The 812

• 181 [S3E28]: The Taste of Bloomington Returns, Says Jordan Davis of the Chocolate Moose

  Even before they make the formal announcement later this morning, we have details on the official revival of the Taste of Bloomington, the summer celebration of this city's bustling local restaurant scene that happened for 35 years before the pandemic said we couldn't have nice things.Anyway, the Taste is back -- for at least one year, anyway -- courtesy of the Chocolate Moose. It's moving from its longtime home in the parking lot at City Hall to all five blocks of East Kirkwood Avenue, and it's moving from June to August. And: for the first time, admission will be free.How do we know all this? Jordan Davis, who last appeared on this show a year ago to talk about his very popular No Dishes podcast, happens to be the director of operations for the Moose, and he's leading the charge to reestablish Taste by reinventing it. And the plans are intriguing to say the least.(The previously scheduled interview with Devta Kidd and Stephen Hale about the coming Trashion Refashion Runway Show will air Wednesday.)Support the showA production of Plateia Media ©2024-5. All rights reserved.

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• 180 [S3E27]: Andrea "De" de la Rosa on Managing the Bloomington Urban Enterprize Zone

  We talk about the Bloomington Urban Enterprise Association. It's run by a city board of directors appointed by mayor and council. The BUEA oversees the city's Urban Enterprise Zone. Businesses and residents of the Zone can benefit tax-wise from the Enterprise Zone's Investment Deduction; revenue from the EZID generates a pot of money in the mid-six-figures annually. Someone has to figure out how to distribute each year -- which is harder than it sounds.Andrea "De" de la Rosa is our guest today. We learn some of the finer points about the BUEA, and talk about her role working with small businesses, as she's both the executive director of the BUEA and the Assistant Director for Small Business Relations and Development in the city's department of Economic and Sustainable Development. Support the showA production of Plateia Media ©2024-5. All rights reserved.

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• 179 [S3E26]: How Court-Appointed Special Advocates Go to Bat for Children in Need

  A person who advocates in court for those who can't for themselves is known as a guardian ad litem. But there's an even greater need for children who have suffered abuse and/or neglect and find themselves lost in the justice system. Every state except North Dakota has court-appointed special advocates, or "CASAs" for short. Despite being an integral part of the local justice system, Monroe County's CASA system [is not funded by] gets only partial funding from county government; it became a nonprofit more than 40 years ago. Our guest today, Tia Arthur, is the executive director of Monroe County CASA. She and a dozen employees and a hundred volunteers provide advocacy for more than 75 cases serving more than 200 children in the justice system through no fault of their own. But another [50] 60 are on the waitlist for a CASA. Arthur talks about the need for CASAs, what the intensive training requirements and challenges are like...and what it's like for a CASA to have to name an infant! But they also  the local nonprofit manages related programs, like their Child Visit Monitor program, for people with less time to volunteer but still want to help.UPDATE March 28: Monroe County CASA reached out with corrections to the figures they gave us in this episode. It's more than 200 children being served by CASA through 75 cases, and almost 60 children who are on their waiting list for an advocate. Also, while the nonprofit organization is indeed not a county agency, they do receive some county funds, which they're grateful for. [Corrections made above via boldface and brackets. Support the showA production of Plateia Media ©2024-5. All rights reserved.

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• 178 [S3E25]: The Lake Monroe Water Fund: Raising Money to Protect Bloomington's Watershed

  Today we're talking specifically about a topic that could take several episodes to discuss: the primary source of drinking water in metropolitan Bloomington. The reservoir commonly known as Lake Monroe is the largest body of water inside the state of Indiana. It was the state's idea to put a university in the middle of nowhere in 1818, and the city that grew up around it was always in danger of losing the university to Indianapolis because of the lack of water. We outgrew Lake Griffy, then Lake Lemon. When the Army Corps of Engineers built Lake Monroe 60 years ago, it solved once and for all what had been Bloomington's existential problem since its founding in a place without a ready water supply. Our guests today are from the Lake Monroe Water Fund: Michelle Cohen is the executive director; Jane Martin is president of its board. Formed less than five years ago, their primary mission is to raise money for shovel-ready projects that help the lake: related to protecting the forests around it, helping farms run less fertiilizer off into it, and even helping homeowners with septic systems to prevent runoff. Support the showA production of Plateia Media ©2024-5. All rights reserved.

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• 177 [S3E24]: The 812 Work Session with Herald-Times News Director Jill Bond

  We continue our series of Work Sessions — interviews with members of the local media discussing issues involving local government — today with Jill Bond, News Director and Editor of the Bloomington Herald-Times newspaper. We ask about her editing philosophy (which she just gave a TEDxIU talk about). Then we dive into some of the big issues the city's paper of record has been tackling lately, including ambulance service in Monroe County, the Monroe County Community School Corporation's need to downsize, and the current state of the city annexation lawsuit. Today's Last Pitch is about the Mayor's recent decision to appeal the decision on that annexation lawsuit to the Indiana Supreme Court.Support the showA production of Plateia Media ©2024-5. All rights reserved.

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