Local stories to watch in 2017: From I-69 to health care to a murder trial

Jan. 03--An axiom of journalism is that reporters never really finish anything, they simply run out of time as deadlines approach. Years are like that, too. Events and the consequences of those events bleed across the calendar from one year to the next, one set of circumstances putting forces in motion whose eventual outcome may be discerned, yet is subject to indiscernible alterations along the way. Thus, when the reporting staff of The Herald-Times was asked to identify issues or stories that they expect to command their attention in the new year, there was a certain amount of deja vu about their responses. There is unfinished business afoot for 2017, and here are some of the stories we will be following.

Health care insurance

Do you have health insurance through Obamacare? Are you worried about losing that coverage, now that President-elect Donald Trump has said he intends to repeal the Affordable Care Act? And what will replace it for the millions of Americans covered by plans from the health care marketplace? This national issue will have tremendous impact on people in Bloomington and surrounding areas, and it will best be explained through the personal stories of those people as their lives are affected by the shifting policy landscape in Washington, D.C. So, too, will be many other areas in which the new administration can put its thumbprint on everyday life: education, the environment, energy, immigration, refugee resettlement, and highway and bridge funding. There will be a lot to keep up with, and important opportunities to localize what is happening on the national stage in a way that is meaningful to people living here in central Indiana.

State funding for IU

Important and long-lasting decisions also will be made in Indianapolis early in 2017 when the Indiana General Assembly convenes. At the top of its agenda is the adoption of a two-year state budget. Watching that process closely will be Indiana University, which has had to adjust its financial thinking in recent years as the percentage of its budget covered by state appropriations steadily has decreased. At its December meeting, the IU Board of Trustees was warned that if the financial trends continue, the university could be operating at a net loss by 2020, its bicentennial year. If that doesn't change, the trustees could be forced to delay construction projects or take a hard look at the biggest part of the university's budget -- pay and benefits for its employees.

ISTEP replacement

Among the decisions to be made in the Indiana General Assembly are those involving a new statewide assessment for Indiana students. The ISTEP is on its way out, to be replaced by a new assessment after the 2017-18 school year -- but little is certain about what that test is going to look like. Other uncertainties in the education sphere include Jennifer McCormick, the new state superintendent of public instruction, and Betsy DeVos, President-elect Trump's pick for education secretary. As they settle in to their new positions, their decisions on a range of issues are likely to affect local schools. In the meantime, Seven Oaks Classical School is chugging through its first academic year even after opening with lower-than-expected enrollment, and Fairview Elementary dropped from a C to a D in the state's A-F scores after pulling itself out of a three-year F streak last year. The coming year will be a good time to assess what the future may hold for both schools.

Organic, whole foods

In the coming year, Bloomington will likely see the introduction of two new businesses that occupy the same organic and whole foods branches of the grocery market. Scheduled to open at the College Mall in the fall of 2017, 365 by Whole Foods Market is a variation on the greater Whole Foods Market brand. Fresh Thyme, another grocery store focusing on natural foods, is set to occupy the former Marsh on West Third Street. There's not been an official statement yet as to when the store will open, but a "coming soon" sign and a weak tip from an Indianapolis Fresh Thyme employee suggest the grocery will open early in 2017. That store also will sublet a portion of the building to Tuesday Morning, a closeout merchandise retailer. Both groceries will enter an already-crowded food market occupied by the longstanding Bloomingfoods co-op, renovated Kroger and Marsh stores and the year-old Lucky's Market. National organic food trends will certainly affect how each entity operates within the same market, but only time will tell how much of the pie each grocery gets.

Homelessness

This year's construction of Crawford Homes II, a housing project benefiting people who have experienced chronic homelessness, will be an opportunity to evaluate the housing-first model it represents through the stories of people who are creating a new life in a new apartment. There also will be opportunities in 2017 to explore answers to these stubborn and complicated questions: How does homelessness affect the community; who are the people who struggle to achieve safe, decent, sanitary and affordable shelter; and why can't more progress be made to alleviate the circumstances that contribute to Bloomington's obvious struggles with homelessness?

Housing costs, wages

Expect Bloomington city officials to tackle affordability -- with efforts ranging from increasing the amount of affordable housing to upping wages -- this year. They're likely to add standards for affordable housing as new developments arise, putting into code some of the things they've required of recent projects through the update of the comprehensive master plan and other measures. City council member Andy Ruff, who was president of the fiscal and legislative body last year, says officials are set to revisit the living wage ordinance, which requires the city, and certain companies and organizations that contract with or receive grants from the city, to pay a set hourly wage, at minimum. Mayor John Hamilton's administration also is set to start implementing recommendations from a task force that looked at how to spur wage growth. Initiatives from that group include skills gap training, the creation of an innovation culture and a branding effort to define Bloomington and attract people and companies to the community.

Jail population growth

The number of Level 6 felons Monroe County has to take care of is growing as a result of Indiana sentencing code changes, and the result is putting a strain on the local court system. That means officials will be looking for ways to cope with issues such as controlling a growing jail population, expanding community corrections programs and finding adequate space and resources for a growing workforce to handle caseload increases. A public safety local option income tax approved last year could provide funding to deal with these challenges; however, there is bound to be competition for the funds from law enforcement and firefighting departments in the county that have their own unfunded needs.

Hospital move, I-69 work

Two continuing stories that can't be ignored are the construction of Interstate 69 through Bloomington on the route of Ind. 37 and the relocation of Indiana University Health Bloomington Hospital from its central city campus to a corner of the IU Golf Course complex. Both of these were expected to be further along by now, but 2017 should bring, at least, a definitive answer on what the new hospital and medical education development will look like. Questions may still remain about what will happen to the old hospital location, but expect a lot more movement on that topic this year. As for I-69, we will watch and report with interest about whether highway construction will be completed by October, as scheduled, as well as how the limited access highway affects traffic and development between Monroe County's east and west sides.

Trial in toddler's death

A murder trial was voted the Top Story of 2016 by the H-T staff, and a murder trial could turn out to be a top story of 2017. Kyle Joseph Parker is scheduled to go to trial on May 8, accused of abducting and killing 14-month-old Shaylyn Ammerman in March of last year. Police say Parker was a visitor in the girl's Spencer home the night before she was found missing from her crib. Searchers found her body the next day along the White River near Gosport. Charges filed against Parker include rape, child molesting, kidnapping, aggravated battery, strangulation and obstruction of justice. If convicted, Parker could be sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of parole.

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