Changes to immigration policy brings the role of immigrants in Indianapolis into sharper focus. Indiana lawmakers consider a new funding formula for Indianapolis roadways. A new survey shows job loss affects more than just finances for Hoosiers. A new initiative at the Indianapolis Public Library lets visitors check their blood pressure for free. 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 n...
Mar 11, 2025•6 min
A local effort aims to help aging LGBTQ Hoosiers by forming a list of reliable service providers in central Indiana. Questions about a political operative's role in an IPS Board candidate's filing are still unanswered. Brandon Smith reports on what happened last week at the Statehouse. Survivors of domestic violence and abuse have another resource to help establish a sense of stability. IHA, the troubled agency in charge of helping low-income residents with housing in Indianapolis, has a new lea...
Mar 10, 2025•10 min
The next installment of our segment called The Checkup looks into the future of AI in health care. Students, parents and educators waited hours to tell lawmakers whether they want traditional school districts to share money with charter schools. The Indianapolis-based Lumina Foundation is setting a new goal to increase the number of people with education and training beyond high school. The Trump administration proposed a list of federal property to be closed or sold, including three in Indiana....
Mar 07, 2025•12 min
The Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana will lose nearly $50,000 in government funding after the Trump Administration decided to abruptly end one of their grants. Governor Mike Braun signed an executive order to ban transgender women and girls from playing sports. Lawmakers could advance bills on halting DEI programs, support for students who struggle learning math and new funding for charter schools. New data shows drug overdose deaths fell about four percent across much of the country – inc...
Mar 06, 2025•5 min
Leadership at Indianapolis Animal Care Services is unknown after the City-County Council stopped a proposal to appoint Kelly Diamond to head the troubled agency. As anti-DEI legislation makes its way through the statehouse, one Indiana college student created a petition to fight back. Governor Mike Braun signed an executive order Monday to expand paid parental leave for state-employed Hoosiers. Lawmakers filed several bills to further restrict abortion access and strengthen reporting requirement...
Mar 05, 2025•6 min
Changes to immigration policy under the Trump administration are bringing the role of immigrants in communities like Indianapolis into sharper focus. The Trump administration’s federal funding freeze is creating uncertainty for some climate-friendly grants. Governor Mike Braun held an invitation-only roundtable to discuss his property tax relief agenda in Madison County on Friday. Over thirty state attorneys general – including in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio – have urged the FDA to take action a...
Mar 04, 2025•7 min
The former leader of the Tindley Charter School network pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud charges. Indiana lawmakers are considering a bill that would raise the minimum teacher salary by $5,000 — to a base of $45,000. Indiana lawmakers are considering bills that could change K through 12 education in the state — from how schools are funded, to what teachers can say about race in the classroom, to how math is taught. Want to go deeper on the stories you hear on WFYI News Now? Visit wfyi.org/ne...
Mar 03, 2025•8 min
Several provisions in the state’s latest budget proposal could leave the Indiana Historical Society without a building. A $3 million project is underway to improve Tarkington Park, just west of the State Fairgrounds. Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly announced Wednesday that it plans to invest roughly $27 billion in United States manufacturing. ClearPath465, a project that began in 2022, aims to make the I-465 and I-69 interchange safer and alleviate congestion for drivers on the north east side. W...
Feb 28, 2025•6 min
The Trump administration froze federal grants that support a wide variety of institutions — including community health centers. Indiana’s K-12 schools and universities have until the end of February to eliminate policies that consider race in admissions, scholarships, and other aspects of student life— or risk losing federal funding. Thousands of refugees were able to come to the U.S. through the Welcome Corps, a program created under the Biden administration to help increase the number of refug...
Feb 27, 2025•8 min
Senate lawmakers advanced a bill aimed at helping unemployed Hoosiers experiencing trouble getting back into the workforce. Utilities that want to build a new power plant could bypass local zoning and land use laws under a state Senate bill that passed last week. Several major Indiana election reforms advanced by the Senate Elections Committee this session either failed to get approval or were significantly scaled back. A church headquartered in Indianapolis joined a lawsuit against the Trump ad...
Feb 26, 2025•6 min
Governor Mike Braun is tasking his wife, First Lady Maureen Braun, with keeping Indiana’s Dolly Parton Imagination Library program alive. A bill that would have made street camping illegal died in the Indiana House. The Indiana Senate approved a stripped down version of a prior authorization reform bill Thursday. Governor Mike Braun says he’ll veto major property tax reform legislation if it doesn’t "improve" as the session continues. Want to go deeper on the stories you hear on WFYI News Now? V...
Feb 25, 2025•5 min
The NFL Scouting Combine returns to Indianapolis this week for the 38th consecutive year. Indiana Republican lawmakers last week moved closer to rewriting how charter schools are funded. The Indianapolis Housing Agency has been mired in mismanagement-related controversy for years, resulting in a federal takeover in 2024. A Marion County judge blocked the Indiana Department of Health from publicly releasing abortion records. Indianapolis Animal Care Services continues to struggle with ongoing cha...
Feb 24, 2025•7 min
Indiana University Indianapolis broke ground on the construction of a new multi-purpose venue this week. The Senate approved a bill some lawmakers call the most aggressive pharmacy benefits managers legislation they have seen. House Republicans approved a bill Thursday to enhance Indiana’s role in enforcing federal immigration law. A new Indiana-based organization is trying to revive discarded kidneys to serve patients. CORRECTION: In our story about a new multi-purpose venue at Indiana Universi...
Feb 21, 2025•9 min
An Indiana University Medical School administrator is confirming the reason for canceling the annual LGBTQ+ Health Care Conference. Indiana House lawmakers passed a measure on Tuesday to ban transgender women from competing in collegiate sports. The state Senate passed a bill on Monday that would define natural gas and propane as clean energy sources. Indiana lawmakers want to address rising Medicaid costs in the state budget by overhauling the state’s Medicaid expansion program. Want to go deep...
Feb 20, 2025•6 min
Purdue University has announced a new fundraising campaign with a goal to raise four billion dollars in the next five years. Major property tax reform legislation that proponents call a "work in progress" advanced to the House on Monday. The Indianapolis Housing Agency has resumed in-person, walk-in sessions for Section 8 voucher holders and landlords. A bill that would jail and fine people sleeping on state property passed out of committee this week. Want to go deeper on the stories you hear on...
Feb 19, 2025•5 min
The increase in flu cases is stressing emergency rooms, according to the Marion County Health Department. Indiana University Indianapolis recently received Research 1 status from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The streak continues for the Carmel girls swim team. Indiana is one of several conservative states asking a court to declare a landmark law to protect people with disabilities unconstitutional. Want to go deeper on the stories you hear on WFYI News Now? Vi...
Feb 18, 2025•5 min
Legislation that aimed to dissolve Indianapolis Public Schools won’t move forward in the Indiana legislature. Indiana schools may not get the massive funding cuts once proposed in a plan to lower property taxes. Students who haven’t yet filed for federal financial aid to help pay for college can still get help. Bird flu has infected over ten farms in Indiana since the start of the year, amounting to over six million birds – Gov. Mike Braun says the state is monitoring the situation. Want to go d...
Feb 17, 2025•5 min
The Indianapolis group GANGGANG says it's generated over $13 million in revenue, and invested nearly $8 million into the local economy. How one Haitian community leader sees deportation efforts from the Trump administration affecting those in Indiana. The Indiana Republican Party has a new chair — Lana Keesling was unanimously elected to the position by the party’s state committee. A legislative effort that would have required Indiana schools install cameras in special education classrooms and s...
Feb 14, 2025•5 min
A judge will soon decide if the Indiana Department of Health can release terminated pregnancy reports following a hearing on Tuesday. Ivy Tech will close its Diversity, Equity and Belonging Office on March 12, dissolving 31 positions across the state. The ACLU of Indiana is suing Indiana State University. Reporter Aubrey Wright has more on the controversy surrounding the 2025 LGBTQ+ Pride Festival. The House health committee passed legislation that would increase access to birth control for Medi...
Feb 13, 2025•7 min
Vacant properties that plague neighborhoods continue to be an issue in Indianapolis. A new house bill in Indiana would make it illegal for people who are homeless to sleep outside. A federal judge has temporarily frozen plans by the National Institutes of Health to reduce research funding that universities and medical centers rely on. Indianapolis Public Schools is the only school district in the state that shares a fraction of property tax funds with local charter schools – that could soon beco...
Feb 12, 2025•6 min
The Damien Center in Indianapolis has for decades focused on immediate crisis response for people with HIV/AIDS – its new coffee shop is about long-term support. A House committee unanimously advanced a bill Monday that aims to address Indiana’s road funding needs — but not before eliminating multiple provisions that would have generated new revenue. Could political party influence soon enter school board races? Want to go deeper on the stories you hear on WFYI News Now? Visit wfyi.org/news and ...
Feb 11, 2025•5 min
Hundreds of middle school students have left Indianapolis Public School district in the last year. A property tax reform debate kicks into high gear, Senate lawmakers advance a bill to cut in half the number of early, in-person voting days, and a Senate committee debates an education measure to promote “fostering a national identity." There's a growing number of people who place sports bets after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized it several years ago – health experts say there is a risk that some...
Feb 10, 2025•8 min
A bill headed to the House would ban the use of student IDs to verify a person’s identity when voting. More than 10,000 Hoosiers are waiting for home- and community-based services through Medicaid waivers, including those waiting to go into assisted living facilities. Career and technical education — what used to be called vocational ed — is getting a lot more popular in Indiana high schools. Want to go deeper on the stories you hear on WFYI News Now? Visit wfyi.org/news and follow us on social ...
Feb 07, 2025•9 min
Protests were held at state capitols across the country Wednesday to oppose Project 2025 and the Trump administration. Families who adopt children out of foster care in Indiana face potentially significant expenses that the state’s $2,000 adoption payment doesn’t cover. A Senate committee approved legislation to put limits on when and how insurance companies managing the state’s Medicaid plans can deny emergency physician service claims. We spoke with a legal expert about immigrant students' rig...
Feb 06, 2025•6 min
Outspoken Indianapolis City County Councilor Jesse Brown has been kicked out of the Democratic caucus. A House committee approved legislation that could provide more transparency as the FSSA makes changes to an important Medicaid waiver. A bipartisan group of lawmakers and faith leaders gathered at the Statehouse to rally support for a measure to repeal Indiana’s death penalty. Hoosier homeowners have faced surging property tax bills in recent years. Governor Mike Braun wants to cap those increa...
Feb 05, 2025•5 min
President Donald Trump ordered increased deportation activity by immigration and customs enforcement agents around the country within hours of taking office – Ella Abbott spoke with several immigrants in Fort Wayne who are feeling those effects. Governor Mike Braun has named his preference for the next chair of the Indiana Republican Party – Fort Wayne City Clerk Lana Keesling. The Indiana Department of Homeland Security says there is an increased activity of drones flying over quarantined farms...
Feb 04, 2025•9 min
The YMCA at the Athenaeum on Mass Ave will close soon, leaving only one YMCA in downtown Indianapolis. Indiana’s attorney disciplinary commission has filed new discipline charges against Attorney General Todd Rokita. The Indianapolis Public Schools Board publicly denounced legislation they believe would harm the district. As fewer Indiana students go to college, some families are skeptical of the idea that everyone should pursue a four-year degree. Want to go deeper on the stories you hear on WF...
Feb 03, 2025•9 min
Our team at Side Effects answers a new question – Why do conservatives think less Medicaid is better Medicaid? A new study identifies major issues in a Marion County assistance program meant to help people in emergency situations. Indiana could soon focus on how students are doing in mathematics. 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 WFYI News Now wherever you ...
Jan 31, 2025•11 min
Non-profit Exodus Refugee Immigration announced Tuesday evening that it will be locking the doors to its building and moving appointments to virtual or off-site locations. Indiana would fully legalize online gambling — and online lottery — under legislation approved by a House committee Tuesday. Indiana lawmakers are closer than ever to declassifying fentanyl test strips as paraphernalia. A new federal analysis released this month raises concerns that even one drink a day increases your risk of ...
Jan 30, 2025•9 min
An Indianapolis group is raising funds to address a food desert in a near northwest neighborhood. The newest federal immigration court opens in Indianapolis this week. An elementary school building in the city’s Martindale Brightwood neighborhood was demolished. When school districts ask voters for more property tax funds, they have strict rules to follow – new legislation would switch up parts of that process. Want to go deeper on the stories you hear on WFYI News Now? Visit wfyi.org/news and f...
Jan 29, 2025•6 min
