WFHB Local News Features

The Indiana Recovery Alliance, based in Bloomington, is closing in on reversing 2,000 overdoses. The announcement comes as a new study puts into context the economic impact of the opioid crisis on Indiana. Founder and Director Chris Abert says while that’s a de-humanizing perspective to approach the public health crisis from, it helps to convince legislators why harm-reduction efforts are …

Ross Gay, the award-winning, bestselling poet, is the teacher. Kacie Swierk, who relied on music to help get her through debilitating illness, is the student. Gay teaches creative writing in the Indiana University English Department. Swierk signed up for his course and found his unconventional teaching methods an unexpected help in making music. She hadn’t thought much about words through …

The U.S. congress is currently drafting a new Farm bill. In addition to providing insurance and subsidies for farmers and agricultural businesses, the bill would also cut benefits and increase work requirements for SNAP recipients. WFHB’s Jonah Chester talks with local food charities about the potential increase in demand if the cuts go through.

Liz Watson beat out Dan Canon and Rob Chatlos to win yesterday’s Democratic nomination for Indiana’s 9th Congressional District. Watson, a Bloomington native tells WFHB News Director Wes Martin that she’s thankful to have won yesterday’s race, and she’s ready to get to work on November.

Senate Enrolled Act 340, which passed in this year’s short session of the Indiana Legislature, would increase the reporting requirements for women seeking an abortion, increase the inspections and standards of health clinics which perform abortions, and level criminal charges against physicians who fail to fully disclose patient complications resulting from an abortion. Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky, along …

Monroe and Brown county have some of the best air quality in the country, according to the American Lung Association. A study out from the ALA looks at ozone and particulate matter in counties across the country. As WFHB correspondent Chuhan Jie reports, the study found that the air Monroe and Brown counties is healthier than in the rest of …

Monroe County CASA provides advocates to children going through the juvenile court system who are victims of physical or sexual abuse or neglect. A Court Appointed Special Advocate’s mission is to make sure the child stays in the forefront of any court proceedings, and finds a safe, permanent home as quickly as possible. Now, thanks to an eight-county pilot project …

The Environmental Protection Agency is hearing testimony from environmental advocates in D.C. today, ahead of a proposed rule change in coal ash pond regulations. Coal ash from power plants is often kept in ponds or lagoons near waterways. When coal is burned several heavy metals, including arsenic are left in the ash. Under an Obama Administration rule, energy companies were …

Bloomington High School students will walk out of class this Friday, as part of a nation-wide protest aimed at gun reform. The walkouts take place on April 20, the 18th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting. Bloomington High School North student Caleb Poer, an organizer for the walkouts in the Monroe County Community School Corporation, said he expects around …

After IU Health announced its sale of the downtown Bloomington hospital for $6.5 million to the city of Bloomington, the city contracted the Urban Land Institute to put forward recommendations on what to do with the 24-acre downtown site. As City of Bloomington Communications Director Yael Ksander tells WFHB News Director Wes Martin, the Urban Land Institute is putting forward …