Bloomington Police seek information on Hit & Run Homocide
On January 28th, 2024, at approximately 3:20 p.m., officers responded to the 3200 block of S Walnut Street Pike in reference to a possible death. A man reported that he had been in the passenger seat of a vehicle traveling south on Walnut Street Pike when he saw what he believed to be a body in a ditch off the west side of the roadway. Arriving officers did indeed locate a deceased woman lying in the ditch in a patch of brush. She was identified by the Monroe County Coroner’s Office as a 37-year-old transient woman.
On January 31st, an autopsy revealed that the woman had numerous injuries consistent with being struck by a vehicle. Investigators were able to locate surveillance footage from a parking lot near where the woman had been located that captured video of the woman being struck by a vehicle. The vehicle is believed to be a large, dark-colored sport utility vehicle (SUV) that had been southbound on Walnut Street Pike. The crash occurred at approximately 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, January 27th. Individuals traveling in the area around the time of the crash reported seeing a large, newer-model dark-colored SUV pulled over near the intersection of S Walnut Street Pike and E Burks Drive. A passerby reported that they stopped and spoke with a middle-aged, dark-complected man dressed in a suit that was walking around the SUV who said he believed he had just struck a deer.
Bloomington Police seek the public’s assistance in providing any information about the dark-colored SUV that was pulled off the side of the road at approximately 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, January 27th. It is believed that the front of the vehicle was damaged in the crash. Anyone with information about the SUV or the driver of the SUV is asked to call Detective Chris Scott at (812)349-3382.
Bloomington Parks and Rec replacing trees removed for powerline project with grant from Duke Energy
Parks and Recreation is collecting quotes from tree planting companies to plant 157 trees in three different locations in 2024. Businesses have until Feb. 23 to submit a bid to prepare each tree planting site, dig the hole, then plant, stake, mulch and water each tree. The trees to be planted are provided by Parks and Recreation.
Duke Energy’s Bloomington Reliability Project in 2023 built new transmission lines along Rogers Street, 11th Street, and Dunn Street to feed three substations, and to provide a continuous and reliable flow of energy to the community. The project forced the removal of 120 trees in the transmission line corridor. Duke Energy has contributed more than $55,000 to replace trees that were removed as part of the project.
Parks and Recreation urban forestry staff marked the tree planting locations with pink flags and paint. The tree planting locations can also be viewed online in Treekeeper, the city’s urban forest management system. While in Treekeeper, check the “Community Highlight” box in the map layers panel to see the marked locations of all the replacement trees.
Trees selected for planting are appropriately sized to grow safely under the new transmission lines. Landowners who have tree planting locations adjacent to their properties, and who would like to suggest tree species to be planted, may contact Urban Forester Haskell Smith.
A series of Bicentennial bond projects announced in 2018 included $800,000 to plant trees along streets and in public rights-of-way across the city. Potential planting sites were identified by Davey Resource Group in 2019 as part of a city-wide inventory of street trees. More than 350 street trees have been planted in Bloomington since 2020, with hundreds more additional seedling and sapling trees planted in city parks by the department’s urban greenspace staff.
My Sister’s Closet of Monroe County celebrates 25 years of ‘Compassion Through Fashion: A Fun & Festive Gala’
6 – 9 pm | March 1st, 2024 |Ivy Tech, Shreve Hall (200 Daniels Way, Bloomington)
Featuring live dance music by The Dynamics, meals provided by First Class Catering, client success stories, a silent auction, and so much more! Hosted by 7-time Emmy award-winning journalist Emily Longnecker of Channel 13.
My Sister’s Closet is currently accepting contributions for the event auction. For other Sponsorship & Volunteer Opportunities, Contact Erin at (301) 237-0559 or events.sisterscloset@gmail.com.
This Week in Hoosier History
2007 – The Indianapolis Colts won Super Bowl XLI in Miami, defeating the Chicago Bears, 29-17. The game was played on February 4, 2007, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. This was the first and to date, only Super Bowl win for an AFC South team.
This was the first Super Bowl since Super Bowl XXX in which neither team was seeking its first title. It featured two teams ending long Super Bowl appearance droughts. The Colts, who finished with a 12–4 regular season record, were making their first Super Bowl appearance since winning Super Bowl V in the 1970 season during the team’s tenure in Baltimore; they had moved to Indianapolis in 1984. Meanwhile, the Bears, who posted an NFC-best 13–3 regular season record, were making their first appearance since winning Super Bowl XX in the 1985 season.
The game also featured Bloomington’s Rex Grossman at starting Quarterback for the Chicago Bears!
For more local news . . . Check out our archived episodes of What’s Happenin’ and Talkin’ Sports with Nick Jenkinson