![]() After almost two decades without a federal execution in the United States, President Donald Trump’s attorney general William Barr instructed the U.S. justice department to resume executions, which began in July of 2020. By the end of Trump’s presidency, 13 prisoners were executed--three times as many federal prisoners as in the previous six decades combined. During that six-month period, the WFIU News team went to the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, to report on each of the 13 prisoners and witness their executions in person. After the last prisoner was executed in January 2021, the WFIU News team continued their reporting. For two years, the team collected documents and interviewed sources connected to every execution carried out by the U.S. government since 2001. The result of this reporting is Rush to Kill—a new podcast series on the federal death penalty from WFIU Public Radio. Rush to Kill covers the stories of the 13 prisoners who were executed during President Trump’s last months in office, including Brandon Bernard, Alfred Bourgeois, Orlando Hall, Dustin Higgs, Dustin Honken, Corey Johnson, William LeCroy, Daniel Lee, Lezmond Mitchell, Lisa Montgomery, Keith Nelson, Wesley Purkey, and Christopher Vialva. The podcast also examines the cases of three other federal prisoners who were put to death in previous decades--Juan Garza, Louis Jones, and Timothy McVeigh.
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Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington will be a host location for Operation Safe Harbor: A Full-Scale Exercise in emergency preparedness on Thursday, October 19. Sponsors of the exercise include the American Red Cross of the Indiana Region, Ivy Tech Bloomington, Monroe County Emergency Management, Indiana Department of Homeland Security, and numerous other community partners and residents.
The exercise will provide participants with an opportunity to assess capabilities, plans, policies, and procedures. It will focus on decision-making, coordination, and integration with other jurisdictions and organizations during a tornado. The exercise will test the agency’s ability to provide mass care services such as sheltering and feeding as well as communicating and coordinating across agencies, and to collaboratively assess damage to impacted homes. Fifteen Indiana-based companies have been selected to participate in two local startup accelerator programs. The startups will participate in the gBETA Bloomington-Columbus or gBETA Main Street programs through national venture capital firm gener8tor. See below for more details on each company.
gBETA is a free accelerator program designed to set a path for startups to pursue investment and growth opportunities. Company leaders receive intensive concierge coaching and access to gener8tor's national network of mentors, customers, corporate partners and investors. gener8tor received more than 50 applications from across Indiana for the programs. The fifteen selected companies were chosen based on their growth potential and/or investor readiness. The gBETA Bloomington-Columbus program is made possible by a partnership with the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce and The Mill. “The partnership with gBETA has opened many doors for Columbus entrepreneurs, offering them access to a supportive network and community on a national level,” said Dan Nash, Director of Entrepreneurship at the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce. The Mill, Bloomington’s nonprofit center for entrepreneurship, today announced the winners of the Fall 2023 Crossroads Pitch Competition. Pocket won the pre-seed competition for its educational platform for beginning band and orchestra that utilizes Black gospel music as its instructional vehicle to engage students with a historically important genre. Integrate School, the winner of the seed competition, improves instructional quality and equity by allowing any teacher to easily create standards-based, curriculum-mapped lesson plans. Pocket will receive a $10,000 investment from Flywheel Fund. Integrate School will receive a $20,000 investment. The two winning startups also receive priority consideration to pitch at an upcoming Elevate Ventures event for further investment. The Pocket app gives beginning band and orchestra instructors access to a curated catalog of music, lesson plans, and pacing guides based on Black gospel music. This historical music, founder Charlie Edmonds said in her pitch, has deeply influenced American rock, hip hop, and contemporary music, and yet is radically underrepresented in music textbooks--a long-standing pain point of teachers and students. A former middle school band director, Edmonds saw other band instructors regularly expressing frustration in professional forums on the dearth of appropriate African-American content for their students. In Edmonds’ own school, band enrollment tripled when she expanded the curriculum to include relevant Black music. Apprisen, in partnership with United Way of South Central Indiana and Union Savings Bank, will help you achieve your dreams by providing you the information you need to own your first home:
Location: Zoom To learn more & register: http://bit.ly/3KJVF25 Each attendee will receive a HUD homebuyer certificate of completion at the end of the workshop. Attendees must attend both dates. Here’s our website that lists the same information also: https://www.monroeunitedway.org/HomebuyersWorkshop ![]() Members of Bloomington’s tech community joined together with civic and private sector leaders on Thursday, October 5, to celebrate a groundbreaking for the Trades District Tech Center. Due to inclement weather, the ceremony was held indoors across the street at The Mill, with a make-shift trough of dirt, hardhats, and nickel-plated shovels. The mood was festive as presenters shared the history of the project to date and the vision for its future. The Trades District Tech Center is a new, 22,000 square foot, sustainably designed building that will provide class A office space for Bloomington’s growing tech sector. The project is funded by a $3.5 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), and $9.3 million in matching funds from the City of Bloomington. The groundbreaking ceremony featured remarks from Pat East, Executive Director, The Mill; Larry Allen, Deputy Mayor, City of Bloomington; Sue Sgambelluri, President, Bloomington Common Council; Dianne Powell, Regional Director, US Senator Todd Young; Jennifer Pearl, President, Bloomington Economic Development Corporation (BEDC); and John Fernandez, Senior Vice President, The Mill. Bring your little ones to trick-or-treat on October 21st from 4pm-6pm at College Mall for the return of Mall-O-Ween. Plus, enjoy giveaways, photo opps and more.
Members of Bloomington’s tech community joined together with civic and private sector leaders to celebrate a groundbreaking for the Trades District Tech Center today.
The Trades District Tech Center is a new, 22,000 square foot, sustainably designed building that will provide much-needed office space for Bloomington’s growing tech sector. The project is funded in part by a $3.5 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), as well as matching funds from the City of Bloomington. “The Trades District Tech Center is a major investment in Bloomington’s future,” said Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton. “This new facility will provide much-needed office space for our growing tech sector, and it will help us to attract and retain top talent. We are grateful to the EDA for their support of this important project.” ![]() Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington is accepting applicants for the spring therapeutic massage training program. The short-term certification can be completed in 25 credit hours and courses are free with the state’s NextLevel Jobs grant for students who qualify. Classes begin Jan. 16, 2024. Graduates of the therapeutic massage program are prepared to sit for the state Massage and Bodywork Licensing Examination (MBLEx) and upon passing, will be qualified for employment. Licensed massage therapists are in-demand by local employers and work in wellness and healthcare communities, including spas, fitness centers, hospitals, clinics, chiropractor’s offices, hotels, and self-employment. For more information and to apply to the program, email [email protected] or call 812-330-6013. Ivy Tech Bloomington offers more than 40 career and four-year transfer programs, with courses that start multiple times per year for quick entry and graduation. To get started, apply for free online at ivytech.edu, call 812-330-6013, or email [email protected]. For information on free training programs at Ivy Tech Bloomington, visit ivytech.edu/bloomington/NLJ. |
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