IDS Thursday, November 10, 2022
INSIDE
COLUMN: 'Midnights' Analysis, p.6
Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com
Voters pass MCCSC referendum By Emma Uber
emmauber@iu.edu | @EmmaUber7
The Monroe County Community School Corporation referendum passed with approximately 66% of votes in favor as of 9 p.m. Tuesday. The school corporation announced the referendum passed on its Facebook page just after 9 p.m. Tuesday. According to the Indiana Daily Student's Live Election Update dashboard, 17,541 votes in favor of and 8,752 against the referendum had been counted at the time the school corporation announced the referendum’s passing. MCCSC teachers will receive a $4,500 raise as a result of the referendum,
according to the MCCSC referendum webpage. Additionally, since 87% of referendum dollars are slated to go toward paying educators, MCCSC support staff such as instructional aides and paraprofessionals will see a $2.25 per hour wage increase. The remaining 13%, totaling $1.2 million per year, will fund educational services such as special education services, performing arts programs and STEM programs. The funding will come from property taxes. Monroe County residents will now contribute 18.5 cents to MCCSC schools for every $100 of assessed property value. According to the MCCSC referendum web-
page, this rate would mean the average Monroe County household would pay an additional $125 in property taxes each year, or approximately $10.40 per month. The stakes were high for MCCSC. If the referendum had failed, MCCSC said its cash balance would have dropped below zero within two years. According to the MCCSC referendum webpage, over 100 positions would have been eliminated, and the remaining staff would experience stagnant pay. The rejection would have also impacted students with reductions in funding to educational programs such as the performing arts, as well as increased class sizes due to layoffs.
IDS FILE PHOTO BY ALEX PAUL
A sign for the Monroe County Community School Corporation Administration Offices is seen Sept. 2, 2021, during the afternoon dismissal at Bloomington High School South. The MCCSC referendum passed, with approximately 66% of the votes in favor as of 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Monroe County Elections
Winning candidates from the 2022 midterm elections State and Federal Elections
By Salomé Cloteaux and Marissa Meador news@idsnews.com
While Democrats swept local positions in Monroe County, Republicans dominated statewide races. The IDS has compiled a comprehensive list of winners from the 2022 midterm elections, from the school board to the senate.
Todd Young, R
Erin Houchin, R
Bob Heaton, R
Peggy Mayfield, R
U.S. Senator for Indiana
U.S. House Representative for Indiana Congressional District 9
Indiana House Representative for District 46
Indiana House Representative for District 60
CONTINUES PAGE 7
IU alumnus Kiese Laymon awarded with prestigious MacArthur Fellowship By Kathleen Tran trankat@iu.edu
COURTESY PHOTO
MICHAEL CLAYCAMP | IDS
The Sample Gates are shown as the sun sets Nov. 6, 2022. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R‑FL., purposed the Sunshine Protection Act which would remove the need to reset clocks twice a year.
IU experts say daylight saving time may increase energy consumption By Isabella Vesperini isvesp@iu.edu
As Americans set their clocks back an hour early on Sunday morning, some IU professors and students say the practice brings inconvenience and mental health issues and call for its complete removal. Originally intended to save fuel during World War I, daylight saving time was first implemented by Congress in 1918. Those who proposed the practice thought springing forward and falling back would save energy and create a rhythm where people would rise and set with the sun. IU economics professor Gerhard Glomm said contrary to these assumptions, initiating daylight saving time ended up wasting more
energy. He cited a natural experiment performed in Indiana that tracked energy usage in counties that adopted daylight savings versus those that did not. Results showed energy usage increased for things such as laundry because there was more demand for cooling in the summer and heating in the fall. Daylight saving time forces people to change their habits and expend energy in new ways. “It’s really hard to find positive things about daylight savings,” Glomm said. Moreover, Glomm said a week after the clock is pushed forward in the spring, the number of traffic accidents and suicides go up. He said the probable cause is losing an hour of sleep when daylight saving
time kicks in, leading to an increase in anxiety. “The shock comes in the spring because it’s disrupting your life,” he said. Fritz Breithaupt, IU professor of Germanic studies and affiliated professor of cognitive science, said less sunlight can increase people’s chance of feeling depressed. Likewise, being sleep deprived due to losing an hour of sleep in the spring increases stress and irritation, in turn lowering empathy. “That little push can push someone over the edge to the moment where there’s been many lost opportunities to feel more friendly for each other and have these moments of small kindness,” he said. SEE DAYLIGHT, PAGE 4
Writer and IU alumnus Kiese Laymon is seen posing for a portrait. Laymon graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences in 2002 with a master of fine arts in creative writing and recently received the MacArthur Fellowship.
Kiese Laymon, an IU alumnus and author of multiple works including a personal memoir called “Heavy,” was awarded the MacArthur Fellowship on Oct. 12. Laymon graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences with a master of fine arts in creative writing in 2002. According to the MacArthur Foundation’s senior program officer Chris Lovely, the five-year fellowship, which
includes an $800,000 grant, is given to individuals who have achieved significant milestones with their creative work. Laymon is one of only 19 individuals in the U.S. to be named a MacArthur fellow. The foundation requires fellows to uphold certain traits: exceptional creativity, a promise for important future advances based on a track record of significant accomplishments and the potential for the Fellowship SEE MACARTHUR, PAGE 4
Large gasoline spill in Bloomington on Oct. 31 caused no long-lasting effects or damages By Natalie Fitzgibbons
natfitzg@iu.edu | @NatalieFitz9
A leak in an underground holding tank or pipe caused a large gasoline spill at a Marathon gas station located at 1307 W. Third St. on Oct. 31. This leak resulted in a large release of fuel into the sanitary and sewer system in Bloomington. To stop the leak, the fuel from the storage tanks and the surrounding areas was removed the same day. The Dillman Road Wastewater Treatment Plant detected the odor from the gas Oct. 30 and suspended its operations by diverting the incoming water flow to the equalization basin. The equalization basin
is a large open pond where wastewater is deposited. It allows the water to evaporate through solar radiation and wind, leaving concentrated residual waste to be treated, Andrew Krebbs, communications director for the City of Bloomington, said in an email. Krebbs said the equalization basin allowed the hydrocarbons from the gas to evaporate naturally. He said there are no damages or long-lasting effects at the Dillman Road Wastewater Treatment Plant since the plant operators were able to catch the spill early enough and divert the flow. The plant operations are now running smoothly again. “I completely commend
Bloomington's 7 Day Forecast
the utilities staff and the fire staff realizing there was something wrong and then how fast they moved to find the source of the leak, and to make sure everyone was safe,” Krebbs said. “So, at no time was anyone in danger.” Krebbs said the Indiana Department of Environmental Management is doing a full investigation of the Marathon gas station since there was most likely a defect in the underground storage tank and piping. IDEM representatives are also supervising the area by the Marathon gas station, Krebbs said. Allen Carter, IDEM communications director, said SEE GASOLINE, PAGE 4
SOURCE: THE WEATHER CHANNEL
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Friday Nov. 11
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