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Axios
2 days ago
- Axios
How to enjoy the White River even as a newbie
I'm living proof that you don't need years of experience — or even any tangible skill — to have a thrilling White River adventure. Why it matters: As this summer continues to deliver high temperatures, a day on the water is a fun and accessible way for Indy residents to beat the heat while experiencing a moment of serenity. The big picture: Getting outdoors is big business in the Hoosier state. With $15.7 billion generated by adventure seekers in 2023, Indiana ranked first in the Midwest and 12th in the U.S. for total value added from outdoor recreation activities. The industry also accounted for 3.2% of the state's total employment with more than 105,000 jobs. Driving the news: Earlier this month, I joined dozens of other novice kayakers on an outing organized by the Indianapolis chapter of Outdoor Afro, a national nonprofit committed to connecting Black communities with nature year-round. Founded in 2009 in Oakland, California, Outdoor Afro is in more than 60 cities across the U.S. and aids in the seemingly impossible task of helping grown folks make new friends. The group is also spending its summer combating disproportionately high drowning rates in the Black community by providing scholarships for swimming lessons. Zoom in: We launched from Rusty Oar in Noblesville around 9am with kayaks and life vests provided by the White River Canoe Company, one of multiple outfitters that lead excursions in the Indianapolis metro. Our trip was a 6-mile, beginner-friendly route that takes between two and three hours to complete. The biggest obstacles were low hanging trees, large rocks and beer-chugging tubers that stretched across the river near Potter's Bridge. Single kayak rentals cost $30, and tandem kayaks cost $60. Context: I haven't put an oar in the water since band camp. So any kayaking or canoeing know-how I developed back then is as long forgotten as my high school hairline. Yes, but: White River Canoe Company staff and Outdoor Afro's volunteer group leaders provided tips that had us paddling like pros in no time. Their biggest advice? Stick to single kayaks as two rookies in a tandem have a much higher chance of tipping over. Plus: Small movements can create big trajectory changes. So take it slow. Threat level: According to the Indiana Department of Health, more than 300 injuries due to drowning or submersion were recorded statewide in 2023, including 80 deaths. Among those 15 and older, the highest proportion of drownings (41%) from 2019-2023 occurred in natural bodies of water. Here are a few tips from Indiana Conservation Officers to ensure your next adventure on the water is a safe one. 🗺️ Plan ahead: Learn the route and know where public access points are before hitting the water. 🚣 Check the forecast and water levels: Avoid paddling in extreme conditions, and never paddle on flooded streams. 👫 Take a buddy or two: Having backup is crucial should you capsize. 🧒 Keep a close eye on kids: Our trip and many others promote all-ages fun, but encourage young paddlers to learn the safety rules and stick with the group.
Indianapolis Star
23-07-2025
- Health
- Indianapolis Star
Transgender Hoosiers push back on ban on driver's license gender changes. Will opposition matter?
Dozens of Hoosiers testified on July 22 in opposition to a proposed rule change by the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles that would prohibit gender marker changes on driver's licenses, an effort stemming from Gov. Mike Braun's executive order from March that aimed to promote the 'biological dichotomy between men and women' and discourage 'modern gender ideology.' BMV leaders, though, likely don't have much power to significantly alter the proposed rule since the agency has to comply with Braun's order. "While we are committed to ensuring that all voices and points of view are heard and considered," Gregory Dunn, executive director of communications for the BMV said in a statement, "we also have a responsibility to carry out our duties as defined by law." What was intended to be an hour-long public hearing stretched nearly three hours as speakers criticized what some described as an intentionally anti-transgender initiative by state elected officials. Among them were transgender Hoosiers and advocates alike, including a 15-year-old nonbinary teenager looking to get their driver's license and a man with an intersex partner. Before Gov. Braun's order, people could change gender markers on their licenses by obtaining a court order, a process speakers described as arduous. Under the proposed rule change, the gender on an individual's driver's license must reflect their biological sex determined at birth. An 'X' will no longer be allowed in place of a gender marker for nonbinary people. While driver's licenses that have already changed will remain valid, new licenses issued must follow the updated guidelines. Shortly after Braun's executive order, the Indiana Department of Health told local health departments to stop accepting requests to change genders on birth certificates. When a health department subsequently refused to change the gender of a teenage transgender girl on the birth certificate, the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana sued the governor for allegedly violating the equal protection and privacy clauses of the U.S. Constitution. The executive order has not been the first challenge to the BMV's policy of changing gender markers. In 2020, then-Attorney General Curtis Hill issued an advisory opinion saying the BMV did not have the authority to issue an 'X' as a gender marker. That opinion eventually led to an Indiana Court of Appeals decision in 2024 that determined 'gender' has the same legal meaning as 'sex" when it comes to laws pertaining to motor vehicles, a precedent that was cited by a regulatory analysis of the proposed rule change. That same regulatory analysis became a point of contention for some speakers, specifically one line that listed 'impacted parties' as 'none.' Those who testified cited scientific studies, legal principles, Bible verses and poems. They described hypothetical scenarios where the proposed rule change could cause more confusion at traffic stops, in hospitals and even when issuing a description for a missing person. Among the speakers was Kit Malone, a transgender woman and former strategist for the ACLU who said the change will impact transgender Hoosiers in everyday scenarios where IDs are required, like bars, movie theaters and grocery store checkouts, because many will not look like the gender listed on their ID. 'I updated my ID because it was getting weird not to,' she said. 'I was getting looks.' Eli Lucas, a transgender man who works for a Fortune 500 company in Indianapolis, said the change affects hardworking taxpayers like himself. He said he feared the change could complicate police interactions, enhance the risk of violence and create humiliation in everyday interactions that require an ID. 'We transgender Hoosiers are your neighbors, your coworkers, your friends and your family who simply want to live without fear,' he said. Others spoke to the broader political climate, referencing a pastor who delivered a sermon in June at an Indianapolis church where he told congregants to pray for the deaths of LGBTQ+ people. Some who testified said they had friends who had left Indiana because of its attitude toward transgender people, but that they loved the state they grew up in too much to follow them. Amy Kleyla, a combat veteran and 50501 protest organizer, said the national environment had gotten increasingly hostile as well. She said she transitioned 28 years ago but has never experienced as much hate as she has this year. 'That hate is force fed into the American people right now,' Kleyla said. The BMV did not provide details about how much the agency could modify the proposed changes to still comply with Braun's executive order. "Hoosiers have too many pressing needs to spend their tax dollars trying to redefine what it means to be a boy or a girl," Braun previously said when he signed the executive order. "Today's executive order will end any confusion about our state's policy on this issue so we can focus on my goal to secure freedom and opportunity for all Hoosiers."
Indianapolis Star
22-07-2025
- Health
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana sees first case of the West Nile virus in 2025. What to know and how to stay safe
The Indiana Department of Health announced Tuesday that the state's first case of West Nile virus for 2025 has been reported in a Vanderburgh County resident. Here's what to know about the reported case and how to protect yourself from mosquitoes. There is currently only one reported case of West Nile virus in Indiana, in Vanderburgh County. "The Indiana Department of Health expects to see additional West Nile virus cases as the mosquito season progresses," a news release states. "Taking precautions against mosquito bites can reduce the risk of disease caused by mosquito-borne viruses." In 2024, Indiana had 11 human cases of West Nile virus. Officials don't identify the affected residents due to privacy laws. State Health Commissioner Lindsay Weaver said with the large rainfall and high temperatures in the state, residents should take steps to remove mosquito breeding grounds from their property. Steps to prevent mosquito-borne diseases include: According to the IDOH, most people with West Nile virus will not have symptoms. But some could experience mild flu-like ailments including fever, headache, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea or a rash. From Courier & Press: Vanderburgh County resident reported as first West Nile case of the year for Indiana "A small number will develop a more severe form of the disease affecting the nervous system, including inflammation in the brain and spinal cord, muscle paralysis, or even death," the news release states. "People older than 60 years and those with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of severe West Nile virus disease.
Indianapolis Star
15-07-2025
- Health
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana's infant mortality progress at risk without sustained health funding
As a first-time mom, I took a deep breath of relief at my daughter's 1-year-old birthday party as she dug into a giant chocolate cupcake. A maternal health researcher and anxious new parent, I had lived the past year constantly checking for breath and movement while she slept, and her first birthday signaled an end to the anxiety of monitoring for sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS. But more than 500 Hoosier mothers a year never get to experience that sigh of relief; their babies don't make it to their first birthday. Although preliminary data suggests a decrease in Hoosier infant mortality, current trends in public health funding endanger this recent progress. The Indiana Department of Health has released provisional infant mortality data, showing infant deaths in Indiana decreasing from 6.6 out of every 1,000 live births in 2023 to 6.3 infant deaths out of every 1,000 live births in 2024. Assuming a birth rate similar to 2023, we can guess that about 16 fewer Hoosier babies died in 2024 than in 2023. Understandably, the dedicated public servants that comprise IDOH celebrated their hard work over the last decades, and especially since the inception of the pandemic, lauding the 'lowest infant mortality rate since the 1900s.' Opinion: Indiana misses out on good ideas by caring more about politics than results We won't know how Indiana ranks nationally until the CDC releases all states' 2024 data, but with a rate still well above the national average of 5.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, we can expect that Indiana has not solved the crisis that left us ranked 45th for infant deaths as recently as 2022. And while saving 16 babies should most certainly be promoted as a success of our state and local public health agencies, current public health funding in Indiana will not sustain these gains. When preventing infant deaths, many think of safe sleep practices, timely pediatric care and vaccinations. But, in reality, most infant deaths are due to prenatal influences. Almost 75% of infant deaths result from congenital conditions (like birth defects), conditions of preterm birth, low birth weight and maternal pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia. Some of these are unpreventable, like congenital conditions that disallow a baby from developing the organs needed to sustain life. Many others are preventable through early and consistent prenatal care, quick referral to specialists, and early medical intervention. IDOH and local health departments provide programs to new moms that offer these preventive measures. But the most recent state budget and a series of other legislative actions endanger these programs. Projected shortfalls attributed to economic uncertainty led to the decimation of historic public health funding supported by the Holcomb administration, leaving just $40 million for Indiana's 92 counties, down from $100 million in previous budgets. Opinion: Nurses are drowning while Braun ignores Indiana's health care crisis Add that to the nearly $40 million in federal public health dollars lost from cancellation of COVID-era funding for myriad public health programs, and programs that support healthy pregnancies and healthy babies are in grave danger. And when Hoosier babies do make it past infancy, public health funding clawbacks and policy changes in the last six months won't bolster efforts to Make Indiana Healthy Again. Cuts to programs such as Indiana Immunization Coalition in the midst of a (now-ended) measles outbreak and ongoing COVID threat, policies privileging business growth over environmental regulations that protect lung and heart health, and the elimination of critical reproductive health services across the state leave vulnerable Hoosiers in a state of precarity. To be sure, even one fewer Hoosier infant death should be celebrated. But when that celebration is not backed by sustainable policy, we will soon find ourselves seeking solutions that take years to rebuild. Now that my daughter is an energetic 6-year-old, my worries about SIDS and lethal respiratory viruses have been replaced by new concerns. But regardless of standard parental anxiety, I consider myself lucky to have to tackle these challenges as she grows. For years, Indiana has trended in the right direction for public health. Indiana should support the systems that allow all Hoosier infants to grow into healthy kids and adults.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Indiana health department may start fining hospitals that don't comply with abortion law
In an effort to comply with an executive order from Gov. Mike Braun, the Indiana Department of Health may start fining hospitals that don't comply with the state's abortion laws, a report from the department says. That could include two of the state's health systems that perform the bulk of abortions, IU Health and Eskenazi Health, which recently refused to hand over Terminated Pregnancy Reports following abortions performed there, as mandated by state law. Among one of Braun's first executive orders as governor was one directing the state health department to examine how it's ensuring compliance with the state's abortion laws. That included not only the new provisions enacted in 2022, which ban abortion except in the case of rape, incest, fatal fetal anomaly or threats to the mother's life, but also the part of state law that requires hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers to report details about abortions they perform to the state health department. "Indiana is a state that supports Life, and the people's representatives have enshrined those protections for the unborn into state law," Braun said in a statement July 2. "We are taking the necessary steps to make sure those laws are properly implemented." State law has long required facilities that perform abortions, whether surgical or drug-induced, to provide the health department with detailed Terminated Pregnancy Reports. But IU Health and Eskenazi have refused to give these to the health department since the President Joe Biden administration enacted the HIPAA Reproductive Health Privacy Rule in mid 2024, which set limits on the disclosure of reproductive health information. An Indianapolis doctor is currently suing the state department in federal court over the submission of these reports, making this argument. However, a Texas federal judge in mid-June vacated the Biden Administration rule. The health department in its report says it is consulting with the two health systems and the attorney general's office on how to proceed in light of this court order. Eskenazi officials said the hospital is waiting for the result of the federal lawsuit to "clarify its responsibilities under the law," since the lawsuit "seeks to resolve what may be a significant conflict between the State's TPR statute and federal patient privacy laws," said Todd Harper, director of public affairs and communications. A spokesperson for IU Health declined to comment, saying "I don't have any information to share." In the meantime, the state health department is creating other tools to force compliance. Officials said the health department has begun to craft "new rules enabling the agency to issue fines" against providers that don't comply with state law. "This regulatory tool adds a layer of enforcement that does not rely solely on licensure action or criminal referral, allowing IDOH to address noncompliance swiftly and proportionately," the report states. A spokesperson for the agency said the agency hasn't yet finalized how steep the fines will be, but noted it will depend on "several factors" and that those fines cannot exceed $10,000 per state law. Another matter is whether the public can see individual Terminated Pregnancy Reports if the hospitals do provide them to the state. Immediately following Braun's order, IDOH had pledged to reverse its previous policy and start releasing individual TPRs for public disclosure under the Access to Public Records Act, but a new court case is blocking that from happening for now. Indiana's near-total abortion ban in 2022 not only sharply curtailed the number of abortions reported in Indiana, but required more personal information be added to these reports, such as demographics and medical history. After seeking an opinion from the Public Access Counselor in 2023, the state health department decided out of privacy concerns to withhold these individual reports from public disclosure. The anti-abortion group Voices For Life challenged that decision in court. After Braun's executive order, the state health department agreed to settle this lawsuit. However, a lawsuit blocking the records' release immediately followed, this one filed by two OBGYNs, Dr. Caitlin Bernard ― whose anecdote of treating a 10-year-old rape victim made national news ― and Dr. Caroline Rouse. The health department can't release any individual TPRs while this case is pending, but it continues to provide quarterly reports that aggregate abortion data. The health department's report also outlines steps it already takes to enforce abortion laws: It inspects and audits hospitals or ambulatory surgical centers, now the only medical facilities allowed to perform any abortions, to make sure they're following regulations and distributing the required "informed consent" paperwork. It checks the "reasons" given for the abortions on the Terminated Pregnancy Reports to ensure the procedures align with the exemptions in state law. It refers any criminal violations of the law, like unreported abortions, to prosecutors, and any professional issues to the appropriate licensing agency. The July 1 report also says the department has ramped up its coordination with the attorney general's office and elevated all abortion-related matters to the purview of the top levels of the agency. Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@ or follow her on Twitter @kayla_dwyer17. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana health department may fine hospitals for violating abortion law
