WFHB Local News WFHB Local News

This is the WFHB Local News for Wednesday, May 29th, 2024.

Later in the program, WFHB News continues its coverage of the rollback of protections for Indiana wetlands on the latest episode of Deep Dive: WFHB and Limestone Post Investigate. More in today’s feature report.



Also coming up in the next half hour, “Your Pal May Not Be Your Friend” on Better Beware - your weekly consumer-watchdog segment on WFHB. More following today’s feature.

But first, your local headlines:

Bloomington Board of Public Works





At the Bloomington Board of Public Works meeting on May 21st, the board approved a resolution to purchase a right of way for the High Street Intersection Modernizations and Multi-use Path Project.



Engineering Senior Project Engineer Neil Kopper presented on the right of way resolution.



Kopper explained the public right of way acquisition that will be necessary to complete the project.



Board Member James Roach asked how the project will affect the historic cemetery. Kopper responded.



Kopper said that there are some homeowners who feel like the right of way is taking up a large portion of their yard.



The board unanimously approved the request for the right of way purchase for the High Street Intersection Modernizations and Multi-use Path Project.



The Bloomington Board of Public Works will meet again on June 4th.

Monroe County Community School Corporation





Photo courtesy of the Indiana Daily Student.



The Monroe County Community School Corporation Board of Trustees had a meeting on May 21st. M-C-C-S-C Foundation Executive Director Cyrilla Helm provided a quarterly report on the activities of the foundation.



During public comment, Monroe County Education Association President Paul Farmer announced that he’s stepping down from his role of the head of the county’s teachers’ union.



Next, Assistant Superintendent of Professional Learning and Certified Human Resources Dr. Erin Stalbaum gave a report on M-C-C-S-C personnel. Dr. Stalbaum announced faculty who recently retired from the school corporation.



The school board approved the personnel report by a unanimous vote. The M-C-C-S-C Board of Trustees will meet again on June 25th.

Feature Report:





This is Deep Dive: WFHB and Limestone Post Investigate where we look into issues regarding Health, Housing, and the Environment that directly impact residents of Monroe County. We look into Indiana’s wetlands, and the wetlands we have right here in Monroe County. Our deep dive is prompted by the legislation Indiana has passed to decrease the protection of wetlands, and environmental concerns that have arisen as a result.



WFHB News: Wetlands Part II



Limestone Post's "What’s at Stake in the Debate Over Indiana’s Wetlands?" written and photographed by Anne Kibbler.







Up next, “Your Pal May Not Be Your Friend” on Better Beware - your weekly consumer-watchdog segment on WFHB. We turn to host and producer Richard Fish 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

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.

This is the WFHB Local News for Tuesday, May 28th, 2024.

In today’s feature report, WFHB Correspondent Annika Harshbarger filed a report on the arrests made during the Dunn Meadow protests. More in today’s feature report.



Also coming up in the next half hour, local journalist Dave Askins of the B-Square Bulletin provides an editorial on procedural reforms in local city government.

But first, your local headlines:

Monroe County Board of Commissioners





Photo by Benedict Jones.



At the Monroe County Board of Commissioners meeting on May 22nd, Health Administrator Lori Kelley gave an update on Covid-19 in the county.



Fleet and Building Manager for the County Richard Crider asked the commissioners to approve an agreement with Bounds Flooring, Inc. for improvements to the Monroe Convention Center.



The commissioners approved the agreement by a 3-0 vote. Furthermore, the board approved other Convention Center improvements, including the replacement of light fixtures and wallpaper in the Hanson & Zebendon Room.



Then, the Commissioners heard an ordinance to temporarily add “No Thru Trucks” locations from June to August throughout the duration of construction on State Road 45. Highway Department Director Lisa Ridge walked through the ordinance.



The Commissioners approved the ordinance unanimously. The Monroe County Board of Commissioners will meet again on May 29th.

Feature Reports:





In today’s feature report, WFHB Correspondent Annika Harshbarger filed a report on the arrests made during the Dunn Meadow protests. We turn to Harshbarger for Part I of this two-part series. Stay tuned for next Tuesday to hear Part II of the report.







Now it’s time for Lil Bub’s Lil Show – a co-production between Lil Bub’s Big Fund and WFHB. We now turn to Lil Bub’s Lil Show on the WFHB Local News.  







Up next, local journalist Dave Askins of the B-Square Bulletin provides an editorial on procedural reforms in local city government. We turn to Dave Askins for more.

Credits:

You’ve been listening to the WFHB Local News,

Today’s headlines were written by Noelle Herhusky-Schneider, in partnership with Cats - Community Access Television Services.

Our features were produced by Annika Harshbarger, Karl Templeton and Dave Askins.

Lil Bub’s Lil Show is produced by Christine Brackenhoff and Stacy Bridavsky.

Our theme music is provided by Mark Bingham and the Social Climbers.

Engineer and Executive producer is Kade Young.

Hello and welcome to Eco Report.

Later in the program, Environmental Correspondent Zyro Roze speaks with Michelle Higgs about how her time as a Community Organizer with Hoosier Action prepared her for her run for Indiana House District 60, which includes parts of Monroe County.







The New York Times reports that global warming creates conditions more favorable to severe storms. As the planet warms, severe storms of all kinds are likely to deliver even bigger payloads of rain. The reason: Warmer air holds more moisture, which effectively increases a storm’s capacity to carry precipitation.



Because the air can hold more moisture, that also means there is more water vapor in the sky that can condense into liquid, forming clouds. The heat energy released into the atmosphere by this condensation is what feeds thunderstorms. In short, more condensation, stronger storms.



Scientists are still trying to understand how this is playing out. Just because the ingredients are in place for a powerful storm doesn’t mean a powerful storm always materializes. Plenty of other factors shape when and whether storms form, and how destructive they become, which means it’s not straightforward to determine how global warming might be affecting overall storm trends.



Theoretically we understand very well what’s happening, said Andreas F. Prein, a climate scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo. But how this then translates into severe convective storms, and what we saw recently, is a little bit more questionable. Thunderstorms can also produce strong winds that fan out in straight lines rather than

twisters. In a study published last year, Dr. Prein estimated that much larger areas of the central United States were now experiencing these straight-line gusts compared with the early 1980s. Thunderstorm damage is already causing big losses to home insurers.



The market for homeowners insurance has been in turmoil in the United States, and not just because of hurricanes and wildfires. As a New York Times investigation documented this week, severe storms are also causing insurers to lose money on homeowner coverage. These losses are affecting insurers in places like Iowa, Arkansas and Ohio, far from the coastal areas that are most battered by hurricanes.



 



The New York Times chronicles changes occurring in the insurance industry. The insurance turmoil caused by climate change — which has been concentrated in Florida, California and Louisiana — is fast becoming a contagion, spreading to states like Iowa, Arkansas, Ohio, Utah and Washington. Even in the Northeast, where homeowners insurance was still generally profitable last year, the trends are worsening.



In 2023, insurers lost money on homeowners coverage in 18 states, more than a third of the country, according to a New York Times analysis of newly available financial data. That’s up from 12 states five years ago, and eight states in 2013. The result is that insurance companies are raising premiums by as much as 50 percent or more, cutting back on coverage or leaving entire states altogether. Nationally, over the last decade, insurers paid out more in claims than they received in premiums, according to the ratings firm Moody’s, and those losses are increasing.



The growing tumult is affecting people whose homes have never been damaged and who have dutifully paid their premiums, year after year. Cancellation notices have left them scrambling to find coverage to protect what is often their single biggest investment. As a last resort, many are ending up in high-risk insurance pools created by states that are backed by the public and offer less coverage than standard policies. By and large, state regulators lack strategies to restore stability to the market. I believe we’re marching toward an uninsurable future...

This is the WFHB Local News for Thursday, May 23rd, 2024.







In today’s feature report, Civic Conversations welcomed Dr. Marjorie Hershey, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Indiana University, about the impact of disinformation on elections and how it influences election politics. More in the bottom half of our program.







Also coming up in the next half hour, Paula Waterman, from Brown County Schools Food Services Department, discusses the school corporation’s first ever summer food program.







That’s coming up next in your daily headlines:















Brown County Schools are launching their first-ever summer food program, and the response has escalated quickly.







That's Paula Waterman, from Brown County Schools Food Services Department. Funding from the US Department of Agriculture has allowed this small rural school system to put together summer meal kits intended to cover nutrition needs that would be met in school cafeterias during the school year. The weekly kits include five days of a full breakfast and five days of a full lunch. Pickups are every Tuesday from 4:30pm to 6:30pm at the Brown County High School and Sprunica Elementary, starting June Fourth.







The scale of the interest from the community has created a new problem for Waterman - a need for volunteers to help at the distribution sites.







To sign up for the free meals OR to help distribute them, the phone number is 988-5423. That's Brown County Schools Food Services Department, 812-988-5423.







Feature Report:















In today’s feature report, Civic Conversations welcomed Dr. Marjorie Hershey, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Indiana University, this month. In the podcast, she discusses the impact of disinformation on elections and how it influences election politics. Hershey shares that the definition of disinformation, purposeful misinformation designed to influence elections, has grown in recent years and that election campaigns that use disinformation hope that with enough repetitiveness of the information, people will begin to believe disinformation over the truth. We turn now to Civic Conversations – a partnership between WFHB and The League of Women Voters of Bloomington and Monroe County.







Credits:You’ve been listening to the WFHB Local News,Today’s headlines were written by Chad Carrothers.Our feature was produced by Becky Hill.Our theme music is provided by Mark Bingham and the Social Climbers.Engineer and Executive producer is Kade Young.

This is the WFHB Local News for Wednesday, May 22nd, 2024.

Later in the program, Deep Dive: WFHB and Limestone Post Investigate where we look into issues regarding Health, Housing, and the Environment that directly impact residents of Monroe County. More in today’s feature report.



Also coming up in the next half hour, “A Couple of Nasty Ones” on Better Beware - your weekly consumer-watchdog segment on WFHB. More following today’s feature.

But first, your local headlines:

Monroe County Public Library Board of Trustees





Upon entering the library, you can see the words, "read, learn, connect and create" (Young).



At the Monroe County Public Library Board of Trustees meeting on May 15th, Library Director Grier Carson gave an update on the Southwest Branch closure and ongoing repairs.



Director of Finance Gary Lettelleir spoke to the board and asked them to approve a transfer from the Library Improvement Reserve Fund, also called the LIRF fund.



The board approved the transfer to the LIRF fund unanimously.



Next, the Board discussed a policy proposal for paid parental leave. Director of Human Resources Becky Throckmorton, spoke to the board about the policy.



Board Member Amy O'Shaughnessy asked about foster care, and if it would be included in the policy. Throckmorton responded.



The council unanimously approved the policy.



The next Monroe County Public Library Board of Trustees meeting will be held on June 26th, and will be held at the Ellettsville branch instead of their regular meeting location at the downtown library.

Feature Report:





This is Deep Dive: WFHB and Limestone Post Investigate where we look into issues regarding Health, Housing, and the Environment that directly impact residents of Monroe County. We look into Indiana’s wetlands, and the wetlands we have right here in Monroe County. Our deep dive is prompted by the legislation Indiana has passed to decrease the protection of wetlands, and environmental concerns that have arisen as a result.







Up next, “A Couple of Nasty Ones” on Better Beware - your weekly consumer-watchdog segment on WFHB. We turn to host and producer Richard Fish for more.

Credits:

You’ve been listening to the WFHB Local News,

Today’s headlines were written by Noelle Herhusky-Schneider, in partnership with Cats - Community Access Television Services.

Our feature was produced by Noelle Herhusky-Schneider, Madison Stratton and Kade Young.

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.

This is the WFHB Local News for Monday, May 20th, 2024.

In today’s feature report, WFHB Correspondent Annika Harshbarger covers New Horizons, an adult beginner orchestra based here in Bloomington. More in today’s feature report.



That's Maryann Iaria from Monroe County Civic Theater, our community's only all-volunteer nonprofit theater group. They're about to launch their annual Shakespeare in the Park and you'll get the details later in the show on a new episode of Activate!, featuring real people working for positive change in our community.

But first, your daily headlines:

Bloomington City Council





On May 15th at the Bloomington City Council meeting, City Clerk Nicole Brown read the title and synopsis of an ordinance that would rezone nearly 140 acres of land off South Weimer Road.



Development Services Manager for the City Jackie Scanlan walked through a basic overview of the property which would bring over 4,000 housing units to the southwest part of the city.



Angela Parker, an attorney representing the petitioner Sudbury Partners, LLC, said discussions have advanced since the council last met to deliberate on the project earlier this month.



Then, the council deliberated on nine “reasonable conditions” on the ordinance. Among these conditions were: restrictions on building height, affordable housing requirements, and an enablement of home ownership in each neighborhood, among others.



Council Member Dave Rollo took issue with a handful of conditions. He made a motion to postpone the ordinance until the council’s next regular session in early June. He explained his reasoning for the motion to postpone.



Council Parliamentarian Hopi Stosberg argued against the postponement of the ordinance saying this is the third time the council met to discuss this development, and she doesn’t want to further delay the process.



Council Member Matt Flaherty shared that he’s sympathetic to Rollo’s point-of-view, but he would not favor postponing the ordinance.



The motion failed by a 2-7 vote. During public comment on the ordinance as a whole, local resident Paully Taricone spoke about the difficulty of finding affordable housing in Bloomington and what he sees as the importance of housing density in the community.



Council Member Andy Ruff said he believes the reasonable conditions improved the ordinance. He quoted the comprehensive plan on the subjects of “growth” and “development.”



The council voted 7-2 in favor of the ordinance, with Council Members Andy Ruff and Dave Rollo dissenting. The Bloomington City Council will meet again on June 5th.

Feature Report:





In today’s feature report, WFHB Correspondent Annika Harshbarger covers New Horizons, an adult beginner orchestra based here in Bloomington. For more, we turn to Annika Harshbarger.







You know summer is really here when the Monroe County Civic Theater does Shakespeare in the park. Our community's only all-volunteer nonprofit theater group has been doing it for thirty-five years, and next week this year's production goes back to basics with "The Comedy of Errors," one of Shakespeare's first plays. Maryann Iaria is super excited about this and you can hear it in her voice on a new episode of Activate!, coming your way right now 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 Annika Harshbarger.

Activate is produced by Chad Carrothers and Michelle Moss.

Our theme music is provided by Mark Bingham and the Social Climbers.

Engineer and Executive producer is Kade Young.