WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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This is the WFHB Local News for Monday, June 21st, 2021
Later in the program, WFHB Assistant News Director Jake Jacobson speaks with Mayor John Hamilton on community issues in today’s edition of A Few Minutes with the Mayor.
Today’s questions revolve around flooding over the weekend in Bloomington. More coming up in today’s feature reports.
Also coming up in the next half hour, Liz Mitchell, a producer from Bring It On, filed a report from the Bloomington Juneteenth celebration on Saturday. More in today’s headlines.
But first, your local news brief:
Bloomington was beset by widespread flooding during a severe thunderstorm Friday night. Downtown Bloomington was submerged in several feet of standing water. One man, Colton Booe, was found dead near Clear Creek Sunday morning by a search party of family and friends, after being last seen driving into rapid floodwaters. An autopsy will take place today. Nearly 2,000 Bloomington residents lost power, and the Bloomington fire department conducted 17 water rescues. Up to 8 inches of rainwater were estimated to have fallen.
Residents suffering from the aftereffects of the flooding have access to a wide range of resources. Red Cross Disaster Relief, located at 1600 W 3rd Street, can be reached at 888-684-1441. The Monroe County Emergency office, reachable at 812-349-2546, is currently working on applying for a Small Business Administration Disaster Declaration, which would provide relief for uninsured damages to small businesses. Residents can also reach out via email to Community Organizations Active in Disaster for Monroe County, at [email protected].
The Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department has recommended reallowing vehicle traffic on the road running through Lower Cascades Park. The road was closed to vehicle traffic fifteen months ago in order to provide a safe route to the park for pedestrians and bicycle commuters, and experiment with the traffic effects of such a closure. However, following community feedback and concerns over accessibility, the Parks and Recreation Department recommended reopening the road to vehicle traffic, discussing a range of alternatives to increase pedestrian accessibility. These proposals can be found on the City of Bloomington website at bloomington.in.gov.
COVID-19 Press Conference
Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton announced that, after 4 consecutive weeks without any positive cases, one city employee had tested positive for COVID-19 last week. At the June 18th Coronavirus Press Conference, he talked about how Indiana is behind the national average of vaccinated residents.
Monroe County Commissioner Penny Githens talked about the Eviction Moratorium. She pointed out that the moratorium ends at the end of June and that Monroe County has resources for residents who need more help.
The next Coronavirus Press Conference will be on June 25th.
Bloomington’s Juneteenth Celebration at Switchyard Park
On Saturday, Bloomington hosted a Juneteenth celebration at Switchyard Park.
Juneteenth commemorates the date the last group of those who had been enslaved in the United States were informed of their freedom.
Originating in Galveston, Texas, Juneteenth is now celebrated each year on the anniversary of the June 19th announcement by Union Army General Gordon Granger, declaring freedom from slavery in Texas. The news broke in Texas two-and-a-half years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.
Liz Mitchell, a segment producer for our public affairs program, Bring It On, spoke with those who attended the event.
“It’s a time for us to be together as a people and to really celebrate us being free,” said one attendee.
Mitchell asked event goers why they chose to come out to the Juneteenth celebration.
“I’m here to celebrate the history we have of this country that often goes overlooked and underappreciated,” said one event goer, “so I’m here people don’t forget our history so we know where to go in the future.”
The local celebration featured free food, music and scannable QR codes with information on the history of Juneteenth.
Tune into more coverage from the producers of Bring It On here.
Bloomington Plan Commission
The Bloomington Plan Commission reviewed text amendments to the Unified Development Ordinance at their June 14th meeting. Development Services Manager Jackie Scanlan presented amendments made by the City Council around duplexes and multiplexes. She outlined changes to how many duplexes can be built each year and when developers can build them.
Commissioner Jillian Kinzie talked about the U-D-O as a living document. She identified this as an opportunity to study the effects of these amendments.
Commissioner Brad Wisler expressed disappointment in the amendments. He worried that the limit on duplexes will ruin their effectiveness.
Monroe County Commissioners
Monroe County Commissioners discussed installing broadband internet in southern Monroe County. At the June 16th meeting, County Attorney Jeff Cockerill introduced an ordinance that would offer tax exemptions to internet service providers to encourage them to improve the area’s infrastructure. He said it’s hard to put a dollar amount on the importance of broadband internet.
Commissioner Penny Githens clarified providers would have to have infrastructure set up within 5 years. Smithville COO Dave Brodin said he expects homes will have access to upgraded service in 12 to 18 months. Commissioners approved the ordinance unanimously.
Monroe County Public Library Board of Trustees
At the June 16t meeting of the Monroe County Public Library Board of Trustees. Library Director Marilyn Wood talked about loosening COVID-19 restrictions h She announced that both Library branches would be returning to normal hours on June 21st. She added that both libraries will be open at full capacity on June 26th. Board member Jamie Burkhart asked if virtual programming would continue. Wood said virtual programming is already scheduled through the Summer.
Wood said that M-C-P-L hopes to return to some in-person programming, but that virtual programming is something the library wants to continue to develop.
Feature Report:
In today’s edition of A Few Minutes with the Mayor, WFHB Assistant News Director Jake Jacobson speaks with Mayor John Hamilton on community issues. Today’s questions revolve around this weekend’s flash flood, and how Bloomington responds to emergencies like this. All that and more in today’s A Few Minutes with the Mayor.
Credits:
You’ve been listening to the WFHB Local News,
Today’s headlines were written by Robert Robinson, Liz Mitchell, Kade Young, and Jake Jacobson, in partnership with Cats – Community Access Television Services.
Our feature was produced by Jake Jacobson.
Our theme music is provided by Mark Bingham and the Social Climbers.
Engineer and Executive producer is Kade Young.
