WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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This is the WFHB Local News for Wednesday, February 17th, 2021.
Later in the program, WFHB Correspondent Aaron Comforty spoke with Katie Blaire, the Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at the ACLU of Indiana, to discuss anti-riot bills that were recently proposed in the Indiana State Legislature. Critics of the bills say that they aim to chill free speech and criminalize protest.
Also coming up, we have Better Beware – your weekly consumer-watchdog segment with Richard Fish.
But first, your local headlines:
Bloomington Sanitation Services Cancelled for the Rest of the Week
The City of Bloomington cancelled trash and recycling services through the remainder of the week.
According to a press release, the decision was made as a result of snow accumulation and expected heavy snowfall on Wednesday night.
Adam Wason, public works director for the city, says that the reasoning behind pushing sanitation services back had to do with worker safety concerns.
“Overall we had more snowfall this last Monday-Tuesday than we probably had in the last two seasons combined,” said Wason.
Yael Ksander, communications director for the office of the mayor, says after consulting with sanitation staff, public works management determined that maneuvering heavy carts over large banks of snow would present excessive difficulty and risk to worker safety.
Wason explained more of the process behind delaying trash and recycling services for the week.
“We got our leadership together at the sanitation division,” said Wason. “The concurrence amongst everybody was that employee safety would really be in jeopardy.”
He gave a timeline of when services will return to its regular schedule.
“We will start back up next Monday like a normal week,” he said.
Lastly, Wason provided multiple ways residents can receive updates on trash and recycling notifications from the city of Bloomington.
“We have a new service called Recollect that we’re using,” he said, “it’s real helpful for residents to find out more about sanitation services.”
To get direct access to the city’s new Recollect platform, visit api.recollect.net/r/area/bloomingtonin
Monroe County Now Under “Yellow” Advisory
As of 3 p.m., Monroe County is currently under an “yellow” travel advisory.
According to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, a yellow travel advisory means that, “routine travel or activities may be restricted in areas because of a hazardous situation, and individuals should use caution or avoid those areas.”
It also means that schools and businesses may begin to implement their emergency action plans, according to the county alert system.
To receive weather alerts from the county, you can visit co.monroe.in.us and then click “Resident Alert Sign Up” under the megaphone icon.
The National Weather Service forecasted a 40 percent chance of snow, mainly after midnight. The NWS indicated that snow is expected to continue until Thursday until 4 p.m.
According to Monroe County Emergency Management, the Monroe County area should expect bitter cold temperatures over the next couple of weeks.
The county is offering warming stations for temporary relief from February 8th to February 23rd. To view a list of these warming stations, click here.
UPDATE: As of 7:34 a.m. on Thursday, Monroe County travel status has moved to an orange “watch” advisory. This means that conditions are threatening to the safety of the public. Only essential travel, such as to and from work or emergency situations is recommended. Emergency action plans should be implemented by businesses, schools, government agencies and other organizations, according to the county alert system.
Bloomington Redevelopment Commission
The Bloomington Redevelopment Commission accepted ownership of the 4th Street Parking Garage during their February 16th meeting. Attorney Larry Allen said the ownership would last until 2040.
Commissioner Nick Kappas questioned Allen about any outside influences maintaining control of the property once ownership is taken.
Commissioner David Walter mentioned the Redevelopment Commission would have more funds to maintain the life of the structure. However, City Controller Jeff Underwood said parking fees may need to be increased for maintenance costs.
Bloomington Utilities Service Board
Assistant City Attorney Chris Wheeler recommended Proposed Amendments to Section 24 of the City of Bloomington Rules, Regulations, and Standards of Service. He spoke of the amendments during the February 16th Utilities Service Board meeting.
Wheeler clarified the amendments give the utilities director power to approve or deny an annexation petition for a sanitary sewer connection.
Board members unanimously approved the amendments.
Bloomington Board of Public Works
The Bloomington Board of Public Works approved Right of Way and Street Closures for Downtown Stormwater Box Culvert Replacements. During their February 16th meeting, City Engineer Paul Kehrberg stated the closures would take place from February 15th 2021, to February 2023.
Kehrberg said all businesses and residents in the affected areas were informed of the closures.
Feature Reports:
Up first, we turn to WFHB Correspondent Aaron Comforty, for an interview with Katie Blaire, the Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at the ACLU of Indiana, to discuss anti-riot bills that were recently proposed in the Indiana State Legislature. Critics of the bills say that they aim to invalidate free speech and criminalize protest.
Up next, we have Better Beware – your weekly consumer-watchdog segment with Richard Fish.
Credits:
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 Aaron Comforty.
Better Beware is produced by Richard Fish.
Our theme music is provided by Mark Bingham and the Social Climbers.
Engineer and Executive producer is Kade Young.
