Updated: 7:10 PM EDT June 3, 2021
INDIANAPOLIS Getting more people vaccinated is a top priority for Marion County.
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said he d like to see 50 percent of Marion County residents fully vaccinated by July 4, which would allow further easing of COVID restrictions.
But the county has a ways to go. As of this week, just a third of residents had their shots, with non-white and non-English speaking residents especially reluctant to roll up their sleeves. The biggest obstacles? Language barriers and trust, according to Jackie Rodriguez with the Immigrant Welcome Center. A lot of our communities have a tendency not to trust government or officials based on their lived experiences, Rodriguez said. The other issue is language access. If the information is not available in their own language, they have a harder time understanding what s going on and what resources are available to them.
Roger Penske said Friday his staff still has more renovations to make at IMS. Plus, he discussed the future of the Freedom 100 and how IMS landed on 135,000 fans for Indy 500.
Here are the main takeaways:
Certifying buildings for energy efficiency
In 2018, buildings alone accounted for 66% of Indianapolis greenhouse gas emissions. By 2025, the city hopes to reduce those emissions from buildings by almost 2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year.
Since 2018, the city has certified 36 additional buildings as green buildings through LEED or Energy Star ratings bringing the total to 295. The 2025 target is 498.
Notably, the city is also on the brink of finalizing a Benchmarking and Transparency Ordinance that staff hopes will reduce utility costs and cut back on emissions by obtaining energy use data from municipal and commercial businesses.
Marion County may further loosen venue restrictions beginning June 7, officials said Wednesday Rashika Jaipuriar, Indianapolis Star What to watch next
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Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and Marion County Health Department Director Dr. Virginia Caine provided a COVID-19 update Wednesday.
They announced Marion County s current health restrictions will stay in place, but they anticipate being able to loosen restrictions beginning June 7, after the Indianapolis 500 and seasonal gatherings such as graduations and proms.
The update Wednesday comes after the announcement of new federal health recommendations, stating fully vaccinated Americans can skip the masks and social distancing, with a few exceptions such as local laws and workplace requirements. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made the announcement last Thursday.