The 812 - Steve Volan / Plateia Media

Latest Episodes:

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

Show notes

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".

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

Show notes

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!)

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

Show notes

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.

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

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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.

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

Show notes

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.)

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

Show notes

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.

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

Show notes

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.

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049: No Show Today Mar 22, 2024

Show notes

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

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

Show notes

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.

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

Show notes

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.

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