Local resident Lyndsi Thompson is organizing a fundraiser for Bloomington man César Cepeda Gomez who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement this week while arriving to work at Walmart. In today’s featured interview, WFHB News speaks with Thompson about the fundraising effort to help pay for the man’s legal fees.

This is the WFHB Local News for Wednesday, September 2nd, 2026.

In today’s broadcast, WFHB News speaks with immigration attorney Christie Popp about recent immigration and customs enforcement activity in Bloomington and a new state law that forces local entities to further cooperate with ICE. More in today’s featured interview.

Also coming up in the next half hour, “Losers and More Losers” on Better Beware – your weekly consumer-watchdog segment on the WFHB Local News. More following today’s feature report.

Featured Segments:

Bloomington has seen multiple reports of ICE activity this week drawing concerns from residents and immigration advocates. In today’s featured interview, WFHB News speaks with local immigration attorney Christie Popp about what we know, residents’ rights when encountering ICE and how recent changes to state law impact local immigration enforcement. News Director Kade Young has more.

Last month, the county’s Capital Improvement Board further solidified plans to demolish Seminary Pointe for convention center expansion. Meanwhile, local advocacy group Bloomington Homes for All – who has pushed to preserve Seminary Pointe affordable housing and commercial spaces – say they will keep fighting for affordable housing, even after demolition. In today’s feature report, WFHB News Correspondent Elizabeth Schuth attended a rally organized by Homes for All titled “Who Killed Seminary Pointe? A Case of Corporate Crookery.” Schuth interviewed attendees of the Scooby-Doo themed rally which saw protesters satirically “unmask” city and county officials for moving forward with demolition of Seminary Pointe.

Up next, “Losers and More Losers” on Better Beware – your weekly consumer-watchdog segment on the WFHB Local News. For more, we turn to host and producer Richard Fish.

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Bloomington has seen multiple reports of ICE activity this week drawing concerns from residents and immigration advocates. In today’s featured interview, WFHB News speaks with local immigration attorney Christie Popp about what we know, residents’ rights when encountering ICE and how recent changes to state law impact local immigration enforcement.

The windows of Seminary Pointe apartments are boarded up. The tenants are gone, the businesses shuttered – but one group remains, Bloomington Homes for All.

Seminary Pointe was home to dozens of apartments as well local businesses like Friendly Beasts Cidery and Bluetip Billiards. The city bought the land 15 years ago to be part of the convention center expansion. Originally chosen as a location for a new hotel, the Capital Improvement Board, who manages the land, is still unsure how it will use Seminary Pointe. Local advocacy group Bloomington Homes for All gathered on Saturday afternoon dressed up like characters from Scooby Doo to host a scavenger hunt to solve the mystery of “who killed Seminary Pointe?”

WFHB Correspondent Elizabeth Schuth attended the rally and interviewed Homes for All members in today’s feature report.

The internet is now a worldwide war zone. Scammers in many countries have whole buildings full of people working scams online, and many of those are actually slaves, forced to work for starvation wages. But there’s some news which is both good and shocking: Cambodia cracked down on the “scam industry” in their country, and what they discovered is beyond surprising. Everyone needs to be very careful on the internet these days, and here’s why.

On the morning of August 25th, Monroe County sheriff’s deputies cleared a large homeless encampment known as the Powerline Camp on the county-owned Thomson property. The eviction, on Bloomington’s southwest side, left campers displaced. Also, a Bloomington man arrested a second time under Indiana’s new law banning camping on public property was ordered released from jail by a judge on Monday. In today’s featured interview, WFHB News interviewed Reverend Forrest Gilmore, executive director of Beacon Inc., for his reaction to the encampment eviction and enforcement of Indiana’s new homelessness law.

For more news coverage on the eviction, visit B Square Bulletin.

CREDITS:

Elyse Perry and Kade Young

This is the WFHB Local News for Tuesday, September 1st, 2026.

In today’s broadcast, WFHB News speaks with Rev. Forrest Gilmore, about our community’s approach to homelessness in the aftermath of a recent eviction of an encampment on county-owned property and the local enforcement of the state’s homelessness ban. More in today’s featured interview.

Also coming up in the next half hour, find out four ways you can get involved in your community this week in the latest edition of “Volunteer Connection.”

Featured Segments:

On the morning of August 25th, Monroe County sheriff’s deputies cleared a large homeless encampment known as the Powerline Camp on the county-owned Thomson property. The eviction, on Bloomington’s southwest side, left campers displaced. Also, a Bloomington man arrested a second time under Indiana’s new law banning camping on public property was ordered released from jail by a judge on Monday. In today’s featured interview, WFHB News interviewed Reverend Forrest Gilmore, executive director of Beacon Inc., for his reaction to the encampment eviction and enforcement of Indiana’s new homelessness law.

Up next, we have a story out of Valparaiso, Indiana from FPI News Reporter Carson Gerber, titled “Power is back on in northwest Indiana, but life isn’t back to normal.” This story was produced by Carson Gerber of FPI News. More information available at FPInews.org. 

Now it’s time for “Volunteer Connection” on the WFHB Local News in collaboration with the City of Bloomington Volunteer Network, highlighting four ways you can get involved in Bloomington. We turn to hosts Aubrey Seader and Kade Young.

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You’ve been listening to the WFHB Local News,

Fans packed the bleachers for the IU men’s soccer season opener at home against Notre Dame. WFHB Sports Correspondent Chase Dodson attended the game and interviewed fans and students about the season to come.

Coming up later in the program, we will hear from Jeff Stant of the Indiana Forest Alliance about some changes coming for the organization.

Wildfires continue to burn across the United States as Nevada is dealing with the Hawk fire started Saturday, August 22nd, believed to have been caused by human activity, though an investigation is on-going, near Peavine Mountain in Washoe County. Over 15,000 acres have so far been burned, and 32 homes destroyed in the fire, with around 90,000 residents forced to evacuate, thousands of whom were left without power. The fire is concerning, as wildfires have been sparking all over the world this year more than before. On Monday, August 24th, officials stated, according to an article published on CBS, the Hawk fire was 27% contained, and the fire still a threat to nearby Reno, where roughly 280,000 people live.

Bioplastics present a sustainable alternative to single-use plastics, produced from renewable resources like corn that biodegrade when exposed to specific microbes. CJ Biomaterials is innovating by developing polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) from sugar, which can break down in compost within six months. Traditional plastics contribute to long-lasting environmental harm, as they often degrade into microplastics and are frequently unrecyclable when contaminated. Despite bioplastics constituting only 0.5% of global plastic production, awareness of plastic pollution drives ongoing innovations in this field, with U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley advocating for alternatives. Current product developments are being tested to ensure practicality and effectiveness.

Lake Monroe is Bloomington’s sole source of drinking water, and has a myriad of impacts on the city’s water quality. Since the City of Bloomington has little regulatory control over the lake itself, several organizations have stepped in to implement programs to help reduce pollutants and improve its water. WFHB Correspondent Andrew Miller spoke with two organizations for more on those efforts.

Eco Report is looking for reporters, engineers, and segment producer to report facts on how we’re all affected by global climate disruption and the ongoing assaults on our air, land and water. We also celebrate ecologists, tree huggers, soil builders and other champions who actively protect and restore our natural world, particularly those who are active in south central Indiana. All levels of experience and all ages are welcome, and we provide the training you’ll need. WFHB also offers internships.

Host Clarence Boone spends the hour with Dr. Gloria Howell. She is one of the gleaming contributors here on Bring It On! She is the director of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center (NMBCC) at Indiana University Bloomington. She is also faculty coordinator for a first-year experience and introductory research course for freshman Hudson and Holland Scholars. Her research focuses on Black students broadly, and specifically on identity development and affirmation, culturally relevant pedagogy and curricular practices, and the effects of student activism on institutional change.

Dr. Howell is hard at work planning an exceptional lineup of events for the NMBCC and the entire Bloomington community. She joins us as a guest to provide an overview of the exciting offerings coming from the NMBCC. Below is an overview of upcoming events:

The Bison Kickback

Annual First-Year Pinning Ceremony

Tomorrow’s Sentry: Preserving the Past to Prepare the Future

Tickets can be purchased here: https://givebutter.com/mcnaacp2026

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