WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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This is the WFHB Local News for Monday, November 15th, 2021.
Later in the program, WFHB Assistant News Director Noelle Herhusky-Schneider continues her coverage on the Buffalo Springs Restoration Project. She speaks with Marion Mason and Chris Thornton from the U.S. Forest Service for the second part of the interview. More coming up in today’s feature report.
Also coming up in the next half hour, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita announced last week that he plans to file a lawsuit against the federal government over a vaccine mandate for large employers.
Monroe County Council Discusses Resilience Assessment
At the Monroe County Council meeting on November 9th Community Resilience Coordinator for the Environmental Resilience Institute, Cody Smith presented next steps for the Hoosier Readiness Assessment.
Smith said that Monroe County should invest in ways to ensure individuals who are marginalized in the community are prioritized with climate change preparation since they are the hardest hit by the impacts of climate change.
He explained that due to climate change, Monroe County is experiencing more rainfall and severe storms, and should be aware that surface and river flooding will be a large concern for the county in the near future.
Smith gave actionable recommendations from the ERI they believe are within reach of the local government and would increase Monroe County’s resilience to climate change. Suggestions included: passing a tree canopy ordinance, promoting energy efficiency and waste heat reduction, educating residents of impacts on poor air quality, and creating a warning system to alert residents when air pollution is poor and promoting local food purchasing.
Council member Trent Deckard thanked Smith for the presentation, and said he has been noticing the flooding concerns himself.
Council member Peter Iverson also commented that while the U.S. is working on a national level to mitigate the effects of climate change – Monroe County is working on a local level to address concerns closer to home.
Council member Cheryl Munson asked about whether or not the City of Bloomington and the Town of Ellettsville have taken the Hoosier Readiness Index Assessment.
Smith said Bloomington has taken the assessment and heard a similar presentation; however, Ellettsville has not done so yet. Smith said the Environmental Resilience Institute is still more than happy to work with their community.
The next county council meeting will be held on December 14th.
Monroe County Commissioners to Write Letter of Support for Beacon Inc.
At the Monroe County Commissioners meeting on November 10th, Commissioner Penny Githens notified the commissioners of an opportunity to support Beacon Inc. This would help pledge financial support to secure a grant for a kitchen and winter shelter for people experiencing homelessness in Monroe County.
Commissioner Julie Thomas said that the letter of support for Beacon Inc. would be a good thing for everyone in the community.
The commissioners and the council will meet next week to agree upon the letter of support for Beacon.
Bloomington Arts Commission Talks Future of the Waldron and Trade’s Garage
At the Bloomington Arts Commission meeting on November 10th, Assistant Director for the Arts, Holly Warren updated the board on last Friday’s John Waldron Arts Center Press Conference.
Commissioner Nick Blandford discussed a stipend to artists involved in the ribbon cutting of the Trade’s District Garage art installation. He said the Windfall Dance Company would perform at the opening of the Trades District Garage in December and then again in Spring.Warren said she was looking up industry standards and wage tools to ensure a fair and respectful wages for the performances and their original choreography.
They will continue to discuss the stipend at the next meeting on December 8th.
Indiana AG Rokita to Challenge President Biden Vaccine Mandate
According to state health officials, four out of ten Indiana adults are not fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
On Friday, the Indiana State Department of Health reported that nearly 60 percent of Indiana residents ages 18 and older are fully vaccinated.
Meanwhile, the Joe Biden Administration has announced it will require a vaccine mandate for all state and local governments and businesses with over one hundred employees.
The vaccine mandate would apply to Indiana. However, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita announced he would file a lawsuit in the Seventh Circuit Court of appeals against the federal government over the vaccine mandate for large employers.
Rokita said in a statement last Thursday, “This is a direct attack on states’ rights. This is a direct attack on individual liberties and freedom and it’s an overreach of the federal government.”
Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb says that he supports the lawsuit. Holcomb directed the Indiana Department of Labor to work together with Rokita on the lawsuit.
In a statement, Holcomb said, “While I agree that the vaccine is the tool that will best protect against Covid-19, this federal government approach is unprecedented and will bring about harmful, unintended consequences in the supply chain and the workforce.”
If proven successful against the lawsuit, workers would have until January 4th of next year to get vaccinated or deal with weekly testing.
Feature Report:
In today’s feature report, WFHB Assistant News Director Noelle Herhusky-Schneider continues her coverage on the Buffalo Springs Restoration Project. She speaks with Marion Mason and Chris Thornton from the U.S. Forest Service. The first part of that interview aired last Wednesday. In today’s broadcast, we hear the second part of that conversation.
Public comment for the Buffalo Springs Restoration Project is scheduled to end today. If you’re a resident looking to make any public comments, you can send an email to [email protected] with the subject line, “Buffalo Springs Restoration Project.”
Credits:
You’ve been listening to the WFHB Local News,
Today’s headlines were written by Kade Young and Noelle Herhusky-Schneider, in partnership with Cats – Community Access Television Services.
Our feature was produced by Noelle Herhusky-Schneider.
Kite Line is produced by Mia Beach.
Our theme music is provided by Mark Bingham and the Social Climbers.
Engineer and Executive producer is Kade Young.
Anchors are Don Geyra and Nicki Stewart-Ingersoll.
