Indiana
Asthma attacks, allergen flare ups hit 'peak week' in Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — According to the Indiana Department of Health, nearly 1-in-10 adults and 1-in-15 kids in Indiana live with asthma.
Doctors say the third week of September is “Asthma Peak Week,” typically when asthma episode numbers are at their worst. Indiana Department of Health says common asthma triggers are:
- Allergens, such as pollen, pet hair or dander, and mold
- Changes in weather
- Chemical irritants
- Pests such as cockroaches or dust mites
- Exercise
- Outdoor air pollutants
- Respiratory infections such as common cold, flu, or COVID-19
- Stress
- Tobacco and wood smoke inhalation
Dr. Kristen Anderson is a pediatrician at Riley Children’s Health. She joined Daybreak on Monday to discuss why attacks and allergens flare up this time of year.
“Asthma is a disease of the airways that causes them to be more reactive to triggers, and this is the time of year that we start to see those triggers really increase,” Anderson said. “So, allergens, specifically ragweed and mold, are increased. We’re seeing more illnesses with kids back in school and then the weather changes. All of that leads to more asthma attacks.”
Anderson says childhood asthma is one of the primary causes of school absences.
“Schools will send kids home if they have cough congestion, fever or parents choose to keep them home. But also sometimes with asthma, they need more frequent albuterol treatments or they’re maybe breathing more difficult – so parents want to watch them at home. Or they’re missing school because they’re actually in the hospital being treated for their asthma,” Anderson said.
She says parents should take their kids to the hospital if there are any breathing concerns.
“Anything where they’re short of breath, they can’t talk in full sentences, you’re seeing those extra muscle uses – (like) they’re tugging by their neck or at their ribs – those would all be E.R. visits,” she said. “You could consider going to your regular doctor if they need more frequent albuterol or if they’re not responding to their albuterol or just you’re intervening and things aren’t getting better.”
If you or a loved one is diagnosed with asthma, Anderson suggests making an “Asthma Action Plan.”
“Lay out what you should be doing at each step of illness and especially as kids are getting worse you really want to prevent those hospitalizations and intervene earlier,” Anderson said.
Indiana basketball practice observations from June 25: Freshmen mixing in
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BLOOMINGTON — Whatever he can.
That’s the answer. The question — one prompted by an urgency to add strength to his game — is what Vaughn Karvala, Indiana basketball’s athletic freshman wing, is doing to add weight. IU’s highest-ranked signee in the 2026 class, it’s not hard to envision a role for Karvala in Darian DeVries’ second season in Bloomington. The player himself knows that starts with meeting the physical demands of the college game.
Which starts with building onto to his 6-foot-7, 190-pound frame.
“The biggest thing for me is just putting on weight,” Karvala told reporters after practice Thursday. “That’s my biggest thing, getting stronger, trying to play with these guys that are three, four years older than me. I have to get stronger, I have to get faster, everything.”
A three-year letter winner at Oregon (Wisconsin) High School, Karvala spent his senior season at Bella Vista Prep in Arizona, bolstering a profile that saw him ranked No. 62 nationally per the 247Sports Composite.
Karvala averaged 26.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in his final season with Oregon, shooting close to 42% from behind the 3-point line. He averaged another 14.7 points per game with Team Herro on the EYBL circuit.
He handed DeVries a major recruiting win last fall, when Karvala picked the Hoosiers over Xavier and Cal. Now, both at the rim and behind the arc, Karvala looks like a player who can contribute meaningfully in his first year in college.
“I know my athleticism catches the eye, but I can still shoot it,” Karvala said. “But another thing is just working on rebounding, trying to get extra possessions for us.”
Whether on the glass or elsewhere, embracing the physical challenge of college basketball has been an emphasis for Karvala since he arrived in Bloomington earlier this summer.
That manifests itself offensively, when he tries to push the ball downhill and leverage that athleticism to attack the rim. It shows up defensively, where Karvala said he’s comfortable guarding the two, the three and, matchup depending, the four.
It even plays out on the glass, battling bigs up to including 7-2 teammate Samet Yigitoglu, who Karvala described with a smile as “the biggest guy I’ve ever seen.”
“Physicality, 100%,” Karvala said, when asked where he’s challenging himself. “Just playing with all these guys that have 20, 30, 40 pounds on me.”
Which starts with the physical demand of more weight. Karvala said he’ll eat chicken, steak or “whatever we have in the locker room” that can help him in that effort. His focus, he said, is simply to “eat a lot, and work out every day.”
As that weight and strength begin to build, Karvala knows the next step — to mentally prepare for the rough-and-tumble nature of life on the floor in the Big Ten — is just as important. Preparing his body comes first. Challenging himself to toughen up once it’s required follows quickly after.
“Just getting fully there, mentally,” he said. “You’re going to have to push your body to get through this.”
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KOSCIUSKO COUNTY, Ind. (WSBT) — It’s fair season and a new law uncorks adult beverage sales!
The new Indiana law will go into effect July 1st, making it legal to sell alcohol at county fairs.
The Kosciusko County Fair is set to kick off in just a few weeks and Indiana is officially allowing alcohol to be sold.
The law is bringing back something that’s not necessarily new to this fair.
Here’s what you need to know
The new law will go into effect on July 1st. It officially allows county fairs to apply for fee-free permits to sell alcohol.
Officials with the Kosciusko County Fair say they are participating this year. They are implementing the same guidelines they used when they sold alcohol just at grandstand events.
The difference now is, you can walk around the grounds with your drink. But strict guidelines will be in place for purchasing a drink.
“Actually, we’ve never had any issues. Because we card everybody, so we take that seriously. We also got the ID guides so we can identify the different types of IDs,” said Sheal Dirck, Treasurer of Kosciusko County Fair.
The Kosciusko County Fair already have guidelines in place, so this was an easy transition for the fair.
They will be the only vendors selling alcohol, which will make it easier to control distribution.
The sales will also bring in more revenue.
“Hopefully it allows to keep our ticket prices where they are because right now, insurance, utilities and everything else is going sky high and it’s hard to make ends meet,” said Dirck.
However, some fairs cannot participate because of the July 1st start date, like the Pulaski County Fair, which is going on right now. Pulaski County officials said it is on the agenda for next year. Whereas other fairs are choosing to sit this year out.
“We wanted not spend some time to, to see what that really means for us. It was not a decision we wanted to rush into. But we are happy for the option of it,” said Shelly Steury, GM of Elkhart County 4H Fairgrounds.
Leaders at the St. Joseph County and Elkhart County Fairs said neither of them are selling alcohol.
The Kosciusko County Fair is the only fair that will sell alcohol in our area this year.
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