WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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This is the WFHB Local News for Monday, January 25th, 2021.
Later in the program, we have the latest segment of A Few Minutes with the Mayor – where WFHB listeners pose questions to Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton on community issues.
Also coming up, five people and one unborn child were killed in a shooting on Adams Street in Indianapolis. Police arrested a minor in relation to the largest shooting the city has seen in over a decade. More on that in today’s headlines.
But first, your local news brief:
Nationwide and statewide, new Covid-19 cases have declined for a number of weeks now. However, public health experts caution that new, more transmissible, strains of the virus could reverse the recent declines in the coming months.
Monroe County is averaging 50 new positive cases of Covid-19 per day. That according to the Indiana State Department of Health. Although experts consider the department’s statistics to likely represent an undercount, Monroe County has seen over 9,400 cases of Covid-19, since testing began.
Indiana University reports that over 4,200 individuals have tested positive on its Bloomington Campus alone–meaning that the university is responsible for more than 45 percent of the county’s total cases. The campus’s numbers haven’t budged much, since students went home early at end of the fall semester.
It’s unclear to what degree the university contributed to community Covid spread within the county. Just shy of 115 Monroe County residents are known to have died because of complications arising from Covid-19. At this point, Indiana University has not released statistics about its Covid deaths.
The State of Indiana released new data on Covid Spread in its schools today. As of now, over 24,000 students have tested positive, while almost 11,000 teachers and staff have tested positive at well. The state department of health does not release statistics related the numbers of students, faculty, and staff who have died because of Covid-19.
Locally, Bloomington South High School has recorded about 65 cases. Bloomington High School North has recorded about 30. Because the country and the state’s contact tracing efforts cannot keep up with community spread, it’s unclear how many of the cases in the state’s school were actually contracted in the schools themselves
Surrounding Counties, including Brown, Green, Owen, Lawrence, Jackson, and Morgan all have positivity rates at about 20 to 25 percent. Monroe County’s test positivity is half that, at about 10 percent.
Under the Trump administration’s leadership, the United States did not have unified pandemic response policies. This is changing under the new Biden Administration’s Covid response plan. The administration plans on changing the federal guidelines, so that more people will be eligible to get the vaccine.
Indiana residents 70-years-old and older are now eligible to sign up for a Covid-19 vaccine. It also plans to mobilize the National Guard and utilize the Federal Emergency Management Agency to aid with the vaccination effort. In a notable shift away from Trump’s policies, the Biden Administration will also issue a mask wearing mandate for all individuals on federal property.
Public health experts expect the highly contagious British strain of the Covid-19 virus, to become the dominant strain across the U.S. by the month of March. As people around the world are experiencing mask and distancing fatigue, experts recommend doubling down on safety precautions by reducing time indoors with people who are not in your, so-called, “bubble,” and by wearing two masks if you have to go into an public indoor space.
COVID-19 Joint Press Conference
Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton reported pharmaceutical companies Moderna and Pfizer pledged to locally deliver about 90 thousand doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by then end of March, during the January 22nd COVID-19 press conference. President of Indiana University Health South Central Region Brian Shockney spoke of COVID-19 patient numbers.
Shockney reported COVID-19 related deaths have also declined. He encouraged community members to attend their vaccination appointments.
Shockney mentioned a second vaccination appointment, for the second dose, would be scheduled by a member of the vaccination team during the patient’s first appointment.
Mass Shooting in Indianapolis
Five people and one unborn child were killed in a shooting on Adams Street in Indianapolis.
On Sunday, Chief Randal Taylor of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department held a joint press conference alongside Mayor Joe Hogsett. Hogsett called the incident “a mass murder.”
“This morning, one or more individuals perpetrated an act of evil in our city,” said Hogsett.
IMPD Chief Randal Taylor said the incident was the largest mass shooting Indianapolis has seen in more than a decade.
“There are no right words to say at this time,” said Taylor. “A time when our community must come to terms with the largest mass-casualty shooting in more than a decade.”
IMPD spokesperson Shane Foley recounted the incident to reporters on Sunday.
“Just before 4 a.m., IMPD north district officers responded to the 3300 Block of East 36th Street on a report of a person shot,” said Foley. “Officers later received information that led them to a residence in the 3500 block of Adams Street. Officers entered the residence and located five individuals with apparent gunshot wounds who are all deceased.”
On Monday morning, police arrested a juvenile related to the killings. Investigators said they do not believe any additional people were involved, despite initially saying they believed there were multiple shooters, according to reporting by the Indy Star.
Mayor Hogsett said the community needs to continue its dialogue on gun violence, but he said the issue-at-hand deals more with, “a crisis of morality.”
The names and ages of the victims are as follows: Kenzie Childs, 42, Raymond Childs, 42, Elijah Childs, 18, Rita Childs, 13, Kiara Hawkins, 19, and the unborn child of Hawkins.
Monroe County Food and Beverage Tax Advisory Commission
The Monroe County Food and Beverage Tax Advisory Commission considered a request from the County Commissioners to support the Convention Center. Commissioner Julie Thomas spoke during their January 21st meeting.
County Attorney Jeff Cockerill stated Convention Center finances were strained due to a drop in Innkeepers Tax and loss of convention center events. Thomas spoke of the convention center’s support during COVID.
Board members approved the request for 300 thousand dollars of the Food and Beverage Tax funds.
ACLU Indiana Opposes Two Anti-Abortion Bills in Statehouse
If passed, two bills proposed in the Indiana Statehouse would require the Indiana General Assembly to meet for a special session if the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade, or if the U.S. Constitution is amended to prohibit abortion.
House Bill 1310 and Senate Bill 399 are being considered in the Statehouse in the 2021 legislative session. The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana announced that it opposes both bills.
House Bill 1310 was authored by Representative J.D. Prescott, a Republican in District 33 and co-authored by Representative Brad Barrett, a Republican in District 56.
Senate Bill 399 was authored by state senator Liz Brown, a Republican from District 16, which includes Fort Wayne and surrounding areas.
Both bills contain similar language. The bills would require the general assembly to convene in an “initiated session” to consider legislation to ban abortion depending on two circumstances.
First, the special session would convene if the U.S. Supreme Court overrules the, “central holding of Roe V. Wade, Doe v. Bolton, and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey and clearly establishes that a state may prohibit abortion.”
The second stipulation for a convening of the state legislature, says that if, “an amendment to the Constitution of the United States is adopted that, in whole or part, clearly establishes that a state may prohibit abortion.”
The bills note that the initiated session would not continue for more than 20 days. It also would require the attorney general to make an announcement and notify the governor and members of the general assembly concerning the hypothetical decision from the U.S. Supreme Court.
Bloomington City Council
Bloomington City Council considered a 7-acre rezone from Residential Medium Lot to Employment on West Fountain Drive. Planner Eric Greulich mentioned Comcast requested the rezone to expand their building space during their January 20th meeting.
Council member Isabel Piedmont-Smith clarified the new building would not disturb any new land. She stated the developer would pay for a portion of sidewalk on Fountain Drive.
Council members unanimously approved the rezone.
Monroe County Women’s Commission
The Monroe County Women’s Commission discussed plans for an event to discuss programming and issues surrounding women in Monroe County. Commissioner Nichelle Whitney said the event would be held by invitation over zoom. She spoke of possible attendees during their January 21st meeting.
Whitney mentioned questions discussed during the event would be guided by survey responses. The event is scheduled to be held on March 12th.
Feature Report:
Up first, we have the latest edition of A Few Minutes with the Mayor – where Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton answers listener-posed questions on community issues.
In today’s segment, Mayor Hamilton answers questions on the shutting down of the Frank Southern Ice Arena, homelessness in Bloomington and the city’s proposed water rate increase.
All that and more in A Few Minutes with the Mayor.
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.
Our theme music is provided by Mark Bingham and the Social Climbers.
Engineer and Executive Producer is Kade Young.
