Indiana Public Radio

06/05/2026

This weekend on The Facing Project: Alone Together & The Best of 2020

J.R. Jamison and Kelsey Timmerman take listener call-ins from coast to coast and discuss stories from the pandemic, and later the two share their favorite stories from everyday people who provided inspiration despite the challenges of that fateful year.

➡️ Tune in to IPR at 1 p.m. Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday, or access anytime at indianapublicradio.org/thefacingproject, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or NPR Podcasts.

06/05/2026

We see some family-friendly events in your forecast! ☀️☁️

You can get the full list of events near you by listenting to latest episode of Pop of Culture today at noon on IPR!

You can stream Pop of Culture at indianapublicradio.org and the Ball State Public Media app, or on Apple Podcasts, NPR Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

06/05/2026

When asked for comment, Ball State sent an email from Mearns that had been sent to university leaders. Mearns says Ball State settled the case, because it was what he called “substantially less” than the university would have had to pay in legal fees. He also says “the settlement does not vindicate Swierc’s claims.”

Mearns then explains at length why he says he had both the “legal authority” and “professional responsibility” to fire Swierc. He mentions many threatening calls made to Ball State offices by Kirk supporters angry at Swierc’s post. He said her post was “extraordinarily damaging to our University’s reputation and image.”

Read the full story at indianapublicradio.org/news/2026/05/225k-ball-state-settles-with-employee-fired-for-charlie-kirk-online-post/.

06/04/2026

Had the Alexandria Police Department followed the city law, Huffman says the agency would have an even more difficult time finding qualified candidates than it already is.

Read the story at the link below.

This week, the Alexandria City Council changed a rule requiring its police officers live within city limits. As IPR’s Thomas Ouellette reports, that’s after years of the department disregarding the law. Assistant Chief of Police James Huffman says the ordinance requiring local police officers to

06/04/2026

This week on Pop of Culture, we're all over the map! 🧑‍🎨 We start with Graham Watson, founder and President of the Vore Arts Fund, an organization distributing "unconditionally forgivable" microloans to get local art projects off the ground. He tells us why he thinks this should be the model for communities moving forward. We'll also speak with Braiden Robinson, who used a loan to further his lapidary business. 🪨 ✨

Then, we head to Seattle (and even then, to Vietnam) to hear Mary Lane Potter's Beautiful Thing "On Sam Mountain." And Ann Johnson returns to Pop to tell us about her new memoir "Finding Fogg." All that, and more! ✍️

🎧 Tune in every Friday & Saturday at noon, here on IPR, or stream any time at https://indianapublicradio.org/popofculture! You can also find Pop of Culture on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or NPR Podcasts.

River Teeth: A Journal of Nonfiction Narrative

06/04/2026

Some details of a settlement have been made public between Ball State University and an employee the school fired for social media comments on Charlie Kirk’s death.

Suzanne Swierc was Director of Health Promotion and Advocacy for Ball State, until she was fired on September 17 of last year. That’s after her private Facebook post calling conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s death a “tragedy” but also pointing to “violence, fear, and hatred he sowed” was shared publicly by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita.

Swierc sued Ball State president Geoffrey Mearns in his capacity as university president, saying he violated her First Amendment rights.

When asked for comment, Ball State sent an email from Mearns that had been sent to university leaders. Mearns says Ball State settled the case, because it was what he called “substantially less” than the university would have had to pay in legal fees. He also says “the settlement does not vindicate Swierc’s claims.”

Mearns then explains at length why he says he had both the “legal authority” and “professional responsibility” to fire Swierc. He mentions many threatening calls made to Ball State offices by Kirk supporters angry at Swierc’s post. He said her post was “extraordinarily damaging to our University’s reputation and image.”

Read the full story at indianapublicradio.org/news/2026/05/225k-ball-state-settles-with-employee-fired-for-charlie-kirk-online-post/.

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06/03/2026

Meagan Coutinho resigned her job in February after being interviewed by state police.

Read the story at the link below.

The office manager of Delaware County Emergency Medical Services has been arrested and charged with several counts of felony theft and official misconduct. As IPR’s Stephanie Wiechmann report, the woman is also the county emergency management agency director’s wife. Meagan Coutinho is b

06/03/2026

From the Indiana Capital Chronicle: Braun indicated the state’s energy emergency statute grants him the authority to extend both gas tax suspensions through early August, if needed, before legislative action is needed.

Gov. Mike Braun extended an emergency order Wednesday suspending Indiana’s gasoline taxes for another 30 days. The suspension of the 62.5 cents per gallon of taxes that would otherwise be collected has contributed to Indiana having the nation’s lowest statewide average pump prices. Braun’s dec

06/02/2026

From the Indiana Capital Chronicle: Braun’s proclamation cites research that children living with their “married, biological parents” are physically and emotionally better off.

Read the story at the link below.

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun declared June “nuclear family month” in a proclamation issued Monday — the first day of nationally recognized Pride month. The document proclaims the nuclear family, “consisting of one husband, one wife, and any … children, is God’s design for the family structure...

06/01/2026

The Bears team said they were in the final stages of evaluating either Arlington Heights or Hammond, Indiana, as the final location for a new stadium.

Read the story at the link below.

Illinois legislators worked until the final hours of their session to get a deal done to keep the Bears football team from leaving the state. But the chamber did not get a bill across the finish line, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The Illinois Senate put together a last-minute bill, but