http://www.wfhb.org/news/dln en no http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-february-8-2012 <p>The Bloomington Parks and Recreation office will begin renting Community garden plots on February 20th;The Monroe County Commissioners recently met for an Annual Meeting of the Monroe County board of Finance; The Monroe county election board would like to remind those considering running for public office that the deadline for registering for the May 8th primary is this Friday, February 10th at noon; The Monroe County Board of Commissioners has announced that it will delay action on the amended version of the Monroe County Comprehensive Plan; As part of a promotion labeled “My Furry Valentine,” the City is offering dog, cat and rabbit adoptions for $40</p> <p><a href="http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-february-8-2012">read more</a></p> http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-february-8-2012#comments News 30:00 WFHB The Bloomington Parks and Recreation office will begin renting Community garden plots on February 20th;The Monroe County Commissioners recently met for an Annual Meeting of the Monroe County board of Finance; The Monroe county election board would like to remind those considering running for public office that the deadline for registering for the May 8th primary is this Friday, February 10th at noon; The Monroe County Board of Commissioners has announced that it will delay action on the amended version of the Monroe County Comprehensive Plan; As part of a promotion labeled “My Furry Valentine,” the City is offering dog, cat and rabbit adoptions for $40 <!--break--> FEATURE BATH SALT BILL PROGRESSES When the Indiana legislature resumes session tomorrow, one of the bills to be considered will be an amendment to the state’s drug law aimed at outlawing synthetic drugs known as bath salts. Although the drugs, which bear no chemical resemblance to traditional bath salts, were banned by the state legislature last year, new forms have since hit the market that skirt around the state ban. As the drugs have become more popular in recent years, several states across the country have responded with similar bans. During the past year in Indiana, about one person per day has been hospitalized due to effects of the drugs, according to stats provided by Brent Furbee, Medical Director at the Indiana Poison Center. In today’s WFHB feature exclusive, correspondent Joe Crawford speaks first with Furbee, and then with State Sen. Jim Merritt, who introduced a bill to outlaw the new drugs. BLOOMINGTON BEWARE Our weekly consumer watch dog segment CREDITS Anchors: Cathi Norton, Kelly Wherley Today's headlines were written by Joe Crawford and Wes Martin Along with help from Ryan Dawes for CATSweek, in partnership with Community Access Television Services Our engineer is Jim Lang. Bloomington Beware is produced by Richard Fish, and Chad Carothers Our theme music is provided by the Impossible Shapes. Executive Producer is Alycin bektesh February 8, 2012 clean Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:22:08 -0800 WFHB News 32088 at http://www.wfhb.org http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-february-7-2012 <p>A Marion County Judge has ordered the return of monetary fines levied on Democratic state legislators during their absences last year over the right-to-work debate and blocked further such fines during the more recent phase of the struggle; Updates from the half-time recess of the Indiana General Assembly; Local activist Randy Paul has just announced his intention to run for Monroe County Commissioner for District 2; IU Dance Marathon, which is the second largest student philanthropy organization in the nation, requested the closure of Kirkwood, between Dunn and Indiana, on April 14th; Accord</p> <p><a href="http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-february-7-2012">read more</a></p> http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-february-7-2012#comments News 31:43 WFHB A Marion County Judge has ordered the return of monetary fines levied on Democratic state legislators during their absences last year over the right-to-work debate and blocked further such fines during the more recent phase of the struggle; Updates from the half-time recess of the Indiana General Assembly; Local activist Randy Paul has just announced his intention to run for Monroe County Commissioner for District 2; IU Dance Marathon, which is the second largest student philanthropy organization in the nation, requested the closure of Kirkwood, between Dunn and Indiana, on April 14th; According to the Global Health Institute at Ball State University, one in three Hoosiers can be classified as being overweight or obese. FEATURE The Switchyard Switch Bloomington's Parks System is about get much larger. After purchasing a brown-fields area on Bloomington's near-south side, the City of Bloomington Parks and Rec department is now seeking public input on how to convert this space into the City's largest urban park. The park will be over a mile long and will be located on what was formerly used by CSX as a switchyard. In today's feature, courtesy of Interchange, correspondent Ryan Dawes speaks with Parks and Rec. director Mick Renneissen and Parks Operations Manager Dave Williams about the future of this park and how local residents can get involved with its design. INS AND OUTS OF MONEY The Ins and Outs of Money, a weekly segment providing economic education to keep your budget balanced, and connecting you to community resources that help you keep your finances functioning. CREDITS Anchors: Joy Laughter, Bill Daugherty Today’s headlines were written by David Murphy and Ben Betsworth, along with help from Ryan Dawes for CATSweek, in partnership with Community Access Televsion Services Ins and Outs of Money is produced by Jason Evans Groth Our Engineer is Cara Weaver And the executive producer is Alycin Bektesh February 7, 2012 clean Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:42:41 -0800 WFHB News 32063 at http://www.wfhb.org http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-february-6-2012 <p>Mike Pence delivered petitions for his gubernatorial candidacy; The City has scheduled a public awareness meeting for February 20th to inform locals of upcoming infrastructure projects; Indiana became the first state to launch a high-speed 100 gigabits-per-second network dedicated to research and education; A new study shows the Affordable Care Act is saving Hoosiers money.</p> <p><a href="http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-february-6-2012">read more</a></p> http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-february-6-2012#comments News 24:47 WFHB Mike Pence delivered petitions for his gubernatorial candidacy; The City has scheduled a public awareness meeting for February 20th to inform locals of upcoming infrastructure projects; Indiana became the first state to launch a high-speed 100 gigabits-per-second network dedicated to research and education; A new study shows the Affordable Care Act is saving Hoosiers money. FEATURE So Long Charlie The man responsible for elections in Indiana has been convicted of vote fraud and removed from office due to this criminal conviction. On Saturday, Charlie White was convicted of six class D felonies: three counts of voter fraud, two counts of perjury and one count of theft. He could face six months to three years in prison on each of the counts. White was acquitted of the most serious charge, fraud on a financial institution, a class C felony. The charges stemmed from White’s, as it turns out, fraudulent residence claim on his voter registration during his campaigning for secretary of state in late 2009 and 2010. He used his ex-wife's address on the east side of Fishers. He apparently did this, in part, to be able to legally retain his seat on and salary from Fishers Town Council. At the time, he actually lived in a townhouse outside of the district boundary. Soon afterward, Governor Daniels announced that he had appointed Jerry Bonnet, White’s chief deputy, as interim secretary of state. Daniels was given this authority when the state election board, composed of two Republicans and two Democrats, failed to get a majority vote to remove White from office and replace him with the runner-up, Democrat Vop Osili. Daniels stated that he didn’t make a permanent appointment in case White’s conviction is reduced to a misdemeanor, in which case Daniels would re-instate him to his position. White announced that he plans to ask a judge to reduce his convictions to misdemeanors at his sentencing hearing, the date of which has not been announced. Correspondent David Murphy spoke with Indiana Senate Minority Leader Vi Simpson today regarding White’s conviction, she begins by expressing disappointment in his criminal actions, in this WFHB feature exclusive. ACTIVATE! Anthony Scarpaci from the IU Auditorium community engagement committee joins us on Activate! Our weekly segment spotlighting people working for positive change in our community. CREDITS Anchors: Cathi Norton, Ryan Dawes Today’s headlines were written by David Murphy, Wes Martin, and Blake Lowe Our engineer is Andy Shaw Activate! is produced by Ryan Dawes Executive Producer is Alycin Bektesh February 6, 2012 clean Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:28:17 -0800 WFHB News 32037 at http://www.wfhb.org http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-february-3-2012 <p>The Indiana State AFL-CIO has issued a statement to debunk rumors that they will be protesting the Right-To-Work Bill during this weekend’s Super Bowl game in Indianapolis; The deadline is approaching for candidates filing to run for public office; In a reversal of its decision earlier this week, The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation has said today that it will continue to award grants to Planned Parenthood; United Way of Monroe County will be offering free federal and Indiana income tax preparation; Garland C. Elmore, associate vice president of information technology and associate professor of informatics at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, has been awarded the President’s Medal for Excellence by Indiana University President Michael A. McRobbie.</p> <p><a href="http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-february-3-2012">read more</a></p> http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-february-3-2012#comments News 28:05 WFHB The Indiana State AFL-CIO has issued a statement to debunk rumors that they will be protesting the Right-To-Work Bill during this weekend’s Super Bowl game in Indianapolis; The deadline is approaching for candidates filing to run for public office; In a reversal of its decision earlier this week, The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation has said today that it will continue to award grants to Planned Parenthood;United Way of Monroe County will be offering free federal and Indiana income tax preparation; Garland C. Elmore, associate vice president of information technology and associate professor of informatics at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, has been awarded the President’s Medal for Excellence by Indiana University President Michael A. McRobbie . Feature Meet Jonathan George Indiana's 9th district congressional race is already heating up, with at least 3 area residents filing to run for the Democratic nomination to face off against Republican Todd Young: Robert Winningham from Charlestown, Retired Army Reserve Col. John W. Tilford from Bloomington, and retired Air Force General Jonathan George. In today's feature, we'll hear from George who joined correspondent Ryan Dawes in the firehouse studios last night for an exclusive interview. VOLUNTEER CONNECTION Local organizations scout the listening area for service help on Volunteer Connection, linking YOU to current volunteer opportunities in our community. CREDITS Anchors: Helen Harrell, Roscoe Medlock Today’s headlines were written by Wes Martin, Cleveland Dietz, Melissa Ulrey and Caitlin O’Hara Volunteer Connection is produced by Mary Huelsbeck In partnership with the city of Bloomington Volunteer Network. Today’s newscast was produced by Ryan Dawes, and Zollie Barnes Our theme music is provided by the Impossible Shapes Executive producer is Alycin Bektesh February 3, 2012 clean Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:31:17 -0800 WFHB News 31981 at http://www.wfhb.org http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-february-2-2012 <p>College Goal Sunday is a program created to assist college-bound students and their families complete their FAFSA forms; New rules for management of U-S National Forest lands will take effect this March; Tomorrow, at 7:30am at the Village Deli, the Democratic Women's Caucus is hosting a breakfast with vice chairwoman of the Indiana Democratic Party, Cordelia Lewis-Burks; Marcia McNutt, director of the U-S Geological Survey, will speak about fossil fuel resources, earthquakes, and community resiliency this week at Indiana University.</p> <p><a href="http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-february-2-2012">read more</a></p> http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-february-2-2012#comments News 23:35 WFHB College Goal Sunday is a program created to assist college-bound students and their families complete their FAFSA forms; New rules for management of U-S National Forest lands will take effect this March; Tomorrow, at 7:30am at the Village Deli, the Democratic Women's Caucus is hosting a breakfast with vice chairwoman of the Indiana Democratic Party, Cordelia Lewis-Burks; Marcia McNutt, director of the U-S Geological Survey, will speak about fossil fuel resources, earthquakes, and community resiliency this week at Indiana University. FEATURE Land Use Plan Complete Correspondent Wes Martin speaks with Larry Wilson, Director of the Monroe County Planning Department, about the new completed land use plan for the County, in this WFHB feature exclusive. VOICES IN THE STREET Our weekly public opinion feature Voices in the Street brings highlights from Martin Luther King Day CREDITS Today’s headlines were written by Wes Martin, Jackson Caldwell, Dan Young, and Rachel Cerrone Voices in the Street was produced by Kelly Wherley and Chad Carrothers Our engineer is Ryan Dawes. Today’s newscast was produced by Alycin Bektesh February 2, 2012 clean Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:03:22 -0800 WFHB News 31959 at http://www.wfhb.org http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-february-1-2012 <p>Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels signed the long-debated, so-called Right to Work bill into law today, just hours after the state Senate passed the bill by a vote of 28 to 22; According to reports conducted by the Economic Policy Institute imported Chinese auto parts put Indiana at risk of losing 132,000 jobs; Indiana residents who want to avoid unwanted calls and text messages from telemarketers are being advised to sign up for the state’s Do Not Call list by Valentine’s Day.</p> <p><a href="http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-february-1-2012">read more</a></p> http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-february-1-2012#comments News 28:21 WFHB Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels signed the long-debated, so-called Right to Work bill into law today, just hours after the state Senate passed the bill by a vote of 28 to 22; According to reports conducted by the Economic Policy Institute imported Chinese auto parts put Indiana at risk of losing 132,000 jobs; Indiana residents who want to avoid unwanted calls and text messages from telemarketers are being advised to sign up for the state’s Do Not Call list by Valentine’s Day. FEATURE CWA Day of Solidarity Communications Workers of America local union forty-seven thirty, held a silent protest on the campus of Indiana University Bloomington, today. CWA forty-seven thirty supporters were asked to wear green to protest rising on-the-job expenses and to demand greater health care coverage. Correspondent Wes Martin spoke with CWA forty-seven thirty President Bryce Smedley about the protest from the campus of Indiana University for today’s feature. BLOOMINGTON BEWARE! Our weekly consumer watch dog segment, keeps you from getting played over the Super Bowl weekend. CREDITS Anchors: Cathi Norton, Kelly Wherley Today’s headlines were written by Blake Lowe and Joe Crawford, Along with help from Ryan Dawes for CATSweek, in partnership with Community Access television services Today’s feature was produced by Wes Martin Our engineer is Jim Lang. Executive producer is Alycin Bektesh February 1, 2012 clean Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:31:58 -0800 WFHB News 31936 at http://www.wfhb.org http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-january-31-2012 <p>Former Monroe County Council member Sophia Travis announced today that she is seeking to return as an at large Representative this fall; At the most recent meeting of the Monroe County School Board, several changes were made to the school calendar and some staff salaries; The Ellettsville Town Council addressed several appointments to town boards and commissions during their latest meeting; Indiana University’s School of Journalism announced this week the first two lecturers as part of the School’s speaker series; Millions of Girl Scout cookies have arrived in central Indiana.</p> <p><a href="http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-january-31-2012">read more</a></p> http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-january-31-2012#comments News 29:37 WFHB Former Monroe County Council member Sophia Travis announced today that she is seeking to return as an at large Representative this fall; At the most recent meeting of the Monroe County School Board, several changes were made to the school calendar and some staff salaries; The Ellettsville Town Council addressed several appointments to town boards and commissions during their latest meeting; Indiana University’s School of Journalism announced this week the first two lecturers as part of the School’s speaker series; Millions of Girl Scout cookies have arrived in central Indiana. FEATURE Rollergirls Pre-season Opener For the last 6 years scores of local competitors have joined a national movement of new athleticism, building and re-imagining the sport of Roller Derby. Correspondent Ryan Dawes takes us on location to a pre-season scrimmage held by Bloomigton's own Bleeding Heartland Rollergirls, in this WFHB feature exclusive. THE INS AND OUTS OF MONEY WFHB's New Financial Segment asks, is it better to save money under the matress, or in a savings account, and what's the difference between a bank and a credit union, anyway? CREDITS Anchors: Joy Laughter, Bill Daughtery Today’s headlines were written by Ben Betsworth and Jackson Caldwell With help from Ryan Dawes for CATS, in partnership with Community Access Television Services Ryan Dawes produced our feature, Our engineer is Cara Weaver Executive Producer is Alycin Bektesh January 31, 2012 clean Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:28:19 -0800 WFHB News 31905 at http://www.wfhb.org http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-january-30-2012 <p>Indiana House “Ways and Means” Committee approves legislation that would use surplus funds to increase funding for full day kindergarten and increase compensation for the victims of last year’s tragedy at the State Fair; Today, the National Federation of Independent Business released a statement urging Governor Mitch Daniels to sign the controversial Right to Work bill; The deadline is approaching for artists living and working in Indiana to apply for Indiana Arts Commission grant; Bloomington will host a state-wide parks and rec professionals conference in January of 2013; A record breaking figure of about $1.3 million in investments was approved for projects in the state of Indiana during the past fiscal year.</p> <p><a href="http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-january-30-2012">read more</a></p> http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-january-30-2012#comments News 29:29 WFHB Indiana House “Ways and Means” Committee approves legislation that would use surplus funds to increase funding for full day kindergarten and increase compensation for the victims of last year’s tragedy at the State Fair; Today, the National Federation of Independent Business released a statement urging Governor Mitch Daniels to sign the controversial Right to Work bill; The deadline is approaching for artists living and working in Indiana to apply for Indiana Arts Commission grant; Bloomington will host a state-wide parks and rec professionals conference in January of 2013; A record breaking figure of about $1.3 million in investments was approved for projects in the state of Indiana during the past fiscal year. FEATURE Anti-Trafficking Law Passes Senate Enrolled Act Four became law today, when Governor Mitch Daniels signed the Human Trafficking Bill passed unanimously in the Indiana General Assembly last week. At a press conference before he signed the bill, Daniels thanked those who pushed the bill through, especially in time to take effect before this weekend’s super bowl in Indianapolis. ACTIVATE! Rev. Virginia Hall talks about the Bloomington Interfaith Winter Shelter on Activate, our weekly segment spotlighting people working for positive change in our community. CREDITS Anchors: Maria McKinley, Ryan Dawes Today’s headlines were written by Ben Betsworth, Blake Lowe, and Wes Martin Our Engineer is Andy Shaw Our theme music is provided by the Impossible Shapes Executive Producer is Alycin Bektesh January 30, 2012 clean Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:45:12 -0800 WFHB News 31879 at http://www.wfhb.org http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-january-27-2012 <p>Today the Indiana General Assembly passed human trafficking Senate Bill 4 by a unanimous vote of 93-0;Indiana’s Senate Education Committee has given the OK to a bill that would allow creationism to be taught alongside evolution in the state’s public school science classes; The Monroe County council met for brief special session where they approved the chairs of various boards and commissions; The Bloomington Utility Service Board heard a staff report from Assistant Director of Engineering, Mike Bengtson; County Commissioners and the County Plan Commission met recently to discuss the Comprehensive Land Use Plan.</p> <p><a href="http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-january-27-2012">read more</a></p> http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-january-27-2012#comments News 28:32 WFHB Today the Indiana General Assembly passed human trafficking Senate Bill 4 by a unanimous vote of 93-0;Indiana’s Senate Education Committee has given the OK to a bill that would allow creationism to be taught alongside evolution in the state’s public school science classes; The Monroe County council met for brief special session where they approved the chairs of various boards and commissions; The Bloomington Utility Service Board heard a staff report from Assistant Director of Engineering, Mike Bengtson; County Commissioners and the County Plan Commission met recently to discuss the Comprehensive Land Use Plan. FEATURE COMMUNITY FORUM SERIES “Reclaiming Our Democracy” is a three part community forum series co-sponsored by IU Libraries, The Monroe County Public Library, and the League of Women Voters of Bloomington and Monroe County. Tomorrow brings the second installment of the series and will be asking the question: “What Should be the 21st Century Mission of Our Public Schools?” The event begins tomorrow at 1pm at the Monroe county public library, and registration is required. WFHB Correspondent David Murphy spoke with Kate Cruikshank, from the IU Libraries and the League of Women Voters, earlier this week about the unique forum the series presents, for this WFHB feature exclusive. VOLUNTEER CONNECTION Local organizations scout the listening area for service help on Volunteer Connection, linking YOU to current volunteer opportunities in our community. CREDITS Anchors: Helen Harrell, Roscoe Medlock Today’s headlines were written by Ben Betsworth and by Ryan Dawes for CATSweek, in partnership with Community Access Television Services Volunteer Connection is produced by Mary Huelsbeck In partnership with the city of Bloomington Volunteer Network. Today’s newscast was produced by Drew Daudelin and Zollie Barnes Executive Producer is Alycin Bektesh January 27, 2012 clean Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:13:52 -0800 WFHB News 31864 at http://www.wfhb.org http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-january-26-2012 <p>The Indiana House of Representatives passed House Bill 1001 yesterday, Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson will serve as the keynote speaker for the opening celebration of the City of Bloomington’s 8th annual Black History Month celebration; The Communication Workers of America local chapter 4730, which includes Indiana University Bloomington and Indiana University Northwest campuses, is promoting a day of silent protest against rising health care costs; The Bloomington Board of Public Works awarded a contract to build a street scape project on South Walnut Street, just north of 2nd street; The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has announced that they are looking to hire new Conservation Officers for the state’s forests, wildlife and citizens.</p> <p><a href="http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-january-26-2012">read more</a></p> http://www.wfhb.org/news/daily-local-news-january-26-2012#comments News 28:29 WFHB The Indiana House of Representatives passed House Bill 1001 yesterday, Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson will serve as the keynote speaker for the opening celebration of the City of Bloomington’s 8th annual Black History Month celebration; The Communication Workers of America local chapter 4730, which includes Indiana University Bloomington and Indiana University Northwest campuses, is promoting a day of silent protest against rising health care costs; The Bloomington Board of Public Works awarded a contract to build a street scape project on South Walnut Street, just north of 2nd street; The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has announced that they are looking to hire new Conservation Officers for the state’s forests, wildlife and citizens. FEATURE Todd Young Visits Town Congressman Todd Young's launched his 2012 campaign this morning. The 9th district representative filed the paperwork for re-election early today, and immediately started his two day tour of the district's 13 counties. WFHB was on hand as Young stopped through Bloomington’s Justice Building today. Young discussed his plans for the future and thoughts on his Washington co-workers in this WFHB feature. VOICES IN THE STREET Our weekly public opinion feature Voices in the Street asks What IS the state of our union? CREDITS Anchors: Wes Martin, Scott Weddle Today’s headlines were written by Wes Martin and Ben Betsworth Along with help from Ryan Dawes for Cats Week, in partnership with community access television services. Voices in the Street was produced by Kelly Wherley and Ryan Dawes Today’s newscast was produced by Drew Daudlin and Ryan Dawes Our theme music is provided by the Impossible Shapes Executive producer is Alycin Bektesh January 26, 2012 clean Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:45:54 -0800 WFHB News 31858 at http://www.wfhb.org