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1 week ago | 
indianapublicmedia.org | Donnie Burgess
Brown County plans to make major investments in tourism and quality of life using an increased Innkeepers Tax. House Bill 1427 passed this legislative session. Part of that bill allows Brown County to increase its Innkeepers Tax from 5 to 8 percent, which shows up as a fee on overnight stays at places such as hotels, Airbnb and lodges. County Council member Scott Rudd said an 8 percent Innkeepers Tax could generate up to $21 million over the next twenty years.
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1 week ago | 
indianapublicmedia.org | Donnie Burgess
A chemical clean-up operation is underway at the Hopewell neighborhood site at the corner of 2nd Street and South Rodgers Street. Bloomington-based VET Environmental Engineering has found traces of arsenic and benzene about 4 feet deep in the soil. Sara Hamidovic, VET’s president and CEO, said the chemicals are left over from a former gas station that stood years before the old hospital was constructed. Benzene is a common chemical found at sites like Hopewell, according to Hamidovic.
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1 week ago | 
indianapublicmedia.org | Donnie Burgess
Monroe County Emergency Management plans to invest in a new communications tool using a grant from the Duke Energy Foundation. The Monroe County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the $5,500 grant Thursday. Related: Braun selects 18 counties for severe weather recovery fundingDeputy Director of Emergency Management Justin Baker said this year the county will team up with the Indiana University Emergency Management Team.
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1 week ago | 
indianapublicmedia.org | Donnie Burgess
Development of the future Trades District hotel site is one step closer to reality. The Bloomington City Council voted 7-1 Wednesday night to vacate a 20-foot section of an alleyway, which runs in a north-south direction just north of the Trades District Parking Garage between 10th Street and Maker Way, to make way for a new hotel.
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1 week ago | 
indianapublicmedia.org | Donnie Burgess
This week is Small Business Week in Indiana, and those who advocate for small businesses say local support could be vital to owners who are facing evolving economic pressures. Christopher Emge, senior director of government and community relations with the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, said property tax reform and tariffs are creating a fear of the unknown. “They’re living sort of week to week,” he said.
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1 week ago | 
indianapublicmedia.org | Donnie Burgess
The judge overseeing Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s lawsuit against the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office could soon decide on the case. Greene Circuit Court Judge Lucas Rudisill heard arguments from both parties during Friday’s hearing on the county’s motion to dismiss. County attorneys state Sheriff Ruben Marté’s policy regarding sharing citizenship information with federal authorities does not violate Indiana law.
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2 weeks ago | 
indianapublicmedia.org | Donnie Burgess
As the May 18 deadline approaches for public input on Monroe County vote centers, the county’s election board is preparing multiple plans and costs to present to the County Council. The Council is set to vote on the centers on May 19. Election supervisor Kylie Farris presented three plans to the election board Thursday, each with a different number of voting locations. Vote centers allow residents to cast their ballot at any location instead of a specific site tied to their address.
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2 weeks ago | 
indianapublicmedia.org | Donnie Burgess
Tracking government spending and improving processes are some of the top priorities for 2026 set by the Bloomington City Council. In a special session Wednesday night, the council spent just over three hours fine-tuning a list of budget priorities it intends to send in a letter to the office of Mayor Kerry Thomson.
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2 weeks ago | 
indianapublicmedia.org | Donnie Burgess
The closure of Futures Family Planning Clinic in Bloomington has left bitter feelings among former employees and county health leaders. For two decades, Futures provided reproductive services, including pregnancy resources, birth control, and STD screening and treatment, to low-income and uninsured residents. The clinic served an estimated 18,000 Monroe County residents during that time. Futures was shut down by the county health department last summer due to staffing shortages.
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3 weeks ago | 
indianapublicmedia.org | Donnie Burgess
Brown County is exploring the possibility of replacing traditional polling sites with voting centers, which would be open to all of the county’s registered voters. The county election board voted last month to establish a Vote Center Study Committee. Members of the committee would create a draft plan, hold public meetings, and then present a final plan to the county council and county board of commissioners.
