WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:47 — 41.0MB)
This is the WFHB Local News for Wednesday, July 8th, 2020.
Later in the program, you will hear reporting from a demonstration, where a red Toyota Corolla drove into several protesters near the Monroe County Courthouse square. You will hear from Vauhxx Booker, eyewitnesses, a medic and several other demonstrators. WFHB Correspondent Nicholas DiBrita has more in today’s feature report.
But first, your local headlines.
Nine new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Monroe County yesterday. Statewide, the number was 455 people. That’s according to the Indiana State Department of Health, which also attributed two new deaths in the state due to COVID-19.
The new numbers bring Indiana’s total number of COVID-19 deaths to 2,539. If you want to get a free COVID-19 test near Bloomington, there are two Optum testing sites available, one at the National Guard building on South Walnut.
The other site is almost an hour away in Switz City. The Switz City site welcomes Bloomingtonians and has a much shorter wait-time. Make sure to register beforehand and don’t forget your patient ID.
The Richland Bean Blossom School Board discussed and approved their reopening school plan during their July 6th meeting. Superintendent Jerry Sanders said face covering regulations changed in the new reopening plan.
Sanders said students and staff can choose to wear facial coverings at all times. He said health experts have shown a growing recommendation for face coverings. Community member Jordan Noonfelt said mandating masks in school is dangerous and unnecessary for students.
Noonfelt said masks should be optional. Band Director Aaron Wells said band members will wear masks. Athletic Director Mick Hammett said the athletics will NOT travel for scrimmage or host youth camps. He said coaches will maintain cleanliness.
Sanders said students can choose between in person or virtual leaning. He said the online academy students from grades kindergarten through 5th grade will have a designated virtual teacher and a support teacher.
Sanders said the online academy will follow the same schedule as in person classes. He said grades 6 through 12th would use apex for online learning. He said apex is student paced with assistance from a support teacher. Sanders said hand sanitizer will be supplied in every classroom. He said registration is a semester long commitment.Sanders said registration will begin July 10th.
The FBI opened a hate crime investigation into the July 4th racist assault on Vauhxx Booker.
That’s according to Booker’s attorney, Katherine Liell, who made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon in front of the Monroe County Courthouse.
Liell said the incident was, “clearly racially motivated.”
In a Facebook post on Monday, Liell wrote that the case is also under active review by the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office, which spoke with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources as a part of its review.
She wrote, “The prosecutor called in [the] DNR who will be forced to answer some tough questions.”
Liell was referring to officer conduct at the scene of the assault which has become the subject of public scrutiny after audio, video, and eye-witness accounts indicate that the responding officers did not check to see if Booker required medical attention and did not arrest the alleged attackers despite the present video evidence and multiple eye witness corroborations.
The Bloomington Redevelopment Commission approved an addendum to an agreement with CSO Designs for the 4th street garage design. Assistant City Attorney Larry Allen said the garage footprint had to change to accommodate the space.
City Controller Jeff Underwood said substantial bond funds would be available. However, he said they will be asking for funding agreement monies.
Board member Don Griffin asked Underwood if there would be any changes in the aesthetics of the building.
Underwood said public bathrooms and all other amenities will also be in the design plan.
In a press release on Monday, the Bloomington Police Department said it launched an investigation to determine the identity and location of the driver and passenger of a vehicle that drove into pedestrians at a demonstration on Monday.
According to the press release, one pedestrian suffered abrasions to the arms. The other pedestrian was knocked unconscious by the vehicle, suffering a laceration to the head. They were later transported to the hospital by ambulance.
The Bloomingtonian reports that the Bloomington Police Department ran the plates of the attacking car, gleaned from the video of the hit and run, but that the associated address was not not valid.
The video of the attack, which is graphic, has prompted some to compare it to recent vehicle attacks on protesters around the U.S., like the infamous 2017 Charlottesville car attack that killed one demonstrator and injured scores.
Just this week, on July 4th, a vehicle plowed into demonstrators in Seattle. A twenty-four-year-old demonstrator later died of injuries sustained in the incident. The rise of vehicle attacks on protesters is causing some to call for using the term ‘terrorist attack’ to describe them.
The Bloomington Board of Public works approved abatement of property 2611 East Roundhill Lane for yard overgrowth. Assistant City Attorney Chris Wheeler said the property has over 8 inches of weed and grass overgrowth. He said some overgrowth is harmful to public health. Property owner Mr. Goal said none of his plants are invasive.
Goal said the Bloomington code allows native plants to be above 8 inches. He said he would remove any unwanted plants. Board of Public Works Director Adam Wason said the overgrowth has been an ongoing issue for over a decade. He said the city won court cases ruling the lawn out of city code compliance. Wheeler said grass and weeds are overgrown throughout the lawn.
Goal said he does not want to see his native habitat foliage destroyed. He argued with Wason about maintaining wildlife habitats.
Board members approved the property abetment.
The Food Truck Friday opening date was postponed for Bloomington, IN. The event was set to begin on July 10th at the new Switchyard park with 10 different food truck vendors. Only a week after announcing the opening day, Director Jordan Davis postponed the opening.
He stated in a social media post that the delay was due to a rise in COVID-19 cases in Monroe County. However, many food trucks can be found around the downtown Bloomington area. Davis said there is no confirmed date to begin Food Truck Friday.
Last Wednesday, July 1 the Bloomington Fire Department installed the city’s first Baby Box at the Bloomington Fire Station located at 300 E. Fourth Street. For more on the story, we turn to WFHB Correspondent Katrine Bruner.
Baby boxes provide a safe and anonymous way for mothers or providers to surrender their infant without giving out personal information or being seen. Infants must be no more than 30 days old.
When a baby is placed in the box, a delayed silent alarm is triggered and will alert firefighters in the station. The alarm also alerts the Monroe County Central Dispatch to make sure the baby is picked up right away.
The Safe Haven Baby Box is administered and protected under the Indiana Safe Haven Law, which, “enables a person to give up an unwanted infant anonymously without fear of arrest or prosecution.” No information such as date, birth or medical is required of the person leaving the baby unless there are signs of abuse.
After babies are dropped off they are given full medical treatment if needed and then taken into Child Protective Services and placed with a caregiver.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes Inc. was founded by Monica Kelsey, who herself was abandoned as an infant. The goal of the Organization is to educate others on the Safe Haven Law and save the lives of innocent babies from abandonment. This is also to protect mothers or parents from being seen and make it easier to let go of their child if they are in a difficult position of taking care of them.
There is also a 24 hour hotline for women to receive counseling and assistance from Safe Haven. Since the start, Safe Haven has referred over 500 women to crisis pregnancy centers, assisted 6 adoption referrals and has had 76 legal Safe Haven surrenders. Since the first box was installed in April of 2016, there have been no dead abandoned infants in the state of Indiana.
Bloomington Fire Chief Jason Moore said that in the past, firefighters would have to personally receive a surrendered child from a parent and that the process was never anonymous also saying, “Every City of Bloomington Fire Station is already a safe place and a designated location where someone could use the Indiana Safe Haven Law to surrender a newborn.”
Since the baby box’s installation, Moore stated, “To know that we may not have to go on another call when there’s a dead infant, [is] going to be really good for our morale and our mental health.”
This Safe Haven baby box will be the 32nd in the United States and the 28th in Indiana. Safe Haven has all locations listed on their website. Among the 28 in Indiana there are also 3 in Ohio, and 1 in Arkansas.
The idea for placing a box in Bloomington specifically was introduced by co-owner of the Funeral Chapel, Eric Powell. In May of 2018, Powell was called in as a Monroe County Coroner to an abandoned apartment in Bloomington where a 26-week-old baby was found dead.
After hearing about the option of Safe Haven baby boxes, Powell and his wife, LeeAnna made efforts to create one in Bloomington. The Powells contacted Monica Kelsey of Safe Haven and Sherwood Oaks Christian Church helped by covering the service fee of $10,000.
Two years later the Powells are happy to announce that Bloomington has a place to safely take in infants if needed.
The National Center For Missing and Exploited Kids website lists fifteen-year-old Bloomington resident, Darius Buck, as having gone missing. The teen is male and Biracial, and is known to use the last name Anderson as well as Buck. He was last seen on June twenty-first. If you have any information on Darius’ whereabouts, call one-eight-hundred-the-lost, that’s 1-800-843-5678.
Feature Report:
A woman driving a red Toyota Corolla drove into several demonstrators near the corner of Kirkwood Avenue and South Walnut Street.
Peaceful demonstrators on the courthouse square were calling for the arrest of the Vauhxx Booker’s attackers. Bloomington Police Department is now investigating the incident.
WFHB Correspondent Nicholas DiBrita filed this report.
Credits:
You’ve been listening to the WFHB Local News.
Today’s headlines were written by myself, Aaron Comforty, Katrine Bruner, and Sydney Foreman, in partnership with Cats – Community Access Television Services.
Our feature was produced by Nicholas DiBrita.
Better Beware was produced by Richard Fish.
Our theme music is provided by Mark Bingham and the Social Climbers.
Executive producer is Kade Young.
