Noon Edition

April is National Donate Life Month, a time to raise awareness of – and encourage people to sign up for – organ donation.

It’s also the 40th anniversary of the opening of the Children’s Organ Transplant Association in Bloomington.

COTA’s mission is to “help children and young adults who need a life-saving transplant by providing fundraising assistance and family support.”

It’s raised more than $160 million since opening in 1986. Last year, COTA paid out more than $4 million to help with transplant expenses.

According to Donate Life Indiana, “more than 1,000 Hoosiers are among more than 100,000 Americans waiting for lifesaving organ transplants. In the U.S., another person is added to the transplant waiting list every eight minutes. Each day, 16 people die because a donated organ wasn’t available in time.”

On this week's Noon Edition, we’ll talk about the history of the Children’s Organ Transplant Association, its mission, and what it’s like to be the family of a donor and a recipient.

Guests
Rick Lofgren, CEO and president, COTA
Suzanne Seiders, Board member, COTA and parent of child recipient
Lisa Vanderkleed, Parent of child donor

Friday is the first day of spring, which means Hoosiers will begin spending time on their lawns and in their gardens.

And while there’s still likely to be overnight freezes and the ground may not be quite ready, now is the time to prepare for questions such as: When is the best time to plant? What grows well in shade and what needs full sun? How do I prepare the soil, and how much should I mulch? What should I be doing this time of year, and how do I even get started?

On this week's Noon Edition, we’ll talk with lawn and garden experts about what grows best in Indiana, when is the best time to plant and what it takes to maintain that perfect lawn and garden.

Guests
Ramsay Harik, Deep Roots Landscape Design
Dorothy Kiser, Monroe County Master Gardeners
Meagan McKim, Bloomington Valley Nurs

The Indiana general assembly wrapped up a shortened session at the end of last month.

It may be remembered more for what didn’t get passed than what did.

The session was called into order early in December with governor Mike Braun – at the behest of President Trump - urging lawmakers to redraw the state’s U.S. House district maps in order to gain a 9-0 advantage for the GOP.

A new map easily passed in the House, but failed by a large margin in the Senate.

Read more: Backlash intensifies after Senate kills redistricting push

Braun did get several bills passed that were priorities for Republicans. Among them were ones that mandated local government cooperation with federal immigration detainer requests; criminalized street homelessness; banned cell phones in schools; and required poorly performing townships to merge.

There were also a number of lesser bills that flew under the radar and made it to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.

Read more: Cheers to these less heralded bills

On this week’s Noon Edition, we’ll discuss this year’s general assembly session, bills that made it – and didn’t make it – to the governor’s desk and what’s in store for next year’s session.

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
Niki Kelly, Editor, Indiana Capital Chronicle
Laura Merrifield Wilson, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Indianapolis
Kaitlin Lange, Government and politics editor, Indianapolis Star

The U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran is less than a week old and has enveloped multiple countries in the Middle East.

And while the U.S. said it has decimated Iran’s air force and navy, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth cautioned the war was still in its “early” days.

Why the U.S. attacked Iran has been open-ended question. After originally touting an imminent threat of attack from Iran and regime change, the White House Tuesday said its reasons for the campaign were: destroying Iran's missile capabilities; annihilating Iran's navy; preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons; and ensuring the regime can't continue to arm, fund or direct "terrorist armies" outside its borders.

While acknowledging Iran was a bad actor on the national stage, Democrats have called the U.S.’s attack illegal, saying only Congress can declare war. They’ve also said they’ve seen no justification for the military action. Sen. Mark Waren of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CNN, “This is still a war of choice that has been acknowledged by others was dictated by Israel's goals and timelines.”

On this week’s Noon Edition, we’ll discuss the on-going conflict in the Middle East, what a post-war Iran could look like, the U.S.’s standing in the region and the impact of the war on Iranians here in the U.S.

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
Hussein Banai, Associate Professor of International Studies, Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, Indiana University
Babak Seradjeh, Professor, Department of Physics, Indiana University
Ladan Shojaei, Ph.D. Student in Mathematics Education, Indiana University

Recovery efforts continue on the west side of Bloomington from last week’s EF2 tornado that damaged several homes and businesses, uprooted trees and downed power lines.

The tornado touched down just west of the Monroe County Airport and was on the ground for nearly four miles before dissipating before crossing I-69.

Among the businesses hit was the Monroe County Humane Association, which provides veterinary care and shelter for pets of people experiencing financial hardships. A week after the storm, they remain unable to provide services.

Read more: Humane Association recovering from tornado damage

Recovery from tornados can be a long process.

The People and Animal Learning Services organization west of Bloomington that was damaged in last May’s tornado has begun offering limited services but is still working to rebuilt its outdoor learning facility and barn.

Read more: Bloomington equine facility rebuilding after tornado

That May tornado also devastated homes in the Clear Creek area on Bloomington’s south side. Then-Perry Township trustee Dan “Carp” Combs, who died last month, and journalist Steven Higgs interviewed residents and officials for a debrief on their recovery experiences and what can be learned from such disasters. They compiled a 67-page report calls “The Canary in the Coal Mine” critical of the county and state’s lack of preparedness for environmental disasters.

Read more: The Canary in the Coal Mine

On this week’s Noon Edition, we'll discuss recovery efforts from last week's tornado, where people can go for help and what we learned from last year's tornado in May that devastated the Clear Creek area.

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
Steven Higgs, Journalist, Author
Andrew Krebbs, Executive Director, Monroe County Humane Association
David Henry, (D) Monroe County Council, At-Large

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first celebration of Black history in the U.S.

Now celebrated the entire month of February, it was launched by Dr. Carter G. Woodson in 1926 as Negro History Week. It was expanded to a month-long celebration in 1976 and was officially recognized by Congress in 1986. February was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas.

The theme of this year’s celebration is "A Century of Black History Commemorations." Several events are scheduled in Bloomington and on the Indiana University campus.

Read more: Bloomington announces 2026 Black History Month events

But this year’s Black History Month comes at a time when the federal government has been removing Black history markers and content from sites ran by the National Parks Service.

Read more: Slavery displays removed from Philadelphia historical site after Trump directive

The president also eliminated Martin Luther King Day and Juneteenth as free days at national parks.

In Indiana, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives across state government and public universities were targeted for elimination by Governor Mike Braun to align with federal directives.

Read more: Following government orders, IU eliminates DEI programs

On this week’s Noon Edition, we’ll discuss the history of Black History Month, the importance of celebrating black history, if that's become more difficult as DEI programs have come under fire and what is being done to further black causes.

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
Jim Sims, President, Monroe County Branch NAACP
Carolyn Calloway-Thomas, Professor, Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies
Jakobi Williams, Ruth N. Halls Associate Professor and Chair, Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies

Minneapolis has been the focal point of the federal government’s push to deport illegal immigrants from the country.

Around 3,000 Immigration and Custom Enforcement officials and border patrol agents have been sent to the city, leading to almost daily clashes with protestors and two U.S. citizens being killed by federal agents.

Immigration enforcement tactics and rhetoric about undocumented people in the country has become another politically divisive issue between red and blue states, especially around how much local communities are required to cooperate with federal officials.

In Indiana, lawmakers are advancing bills to expand cooperation with federal agencies such as ICE and border patrol. It passed in the Senate, with all democrats voting against it.

Read more: Immigration enforcement bill clears Indiana Senate amid national ICE controversy

Another bill that passed in the House would empower the governor to send a “military police force” made up of Indiana National Guard members throughout the state. They would be allowed to conduct searches, make arrests and exercise other police powers.

Critics of the bill worry it could result in the governor targeting Democratic-ran cities akin to President Trump’s “Operation Metro Surge” in Minneapolis.

Read more: Indiana National Guard ‘military police’ bill passes House

Those opposing the deployment of ICE and border patrol agents across the county say that they have been violating first, second and fourth amendment rights.

Protests have sprung up nation-wide against the tactics being used by ICE and immigration enforcement officials.

On this week’s Noon Edition, we’ll discuss the bills moving through the Indiana general assembly, the debate surrounding immigration enforcement and if peoples’ rights are being violated.

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
Vanessa Cruz Nichols, Assistant Professor, IU Department of Political Science
Christie Popp, immigration attorney; Adjunct, IU Maurer School of Law
Sen. Shelli Yoder, (D) Bloomington

The Chicago Bears are looking for a new home, and, if Indiana gets its way, the original NFL franchise could end up in Gary.

The Indiana senate voted Wednesday to establish a state-run stadium authority that would finance and build a stadium for the Bears in northwest Indiana.

“Indiana is open for business, and the Chicago Bears have taken notice,” Indiana governor Mike Braun said in a statement. “The Senate’s passage of SB 27 to establish a Northwest Indiana stadium authority is the next critical step in the right direction to bring the Chicago Bears to the Hoosier state and to grow Indiana’s economy.”

If the bill becomes law, it would create the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority. It would acquire land, issue bonds and finance the building of the stadium.

The state would own the stadium and lease it to the Bears for a minimum of 35 years.

It’s pretty much the arrangement the Bears want to get out of now with the city of Chicago. The Chicago Parks Department owns the stadium and surrounding area, which limits the amount of money the team can bring in.

The Bears are also negotiating with the state of Illinois for a stadium complex in Arlington Heights, north of the city. The Bears have said they will pay for the stadium but are looking for the state to pay for infrastructure around it.

On this week’s Noon Edition, we’ll discuss what kind of financial commitment it would take from the state to lure the Bears, what it would mean for the region, how realistic is it that it could happen, and how often franchises make these threats to move to secure new stadium deals at home. And what does it mean for the fan?

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
Kyle Anderson, Clinical Assistant Professor of Business Economics, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University-Indianapolis
Michael Gallenberger, Reporter, WVPE
Geoffrey Propheter, Associate Professor, School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado-Denver

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday he and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had “formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region.” 

What that means is unclear, but the president said he will no longer impose tariffs on European countries who balked at his talk of taking over the country. Trump also said he was ruling out using the military to take over Greenland. 

Read more: Trump hails 'framework of a future deal' on Greenland 

It comes after weeks of rhetoric about the U.S.’s need to own Greenland for national security purpose.

Trump has also used national security as his reasoning behind the incursion into Venezuela earlier this month to arrest Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. The U.S. military has also been attacking what they call drug boats and seizing tankers carrying Venezuelan oil. 

Read more: Trump wants U.S. oil companies in Venezuela

The president last week also threatened action against Iran over its crackdown on protests against the regime.  

Read more: Iran warns Trump not to take action against Khamenei 

The U.S. and Israel also bombed three nuclear sites in Iran last summer, tied to the continuing war in Gaza. 

And, Thursday, Trump announced the creation of a “Board of Peace,” which is meant to oversee the ceasefire and reconstruction in Gaza – and more. 

On this week’s Noon Edition, we’ll discuss the U.S.’s foreign policy moves in Europe, the Middle East and the Western Hemisphere, how they are impacting relations with allies and adversaries and the future world order. 

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]. 

Guests
Feisal al-Istrabadi, Founding Director, IU Center for the Study of the Middle East
Leandro Aristeguieta, PhD history candidate, focused on U.S.-Venezuelan relationships 

The Indiana football team is playing for the national championship Monday night against the Miami Hurricanes.

It would be the first NCAA title in football for the Hoosiers, but the Hurricanes have been here before – winning five times, the last in 2001.

The top-ranked Hoosiers have rolled in their two playoff games – beating Alabama, 38-3, in the Rose Bowl, and Oregon, 56-22, in the Peach Bowl.

With the support of the nation’s largest living alumni base, Hoosier fans dominated the crowd at both bowl games. But doing so at Hard Rock Stadium Monday night may be difficult, because it’s the home stadium for the Hurricanes.

On this week’s Noon Edition, we’ll discuss the Hoosiers’ run to the national championship, how it effects the psyche of fans, the importance of the largest alumni base in the nation and what it means for the university.

Guests
Edward Hirt, Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University
Andy Graham, former Herald-Times reporter
Wayne Winston, Emeritus Professor, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University