WGCL NEWS — Department of Health Releases Latest Flu Update

By Diane Daily

The Indiana Department of Health has released its latest flu update. Minimal levels of influenza-like illness were reported around the state last week. To date, there have been 217 influenza-associated deaths in Indiana during the current flu season. More than half of the deaths were Hoosiers age 65 and older. The Department of Health started compiling statistics on the 2022-23 flu season started last October.

In the last week, two babies were surrendered at Safe Haven baby boxes in the state. The first baby was dropped off at a box at an Elkhart fire station. Two days later, a newborn was taken to a fire station on the west side of Indianapolis. The Safe Haven program is a national effort to end the abandonment of infants by mothers in crisis. A Safe Haven Baby Box was been established in Monroe County last year.

The box, at Monroe Fire Protection District, is one of 13 locations in Indiana, offering anonymous surrender of a new-born. All of the boxes are climate controlled and have a silent alarm system
that notifies first responders when a baby is surrendered.

In Consumer News, a new tool is available to help families figure out which airlines will let them sit together for free. The Department of Transportation unveiled the dashboard system yesterday to provides a clear comparison of services the airlines provide.

American Airlines and Frontier Airlines are currently the only major airlines to guarantee they won’t charge extra for seating family members together. The so-called junk fees are often added by airlines and hotels and can really drive up the price that’s paid for the services.

The Bloomington Human Rights Commission is accepting nominations for this year’s Human Rights Award. The award recognizes an individual or group that has made specific, significant contributions to improving civil rights, human relations, or civility in our community. The deadline for submitting a nomination is March 29^th. Sandy Keller, the founder and executive director of My Sister’s Closet received the award last year.