FBI teamed with local LEA to locate trafficked women in Indiana
The Federal Bureau of Investigation worked with Indiana state and local law enforcement agencies to identify and locate three adult victims of sex trafficking through its National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) program.
In Indiana, agents from the Gang Response Investigative Team (GRIT) Task Force worked with the Indiana State Police, Merrillville police, Hobart police, and others to locate the three adult victims. Additionally, two traffickers were arrested by local law enforcement. The suspects identified will be subject to additional investigation for potential charges.
For help or more info, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 888-373-7888 or submit a tip on the NHTRC website.
City of Bloomington’s Shatoyia Moss announced as New Obama Foundation United States Leader
The City of Bloomington Community and Family Resources Department announced that Safe and Civil City Director Shatoyia Moss is among the first cohort of 100 emerging changemakers selected to participate in the Obama Foundation’s Leaders USA program. The Obama Leaders program is a six-month virtual program that supports and connects emerging leaders in the United States, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, through a values-based leadership framework inspired by the ideals and legacy of President and Mrs. Obama.
Chosen from a highly competitive pool of applications, Moss was selected to join the program for her work in community engagement and collaboration. Through her work with the City of Bloomington and her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, Shatoyia brings people with like minded missions together to provide programming that is educational, engaging and empowering for the entire community. As Safe and Civil City Director, Shatoyia’s work focuses on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, serving as liaison to the City of Bloomington”s Commission on the Status of Black Males and Commission on the Status of Children and Youth. Additionally, she is the City’s point of contact for the Bloomington Sister Cities Committee. Previously, Shatoyia worked as the Events and Athletic Director for Girls, Inc. and Indiana Kids, a mentoring and tutoring program at Indiana University. With Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc, Shatoyia has served as one of two vice presidents, webmaster, scholarship chair and youth initiatives chair. She is now ready to build her skills and expand her impact across public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
Local artist receives Midwest Arts grant
Bloomington resident Larissa Danielle is one of the recipients of the Midwest Award for Artists with Disabilities. This award, designed to support accessibility in the arts and celebrate the exceptional work of disabled Midwestern visual artists, has received an incredible response from the artistic community. Over 200 artists applied to receive funds, and a panel of seven reviewers narrowed the pool to nine finalists from across the Midwest:
- Matthew Bodett (Chicago, Illinois)
- Larissa Danielle (Bloomington, Indiana)
- Lauren Bonney (Decorah, Iowa)
- Maggie Laycock (Sterling Heights, Michigan)
- Madison Rubenstein (Bloomington, Minnesota)
- Bonnie Lee (Fargo, North Dakota)
- Andrea Sosa Fontaine (Cleveland Heights, Ohio)
- Mary Payton Zajicek (Sioux Falls, South Dakota)
- Sarah Muehlbauer (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
As part of this award, each recipient will receive $3,000 to support their artistic journey, with no restrictions on how they choose to use this funding. Established in 2022, the Midwest Award for Artists with Disabilities is supported by the James Edward Scherbarth and Paul Francis Mosley Giving Fund. The award was created in honor of the late James Edward Scherbarth, an award-winning visual artist, visual arts teacher, and advocate of arts access who lived and worked in Minnesota. Jim believed that creativity lives in everyone, and he dedicated his career to helping people express themselves through the visual arts.
Danielle describes her art as, “Love, sex, and relationships are part of our human existence. It’s how we express our feelings towards who we desire. Romance, passion, and intimacy are all things that are part of our sexuality. The thing is, much of society cannot fathom the fact that sexuality also exist within the lives of people with disabilities. As an artist with a disability, I make work to change how society views US.“
This Week in Hoosier History
1882 – James Whitcomb Riley’s poem “When the Frost is on the Punkin” was published, becoming one of his most popular works.
The poem describes the harvest time on the farm in the cool, crisp days of autumn. It has four stanzas, each with eight lines and an AABBCCDD rhyme scheme. It uses words like “kyouck”, “gobble”, “clackin'”, and “hallylooyer” to create a lively and rustic tone. It is a poem that is read to children and is considered an archetypal poem of American experience.
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