While political battles in Congress forced cuts to social services across the country in 2013, the year also saw a combination of local events affecting a population that has long depended on the social safety net. People experiencing homelessness were at the center of controversies over police harassment, city zoning laws, and a lack of adequate shelter. The issue that …

Special holiday edition that includes an interview with Helen Harrell by IU Journalism student Brittney Jackson about the history of the show. Two editions of Navajo Rainbow with Chair/Professor of Dine’ Studies at Navajo Technical University Wesley Thomas discussing two – spirit tradition and Navajo gender construction as well as the negative effects of western culture on native tradition and …

Ryan M. Brewer (vocals, guitar) Appearances on Blooming-Tunes and the Players Pub Songwriter Showcase have brought Indianapolis’s Ryan M. Brewer into the Bloomington community. Hear songs from his first release and upcoming album. His soulful lyrics and spirited playing will set you in the right mood for listening. Track List: 1. This Is Me 2. What You Think 3. What …

Indiana Senate Bill 371 easily passed into law this year, but the act, which reclassifies health clinics and imposes unnecessary procedures and counseling to families seeking abortions, has yet to be implemented due to a recent court ordered injunction declaring the law unconstitutional. Today, we look back at the legislators who passed an entire bill aimed to close down a …

Issues surrounding trash and recycling were in the news all year long during 2013. Early this year the local solid waste district expanded its services for rural customers. Then, over the summer, a business that accepted recyclables in downtown Bloomington was forced to close due to financial troubles. And in recent months there has been debate over whether the solid …

The fight for marriage equality reached the boiling point in 2013. From the landmark Supreme Court decisions striking down the federal Defense of Marriage Act and deferring to the lower court decision that found the ban of same-sex marriage created by California’s Proposition 8 referendum to be unconstitutional under California law to Maine, Maryland, Washington State, Rhode Island, Delaware, Minnesota, …

This week on Interchange host Doug Storm presents “Big Data Is Watching You,” a conversation with Colin Allen, Director of the Cognitive Science Program at Indiana University.  Allen is a philosopher of biology and cognitive science and he’s joined us once before on Interchange to talk about the possibilities of machine morality and perhaps rather the necessity of building morality …

A source of national controversy and the impetus behind the October shutdown of the federal government, the ACA produced two big issues in Indiana. The creation of the 29-hour work week allowed employers to avoid providing health care benefits to part-time workers, and Indiana lawmakers refused to create an Indiana insurance exchange, rejected Federal Medicaid expansion monies, and chose to …

Hostess Johann Mercado and Sandra Santana bring us a special holiday program with Traditions of Christmas Eve and New Year’s from different countries of Latin America. Listen to all the different food being cooked and desserts from countries like Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, Chile and so on. Listen to the events of the week and the segment of “Desde los pasillos.” …

One of the biggest national stories in 2013 was the continuing inability for the Federal Government to govern in a bi-partisan manner or in fact to govern at all. Beginning with the automatic cuts commonly referred to as the sequester in March as a result of the Budget Control Act of 2011 and reaching a breaking point with the October …