Former Indianapolis mayoral candidate Jefferson Shreve has filed to run for Congress in Indiana’s 6th district. The Damien Center expanded financial assistance eligibility requirements for patients earning less than $72,900 dollars a year. Governor Eric Holcomb is sending members of the Indiana National Guard to the southern border of the United States. Carmel Mayor Sue Finkam formally withdrew from the United States Heartland China Association in a letter to the organization last week. Want to ...
Feb 12, 2024•6 min
Lawrence Township’s middle and high schools are using new metal detection systems. Indiana lawmakers are beginning to explore ways to better protect children who use social media. Medicaid members on certain plans will be required to pay premiums and POWER account contributions starting July 1st. The state is preparing to overhaul graduation requirements, in an effort to better prepare students before they enter the workforce. Young people from Indianapolis will host a conference called Tru Dial...
Feb 09, 2024•7 min
Republican Presidential Candidate Nikki Haley has reportedly received enough signatures to appear on the Indiana primary ballot - despite allegations from President Donald Trump she didn’t. A few dozen parents demanded the leaders of Indianapolis Public Schools develop a plan to improve academics for Black and Brown students. Hoosiers in need after a disaster would be able to access more money, more easily from the state’s disaster relief fund under legislation headed to the House. A controversi...
Feb 08, 2024•7 min
Indianapolis has hired the first of three attorneys whose jobs will be to prosecute more people on the federal level for violent crimes. A controversial bill that would reduce protections for the state’s wetlands is headed to Governor Eric Holcomb’s desk. The Family and Social Services Administration proposed cuts to a program that supports care for children with disabilities - the lieutenant governor and families of medically complex children are calling for a pause to the implementation of the...
Feb 07, 2024•9 min
U.S. Representative Victoria Spartz will run for another term in Congress, reversing her decision not to. The Indianapolis City-County Council held its monthly meeting last night. The National Consumer Law Center recently identified Indiana as having weak debt protections laws, and some advocates are concerned about how this is affecting consumers. Medical providers say prior authorization creates administrative burdens for them and barriers to care for their patients. Last year’s data shows som...
Feb 06, 2024•10 min
The Indianapolis City-County Council holds its monthly meeting tonight. Wabash College honored its first Black student, who attended over 160 years ago, during an event this weekend. The Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill last Thursday that, in the words of one Republican, takes “baby steps” towards providing greater transparency at the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. More communities could have access to financial support to build mobile crisis response units or teams under a propo...
Feb 05, 2024•6 min
The Indiana Supreme Court yesterday made public a confidential agreement entered into by Attorney General Todd Rokita when he was publicly reprimanded by the court last year. A Senate committee approved a bill on Wednesday that would give school boards the authority to approve or deny curricular materials concerning human sexuality. Researchers have been looking at using psilocybin — a chemical compound found in some psychedelic mushrooms — as a treatment for mental health issues, substance use ...
Feb 02, 2024•9 min
The reconstruction of a number of Indianapolis streets from one-way to two-way is in motion. A bill that would repeal a funding tool for downtown Indianapolis passed the Indiana House on Tuesday. A bill to close a loophole that prevents Marion County from enforcing code violations against some landlords failed to pass a Senate committee yesterday. A bill that restricts the use of cellphones by students in classrooms unanimously passed the Senate Tuesday and will now head to the House. Lawmakers ...
Feb 01, 2024
A bill that puts a one-year moratorium on dedicated lanes passed out of the Indiana Senate on Monday. Legislation headed to the full Senate aims to protect poll workers while they’re doing their jobs. A bill that would have eliminated the statute of limitations for all sex crimes in Indiana was significantly scaled back by a Senate committee yesterday. A new exhibit at the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site features hundreds of letters and artifacts that are on view for the first time. Want to ...
Jan 31, 2024
Housing advocates gathered at the Statehouse yesterday to rally behind legislation that protects renters against negligent landlords. The lieutenant governor and several lawmakers have called for the Family and Social Services Administration to “pause” proposed cuts. 39 people drowned in Lake Michigan last year. Six of them along Indiana beaches and other public sites - a state senator is trying to pass legislation that would require all public beaches and piers to have rescue equipment nearby. ...
Jan 30, 2024
Statehouse bills to protect citizens against large, potentially harmful water withdrawals are likely dead. Public schools may soon be required to let students attend religious instruction. U.S. Senator Todd Young says he's pleased to see Indiana embrace tech manufacturing projects, like a new semiconductor plant in southwest Indiana. Tank leaks at B-P’s Whiting Refinery in northwest Indiana sent toxic pollution into the air for the past two weeks - residents reported headaches, dizziness and gen...
Jan 29, 2024
The Senate amended a bill yesterday prohibiting dedicated lanes for one year, and added the creation of a task force to study the impact of those lanes. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers were involved in a shooting last night that resulted in a man’s death. Trauma-informed care could be the first state-mandated continuing education requirement for registered nurses and licensed practical nurses. Economic development was the only real issue that separated the major Republican c...
Jan 26, 2024
The Housing and Urban Development Deputy Secretary visited Indianapolis for the city’s annual point-in-time count - the count is a snapshot of the number of people experiencing homelessness throughout the city. The Purdue Center for Regional Development and the Indiana Broadband Office have released the state’s first-ever Digital Equity Plan. While Indiana’s voter registration and participation numbers have improved in the last couple of statewide election cycles, the state continues to fall fur...
Jan 25, 2024
Purdue University is hoping to bring its strengths in engineering to the Indianapolis campus, and grow partnerships throughout the state. Indiana’s unemployment rate improved in December, for the first time in eight months. A state Senate bill would establish a hunting and trapping season for bobcats in Indiana by July of next year. A bill that updates which crimes would bar individuals from working at a home health agency passed the House on Monday. A federal grand jury indicted three former ad...
Jan 24, 2024
Several Irvington businesses who last week spoke in favor of Senate Bill 52 - a bill that opponents say would effectively kill Indianapolis’ proposed Blue Line - have reversed course. Around 50 people gathered at the Indiana Statehouse to protest proposed changes to the state’s Medicaid programs. Indiana’s high school graduation rate is on the rise - at many Indiana schools, students who fail to meet graduation requirements can still earn a diploma with a special waiver. An Indiana farm will be ...
Jan 23, 2024
A traffic demonstration to slow down drivers and reduce crashes shows promise. A state law says counties with wind or solar ordinances that are more restrictive than state guidelines can’t access state incentives - a state House bill would let counties that nearly meet the guidelines get them too. Mammograms are a less effective diagnostic tool for people with dense breast tissue, but patients may not know they have dense breast tissue - lawmakers want to require facilities to assess breast tiss...
Jan 22, 2024
2023 Legislation that allowed Indianapolis to set up a downtown fee on taxable properties is at risk of repeal. A state senate committee voted yesterday to approve a bill that prohibits dedicated lanes for public transportation - those opposed to the bill say it could kill Indianapolis’ proposed Blue Line bus rapid transit system. Former Marion County Clerk Beth White launched a campaign for attorney general yesterday. Tensions on U.S. college campuses have been rising since the Israel-Hamas war...
Jan 19, 2024
The Indianapolis arts scene is stepping up its game ahead of the NBA All-Star 2024 Game next month. The superintendent of Brownsburg Community Schools announced his sudden retirement, effective Monday. A Senate committee approved a bill that aims to increase accessible and affordable child care options for Hoosiers families. A bill that unanimously cleared a House committee yesterday aims to address images, video and audio of election candidates that are digitally altered or faked. Financial aid...
Jan 18, 2024
Indianapolis rental prices could stabilize despite a hot housing market, according to one Indiana University expert. The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday decided not to hear an Indiana case about a student’s right to use the restroom that aligns with their gender identity. Pregnant people could claim their fetus as a dependent on their state taxes under legislation in a Senate committee, but Tuesday’s hearing on the bill is as far as it will go this session. Millions across the country have lost th...
Jan 17, 2024
Indiana will continue to bear the brunt of a blistering winter storm that’s sweeping across the U.S. for the next several days. About half a million Indiana residents who rely on propane gas for heat could be facing a limited supply - Governor Eric Holcomb signed his first executive order of 2024 last night seeking to avoid that. Tens of thousands of public pension recipients would get a boost this year under legislation headed to the House floor. An Indiana law that gives on-duty police a 25-fo...
Jan 16, 2024
A detailed look at redevelopment ideas for the West Washington St corridor is completed. Indianapolis Public Schools board members unanimously chose Angelia Moore as their new board president for 2024. A local auto workers union and Allison Transmission in Indianapolis have reached a tentative agreement, avoiding a potential strike. Senate Republicans want to significantly restrict insurance companies’ use of prior authorizations for health care procedures and services. House and Senate Democrat...
Jan 12, 2024
The Center Grove Schools Board appointed an interim leader last night, just days after the former superintendent suddenly resigned amid a state investigation. Mayor Joe Hogsett chose Christopher Bailey as the interim chief of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. The Indiana Black Legislative Caucus says housing should be more accessible, affordable and equitable for all Hoosiers, and that’s the focus of the caucus’s agenda in 2024. Prosperity Indiana says it will focus on economic an...
Jan 11, 2024
Governor Holcomb touted Indiana’s giant leaps forward in his final State of the State address last night, but Democrats say when it comes to one of the most pressing issues the state faces, access to child care, those leaps are lacking. Sixth District U.S. Representative Greg Pence says he will not run for re-election in 2024. Purdue University announced yesterday they'll receive 100-million dollars from the Lilly Endowment. A new report says censorship laws often block students from engaging in...
Jan 10, 2024
A new Indianapolis City-County Council gathered for its first full meeting last night, as the 2024 legislative session kicked off yesterday. Democrats' and Republicans' priorities are coming into focus. Indiana aims to overhaul how children learn to read with a statewide mandate to follow the latest scientific research, but experts say for the change to take hold it'll take work from educators around the state. Want to go deeper on the stories you hear on WFYI News Now? Visit wfyi.org/news and f...
Jan 09, 2024
Center Grove Schools Superintendent Rich Arkanoff retired suddenly on Friday, as it was announced he is under state investigation. Indiana’s 2024 legislative session begins today, kicking off 10 weeks of work that will end no later than mid-March. The city says it will continue to invest in its initiatives to reduce gun violence. November was the first municipal election after redistricting, so data reporter Zak Cassel made two interactive maps that show turnout for the mayoral race and overall ...
Jan 08, 2024
Nichelle Hayes, the former interim CEO at the Indianapolis Public Library and director of the Center for Black Literature and Culture since 2017, announced her leave from the library on Wednesday. Three more state lawmakers have announced they will not run for re-election ahead of the start of the 2024 legislative session. Eighty-six Indiana counties received the first round of public health funding to come from the state’s Health First Indiana initiative. Researchers at Purdue University have m...
Jan 05, 2024
Two new members were added in recent leadership shifts at the Museum of Art at Newfields, after the Board of Trustees lost another member last month. More Indiana students graduated from high school in 2023 than the year before, but the new graduation rate still lags behind the highest percent a decade ago. The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration is awarding 18 point one million dollars in childcare grants to a total of 64 employers. There are several “red flags” Hoosiers can look ...
Jan 04, 2024
The number of homicides in Indianapolis dropped for the second year in a row. Stringent federal and state requirements for standardized testing guide how schools measure students’ aptitudes in specific subject areas. Researchers at Purdue University say a new study shows that reducing carbon emissions will also have a positive impact on water quality. Legislative committees get the first look at bills introduced in the Indiana Statehouse and can be the difference between whether they die or move...
Jan 03, 2024
Early childhood education is likely to be a key topic of debate in the upcoming legislative session. Governor Eric Holcomb says the top priority for his final year in office will be providing more "awareness and access” to existing state resources. The Indiana Department of Transportation plans to invest more than $600 million in rest area improvements over the next 10 years. A new study found that physicians with disabilities earn less than those without disabilities in the U.S. Nearly 50,000 A...
Jan 02, 2024
The Clinician-led Community Response Team started operations in July. The team works in three-person units and responds to a variety of calls, like welfare checks and connecting people with mental health resources. Fatal overdoses fell in 2022—the first time since 2018—according to the latest Next Level Recovery Progress Report. Indiana’s unemployment rate ticked up a tenth of a percentage point last month, to 3.7 percent—the highest the rate has been in more than two years. The holiday season b...
Dec 28, 2023
