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WBOI Presents: April News Roundup 2020

Joel Chidls, Justin Hicks, Julia Meek

This week on WBOI Presents, we are listening back to stories from this past month for our April News Roundup.

We began our show hearing from Governor Eric Holcomb. He outlined his plan to reopen in-person business on May 1. You can find more information here

Credit CREDIT SCREENSHOT OF ZOOM CALL
Gov. Eric Holcomb says as he’s reopening the state, he knows there will be an increase in COVID-19 cases, but Hoosiers couldn’t wait for a vaccine to reopen.

Dr. Vasavi Reddy is a family physician at Community Memorial Hospital in Hicksville, Ohio. Defiance County has had 21 positive cases of the coronavirus and one death reported as of the beginning of this week. Dr. Reddy spoke with WBOI’s Rebecca Green about how her little group of physicians are weathering the pandemic with many sources of revenue unavailable.

Credit CREDIT COMMUNITY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
Dr. Vasavi Reddy

The City of Churches had fewer religious gatherings in April of 2020, than in any other month in recent memory. The logistics have changed with drive-in services, others streamed online, and the message of religious leaders sounds different as all congregations grapple with life in a pandemic. Reverend Timothy Murphy, Pastor of Plymouth Congregational Church joined us via Zoom to discuss how communities of faith can respond to this crisis.

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Credit By NIAID - Pregnant woman, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82983820

First-time parents have a lot to celebrate. But right now, there’s also a lot to fear. Side Effects Public Media’s Lauren BAY-vis spoke with a mom-to-be about what it’s like to be pregnant during a pandemic.

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WBOI's Ben Clemmer spoke with his morning counterpart Zach Bernard for this month's roundup. The two discussed Zach's coverage from April, how state and local restrictions have impacted the city government beat, and what's being done to help local businesses.

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Credit Andy Downs

While the political ramifications of the coronavirus are still to be determined, they have already impacted this year’s primary elections. Andy Downs, Director of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics, spoke with WBOI News Director Rebecca Green to answer questions now that Indiana primary has been pushed back to June 2.

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Social distancing and isolation have kept us from our daily routines. It's hard on all of us, but for those with disabilities, the absence of these activities can be very problematic. WBOI's Ella Abbott reports on the efforts of a local organization to maintain therapeutic routines for those who need them.

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Julia Meek's in-depth look at Benchmark Human Services can be found here.

Our monthly roundups often serve as an opportunity to go back and highlight stories we missed when they happened. This next story is from March. On March 7, the Huntington University Girls Track & Field Team won the NAIA National Title. While this is the first NAIA title for Huntington University, the school has previously won NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) titles, including two in women’s track and field. Head Coach Joel Childs also won NAIA Coach of the Year and joined us via Zoom.

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Credit Joel Childs

There's a lot happening at Saint Henry Catholic Church and Community Center on the city's south side these days despite Coronavirus restrictions, thanks to the resourcefulness of its property manager, Paul Gerardot. For a look behind the scenes, WBOI's Julia Meek did a quick, socially distanced photo shoot on-site and then contacted Gerardot by phone to get a virtual tour of the facility as well as a glimpse into his personal philosophy. Their conversation can be found here.

Credit Julia Meek

Special thanks to the entire WBOI news team for making this roundup possible. Our theme music is by Mark Waldick. Additional music comes from Mark Waldick, Noah Campodonico, and Kurt Roembke. Our web producer is Loyal Vandenburg. Our production assistants are Monica Blankenship and Mikaela Veltum.