Bloomington restricts turns on red at downtown intersections
The Bloomington City Council has unanimously passed a bill which will significantly restrict motorists driving through Downtown. The Ordinance will restrict vehicles from completing both right hand turns on a red light and left hand turns on red onto one way streets. The new law impacts a significant area of downtown, specifically around the square and IU’s campus. The estimated cost for signage is around $9,000, and the purpose of this new legislation is allegedly to provide safer roadways for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Bill to eliminate handgun permit blocked by Indiana Senate
The Indiana Senate is blocking a bill that would repeal the state’s permit requirement for carrying a handgun in public. The proposal coasted through the House, but Senate leaders have decided against taking up the bill based on feedback provided by the Indiana State Police superintendent, the state police chiefs association, and the Indiana Fraternal Order of Police. Instead, the Senate will support eliminating the $75 fee for a lifetime permit after the Legislature eliminated the state’s five-year permit fee in a 2019 bill.
Supreme Court denies petition of John Meyers
The man convicted of killing Jill Behrman, who was an Indiana University student and Bloomington resident, will stay in prison following a ruling by the United States Supreme Court. In 2006, John Myers was convicted of murder in connection with Behrman’s death and sentenced to 65 years behind bars. Last year, a U.S. District court ordered a new trial for Myers, ruling he had received inadequate representation from his attorneys. A ruling by the seventh circuit Court of Appeals in August 2020 reversed that decision. The Supreme Court denied Myers’ petition, and he will remain at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City until his release, which may be as early as June 2037. Behrman grew up in Bloomington. She was 19 when she disappeared on a bike ride in May of 2000.