The 812

Apr 19 2024 1
The 812 Podcast artwork

The 812 is a daily show about the basic workings of city government in Bloomington, Indiana. Hosted by Steve Volan, a recently-retired five-term member of Bloomington's City Council, The 812's primary feature is a half-hour interview with elected and appointed officials in city government, as well as with members of boards, commissions and not-for-profits providing services to the city. Produced by Plateia Media.

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068: Noah Sandweiss, the City's Historic Preservation Program Manager

Apr 19 2024 36 mins  
How does a building get declared "historic"? Who decides what should be saved or not? We find out some of the answers today, from the guy who sets up the questions. Noah Sandweiss is the new program manager for historic preservation for the city. In our interview, he unpacks the portfolio he's charged with, which includes working with federal and stage agencies, revi

067: Shatoyia Moss, Bloomington's Safe and Civil City Director

Apr 18 2024 33 mins  
How does a community deal with issues that aren't obviously the business of a city government? Cultural issues can overwhelm even the most well-intentioned administration. What does it take to keep a city peaceful beyond law or code enforcement?Our guest is Shatoyia Moss, the Safe and Civil City Director for the City of Bloomington, who works in the Community and Family Resour

066: Mat Alano-Martin, Co-Founder of the Limestone Comedy Festival

Apr 17 2024 35 mins  
Mat Alano-Martin is a professional stand-up comedian who got his start at the city's first comedy club, the Comedy Attic. In 2013, he and the owner of the club, Jared Thompson, created the Limestone Comedy Festival, which is now entering its eleventh year. We learn from Mat what it takes to launch a comedy festival, and how Bloomington helped nurture it through advice from the

065: The Lineup for Tuesday, April 16

Apr 16 2024 3 mins  
Our planned guest fell through for today (it wasn't Dave Rollo...but it could've been you, Dave). We're presenting the Lineup of public meetings happening in City Hall today on its own. Full episodes coming the rest of this week.The 812 is a production of Plateia Media ©2024. All rights reserved.

064: The Digest for the Week of April 9: Children and Homelessness; Sustainability and Economic Development; Greenways and Protected Bike Lanes

Apr 15 2024 30 mins  
After the eclipse hubbub died down, we interviewed several interesting people. On today's highlights from last week's interviews, clips from:Emily Pike, director of New Hope, the only shelter in the county for families experiencing homelessness; lex Crowley, the city's former director of ESD; and Hank Duncan, the city's bike and ped coordinator.(Dave Rollo Watch

063: The 812 Overtime -- More about Public Buses and Public Banking

Apr 12 2024 36 mins  
Today's episode is not just one, but two doses of The 812 Overtime, extra segments recorded for us by recent guests who just had too many interesting insights for us to fit into our regular half-hour interviews. It's a couple of good, deep dives into local government.Our first Overtime interview we made back in March with John Connell about Bloomington Transit, where he&a

062: Hank Duncan, City Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator, on People Who Walk and Roll

Apr 11 2024 34 mins  
Hank Duncan, who works in the city's Planning and Transportation Department, is the city's Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator. He explains his role in how pedestrians, cyclists, scooter users, wheelchair users, stroller-pushers and more get around town. We discuss protected bike lanes, sidepaths, sidewalks, greenways, curb cuts and more.The 812 is a production of Plateia

061: Alex Crowley of the Indiana Energy Independence Fund: On Economic and Sustainable Development

Apr 10 2024 37 mins  
From 2016 to 2023, Alex Crowley served in the Hamilton administration as Bloomington's director of Economic and Sustainable Development. Since last summer, his new role is as executive director of the new Indiana Energy Independence Fund. In the second half of the show, he'll explain what a "green bank" is and his new job running one. In the first half, though,

060: Emily Pike, Director of New Hope for Families, on Children Who Are Homeless

Apr 09 2024 33 mins  
How much do you really know about the typical homeless person? Are you sure, or are you just making assumptions? Homelessness among children, for example, is a significant thing. Our guest today is Emily Pike, the executive director of New Hope for Families, the only shelter in Monroe County dedicated to helping children under the age of 18 experiencing homelessness, and the parent

059: Eclipse Clips -- How Bloomington's Preparing and Celebrating the Big Event

Apr 05 2024 32 mins  
To everyone visiting Bloomington, and about to make Monday the largest tourism event in the city's history, this episode is for you. The 812 podcast is all about explaining how the city of Bloomington works. In the first half of today's episode, we talk with Michael Large from the Public Works DepartmentJohn Connell, general manager of Bloomington Transit, and Tim Street,