange, host Doug Storm goes in search of No Place, or what Thomas More, the 16th century lawyer and statesman, and originator of the term (if not the literary genre), called Utopia. Providing map and compass (moral and otherwise) are Constance Furey, associate professor in the department of Religious Studies and a scholar of the Renaissance …