WFYI News Now

The Center Grove Schools Board appointed an interim leader last night, just days after the former superintendent suddenly resigned amid a state investigation. Mayor Joe Hogsett chose Christopher Bailey as the interim chief of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. The Indiana Black Legislative Caucus says housing should be more accessible, affordable and equitable for all Hoosiers, and t...

Governor Holcomb touted Indiana’s giant leaps forward in his final State of the State address last night, but Democrats say when it comes to one of the most pressing issues the state faces, access to child care, those leaps are lacking. Sixth District U.S. Representative Greg Pence says he will not run for re-election in 2024. Purdue University announced yesterday they'll receive 100-million dolla...

A new Indianapolis City-County Council gathered for its first full meeting last night, as the 2024 legislative session kicked off yesterday. Democrats' and Republicans' priorities are coming into focus. Indiana aims to overhaul how children learn to read with a statewide mandate to follow the latest scientific research, but experts say for the change to take hold it'll take work from educators aro...

Center Grove Schools Superintendent Rich Arkanoff retired suddenly on Friday, as it was announced he is under state investigation. Indiana’s 2024 legislative session begins today, kicking off 10 weeks of work that will end no later than mid-March. The city says it will continue to invest in its initiatives to reduce gun violence. November was the first municipal election after redistricting, so da...

Nichelle Hayes, the former interim CEO at the Indianapolis Public Library and director of the Center for Black Literature and Culture since 2017, announced her leave from the library on Wednesday. Three more state lawmakers have announced they will not run for re-election ahead of the start of the 2024 legislative session. Eighty-six Indiana counties received the first round of public health fundi...

Two new members were added in recent leadership shifts at the Museum of Art at Newfields, after the Board of Trustees lost another member last month. More Indiana students graduated from high school in 2023 than the year before, but the new graduation rate still lags behind the highest percent a decade ago. The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration is awarding 18 point one million doll...

The number of homicides in Indianapolis dropped for the second year in a row. Stringent federal and state requirements for standardized testing guide how schools measure students’ aptitudes in specific subject areas. Researchers at Purdue University say a new study shows that reducing carbon emissions will also have a positive impact on water quality. Legislative committees get the first look at b...

Early childhood education is likely to be a key topic of debate in the upcoming legislative session. Governor Eric Holcomb says the top priority for his final year in office will be providing more "awareness and access” to existing state resources. The Indiana Department of Transportation plans to invest more than $600 million in rest area improvements over the next 10 years. A new study found tha...

The Clinician-led Community Response Team started operations in July. The team works in three-person units and responds to a variety of calls, like welfare checks and connecting people with mental health resources. Fatal overdoses fell in 2022—the first time since 2018—according to the latest Next Level Recovery Progress Report. Indiana’s unemployment rate ticked up a tenth of a percentage point l...

Cummins will pay the largest civil penalty in Clean Air Act history for allegedly installing emissions “defeat devices” on hundreds of thousands of pickup truck engines. The free program aims to improve ridership and travel time. The shuttle service fills a gap between IndyGo bus stops in Marion County and jobs at e-commerce fulfillment centers. Nearly two dozen states have passed legislation that...

A judge has cut short the probation for an Indiana state legislator who pleaded guilty to drunken driving charges after police say he crashed his pickup truck through an interstate highway guardrail and drove away. A Japanese company’s plans to buy U.S. Steel is unlikely to change how fast plants like Gary Works reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. A new survey from the American Academy of Sleep...

Plans for the redevelopment of Circle Centre Mall are underway - the move could revitalize the space in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. Flooding could become the tipping point for people considering moving out of their neighborhoods in Indiana - that’s according to a new study by the First Street Foundation, a nonprofit risk mitigation research group. Ohio voters said yes to citizen-led ballot...

More Central Indiana families need food assistance - the need increased again this year, as Gleaners Food Bank announced a spike in the number of meals served. Governor Eric Holcomb says the sale of U.S. Steel to a Japanese company reflects the need to remain competitive in a global marketplace. Community Health Network agreed to pay the United States over $300 million to settle allegations that i...

After 29 consecutive months of state revenues that outperformed budget expectations, Indiana collections have fallen short two months in a row. Purdue University is one of six Indiana colleges to get part of a multi-million dollar grant that would revitalize nearby towns and cities. Pope Francis approved ordained ministers to bless couples in “irregular” situations Monday, including those in same-...

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Randal Taylor announced Friday he will resign from his position at the end of the year. The City Market will temporarily close while the redevelopment of that city block gets underway. Indiana University President Pamela Whitten earned a $162,000 bonus. Greater Lafayette officials say they’re nearing a contract with a third-party group they hope wi...

The Indianapolis Public School Board is accepting applications for its next appointment to the Indianapolis library board - IPS is responsible for appointing two members to the board. Lawmakers shared more detailed plans this week about their education goals for the upcoming legislative session - they’re divided on how to address work-based learning, low third grade reading scores and early educat...

Two-time ABA champion and three-time NBA All-Star George McGinnis has died. A picture of how Republican candidates for governor are each trying to define themselves emerged yesterday, during a panel discussion at an annual legislative conference. A new chimpanzee habitat is nearing completion at the Indianapolis Zoo - it’s one of the largest in the U.S. and will house one of the largest communitie...

State legislators passed two laws aimed at protecting firefighters from toxic PFAS (PEE-fass) this year - one requires fire stations to buy PFAS-free gear and another sets up a pilot program to test firefighters’ blood for the chemicals. The Indiana Chamber of Commerce just released its economic report card - Indiana improved in some key economic areas, but in many areas, that improvement is being...

Attorney General Todd Rokita “flouted the authority” of the state Supreme Court with comments he made about the public reprimand he received earlier this year - that’s according to Indiana’s attorney disciplinary commission. Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Keith Potts announced Monday he’s dropping out of the race - about five months after launching his bid, Potts announced on social media he won...

A new website allows the public to engage in the ongoing overhaul of I-65 and I-70 in downtown Indianapolis. The state awarded more than six million dollars to support victims of sexual assault through two grant programs - the money will support rape crisis centers and nonprofits that deal with services, intervention and assistance to victims of sexual assault. The FDA approved a new gene-editing...

Two more Board of Trustees members at Newfields have stepped down. Five Board of Trustees members have now resigned since President and CEO Colette Burnette’s departure. Indiana Republican Congressman Jim Banks might have an opponent on the ballot for next year’s U.S. Senate primary. Brandon Smith reports a judge ruled in favor of southern Indiana egg farmer John Rust Thursday, in a lawsuit challe...

Attorneys for the state and a group of anonymous women argued over abortion and the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or RFRA before a panel of appeals court judges yesterday. Half the country is now in a slightly warmer hardiness zone than they were a decade ago. These zones show an average of the coldest temperature on the coldest night every year for the past 30 years. The Indiana Depa...

The Indiana Court of Appeals today will look at whether Indiana’s near-total abortion ban violates some people’s religious freedom. The state is asking a federal judge to dismiss a second lawsuit challenging a new law that criminalizes anyone who gets within 25 feet of police after being told to stop. IndyGo is hosting a series of open houses this week to give residents a chance to check out plans...

The Indianapolis City-County Council held its final meeting of the year Monday night, and the council passed a number of significant measures. An ordinance blocking large water withdrawals from Tippecanoe County unanimously passed at the county commissioner's meeting Monday, as the state looks into the feasibility of a pipeline that would move water from Tippecanoe County to an industrial district...

Indianapolis police released edited video of an officer-involved shooting that happened Oct. 19th at a gas station on the city’s near south side, and missing body-cam footage of the incident is raising concerns. IndyGo’s leader Inez Evans will leave the agency after five years on the job, IndyGo says their search for a new president and CEO will start in the next few months. Marian University’s Ci...