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This is the WFHB Local News for Thursday, June 27th, 2024.
Later in the program, thousands have seen their power restored in the past day after a supercell storm hit large portions of the state on Tuesday. More in today’s headlines.
Also coming up in the next half hour, WFHB Correspondent Audrey Ouillette speaks with Peter Oren, a local musician who released an EP titled Cloud Song earlier this month.
But first, your local headlines:
Power Restored to Thousands of Residents After Supercell Caused Outages
Thousands have seen their power restored in the past day, according to Duke Energy. This comes after a supercell storm hit large portions of Indiana on Tuesday leaving more than 100,000 people without power across the state.
Monroe County was considered “ground zero” for the storm which led to downed power lines and trees, wind damage, public structure damage as well as life safety issues. Wind gusts were reported to range from 65 to 75 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service.
Duke Energy put out a press release earlier this afternoon estimating the majority of power would be restored in Bloomington by midnight.
Stan Pinegar, president of Duke Energy Indiana, said in a statement, “We’ve made a lot of progress, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us and appreciate our customers’ patience as we work to safely restore power as quickly as possible. We have a workforce of 1,170 in the field responding today, including assistance from Ohio and Kentucky. Support from our city and county officials and local emergency responders has been critical in this storm response.”
Local residents expressed frustration in the delays for power restoration. One Reddit user in Bloomington posted that in their view Duke Energy needs to be better regulated. The post said, “I realize that weather like yesterday is beyond the control of anyone, but how is this utility company never prepared to address outages quickly? They want to dramatically raise rates in the area but they can’t even be bothered to manage their grid.”
In an interview with WFHB News, Angela Protogere, spokesperson for Duke Energy Indiana, thanked customers for their patience and assured work is underway and progress is being made.
Meanwhile, Monroe County Emergency Management advised residents that local landfills are not accepting deliveries of any trash currently due to lack of power. They stated residents should avoid traveling on High Street until Friday.
The county’s emergency management agency provided a list of cooling stations to temporarily support those impacted by the storm. A full list of cooling stations can be found below.
Hoosier Hills Food Bank will also provide free emergency food distribution from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday at 2333 West Industrial Park Drive.
Ellettsville Town Council Hears Ordinance To Establish Redevelopment Commission
During its June 24th meeting, the Ellettsville Town Council heard a first reading of an ordinance to establish a redevelopment commission. Town Attorney Darla Brown commented on the policy.
Councilwoman Pamela Samples asked about the logistics of the commission. Brown responded that the legislation would establish a redevelopment department with a 5-member commission overseeing it.
Then, Councilman Trevor Sager questioned whether the legislation would need language regarding the makeup of the board. Brown said that similar boards and commissions in other communities were not that detailed.
Councilman William Ellis inquired whether the passage of the ordinance would prevent the council from passing another ordinance establishing the makeup of the commission. Brown responded.
Council Vice President Dan Swafford asked about the nature of the separate legislation the council would need to pass in order to determine how appointments to the redevelopment commission would be made. Brown said it could be a separate ordinance or in the “rules and procedures” section of this ordinance.
The council will determine its best course of action at a future meeting when it conducts a second reading of the ordinance. The Ellettsville Town Council will meet again on July 8th.
Richland Bean Blossom School Board Looks Ahead to Next School Year
The Richland Bean Blossom School Board met on June 17th. During the meeting, Assistant Superintendent Matt Irwin delivered his regular report.
Irwin then elaborated on the school corporation’s operating fund and other happenings in the school district before the start of next school year.
The next meeting of the Richland Bean Blossom School Board will take place at 6 p.m. on July 15th.
Feature Report:
In today’s feature report, WFHB Correspondent Audrey Ouillette speaks with Peter Oren, a local musician who released an EP titled Cloud Song earlier this month. Oren touches on the inspiration behind the EP, the socially, politically, and environmentally-conscious themes in the project and more. We now turn to Part One of that interview on the WFHB Local News.
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 Audrey Ouillette.
Our theme music is provided by Mark Bingham and the Social Climbers.
Engineer and Executive producer is Kade Young.
