This is the WFHB Local News for Tuesday, October 6th, 2020.

Later in the program, Indiana begins early voting today. WFHB Correspondent Aaron Comforty talks to voters who are getting ready to cast their ballots before election day.

Also coming up in the next half hour, Artbeat – a weekly program, interviewing artists, activists and educators about their work. Today, Dr. Filiz Cicek talks to Dena El Saffar about the Violin Against Violence vigil held every Wednesday at the Monroe County Courthouse.

Local News Brief:

990 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Indiana on Monday, according to the Indiana State Department of Health. There were 30 newly reported deaths.

Locally, Monroe County saw 24 new confirmed cases yesterday. Keep in mind, Indiana University releases its COVID test results every Wednesday. Lawrence County reported 5 new cases, while Brown County reported one case.

***

The City of Bloomington will be hosting its third public meeting discussing the redevelopment of the old IU Health hospital site tonight.

The City bought the 24-acre site in 2018, while construction of the new IU Health campus was beginning on State Road 46. Attendees will be able to participate in discussions on three topics about the refined plan.

Access plus Connections, Open Space, and Land Use plus Neighborhood Character. Tonight’s meeting will serve as another opportunity for community feedback.

Another public meeting is planned for December, where a finalized plan will be presented. The forum will be live-streamed starting at 6 PM on the City of Bloomington’s facebook page, and on catstv.net.

***

Early voting has begun in Indiana. The deadline to register for voting has passed, but Hoosiers can still request a mail-in ballot until October 22nd.

Bloomington residents can find more information on absentee voting and early voting locations and times at monroecounttyvoters.us.

Brown County residents can find voting resources online at browncountylibrary.info/voting-resources.

Lawrence County residents can find this information at lawrencecounty.in.gov/government/voter-registration.

Indiana Hotels Face Permanent Closure Due to Pandemic

A national hotel lobbying group said two-thirds of Indiana’s hotels could face permanent closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The American Hotel and Lodging Association released a state-by-state breakdown of estimated hotel closures and job loss if Congress fails to pass another stimulus bill. It estimated that almost 700 of Indiana’s 1,042 hotels could permanently close.

Chip Rogers, president and CEO of AHLA, said, “It’s time to put politics aside and prioritize American workers in the hardest hit industries.”

In a webinar on recovery for the hotel industry, Rogers said hotels struggled since the beginning of the pandemic.

“Unfortunately, we were the first hit, the worst hit and we’ll be the last to recover,” he said.

According to the breakdown by AHLA, Indiana started off with almost 30,000 jobs before the pandemic. In the month of September alone, the state lost 9,517 jobs.

Rogers said the industry needs to unite and urge Congress to pass another Covid-19 stimulus bill.

AHLA generated over 143,000 letters to Congress. Rogers said this is the most effective strategy to reach Congressional leaders.

“When we as an industry are able to speak with one united voice,” he said, “our message stands a much, much better chance of being recognized and, perhaps, implemented by policymakers.”

According to NPR, the hospitality industry may not return to pre-pandemic strength until 2023.

Bloomington Hospital Redevelopment Forum

The City of Bloomington will hold the third public forum of the master planning process for the redevelopment of the current Indiana University Health Bloomington Hospital site, according to a city press release. The virtual forum will be held today, on Zoom.

The city purchased the 24 acre land from IU health 2018 to pursue new development in support of, “affordable housing, sustainable development, equity and inclusion.” Bloomington Deputy Mayor Mick Renneisen said public engagement has been welcomed throughout the development process.

“Well we’ve had a great amount of public input in our first two forums,” said Renneisen.

In tonight’s meeting, Master Plan Consultants will present a refined site plan from input at the previous two forums and multiple surveys. Renneisen said the interactive plans should create a public realm in which the community wants to interact with. He mentioned the current site footprint would support greenspace, commercial, and living area.

“It’s really a site we think that can support some commercial and retail,” he said, “and both multifamily and single-family housing.”

Renneisen said meeting information and the link to join the forum can be found online. He suggested pre registration for the meeting to gain early access to documents, however attendees can join the meeting at any time.

“This information is intense,” said Renneisen, “it can be a bit overwhelming when you’re participating on Zoom and looking at in realtime.”

To view these documents and register in advance, visit Bloomingtonhospitalsite.com. The meeting will begin tonight at 6pm.

City of Bloomington – Redevelopment Commission 

The Bloomington Redevelopment Commission discussed a change order for the construction of Winslow – Henderson Road Improvements. Project Manager Matt Smethurst said additional work caused the project to go over budget. He spoke during their October 5th meeting.

Smethurst said additional work included sidewalk replacement, curb installation, additional retaining wall, and eight pedestrian push buttons at the intersection. He mentioned utility obstruction prevented the originally planned construction of stairs.

Commissioner Don Griffin expressed disappointment in the project exceeding the budgeted amount. City Controller Jeff Underwood said allowances are approved in advance to pay for any project overrun. Commissioners unanimously approved the change order.

Feature Reports:

WFHB Correspondent Jasmine White reports on Indiana University’s decision to rename campus buildings that honored former IU President David Starr Jordan. We turn to Jasmine White for more.

Today marks the first day for early voting for Hoosiers. WFHB Correspondent Aaron Comforty talked to voters who are ready to cast their ballots before Election Day.

Artbeat – your weekly segment highlighting local artists and their work. Today, Dr. Filiz Cicek talked to Bloomington artist Dena El Saffar about the Violin Against Violence vigil.

Credits:
You’ve been listening to the WFHB Local News,
Today’s headlines were written by Jake Jacobson, Aaron Comforty, Jasmine White, Kade Young and Sydney Foreman, in partnership with Cats – Community Access Television Services.
Our feature was produced by Filiz Cicek.
Our theme music is provided by Mark Bingham and the Social Climbers.
Engineer and Executive Producer is Kade Young.