Noon Edition

The Monroe County Community School Corp. has four of seven board member seats open for election. Incumbent board members in districts two, five and six are running unopposed. A non-incumbent candidate is unopposed for the District 4 seat, where current board member Cathy Fuentes-Rohwer is not seeking re-election. The four candidates who have no opposition will join the three other board members ne...

Earlier this month, the City of Bloomington announced it is partnering with local housing groups to tackle issues related to homelessness.  The plan calls for a short-term pause on welcoming people who are unhoused from outside the region to overnight emergency shelters, focusing on reunification services instead. Long term, the plan calls for increasing the number of housing units with rent under...

Universities across the country responded to pro-Palestine encampments and protests in a variety of ways this summer.  In July, Indiana University implemented an Expressive Activities Policy, joining schools like the University of Pennsylvania and University of Southern Florida in creating new restrictions for protest on campus.  The policy – technically called UA-10 - introduces a clear ban on ca...

After a slow summer for home sales nationally, experts say mortgage rate decreases signal an upturn in the housing market toward the end of the year.  Affordability is the main constraint on the housing market now. Home prices increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic and homebuilding has not kept pace with population growth. But the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate has been below 7 p...

Indiana is set to revise its high school diploma options and graduation requirements. State officials have voiced that the current diploma options such as General, Core 40, Academic Honors, and Technical, lack hands-on courses and career training for students. The diploma changes proposed by the IDOE this year would go into effect for the class of 2029. But the options, meant to push career- cente...

Cyber-attacks on state and local governments increased from 2022 to 2023, according to the Center for Internet Security. The FBI 2023 Internet Crimes Report said ransomware reports increased 18 percent from 2022 to 2023. Losses from the attacks totaled nearly $60 million. Last month, Monroe County Government was hit by a ransomware attack, halting some local government operations.  Read more: Loca...

This week, both Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance visited Indiana.  Harris’ visit was planned before President Joe Biden’s announcement Sunday that he would be dropping from the presidential race and endorsing Harris as the democratic party nominee.  Harris spoke to a crowd of thousands of Black women at the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority’s Grand Boulé Wednesday.  She...

It’s been almost a week since Secret Service ushered Donald Trump off stage after a man shot at him during a rally in Pennsylvania.    The gunfire killed one attendee and injured two more.   Secret Service killed the suspected shooter, a 20-year-old man, who was set up on a rooftop outside the rally when he opened fire.   The shooting is under investigation. Also, the Department of Homeland Securi...

The Supreme Court issued several major decisions , including Trump v. The United States, which ruled the former president is partly immune for his involvement in efforts on Jan. 6 to overthrow the 2020 election results.  In another case, it overturned the precedent set by the 1984 Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council , which had given deference to governmental agencies in interpreting laws...

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Development Commission approved a new plan for a Major League Soccer stadium in June.  It's the second Professional Sports Development Area created for a soccer team in Indianapolis. The first was planned for Indy Eleven. But the plan approved for an MLA stadium ends any potential financial support from the city for the Eleven Park project . Our guests spoke during a...

Storms with winds reaching 70 mph tore through Monroe County and surrounding areas Tuesday evening, leaving approximately 42,000 homes without power.  Monroe County Commissioners declared a local disaster emergency that night.  By Wednesday, Indiana 211 received 36 damage reports for Monroe County. Crews have been working to repair power lines and remove trees from roads. According to Duke Energy’...

Indiana lawmakers passed a near total abortion ban after the US Supreme Court overturned its landmark ruling in Roe v. Wade in June 2022.   Indiana’s ban went into effect in August 2023.   The ban only allows an abortion if the pregnant person’s serious health or life is at risk; if there’s a lethal fetal anomaly up to 20 weeks post-fertilization; and in cases of rape or incest, but only up to 10...

A development is coming to Bloomington’s southwest side, and it is expected to add more than 4,000 homes to the city.  Construction could start as early as next summer, since the city council approved a rezone of the 140-acre site for Sullivan Development and Ridge Group in May.    Rezoning is the first phase, according to Sullivan Developer Travis Vencel. Permits still need to be granted from the...

Bloomington kicked off its fifth annual Granfalloon Festival last month , more than sixty years since Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s novel Cat's Cradle was released. An Indiana native, Vonnegut defines a granfalloon as a proud and meaningless association of human beings; part of the made-up religion in his book. The Granfalloon Festival in Bloomington celebrates art, music, and Vonnegut’s work. This year fea...

Indiana is a predominantly rural state, according to an Indiana State population overview. Living in a rural area typically is correlated with worse health outcomes and lower pay for women.  A University of Chicago working paper indicates that the social attitudes where a woman grows up continue to affect health and earning potential, even after a woman moves from the area. And while sexist attitu...

How quickly should you RSVP to an event? What do you do if you show up underdressed? Do you call someone or send a text? Everyone at dinner is on their phones, is that ok? Social expectations are always changing and have become more relaxed in the last 50 years. This week on Noon Edition, we’ll talk with guests about common courtesies and social expectations, and the ways these have changed in rec...

‘Bad Bars’ investigation   The IndyStar investigative team’s dive into violence and other issues at Indianapolis bars started in fall 2022.   Journalists Ryan Martin and Tony Cook uncovered more than 600 reports of violent acts tied to Indianapolis bars since 2016, including homicides and gun violence. Their investigation revealed lax oversight and a decline in enforcement of underage alcohol rule...

High school seniors across Indiana will be graduating in May.  Some will continue on to higher learning at two- or four-year colleges, some will enter trade schools and some will go into the workforce. All will face the challenges of an economy recovering from the pandemic, but still seeing high interest rates and inflation.  This Friday on Noon Edition, we’ll be live from Eastern Greene High Scho...

Protests are breaking out throughout the nation in opposition to the war between Israel and Hamas and the role the U.S. plays in it.  At Indiana University, students and faculty are pressuring the university to divest from Israel. IU Divestment Coalition spokesperson Bryce Greene said the group hopes to remain in Dunn Meadow until their demands are met. Read more: Pro-Palestine protestors arrested...

Indiana University’s Bloomington faculty declared no confidence in President Pamela Whitten, Provost Rahul Shrivastav and Vice Provost Faculty and Academic Affairs Carrie Docherty at a meeting hosted by Bloomington Faculty Council Tuesday. You can follow us on X  @WFIUWTIUNews  . You can also send questions for the show to  news@indianapublicmedia.org .   Guests Megan Zahneis,  Senior Reporter, Th...

Join hosts Bob and Laurie as they talk with the winners of this year's Spring Crossroads Pitch Competition at the Mill

Join host Bob Zaltsberg as he talks with guests at the Wonderlab Musuem about the upcoming solar eclipse.

Join hosts Bob and Laurie talk with experts about why fewer Indiana students are opting to go to college.

Join hosts Bob and Laurie talk with guests about the proposed merger between Childs and Templeton and what impacts it could have.

Join hosts Bob and Sara as they talk with experts about the best ways to start and manage your gardens all year long.