Noon Edition

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...

Noon Edition will broadcast live Dec. 6 from the Viewpoint Books: Chapter Two in Columbus, Indiana.  Join WFIU's Noon Edition host Bob Zaltsberg and a panel including New York Times bestselling author Michael Koryta, Bartholomew County librarian Lindsey Bailey and Viewpoint Bookstore Owner Beth Stroh.  Find out what books have been popular in 2024, our panel’s favorite books, trends in books, and...

Veteran journalist and best-selling author Carl Bernstein has been making the rounds on the Indiana University campus as IU’s Poynter Center chair this school year.   As the chair, Bernstein has attended lectures to discuss the U.S political landscape and the current state of the media.  Read More : Carl Bernstein returns to IU as Poynter Chair   Bernstein is known for he and Bob Woodward’s report...

Indiana is resuming executions after a 15-year pause.  Joseph Corcoran who was convicted of murder, is scheduled to be executed on Dec. 15. It's also the first time the state will administer the execution with the drug pentobarbital, the same used in federal executions.  Read more: Death penalty foes rally against plans to restart Indiana executions   Eight men are on death row in Indiana. The las...

Stream the show LIVE   IU recently reopened the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology with six exhibits and interactive experiences.  The museum, which opened on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, tells the stories of indigenous cultures in the American Midwest — with an inventory of over five million objects of cultural heritage.   Read more: IU’s Archaeology Museum reopens   The museum previously consist...

Stream the show LIVE IU’s Kelley School of Business showcases professors and economists on a tour around Indiana, where they discuss the state’s economic outlook for 2025. It’s called Futurecast and is meant to help Hoosier businesses prepare for the future. Read more: State, national economies looking up while Bloomington struggles, Futurecast says  A variety of panelists will share their experti...

Stream the show LIVE Donald Trump called it a “lovefest.”   The New York Times called it “a carnival of grievances, misogyny and racism.”  Trump’s presidential campaign rally at Madison Square Garden last Sunday started with a comedian saying Puerto Rico is a “floating island of garbage.”   Speaker after speaker offered a dark assessment of America, with some adding crude comments, even by Trump’s...

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce recently published “Untapped Potential in IN,” a report on how childcare issues affect the state’s economy.  The report concluded that Indiana is losing more than $4 billion annually — including more than $1 billion in tax revenue — because of childcare issues.  Read the report here. The data came from a survey in March of 609 parents with a child under the age of 6...

IU’s Media School recently announced a merger of its three student media organizations --- the Indiana Daily Student, WIUX radio and IUSTV.  They will share business operations and advertising revenue in hopes of putting the Daily Student on stronger financial footing within three to five years. The IDS had a $1 million deficit that the Office of the Provost paid to eliminate in July.   Read more:...

This week, Noon Edition will broadcast live at the Monroe County Courthouse in advance of the Nov. 5 election.  Join WFIU's Noon Edition host Bob Zaltsberg and a panel of political experts for a discussion about the upcoming general election, key races in the state and issues important to Hoosiers. This special Noon Edition will have a live audience. Seating opens to the public at 11:30 a.m. at th...

The three school board members who are up for reelection in the Richland-Bean Blossom Community School Corporation are running unopposed in November. They are Jimmie Durnil, Larry DeMoss, and Brad Tucker  The district has almost 3,000 kids attending six schools.  The board’s budgeting and federal programs allow students at Edgewood Primary and Intermediate schools in Ellettsville to eat free and h...

IU had 20 athletes and coaches in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Together, they brought home one gold and two silver medals, increasing IU’s all-time medal count to 124. Six Hoosiers competed in the Paralympics. IU athletes participated in five sports, and has had a diver in every Olympics since Toyko in 1964. Tokyo 2020 medalist Andrew Capobianco travelled to Paris for his second Olympics. This week on...

Indiana University received a $16 million Lilly Endowment grant to help connect the university to the Bloomington community. The grant money will be used for the development of the Trades District. The partnership is prioritizing building out more spaces for upcoming business startups to keep local talent in the city. Read more: IU Innovates nurtures entrepreneurs IU leaders and representatives of...