WFYI News Now

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...

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...

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 scho...

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...

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.

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...

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...

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 Departm...

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...

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.

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 fe...

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...

Indianapolis Public Schools pays teachers the highest starting salaries in Marion County, according to a new analysis from Chalkbeat and WFYI. An Indianapolis program at Hope Academy will serve kids with substance use disorders before they enter high school. An archeological excavation project is underway in Indianapolis at the site of the city’s first public burial ground.

Indiana University President Pamela Whitten is facing accusations of plagiarism in her doctoral dissertation. A House committee approved a bill that would make several funding changes to Indiana’s Medicaid expansion program. Several bills that would make Hoosiers pay some of the cost of building small modular nuclear reactors are working their way through the Indiana Statehouse. A House committee...

Yvonda Bean will be the next CEO of the Indianapolis Housing Agency. The annual survey of people experiencing homelessness in Indianapolis kicked off Wednesday night. President Donald Trump’s first day in office included taking action on some of his immigration campaign promises. A Republican-sponsored bill would prevent school districts from teaching or promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.

Home Repairs for Good is a nonprofit organization that repairs homes for low-income seniors and people with disabilities for free. Advocates want more resources to help people access food. Senate lawmakers are considering a measure that would address teacher shortages in STEM areas. Governor Mike Braun signed a series of executive orders Wednesday that aim to make health care more “affordable, acc...

Indianapolis extended the hours of an overnight warming center at Washington Park Family Center as a dangerously cold winter chill clamped down on the city Sunday night. To celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Indianapolis, Seeds of Caring held a youth service event on Monday. Companies like Google, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon are building large data centers in Indiana for artificial intelli...

Indianapolis’ professional women’s basketball team, the Indiana Fever, announced plans to build a $78-million practice facility in the city’s downtown. Single-family rental homes in Central Indiana counties have been targeted by out-of-state investors. Nearly 90% of kids who go into cardiac arrest outside of a hospital die, but less than half of Indiana schools are prepared to respond if it happen...

What do pregnant patients and their loved ones who live in states with abortion restrictions or bans need to know to prepare in case of an emergency? A state Senate bill aims to address concerns over large water transfers like those planned to serve the controversial LEAP industrial district in Lebanon. Over 2.5 million Hoosiers lack access to paid family medical leave – some lawmakers are advocat...

A new TIF proposal will help create added housing units in Indianapolis. Approximately 200 Indiana school districts and schools are facing a major cybersecurity breach involving a widely used education software provider. The severe winter storm that swept through the region prompted a State of Emergency being called in several areas – a group of Jeep-driving volunteers in Evansville helped essenti...

A potential overhaul of the state’s Medicaid expansion program would include changes such as caps on enrollment and limits on lifetime eligibility. The Indiana House GOP’s 2025 legislative priorities hope to build on previous initiatives that aimed to bring down health care and housing costs. The Indiana Black Legislative Caucus says its focus in the session is making Indiana safer, healthier and...

Immigrants and refugees in Indianapolis grapple with the uncertainty of how the incoming Trump administration could impact their future. Mike Braun says, as governor, he wants to empower the next generation and “pursue freedom and opportunity without fear.” Micah Beckwith took the oath of office to become Indiana’s lieutenant governor, while Todd Rokita officially began his second term as attorney...

Mike Braun will be sworn in as the 52nd governor of Indiana today, while Micah Beckwith will take the oath of office as lieutenant governor and Todd Rokita as attorney general. Republican state representative Alan Morrison has been tapped to head up Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources. And it's hardly a surprise, but the Gary Community School Corporation does not want to be dissolved. The nu...

The Indianapolis City-County Council convened for its first meeting of the year yesterday Wednesday after postponing it due to the winter storm on Monday. Indiana Senate Republicans say one of their top priorities in 2025 will be a major overhaul of the state’s Medicaid expansion program. Indiana Senate Democrats say their 2025 legislative agenda is focused on ensuring Hoosier families have suppor...

The Indianapolis Public Schools Board says it will fight against a bill that, if passed, would dissolve the district. Federal funding for IndyGo’s Blue Line is coming to Indianapolis. The Indiana Department of Transportation is shifting its speed cameras to a new highway work site as it continues to refine the system. Indianapolis Mayor and the chief of police announced the start of the city’s new...