Noon Edition

IU plays at Notre Dame on Friday night in the first round of the College Football Playoff. 

Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti led the team to an 11-1 record and No. 9 ranking in the Associated Press poll. 

Read more: IU to play at Notre Dame in football playoff opener  

With IU’s sudden success, the university last month signed Cignetti to a new eight-year contract worth $8 million per year plus an annual $1 million retention bonus. The university agreed to renovations at Memorial Stadium and a much larger pool of money for assistant coaches and other support staff. 

Despite the team’s unprecedented record — and the national exposure that came with it for IU and Bloomington — there are skeptics. The Hoosiers lost 38-15 to the only ranked team they played, Ohio State on the road, reinforcing a belief by some that IU is overrated. 

Cignetti said this week the team has something to prove against the Irish. 

Read more: Snow in South Bend? Bring it on, Cignetti says  

IU and Notre Dame last met in 1991 at Notre Dame Stadium. The Irish won 49-27. 

This week on Noon Edition we’ll talk with veteran sports journalists Bob Kravitz, Rick Bozich, and Nat Newell about Friday’s game, this remarkable season, and whether the Hoosiers can sustain their success.

Join us on the air by calling 812-855-0811 or toll-free at 1-877-285-9348. You can also send questions for the show to [email protected].  

You can also record your questions and send them in through email. 

Noon Edition will broadcast live Dec. 6 from the Viewpoint Books: Chapter Two in Columbus, Indiana. 

Join WFIU's Noon Edition host Bob Zaltsberg and a panel including New York Times bestselling author Michael Koryta, Bartholomew County librarian Lindsey Bailey and Viewpoint Bookstore Owner Beth Stroh. 

Find out what books have been popular in 2024, our panel’s favorite books, trends in books, and holiday gift ideas.  

Our panelists will discuss books for all ages, from children’s books to adult thrillers. Koryta, an award-winning author of crime and supernatural fiction, will answer questions. 

Public seating opens at 11:30 a.m.

You can also LISTEN LIVE on the radio or WATCH LIVE on YouTube. 

We will take questions from the audience in attendance at Viewpoint Books, well as through X @WFIUWTIUNews and email at [email protected]. 

Call-in questions will not be available for this show. 

Michael Koryta, New York Times Best selling author

Beth Stroh, Viewpoint Books owner

Lindsey Bailey, Bartholomew county public librarian

Veteran journalist and best-selling author Carl Bernstein has been making the rounds on the Indiana University campus as IU’s Poynter Center chair this school year.  

As the chair, Bernstein has attended lectures to discuss the U.S political landscape and the current state of the media. 

Read More: Carl Bernstein returns to IU as Poynter Chair  

Bernstein is known for he and Bob Woodward’s reporting on the Watergate scandal for the Washington Post that brought down President Nixon. The two co-authored the bestselling book, “All the President’s Men” detailing their reporting. 

His visits to IU have included engagements with students and faculty at the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs and IU’s Cinemas, which hosted a showing of “All the President's Men” to celebrate Bernstein on the 50th anniversary of the book’s release. 

And last week, Bernstein visited the Maurer School of Law, where he sat down with associate dean Steve Sanders to discuss the role of the news media and contextualize critical issues of law and democracy. 

This week on a pre-recorded Noon Edition, you’ll hear from Bernstein's Q&A at the Maurer School of Law. 

You can follow us on X  @WFIUWTIUNews  You can also send questions for the show to  [email protected].  

Indiana is resuming executions after a 15-year pause. 

Joseph Corcoran who was convicted of murder, is scheduled to be executed on Dec. 15.

It's also the first time the state will administer the execution with the drug pentobarbital, the same used in federal executions. 

Read more: Death penalty foes rally against plans to restart Indiana executions  

Eight men are on death row in Indiana. The last state execution was Matthew Eric Wrinkles in 2009.

The break in state executions has been attributed to the unavailability of drugs to use in the lethal injections.  

Since then, 13 federal prisoners have been executed in the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute under Donald Trump's administration.

Read more: Media unlikely to witness Indiana’s first execution in 15 years  

The taxpayer cost of a death penalty case, including jury trial, incarceration, and execution is more than $750,000. The cost of a life sentence without parole is about $185,000.  

This week on Noon Edition, hosts Bob Zaltsberg and George Hale will talk with guests who are deeply involved with the death penalty issue.

Join us on the air by calling 812-855-0811 or toll-free at 1-877-285-9348. You can also send questions for the show to [email protected]. 

You can also record your questions and send them in through email.

Stream the show LIVE 

IU recently reopened the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology with six exhibits and interactive experiences. 

The museum, which opened on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, tells the stories of indigenous cultures in the American Midwest — with an inventory of over five million objects of cultural heritage.  

Read more: IU’s Archaeology Museum reopens  

The museum previously consisted of separate museums known as the Mathers Museum of World Cultures and the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology. 

“Whispers from the Divide,” an exhibit presented since the museum’s reopening, tells the story of the U.S-Mexican border through a series of interactive videos. 

A new attraction is the Virtual Reality Dome, where curators and artists will feature exhibits. “City on the River” will be the first exhibit in the dome in 2025. 

The museum currently has these exhibits: “Divine Adornment: Community Stories of Belonging”; “Through Our Eyes: A Reclamation”; “Locally Based”; “Globally Relevant”; “Woven Through Time and Place”; and “Mapping the Midwest.” 

This week on Noon Edition we’ll talk with curators and the director of the museum to learn more about the exhibits and the process of merging the museums. 

You can follow us on X @WFIUWTIUNews or join us on the air by calling 812-855-0811 or toll-free at 1-877-285-9348. You can also send questions for the show to [email protected]. You can also record your questions and send them in through email. 

Brandie Macdonald, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the IU Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology 

Jean-Luc Howell, Director of Curatorial Affairs 

Kaila Cogdill, Curator of Collections Impact 

Stream the show LIVE

IU’s Kelley School of Business showcases professors and economists on a tour around Indiana, where they discuss the state’s economic outlook for 2025.

It’s called Futurecast and is meant to help Hoosier businesses prepare for the future.

Read more: State, national economies looking up while Bloomington struggles, Futurecast says 

A variety of panelists will share their expertise and opinions.

They will consider the potential economic impact of Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election and the Republicans’ nationwide success.

The Kelly School brought the Futurecast tour to Bloomington earlier this week. Several other cities in the state are on the schedule.

This week, we'll speak to economists with the IU Kelley School of Business about Indiana's financial outlook.

You can follow us on X @WFIUWTIUNews or join us on the air by calling 812-855-0811 or toll-free at 1-877-285-9348. You can also send questions for the show to [email protected]. You can also record your questions and send them in through email.

Stream the show LIVE

Donald Trump called it a “lovefest.”  

The New York Times called it “a carnival of grievances, misogyny and racism.” 

Trump’s presidential campaign rally at Madison Square Garden last Sunday started with a comedian saying Puerto Rico is a “floating island of garbage.”  

Speaker after speaker offered a dark assessment of America, with some adding crude comments, even by Trump’s standards, about Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Trump himself ranted about immigrants and America as an “occupied country” weakened by the “enemy from within.” 

Vice presidential candidate Tim Walz was among those who compared the rally to a 1939 Nazi event at Madison Square Garden. 

This week on Noon Edition, we will talk about fascism and the potential for next week’s election to change our system of government. Experts in political science and a representative of the group Defense of Democracy will join us. 

You can follow us on X @WFIUWTIUNews or join us on the air by calling 812-855-0811 or toll-free at 1-877-285-9348. You can also send questions for the show to [email protected].   

You can also record your questions and send them in through email. 

Noah Eber-Schmid, IU professor of Political Science 

William E. Scheuerman, IU professor of Political Science 

Aaron Dusso, Associate Professor of Political Science at IU Indy 

Karen Svoboda, Executive Director of Defense of Democracy 

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce recently published “Untapped Potential in IN,” a report on how childcare issues affect the state’s economy. 

The report concluded that Indiana is losing more than $4 billion annually — including more than $1 billion in tax revenue — because of childcare issues. 

Read the report here.

The data came from a survey in March of 609 parents with a child under the age of 6. The United States Chamber of Commerce Foundation conducted the survey. 

It found that 57 percent of parents of young children missed work or class at least once because of childcare issues in the three months studied. 

It also found that 40 percent of parents experienced employment disruptions in the prior year because of childcare issues. 

Parents in Indiana spend an average of $677 per month on childcare. 

This week on Noon Edition, we will talk with representatives of Indiana’s Chamber and childcare professionals. 

You can follow us on X @WFIUWTIUNews or join us on the air by calling 812-855-0811 or toll-free at 1-877-285-9348. You can also send questions for the show to [email protected].   

You can also record your questions and send them in through email. 

Guests 

Jason Bearce, Indiana Chamber’s Vice President, Education and Workforce Development 

Melissa Fry, Director of Applied Research and Education Center for IU Southeast 

Christin Olson, IU director of Early Childhood Education Services 

IU’s Media School recently announced a merger of its three student media organizations --- the Indiana Daily Student, WIUX radio and IUSTV. 

They will share business operations and advertising revenue in hopes of putting the Daily Student on stronger financial footing within three to five years. The IDS had a $1 million deficit that the Office of the Provost paid to eliminate in July.  

Read more: IU announces student media merger, cuts newspaper 

Part of the plan is discontinuing the IDS weekly print edition in Spring 2025. That move was met with resistance by the IDS staff, which published a front-page print story declaring “no confidence” in the merger plan. 

This week on Noon Edition, we will talk with IU Media School and student media representatives about the merger.  

This week, Noon Edition will broadcast live at the Monroe County Courthouse in advance of the Nov. 5 election. 

Join WFIU's Noon Edition host Bob Zaltsberg and a panel of political experts for a discussion about the upcoming general election, key races in the state and issues important to Hoosiers.

This special Noon Edition will have a live audience. Seating opens to the public at 11:30 a.m. at the Monroe County Courthouse in the Nat U Hill room on the third floor.

This event is free and open to the public.

You can also LISTEN LIVE on the radio or WATCH LIVE on YouTube.

We will take questions from the audience in attendance at the Monroe County Courthouse, as well as through X @WFIUWTIUNews and email at [email protected].

Call-in questions will not be available for this show.

Guests 

Marjorie Hershey, professor of Political Science 

Laura Wilson, Associate Professor of Political Science 

Les Lenkowsky, professor in Public Affairs and Philanthropic Studies