A Dec. 1 public meeting and online survey are the next steps in the City of Bloomington's Digital Equity Strategic Plan. The city recently released a draft of the plan, which lays out a framework to improve internet accessibility and affordability for Bloomington residents.

A meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 1 starts at 6:30 p.m. via this Zoom link.

Click here to give feedback online.

Chamber CEO Erin Predmore addressed the impact of COVID-19 on the local business community during a Nov. 27 Noon Edition on WFIU. The segment also featured Jeff Meese of One World Enterprises and Efrat Feferman of the Monroe County United Way.

Predmore talked about efforts to support local businesses, including the Chamber's online holiday gift guide, which spotlights more than 100 shops and other businesses.

Click here to listen.

More than 100 items from Bloomington Chamber members are highlighted in our first annual 2020 Chamber Gift Guide, to help you shop local for the holidays. The guide is divided into 15 categories, including "For Bringing Home a Bit of Bloomington," "For the Fashionista" and "For Holiday Cheer." ​You can view the Chamber Gift Guide here.

Free downtown on-street parking will be available from Thanksgiving through Sunday, Nov. 29, and the city's public garages will offer free parking on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for Dec. 25-27 and Jan. 1-3. Click here for details.

In addition, parking will be free at certain Indiana University lots after 5 p.m. weekdays and all day Saturday and Sunday. This includes IU lots at 4th and Dunn, 6th and Dunn, and Poplars Garage.

A draft of Module 1 for Monroe County's County Development Ordinance (CDO) was reviewed at the Nov. 18 meeting of the Ordinance Review Committee. Module 1 focuses on administration, processes, subdivision control, and enforcement.

This project is being led by consultant McBride Dale Clarion. The ordinance is divided into three modules, which the county Plan Commission will review separately but approve as a whole, likely in 2021. The CDO will then move to the Monroe County Commissioners for approval.

Click here for information about the CDO process.

The Monroe County Board of Health announced new updates to its regulations related to the COVID-19 pandemic, to take effect at noon on Tuesday, Nov. 17.

In addition to the updates, the board announced that Monroe County will follow Gov. Eric Holcomb's Executive Order 20-48, but with added restrictions for each color-coded level. Those levels are based on the average of scores for these two metrics: 1) weekly number of cases per 100,000 residents, and 2) the 7-day positivity rate for all tests. As of the week of Nov. 16, Monroe County is in the Orange level.

Click here to read the new Monroe County Board of Health updates.

A draft of the City of Bloomington's Climate Action Plan has been released. It will be reviewed by the Bloomington Council's Climate Action & Resilience Committee at their Nov. 17 meeting.

The city hired paleBLUEdot as a consultant to help develop the plan. It lists goals in these eight categories: 1) transportation and land use, 2) energy and built environment, 3) waste management, 4) water and wastewater, 5) local food and agriculture, 6) health and safety, 7) greenspace and ecosystem health, and 8) climate economy.

The city is also asking for feedback on the draft plan. Click here to take a survey.

​Click here to read the draft Climate Action Plan.

Dawn Johnsen, an Indiana University law professor who is also married to Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton, was picked to be part of President-Elect Joe Biden's transition team.

Johnsen will serve on the Department of Justice agency review team, to review DoJ operations and plan for the upcoming transition of power. The 29-member team will also be responsible for reviewing the Federal Election Commission, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, the Commission on Civil Rights, the National Council on Disability, the U.S. Access Board, AbilityOne, the State Justice Institute and the Legal Services Organization.

Read an Indiana Public Media article about her appointment here.

State Senator Shelli Yoder (D) will be part of the Democratic Party's legislative leadership team in the 2021 Indiana General Assembly session.

Yoder, who was elected to her first Senate term on Nov. 3, will serve as the Democratic Party's assistant caucus chair in the Senate. She represents District 40, which covers Bloomington and most of Monroe County.

The General Assembly's Organization Day on Tuesday, Nov. 17 marks the official start of the upcoming session. 

The Mill has launched its Spark Business Plan Competition for entrepreneurs in south-central Indiana, with a cash prize of $2,500 going to the winner.

Pre-seed startups in the Bloomington and Columbus region are encouraged to apply by Dec. 4 with a 5-minute pitch video, an executive summary of their business plan, and a slide deck.

Entries will be reviewed by a panel of entrepreneurs and investors, and the top three and winner will be announced during a live Zoom event on Dec. 15. 

Click here for more information and to apply.