Indiana’s colleges and universities have raised alarms over the state’s overhaul of high school diplomas in a series of letters. The state launched its first hospital-linked violence prevention program. Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Braun is adjusting his property tax reform proposal, just days after he unveiled it. An overhaul of the Indianapolis Housing Agency is underway after years of dysfunction and mismanagement. Want to go deeper on the stories you hear on WFYI News Now? Visit w...
Aug 01, 2024•6 min
The IU Board of Trustees passed a new "expressive activities" policy that creates guidelines for when and how activities like protests can take place on campus. A new state testing program aims to improve the understanding between PFAS and cancer rates amongst firefighters. What a high school experience could look like for the Class of 2029 is under debate. Thomas Cook, a former Indianapolis chief of staff in the Hogsett administration, was the focus of allegations of sexual harassment and preda...
Jul 31, 2024•10 min
The Indiana Arts Commission is awarding more than $3.5 million to groups across the state to support long-term operations and specific projects. The Indianapolis Public School Board approved a new policy that will alter school’s discipline practices. Some Haitian and Burmese residents struggle to access mental health care due to stigma and a lack of translation services. Four-thousand more students in Marion County will get access to the Indianapolis Public Library without leaving their school. ...
Jul 30, 2024
Nearly half of Indiana college students graduated on time in 2023, according to new data from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Braun has unveiled a plan that makes major changes to the state’s property tax system. A new statewide resource is aimed at giving students an interactive experience to explore career pathways in the healthcare industry. Some kids with sickle cell disease miss out on fun experiences like overnight summer camp – one camp...
Jul 29, 2024•10 min
Martin University hosted a job fair on Thursday to help formerly incarcerated people find employment. Indiana’s state education leaders want the public to share how they feel about the overhaul of high school diploma requirements. More than twenty wild rabbits have been found dead in Tippecanoe County due to tularemia also known as ‘rabbit fever.’ People in need of abortion care in Iowa will soon face severe abortion restrictions – this will likely not just impact Iowans, but will shift access t...
Jul 26, 2024
Indiana was one of the first stops for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. Since President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race — and with Vice President Kamala Harris likely to replace him as the nominee — there’s been a lot of misinformation about how she’ll get on the ballot. A vigil Tuesday night honored the life of Indianapolis activist Ron Frieson, known as Ron Gee, who was shot and killed last week. A new state law requires schools to limit students’ access...
Jul 25, 2024•7 min
The Indiana Democratic Party is backing Vice President Kamala Harris for president – just a day after President Joe Biden left the ticket. The southern Indiana utility CenterPoint has proposed a settlement in its request to raise customers’ rates. Indiana closed the books on its fiscal year with more than two-and-a-half billion dollars in reserve, the lowest amount since the pandemic. Indiana is introducing Medicaid managed care for people 60 and up – the changes have led to unanswered questions...
Jul 24, 2024•10 min
The Indianapolis Community Food Access Coalition recently recommended new community members to a city commission. The National Labor Relations Board this week overruled an Indiana company’s objections to a successful union vote by its workers. The Environmental Protection Agency says the standard for cleaning up coal ash in the Town of Pines will now be a little more strict – but activists say some flaws still remain. At IPS Butler University Laboratory School 60 on the city’s near northside, ne...
Jul 23, 2024•6 min
Indiana’s Democratic party and some Indiana voters are reacting to the news that President Joe Biden will not run for reelection. A proposal to add some local control over short-term rentals in Indianapolis moved forward this week. The Indiana Department of Health is warning people to use insect repellent and wear protective clothing following the state’s first reported West Nile virus disease case of 2024. As Nascar drivers zip around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, organizations are getting i...
Jul 22, 2024•7 min
Some cities in the Midwest have started buying up medical debt to help their residents – what does this mean? High child care costs and low availability are strongly linked to women’s workforce participation, according to new research from Ball State University. An Indianapolis lawyer has filed another complaint against Attorney General Todd Rokita with the state’s attorney disciplinary commission. State education leaders released this year’s academic growth assessment, and it shows nearly 7 out...
Jul 19, 2024•10 min
A new ordinance would require Indianapolis pet owners to register dogs that are not spayed or neutered. For the third year in a row, Indiana farmers have set a record for the most acres of cover crops planted. Workers’ rights are a major focus of Democrat Destiny Wells’ campaign for attorney general. Indiana U.S. Senate candidate Jim Banks used his prime-time speech at the Republican National Convention Tuesday to lavishly praise former President Donald Trump. Some Hoosiers are still unsure of w...
Jul 18, 2024•7 min
Governor Eric Holcomb helped break ground Tuesday on the first project of READI 2.0, the second phase of the state’s regional economic development initiative. The Indiana Department of Workforce Development will receive more than $1.2 million from the U.S. Department of Labor to expand state Registered Apprenticeship programs. June’s revenue report reveals Indiana did not collect enough taxes to meet its budget plan. After decades of strict regulation, rates of Black Lung Disease have started to...
Jul 17, 2024•9 min
The U.S. Department of Labor says an Indianapolis business owner continues to violate labor practices despite a 2022 federal court judgment. The crisis hotline 988 celebrates the two-year anniversary of its nationwide rollout this week. Marian University recently received $29 million from the Tom and Julie Wood Family Foundation. Kellen Gray will become the orchestra’s first African American conductor, and the second Black artistic leader of a professional orchestra in Indiana. Want to go deeper...
Jul 16, 2024•9 min
Indiana leaders shared thoughts and prayers Saturday after a shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. Destiny Wells is the Democratic nominee for Indiana Attorney General. Former state lawmaker Terry Goodin easily secured the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration asked a court to suspend a federal ruling that would invalidate the state’s Medicaid expansion program. Jim Morris, a pivotal figure in central Ind...
Jul 15, 2024
We’re not seeing a spike in tick-borne illnesses this year, but experts say they’ve been increasing over the past two decades. Attorney General Todd Rokita is suing East Chicago, arguing the northwest Indiana community is violating the state’s ban on sanctuary cities. Four career and technical education centers around Indiana will split $700,000 to pilot local youth apprenticeship programs. Police targeted two Indiana University student protest leaders for arrest ahead of time, according to Indi...
Jul 12, 2024•6 min
One of Indianapolis’s largest day shelters and supportive service providers for people experiencing homelessness will see leadership changes in 2025. Indiana is cleared to go “from planning to action” in connecting Hoosiers with affordable high-speed internet under a federal program. Indiana’s unemployment rate has gradually increased to three-point-seven percent over the last six months, according to preliminary data. Outreach on the risks of lead often falls to health departments, but what hap...
Jul 11, 2024
The superintendent of Carmel Clay Schools will retire next year. Indianapolis Public Schools has announced they will hire a new principal of George Washington Carver School 87. Loretta Rush announced Tuesday she will seek another five-year term as Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will reconsider whether to list a rare Midwest snake under the Endangered Species Act. Indiana University researchers say a key piece that fueled the opioid epidemic is the ...
Jul 10, 2024•7 min
Caitlin Clark became the first rookie in WNBA history on Saturday to record a triple-double. In the upcoming November election there are more open seats than candidates for the Perry Township school board. Sickle cell disease is the most common genetic blood disorder in the U.S., but states struggle to collect data on it – a new Indiana dashboard aims to streamline data collection on the rare blood disorder. Hospitals and school systems in southern Indiana are getting creative about filling the ...
Jul 09, 2024•8 min
Climate change is altering the world as we know it. For example, it’s making our water less safe to use. In the latest episode from The Checkup, Side Effects Public Media’s community engagement specialist Lizzy McGrevy spoke with Elizabeth Gabriel to answer one question: how does climate change impact our water quality? Want to go deeper on the stories you hear on WFYI News Now? Visit wfyi.org/news and follow us on social media to get comprehensive analysis and local news daily. Subscribe to WFY...
Jul 08, 2024•9 min
Historic policies such as redlining continue to haunt minority communities throughout Indiana, according to new analysis that examines how pressing environmental issues can impact housing. Fewer Indiana high school seniors have completed the federal application for college financial aid this year than state leaders hoped. One of Indiana’s three regional tech hubs will receive over $50 million in funding to support the implementation of biotech resources. The Indiana Eviction Justice Network has ...
Jul 05, 2024•6 min
Authorities say Indiana Republican U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz has been charged with bringing a firearm through airport security. Marion County officials are for the first time working together to release a quarterly report on suspected overdose deaths. Indiana Democrats will have four candidates to choose from for the party’s lieutenant governor nomination later this month. The walruses are back at the Indianapolis Zoo. The new leader of Hamilton Southeastern Schools is already making changes in ...
Jul 03, 2024
New federal funding will help realize transit and infrastructure improvements on the east side of Indianapolis. An Indiana law requiring stricter age verification for adult websites will not take effect July 1. The Family and Social Services Administration is implementing a significant change to an important Medicaid program for medically complex children. The Indianapolis Public School Board voted last week to appoint Lisa Riolo to the Indianapolis Public Library board of Trustees. Indiana’s la...
Jul 02, 2024•6 min
Purdue, local, and state officials gathered at Monument Circle on Thursday to celebrate the launch of the university’s campus in Indianapolis. Affordable housing is further out of reach for Hoosiers, according to a new housing wage report. The Indianapolis Public School Board approved a resolution last week reaffirming support of the LGBTQ+ community. Homelessness in Indianapolis continues to be an issue. Attorney General Todd Rokita is asking an Indiana judge to set an execution date for a man ...
Jul 01, 2024•7 min
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Development Commission on Wednesday gave final approval for a new, potential Major League Soccer stadium site. A 13-year-old student at a Hamilton Southeastern school says he was sexually assaulted by another student on more than one occasion – his family alleges school administrators failed to respond. The principal of North Central High School announced his resignation. An assistant secretary from the U.S. Department of State visited Indiana this week to promote a...
Jun 28, 2024•5 min
The Indiana Hospital Association launched software this month to connect hospitals with available staff. Cummins is undergoing a round of layoffs, citing the company’s commitment to a zero-emissions business strategy. A low-head dam is a structure built across a river where water still flows but is very hazardous for users – WFYI’s Jill Sheridan sat down with Friends of the White River's Scott Salmon to talk about the history of the Emrichsville Dam and the bigger problem of low-head dams. Want ...
Jun 27, 2024
More funding for a bridge project on a historical site in Indianapolis has been identified. With the number of high-heat days increasing due to climate change, some advocacy groups say tree cover is important to keep neighborhoods cool. The Versiti Blood Center of Indiana’s blood bank is critically low. The nonprofit blood center is seeking one thousand donors. Four seats on the Indianapolis Public Schools Board are on the ballot in the November election. No one told the Indiana Department of Ed...
Jun 26, 2024•6 min
Former state senator Randy Head is the new chair of the Indiana Republican Party. WWE and Indiana Sports Corp are teaming up to bring the sports entertainment company's three largest stadium events, Royal Rumble, SummerSlam and WrestleMania, to Indianapolis. An east coast chemical supply company says it’s ceasing production of a drug that’s been used to carry out lethal injections here in Indiana. A new rule from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission provides guidance to employers for impl...
Jun 25, 2024•6 min
A new project aims to slow traffic at a busy and dangerous intersection on Indianapolis’s north side. Racial disparities persist across many sectors in Indianapolis, according to newly released data from the city’s 2024 Racial Equity Report Card. Thousands of Indiana school children and teachers spent this last school year in a pilot program for artificial intelligence. Bioenergy company likely won't place plant in Gary. Indiana Republican U.S. Senator Todd Young’s years-long effort to add more ...
Jun 24, 2024•7 min
With Bird Flu infecting dairy cows across the country, some have questions about the safety of retail milk. Democrat gubernatorial nominee Jennifer McCormick announced her pick for running mate. New Title IX rules that would enshrine LGBTQ+ protections in Indiana schools were recently blocked by a U.S. District Court judge – a state lawsuit could delay the rules on sex-based discrimination. Want to go deeper on the stories you hear on WFYI News Now? Visit wfyi.org/news and follow us on social me...
Jun 21, 2024•8 min
The last stretch of upgrades to natural gas pipelines are underway on the east side. Nearly one in five students attend schools outside of their home district, according to a new data analysis by WFYI. New Title IX rules that would enshrine LGBTQ+ protections in Indiana schools were blocked by a U.S. District Court judge. When a critical access hospital in southern Indiana closed in 2022, health care leaders invited the community to contribute to a response plan. Democrats are trying to capitali...
Jun 20, 2024•7 min
