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This is the WFHB Local News for Monday, May 3rd, 2021.
Later in the program, we have a Few Minutes with the Mayor – a weekly segment where Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton answers questions on community issues. More coming up in our feature reports.
Also coming up in the next half hour, we have coverage on Bloomington’s public zoning debate set to resume on Tuesday. More in today’s headlines.
But first, your local news brief:
Covid-19 cases are still high in Monroe county, with an average of 16 people per 100,000 testing positive per day. However, 29% of residents have gotten fully vaccinated – 3% lower than the national statistic. Although the CDC continues to encourage wearing masks and social distancing, they announced that fully vaccinated citizens after two weeks may gather in small groups without masks or social distancing.
Yesterday afternoon a U-Haul truck drove into the side of the tattoo and piercing studio – Evil by the Needle – while people were inside. Bloomington Police Department officers on scene are continuing to gather information about the incident. The two people inside the building were pushed to the other side of the studio by the truck and rushed to the hospital with minor injuries.
On Saturday, Bloomington’s only LGBTQIA+ inclusive nightclub, The Back Door, opened back up after more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Co-owner Smoove was reported to have applied for five loans to pay for utilities and keep the space over the past year as he quote “was all in favor of people over profits.” About 70 people celebrated the grand reopening outside on the newly renovated patio. The Back Door plans to continue to require masks for the time being and will slowly return back to business as usual.
COVID-19 Press Conference
Mayor John Hamilton announced three new positive COVID-19 cases among city employees at the April 30th Coronavirus Press Conference. Monroe County Health Administrator Penny Caudill talked about an upcoming vaccination site at the Boys and Girls Club. She said the resources from the Bloomington Convention Center site would be going towards outreach programs to help eliminate barriers to receiving vaccines.
Caudill said some local vaccine sites have been taking walk-ins, as well. Indiana University Assistant Vice President Kirk White confirmed that Assembly Hall is accepting walks-ins starting an hour after the site opens. The Boys and Girls Club pop-up vaccination site will be May 6th.
Holcomb Sues General Assembly Over Emergency Powers Law
Governor Eric Holcomb filed a lawsuit against the Indiana General Assembly over a law that gives the state legislature more authority during a public health emergency.
House Enrolled Act 1123 allows the Indiana General Assembly to convene for a special session if the governor declares an emergency. It also regulates how the state spends federal stimulus money.
After its passage, Governor Holcomb vetoed the legislation. Then, lawmakers overrode the governor’s veto.
According to the lawsuit, Holcomb says the ability to call a special session is given solely to the governor in the state constitution.
The complaint says, “the General Assembly has impermissibly attempted to give itself the ability to call special sessions, thereby usurping a power given exclusively to the governor under Article 4 and 9 of the Indiana Constitution.”
On Friday, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita moved for the court to strike the lawsuit, which Rokita calls “unauthorized.” Rokita said the law is constitutional and it leaves the governor’s ability to call a special session “untouched.”
He added, “The Constitution does not authorize the judicial branch to resolve disagreements between the other branches over legal policy, even when those disagreements implicate constitutional disputes.”
The Attorney General declined the Governor’s request for outside legal counsel. Rokita also argued that the lawsuit should not be allowed to continue, because lawmakers are technically still in session – after the General Assembly passed a law to extend the session from April 29th to November 15th in order to redraw congressional maps after the 2020 census.
Drew Anderson, spokesperson for the Indiana Democratic Party, called the lawsuit “a public civil war” at the expense of Indiana taxpayers.
Anderson said in a statement, “HB 1123 was forced through the Indiana General Assembly by the Republican supermajority with an extremely partisan agenda that serves no one – except themselves.”
All in all, it’s difficult to say when the constitutional dispute will be resolved. According to legal documents, Holcomb says the conflict “must be resolved as soon as possible or the consequences could be severe.” However, due to Rokita’s motion to end the lawsuit and his denial of Holcomb’s use of private lawyers, the issue may not be settled by the governor’s lawsuit.
However, another suit filed by John Whitaker, a retired attorney and former special counsel to Republican Gov. Robert Orr, may pave a less complicated path for the constitutional conundrum to unfold.
Monroe County Solid Waste & CAC Joint Meeting
The Monroe County Solid Waste Board of Directors held a joint meeting with the Citizens Advisory Committee to discuss Monroe County’s Solid Waste Management Plan. At the April 29th meeting, Commissioner Joseph Wynia presented a goal to add more unstaffed recycling and composting sites. Board member Tom McGlasson said that composting drop-off bins have been successful, but unstaffed recycling sites have not.
McGlasson said the composting bins work in part because they belong to a subscription service. He said people who pay to use the EarthKeeper bins do so because they want to compost. EarthKeepers C-O-O Ryan Conway added that their network is only four sites away from being the largest in the country. The next Solid Waste District Board of Directors meeting is May 13th.
Bloomington Public Zoning Debate Set to Resume Tuesday
After hearing comments from community members on proposed changes to local zoning ordinance, Bloomington City Council closed its meeting last Wednesday with a motion to continue the debate in a special session this Tuesday at 6:30.
In order to achieve long term goals of affordable housing and sustainable development in the city, Bloomington’s planning department recently changed the zoning map to expand the areas in which duplex, triplexes, and fourplexes can be built.
Representing Bloomington’s planning department, Development Services Manager Jackie Scanlan explained the reasoning behind these new updates.
The new zoning changes have caused a significant divide among members of the Bloomington community and a handful of town citizens were able share their opinions on the matter in the city council’s open discussion. Proposed at the meeting was an amendment to local zoning ordinance that essentially reverses the proposed changes.
Council member Rollo presented the proposed amendment and voiced his opposition to the zoning changes.
After hearing an explanation of the current zoning ordinance as it exists today and first proposed amendment, the floor opened to comment from local community members. Although there was little common ground reached in this debate, Bloomington citizens voiced a wide range of opinions on the amendment.
Speaking in opposition to the proposed amendment, one community member spoke out about the need for affordable housing solutions in the city.
Others spoke out in favor of the amendment, voicing their support for the proposal.
The city council, prioritizing community input and participation in the amendment process, have actively encouraged this discussion. Resuming Tuesday, the city council will hear the remaining comments on amendment 1 before making any official decision.
Due to the volume of public comment on amendment 1, city council called an upcoming special session in order to accommodate the remaining speakers and to continue discussion. For Bloomington community members looking to stay updated on the issue or add their own input, Tuesday’s city council meeting is open to the public through Zoom at 6:30 p.m.
Feature Reports:
Now it’s time for Few Minutes with the Mayor – a weekly segment where Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton answers questions on community issues. In today’s segment, WFHB Assistant News Director Jake Jacobson poses questions to Mayor Hamilton on how the city plans to spend American Rescue Plan funds and how the city plans to annex 10,000 acres of Monroe County land. All that and more in today’s edition of A Few Minutes with the Mayor.
Credits:
You’ve been listening to the WFHB Local News.
Today’s headlines were written by Katherine Patterson, Max Campbell, Kade Young and Jake Jacobson, in partnership with Cats – Community Access Television Services.
Our feature was produced by Jake Jacobson.
Our theme music is provided by Mark Bingham and the Social Climbers.
Engineer and Executive producer is Kade Young.
Anchors are Don Geyra and Alex Dederer.
