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This is the WFHB Local News for Tuesday, August 3rd, 2021.
Later in the program, WFHB Correspondent Max Campbell reports on both the City of Bloomington and the Monroe County perspectives on annexation.
Campbell has spent weeks conducting interviews and reporting on the city’s effort to annex 10,000 acres of Monroe County land. Today’s feature, which aired last Thursday, concludes his series on annexation.
Also coming up in the next half hour, a joint task force between the City of Bloomington and Indiana University submitted its final recommendations to rename Jordan Avenue. More in today’s headlines.
But first, your local news brief:
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has granted Indiana Farm Bureau a statewide permit for members to perform takes on black vultures. According to federal law, “takes” can include hunting, capturing and killing birds. Black vultures have been known to often prey on young cattle and sheep, which is an issue particularly present in southern Indiana. The Indiana Farm Bureau explained in a news release Monday that the birds are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, so they can’t be killed without a migratory bird depredation permit.
The Richland-Bean Blossom Community School Corporation will be requiring all students and staff to wear masks, regardless of vaccination status. The first day for school in the county is August 11th. The new requirement was put in place over the weekend via an email to families by the R-BB superintendent, Jerry Sanders. Sanders explained to parents that the change was made as a result of the Monroe County Health Department’s announcement of a new health order up for approval due to worsening COVID-19 data for Monroe County. This new health order will be discussed at the board of health meeting today and will go to the Monroe County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday.
The Gary Jet Center is welcoming ten puppies today who will all become service dogs for the center. The eight week old puppies will be flown out by volunteer pilots and arrive around 3:30 p.m. Canine Companions provided the dogs. Canine Companions is a non-profit business that gives adults, children and veterans with disabilities service dogs at no cost. They are based in Santa Rosa, California. After 18 months the puppies will begin professional training with the organization.
Bloomington Redevelopment Commission
The Bloomington Redevelopment Commission discussed a contract for the West 17th Street Reconstruction Project. At the August 2nd meeting, Engineering Department Project Manager Matt Smethurst requested more funds for the project. He identified two parts of the project that went over the requested budget.
Commissioner Nick Kappas asked if this would be the last change order for 17th street. Smethurst assured commissioners that the only remaining change order would be in the City’s favor.
Commissioner Kappas clarified the commission likes to keep a 5 to 10 percent buffer for projects. He hoped the returned money could bring the 14 percent overage into that acceptable range.
Commissioners approved the change order unanimously.
Joint Task Force Submits Recommendations to Rename Jordan Avenue
A joint task force between the City of Bloomington and Indiana University completed a report with recommendations to rename Jordan Avenue.
The task force recommended renaming the section of Jordan Avenue from Davis Street to 17th Street to “Eagleson Avenue” and the section from 17th Street to Fee Lane to “Fuller Lane” or “Mattie Fuller Lane.”
The street was named after IU’s seventh president, David Starr Jordan, who was a major figure in the American Eugenics Movement, an ideology that influenced Nazi Germany during the Holocaust.
In October 2020, the IU Board of Trustees voted to remove the surname of the former university president from Jordan Hall, Jordan Avenue Parking Garage and the Jordan River.
The university first voted to change the name, because Jordan, “held views that conflicted fundamentally with the university’s values in diversity and equity.”
Mayor John Hamilton said the name goes against the city’s commitment to promote inclusion and equity in the community, so he organized a task force to rename Jordan Avenue.
The city and university each own part of the road – so members of each entity represented the task force.
According to the report, the city created a website where members of the public could submit names and provide comments. Also, members of the task force submitted names and conducted historical research on names provided by the community.
The task force acknowledged the large number of Purdue University students who submitted “Purdue Avenue” and “Boilermaker Way.”
The report says that the task force considered names that reflected the city’s values and principles, which leads to the names, Eagleson and Fuller.
Eagleson Avenue would be named after Halson Vashon Eagleson, who was born a slave in 1851. Eagleson came to Bloomington in the 1880s and became a well-known barber in the community.
The name, Fuller Lane, comes from Mattie Fuller, who was born into slavery. She came to Bloomington at age 4, and she remained a lifelong resident of the city. Fuller was a suffragist, musician, entrepreneur and philanthropist.
Bloomington Utilities Service Board Finance Subcommittee
The Bloomington Utilities Service Board’s Finance Subcommittee held a preliminary discussion about the City of Bloomington Utilities 2022 budget. Board member Jim Sherman asked whether Bloomington’s proposed annexations would affect future CBU budgets. Director of CBU Vic Kelson said the effects would be minor. He said Bloomington Utilities already serves those areas.
Kelson said the real focus would be dealing with stormwater issues in the urbanized areas that have been annexed. He said the additional revenue will offset the additional costs.
Kelson said the department would hopefully have final budget numbers by next week.
Feature Report:
Up next, WFHB Correspondent Robert Robinson reports on the recent sentencing of an Indiana businessman for fraudulent investor funds. We turn to Robinson for more.
On Monday, the Monroe County Residents Against Annexation put out a press release saying its co-founders will deliver a report made up of thousands of signed petitions to the City Council Wednesday morning to inform the council that the county does not want to be annexed.
This issue has shown a divide between the county and the City of Bloomington when it comes to annexation. To provide more perspective, WFHB Correspondent Max Campbell talked to members of both the county and the city to best capture how each entity feels regarding annexation. Max Campbell has that story.
Credits:
You’ve been listening to the WFHB Local News,
Today’s headlines were written by Katrine Bruner, Kade Young, Robert Robinson and Jake Jacobson, in partnership with Cats – Community Access Television Services.
Our feature was produced by Max Campbell.
Our theme music is provided by Mark Bingham and the Social Climbers.
Engineer and Executive Producer is Kade Young.
Anchors are Benedict Jones and Kade Young.
