The 812

143 [S2E46]: Midwestern-Adobe-Style Housing, 3-D Printed by AI-Powered Robots? Yeah. Just Ask Danny Weddle Nov 20, 2024

Until not too long ago, Danny Weddle was a builder of bespoke tiny homes. That got him interested in building affordable homes more cost-effectively. Now the co-founder and chief design officer of Terran Robotics, his company is building walls out of earth from the construction site... using 3-D printers, as though subsoil were just so much 3-D filament... which are run by robots run by AI — which Terran is also inventing.
He explains the process and the technology, which aims to reduce labor costs and make housing construction faster and more affordable. The first house built using this method is nearing completion right here in Bloomington; they have plans to build more houses starting in March. Weddle talks about the challenges of building such homes within existing local building codes, and the potential for scaling up the technology to build thousands of homes annually.

142 [S2E45]: Carrie Stillions, on Middle Way House and the Headwinds It Faces Nov 18, 2024

Middle Way House is the nonprofit that supports survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault through shelter, protection, counseling, permanent housing, and more. It is still a big agency to be sure, and addressing a distressingly great need. Executive Director Carrie Stillions gives us the virtual tour of Middle Way and all it does, and talks frankly about their budget plans with sources of funding drying up, and times growing more uncertain.

141 [S2E44]: Where should ballots be cast? Inside the Vote Center Study Committee Nov 15, 2024

Monroe County still has precinct voting. On Election Day, you go to a particular polling place based on what precinct you live in. But there's a new idea out there: voting centers, which allow you to vote at any polling place regardless of where you live.
In mid-2023, Monroe County's Election Board created a nine-member committee to study whether it would be a good idea for its residents to vote at vote centers, rather than at assigned precinct polling places. The committee began meeting at the beginning of this year and will wrap up its work in January.
Two members of the Vote Center Study Committee join us: Debora (Ralf) Shaw is a representative from the League of Women Voters, and Ami Gandhi remotely leads the Midwest Voting Rights Program, a function of Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights. They'll tell us all about vote centers, the Committee's work and some of the conclusions it's come to. (Note: Host Steve Volan is also a member of the Vote Center Study Committee.)

140 [S2E43]: How the Janeway Collective Built a Public Art Project Nov 13, 2024

On the B-Line Trail downtown, there's a bust of Kathryn Janeway, captain of the USS Voyager, from the Star Trek series of the same name. How it got there is our subject today. Our guests are Peter Kaczmarczyk and Lee Lawmaster, former presidents and members still of the Janeway Collective, the organization that fundraised for, designed and installed a statue dedicated to the fictional captain on Star Trek: Voyager in 2020. The Collective then brought the actor who played her, Kate Mulgrew, to town for a post-pandemic ceremony two years later. Kaczmarczyk and Lawmaster talk about the challenges of such a project on today's episode, the journey of a one-off public arts project from concept to execution, and a case study on working with your local government.

139 [S2E42]: Pat East and John Fernandez on Bloomington's Trades District Nov 11, 2024

The city's efforts to cultivate entrepreneurship is embodied in the buildings that were auxiliary to the Showers Brothers Furniture Factory, a third of which famously became Bloomington's city hall in the mid-90s, and another third of which was acquired from IU by the county and is now the Monroe County Government Center. Several smaller brick buildings have been preserved and remade into workplaces for 21st-century new businesses, which more often than not are information technology-related. That area, dubbed The Trades District by the city, lies between 10th and 11th, Rogers and Morton Streets.
The Dimension Mill, with the same sawtooth roofline, is now a cowork space and the state's biggest tech incubator. We talk today with Pat East, executive director of The Mill, as well as senior vice president John Fernandez, who also happens to be a former two-term mayor of Bloomington. (We'll invite him back sometime to talk about his administration, which was the first to occupy the new Showers Building City Hall in 1996.) The Mill was the first of several buildings to be renovated or built in the Trades District, now runs the District on behalf of the city. We'll talk about the Kiln, the Showers Administration Building, the Forge, which is being built right now across from the Mill, and what's planned for the rest of the Trades District.

138 [S2E41]: Catching Up on Issues with Courtney Daily (Councilmember, D.5) Nov 08, 2024

The last time Courtney Daily was on the show, in February, she was a candidate for city council. She won the District 5 seat in a Democratic party caucus; after 9 months, we're asking the most junior member of council what it's been like. We talk about the drama of that caucus, what's surprised her about being an elected official, and some of the issues that have recently been brought before the Council.

137 [S2E40]: Mark Figg — The Developer's Tale Nov 06, 2024

We're going into the belly of the development beast on today's show, with someone who's been involved in every aspect of the life cycle of a building: Mark Figg, a developer who's also done property management and appraisal. A local resident born and raised in Monroe County, he's built several multi-family apartment projects here, starting with the building many non-student residents of Bloomington love to hate: the Avenue on College, known initially as Smallwood Plaza when he developed it in 2004. Whether you love to see apartment buildings or you loathe them, it's important to understand how such buildings get built; today's guest gives us plenty to think about.

136 [S2E39]: Hank Duncan Brings an Update on Bicycle/Pedestrian Infrastructure Improvements Nov 04, 2024

It's a downtown transportation infrastructure update with Hank Duncan, the city's bicycle and pedestrian coordinator. We get the skinny on all the bumpouts being installed on downtown street corners, the future of Indiana Avenue, where the city is with studying updates to College and Walnut Streets, and more.
Also...don't forget to vote before 6pm tomorrow, Tuesday, November 5th!

135 [S2E38]: Erika Oliphant, Monroe County Prosecutor, on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Local Justice Nov 01, 2024

The county's elected prosecuting attorney now in her second term, Erika Oliphant explains to The 812 the role of her office and the different programs it manages. We talk about the multiyear study her office is conducting into racial and ethnic disparities in the county justice system as a result of her office's actions, and what they're doing about it. We also discuss the county jail, particularly its population and the effect of programs like pretrial release on it.

134 [S2E37]: Abigail Knipstine of the IUMAA (and former City Council legal researcher) Oct 30, 2024

We don't usually delve into arts and culture on this show unless it has a direct relationship to local elected government, but today's guest offers us an unusual opportunity. Abigail Knipstine tells us about the brand-new yet newly-renovated museum made out of two old ones, the IU Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (IUMAA), where she's the business manager. She talks about how museums like it are responding to the new rules about the questionable provenance of cultural artefacts in their collections, and how they're dealing with new rules on repatriating some of those items.
Her immediate past job was as a legal researcher for the Bloomington City Council. In the second half of today's show, she walks us through the process of helping councilmembers develop legislation, and talks about some of the legislation she worked on, like a resolution about Artificial Intelligence or an ordinance about short-term rentals. It's like a double-half episode of The 812!

133 [S3E36]: Steven Miller, County Veteran Service Officer, on Serving Those Who Served Oct 28, 2024

To the thousands of residents of Monroe County who were ever active-duty, Steven Miller is likely to be a familiar name. He's the Veteran Service Officer, who runs Monroe County's Veterans Affairs Department. He tells us about the services he administers to vets, including pensions, education and burial benefits. He also talks about the harder side of the VA. Many vets have seen more than they bargained for. He talks about disability benefits, veterans case conferencing and treatment court for those struggling with substance abuse, as well as other services targeted to serving those who served.
Note: In the second half of this episode, as part of her work, the conversation turns to veterans who have considered suicide. It may not be suitable for younger or more sensitive listeners. (If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide and seeking emotional support, there are crisis lines available via phone, chat, or text. The number to call, message or Google nationwide is 9-8-8; press 1 to be connected to a veteran who can help.)

132 [S2E35]: The 812 Work Session with Marissa Meador and Jacob Spudich of the Indiana Daily Student Oct 25, 2024

A new installment in our occasional series, The 812 Work Session, in which we meet members of the local media and compare notes about local news. Today's guests are Marissa Meador and Jacob Spudich, the co-editors-in-chief of the Indiana Daily Student. We talk about issues they're covering on campus, including Dunn Meadow and the unwitting deficit spending of student organizations. One issue is the IDS itself: the IU administration has ordered the cutting of its print-run, potentially ending a 150-year tradition.

131 [S2E34]: In Extra Innings: A Sampler of Bonus Interviews with Guests of The 812 Oct 23, 2024

Today we're releasing portions of never-before-aired overtime interviews with recent guests. Anything we've recorded after the main interview for that episode we've been setting aside as "Extra Innings" segments, which can run anywhere from 7 minutes to as long as half an hour. Here now are a few samples.

Extra Innings with Haskell Smith and George Hegeman of the Tree Commission (original episode), talking about the emerald ash borer in Bloomington
A portion of the Extra Innings with Lesley Davis, chair of the city's Council for Community Accessibility (original episode), about her new job as the VP for North American Partnerships at Access Able, a British company
Sara Laughlin, a volunteer and board member at Teachers' Warehouse (original episode), on her former role as director of the Monroe County Public Library, and her oversight of the process that led to the new Southwest branch
Isak Asare, city councilmember, commandeering the helm (original episodes here and here) to grill The812 host and former city councilmember Steve Volan on his 20-year career

Full-length Extra Innings segments will soon be available to patrons of the show on our website.

130 [S2E33]: The Skeptical Township: Rita Barrow, Van Buren Trustee Oct 21, 2024

Van Buren Township, to the city's west-southwest, is the fourth most populous township in Monroe County (about 12,000 people as of the last census). In the first half of our interview, Township Trustee Rita Barrow (pronounced "borrow") lays out how she handles the role of trustee in Van Buren, including building new headquarters and dealing with disputes over weeds and fence lines.
In the second half, the episode really gets into the weeds: host Steve Volan asks her about fire department mergers, the still-cooking county development ordinance, and, the elephant in the room, Bloomington's notorious attempt at annexation of significant parts of the unincorporated areas nearest to it, including significant areas of Van Buren. (Full disclosure: when Steve was on city council, he voted in 2021 for the city's annexation proposal, while Rita has been leading the opposition to annexation since 2017.)

129 [S2E32]: All About the Monroe County History Center Oct 18, 2024

The Monroe County History Center on 6th and Washington is a museum, a library, an event space, and then some. Not every community has such a thing -- it's not part of the Public Library, so it relies entirely on donations and grants, yet it has several full-time staff. We talk with Daniel Schlegel, the Center's Director, and Megan MacDonald, the Center's Librarian. They tell us all about the place, including its holdings regarding limestone and the old RCA factory, people doing genealogy research, cemeteries in the county, the history of the building itself, and some of the amusing stories they've collected over time.

128 [S2E31]: Rooting out Invasive Species with Ellen Jacquart of MC-IRIS Oct 16, 2024

Ellen Jacquart is the president of Monroe County Identify and Reduce Invasive Species, or MC-IRIS for short. She leads a surprisingly large group of volunteers who have made it their mission to help pull plants that shouldn't be here because they're not native to the area, and in many cases, crowd out plants that are. Whether it's the Callery pear, the asian bush honeysuckle, or the so-called tree of heaven -- don't cut that one, friend, it could give you a heart attack -- they've got to go, but they're hard to get rid once they've literally taken root in our community. Jacquart talks with Steve Volan about MC-IRIS' philosophical approach to wrestling with Mother Nature, and how you can help.

127 [S2E30]: An Exchange of Ideas with the Civic Leaders Living-Learning Center at IU Oct 14, 2024

Living-learning centers at IU allow students to take classes in a specialty of their choice in the dorm where they live on-campus. The Civic Leaders Living-Learning Center takes up three floors in one tower of Briscoe Quad.
Former Bloomington city councilmember Steve Volan was invited out for an exchange of ideas with former Fort Wayne mayor Paul Helmke, now the faculty director of the CLLLC, and Colby Wicker, the center's Cox Scholar. This episode was recorded live at Briscoe Quad in front of 80 students participating in the LLC. We talk about how politics works at the local level and how the modern media landscape has changed local politics.

126 [S2E29]: Joani Stalcup — The Coroner's Tale Oct 11, 2024

Our guest today is the Monroe County Coroner, Joani Stalcup. She tells us all about the job: how it works, what the difference is between a coroner and a medical examiner, and why coroners were ever elected in the first place. She also introduces us to the term "medical legal death investigator", talks about the surprising requirements of the job, and how the people who do it manage. It's a sobering but fascinating look into a necessary corner of local government.

Note: by definition, we're talking about death in this episode. It may not be the best idea for children, or for the faint of heart. In the second half of the show, as part of her work, the Coroner has to talk about suicide. (If you, or someone you know, is thinking about suicide and seeking emotional support, there are crisis lines available via phone, chat, or text. The number to call, message or Google nationwide is 9-8-8.

125 [S2E28]: Julio Alonso and Jake Bruner of the Hoosier Hills Food Bank Oct 09, 2024

On today's show, we're talk to the biggest distributor of usable food in South Central Indiana, the Hoosier Hills Food Bank. They move more than 5 million pounds of food, half from places that can no longer use or sell it, to people in need. Julio Alonso, the Food Bank's executive director, and Jake Bruner, the associate director, talk about how they support local food pantries in six counties, the impact the pandemic had on them, and some of the ways they raise funds. We'll also talk about two of the biggest fundraising events they throw: the annual Soup Bowl Benefit in February and their big event coming up, their annual Book Fair at the Monroe County Fairgrounds.

124 [S2E27] Lesley Davis, Chair of the Council for Community Accessibility Oct 04, 2024

NOTE: There will be no episode Mon., Oct. 7. The next episode is Wed., Oct. 9.
Our guest today is Lesley Davis. Until recently the assistant dean of international programs at the IU Maurer School of Law, she now is the VP for North American Partnerships at Access Able, a British company that creates detailed accessibility guides to buildings so that their users can navigate as many environments as possible with dignity and independence.
More importantly for the purpose of this show, Davis is the chair of the Council for Community Accessibility, a city commission that, unusually, any resident can join without being appointed by the mayor or city council. She's been a member of the CCA since 2010, and has been in a wheelchair since 2006. We talk about some of the CCA's initiatives, her experience with disability, and the challenges that the disabled face despite the advent of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. We also talk about how accessibility actually helps the non-disabled, too, and how accommodating people of all abilities can be good for everyone.
EXTRA INNINGS! Listen to Extra Innings with Lesley Davis here.

123 [S2E26]: David Hittle on Planning the City's Built Environment Oct 02, 2024

David Hittle, the city's new director of the Planning and Transportation Department, talks with Steve Volan about the documents that rule the planning process in this city: the Comprehensive Plan and the Unified Development Ordinance. We discuss how the department he runs works in practice, and the boards and commissions that collectively oversee the city's entire built environment.
This episode is the first for which we're also publishing an Extra Innings segment, where we talk about "car sewers", complete streets, and building new urban cores in the city. You can find it only from the webpage for this episode at our website, the812show.org.

122 [S2E25]: Arts and the City -- Holly Warren, the City's Assistant Director for the Arts Sep 30, 2024

Holly Warren is the assistant director for the arts in Bloomington's department of Economic and Sustainable Development. She's enthusiastic at boosting the visual and performing arts, helping artists get grants, coordinating artwork on major projects through the city's 1% for the Arts program, and promoting the city's Public Arts Master Plan. She also acts as liaison to the Bloomington Arts Commission. In this episode, we talk all about the city's efforts to support arts and working artists.

121 [S2E24] What Part of Forever Don't You Get? John Lawrence of Sycamore Land Trust Sep 27, 2024

We've talked a lot on The 812 about the development of land. Today we talk about land that's undeveloped, undevelopable, or will never be developed. Our guest is the executive director of the Sycamore Land Trust, John Lawrence. He oversees the preservation of thousands of acres of land throughout southern Indiana, from Sycamore's headquarters in the house on the edge of Bloomington that was the home of a principal architect of the 1969 National Environmental Policy Act. It's a fascinating conversation about the setting aside of land as nature.
Instead of a Last Pitch today, we have a First Pitch...about how the "honor" of serving as an elected official isn't enough to justify low or no pay.

120 [S2E23]: The Present and Future of City Housing with Anna Killion-Hansen Sep 25, 2024

Today we talk housing with the new director of the city's Housing and Neighborhood Development department, Anna Killion-Hansen. The breadth of what her department does is kind of mind-boggling: it's not just inspecting rentals or working with neighborhood associations; it's also handling federal dollars, historic preservation, housing quality appeals, the Redevelopment Commission, and more. She does a good job of laying out her dizzying array of duties, and giving us a sense of the state of housing in Bloomington and the future directions she wants to take it.

119 [S2E22]: Sara Laughlin of Teachers' Warehouse: Meeting the Unmet Needs of K-12 Students and Educators Sep 23, 2024

The812 looks into a type of local government separate from city and county that it has yet to talk about: local schools as a separate branch of government. We get our first look through a nonprofit that tries to help the schools -- Teachers' Warehouse, the local nonprofit which raises money and donations to provide school supplies to teachers in public schools in six counties. Sara Laughlin is a board member and regular volunteer there (and also the retired director of the Monroe County Public Library system). She talks about how the Warehouse works, how it was formed as a project of one of the local Rotary Clubs where she's a member, and its role in the context of school poverty and the recent MCCSC tax referendum.
Our Last Pitch today is a fastball about...skywalking. (Our promised interview with Anna Killion-Hansen of HAND has been postponed to Wednesday.)

118 [S2E21]: Joe Van Deventer, Candidate for County Commissioner (D3) Sep 20, 2024

One of the three seats on the Monroe County Board of Commissioners is contested this fall. Today, our guest is the Republican candidate, Joe Van Deventer. He's the director of street operations for the city of Bloomington's Public Works Department. We get his perspective on all the local issues, including housing, the jail, zoning, the unhoused. He also advocates for taking advantage of the newly-complete I-69's presence as an incentive to bring blue-collar jobs into the county. (The Democratic candidate for the District 3 seat, Jody Madeira, was our guest on Monday.)

117 [S2E20]: Trees and the City: Haskell Smith and George Hegeman Sep 18, 2024

It's 40 years since Bloomington became a so-called Tree City. We talk about what that means with our guests: Haskell Smith, the city's Urban Forester, and George Hegeman, an inaugural member of the Bloomington Tree Commission, which has been in existence since 1992. We talk about the importance of trees and shade, invasive species and how they're dealt with, how utilities and the city interact when it comes to trees in the right of way, and, if you're lucky enough to own a house, how to get the city to give you a tree.

116 [S2E19]: Jody Madeira, Candidate for County Commissioner (D3) Sep 16, 2024

Today, we talk with the first of the two candidates vying for the marquee local race this cycle: Jody Madeira, the Democratic nominee. She's an IU law professor in her first political run, up against Joe Van Deventer, the director of the city of Bloomington's street division. (We've invited him and he's agreed to appear on the show; we look forward to publishing that show soon.)

We talk with Jody Madeira about her reasons for running, what she brings to the table, and how she would govern the county, particularly with respect to how land should be used...or not.

The Last Pitch we throw out today is about a teeny tiny little pet peeve for this former elected official: a misunderstanding of procedure embodied in a single word that unnecessarily makes local government more opaque.

115 [S2E18]: NPR's Eric Deggans on the Media, Journalism, and Bloomington (2 of 2) Sep 13, 2024

This is the second of two episodes released today (note: we strongly recommend listening to the previous episode first), part of our conversation with NPR's Eric Deggans, an alum of the IU School of Journalism, back in Bloomington to speak at its successor, the Media School.
Among other topics, Eric Deggans talks about the reasons he went from music to television criticism; Bloomington's neighborhoods -- and its vibrant music scene -- in the eighties; and the racial dynamics of being a mostly-Black band while playing throughout Indiana back then. (Host Steve Volan even asks for pointers on interviewing from a top-notch interviewer and instructor, and gets the advice he hoped for.)
PS: Our second big news today: our homepage now has a working button called "Donate"! If you like the work we're doing at The812, we hope you'll consider becoming a financial supporter. See more today at the812show.org.

114 [S2E17]: NPR's Eric Deggans on the Media, Journalism, and Bloomington (1 of 2) Sep 13, 2024

Eric Deggans is the TV critic for National Public Radio, as well as a media analyst, and guest host. Before NPR, he was by turns a TV/media critic, music critic and reporter for the Tampa Bay Times, the Asbury Park Press, the Pittsburgh Press and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He's the author of the book, "Race-Baiter: How the Media Wields Dangerous Words to Divide a Nation," published by St. Martin's Press.

A 2024 inductee into Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame, he's also an adjunct instructor at both Duke and Indiana, where he got his degree in journalism in 1990. During his recent visit to teach a seminar at IU's Media School, we spoke about the modern media landscape, as well as his multifaceted career -- undeniably rooted in his seven years in Bloomington, where he lived on campus and off. Along with his journalism studies, he worked at the Indiana Daily Student while being a drummer in a band that got signed to Motown Records.

This is the first of two episodes released today; the second one is Part 2 of this wide-ranging conversation.

113 [S2E16]: The Rev. Bill Breeden on War, the Death Penalty, and Protesting in Indiana Sep 11, 2024

The Reverend Bill Breeden is perhaps most famous for a protest in 1987, when he stole a street sign in his nearby hometown of Odon, Indiana. It was named for John Poindexter, the admiral convicted of multiple felonies in the Iran-Contra affair during the Reagan administration. But that affair was the tip of the iceberg for this minister emeritus of the Bloomington Unitarian Church, who's had a long career as a peace activist. We talk about how anti-war protests, and the policing of them, have changed in Bloomington since the 1980s, and catch up with his more recent work as an opponent of the federal death penalty.

In our Last Pitch today, we ask: consider the ostrich and its plumage. How would the city work if we applied...strategic ostrich thinking?

112 [S2E15]: Measuring Monroe with County Surveyor Trohn Enright-Randolph Sep 09, 2024

Our guest today is Trohn Enright-Randolph, Monroe County Surveyor. He explains how his work is crucial to everything regarding the use and ownership of land in Monroe County -- if you don't know where the property lines are, well, it's pretty much chaos. Besides measuring those, though, he's involved in drainage and stormwater management, and is an integral part of county planning. He also talks about his advocacy for trails and connecting them to regional and statewide trail networks. Why is this an elected job? Ask the Indiana Constitution -- it's been called for in that document for 175 years. He'll tell us more about that too.
In today's Last Pitch: the definitive argument for why Bloomington needs to keep building more housing -- just look at IU's enrollment numbers. The latest ones are out, and they show a clear pattern.

111 [S2E14]: The Pipsqueakery: A Rescue and Sanctuary for Domestic and Wild Animals Sep 06, 2024

Originally started in 2013 to rescue hamsters, The Pipsqueakery has expanded to become an animal rescue (which adopts out domesticated creatures) and sanctuary (which cares for wild creatures). Along and in consultation with Wildcare, which focuses on wildlife, and the city of Bloomington's Animal Control division, which focuses primarily on dogs and cats, the Pipsqueakery is part of the notable local public-private spectrum of animal care. We talk with veterinary assistant Amy Clark and director of wildlife rehabilitation Katie Lo about their work...which includes a couple of animals they brought into our studio. (Yes, it's our cutest show ever.)

110 [S2E13] Megan Betz of Mother Hubbard's Cupboard Sep 04, 2024

Our guest is Megan Betz, the CEO and President of Mother Hubbard's Cupboard, the Bloomington community resource center that's one element of the local emergency food sector. She lays out how, acting from the belief that food pantries won't end hunger, the Hub strives to be more than a food pantry; they try to tackle the root causes of hunger by building relationships and community through initiatives like their community garden and their farm-to-family program.
Later on in the program, the Last Pitch looks at local Gaza protests and sees another border: the one between town and gown.

109 [S2E12]: Duncan Campbell, the Eminence Grise of Historic Preservation in Bloomington Aug 30, 2024

Duncan Campbell is an advisory member of the city's Historic Preservation Commission, and before that was a voting member for its first 16 years. He's also a former professor of architecture, planning and preservation at Ball State University, where he directed the graduate program in historic preservation. We talk with him about the background and history of preserving buildings, the definition of historic districts, how the preservation of buildings has played out in Bloomington over the past several decades, and the story of how he came to his profession.
Also in this show: a Last Pitch about the Council's annual high-stakes choice in the game that is the annual city budget.

108 [S2E11]: Monroe County Clerk Nicole Browne, on Managing the Documentation of Courts and Ballots Aug 28, 2024

Clerk Browne's duties include providing the clerical services needed for the county court system to function, as well as administering elections in the county, whether local, state or federal. We talk about the logistics of voting in Indiana, clear up confusion about similarly titled offices like that of the Bloomington City Clerk, and talk about the biggest things that people don't get about her job.
Later in the show, for those new to town, we give our list of the five most significant news topics of local concern.

107 [S2E10]: How the 4th Street Festival of the Arts Dominates Labor Day Weekend Aug 26, 2024

Our guests today are Dawn Adams and Juliet Roberts, who are part of the committee that puts on the Fourth Street Festival of the Arts, the community's biggest annual arts event, where tens of thousands of pedestrians view the wares of more than 100 painters, sculptors, jewelers and other visual artists, not to mention the performing arts stages the Festival hosts. It's taken place ever Labor Day weekend since 1977, and this year's festival promises to be as big as ever. We talk with Adams and Roberts about what to look forward to this weekend, how the festival comes together, and even how volunteers can pitch in.
Later in the show, we present our orientation to the city for all those people wjo just got oriented to the IU campus. (Hint: find it at our website under the Articles tab.)

106 [S2E09]: Deborah Myerson, on Planning Out Local Housing Policy Aug 23, 2024

Deborah Myerson is a professional urban planner who specializes in housing policy. She talks about working for cities all over the country, including Bloomington where she lives. She's currently helping the city's Housing and Neighborhood Development (HAND) Department develop the update of the city's Consolidated Plan, a document required of every place that gets funds from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This week as part of her job, she began hosting a number of public meetings that run through September 3 to gather input from Bloomington residents about housing policies of every kind. She also serves on the city's Redevelopment Commission (RDC) and its Council for Community Accessibility, where she chairs the Transportation and Mobility Committee.
In the Last Pitch, a strategy for when you just have more that needs to be said in front of a public body.
NOTES
All about the Bloomington Consolidated Plan, including virtual and in-person meetings you can attend to give input through September 3 at this link.

105 [S2E08]: Amy Swain, County Recorder, on Keeping Documents in Perpetuity Aug 21, 2024

Our guest is Amy Swain, the county Recorder. If you're lucky enough to own land in Monroe County, her office is the place that helps you prove it. It's a bigger, and older, and more complicated job than you might guess. Besides telling us about the lengths she has to go to preserve records in perpetuity, there's also other matters, like scammers and what her staff does to guard against them, and how she serves veterans.

On the Last Pitch: a bit of advice for how to most effectively say your peace in a public meeting.

104 [S2E07]: Peter Iversen, Monroe County Councilmember (D1) Aug 19, 2024

As we collect interviews with elected officials in the county, we occasionally come across the word "resiliency" -- is the community resilient enough?
Our guest today is asking that question, among many others. Peter Iversen talks about the job of the council to manage the county budget, some of the boards he's on like the Justice Financial Advisory Committee and the county Environmental Commission, where the watchword is "resiliency"...and what it's like to represent all the lakes in Monroe County, Lemon, Griffy and Monroe.

103 [S2E06]: Nathan Ferreira, on How to Build Actually Affordable Housing Aug 16, 2024

The world of public housing has moved past the negative reputation it's had from decades of national neglect. Thanks to legal changes at the federal level, our guest today, Nathan Ferreira, is having success making more public housing available, as the Director of Real Estate Development at the Bloomington Housing Authority. He talks with us about whatever happened to the term "Section 8", about the power of Low Income Housing Tax Credits, and about the reestablishment in the city of a housing land trust -- an idea that was tried by a standalone nonprofit for about 20 years but gave up the ghost in 2010.
And Today's Last Pitch pays compliments to the chef who cooked up the median at Third and Grant.

102 [S2E05]: The Stride Center Is Stabilizing the Crisis in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Aug 14, 2024

The Stride Center is a program started a few years ago in Bloomington that serves people who are experiencing mental health or substance abuse crises, both at their headquarters and where those people live, even if they're unhoused. Our guests today are Tia Magee, the Center's Program Manager, and Jennifer Scott, who leads its Mobile Crisis Response Team. The Stride Center serves as a crisis stabilization receiving center, providing resources to people experiencing mental health or substance abuse crisis, both at its headquarters and in the field. It's Indiana's version of Oregon's Cahoots program, which diverts police calls that are more effectively addressed by social services.
Also today: the Last Pitch ruminates, at the outset of another school year, on ways you can orient yourself to your community, no matter how long you've been there.

101 [S2E04]: Mayor Kerry Thomson, Part II: In Office, Year One Aug 12, 2024

The second of our 2-part interview with Mayor Kerry Thomson, in which she talks about her current initiatives. It should be no wonder that, as befitting her former role as the longtime director of the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity, her number one priorities are street homelessness, followed by housing construction. But she also discusses transportation, economic development, and the 2025 budget process.
On today's Last Pitch: what's the right way to respond to the assertion, "Bloomington without IU would be Bedford, or Martinsville"? Answer: by turning the tables on it.

100 [S2E03]: Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson, Part I: Before She Was Mayor Aug 09, 2024

The 812 marks its 100th episode with Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson, who graciously sat for a double interview earlier this week. In this first part, we ask about her Bloomington origin story -- it's not typical -- and her life before taking office, including about her long tenure running the local Habitat for Humanity chapter, and how she decided to run for mayor. Part II, on her administration's status and plans, will be available Monday.
In the Last Pitch: a philosophical treatise about the dilemma that many podcasters have -- namely, should we offer more episodes with shorter lengths, or fewer episodes with longer ones? -- and reframing it as a question for the notoriously late-night City Council.

099 [S2E02]: Sheriff Ruben Marté and Jail Commander Kyle Gibbons, on New Jail Capacity Aug 07, 2024

In their respective offices since the beginning of 2023, Monroe County Sheriff Ruben Marté and his deputy, Monroe County Jail Commander Kyle Gibbons, argue that no matter what else happens, any new jail needs to be larger than the old one. Meanwhile, in today's Last Pitch segment, host Steve Volan exhorts you to sign up for a Residents Academy course.

098 [S2E01] Neighborhood Services with Angela Van Rooy Aug 05, 2024

The 812 returns for its second season! We have new music, new segments, and a new program schedule to lead us off.
Our first show back from break features a conversation with Angela Van Rooy, director of the city's neighborhood services program. She tells us about grants that people can apply for to improve their neighborhoods, and the city's Residents Academy, which starts in a couple of weeks. It's where people can sign up to get a guided tour of how every department in the city works.
Today we also introduce a segment called the Last Pitch, a 60-second editorial about current local issues....and the beginnings of our new website! We're excited to be back, Bloomington!

097: Katarina Koch, Executive Director, Lotus Education & Arts Foundation, on Putting on a Festival Post-Pandemic Jun 21, 2024

Our guest today is Katarina Koch. She's the fourth-ever director of the Lotus Education and Arts Foundation, the organization whose primary production is the annual Lotus World Music and Arts Festival. Since 1994 the Lotus Festival has presented musical artists from all over the world in multiple venues in downtown Bloomington, and on the streets between those venues. We learn about the Festival, how it works, and other initiatives its foundation conducts. While there's much for it to celebrate in its thirtieth year, the after-effects of the pandemic have finally caught up with Lotus. We talk with Katarina Koch about how the organization is maintaining the level of quality that's made it a mainstay of the annual Bloomington event calendar, while acknowledging the tougher times for arts organizations post-Covid.
This is the final episode of Season 1! We're looking forward to bringing you more about your community and its various layers of governance in Season Two, along with improvements to the show's format. The new season begins Monday, July 29 and will run until December 18. Thank you so much for listening, Bloomington!

096: Judy Sharp, Monroe County Assessor, on the Most Taxing Job in Town Jun 20, 2024

Many local homeowners have...thoughts, about the assessed value of their homes. Some of those thoughts are ...less than charitable, especially when assessments go up dramatically. Today, we talk to the person doing the assessing...she has thoughts, too. Welcome...to The 812.
Our guest today is Judy Sharp. She's been the Monroe County Assessor since 1991, one of the, if not the longest-serving assessor in the state of Indiana. Her job is to assess the value of every property in Monroe County, so that they can be appropriately taxed. She talks all about the job, how her office works, how's she's stayed in it for so long, and how over time she's helped innovate the task of assessing in Indiana.

095 (032 Encore Presentation): Dr. Gloria Howell, Chair, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration Commission Jun 19, 2024

(This is an encore presentation.) The city has dozens of boards and commissions, to contemplate big local issues and recommend or take action on them. What's it like to be on one...what's it like to chair one? Our guest is Dr. Gloria Howell. We learn about what the Dr. Martin Luthe King Jr. Birthday Celebration Commission does -- and it's more than just hosting the annual event in its name -- and what a city commission chair does. amd deals with.

094: Ryne Shadday, Chair of the City/County Human Rights Commission Jun 18, 2024

If your human rights have been violated in Bloomington or Monroe County, you have recourse. Our guest today is Ryne Shadday, chair of the city/county Human Rights Commission. (He's also chair of the Traffic Commission, but we'll leave that for another day.) He’ll talk about one of the oldest commissions in Bloomington, one with a proud history of standing up for those unfairly discriminated against, and how they go about adjudicating complaints.

093: It's Elected Officials All the Way Down: The812 Digest for the Week of June 11 Jun 17, 2024

Our first two excerpts are from interviews with members of the Monroe County Council. We get thoughts about the problems with the county jail and developing a new so-called justice system in the county from at-large member Cheryl Munson and District 4 member Jennifer Crossley. In the second half, we welcomed back at-large Bloomington city councilmember Matt Flaherty to discuss the need for a version 2.0 of the city's Climate Action Plan. Then at-large member Isak Asare, who agreed to come back on to the show only if he could usurp the host's role and put him in the guest chair. His wish was granted, and he to ask Steve Volan about issues from his time on city council.

092: Jennifer Crossley, Monroe County Councilmember (D.4) Jun 14, 2024

Our guest today is Jennifer Crossley. She's been the 4th District representative to the Monroe County Council since December 2021, when she was elected in a Democratic Party caucus to replace Eric Spoonmore, who resigned to become president of the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce. When she took office, she resigned her position as chair of the Monroe County Democratic Party. She won election to her seat in 2022. She also serves as a Deputy City Clerk in Bloomington, so her knowledge of the community is broad and multifaceted.
She talks about the Council's primary task of budgeting, the learning curve she had when she was caucused into the job in late 2021, and we get into the question of the jail and the future of the county justice system, among other topics.

091: We Pass The Gavel...to Councilmember Isak Asare Jun 13, 2024

Steve Volan passes the gavel and his hosting duties to at large councilmember Isak Asare, who was not satisfied with his first appearance on this show, and insisted -- insisted! -- on grilling your humble interlocutor about his time on city council. If you heard that original interview, or you've met the man in person, the force of his charm and irrepressible wit rendered Steve helpless to object.
And so, we're trying a new segment called Pass the Gavel, where the guest becomes the host and gets to ask the questions. So be it! (Hint: there's talk of history, parking, and chess.) Decide for yourself how it turned out.

090: Councilmember Matt Flaherty, on Bloomington's Climate Action Plan Jun 12, 2024

Matt Flaherty is an at-large member of the Bloomington City Council in his second term. One of his strongest concerns as a candidate and officeholder is climate change. He's been an avid participant in the discussions about local responses to climate change, and a close reader of the city's Climate Action Plan. We invited him back to discuss and review the Plan -- has it has the desired impact? Is it going to? We talk climate action in Bloomington in today's interview.
Some helpful links to documents mentioned in today's show:
Bloomington's Climate Action Dashboard
City of Bloomington Climate Action Plan (2021)
2018 Bloomington Sustainability Action Plan

089: Cheryl Munson, County Council At Large Jun 11, 2024

Today's show features county councilmember Cheryl Munson, who's running for her fourth term. She is also an archaeologist (emerita) from IU Bloomington, who has done research here in the state of Indiana. We dig up her opinions on salaries, public safety, the convention center, and more.

088: The Ball Is in His Court, and Her Court, and Your Host's Court: The812 Digest for the Week of June 4 Jun 10, 2024

On today’s digest, a current-events discussion, the county judicial system, and more about the campus in our city’s midst:

Lucas Gonzalez, on the big issues he’s been covering for WFIU News;
Judge Catherine Stafford on how the county’s circuit court works;
Judge Stafford from another episode, on how the Eviction Protection Project has improved outcomes in the county; and
another excerpt from Steve Volan's Doppelganger Cities, the public talk from last fall, on campuses and their relationship to so-called "third places.”

087: Judge Catherine Stafford, Part II: On Evictions, and Their Impact on the Community Jun 07, 2024

Today we explore why evictions are the whole community’s problem (hint: guess how many people currently experiencing homelessness lost their rented apartments?). We talk about it with Judge Catherine Stafford, one of two judges who handle evictions cases locally, and who was on the show yesterday to talk about the county judicial system in general. She talks with Steve Volan about the degree to which those evicted are students in a college town, how the eviction moratorium affected the county during the pandemic, and the local Eviction Prevention Project.

086: Judge Catherine Stafford, on how the Monroe County Circuit Court system works Jun 06, 2024

This show started by exploring Bloomington city government. But you're swimming in layers of local government. Recently we've expanded our scope to the other layers of government, like townships and the county council. This episode is our first crack at understanding the local judicial system.
Our guest today is Catherine Stafford. She's one of Monroe County's nine circuit court judges. She explains what local judges do and how they go about it. (Hint: a lot of what you see in those TV dramas are not really a thing...but you might be surprised at what things ARE a thing.)

085: The 812 Work Session with Lucas Gonzalez, City Government Reporter, WFIU News Jun 05, 2024

Interviews on this show are typically with decision and policy makers in Bloomington and Monroe County. But some people know a lot about the city and can explain the issues well, who may never have been elected or appointed officials. This is the latest entry in our occasional series that we call The 812 Work Session.
Today's Work Session guest is Lucas Gonzalez, the city government reporter for WFIU News. He talks with host Steve Volan about many current local issues, including the convention center, the Dunn Meadow protests and the city's Gaza ceasefire resolution, the Summit District decision, and more.

084: Doppelgänger City, Part 2: How Campuses Infantilize Students Jun 04, 2024

This episode is the second excerpt from a public talk Steve Volan gave last fall at the Collins Living-Learning Center in Bloomington, called "Doppelgänger Cities: A History of Campuses." The first excerpt was Episode 29 of The 812, posted February 23.
As you may know, Steve was a member of the city council here for the last 20 years, in a district that was almost entirely students at IU. After redistricting, more students than ever were drawn into District 6, and the district is now represented by a recent IU graduate of typical undergraduate age. (We recommend you go back and listen to our interview with Sydney Zulich in Episode 14, on February 2.)
While in that role, and to better come to terms with the state jurisdiction that had such great impact on his local jurisdiction, Steve authored a master's thesis looking into the origin of campuses. In Part 2, he weaves together the work of sociologist Ray Oldenberg and philosophers Michel Foucault and Giorgio Agamben to illustrate the problems created by the substitition of "campus" for a regular urban environment, and analyzes the problematic everyday vocabulary of the campus that infantilizes the people it's supposed to serve.

083: How to Run Things: The812 Digest for the Week of May 28 Jun 03, 2024

Excerpts from recent interviews include county council at-large member and president Trent Deckard talks about leadership; county councilmember (D-2) Kate Wiltz talks about budgeting and the depth of county services; and Drew Bratton and Steve Versaw, board president and executive director (respectively) of BCT Management, Inc., the non-profit that runs the Buskirk-Chumley, the city's premier theatre.

082: Trent Deckard, Monroe County Council President, on the Study of Leadership May 30, 2024

Is a leader born or made? Is it nature... or nurture? This show won't answer that question definitively...but if anyone can answer that question, it's our guest today. Trent Deckard is the second of the three at-large members of the Monroe County Council to appear on the show, and this year is the council's president. He talks about running for office, current issues facing it, and leading the council. But he's not just a study in leadership -- he also studies leadership, which he's pursuing a PhD in. And we'll talk about that slogan on his yard signs -- Our Friend Trent Deckard -- and how people react to it.

081: Kate Wiltz, Monroe County Council (D. 2) May 30, 2024

We're plowing through a new landscape on the show: the wonderful world of county governance. Today we meet Kate Wiltz, the District 2 representative on the Monroe County Council. She talks about her district, explains the county budget process, some of her governing priorities, and how she decided to become a councilmember in the first place.

080: How the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre Survives As the City's Premier Performing Arts Venue May 29, 2024

Shakespeare needed his Globe Theatre; Bloomington needs its Buskirk-Chumley. The former Indiana Theatre is more than a century old, has been a publicly-owned 600-seat venue since the 1990s, and is still an eye-catching downtown landmark. How it got to be that way -- and how it survives -- are our topics today. Our guests are Steve Versaw and Drew Bratton, the executive director and the president of the board of directors, respectively, of BCT Management, Inc., the umbrella organization which runs the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre.

079: Lo[ca]l [Governments]-A-Palooza: The812 Digest for the Week of May 21 May 28, 2024

New to town, maybe? You deserve a gentle intro to the breadth of local governments. Note that we use the plural: this show is beginning to dig deeper into offices other than just within the city of Bloomington.
Today's episode is a good cross-section of what different local governments do. Along with a long-sought-after interview with city councilmember Dave Rollo, we venture beyond city limits to interview county councilmember Geoff McKim; the county's chief public defender, Michael Hunt; and Perry Township trustee Dan Combs.

078: Dan Combs, Perry Township Trustee, on the Phenomenon of Townships May 24, 2024

Townships are subdivisions of counties. Townships aren't much of a deal in most of the rest of the country, but it turns out that, in Indiana, they're still kind of a big deal. Monroe County is divided into 11 townships. Except for a couple of thousand people in Van Buren Township, and a couple of dozen in Richland Township, the 80,000-plus residents of the city of Bloomington are split almost evenly between Bloomington and Perry Townships.
Our guest today is Dan Combs, who's been the trustee of Perry Township since 1986. He explains what townships were for originally, what they're for now, and what he does on a daily basis as trustee. It's a crash course on the least-understood form of government you're subject to.

077: Dave Rollo, City Councilmember (D-4) May 23, 2024

The 812 has finally landed its interview with the elusive Dave Rollo, the senior member of the Bloomington city council. In this wide-ranging interview we discuss the carrying capacity of the city in light of the approval of the enormous new Summit District, as well as greenways, urban deer, and more.

076: Michael Hunt, Monroe County’s Chief Public Defender May 22, 2024

We're starting to invite guests beyond the humble municipality of Bloomington; we're expanding to the humble county of Monroe, to meet some of the people who make the county tick.
The Sixth and 14th Amendments to the Constitution guarantee the fundamental right of the accused to counsel regardless of their ability to pay. Today we meet the embodiment of that right in Monroe County.
Our guest, Michael Hunt, has been for the past 50 years the county's first and only chief public defender. We learn all about how the Public Defender's Office came to exist, how it works now, and how Monroe County has changed in the past half-century since he began in his role.

075: Geoff McKim, on How Monroe County Government Works May 21, 2024

The 812 is slowly expanding its horizons to include governments beyond the city of Bloomington. There are many people whom we’ve interviewed on this program for their knowledge and experience, yet no one is in a better situation to explain Monroe County than our guest today, Geoff McKim, who’s been a member of the county council since 2009 and is in his last year as a councilmember before retiring. (You may also recognize Geoff as one of the co-hosts of Plateia Media’s first experimental podcast, What’s the 311, a show about local government across America generally. ) He explains and demystifies the unusual form of local government that Indiana practices in its counties, and compares it with townships and cities like Bloomington. It's a useful explainer you won't want to miss.

074: Different Ways That Money Flows through Local Government: Digest for the Week of May 14 May 20, 2024

We look back at recent interviews, whose unifying theme seems to be money and how it flows throughout government. Excerpts from last week include:

The mechanics of how the legislative process in the Statehouse works, with Indiana’s Own Dana Black, host of the Turn Left podcast
the advent of a new organization that tries to pair up worthy projects with mission-based lenders, with the leader of that organization, John Zody, executive director of CDFI-Friendly Bloomington;
new City Controller Jessica McClellan on the city budget process and how radically different it is from the county budget process; and
Senior Transportation Planner Pat Martin, on how local road projects come into existence through the financial review filter known as the Metropolitan Planning Organization.

073: Understanding the MPO with Pat Martin, Senior Transportation Planner May 17, 2024

How do city road projects get funded? Oftentimes, they're a mix of local, state and (a lot of) federal dollars/ If you've ever wondered why road projects take a long time to come to fruition, today we explore the filter through which those federal dollars flow.
Bloomington is the center of a metropolitan area. Metropolitan areas, especially ones that cross state lines, get special consideration from the federal government for highway, road, public transit and other federal transportation money. A Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is an interjurisdictional body created by federal mandate to oversee the spending of federal dollars on local transportation projects.
Our guest today is Pat Martin. He's the Senior Transportation Planner for the City of Bloomington, but really, his main job is to lead, guide and direct the local MPO. He guides us through this motley entity -- an unelected body made up entirely of people elected or appointed by others -- and helps us understand the vagaries of transportation planning.

072: Indiana's Own Dana Black, Explaining the Statehouse' Impact on Cities May 16, 2024

On this show about local government, we're thinking today about the state, and how it affects local government. Dana Black is host of the Turn Left podcast and an inveterate watcher of the Indiana General Assembly. We discuss topics like home rule, annexation, the regulation of rentals, and other legislation that has impacted cities like Bloomington.
Dissecting bills and engaging directly with representatives and their aides, particularly during the summer sessions when legislators are more available, is more easily done when people group together. Black also tells us about the mechanisms by which local citizens can influence state policy -- strategies for lobbying and working with legislators, and the importance of organizing locally to address state-level decisions.

071: Jessica McClellan, City Controller, Follows the Money May 15, 2024

Jessica McClellan recently left her job as the elected Monroe County Treasurer to join the new Thomson administration as the City of Bloomington's new Controller. In short, no one has followed more money than her. She explains the byzantine process of municipal budgeting and compares it with her previous experience.

070: John Zody, on Housing and Community Investing [CORRECTED] May 14, 2024

[EPISODE CORRECTED. Enjoy this episode as it was meant to sound!]
Our guest today is John Zody. He's the executive director of CDFI-Friendly Bloomington. Community deveopment financial institutions, or CDFIs, are lenders with missions. CFB connects the dots between mission-based lenders and projects that need special kinds of non-standard funding, that may not be able to get funding through regular commercial banks.
We also talk with him about his role as the most recent director of the City of Bloomington's HAND department, where he oversaw the city's rental-inspection program, its relationships with neighborhoods, and its historic preservation program.

069: Historic Preservation, A Safe and Civil City, and How to Start a Festival -- The812 Digest May 13, 2024

The812 is back from its hiatus! To get you reacclimated, it's a Monday-digest addition of the week of interviews from before our mid-April hiatus. We'll hear excerpts from interviews with:

Noah Sandweiss, the city's Historic Preservation Program Manager
Shatoyia Moss, the city's Safe and Civil City Director
and Mat Alano-Martin, stand-up comedian and co-founder of the Limestone Comedy Festival, about how it started and how the city helped

Improvements coming to the show, starting tomorrow...be sure to subscribe wherever you get podcasts!

068: Noah Sandweiss, the City's Historic Preservation Program Manager Apr 19, 2024

How does a building get declared "historic"? Who decides what should be saved or not? We find out some of the answers today, from the guy who sets up the questions. Noah Sandweiss is the new program manager for historic preservation for the city. In our interview, he unpacks the portfolio he's charged with, which includes working with federal and stage agencies, reviewing and preparing for presentation cases to be considered by the local Historic Preservation Commission, and his background that led him to the job.
With this episode, the show goes on hiatus. We return with new shows May 13.

067: Shatoyia Moss, Bloomington's Safe and Civil City Director Apr 18, 2024

How does a community deal with issues that aren't obviously the business of a city government? Cultural issues can overwhelm even the most well-intentioned administration. What does it take to keep a city peaceful beyond law or code enforcement?
Our guest is Shatoyia Moss, the Safe and Civil City Director for the City of Bloomington, who works in the Community and Family Resources Department. She talks today about her job helping the city and its residents navigate issues that don't have ready solutions available, that can't be solved bt patching a pothole, issues that can result in protests. She also talks a little about child care...while her infant son tries to horn in on the conversation.

066: Mat Alano-Martin, Co-Founder of the Limestone Comedy Festival Apr 17, 2024

Mat Alano-Martin is a professional stand-up comedian who got his start at the city's first comedy club, the Comedy Attic. In 2013, he and the owner of the club, Jared Thompson, created the Limestone Comedy Festival, which is now entering its eleventh year. We learn from Mat what it takes to launch a comedy festival, and how Bloomington helped nurture it through advice from the city and the convention and visitors' bureau.

065: The Lineup for Tuesday, April 16 Apr 16, 2024

Our planned guest fell through for today (it wasn't Dave Rollo...but it could've been you, Dave). We're presenting the Lineup of public meetings happening in City Hall today on its own. Full episodes coming the rest of this week.

064: The Digest for the Week of April 9: Children and Homelessness; Sustainability and Economic Development; Greenways and Protected Bike Lanes Apr 15, 2024

After the eclipse hubbub died down, we interviewed several interesting people. On today's highlights from last week's interviews, clips from:

Emily Pike, director of New Hope, the only shelter in the county for families experiencing homelessness;
lex Crowley, the city's former director of ESD; and
Hank Duncan, the city's bike and ped coordinator.

(Dave Rollo Watch: 64 Days and Counting)

063: The 812 Overtime -- More about Public Buses and Public Banking Apr 12, 2024

Today's episode is not just one, but two doses of The 812 Overtime, extra segments recorded for us by recent guests who just had too many interesting insights for us to fit into our regular half-hour interviews. It's a couple of good, deep dives into local government.
Our first Overtime interview we made back in March with John Connell about Bloomington Transit, where he's the general manager. In this segment, he tells us about the Bus Rapid Transit line coming to Bloomington and how it'll be different from a similar service in Indianapolis. He also talks about the difference between BT and Rural Transit, and the key metric the federal government uses to define who can serve where: the so-called "urbanized area" around Bloomington.
In the second Overtime segment, made last week, we had Alex Crowley on to talk mostly about his time as director of ESD at the city of Bloomington. In this segment, we learn more about how the Indiana Energy Independence Fund, where he's been the Executive Director since last August, will get itself off the ground. He also compares "green banks" like his new organization to community development financial institutions, or CDFIs, which are regulated like banks, and compares their public-oriented missions. First, he goes into more detail about direct pay, a new benefit to not-for-profit organizations that compares favorably to tax credits.

062: Hank Duncan, City Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator, on People Who Walk and Roll Apr 11, 2024

Hank Duncan, who works in the city's Planning and Transportation Department, is the city's Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator. He explains his role in how pedestrians, cyclists, scooter users, wheelchair users, stroller-pushers and more get around town. We discuss protected bike lanes, sidepaths, sidewalks, greenways, curb cuts and more.

061: Alex Crowley of the Indiana Energy Independence Fund: On Economic and Sustainable Development Apr 10, 2024

From 2016 to 2023, Alex Crowley served in the Hamilton administration as Bloomington's director of Economic and Sustainable Development. Since last summer, his new role is as executive director of the new Indiana Energy Independence Fund. In the second half of the show, he'll explain what a "green bank" is and his new job running one. In the first half, though, he talks about his time with the city.

060: Emily Pike, Director of New Hope for Families, on Children Who Are Homeless Apr 09, 2024

How much do you really know about the typical homeless person? Are you sure, or are you just making assumptions? Homelessness among children, for example, is a significant thing. Our guest today is Emily Pike, the executive director of New Hope for Families, the only shelter in Monroe County dedicated to helping children under the age of 18 experiencing homelessness, and the parents or guardians who come with them.

059: Eclipse Clips -- How Bloomington's Preparing and Celebrating the Big Event Apr 05, 2024

To everyone visiting Bloomington, and about to make Monday the largest tourism event in the city's history, this episode is for you.
The 812 podcast is all about explaining how the city of Bloomington works. In the first half of today's episode, we talk with

Michael Large from the Public Works Department
John Connell, general manager of Bloomington Transit, and
Tim Street, the city's new Parks and Recreation Director.

Each of them shares what they and their departments are doing about, or for, the eclipse.
In the second half, we highlight excerpts from our interview with Prof. Catie Pilachowski, chair of the IU Astronomy Department, to put the eclipse into celestial and personal perspective. She also talks about many of the programs happening this weekend on campus and in town, from Science Fest this Saturday in IU's Old Crescent to the many activities on Monday, April 8.

058: Michael Large, Public Works, on Trash and Infrastructure Apr 04, 2024

When you hear the words "public" and "works"... what do you think of first? Potholes, maybe? Street paving? Yeah, that's not uncommon. But it definitely depends on the city you're in. In Bloomington, Public Works does everything from animal control to sanitation. Michael Large, the Operations Manager for the city's Public Works department, lays it all out for us, and surprises host Steve Volan more than once along the way.

057: Catie Pilachowski, Chair of the IU Astronomy Department Apr 03, 2024

Professor Pilachowski, Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, and the Daniel Kirkwood Chair of the Astronomy Department at Indiana University, has been planning for Bloomington's April 8 eclipse for many years. She talks about its significance astronomically, its impact on people locally, her career in astronomy, and shares the plethora of activities her department and IU generally have in store from Saturday through Monday.

056: Tim Street, Director of Parks & Recreation Apr 02, 2024

Our guest today is new director of Bloomington Parks & Recreation, Tim Street -- and not once...not ONCE was the word "pickleball" mentioned. But he talks with host Steve Volan about the breadth of city parks issues, including the remediation of invasive trees, the state of the Farmers' Market, programs they're sponsoring for the coming eclipse, and how he feels about the Amy Poehler sitcom "Parks & Rec".

055: The Digest for March 26: On Water, Public Transit, and Food Trucks Apr 01, 2024

A look back at interviews The 812 has conducted with:

Communications Director Holly McLauchlin of City of Bloomington Utilities, about how the local water works works:
General Manager John Connell of Bloomington Transit, about how the local system of busses is so bussin'
and Jordan Davis, host of the No Dishes podcast about the local restaurant scene, and Operations Manager for the Chocolate Moose local ice cream shops chain.

(PS: No, this is not Radiolab. But Jad Abumrad is in town this week!)

054: John Connell, General Manager of Bloomington Transit Mar 29, 2024

BT General Manager John Connell gives The 812 an overview of the state's busiest bus system per capita, its scope, how it works, and what's next for public transit in Bloomington, including an update on the Green Line, soon to be the city's first bus rapid transit line.

053 (006): Encore Presentation -- Matt Flaherty, Councilmember At Large Mar 28, 2024

After the Lineup for Thursday, March 28, we revisit our interview with At-Large Councilmember Matt Flaherty, recorded in January. He discusses how the city can take significant climate action and decarbonization by rethinking policies on development, utilities and parking.

052: Jordan Davis, Host of the No Dishes podcast, on the City's Restaurant Scene Mar 27, 2024

Our guest today is Jordan Davis, director of operations at the Chocolate Moose. He's also host of the No Dishes podcast which is all about the local restaurant scene, and a board member for Visit Bloomington, the local convention and visitors' bureau. Among other things, we talk about his career in food service, the Chocolate Moose's history, the growth of food trucks in Bloomington, and the logistics of putting on the popular local event known as Food Truck Friday. (As part of the cultural exchange, The 812 will come to No Dishes in May.)

051: Holly McLauchlin, Communications Director for City of Bloomington Utilities, on How Our Water is Managed Mar 26, 2024

Water, water everywhere, but every drop you drink, dear city dweller, is cleaned somehow. Who delivers -- and takes away -- your water? We talk with Holly McLauchlin, the communications director for City of Bloomington Utilities. She'll explain the ginormous operation that provides us drinking water, carries off and cleans our wastewater, and disperses our stormwater. Topics include the prospect of a new headquarters facility at Winston-Thomas, what "MS4" is, and the downtown "Hidden River" project.

050: On the Mindset of Candidates, and the Local Media Landscape: The 812 Digest for the Week of March 19 Mar 25, 2024

On this Digest episode we look back at people whom we've interviewed to explore how they became candidates. We'll hear segments from former fire chief Jason Moore and now-city councilmember Courtney Daily about their origin stories, and a longer look at how Jonas Schrodt, who ran last year for an at-large seat and whom we interviewed last week, found his hat thrown into the ring.
In the second half, we'll hear an excerpt from our interview with Mike Leonard, the city's last preeminent opinion columnist, and his assessment of the decline of his former employer, the Herald-Times daily newspaper. Finally, I'll share a personal reminiscence of Peter LoPilato, the late publisher of The Ryder Magazine and purveyor of The Ryder Film Series, which showed well-curated arthouse movies at venues all over the city.

049: No Show Today Mar 22, 2024

Sorry, Bloomington! No public meetings to promote and all our guest prospects fell through. We'll be back with a full schedule next week.

048: Jonas Schrodt: The Candidate's Tale Mar 21, 2024

What it's like to run for local political office for the first time? What motivates people to run, and how does a campaign make affect a candidate's self-esteem? Our guest today is Jonas Schrodt, the local stand-up comedian and winemaker who ran among six other candidates for one of three at-large seats on the city council last year. We do a post-mortem on his candidacy, exploring his experience as someone running for office for the first time, as a voice for a new generation of local voters, and the highest vote-getter of any openly gay candidate to date in city election history.

047: The 812 Work Session with Mike Leonard, former columnist for the Herald-Times Mar 20, 2024

So far on this show, our interviews have been with decision and policy makers in the city of Bloomington. But there are some people who know a lot about the city, and can explain the issues well, who may never have been elected or appointed officials. Today we debut a new occasional feature: The 812 Work Session.
Mike Leonard was the primary columnist at the Herald-Times newspaper from 1985-2013, when he retired; before that, he was a beat reporter for the paper starting in 1979. He's also a 20-year board member and former president of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. Host Steve Volan talks with Mike about his career at the Herald-Times; they then turn to the state of local news, the growth of the city in his time here, and the passing of the publisher of The Ryder magazine and film series, Peter LoPilato.

046 (002): Encore Presentation: Nicole Bolden, City Clerk Mar 19, 2024

The 812 is still re-tooling post-spring break. Today's Lineup of public meetings is fresh for March 19, but please enjoy this encore presentation of our interview with City Clerk Nicole Bolden, originally recorded in January.

045: Digest for the Week of March 5: The Economic Development Episode Mar 18, 2024

On this digest episode, we hear excerpts from interviews all about the local economy, including:

Jane Kupersmith, director of the city's Economic and Sustainable Development department;
Jennifer Pearl, president of the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation;
Mike McAfee, director of Visit Bloomington, the Monroe County Convention and Visitors' Bureau; and
Isak Asare, the newest at-large city councilmember.

044: The 812 Overtime: Isak Asare on Rules of Order Mar 15, 2024

This bonus mini-episode is our first extended interview, in a week when we otherwise have no programming planned. In this inaugural version of The 812 Overtime, Isak Asare, the raconteur city councilmember who stole the show last week, stuck with us for another round of conversation. In this surprisingly serious segment, we talk about the rules of order for meetings, how they came to be, how they can and have been used as tools of exclusion, and how the city might rethink its processes.

043: The Lineup for Thursday, March 14 (Happy Pi Day!) Mar 14, 2024

We're mostly off this week for Bloomington's spring break. Public meetings, however, are not off, so we're still filling out the Lineup to keep you up to date.
Also: Happy Pi Day! Celebrate with a local pizza (preferably a round one).

042: The Lineup for Wednesday, March 13 Mar 13, 2024

We're mostly off this week for Bloomington's spring break. Public meetings, however, are not off, so we're still filling out the Lineup to keep you up to date.

041: The Lineup for Tuesday, March 12 Mar 12, 2024

We're mostly off this week for Bloomington's spring break. Public meetings, however, are not off, so we're still filling out the Lineup to keep you up to date.

040: The Lineup for Monday, March 11 Mar 11, 2024

We're mostly off this week for Bloomington's spring break. Public meetings, however, are not off, so we're still filling out the Lineup to keep you up to date.

039: Mike McAfee, Director of VisitBloomington, on Eclipses, Conventions, and Tourism Mar 08, 2024

Our guest today is Mike McAfee, the director of VisitBloomington, otherwise known as the Monroe County Convention and Visitors Bureau. He'll talk about the CVB, how it's organized and funded, and how it promotes tourism and helps organize events.
He talks with Steve Volan about the importance of the Convention Center as a greeting card for the community and the potential economic benefits of attracting more visitors and events to the area on at off-peak weekday times if it were expanded to accommodate larger groups and events. They also talk about the April 8 eclipse, which will bring hundreds of thousands of people to the area, and preparations including safety measures, traffic management, and events to keep visitors entertained.
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After today's episode, The 812 will go into a kind of sleep mode during spring break to retool, as all schools in Bloomington, including IU, are off for the week. There will be Lineups each day, but full shows resume March 18.

038: Isak Asare, Councilmember (At Large) Mar 07, 2024

This one's a doozy. In our game of Pokemon Go City COuncilmember edition, we've landed one of the two most elusive creatures in the Bloomington legislature. But one of his powers is to turn the tables.
Today, the newest at-large member of the city council, Isak Asare, all but takes over the show, and the putative interviewer finds himself as often as not the interviewee. The conversation went so long The 812 has recorded its first Overtime segment. It'll be uploaded as a separate bonus episode.

037: Jennifer Pearl, President, Bloomington Economic Development Corporation, on Generating Jobs in an Era of Climate Change Mar 06, 2024

Economic development seems to be an emerging theme on this week's shows. Yesterday was about small business; today we'll talk about, well, bigger business. Our guest is Jennifer Pearl, the president of the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation. She'll explain what that is and how it fits into the overall landscape of local economic development, especially in the era of climate change and action to mitigate it.

036: Jane Kupersmith, Director of Economic and Sustainable Development Mar 05, 2024

"Economic development." What does that phrase mean, anyway? Is that, like, bringing factories to town? Don't we already have enough of an economy here? Today, you'll learn the spin that our fair city puts on this generic, if not clichéd, phrase. Our guest is Jane Kupersmith, the director of the city's Economic and Sustainable Development department. She'll walk us through the goals ESD has, how her department is structured, and a thing or two about the initiatives they're working on.

035: The812 Digest for the Week of February 27: A Snapshot of City Government Mar 04, 2024

In the first half of today's show, we look back at recent conversations we had with former corporation counsel Beth Cate and former director of planning & transportation Scott Robinson, both of whose tenures ended with Mayor Hamilton's administration on January 1, but whose perspectives are fresh enough for early 2024. In the second half, Gloria Howell, talks about being chair of the Dr. MLK Jr. Birthday Celebration Commission, and re-elected councilmember Kate Rosenbarger of the newly-redrawn district 2, covering roughly the northwest quadrant of the city, talks about her plans for the new term.

034: Scott Robinson, Former Director of Planning & Transportation Mar 01, 2024

How did the place where you are right now get built? Who built your home? When was it built, and why was it built in the size and shape that it is? Every place in Bloomington was developed...even that park you may be standing in the middle of, if that's where you happen to be listening to this. People can't just build willy-nilly any more...they have to follow certain rules the community has set up.
Our guest today is Scott Robinson. Today he begins a new job as the Community Development Director for the town of Timnith, CO. But he's our guest because he was the Director of Planning & Transportation for COB through most of the last term of the Hamilton administration which ended January 1. Before that, he worked in the Planning & Transportation Department as a planner or deputy director for more than 20 years. We talk with him about why there is a land-use planning office, about how planning works, to reflect on the work he did here, and what's on the horizon for the city's built environment.

033: Kate Rosenbarger, Councilmember (D2) -- Plus, Eclipse Day Prep Feb 29, 2024

Our guest is Kate Rosenbarger, the reelected member now serving the newly-redrawn District 2, which represents the northwest portion of the city including much of the downtown. She talks about her priorities for the term, her biggest focus being on transportation.
Happy Leap Day! The Lineup today (in the absence of meetings scheduled for City Hall) is a preview of Eclipse Day, April 8, and the facts reported about the many preparations being made for it by the Thomson administration. A synopsis of a report given at last night's Council meeting by Deputy Mayor Gretchen Knapp and Public Works Director Adam Wason.

032: Dr. Gloria Howell, Chair, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration Commission Feb 28, 2024

The city has dozens of boards and commissions, to contemplate big local issues and recommend or take action on them. What's it like to be on one...what's it like to chair one? Our guest is Dr. Gloria Howell. We learn about what the Dr. Martin Luthe King Jr. Birthday Celebration Commission does -- and it's more than just hosting the annual event in its name -- and what a city commission chair does. amd deals with.

031: Beth Cate, Former Corporation Counsel, on Defending a City Feb 27, 2024

Our guest today is Beth Cate. She was the Corporation Counsel for the City of Bloomington for the last two years of the Hamilton administration. She'll describe the nature of the job as the city's lead lawyer and, yes, counselor to the administration, and anticipate some issues that might face cities like ours in the near future.

030: The812 Digest for the Week of February 20 -- Austin, Bruce, Ruff Feb 26, 2024

In this week's digest episode, we look back at talks with Andy Ruff, the at large CM starting his sixth term on Council, amd Doug Bruce of the newly-formed CIB about the Convention Center. To start, though, we'll hear back from our interview with Matt Austin of the Bloomington Commission on Sustainability, about what the word "sustainability" means in theory and in practice.

029: Steve Volan, on the Doppelgänger City that is an American University Campus Feb 23, 2024

The show's host becomes the guest today. This episode is an excerpt from a public talk Steve Volan gave last October at the Collins Living-Learning Center in Bloomington. It was based on his Geography master's thesis called Gownsburg: The Campus as a Municipal Phenomenon. His theory in Gownsburg is that university campuses have all the traits of towns, yet are more like spooky replicas of towns. Hence the talk's title: "Doppelgänger Cities: A History of Campuses."
For a podcast all about city government policy, it was a matter of time before we had to address the separate jurisdiction within our jurisdiction, the Vatican inside our Rome. You're going to hear quite a bit about IU's campus, but really, today's show is more about where campuses in general came from. It's one episode you don't have to be a Bloomingtonian to appreciate, so tell your non-local friends to download this one.
(Also: we have an email address now! Send us your opinions to letters@the812show.org.)

028: Doug Bruce, Architect and Member of the Capital Improvements Board, on the Convention Center's Future Feb 22, 2024

Our guest today is Doug Bruce. He's the owner of Tabor/Bruce Architects. He's also a member of the newly-formed Capital Improvements Board, the joint city-county entity created to take responsibility for the County Convention Center and its management. The CIB's first meeting was Oct. 4. Steve Volan asks Bruce to comment on the present and speculate on the future of the Convention Center.
Bruce has a history of serving on local boards. He also discuss being the former vice-chair of the Historic Preservation Commission, where he was a member for 20 years. He also is a former member of Downtown Bloomington, Inc., a former president of Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. and a current member of the city's Parks Foundation board.

027: Matt Austin, Commission on Sustainability: On Chickens and Compost and What Sustainability Is Feb 21, 2024

Our guest is Matt Austin, a member of the Bloomington Commission on Sustainability ("BCOS", pronounced "bee-koss"). We talk about BCOS, compare it to the Environmental Commission, and talk about what BCOS is working on, including a composting program in the wake of the closing of EarthKeepers' composting program, and rethinking the chicken ordinance to allow people to keep even more hens. He also talks about urban and vertical farming, and his role as chair of the Citizens' Advisory Committee of the newly-renamed Waste Reduction District of Monroe County.

026: Andy Ruff, Councilmember (At-Large), on Bloomington Then and Now Feb 20, 2024

On today's show, we catch up with Andy Ruff, one of three at-large members of the city council and, even though he was off last term, is the Council's most senior member, first elected in 1999. In our interview he looks both forward to his return to Council and the goals he has for it, as well as backward to his first term, and to life as a townie.
Ruff is also a country musician in the tradition of the Bakersfield Sound and artists like Buck Owens. He's played for years with the local honky-tonk band the Dew Daddies. His son is touring up-and-comer Hank Ruff. He's also our first musical guest: he brought his guitar into our studio to play a little for us. Stay tuned at the end of this episode for a special bonus.

025: The 812 Digest for the Week of February 13 -- Krebbs & Whitmill, Wisler, Henry Feb 19, 2024

On this edition of The 812 Digest, we revisit conversations with:

Andrew Krebbs and Martha Whitmill of the Monroe County Humane Association, about it and other nonprofits help care for the local animal population;
Brad Wisler, president of the city Plan Commission, talking about the Commission's work and the advent of the Summit District project, the largest proposal in the city's history; and
David Henry, chair of the county Democratic Party, on the statutory process of replacing elected officials who leave office early through partisan caucuses.

We're now on Instagram! Follow us: @the812show

024: David Henry, Democratic Party Chair, on How Caucuses Work Feb 16, 2024

What happens when an elected official leaves office early? In many states, they hold a special election a few months later. Not in Indiana, though. In Indiana, the party whose candidate won the seat in an election holds a partisan caucus to elect someone new.
Our guest, David Henry, the chair of the Monroe County Democratic Party, has had to call for no fewer than four caucuses in the past year to replace elected officials or ballot candidates. Most recently, he had the responsibility to fix the date for the caucus that will elect the replacement for City District 5 Councilmember Shruti Rana, who resigned on February 7; that caucus will be held March 2. On today's show, we get into the statutory weeds about the conduct of these very unusual elections.

023: Brad Wisler, President, Plan Commission: How Buildings Get Built in Town Feb 15, 2024

Brad Wisler is the president of the Bloomington Plan Commission, now in his tenth year serving on that body. He also served as a member of the City Council for then-district 2, from 2005 through 2011. In today's show, Steve Volan (his former City Council colleague) asks him to unpack the complex process that anyone who wants to build a building in Bloomington must navigate. They also spell out the alphabet soup of planning-related acronyms like ADUs (accessory dwelling units), PUDs (planned unit developments, and the city code that rules it all, the UDO (a.k.a., the Unified Development Ordinance).

022: The 812 Primer, Lesson 2: The City's Departments Feb 14, 2024

The 812 Primer is designed to give you the background you need to fully enjoy the show. In Primer Lesson 1, we described Bloomington's "second-class" city status. In today's Lesson 2, we enumerate the various departments of the city overseen by its chief executive, the Mayor, and briefly describe what they do. The Lineup segment is pretty substantive today, because on this Valentine's Day, dear listener, we want you to know that you are loved.

021: The Monroe County Humane Association's Role in Animal Welfare in Bloomington Feb 13, 2024

We talk with Andrew Krebbs, the executive director, and Martha Whitmill, the development director, of the Monroe County Humane Association. We'll learn a little about MCHA's long history, and more about what they, the city of Bloomington, and other organizations do and don't do for the sake of animal welfare in the Bloomington area.

020: The 812 Digest for the Week of February 6 Feb 12, 2024

In this episode of The 812 Digest, we'll hear:

new councilmember Hopi Stosberg address an issue in her newly-drawn District 3: the ongoing assessment of the design College Avenue and Walnut Street called for in the city's Comprehensive Plan;
Gabe Gloden talk about forming a super-organization to save not only the missions of three performing-arts organizations, but the city-owned venue they all rely on that has proven difficult to maintain over the decades;
Beverly Calender-Anderson talk about the city department she runs, Community and Family Resources, and some of the many initiatives it oversees;
and Courtney Daily, a first-time candidate for public office and one of three candidates running in the upcoming Democratic Party caucus election to replace the recently retired Shruti Rana, talk about some of her ideas for city council.

019: Courtney Daily, Candidate (2 of 3) for the Council District 5 Vacancy Feb 09, 2024

Courtney Daily is the state co-lead for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, and chaired the Bloomington chapter for 3 years before that. She's also the second of three candidates for the District 5 seat who we've interviewed, along with Jason Moore. We've also invited Jenny Stevens to interview. Daily talks about her work with Moms Demand Action, her motives for running for City Council, and her thoughts on governing.

018: Gabe Gloden of Constellation Stage and Screen, on Rescuing a Public Venue Feb 08, 2024

Our guest today is Gabe Gloden, the managing director of Constellation Stage and Screen, the performing-arts superpower formed in 2022 out of three well-regarded organizations: Cardinal Stage, the Bloomington Playwrights' Project, and the Pigasus Institute which hosted the Bloomington Academy of Film and Theatre. A major reason for their Wonder-Triplet-power team-up was to take over ownership of the 1915 building that was the former City Hall, but since 1991 has been the John Waldron Arts Center, one of the primary performance venues in the city. The building was given back to the city twice in ten years by two different organizations who couldn't find a way to keep it afloat financially; we explore how Constellation is managing to do it. We hope you'll join us.

017: Hopi Stosberg, Councilmember (D3), on the Importance of Cities for Schools Feb 07, 2024

Our guest today is Hopi Stosberg, the latest in our series of interviews with members of the new city council. She represents the newly-drawn District 3, the northeast quadrant of the city. She talks about her priorities for the coming term, and explains why in her campaign last year she emphasized her experience with and the importance of local schools, even though they're overseen by a different elected body. She also talks about her new roles as council parliamentarian and as their representative to the City Plan Commission..

016: Beverly Calender-Anderson, the City's Chief Kindness Officer Feb 06, 2024

Kindness in the public realm, as it turns out, takes a lot of work to nurture. Today, we interview what you could call the city's chief kindness officer: Beverly Calender-Anderson, director of the city of Bloomington's Community and Family Resources Department. She's held the job for nine years and was the city's Safe and Civil City Director for nine years before that. She'll explain some of the myriad programs she oversees that help people get by, whether it's appealing to the city's human rights code when there's a violation, helping people in need downtown, or offering opportunities for people to volunteer in the community.

015: Gilmore, Brown, Zulich: A Digest of the Week of Jan. 29 Feb 05, 2024

We revisit interviews with the Rev. Forrest Gilmore, executive director of Beacon, Inc., about the challenge of fighting misconceptions and bias against people in extreme poverty; Laurence "Buff" Brown, who influenced changes in city transportation policy by bringing in the experts; and the new District 6 city councilmember Sydney Zulich, who talks about what her newly-drawn constituency, the vast majority of whom are students, want from the city.

014: Sydney Zulich, Councilmember (D6), on Youth and Politics Feb 02, 2024

Our guest is Sydney Zulich. She got her bachelor's degree after only three years at IU. At 21, she became the youngest-ever member of the Bloomington City Council last month, and (at least through next week when Councilmember Shruti Rana steps down after a very short tenure to take a job in another state) is a member of the first majority-female council in city history.
Zulich replaced Steve Volan, who interviews her today, in the District 6 seat on City Council. She shares her thoughts about how she handles being young in politics -- and people who have trouble with her youth. She also talks about issues she's begun working on, including increasing late-night public ride services to discourage drunk driving, and better access to housing data for the two-thirds of the city who rent.

013: Introducing The Primer...Lesson One: Bloomington as a Second-Class City Feb 01, 2024

We're taking a break today to retool. Instead of our usual full-length interview, we're starting an occasional segment called The Primer. We don't want to assume that you have all the background you need to fully enjoy the show. The Primer is designed to give you that background.
In Primer lesson one, you'll get background on what exactly it means for Bloomington to be a "second-class" city in the state of Indiana, including how its executive and legislative branches work. We also explore the city's population figure and the role its biggest neighborhood plays in that figure.

012: Buff Brown, Transportation Activist, in the Long Fight to Wean Bloomington from Cars Jan 31, 2024

Our guest, Lawrence "Buff" Brown, has been a transportation planner for 20 years, working with INDOT, IDEM, the Columbus, Indiana, MPO, and cities on the west coast. Buff's childhood experiences in Bloomington included being able to bike freely around town, which instilled in him a profound appreciation for accessible urban spaces. In the nineties this led him to involvement in transportation policy starting with the Citizens Advisory Committee of the Bloomington MPO, and then the Traffic Commission. In 2004, he founded Bloomington Transportation Options for People, or B-TOP, to champion sustainable transportation solutions for pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users, including by inviting academic experts to town to give public talks on transportation policy.

011: Rev. Forrest Gilmore, Executive Director, Beacon Inc. Jan 30, 2024

Rev. Forest Gilmore, an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister, is the Executive Director of Beacon Inc. He discusses the evolution of the organization from its origins as the Shalom Center, established in 1999 as a response to the lack of daytime resources for people experiencing homelessness, as it gradually expanded its services over the years, including hunger relief, case management support, an overnight shelter, permanent housing, and street outreach.
Gilmore dispels common misconceptions about homelessness, emphasizing that it primarily stems from housing issues rather than personal choice or lack of employment, and that housing is the fundamental solution to homelessness. Furthermore, he addresses the challenges of substance use disorders and mental health within the homeless population, while also discussing Beacon Inc.'s future plans, including a new facility aimed at centralizing and expanding their services to better serve the community.

010: The812's Digest for the Week of January 22 Jan 29, 2024

Selected clips of last week's conversations with: City Councilmember Matt Flaherty, City Human Rights Director Michael Shermis, former Fire Chief and now candidate for the open District 5 Council seat Jason Moore, and Charlotte Zietlow, who was the city's first-ever female council president in 1972.

009: Charlotte Zietlow: The City's First Female Council President Jan 26, 2024

Charlotte Zietlow is well-known in Bloomington and Monroe County for many reasons. This episode focuses her time on the Bloomington City Council in the early 1970s -- the subject of her second book, "1971: How We Won". She talks about how the previous council was unresponsive to public input and concerns, motivating her to run for office. She campaigned on issues like zoning changes and lack of transparency. By 1972, she was one of ten newly elected city officials who had swept all but one incumbent out of office.
As the new council president, she led reforms to open up government and increase public participation. The new council addressed a long backlog of issues through committees and initiatives focused on social services, infrastructure, and the environment. After one term, Charlotte decided not to run for reelection when she disagreed with the mayor on an issue, instead running for mayor herself.

008: Jason Moore, Candidate (1 of 3) for the Council District 5 Vacancy Jan 25, 2024

Shruti Rana recently resigned as the District 5 representative on the Bloomington City Council. barely two weeks after being sworn in, to take a job out of state. This episode is the first of three to meet the candidates running to replace her: Courtney Daily, Jason Moore, and Jenny Stevens. (Invitations have been extended to Daily, Stevens and Rana; we hope to have them on the show as soon as possible.)

Citing his background as Bloomington's most recent fire chief, Jason Moore discusses his motivation for running, his experience with city budgets and public safety issues and weighs in on key issues like economic development, homelessness, and quality of life concerns.

007: Michael Shermis, City Human Rights Director (Just One of Many Hats He Wears) Jan 24, 2024

This episode features an interview with Michael Shermis, the city's Human Rights Director. It's probably good that he likes wearing hats: he's also the the Special Projects Coordinator for the city's Community and Family Resources Department, which earned him titles like the city's ADA Coordinator and liaison to the Council for Community Accessibility, the South Central Community Action Project, and the Nonprofit Alliance. He investigates claims of discrimination, ensures compliance with accessibility laws, and acts as a liaison to various groups focused on issues like disability rights, transportation, economic stability, and digital accessibility.

006: Matt Flaherty, Councilmember (At-Large), on Climate-Smart Policies and Planning for the Future Jan 23, 2024

Councilmember Flaherty discusses climate action for the city through such projects as decarbonization through reduction of gas infrastructire, strategic use of the Redevelopment Commission, and encouragement of all-electric and sustainable construction of the city's built environment. He also takes on topics like planned unit developments, the Unified Development Ordinance, the Hopewell development project and his new roles on the Utilities Service Board and the Parking Commission this term.

005: Highlights of the Week's Interviews (aka The812 Digest) Jan 22, 2024

This episode provides an overview of The812, and its mission of explaining local government in Bloomington. We hear highlights of interviews with city council president Isabel Piedmont-Smith, city clerk Nicole Bolden, and council attorney/administrator Stephen Lucas; we also hear from Christopher Emge, from the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce.

004: Stephen Lucas, Attorney/Administrator of the City Council Jan 19, 2024

Our guest is Stephen Lucas, the attorney for and administrator of the Bloomington City Council. He'll talk about what it takes to organize and advise the city's primary legislative body, what it's like to have nine bosses, the life cycle of an ordinance, and how he herds the cats. Plus...it's time for FreezeFest!

003: Christopher Emge, Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce Jan 18, 2024

Our guest today is Christopher Emge. He works for the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce as its director of advocacy and public policy. He'll talk about what it's like to advocate for local businesses in a blue town in a red state.

002: Nicole Bolden, City Clerk Jan 17, 2024

We'll talk with Nicole Bolden about the Clerk's duties -- from tracking the legislative work of the city council, to adjudicating parking tickets, to marrying people. And we'll talk about the number of firsts she set, like being the city's first elected woman of color. Also on the show: a preview of the city council's first regular session tonight.

001: Isabel Piedmont-Smith, Councilmember (D-1) Jan 16, 2024

The inaugural episode introduces your humble host and lays out the case for The 812. Our first interview is with Isabel Piedmont-Smith, the newly-elected president of the Bloomington City Council.

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