Noon Edition

Earlier this week, Indiana Governor Mike Braun fired the three alumni-elected members of Indiana University’s Board of Trustees and installed three of his own picks. In a last-minute amendment to the state budget this session, Braun was granted control of all nine of IU’s trustees by the general assembly. Previously, six were named by the governor and three were selected by alumni. One of the fire...

Thousands of graduating high school seniors are getting ready to take their next steps into young adulthood. Most of them were in middle school when a public health emergency was declared because of COVID-19 in Indiana , closing schools, restaurants, and public gatherings. The 2025 cohort saw President Donald Trump elected to office in 2016, when they would have been about 9 years old. Some of the...

Indiana will once again be the center of the auto racing world this weekend. The Indianapolis 500 is a sellout, which means nearly 400,000 people will be in the stands and the infield for what’s called the ‘Greatest Spectacle in Racing.’ Motor sports are a big business in Indiana. A recent study shows the Indianapolis motor Speedway alone generates more than one billion dollars in economic activit...

The papal conclave took less than two days last week to do something it had never done before – select a pope born in the United States.  Formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost from Chicago, Pope Leo XIV has been the head of the Catholic church for a little more than a week.  Read more: Who is Robert Prevost, the new Pope Leo XIV?   The 69-year-old pope spent much of his career as a missionary in South...

Federal and state support for higher education and university policies has come under attack during the second Trump Administration.  And for Indiana University students who are participating in the Civic Leaders program, the political landscape is much different now from when they entered college.  Watch: How Trump’s college crackdown is raising concerns about academic freedom | PBS News Hour Uni...

The CANDLES museum in Terre Haute celebrates its 30th anniversary this week. Founded by Holocaust survivor Eva Mozes Kor, CANDLES, or Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors , “strives to be a premier institution seeking progress in the creation of a world free from prejudice, hatred, and genocide.”  Kor and her twin sister, Miriam Zeiger, endured medical experiments by Dr. Jos...

The CANDLES museum in Terre Haute celebrates its 30th anniversary this week. Founded by Holocaust survivor Eva Kor, CANDLES, or Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors , “strives to be a premier institution seeking progress in the creation of a world free from prejudice, hatred, and genocide.”  Kor and her twin sister, Miriam Zeiger, endured medical experiments by Dr. Joseph Me...

Property tax reform has been a priority of Governor Mike Braun's administration from Day 1 of this year's General Assembly session.   Senate Bill 1 limits the property tax revenue Indiana counties receive by providing relief on property tax assessments. And while homeowners and businesses will see some relief, local governments are preparing for potential staff and service cuts due to the loss of...

During President Donald Trump’s first months in office, he signed more than 120 executive orders. The Financial Times reports that more than 100 legal challenges have been filed against these, including by federal judges. Former president Joe Biden signed 162 orders during his 4-year term. During Trump’s term from 2017 to 2021, he signed 220 orders. In eight years, Barack Obama signed 277 and Geor...

Trees have been cut down, parking barriers installed, and plans are underway for construction to begin in June on the expansion of the convention center in downtown Bloomington. Even the name has changed, from the Monroe Convention Center to the Bloomington Convention Center. It’s taken almost a decade to get the expansion project to this point. The plan includes a 61,000-square foot building acro...

It’s been three years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. And what was expected to be a quick Russian victory has turned into a bloody stalemate on Ukraine’s eastern border. A coalition of the United States and European countries have poured millions of dollars of equipment and financial support into Ukraine over the past three years. But with the election of Donald Trump as presi...

Climate change can impact the weather in a number of ways, from more severe storms to extreme temperatures and drought. And, as we see in the Midwest every spring and fall, temperatures can vary wildly in the span of just a day. That’s because Indiana is in the middle of a weather front , a transition zone between two contrasting air masses: warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and cold air fro...

By almost every economic indicator, President Trump inherited a robust economy when he took office in January. The stock market was at record levels, inflation was at 4% and the adjusted GDP for 2024 a solid 2.8%. And nearly every major economic forecast had those numbers continuing in 2025. But President Trump’s policies — the on-again, off-again tariffs and the promise of the Department of Gover...

Indiana lawmakers returned to the statehouse this week for the second half of the 2025 legislative session. They still have to finish crafting a two-year budget and address a number of bills that advanced out of committees. Read more: Indiana’s legislative session hits halfway point Property tax reform has been a major priority of Governor Mike Braun – and the assembly. Senate Bill 1 would provide...

Stream the show LIVE   IU’s College of Arts and Sciences has launched the Pillars Undergraduate Experience, a new undergraduate program designed to help students gain skills and real-world experience in their respective fields.   IU created the initiative after national criticism of higher education not properly preparing undergraduates for success post-graduation.  The program highlights four key...

Stream the show LIVE   In January, the Trump administration signed executive orders suspending U.S. refugee admissions programs. Bloomington’s refugee support organizations have felt the impact and expressed concerns about the stance on deportations by Gov. Mike Braun and Trump.   Read More : Legal immigrants still worried about deportation under Trump  Organizations like Exodus and The Bloomingto...

Kirkwood Avenue will close to vehicle traffic from Indiana Avenue to Walnut Street starting April 4. The decision was made to increase community engagement and commerce for local businesses. Read more: City board finalizes 2025 Kirkwood Outdoor Dining Program The Kirkwood Outdoor Dining Program began in 2020 during the pandemic to provide outside seating to local restaurants that had to adjust to...

This week on Noon Edition we’ll talk with Markay Winston, the MCCSC superintendent and April Hennessy, school board president, to discuss issues facing the system.

This week on Noon Edition, we’ll talk with experts to discuss changes to diversity, equity and inclusion programs in Indiana. 

Stream the show LIVE On the first day of his term, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that added a 75-day period of non-enforcement on the TikTok ban. Three days earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld the federal law banning TikTok and on Jan. 18 the app was banned on all U.S devices. TikTok is currently facing scrutiny for collecting user data and allegedly sharing it wi...

Stream the show LIVE IU Bloomington ranked fifth nationally in number of students studying abroad during the 2022-23 academic year.  Nearly 4,000 students from all IU campuses traveled to more than 70 countries. Over the past two decades, IU ranks in the top 20 among schools in number of students who studied abroad. Read more: IU launches Ghana Gateway, hopes to grow African partnerships  IU Educa...

Stream the show LIVE President Joe Biden has declared January 9 a National Day of Mourning for the recent passing of former president Jimmy Carter at age 100.  Carter served one term as president and was trounced in his reelection bid in 1980 by Ronald Reagan. But Carter went on to become a beloved former president who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 and built homes for Habitat for Humanity.  Am...

The Indiana General Assembly will convene on Jan. 8 to begin crafting laws for the upcoming year.  The 100 representatives and 50 senators look to tackle a multitude of issues for 2025, with education being a top priority. Indiana ranked seventh in the U.S for Pre-K through 12 grade. However, lawmakers look to increase pay to help fill teacher shortages, fund summer schools and improve services fo...

Join our host Bob Zaltsberg in a pre-recorded Noon Edition featuring WFIU reporters looking back on 2024 and discussing their favorite and most popular stories.  We’ll hear from Ethan Sandweiss, Bente Bouthier and Aubrey Wright. They covered news stories including the eclipse , elections and the federal housing program .  Read More: IU loses $1.3 million on eclipse day event   They also covered th...

IU plays at Notre Dame on Friday night in the first round of the College Football Playoff.  Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti led the team to an 11-1 record and No. 9 ranking in the Associated Press poll.  Read more: IU to play at Notre Dame in football playoff opener   With IU’s sudden success, the university last month signed Cignetti to a new eight-year contract worth $8 million per year plus an ann...