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This is the WFHB Local News for Thursday, December 1st, 2022.
Later in the program, WFHB Correspondent Grace Romine provides an update on Indiana’s abortion laws after an Owen County judge blocked the state’s partial abortion ban. More in today’s feature report.
Also coming up in the next half hour, Catalent announced on Wednesday that it will lay off 400 employees before December 2nd at its Bloomington facility.
More in your local headlines. But first, your Statehouse Roundup:
The Statehouse Roundup
The U.S. Senate overcame a filibuster to advance the Respect for Marriage Act. This bill would codify federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages.
At least 60 votes were needed to break the filibuster. On Tuesday, the Senate voted 61-36 to pass the bill. 49 Democrats and 12 Republicans voted in favor of the policy. Indiana Senator Mike Braun voted ‘no’ on the measure, siding with the majority of Republicans in the Senate. Meanwhile, Senator Todd Young broke ranks with his party and was one of the 12 GOP Senators who supported the bill.
Senator Chuck Schumer said that the Senate is taking a “bold step forward” by advancing the Respect for Marriage Act.
The bill is expected to reach President Joe Biden’s desk in the coming weeks where it’s expected to be signed into law.
Catalent Layoffs Include 400 Bloomington Workers
Catalent sent out notice to their employees that they will be laying off 400 workers before December 2nd. This comes as a shock to the community since the company negotiated with the City of Bloomington back in February for a tax abatement with the promise that they would be expanding and would provide new job opportunities for the residents of Bloomington.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Mayor John Hamilton commented on the decision to lay off hundreds of employees at Catalent’s Bloomington location. He said, “My administration will continue to work with the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation, (BEDC), the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, and Catalent and their employees to minimize the impact on those affected by these layoffs. We will also continue working to bring jobs to Bloomington and connect people with those job opportunities.”
According to a report by Kevin Dunleavy on November 30th for Fierce Pharma, Catalent also notified its employees in Maryland and Texas that they will be laying off employees. The email sent to employees in Bloomington and Maryland has similar wording: “During the pandemic, Catalent significantly increased its cost base to continue to meet the needs of our customers and deliver essential products, as well as to meet the needs specific to the pandemic. Given the current phase of the pandemic, the challenging global economic environment, and the need to ensure that Catalent continues to operate efficiently, we have made the difficult decision to reduce or delay some capital expenditure projects and also reduce the size of our workforce in certain areas.”
Catalent’s Bloomington site is set to lose 400 jobs, whereas the Houston site is expected to lay off 77 workers, and at the two sites in Maryland they are expected to lay off a total of 135 employees.
WFHB News reached out to Catalent for an interview. A Catalent spokesperson replied with a statement saying, “Since the start of the pandemic, Catalent’s Bloomington facility has played a critical role in producing the vaccines and therapies that have protected public health around the world. To meet the needs of the pandemic, we added personnel to the facility at an extraordinary rate to ensure that we could meet our commitments, but now the size and structure of our organization needs to match current demands in order to increase efficiency and cost-effectiveness. We will offer severance and job transition support to all impacted employees and will seek to deploy as many as possible to other open roles in the network .Bloomington remains an important part of Catalent’s global network and long-term growth strategy.”
According to a leaked email from Catalent, the company will notify “impacted employees” between November 30th and December 2nd.
Monroe County Commissioners Hear Department Updates, Path4You Sub-Grant Agreement
At the November 30th meeting of the Monroe County Commissioners, Health Administrator Lori Kelley provided an update on the county health department.
Commissioner Julie Thomas asked if the public can still receive the vaccine for Covid-19. Kelley replied that they can, and she walked through details on how to book an appointment.
Next, Highway Engineer Paul Satterly delivered his report on the county’s highway department. Satterly gave a rundown on the Fullerton Pike project.
Planning Department Director Jackie Nester Jelen said she wanted to make residents aware that the county will hear public input on the Monroe County Consolidated Development Ordinance, or CDO, on December 13th.
During public comment, Court Appointed Special Advocate Jim Shelton made a plea to residents to consider volunteer opportunities at CASA.
Then, the commissioners heard a sub-grant agreement for the Monroe County Health Department. Health Administrator Lori Kelley elaborated on the agreement.
The commissioners approved the Path4You sub-grant agreement unanimously. The next Monroe County Commissioners meeting will happen at 10 a.m. on December 7th.
Feature Report:
Earlier this year, the Indiana General Assembly voted to ban abortion in Indiana with limited exceptions. Then, an Owen County judge blocked the state’s abortion ban from being enforced in September. WFHB Correspondent Grace Romine speaks with Law Professor Dr. Jennifer Drobac and State Representative Shelli Yoder about where the law stands now. We turn to Grace Romine for more.
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 Grace Romine.
Our theme music is provided by Mark Bingham and the Social Climbers.
Engineer and Executive producer is Kade Young.
