#2 IUWBB defeats #5 Iowa in front of record crowd at Assembly Hall
Grace Berger leads the Hoosiers to victory over #5 Iowa on Thursday evening at Assembly Hall. 13,046 came out to cheer Indiana onto their 23rd win for the season and the 7th time the Hoosiers have defeated a nationally ranked team, the second Top 5 team. Last night’s attendance was record-breaking for Women’s Basketball at the Hall, bringing in even more than the 13,007 that came out to watch IUWBB win the WNIT Championship in 2018. And, Hoosier Nation was electric for all 40 on court minutes of the 87-78 Hoosier win.
Berger facilitated the win with her leadership and effectiveness on the court, scoring 26 points, bringing down 9 rebounds, and providing 65 assists. Mackenzie Holmes added 24 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals. Chloe Moore McNeil added 11 points and was 8-8 from the free throw line. Sydney Parrish scored 9 points and Yarden Garzon added 8 points. Both Parrish and Garzon fouled out in the 4th quarter.
Indiana (23-1 / 13-1) is now in sole, first place in the Big Ten Conference and will head to Columbus to take on #13 Ohio State on Monday.
Bloomington announces new $100,000 down payment housing program for sworn Police and Fire
At the 7th Annual Bloomington Public Safety Report, Mayor John Hamilton announced a new $100,000 no-interest down payment assistance program for up to 10 police officers and 10 firefighters as an incentive to live in the city of Bloomington. Commencing immediately, the pilot housing program is the only such program known to exist in the country. After 10 years, participants will realize $100,000 in home equity.
The program will be funded with a combination of one-time American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds as well as ongoing annual budgets from the Bloomington Police Department (BPD) and Bloomington Fire Department (BFD). The City is collaborating with local banks and financial institutions to implement the program, which can be combined with any external homebuyer supports.
The housing incentive is part of a larger local effort to attract and retain vital public safety providers. Additional incentives were announced in 2022 (https://bton.in/~28-s), including signing bonuses, rental/down payment assistance, and take-home patrol vehicles for police; and rental/down payment assistance for firefighters (https://bton.in/aG3KI).
Also during the meeting, Bloomington Police Chief Mike Diekhoff reported a 1% reduction in overall crime in 2022 and cited a decrease in robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and theft. However, violent crime increased by 5.8%, and the number of crimes involving firearms continued to rise.
Attorney General Todd Rokita sues ATF to protect Hoosiers’ gun rights
Attorney General Todd Rokita has sued the Biden administration to challenge a recent rule by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) that he alleges, infringes on Hoosiers’ gun rights. Specifically, the new ATF rule treats pistols equipped with stabilizing braces as short-barreled rifles subject to federal regulation. In a release, Rokita claims that this policy contradicts more than a decade of agency practice, during which the ATF repeatedly assured manufacturers and the public that attaching a stabilizing brace to a pistol would not alter its regulatory or statutory classification. Individuals with disabilities often rely on stabilizing braces to use their pistols. Others who benefit from the devices are those with below-average physical strength and beginners learning to use firearms.
The new federal regulations require anyone using pistols with stabilizing braces to provide their fingerprints to the ATF, be registered in a federal database and pay applicable taxes, among other things. In addition to Indiana, 24 other states and various private businesses and individuals have joined in this lawsuit against the Biden administration.
This Week in Hoosier History
1992 – A Kentucky National Guard C-130 transport plane crashed into buildings housing Drury Inn and JoJo’s Restaurant on the north side of Evansville. All five in the plane died along with eleven others on the ground.
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