Noon Edition

Next month, Indiana plans to execute Jeffrey Weisheit for the 2010 murders of 8-year-old Alyssa Lynch and her 5-year-old brother, Caleb Lynch, who died in a fire at their Evansville home. His attorneys want to delay the date so doctors can perform and examine brain scans for evidence of brain injuries they say were not adequately developed or presented during his trial and appeals. Read more: Indi...

Early voting for this fall’s general election began this week, and with it comes fears about election integrity and security on both sides of the aisle. There also appears to be high levels of voter engagement. A new NPR/PBS/Marist poll shows nearly 9 in 10 voters say they care quite a bit about which party will win control of Congress in November. President Trump and the Republicans have been try...

Since the launch of artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT nearly four years ago, the field of artificial intelligence has rapidly grown – changing the world along with it. About half of all U.S. adults report using chatbots, and massive tech companies like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have poured hundreds of billions of dollars into research and infrastructure to support and further develop the...

Is my food safe to eat? Are vaccines and boosters safe to get? Who should I trust for medical advice? Should I be worried about measles? Recent outbreaks of cyclosporiasis and recalls and warnings of fruits, vegetables, meat and even potato chips and pasta have people wondering what’s going on with our food supply. A national survey by Navigator found 64% of women and 52% of men have changed what...

Friday marks 25 years since the deadliest terrorist attacks in history. Almost three thousand people were killed when hijacked planes slammed into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon, forever changing the world view for many. Read more: How the Sept. 11 attacks remade life in America Shortly after the attacks, President George W. Bush declared a “Global War on Terror,” leading to more t...

Indiana football is back this weekend, and with it comes high expectations from a fanbase still riding the high of a National Championship. The Hoosiers open the season is Saturday at home against the University of North Texas. It’s one of eight home games this season – all of which are sold out. This season comes with some big changes for longtime IU football fans. Sky-high demand for seats led t...

For more than half a century, Don Fischer has narrated the triumphs, heartbreaks, and defining moments of Indiana University athletics. From national championships and iconic buzzer-beaters to unforgettable football Saturdays, his voice has become inseparable from the Hoosier experience. This Friday, WTIU will debut a documentary on the legendary voice of IU sports called “Timeless: Don Fischer’s...

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 is projected to reduce Medicaid enrollment by 7.5 million people. That includes more than 340,000 in the state of Indiana. That equates to an 18.5% drop in Medicaid in the state that ranks among the steepest in the country. It’s put stress on hospitals – particularly in rural areas -and healthcare providers to take care of uninsured patients in the state. Ano...

The impending demolition of around two dozen apartments at Seminary Pointe has shined the spotlight on the lack of affordable housing in Bloomington. The low-rent apartments are on property that will be developed as part of the Bloomington Convention Center expansion. Advocates offered various ideas to save the apartments, but they have been cleared for demolition as soon as Oct. 1. Read more: Gro...

Rural Hoosiers already face obstacles in getting health care. There are counties that face shortages of doctors and nurses, treatment facilities or are located in health care deserts. Two counties bordering Monroe - Brown and Owen – don’t have hospitals. Others have had to scale back services. Read more: Greene County hospital to end labor, delivery services Rural Hoosiers are also more likely to...

The Taste of Bloomington returned last year after a five-year hiatus and was, by all accounts, a resounding success. But that success led to some changes this year. Around 20,000 people attended last year’s event along the Kirkwood Ave. cooridor, leading to crowd congestion on the street and around vendor areas, and a lot of trash to deal with. So, this year, organizers are expanding the footprint...

A new Monroe County Community School year starts on August 5. One of the big changes this year will be a ban on students having access to cell phones during the school day. It’s the result of a new state law that does not allow students to access personal wireless devices, such as phones, smartwatches and tablets. Parents decried the new law, citing the inability to check in with their children in...

Following a Supreme Court decision in June that the president had the authority to end the Temporary Protected Status program, the Trump administration is ending protections for immigrants from more than a dozen countries. Read more: Trump can begin deportations of Syrian, Haitian TPS holders, Supreme Court says Now, hundreds of thousands of immigrants living and working in the U.S. legally will l...

Indiana's Senate Enrolled Act 285 went into effect July 1. The new law prohibits camping, sleeping, or sheltering long-term on publicly owned land without permission. If unhoused people don’t move into a shelter or diversion program with 48 hours of being given a warning, they can be charged with a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. Read more: A cop, a homele...

On Saturday, the United States will celebrate its 250th birthday. In towns and communities across the nation, Americans will gather to honor the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, when the 13 colonies announced their split from Great Britain. And over the past 250 years later, those 13 colonies grew to 50 states and the United States has become one of the world’s superp...

All eyes are on North America as it hosts the 23rd World Cup, an international soccer tournament held every four years. Despite pre-tournament concerns of traveling to the U.S., stadiums in the U.S., Mexico and Canada have been sold out and raucous scenes of foreigners taking over cities, such as Scottish fans in Boston, have been common. Read more: World Cup turnout defies concerns, as Americans...

June is Pride Month, a month-long observance commemorating the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) culture and community. Indiana started celebrating Pride in 1990 with the Celebration on the Circle event in downtown Indianapolis. Today, over 40 Pride events are celebrated throughout the state, from small rural events to several-day festivals. But this year has b...

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to release more than two dozen decisions of cases it heard this term by the end of the month. The court has already released several verdicts so far, including allowing some states to redistrict their congressional maps and denying others; striking down much of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and voiding President Trump’s tariff policies. Still to be decided are cases...

Last weekend, high school seniors across the state walked across the stage for graduation. The class of 2026 grew up in a world of social media and lived through the COVID-19 emergency as middle schoolers, which shut down schools for a year and upended their learning experiences. Members of Gen Z, they’re entering a world with the U.S. once again at war, a slowing economy, unaffordable housing and...

With school letting out and the summer weather upon us, a lot of people will be heading outdoors for recreation. And around Bloomington, there’s a lot of nature to take advantage of, with four prominent lakes, two state parks and several wilderness areas and nature preserves to explore. Read more: Hiking paths in and around Bloomington But with all the fun comes some risk. Dozens in the state die...

Farmers across Indiana are facing a difficult economic landscape in 2026. Farm bankruptcies rose sharply last year, with the Midwest seeing the largest increase in the country. At the same time, many farmers are dealing with tight profit margins, rising fertilizer and fuel costs, uncertain commodity prices and questions about the future of trade and exports. Read more: Ag bill in federal legislatu...

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. First observed in 1949, the annual observance is meant to “highlight the importance of mental wellbeing, educate the public, reduce stigma and promote support for those affected by mental health conditions,” according to the National Council for Mental Wellbeing . The council reports one in five adults have experienced some kind of mental illness in the past y...

Last week, the Monroe County Commissioners again approved a purchase agreement to buy the North Park site for a new jail. The commissioners are trying to stay ahead of a deadline to make progress on building a new jail as outlined in a 2009 lawsuit settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union. It says that if the Monroe County Council doesn’t approve the new purchase agreement by May 29, the...

Indiana University has been the backbone of the Bloomington economy for some time, helping the community avoid the hardships other cities have faced.  But due to funding cuts at the state and federal levels and changes to the property tax laws in the state, that is no longer the case.  Layoffs at Indiana University have continued into 2026. And Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical giant in town, recen...

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the men’s Little 500 bicycle race at Indiana University.  Billed as “The World’s Greatest College Weekend,” more than 25,000 people pour into Bloomington for the numerous events leading up to Saturday’s 200-lap, 50-mile men’s race at Bill Armstrong Stadium.  Little 500 is also synonymous with the 1979 movie “Breaking Away,” a coming-of-age tale of four Bloom...