WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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Good afternoon. This is the WFHB Local News for Monday, November 30th, 2020.
Later in the program, coronavirus cases are expected to increase after the Thanksgiving holiday, according to national, state and local health officials. More on that later in the program.
Also coming up in the next half hour, we have the latest edition of A Few Minutes with the Mayor – where we pose questions to Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton on community issues.
But first, your local headlines:
COVID-19 Joint Press Conference
During the November 25th COVID-19 Press Conference County Health Administrator Penny Caudill mentioned slow test result return times due to an increased demand in testing.
IU Health Hospital South Central Region President Brian Shockney reported the highest COVID-19 patient volume since the pandemic began.
Shockney mentioned 50 percent of Bloomington Hospital inpatients came from neighboring counties, over the last 14 days. He said some COVID-19 vaccinations would be received in mid-December.
However, Shockney stated the end of the virus would probably NOT be seen until late 2021.
Coronavirus Spike Expected From Thanksgiving Holiday
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, said to expect an additional surge of Covid-19 after the Thanksgiving holiday.
According to numbers from the Transportation Security Administration or TSA, more than one million Americans traveled by plane last Wednesday – the largest number since the start of the pandemic.
More Covid-19 cases are expected in the aftermath of the holiday, Fauci said on Sunday’s Meet the Press. It takes five to six days for symptoms to show, so the spike will likely be reflected in the Covid-19 dashboard later this week.
In Indiana, we’ve seen a trending increase in Covid-19 hospitalizations ahead of Thanksgiving. In a November 25th press conference, Governor Eric Holcomb said he’s meeting with local officials after the holiday to provide updated perspectives on how Covid-19 has impacted various communities.
Penny Caudill, Monroe County Health Administrator, urged residents to take precautions ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday in a joint press conference on Wednesday.
As of Monday, Monroe County has seen 5,724 total positive cases and 52 total deaths from Covid-19.
Indiana Schools Struggle to Stay Open After Increasing Covid-19 Cases
As of Monday, the Indiana State Department of Health reported over 15,000 total cases of Covid-19 in schools. That number includes students, teachers and staff members.
The number of positive cases is likely higher, as participating in the state dashboard is not mandatory for schools. 386 schools have not reported Covid-19 data to the state health department.
The Associated Press reported that schools struggle to stay open due to the increasing number of new infections and related quarantines.
As of tomorrow, all Marion County schools are moving completely online until mid-January, according to an order by the county health department.
After a week-long break from classes, Monroe County Community School Corporation will move to Phase Yellow – which means that elementary schools will continue in-person, while middle and high schools continue a hybrid model of learning. Any student in 100 percent virtual learning will continue to do.
Kelby Turmail, communications officer for MCCSC, said in a phone conversation on Monday that the school corporation’s Covid-19 data is monitored daily and is subject to change. In mid-December, MCCSC will decide how it will move forward with in-person learning.
Richland Bean Blossom schools will use E-Learning from November 23rd to December 4th. In person learning will begin on December 7th.
State Lawmaker Steps Down, Cites Governor’s Restrictions
Republican state lawmaker Christy Stutzman said she will resign from the Indiana General Assembly.
Stutzman lists Governor Eric Holcomb’s Covid-19 restrictions as one of the main reasons she’s stepping down.
In a statement, she wrote that without the approval of the Indiana General Assembly, “our business and family have been set back further and will be required to devote even more attention to helping our business survive into next year.”
Stutzman, a representative from Middlebury, told Wish-TV that she walked away not because of politics, but that she wanted to devote more time managing her family-owned business.
However, Stutzman said Governor Holcomb used too much executive power without legislative input. She said the state legislature should step in to overturn some of the governor’s orders.
Governor Holcomb signed the statewide disaster declaration on March 6th – which gave him executive authority to regulate behavior of the general public.
The NWI Times reported that a state law passed in the aftermath of the nine-eleven terrorist attacks gives the governor vast authority when the state has been struck by a disaster, which includes pandemics.
The Indiana Republican Party issued a statement that read, “I’m sorry to hear about the challenges Covid-19 has placed on Representative Stutzman’s family-owned business. But I’m equally sorry to see her wrongly place blame on the governor and health officials across the state who are working hard daily to protect Hoosiers’ lives and livelihood.”
Meanwhile, the Indiana State Department of Health has reported a grand total of 338,977 cases of Covid-19 and a total of 5,456 deaths.
Bloomington City Council Discusses Creation of Community Advisory on Public Safety
Bloomington City Council held a discussion on an Ordinance to create a Community Advisory on Public Safety Commission during their November 18th meeting. Councilwoman Isabel Piedmont-Smith said the commission would provide governmental seats for underrepresented demographics.
Piedmont-Smith stated the commission would report new and existing programs, which could improve public safety, to the City Council. She mentioned applicant preference would be given to marginalized peoples.
Piedmont-Smith mentioned 11 members would form the commission. Council member Jim Sims stated multiple community members were disappointed in lack of involvement to create the commission.
Community Resident Marqube Reese said she was against the initiative structure of the commission. Representative of the Bloomington Homeless Coalition Mark Teller asked the council to consider the voices of those who could not join the virtual meeting. He recalled many events when homeless persons were not protected by public safety.
Resident Heather Lake also expressed her support for the commission. Council member Susan Sandburg expressed concern for a lack of city council control on the presented issues. The Ordinance was approved on a 6 to 3 vote with opposition from council members Sims, Sandburg and Sue Sgambelluri.
Feature Reports:
Now it’s time for our latest installment of A Few Minutes with the Mayor – where Mayor John Hamilton answers questions on community issues.
In today’s segment, Mayor Hamilton talks about the potential increase of depression and suicide due to Covid-19, how to prevent small businesses from closing and how the city will roll out a Covid-19 vaccine as soon as it becomes available.
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 Aaron Comforty, Kade Young and Sydney Foreman, in partnership with Cats – Community Access Television Services.
A Few Minutes with the Mayor was produced by Sydney Foreman.
Our theme music is provided by Mark Bingham and the Social Climbers.
Engineer and Executive producer is Kade Young.
