This is an audio transcript of the Weekly News Rundown
A: It’s Monday, Oct. 13.
A: Court documents unsealed this week reveal that 42 items were seized from the Carmel home of former IU professor Xiaofeng Wang, the most recent update to the case. Wang, who was a tenured professor at the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, was terminated and his homes in Bloomington and Carmel were searched on March 28 following accusations by the FBI of false statements, theft or bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds and wire fraud. Wang’s wife, former IU library analyst Nianli Ma was also terminated four days prior. A search warrant for documents related to research grants and funding in Wang’s homes was unsealed following a motion filed by Stanford cybersecurity scholar Riana Pfefferkorn. Along with the unsealed warrants was an inventory of items seized from Wang’s Carmel residence. The inventory for Wang’s Bloomington residence is not yet unsealed. Nate, what items were seized and what else do we know?
N: Annabel, among the items seized from Wang’s residence were multiple electronic and digital storage devices, printed emails, boarding passes and hotel information. The warrants unsealed detailed items subject to seizure contained evidence of conspiracy or a plan to commit Wang’s subject offenses. The items seized also included applications to adjust immigration status in the United States and correspondence about research or grant applications. While the search warrants were unsealed, the search warrant affidavits, which includes information testified under oath and provides reasoning behind warrants, were not unsealed due to the U.S. government’s investigation being ongoing. The government must update the court on the investigation by Jan. 1, 2026.
A: In city news, a change to the state Child Care and Development Fund voucher program is impacting local childcare enrollment. The CCDF fund allows over 55,000 children in Indiana to attend childcare programs by covering their tuition and paying providers directly. To be eligible for the program, families must be at or under 135% of the federal poverty level. However, a change to the program made in December requires children who do not already have a CCDF voucher to join a waitlist. Since the change, no children have been enrolled in the voucher program. The waitlist had 29,052 children as of October 3. Nate, how has this impacted local childcare?
N: Annabel, the IDS spoke with Alyssa King, director of Jill’s House Intergenerational Preschool, who said that enrollment rates have been decreasing since August. While the preschool has a capacity of 48 students, only 30 spots were filled by Sept. 29, and some students have transferred to Monroe County Community School Corporation preschools - a lower cost provider. While Jill’s House accepts CCDF vouchers, King expressed concern that despite families joining the waitlist, they may never obtain a voucher. Annabel, why was this change made?
A: Nate, the change was made in response to growth in the CCDF program, as well as in the On My Way Pre-K program, which provides free pre-kindergarten education to some 4-year-old children. The state government had a $225 million funding gap for CCDF through 2026 after draining federal emergency relief grants during the pandemic.While Governor Mike Braun requested that a large portion of the 2025 budget be allocated to childcare funds, the Indiana General Assembly only approved half of the funding request. Hanan Osman, executive director of the Indiana Association for the Education of Young Children called the funding changes a “crisis to families, to children, and now to providers” and said that it poses a risk to children’s safety. To read more about the CCDF program, visit idsnews.com.
N: Also in city news, Bloomington’s Fire Station 3 officially reopened Oct. 6 on IU’s campus on North Woodlawn Avenue. The station had $4 million in renovations since December 2024 after not being renovated since 1963. Speakers at the ceremony, including Bloomington Fire Chief Roger Kerr and Bloomington City Council President Hopi Stosberg, thanked the department for its partnership with the campus and commended the quality of the upgrades. Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thompson also thanked the firefighters for their dedication to the community. Upgrades include six new bunk rooms, updated kitchens, new Wi-Fi and computer dispatch systems, and an airlock to prevent exhaust fumes from entering living spaces. The renovations were part of a $34 million public safety bond that was approved by the Bloomington City Council in 2022.
A: Before we sign off, IU’s all-male a cappella group, Another Round, received over 31 million views on a recent TikTok video featuring members singing R&B singer Jeremih’s song “Birthday Sex.” The TikTok was posted by IU freshman Lena Apolskis on Sept. 16 and has led to an influx of booking inquiries for the group. While they only performed at about one or two events per week before the viral video, Another Round now sings at about 10 events per week at dorms, apartments and sorority houses. Another Round will perform a “Pitch Perfect”-themed gala at 8:30 p.m. Oct. 24 at Merrill Hall with IU’s all-female a capella group, Ladies First. They will also perform at their winter show at 8 p.m. Dec. 12 at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.
