WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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This is the WFHB Local News for Monday, December 28th, 2020.
Later in the program, we have the latest edition of A Few Minutes with the Mayor – where listeners pose questions to Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton on community issues.
Also coming up in the next half hour, we have headline excerpts from Kite Line – our public affairs program focusing on issues in the prison system around the Midwest and beyond. That’s coming up in the second half of our show.
But first, today’s local news brief:
On Christmas Eve a 51-year-old man died from exposure to the cold, according to a press release from the mayor’s office. The man was living and sleeping in Seminary Park at the time of his death, which came only days after the Mayor’s office claimed that people were not sleeping in there. However, housing and social service providers refuted the Mayor’s claim.
The man died near the bench at the corner of Walnut and Second Street, just three blocks from the city’s square. As temperatures dropped below twenty degrees on the eve of the holiday, local residents brought food, clothing, and camping supplies to the park.
The mayor’s press release noted that although officers checked up on the man on the previous day and offered services to him, he refused them. Jana Arthur, who is widely recognized as one of Bloomington’s most dedicated advocates for unhoused people, and is a a fierce critic of the City’s handling of the issue, described the City’s outreach efforts as for “clearing the park.”
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The Indiana State Department of Health estimates that almost 8,000 Hoosiers have died from Covid-19 so far. Despite the initial roll out of the vaccine, already underway, health officials across the country are cautioning that state are likely to see an increase in new cases and deaths after wide-spread holiday gatherings. As the year is coming to a close, Covid-19 will go down as the leading of cause of death in Indiana for 2020.
Almost 2,900 Hoosiers are currently hospitalized with Covid-19, the disease cause by the novel coronavirus. Locally, Monroe County is averaging just under fifty new cases per day. Almost 90 Monroe County residents have died because of complications related to Covid-19. Since August, Indiana University reports that about 4,200 people have tested positive for Covid-19 at its Bloomington Campus alone. Reduced reporting of Covid tests and reduced testing has made both local and national covid statistics significantly lower than they likely are.
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There are many Bloomington residents who will sleep outside tonight. For people without proper provisions, the winter weather can be lethal. Today, local homelessness organizations are calling for an increase in donations of sleeping bags, tents, warm clothes.
CVS Health to Administer Covid-19 Vaccine in Indiana Nursing Homes
CVS Health began the first round of Covid-19 vaccines for patients and staff at hundreds of Indiana nursing homes on Monday.
According to a press release, CVS Pharmacy teams will administer the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine in facilities across 35 states this week. The company said it expects to vaccinate up to four million residents and staff at over 40,000 long-term care facilities through the program.
Troy Brennan, executive vice president and chief medical officer for CVS Health talked about the role the company is playing in administering the Covid-19 vaccine.
Aspen Trace Family-first Senior Living Facility in Bargersville, Indiana started vaccinating patients and staff on Monday. 200 people will be vaccinated at this Indiana nursing home.
Gregg Gormal, CEO at CarDon and Associates, which operates Aspen Trace and a total of 20 nursing homes in the state, talked to Wish-TV this morning in Bargersville. Gormal talked about how many vaccines the nursing home has and what the plan will look like.
After a phone conversation with Mary Blades, office manager for Redbud Hills which is an independent living facility in Bloomington – we learned the nursing home has not yet received doses of the vaccine. However, according to Blades, there is a plan in place.
She said the facility receives weekly updates from their corporate office in Florida. Blades said it’s important for at-risk populations of society to receive the vaccine, and that many residents are looking forward to receiving it.
We reached out to several Bloomington-based nursing homes but were unable to get on-the-record interviews before deadline.
Bloomington City Council
Bloomington Council Administrator Attorney Stephen Lucas presented a Standing Committees Report to the City Council during their December 21st meeting. Lucas stated the number of City Council meetings have been increasing since 2015. He said Standing Committee meetings contributed to the increase of meetings in 2020
Lucas said meeting hours have also been trending upwards. He reported just under 11 thousand minutes for all 2020 meetings, compared to 10 thousand 5 hundred for 2019. The average meeting length for 2020 was approximately 2 hours. Over the past year council considered a total of 57 pieces of legislation. Lucas said the formation of standing committees required more work of the Council Staff.
However, Lucas stated standing committee meetings were beneficial to presenters.
Deputy Mayor Mick Renneisen stated an additional layer was added for presenters. He explained additional staff efforts were used to present multiple times to the standing committees and the council at whole.
Clerk Nicole Bolden said additional work in her office could result staffing issues.
Controller Jeff Underwood said the influx of additional meeting advertisements put stress on the controller’s office. Council member Dave Rollo expressed concern that the standing committees have not led to increased council efficiency.
Council member Jim Sims reminded the council of the original 5 to 4 vote which approve the formation of standing committees. Any changes to the organization of City Council could be presented during the Council Organization meeting on January 6th.
Bloomington Board of Public Works
The Bloomington Board of Public Works approved a transfer of Ownership of the John Waldron Arts Center to the City of Bloomington. Assistant Director for the Arts Sean Starowitz spoke about the building transfer from Ivy Tech Community College back to the city during the December 22nd Public Works meeting.
Starowitz mentioned Waldron maintenance would still be overseen by city Public Works and the Economic Sustainable Development departments. He said a building maintenance agreement was discussed between the City and Ivy Tech. Starowitz said current maintenance was in place for the transfer.
Starowitz said a community task force was formed to consider the building’s future use.
Starowitz stated a city-wide survey would involve the general public in the decision of the Waldron’s future. He declared the Waldron arts center as a valuable space for the local arts community. Starowitz reported building recommendations can be expected within the next year.
Feature Reports:
Up first, we have the latest edition of A Few Minutes with the Mayor. In today’s segment, Mayor Hamilton answers questions on the coronavirus vaccine, a possible spike in Covid-19 after the holidays and whether homeless shelters have seen an increase in bed capacity since the removal of the homeless encampment at Seminary Park.
Next, we take a look at the latest headlines in the prison system through the lens of our public affairs program, Kite Line. Kite Line focuses on issues in the prison system around the Midwest and beyond. You can hear the latest episode this Friday at 5:30 p.m.
Credits
You’ve been listening to the WFHB Local News,
Today’s headlines were written by Aaron Comforty, Kade Young and Sydney Foreman, in partnership with Cats – Community Access Television Services.
Our feature was produced by Sydney Foreman.
Kite Line is produced by Mia Beach.
Our theme music is provided by Mark Bingham and the Social Climbers.
Executive producer is Kade Young.
