Cassady Electrical Contractors, Huston Electric announce merger in Monroe County courthouse

Cassady Electrical Contractors, Huston Electric merger, Monroe County courthouse rotunda (March 27, 2024)

Photo from July 29, 1973 edition of the Herald Times.

Article from July 29, 1973 edition of the Herald Times.

On Wednesday morning, representatives of Cassady Electrical Contractors and Huston Electric announced their merger, effective on April 1.

The venue for the announcement was the historic Monroe County courthouse rotunda. About the choice of location to release the news, Cassady Electric’s Randy Cassady described the rotunda to The B Square as the “heart of the community.” Continue reading “Cassady Electrical Contractors, Huston Electric announce merger in Monroe County courthouse” →

Four candidates for Monroe County council respond to questions about jail and more

On Saturday afternoon, four Democratic Party candidates for the three at-large seats on the Monroe County council fielded questions at a forum that took place in the auditorium of the downtown Bloomington location of the Monroe County Public Library.

Over the course of 90 minutes, they answered more than a dozen questions that asked for their thoughts on balancing mental health services against building a new jail, financing a new jail, housing, and reducing the cost of child care, among other topics.

In the council at-large race, eligible voters in Monroe County choose up to three candidates. No Republican candidates declared a candidacy in the primary.

Vying for one of the three seats are incumbents Trent Deckard and Cheryl Munson. Hoping for their first turn of service on the seven-member county council are Matt Caldie and David Henry. Incumbent Geoff McKim is not seeking re-election.

The full forum is available on CATS. Below is a summary of just a few highlights, which are not organized in the chronological order of the forum.

The event was hosted by the League of Women Voters of Bloomington-Monroe County, and cosponsored by the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, Monroe County NAACP, Monroe County NOW, IU PACE, IU BIG Voting Challenge, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Kappa Tau Omega Chapter.

Laura Rusk, a third-year law student at Indiana University, moderated the forum. Continue reading “Four candidates for Monroe County council respond to questions about jail and more” →

Biopharma firm west of Bloomington gets $10.4M tax break, to make $225M investment, add 130 new jobs

Locator map for vicinity of the Simtra facility on Curry Pike. https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1o1m3uZPVej7Yonmy21xEr-E_P4GaZ7c&usp=sharing

The purple parcel is the Simtra parcel where the expansion will be constructed. https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1o1m3uZPVej7Yonmy21xEr-E_P4GaZ7c&usp=sharing

A tax abatement worth a total of around $10.4 million, which was granted by Monroe County’s council on Tuesday night, has cleared the way for Simtra BioPharma Solutions (formerly Baxter Pharmaceutical) to build a 140,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at its Curry Pike facility just outside Bloomington’s western city limits.

According to Simtra, the investment means a $145 million investment in capital equipment, and another $80,000 in real property investment. The company says that the expansion will create 130 new jobs with an average salary plus benefits worth $73,379 a year.

Simtra’s paperwork indicates 1,039 current employees, so adding 130 would bring the total to around 1,169.

The company expects to have completed the project in about two and a half years, by September 2026. Continue reading “Biopharma firm west of Bloomington gets $10.4M tax break, to make $225M investment, add 130 new jobs” →