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This is the WFHB Local News for Thursday, March 25th, 2021.
Later in the program, we have an excerpt from the latest edition of Bring It On – Indiana’s only weekly radio program committed to exploring the people, issues and events impacting the African-American community.
Clarence Boone and William Hosea talk with Dr. Jeff Hauswald, the newly appointed Superintendent for the Monroe County Community School Corporation. Joining them are MCCSC Trustee Board Members, April Hennessey and Jacinda Townsend Gides. More in today’s feature report.
Also coming up in the next half hour, Indiana is set to raise vaccine eligibility to those 16 and older starting March 31st. The state will also end the mask mandate on April 6th. More in today’s headlines.
Indiana to Raise Eligibility to 16+ for Vaccine but Ends Mask Mandate
Indiana health officials announced on March 31st, the state will begin to open up the coronavirus vaccine to those ages sixteen and older.
Governor Eric Holcomb also announced that will end the statewide mask mandate on April 6th. Holcomb addressed the new changes during the state’s weekly Covid-19 update.
State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box provided an update on the state’s vaccine rollout.
Dr. Box warned that, although the state is progressing on vaccine distribution, new cases of Covid-19 and variants of the virus may be a cause for concern.
On the state’s color-coded map, all but one county are in either the “blue” or “yellow” advisory level. One county is in “orange.”
Covid-19 hospitalizations are at 596 people as of March 22nd. In November 2020, hospitalizations were at 3,460 people.
The state’s positivity rate currently stands at 3.3 percent, compared to almost 17 percent on December 2nd, 2020.
Monroe County Commissioners Work Session
The Monroe County Commissioners heard a presentation from the Indiana University Environmental Resilience Institute about results from their Hoosier Resilience Index Readiness Assessment. During their March 24th Work Session, Implementation Manager Andrea Webster said the assessment would help mitigate climate change.
Webster said low-income and minority populations would be most affected by the negative impacts of climate change. Resilience analyst Zack Richardson stated Indiana would most see increases in temperature and precipitation.
Richardson reported heat related illnesses increase when temperatures do not cool down at night. He stated increased precipitation raised warning for developed areas within Monroe County’s large floodplain area. He pointed out some areas of improvement for climate change readiness.
Webster said City of Bloomington Climate Readiness did not affect the County results.
Monroe County Commissioners
The Monroe County Commissioners approved an agreement with Hope Alight for the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative for approximately 5 thousand dollars. Initiative Coordinator Christine McAfee spoke of implementation of the Trust Based Relational Intervention program during their March 24th meeting.
McAfee stated the 5 thousand dollars came from a Department of Correction grant. She mentioned the J-D-A-I program has seen decreased numbers of detainees and increased lengths of stay since 2013.
McAfee mentioned their initiative helped create a common language to talk about the juvenile justice system.
Monroe County Council Work Session
Lake Monroe watershed coordinator Maggie Sullivan presented a Watershed Management Plan update to the Monroe County Council during their March 23rd work session. She said a management plan would be written by January 2022.
Sullivan stated a portion of the management plan was education and outreach. She mentioned signs would be installed at the entrance of watershed areas to inform residents. She stated the plan aims to reduce non-point source pollution.
Sullivan stated water pollutants such as E. Coli, sediment, phosphorus, and nitrogen are main contaminants of concern. She spoke of ways people can protect their watersheds from home.
Sullivan said more information on how residents can protect their watersheds can be found through organizations such as Clear Choices Clean Water, or Solid Water Conservation Districts.
MCCSC School Board
The Monroe County school Corporation board approved a resolution to adopt the State Social Justice Curriculum. Board member Jacinda Townsend Gides presented the resolution during their March 23rd meeting.
Gides mentioned the resolution also required teachers to be equipped with robust Learning experiences and resources regarding social justice. She mentioned a biannual report of implementation progress will be presented to the board of trustees.
Feature Report:
Up next, have an excerpt from the latest edition of Bring It On – Indiana’s only weekly radio program committed to exploring the people, issues and events impacting the African-American community.
Clarence Boone and William Hosea speak with Dr. Jeff Hauswald, the newly appointed Superintendent for the Monroe County Community School Corporation. Joining them are MCCSC Trustee Board Members, April Hennessey and Jacinda Townsend Gides. To hear the full interview, click here. Bring It on airs each Monday at 6 p.m. and it’s available wherever you get your podcasts.
Credits:
You’ve been listening to the WFHB Local News,
Today’s headlines were written by Jake Jacobson, Kade Young and Sydney Foreman, in partnership with Cats – Community Access Television Services.
Our feature was produced by Clarence Boone and William Hosea.
Our theme music is provided by Mark Bingham and the Social Climbers.
Engineer and Executive producer is Kade Young
