Noon Edition

Indiana Public Media
  • 5.0 (2)
  • News
  • Updated Biweekly

Noon Edition is a weekly radio program inviting your participation on news and issues facing the southern and central Indiana community

  1. 1d ago

    How to address the challenges of rural health care

    Rural Hoosiers already face obstacles in getting health care. There are counties that face shortages of doctors and nurses, treatment facilities or are located in health care deserts. Two counties bordering Monroe - Brown and Owen – don’t have hospitals. Others have had to scale back services. Read more: Greene County hospital to end labor, delivery services Rural Hoosiers are also more likely to have higher risk factors such as higher rates of smoking, high blood pressure and obesity. Coupled with higher rates of poverty and fewer options for health care, it presents even more challenges for those needing care. That access only gets harder with cuts to Medicare and changes to Medicaid. Read more: Americans begin to lose Medicaid under Trump's work rules On this week’s Noon Edition, we’ll discuss the financial and staffing issues for rural hospitals and the challenge of treating those in need in health care deserts. GuestsChris Lunsford, Director, Owen County Emergency Medical ServicesBrenda Reetz, CEO, Greene County General HospitalDr. Robert Stone, Palliative Care Physcian, IU Health

  2. Jul 31

    What to expect at this year's Taste of Bloomington festival

    The Taste of Bloomington returned last year after a five-year hiatus and was, by all accounts, a resounding success. But that success led to some changes this year. Around 20,000 people attended last year’s event along the Kirkwood Ave. cooridor, leading to crowd congestion on the street and around vendor areas, and a lot of trash to deal with. So, this year, organizers are expanding the footprint of the festival and tweaking the layout of vendors to provide more space. They’re also moving the kid’s area from People’s Park to inside at the Monroe County History Center. There will also be more vendors this year – 75 compared to 50 last year – and a third music stage added at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. Read more: Taste of Bloomington website The festival will run from 3 to 10 p.m. And, like last year, all food will cost $5 or less. On this week’s Noon Edition, we’ll talk with the festival organizer and vendors about what they learned last year, changes coming this year and what food and drink will be available. GuestsBob Costello, Owner, Village Deli and Soma Coffeehouse and Juice BarJordan Davis, Organizer, Taste of Bloomington and General Manager, The Chocolate MooseMike McAfee, Executive Director, Visit BloomingtonRachel Wiehe, Owner, Weirdough Cookie Co.

  3. Jul 24

    MCCSC entering new school year amid tighter budget, new laws

    A new Monroe County Community School year starts on August 5. One of the big changes this year will be a ban on students having access to cell phones during the school day. It’s the result of a new state law that does not allow students to access personal wireless devices, such as phones, smartwatches and tablets. Parents decried the new law, citing the inability to check in with their children in case of an emergency. But last month, the school board adopted the new rule. Read more: Despite concerns, MCCSC board passes state-mandated student cellphone policy The corporation continues to deal with the fallout from 2024’s Senate Enrolled Act 1, which reduces property tax revenue for public schools and requires sharing with charter schools. The loss of funding forced MCCSC to lay off 61 food service, health aide, and custodial employees last year. It also froze teacher salaries and did not fill some open positions. Read more: MCCSC board gives financial update, discusses changes to cellphone policy Following the implementation of a fiscal plan by the corporation, MCCSC says it has turned a projected $30 million deficit by 2030 into a projected $35 million surplus. The corporation is also facing a decrease in student enrollment. There were just under 10,000 students last year. Over the next 10 years, that number is projected to drop to around 8,500. And all of these changes come at a time when artificial intelligence is changing the landscape of education. Read more: Teachers worry AI is impacting students' critical thinking On this week’s Noon Edition, we’ll discuss new and ongoing issues facing Monroe County students, parents, teachers and administrators with a new school year set to start in a couple weeks. GuestsErin Cooperman, President, MCCSC Board of TrusteesJenny Noble-Kuchera, President, Monroe County Education Association

  4. Jul 17

    What’s next for those losing their temporary protected status

    Following a Supreme Court decision in June that the president had the authority to end the Temporary Protected Status program, the Trump administration is ending protections for immigrants from more than a dozen countries. Read more: Trump can begin deportations of Syrian, Haitian TPS holders, Supreme Court says Now, hundreds of thousands of immigrants living and working in the U.S. legally will lose that protected status and could face deportation. More than a half dozen countries have already had their TPS ended, others are set to expire by this fall. Protected status for more than 330,000 displaced Haitians ends next week. The Temporary Protected Status program was passed by Congress in 1990 to allow eligible migrants to live and work in the U.S. if it was too dangerous to return to their home countries due to natural disasters, armed conflict or other circumstances. But many of those losing status and being sent back to their home countries may be encountering just those conditions. On this week’s Noon Edition, we’ll discuss the benefits of having Temporary Protective Status, what losing it will mean, and the role of immigrant support groups at a time when immigrants are under increasing political and social threats. Guests Elizabeth Dunn, Professor of Geography at IU BloomingtonGurinder Kaur, CEO of Immigrant Welcome CenterArwa Ghalawan, Syrian American Community Advocate

  5. Jul 10

    With public camping now illegal, what's next for Monroe County's unhoused population?

    Indiana's Senate Enrolled Act 285 went into effect July 1. The new law prohibits camping, sleeping, or sheltering long-term on publicly owned land without permission. If unhoused people don’t move into a shelter or diversion program with 48 hours of being given a warning, they can be charged with a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. Read more: A cop, a homeless man, and a provider: The street view of new state law’s consequences At the same time, local organizations dedicated to fighting homelessness and providing services to unhoused people are making major steps to expand and create new paths towards permanent housing and long-term stability. Read more: Homelessness initiative would offer year of subsidized rent On this week’s Noon Edition, we’ll discuss the short and long-term impacts of the new state law, the current state of homelessness response in Monroe County, and what the future looks like for organizations that provide services for unhoused people in Bloomington and beyond. Guests:Reverend Forrest Gilmore, Executive Director at Beacon, Inc.Mary Morgan, Executive Director of Heading Home of South Central IndianaBrian Giffen, Homelessness Response Coordinator with the City of Bloomington.

  6. Jul 3

    Celebrating America's 250th birthday during a time of divide

    On Saturday, the United States will celebrate its 250th birthday. In towns and communities across the nation, Americans will gather to honor the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, when the 13 colonies announced their split from Great Britain. And over the past 250 years later, those 13 colonies grew to 50 states and the United States has become one of the world’s superpowers. Read more: Indiana going all out to celebrate America’s 250th birthday Indiana University has a number of events scheduled this summer to commemorate the anniversary. An exhibit at the Lilly Library titled, “The Declaration of Independence: The Motives, The Moment,” looks at how the colonies reached the point of insurrection. Watch: WFIU’s The State of Inquiry Podcast: America 250 And, the nation’s capital is celebrating with a two-week long “Great American State Fair” on the National Mall. But like most events over the past decade or two, claims of its politization have driven a wedge into the celebration. But for some, the celebration of the country’s 250th birthday has turned into more of a wake. Read more: America turns 250. Not everyone is celebrating On this week’s Noon Edition, we’ll discuss America's 250th anniversary - if we're living up to the revolutionary ideals, how today's cultural wars fit in the country's history, how we’re celebrating the Fourth this year and why some may not feel like celebrating. GuestsErika Dowell, Executive Associate Director, IU’s Lilly LibraryLeslie Lenkowsky, Professor Emeritus, IU School of Public and Environmental AffairsCarl Weinberg, Retired Teaching Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at IU Bloomington

  7. Jun 26

    World Cup soccer taking America by storm

    All eyes are on North America as it hosts the 23rd World Cup, an international soccer tournament held every four years. Despite pre-tournament concerns of traveling to the U.S., stadiums in the U.S., Mexico and Canada have been sold out and raucous scenes of foreigners taking over cities, such as Scottish fans in Boston, have been common. Read more: World Cup turnout defies concerns, as Americans flock for the spectacle The tournament began on June 11 with group stage qualifying. That wraps up this weekend, with knockout games starting next week. This year, the tournament expanded from 32 teams to 48. The teams were divided into 12 groups of four, with the top two teams in each group and the eight best third-place teams advancing to a new round of 32. From there, the winners advance until the final two meet for the World Cup on July 19 in East Rutherford, N.J. The U.S. won its first two group games and has already qualified for the round of 32. They’ve never won three games in a World Cup before, but this year’s squad is ranked 14th in the world with high expectations on home soil. Read more: It's (finally) OK to dream big about USMNT and World Cup On this week’s Noon Edition, we’ll talk about how far the U.S. can go in the World Cup, how the tournament is inspiring America’s youth, Bloomington being a bastion of soccer, and if the sport will ever rise to the importance here that it has around the globe. GuestLouis Malone, Executive Director, Cutters SoccerAndrew McFarland, Professor of History, IU KokomoKelly Wherley, Building Manager at the IU Global and International Studies Building, local soccer fan

  8. Jun 19

    How LGBTQ+ Hoosiers are celebrating Pride Month

    June is Pride Month, a month-long observance commemorating the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) culture and community. Indiana started celebrating Pride in 1990 with the Celebration on the Circle event in downtown Indianapolis. Today, over 40 Pride events are celebrated throughout the state, from small rural events to several-day festivals. But this year has been a challenging one for LGBTQ rights in Indiana, with a federal appeals court upholding an Indiana law dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by opponents, the state banning transgender Hoosiers from updating their gender on driver’s licenses and birth certificates, and legislative attempts to ban transgender people from using bathrooms that don’t align with their sex at birth. Read more: Indiana governor declares Pride month ‘nuclear family month’ On this week’s Noon Edition, we’ll discuss how Pride Month is being celebrated in Indiana amid rising anti-LGBTQ+ legislation at the state and the federal level. GUESTS Elisabeth Solchik, Spencer Pride Melanie Davis, the Front Door community center in Bloomington

See All (973)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Noon Edition is a weekly radio program inviting your participation on news and issues facing the southern and central Indiana community

Information

  • Creator
    Indiana Public Media
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    973
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2023
  • Show Website
    Noon Edition

You Might Also Like