Anna Killion-Hanson named Director for Bloomington’s Department of Housing and Neighborhood Development
Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson announced that she has officially named Anna Killion-Hanson to lead the city’s Department of Housing and Neighborhood Development (HAND).
According to a press release, Killion-Hanson has 20 years’ experience in the housing, construction, and development field, and brings a deep knowledge of the local market to the role. She has led the department as Interim Director since January and served as its assistant director since June 2023.
A lifelong resident of Bloomington, Killion-Hanson has also served as executive director of the Bloomington Redevelopment Commission, and is a certified Community Development Block Grant administrator. Anna has worked as a local Realtor for 20 years. In her career Anna has also worked in construction, development, building inspections, property management, weatherization, federal grant administration and as a local business owner.
The Housing and Neighborhood Development develops programs, services, and partnerships to preserve community character, promote affordable housing, and encourage neighborhood vitality. Services include historic preservation, neighborhood services, housing programs such as affordable housing, housing counseling, and home repair grants and loans. Services also include municipal code enforcement such as health and sanitation, and inspection of rental housing.
24-foot LED immersive soundstage for virtual productions to anchor new extended reality lab
A new extended reality lab at Indiana University Bloomington will feature “The Wall,” a 24-foot LED immersive soundstage that will enable faculty and graduate students to use virtual and augmented reality in research and creative projects across disciplines, including public art, science, health and education.
The Kinetic Imagery and Extended Reality Lab (KIX) will serve as a hub for the creation, use and study of virtual worlds. As performers move about on the stage, “The Wall” displays their environment, and camera tracking moves the environment as the performers move. The result is like a green screen, but the performers and production team can see the virtual world in real time, and the imagery can be altered beyond what can be seen on the wall; there is no limit to what the camera can capture.
With its interdisciplinary nature, the KIX Lab’s potential applications are vast. For example, filmmakers can use the facility as an adaptable film set; public health researchers can create spatial experiences to study mental illnesses such as addiction; and optometrists can develop assistive devices and rehabilitation for people with visual impairments. The lab can serve as a venue for live performances using immersive visual projections and for screenings of experimental films.
But the KIX Lab’s impact will reach beyond campus. Collaborating with local communities, faculty will use the lab to create interactive public art, science, health and education projects. And the facility will create connections with industry, with the soundstage available to rent for local commercial productions.
It’s an interdisciplinary initiative among seven schools — The Media School; the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design; the School of Optometry; the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering; the School of Public Health-Bloomington; the College of Arts and Sciences; and the Jacobs School of Music — as well as University Information Technology Services.
The initiative also poses intercampus potential. The KIX Lab’s first phase will be construction on the IU Bloomington campus, with the opportunity to later expand to a facility at IU Indianapolis.
The KIX Lab will launch two faculty searches this fall, and construction on the Bloomington facility will follow.
Tickets Available for Indiana vs. Ball State at Victory Field
For the third time in eight years, Victory Field will host a college baseball game between Indiana University (away) and Ball State University (home). Tickets are on sale today for the Hoosiers-Cardinals matchup set for Tuesday, April 23, at 6 PM. Gates open at 5pm.
Assigned seating is available for $8 to 14 per ticket. Premium tickets are also available in the Yuengling Landing for $30 and Elements Financial Club for $80, and picnic areas and suites may be booked at regular rental prices. Active-duty military and veterans receive $2 off per ticket, and children 2 and under get in free.
The Hoosiers, who finished the 2023 season with a 43-20 record after bowing out in the NCAA Regional at Kentucky, are off to a 12-12 start in 2024 with two wins vs. ranked opponents – 7-2 over No. 18 Coastal Carolina and 9-7 over No. 25 Dallas Baptist. The Cardinals went 36-23 last year and also had their season end in the NCAA Regional at Kentucky. They are currently 13-12 this season.
“The stakes are high anytime we host a college baseball game at Victory Field, and this year is no different,” said Randy Lewandowski, Indianapolis Indians president and general manager. “We’re ready to welcome Indiana University and Ball State University back to the Vic for a thrilling matchup, with both programs seeking a return to the NCAA Tournament.”
Since 2015, the Hoosiers are 5-1 in six games played at Victory Field, including 4-3 and 9-3 wins over Ball State in 2017 and ’19.
This Week in Hoosier History
1954 – RCA began producing color TVs at its plant in Bloomington, Indiana. A set with a 12-inch screen sold for around $1,000.
For more local news . . . Check out our archived episodes of What’s Happenin’ and Talkin’ Sports with Nick Jenkinson