WFHB Local News Features

Businesses and community leaders spoke out against the latest version of Indiana’s proposed hate crimes bill, after an amendment in the state senate deleted two-thirds of the proposed legislation. That amendment gutted protections for race, religion, age, sexual orientation and gender identity, among others. Indiana sits on a list of 5 states who do not have a hate crimes bill …

The Trump-Pence administration announced changes to Title X funding, last week. The Nixon-era federal healthcare program provides funding for family planning and reproductive health services. Those services, which include cancer screenings, sexually-transmitted infection checks, birth control, and pregnancy testing, primarily serve low-income families and the uninsured. Under the proposed rule changes to Title X, which have yet to be ratified, …

Chris Abert says he founded The Indiana Recovery Alliance after walking along the B-Line trail in Bloomington and handing out blankets years ago. The area non-profit is engaged in what Abert terms Harm-Reduction, helping people experiencing addiction work towards QUOTE Any positive change. The Indiana Recovery Alliance exchanges clean needles and paraphernalia, conducts training on how to reverse overdoses, and distributes …

Local jazz musician Monika Herzig says mentoring is crucial for teenage girls who want to play or sing jazz. That’s why Herzig is in her second year hosting Jazz Girls Day clinics around Indiana. As Herzig explains to Assistant News Director Sarah Vaughan, it’s all about creating a safe space for girls to collaborate, explore, and just be themselves. The …

Ellettsville community members are still discussing a prayer request made by Richland Bean Blossom Community School Corporation Supertintendent Dr. Jerry Sanders. The newly-hired superintendent sent a letter in December to around 20 Ellettsville area churches, asking them for prayers and support for both himself personally, and the students and staff of the RBB school district. Sanders’ letter also stated “God …

The Monroe County Chapter of the NAACP and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington’s Racial Justice Task Force released a study last year, examining 20 years of racial inequality in the criminal justice system, education, housing and employment. At the State of the Black Community, speakers presented the results of that study. In today’s second part of a two part …

Indiana’s second highest ranking public official, Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch, is encouraging the expansion of the state’s timber industry. Lt. Gov. Crouch unveiled a strategic report on Tuesday, at the annual meeting of the Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Association, in downtown Indianapolis. The Indiana Hardwood Strategy report details opportunities to expand the state’s timber industry. According to the report, the state’s hardwood …

J.J. Perry took over as The Herald-Times’ Editor on Friday. Perry’s appointment to the local daily’s management comes after employees were let go, last week. Schurz Publishing Inc. sold The Herald-Times and seven other local newspapers around Indiana to Gatehouse Media, last Monday. In today’s feature report, WFHB News Director Wes Martin speaks with Herald Times Editor JJ Perry, in …

Indiana is fourth in the nation, when it comes to the rate at which children are placed in child protective care, according to an independent report by the Child Welfare Policy and Practice Group (CWG). In 2016, children in Indiana were referred to Child Services at nearly twice the national average, according to the report. The Indiana Department of Child …

Area service providers in Bloomington signed a letter, supporting a state-wide push to pass hate crimes legislation, this morning. Indiana is one of five states without state hate crimes laws. Any time a hate crime is suspected, federal agencies determine if the violation qualifies as a hate crime. After a Carmel synagogue was vandalized with swastika and other Nazi graffiti …