WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:00 — 27.5MB)
Subscribe: RSS
This is the WFHB Local News for Wednesday, August 31st, 2022.
Later in the program, Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton presented a 229 million dollar budget to the city council this week. More in today’s feature report.
Also coming up in the next half hour, Red Flags on Better Beware – your weekly consumer-watchdog segment on WFHB.
But first, your local headlines:
Monroe County Board of Health Discusses Covid-19 and Monkeypox
During the Monroe County Board of Health meeting on August 25th, Assistant Director of Public and Environmental Health at Indiana University Graham McKeen gave an update on IU’s Covid-19 numbers.
A board member asked for clarification on IU’s positivity rate right now. McKeen responded that it’s on-par with the national average.
McKeen offered his help in the wastewater surveillance program, saying it will be “incredibly helpful” in their ability to monitor the virus moving forward.
He also mentioned there have been no reported cases of monkeypox on campus as of last Thursday. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 162 cases of monkeypox were reported in Indiana as of August 30th.
McKeen talked about the university’s preparations for the monkeypox virus.
IU Health opened up a lab this week that will serve as the primary testing site for monkeypox in Indiana. Public Health Nurse at IU Health Sally Hudson said they have a nurse available for monkeypox needs.
A board member asked if IU Health is having problems with supply for the monkeypox vaccine. Hudson responded that they do have the vaccine available to meet the current demand, but are looking to increase supply in the near future. She also said they are coordinating with the state for more testing capabilities.
The Monroe County Board of Health will meet again in a hybrid capacity on October 13th.
Mayor John Hamilton Proposes 229 Million Dollar Budget to the City Council
Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton presented a 229 million dollar budget to the city council this week. According to a city press release, this marks a 29 percent increase over the 2022 budget.
This week, the Bloomington City Council continues to meet over the budget hearings at 6 p.m. On Monday evening, Mayor Hamilton gave some context behind his proposed budget increase.
Next, Hamilton said the budget will be “transformative” and that he hopes it meets the demand the city needs to thrive.
He shared how he believes the 2023 budget meets opportunities and challenges facing the City of Bloomington.
Hamilton said the budget includes a 5 percent cost of living adjustment for non-union employees and a 1,000 dollar bonus to city workers. He expanded on how he hopes the budget allows the city to become an “employer of choice.”
The mayor said the budget would fund nine new public safety positions, including new positions for the police and fire departments.
The proposed budget also contains investments in sustainability and climate mitigation, which includes additional funding for public transportation. Hamilton outlined the proposed investments in Bloomington Transit.
Hamilton also included a 1 million dollar investment to housing and an additional one million dollar economic equity fund to support low-income residents.
The city council met again at 6 p.m. on Tuesday to further hash out the 2023 budget. The city council will continue to consider the budget with a final vote expected on October 12th. To view the full budget proposal, visit Bloomington.in.gov/budget.
Feature Reports:
Today, we have the Disabulletin News Briefing – a brief segment on disability and neurodiversity issues facing the nation hosted by WFHB Correspondent Abe Shapiro.
Up next, Red Flags on Better Beware – your weekly consumer-watchdog segment on WFHB. We turn to host and producer Richard Fish for more.
Credit:
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.
Disabulletin is produced by Abe Shapiro.
Better Beware is produced by Richard Fish.
Our theme music is provided by Mark Bingham and the Social Climbers.
Engineer and Executive producer is Kade Young.
