WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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Later in the program, WFHB Correspondent Katrine Bruner reports from home on what the high school experience was like in quarantine, particularly for music students who aren’t able to play music together remotely.
Also coming up in the next half hour, WFHB News Director Kade Young covers the Sean Reed shooting, as Indianapolis Police face growing questions after killing 3 people in the matter of 8 hours. That’s all coming up later in the program.
But first, your local headlines:
As testing sites open, Indiana State Department of Health performed 5,383 new tests. Of those tests, 675 new cases are reported. 33 new deaths are confirmed.
In other news, a complaint was filed against Indiana University for tuition reimbursement.
Justin Spiegel, an IU informatics student, filed a class-action lawsuit against the university, saying that while the university did the right thing by closing campuses amid the COVID-19 pandemic, students are entitled to refunds for “services not received.”
This comes after universities across the country were forced to close their campuses. In-person instruction was no longer an option.
A petition to IU President Michael McRobbie was started on Change DOT org. As of noon on Friday, the petition received over 21,000 signatures.
The petition reads “The, cost for online courses at Indiana University is approximately half that of in-person instruction for in-state students, and approximately one-third for out-of-state students. We, the Students of Indiana University, are calling on President Michael A. McRobbie and his colleagues to consider the financial hardship of this situation and reimburse us for our loss.”
IU Spokesperson Chuck Carney said, “We are deeply disappointed that this lawsuit fails to recognize the extraordinary efforts of our faculty, staff, and students under these conditions while it seeks to take advantage in this time of state and national emergency.”
Bloomington City Council member Jim Sims presented a resolution Denouncing and Condemning White Nationalism and White Supremacy during their May sixth meeting.
Sims referred to historical racist events in the resolution. He said the resolution has to become a living document.
Council member Kate Rosenbarger some city policies perpetuate systemic racism, such as single-family zoning. She read a quote from the Color of Law by Richard Rothstein.
Rosenbarger said righting wrong is not always easy. Council member Matt Flaherty said structural racism has deep roots in the country.
Council member Stephen Volan proposed an amendment to the resolution to add Won-Joon (Jun) Yoon’s name in the whereas clause that refers to the story of his murder. Council members unanimously passed the resolution as amended.
Up next, Alex Dederer delivers two headlines from home. First up, she talks about how Bloomington Herald Times Editor, Rich Jackson, was laid off. Then, she covers a protestor cited at the city farmers market who is now suing the city. For more, we turn to Alex Dederer.
City of Bloomington Utilities began demolition on the Griffy Lake Water Treatment Plant, Located on North Dunn Street. The site was found to have mercury contamination in 2017 as well as asbestos and PCB contamination. According to a city press release, substantial demolition is projected within 90 days. All hazardous material is being shipped to the appropriate hazardous waste facilities. The city plans to reserve features of the building’s entry to create a monument for the plan’s role in Bloomington’s history. The release states, after demolition the site will be restored to a natural meadow.
The Monroe County Commissioners approved a tax abatement for an Ernest Health structure. County Attorney Jeff Cockerill said property is located within the state road 36 corridor tax increment finance district. Senior Vice President of Marketing and Development for Ernest Health Angie Anderson said the facility is a rehabilitation middle ground between a hospital and home.
Anderson said the hospital will be called Bloomington Regional Rehabilitation hospital, but an Ernest Health logo will be on the building. She said Ernest Health ranked in the top 10 percent of US rehabilitation facilities. Anderson said Indiana University Health chose Ernest Health to replace their rehabilitation center.
Anderson said the hospital would bring 40 private in patient rooms and 110 jobs phased in over three years. She said rooms are full of natural light and spacious. Anderson explained how economic dollars would be kept in the community.
Anderson said current IU Health employees would fill some job positions. She said an independent van would assist with patient transportation from hospitals. Commissioner Julie Thomas said the site plan allows for a small bus access point.
Feature Reports:
- WFHB News Director Kade Young covers the Sean Reed shooting, as Indianapolis Police face growing questions after killing 3 people in the matter of 8 hours.
- WFHB News Correspondent Katrine Bruner reports from home on the high school quarantine experience. For more on how high school music students and faculty are dealing with the pandemic, we turn to Katrine Bruner.
Credits:
Today’s headlines were written by Alex Dederer, Kade Young and Sydney Foreman, in partnership with Cats – Community Access Television Services.
Our features were produced by Kade Young and Katrine Bruner.
Our theme music is provided by Mark Bingham and the Social Climbers.
Executive producer isKade Young.
