This is the WFHB Local News for Wednesday, February 18th, 2026.

That’s Seth Pizzo, the Bloomington South computer science teacher who devised a camera system operated with Xbox controllers. South students are now setting viewership records with their livestream coverage of South athletic events. Hear more later in the show in a feature report.

Also coming up in the next half hour, “Looking Ahead” on Better Beware – your weekly consumer-watchdog segment on WFHB.

Senate to Take Up Controversial Immigration Enforcement Bill

Indiana Senate Bill 76 is one of many bills being proposed around the United States to further ensure local law enforcement collaboration with federal agencies. The bill was initially authored by Senator Elizabeth Brown in early December of last year. It has since been amended and has passed through the House. The bill is now in Senate review.

The most recent version of the bill would guarantee protections from the Indiana Attorney General for law enforcement, government bodies, and postsecondary institutions that are complying with federal law enforcement. It also lays out provisions for prosecuting cities and postsecondary institutions that attempt to block federal law enforcement efforts.

This can include establishing a sanctuary city or any “written or unwritten” policies interfering with federal law enforcement. Another provision of the bill lays out consequences for employers of undocumented immigrants. It would allow for investigation of employment records in the preceding 3-year period.

Further provisions of the bill include an amendment to the patient information that hospitals are required to provide to the state. It has been amended to include information about the form of identification used by patients paying with Medicaid. This requires the hospital to specify whether the ID used is from Indiana, another state, a foreign government, or no identification.

This bill comes in the context of widescale ICE violence and occupation in Minneapolis and many other cities across the United States. These national events have also re-ignited concerns about the City of Bloomington’s responses to federal law enforcement. Community members have demanded a better response from the city.

“I hope you’ll meet with one another and with other local officials to plan for scenarios that could happen here as bad actors continue to try to consolidate their power from fed to state to here. For instance, what if ICE or DHS sends their masked squads to “protect” our polling places during the upcoming midterm elections? Will the BPD, IUPD, Monroe county sheriff’s department cooperate with masked agents? Or will they protect us? Have our law enforcement officials worked through these scenarios for themselves internally? What about ICE coming into area schools and businesses? No identification, no proper warrant signed by a judge. Some folks at the state level appear to be fine with this. They may even pass a law requiring schools to turn kids into ICE. What are you going to do? Capitulate? Fight back? If you do fight back, what does that look like? What support do you need from the rest of us in order to fight back?” asked community member Susan Brackney during public comment at a Bloomington City Council meeting.

Erin Aquino, director of Bloomington and mental health programs at Exodus Refugee Immigration shared that the Exodus team is working to monitor the bill’s progress through the legislature. The organization warns that the bill would increase ICE detention holding times, among other consequences.

In an email response, Aquino wrote, “This could create rifts between members of the immigrant community and law enforcement, preventing them from providing the regular community support and protection they should be responsible for. Under this bill, ICE holds could become significantly longer, which could mean lost jobs and other consequences for those wrongfully detained. And, this bill also ensures that law enforcement will be protected by the Indiana Attorney General if they are sued for cooperating with ICE. In other words, our taxpayer dollars will be used to help protect those who are harming our neighbors.”

The bill is currently in consideration in the Indiana Senate and is on the agenda for a concurring vote on February 19th.

Featured Segments:

Bloomington High School South has a revered football program, but far fewer people know about the student media program bringing those games to the world. In October the Bloomington South Broadcast Club set a viewership record when they live-streamed the Panthers’ sectional game against Terre Haute South. It all started when COVID forced the club to rethink how to cover athletic events. Correspondent Graham Nash has that story in a feature report produced in partnership with The Media School at Indiana University.

Royal Encounters is a non-profit student organization at Indiana University of Bloomington. Their volunteers help create magic and memories for the children of Indiana. In today’s feature report, WFHB correspondent Paige Zuckerman sits down with Lily Welch of Royal Encounters to tell us more about the program. That’s coming up next on the WFHB Local News.

Up next, “Looking Ahead” on Better Beware – your weekly consumer-watchdog segment on WFHB. We turn to host and producer Richard Fish for more.

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