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This is the WFHB Local News for Wednesday, October 13th, 2021.
Later in the program, Monroe County Residents Against Annexation have begun the process to remonstrate, or formally challenge, Mayor John Hamilton’s annexation plan. More coming up in the bottom half of tonight’s show.
Also coming up in the next half hour, host Richard Fish covers some of the most famous swindlers in history during a classic edition of Better Beware, our weekly consumer-watchdog segment on WFHB. That’s following today’s feature report.
But first, your environmental news brief:
In Portage, Indiana, the U.S. Steel Midwest plant has reported a second pollution spill in the last two weeks. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management announced that the nearby Burns Waterway was polluted with an oily sheen from the steel plant. Existing pollution precautions have contained the spill and it is unlikely that it will enter nearby Lake Michigan. This event occurred a week after nearly twenty Lake Michigan organizations called on Indiana politicians to do more to protect the waterways and Lake Michigan.
President Joe Biden has recently announced the restoration of national monuments that were reduced in size under former President Donald Trump. Biden signed three proclamations that increased the sizes of the national monuments of Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine off the coast of New England. The national monument of Bears Ears has an important historical connection with the Native American tribe of the Laguna Pueblo. This represents a sizable step forward for the Biden Administration’s climate priorities and the Native American community.
A recent study from the Pew Research Center has found that the concern for the impending climate crisis has greatly increased in many areas of the world. Seventy-two percent of the people surveyed from countries around the world expressed concerns that climate change could impact their lives at some point in the near future. Only two countries did not have an increase in concerns, Japan and the United States. However, worldwide, the concern among younger people has risen, which lends hope to the need to address the crisis. Public concern about climate change is the biggest motivator for organizations such as the United Nations to take steps to implement aggressive policies to address global fossil fuel emissions.
Monroe County Council Discusses Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Remonstration Against Annexation and A Sidewalk on Rodgers
On October 12th the Monroe County Council Council member Cheryl Munson gave an update on the holiday the solid waste district took this week and recognized Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Next on the agenda, County Auditor Catherine Smith explained the remonstration process currently going on against annexation. She said that county residents should not be afraid to ask for help, and that they are attempting to be as non-partisan as possible.
During public comment on General Obligation Bonds, resident Jackie Porter expressed her concern for the safety of students walking to school on Rogers Street without sidewalks. She said she hopes to see a sidewalk there before she retires.
Council member Trent Deckard responded to Porter’s comment, and said he supported investments like these, proposed on behalf of the community.
Munson added that the need for the sidewalk has been a problem since the mid-1980’s, saying, “it is time to get this fixed.”
The General Obligation Bond appropriations noted not to exceed three million one hundred thousand dollars, were approved unanimously.
The next meeting will be held on November 9th.
Monroe County Residents Against Annexation Begin Remonstration Process
Three weeks ago, the Bloomington City Council voted six to three to annex seven of the eight proposed areas of Monroe County land.
The move would more than double the size of Bloomington in geographical size and would increase the city population by more than 14,000 people.
However, property owners who live in the annexed areas have until January 6th of next year to file what is called a remonstrance petition.
That means residents can formally oppose Mayor John Hamilton’s annexation plan. Locations to file these petitions include the Monroe County Courthouse and the Bloomington City Hall. As long as these county residents know their address and bring an appropriate form of identification, they can file a remonstration waiver to make an objection against the involuntary annexation.
Margaret Clements, vice president of the local group Monroe County Residents Against Annexation, said she was not surprised by the council’s approval. However, she remains vigilant in the remonstration process and says that the county residents against annexation are a force to be reckoned with.
“We were hopeful that they would save the community division angst and expense. By prudently voting no,” said Clements. “We are the people we are who give justification to any government structure that would like to serve us in the community.”
Clements says that the group has begun a petition drive in order to gather enough signatures to make the annexation void. The county would need 65 percent of residents in each of the annexed zones to file a remonstration petition. Clements discusses how she hopes to mobilize enough residents to challenge annexation in at least some of the areas by January 6th.
“We’ve already started,” she said. “It’s begun. It’s afoot.”
During an interview with WFHB, Mayor Hamilton discussed his expectations from the remonstration process.
“We hope that we will come through that and be able to move forward with the annexation, which I think is good for the city and good for the region,” said the mayor.
Hamilton says he believes that annexation will be beneficial to county residents and hopes to welcome residents into the city.
“Well, I hope that the annexations will go through and that we won’t have remonstrations that take everybody to court or stop the annexations. But we’ll find out. That’s how the process works,” said Mayor Hamilton.
Clements touched on her hopes and expectations from the remonstration process. She said she plans to finish the process by Thanksgiving.
“Here’s my hope – having received enough signatures in the pre-remonstration period in our petition drive in fewer than 90 days – I’m hoping that we can end this remonstration before Thanksgiving, and give the elderly in our community some peace. We’d like them to have a happy holiday,” she said.
According to the B-Square Bulletin, the first remonstrators against the city’s annexation efforts filed their petitions last Friday.
Feature Reports:
Host Richard Fish covers some of the most famous swindlers in history during a classic edition of Better Beware, our weekly consumer-watchdog segment on WFHB.
WFHB Correspondent Julianna Dailey brings you to the Porter West Nature Preserve to give you a sneak peek at what to expect at a nearby nature preserve open to the public.
Credits:
You’ve been listening to the WFHB Local News,
Today’s headlines were written by Nathaniel Weinzapfel, Kade Young and Noel Herhusky Schneider, in partnership with Cats – Community Access Television Services.
Better Beware was produced by Richard Fish.
Our theme music is provided by Mark Bingham and the Social Climbers.
Engineer and Executive producer is Kade Young.
