skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Saturday, February 15, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump administration begins sweeping layoffs with probationary workers, warns of larger cuts to come; NYC music school teachers strike after union negotiations break down; Ohio advocates push for inclusive policies during Black History Month; Health experts recommend sunshine, socializing to cure 'winter blues.'

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Federal workers tasked with securing elections from foreign interference are placed on leave, parents' organizations reject dismantling Dept. of Education, and the Congressional Black Caucus presses discussions on slavery reparations.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural America struggles with opioids and homelessness in unexpected ways, Colorado's Lariat Ditch could help spur local recreation, and book deliveries revive rural communities hit by Hurricane Helene.

Calls for broader legal safeguards under Indiana Lifeline Law

play audio
Play

Wednesday, September 4, 2024   

By Kody Fisher for WISH-TV.
Broadcast version by Joe Ulery for Indiana News Service reporting for the WISH-TV-Free Press Indiana-Public News Service Collaboration


Two student leaders at Purdue University want to change the Indiana Lifeline Law.

The law gives legal protection to anyone who calls 911 to get an underage drinker medical attention. However, it does not protect the person needing medical attention.

The students are trying to lobby lawmakers at the Statehouse in Indianapolis to expand the law to give legal protection for everyone involved in the situation, including the person who needs medical attention.

Purdue Student Body President Jason Packard said, “A lot of students don’t know about the protections that they have, and they don’t seek medical help.”

Purdue Student Body Vice President Rebecca Siener said, “Students do hesitate in these circumstances because they aren’t familiar with the policy, or the person in need of medical attention isn’t protected.”

Packard told I-Team 8 he used to be an resident assistant at a dorm on campus. In that roll he was responsible for calling 911 if one of the students in the dorm needed medical attention because of alcohol poisoning, “This is something we saw a lot within the dormitories. Within Tarkington Hall that I worked in, we probably had to call for an ambulance multiple times every single weekend out of the semester.”

In 2012 when the Lifeline Law was introduced, it initially had full legal protections for everyone involved in the situation. “Unfortunately, this does get negotiated down and it only protects the caller and those who assist the caller,” Siener said.

Now, Packard and Siener are trying to break the stigma around the law and it’s impact on underage drinking.

Seiner said, “I think often what people use as a counterargument to this is that it incentivizes, or it encourages, underage drinking, but several studies have shown that reported underage drinking has gone down since implementing the Indiana Lifeline Law.”

Packard and Siener also want to work with students at other universities in the state to put pressure on the Legislature to expand the law.


Kody Fisher wrote this article for WISH-TV.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
In 2023, the Biden administration ordered a Bakersfield oil company to remove old oil rigs from Carrizo Plain National Monument in Central California. (Bob Wick/BLM)

Environment

play sound

Groups that fight to protect public lands are criticizing the Trump administration's new review of all oil, gas and mining on public lands. National …


Environment

play sound

This weekend, Virginians will participate with other birders around the world in the Great Backyard Bird Count. Thousands of birding enthusiasts …

Environment

play sound

This weekend, birders across the world, including in Maryland, will participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. Thousands of birding enthusiasts …


A new study looking at drought impacts on grasslands found that such lands in China saw a 43% reduction in annual productivity, compared with just a 25% reduction in North America under the same conditions. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Grasslands are considered a vital component of South Dakota's landscape. But on the heels of new research, an expert suggests they might not fare as …

Social Issues

play sound

Minnesota is little less than a year away from launching its paid-leave law, but state lawmakers are debating whether to delay the start until 2027…

In its next contract, the Manhattan School of Music Precollege Program faculty union is looking for "reasonable" class sizes and for teachers to easily access remote learning tools when needed. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A New York City music school's faculty is back in the classroom after a weeklong strike. The Manhattan School of Music's Precollege Program faculty …

Health and Wellness

play sound

An Atlanta-based group is making sure more people have access to an unconventional but effective treatment for their moderate mental health challenges…

Social Issues

play sound

The Texas Department of Agriculture is accepting sponsor applications for its 2025 Summer Meal Programs. The Summer Food Service Program and the …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021