Nashville woman arrested after driving through Nashville supermarket, killing passenger
Emergency Services responded to the Brown County IGA on Hawthorne Drive around 11pm on Sunday, June 4 after 41 year-old Amanda Beaver drove her Chevy Trailblazer through the supermarket. Her passenger, 64 year-old Randal Darrell Duncan, died in the crash. Beaver was taken to IU Health-Bloomington before being released to the custody of the Brown County Sheriff’s Office. The investigation is ongoing, but Police believe alcohol was a factor in the crash.
Beaver is being held at the Brown County Jail on preliminary charges including operating a vehicle while intoxicated resulting in death, operating a vehicle while intoxicated resulting in serious bodily injury, operating a vehicle while intoxicated, endangerment, criminal mischief, and criminal recklessness.
Bloomington launches New Employee Tuition Reimbursement Program
Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton announced a new tuition reimbursement pilot program for eligible employees continuing efforts to be an employer of choice in Bloomington. City Council approved the new program as part of the 2023 Budget, and the pilot is in addition to receiving extensive new and ongoing benefits announced earlier in 2023.
Regular full-time employees who have completed 12 months of employment are eligible for reimbursement of educational expenses up to $2,500 per year. The new program supports employees pursuing continuing growth and professional development with a college-accredited degree or professional certification, or credential.
The pilot program enables employees to pursue higher education or professional certifications relevant to their career goals, even if not directly applicable to their current job responsibilities. Education leads to enhanced knowledge, skills, and expertise that can benefit both the individual and the organization. Any required training or certification for an employee’s City job will continue to be paid for by the City using training funds.
Previously Announced City Employee Benefits in 2023
The 2023 budget year includes significant overall increases in employee wages, benefits, and bonuses, including:
- 5% cost of living adjustment for all non-union employees
- $1,000 bonus distributed in two $500 payments*
- A new deferred compensation annual subsidy of up to $780 is available to all employees through the City’s progressive 3:1 or 2:1 match of employee retirement contributions
- Offering employees COVID-19 vaccine discounts on health insurance premiums, with the employee share as low as $0 depending on the chosen plan. Most employees will pay less for premiums than current costs
- Up to $2,500 in travel and lodging expenses for employees to travel out of state for an abortion
- A new health clinic for employees and their families, to be started by the fourth quarter of 2023
- Pilot Paid Parental Leave Policy up to six weeks at 100% of their salary
- Pilot CDL Training Program up to $5,500 per employee for training
- Public Safety investments that are transforming our services:
- $2 million annually to support new and major upgrades of police and fire department facilities
- $2 million annually to support significantly increased annual salaries for sworn police officers, new public safety positions, and new and ongoing recruiting incentives
- $750 monthly rent assistance for police or fire officers who rent a residence within the City
- Down payment assistance for police or fire officers who purchase a residence within the City (after a probationary year) of $18,000 one-time, or new pilot of $100,000 in a no-interest loan forgiven over ten years.
- Recruitment incentives for new sworn police officers include $5,000 signing bonus for already-certified officers and $3,000 for non-certified applicants
- Take-home patrol vehicle for police officers who live within the City or serve on specialty units
People interested in employment with the City of Bloomington may visit the career portal at bloomington.in.gov/jobs. Anyone unable to access the portal or complete the online application may apply in person at the Human Resources Department, 401 N. Morton St. Suite 230, Bloomington, IN. Please contact hrmail@bloomington.in.gov for more information or with questions.
Hoosier Hills Food Bank Fresh Friday Food Distribution
IU partners to assess mental and behavioral health worker pipeline with Lilly Endowment support
A new project to better understand and help address the shortage of licensed mental and behavioral health professionals in Indiana is being led by the Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Supported by a $515,005 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., this collaborative project with partners across Indiana is designed to improve understanding about the post-secondary pipeline of mental and behavioral health care workers in the state, which is not currently meeting the demand for services.
Untreated mental illness can threaten the lives of individuals and communities, with far-reaching consequences including homelessness, poverty, unemployment and safety — all of which can have tremendous impacts on the Hoosier economy and quality of life, said Hannah Maxey, director of the Bowen Center. Maxey will lead the project, which will include the development of a “Playbook for Enhancing Indiana’s Mental and Behavioral Health Workforce” to provide recommendations to enhance and expand the mental and behavioral health workforce in the state.
The project is focused on understanding the post-secondary pipeline of individuals who are preparing to specialize in some licensed roles in mental and behavioral health care. These roles include mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, licensed clinical social workers, clinical addiction counselors, psychiatrists, psychologists and psychiatric mental health advance practice registered nurses. Recognizing that early exposure to mental and behavioral health occupations is foundational to the overall pipeline, this project will work in concert with initiatives focused on the K-12 pipeline.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 1.1 million Hoosier adults have a diagnosed mental health condition, and 345,000 of them do not receive necessary mental health care.
This Week in Hoosier History
1940 – Janet Scudder died in Massachusetts. Born in Terre Haute, she was a well-known sculptor who studied and worked in Paris. She was one of three women sculptors who created statues for the Indiana Building at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. Her statue “Indiana” is on display at the Indiana Statehouse. Scudder also sculpted the Indiana Centennial commemorative medal.
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