The 812
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.
- Update frequency
- every 2 days
- Average duration
- 33 minutes
- Episodes
- 211
- Years Active
- 2024 - 2025
031: Beth Cate, Former Corporation Counsel, on Defending a City
Our guest today is Beth Cate. She was the Corporation Counsel for the City of Bloomington for the last two years of the Hamilton administration. She'll describe the nature of the job as the city's le…
030: The812 Digest for the Week of February 20 -- Austin, Bruce, Ruff
In this week's digest episode, we look back at talks with Andy Ruff, the at large CM starting his sixth term on Council, amd Doug Bruce of the newly-formed CIB about the Convention Center. To start,…
029: Steve Volan, on the Doppelgänger City that is an American University Campus
The show's host becomes the guest today. This episode is an excerpt from a public talk Steve Volan gave last October at the Collins Living-Learning Center in Bloomington. It was based on his Geograph…
028: Doug Bruce, Architect and Member of the Capital Improvements Board, on the Convention Center's Future
Our guest today is Doug Bruce. He's the owner of Tabor/Bruce Architects. He's also a member of the newly-formed Capital Improvements Board, the joint city-county entity created to take responsibility…
027: Matt Austin, Commission on Sustainability: On Chickens and Compost and What Sustainability Is
Our guest is Matt Austin, a member of the Bloomington Commission on Sustainability ("BCOS", pronounced "bee-koss"). We talk about BCOS, compare it to the Environmental Commission, and talk about what…
026: Andy Ruff, Councilmember (At-Large), on Bloomington Then and Now
On today's show, we catch up with Andy Ruff, one of three at-large members of the city council and, even though he was off last term, is the Council's most senior member, first elected in 1999. In ou…
025: The 812 Digest for the Week of February 13 -- Krebbs & Whitmill, Wisler, Henry
On this edition of The 812 Digest, we revisit conversations with:
- Andrew Krebbs and Martha Whitmill of the Monroe County Humane Association, about it and other nonprofits help care for the local anima…
024: David Henry, Democratic Party Chair, on How Caucuses Work
What happens when an elected official leaves office early? In many states, they hold a special election a few months later. Not in Indiana, though. In Indiana, the party whose candidate won the seat …
023: Brad Wisler, President, Plan Commission: How Buildings Get Built in Town
Brad Wisler is the president of the Bloomington Plan Commission, now in his tenth year serving on that body. He also served as a member of the City Council for then-district 2, from 2005 through 2011…
022: The 812 Primer, Lesson 2: The City's Departments
The 812 Primer is designed to give you the background you need to fully enjoy the show. In Primer Lesson 1, we described Bloomington's "second-class" city status. In today's Lesson 2, we enumerate th…
021: The Monroe County Humane Association's Role in Animal Welfare in Bloomington
We talk with Andrew Krebbs, the executive director, and Martha Whitmill, the development director, of the Monroe County Humane Association. We'll learn a little about MCHA's long history, and more a…
020: The 812 Digest for the Week of February 6
In this episode of The 812 Digest, we'll hear:
- new councilmember Hopi Stosberg address an issue in her newly-drawn District 3: the ongoing assessment of the design College Avenue and Walnut Street cal…
019: Courtney Daily, Candidate (2 of 3) for the Council District 5 Vacancy
Courtney Daily is the state co-lead for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, and chaired the Bloomington chapter for 3 years before that. She's also the second of three candidates for the Dis…
018: Gabe Gloden of Constellation Stage and Screen, on Rescuing a Public Venue
Our guest today is Gabe Gloden, the managing director of Constellation Stage and Screen, the performing-arts superpower formed in 2022 out of three well-regarded organizations: Cardinal Stage, the Bl…
017: Hopi Stosberg, Councilmember (D3), on the Importance of Cities for Schools
Our guest today is Hopi Stosberg, the latest in our series of interviews with members of the new city council. She represents the newly-drawn District 3, the northeast quadrant of the city. She talks…
016: Beverly Calender-Anderson, the City's Chief Kindness Officer
Kindness in the public realm, as it turns out, takes a lot of work to nurture. Today, we interview what you could call the city's chief kindness officer: Beverly Calender-Anderson, director of the ci…
015: Gilmore, Brown, Zulich: A Digest of the Week of Jan. 29
We revisit interviews with the Rev. Forrest Gilmore, executive director of Beacon, Inc., about the challenge of fighting misconceptions and bias against people in extreme poverty; Laurence "Buff" Bro…
014: Sydney Zulich, Councilmember (D6), on Youth and Politics
Our guest is Sydney Zulich. She got her bachelor's degree after only three years at IU. At 21, she became the youngest-ever member of the Bloomington City Council last month, and (at least through ne…
013: Introducing The Primer...Lesson One: Bloomington as a Second-Class City
We're taking a break today to retool. Instead of our usual full-length interview, we're starting an occasional segment called The Primer. We don't want to assume that you have all the background you …
012: Buff Brown, Transportation Activist, in the Long Fight to Wean Bloomington from Cars
Our guest, Lawrence "Buff" Brown, has been a transportation planner for 20 years, working with INDOT, IDEM, the Columbus, Indiana, MPO, and cities on the west coast. Buff's childhood experiences in …