Indiana
Indiana bird flu cases explode, killing chickens, sandhill cranes, other waterfowl
New deadly bird flu strain emerges
As the bird flu continues to spread across the country, there’s new evidence it’s mutating beyond chickens and cows.
Fox – Seattle
Nearly 7 million chickens, turkeys and ducks at commercial farms across Indiana have contracted the highly contagious bird flu this year and concerns are rising with the disease now affecting wild birds, including waterfowl and at least one Bald Eagle.
Avian influenza, more commonly known as bird flu, has been identified in 20 commercial poultry facilities in Indiana since Jan. 1, according to state data, marking a significant increase in cases over recent years.
There currently is no cure for the disease, which has a high mortality rate among birds but remains low risk to people, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Denise Derrer Spears, the spokeswoman of the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, said the impact of bird flu varies from year to year.
“Cases have been trickling in since the first weeks of January,” she said, “but in the last week or so it has ramped up and that’s concerning.”
So far in 2025, officials have identified 6.9 million affected birds compared to about 13,100 in 2024 and less than two dozen in 2023. The bulk of cases this year are concentrated in Jay and Jackson counties, with totals of roughly 4 million and 2.5 million reported, respectively.
The jump in cases is not a major surprise due to the number of reports in neighboring states, Derrer Spears said. Ohio has been dealing with a high number of cases and many of those are concentrated at sites on or near the Indiana border.
Case numbers in Indiana are up due primarily to the disease hitting large-scale poultry farms that hold a million or more birds.
“Typically, there will be multiple houses or barns on a facility that has a large number of birds, and it is very difficult when in close proximity to keep virus out of one building,” Derrer Spears said.
Bird flu kills thousands of Indiana waterfowl
The disease has also been found in wild birds in the state. Waterfowl migrating to and through Indiana often flock in large groups, allowing them spread the disease where they congregate or stop.
Eli Fleace, an avian health biologist with Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources, said reports of dying sandhill cranes have been rolling in since January. Dead sandhills have been found this year in Union, Greene, Jasper, Newton, LaPorte and Stark counties, and DNR estimates roughly 1,500 have died across the state.
Snow geese, Canada geese, red-breasted mergansers, common goldeneyes and mallards have also died due to avian influenza, Fleace said. The bird flu has been found in at least one Bald Eagle and a handful of hawks and owls that can pick up the disease by scavenging on carcasses of infected birds.
“Avian influenza has been around since ducks have been around and we’ve had these outbreaks in the past,” Fleace said. “But it’s usually not this dramatic and often they go away after one season. This particular strain is behaving differently than every other strain has in the past.”
The current strain of bird flu (H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4), which was identified in 2021, is highly contagious and has persisted for multiple seasons, Fleace said. It is now widespread across the landscape, Fleace said, and bird populations will need to work through the disease and build up a stronger immunity.
Hoosiers who suspect a dead bird was affected with avian influenza should make a report online at on.in.gov/sickwildlife.
Does bird flu affect public health?
The CDC classifies bird flu as very low risk to humans and reports only 70 cases in the U.S. with one associated death from the disease. None of those cases were in Indiana.
Birds that die from avian influenza are not suitable to eat, Derrer Spears said, but eggs bought in the grocery store are safe and shoppers do not need to worry about eating them.
Eggs from backyard chicken coops exposed to bird flu should not be eaten or given to pets. Cats are especially susceptible to bird flu.
What’s being done about egg prices?
With hundreds of millions of affected poultry across the country, egg prices have soared as the supply dwindled.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a $1 billion strategy Tuesday to curb bird flu cases and lower egg prices, according to a news release.
The USDA is planning to expand its wildlife biosecurity measures by deploying 20 epidemiologists and expanding audits for affected farms. The department will also increase its aid to farmers to help restock their flocks and research vaccines and therapeutics for avian influenza.
The department will also consider importing more eggs while decreasing exports, which could be complicated by the Trump administration’s sweeping tariffs set to begin in March.
IndyStar’s environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
Karl Schneider is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach him at karl.schneider@indystar.com. Follow him on BlueSky @karlstartswithk.bsky.social
(The REPORTER) — The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, June 10, regarding a proposed corridor improvement project on State Road 32 in Hamilton County.
The hearing will provide an opportunity for the public to interact with the project team, review the features of the proposed roundabout project, and provide official public comment. Project documents are available for review at improvetomove32.com.
The project area is between East Street in Westfield and River Road in Noblesville. The proposed project includes adding lanes to accommodate two lanes in each direction, removing all traffic signals within the project limits, and constructing roundabouts at the following intersections with SR 32:
- Carey Road/Grassy Branch Road
- Gunther Boulevard
- Shady Nook Road
- Moontown Road/Gray Road
- Pebble Brook Boulevard
- Hazel Dell Road/Little Chicago Road
- Mill Creek Road
The hearing will take place at Prairie Waters Event Center, 4180 Westfield Road, Westfield. Doors will open at 5 p.m. to allow the public to view displays and talk with the project team. A presentation will be given at 5:30 p.m., with a public comment session held directly after. INDOT is offering livestreams of all public meetings and hearings. You must register here in order to participate in the livestream. Livestream audience comments will only be accepted in written electronic form, not verbally. A recording of the livestream presentation will be posted on the project webpage and INDOT YouTube page after the hearing and will be available for at least 90 days.
All verbal statements recorded during the public hearing and all written comments submitted prior to, during and for a period of two weeks following the hearing date, will be evaluated, considered, and addressed in subsequent environmental documentation.
Written comments may be submitted within the comment period to Nick Batta, CMT, 8790 Purdue Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268; or sent via email to SR32HamiltonCounty@cmtengr.com.
INDOT respectfully requests comments be submitted by June 26.
A beloved tradition is drawing stitchers, shoppers, and curious newcomers across the region.
If you have ever walked into a quilt shop “just to look,” you already know how that story ends. One minute you are admiring a cheerful stack of fabric with names like sunflower, buttercream, and cardinal red, and the next you are seriously considering whether your house has room for a new table runner, a holiday wall hanging, and perhaps a life-changing bundle of fat quarters. Quilt shops have that effect. They are part treasure hunt, part therapy session, part color explosion, and in Southeastern Indiana, they are also some of the friendliest gathering places around.
That is especially true during the ALL INDIANA SHOP HOP, the statewide sewing and quilting event running through June 30, 2026.
The idea is delightfully simple: visit participating quilt shops, collect passport stamps, pick up thank-you gifts, and become eligible for prizes. The official event even describes it as a quilting version of a bar crawl, only with less late-night regret and more batting, bobbins, and beautiful fabric. There is even a youth passport for ages 8 to 17, which is a nice reminder that quilting is not just a pastime handed down from grandparents. It is also being discovered by a new generation who like making things by hand, repurposing fabric to help the environment, learning skills online, and sharing their creations proudly.
And really, quilting has everything going for it. It is practical, creative, social, and just a little bit magical.
A quilt can be a baby gift, a comfort during a hard season, a graduation present, a family heirloom, or simply a way to make a couch look much more put together than the people sitting on it. Quilters are surgeons with rotary cutters, artists with thread, and storytellers with fabric. They notice pattern, texture, memory, and meaning. Even non-quilters tend to fall under the spell. You do not need to know how to piece a block to appreciate the patience, skill, and imagination it takes to turn small shapes into something that warms both the room and the people in it.
That is one reason local quilt shops matter so much.
Yes, they sell fabric, books, notions, patterns, batting, and tools that can make a beginner feel both excited and slightly underqualified. But they also do something online shopping cannot: they welcome people in. Good quilt shops are places where somebody will help you match prints, explain what on earth a layer cake is, admire your progress, and gently steer you away from a fabric choice you may regret in broad daylight. They are equal parts classroom, clubhouse, and creative headquarters.
Southeastern Indiana is lucky to have several shops that make a Shop Hop route feel less like an errand list and more like a mini road trip with excellent scenery and even better conversation.
In Versailles, The Quilter’s Nook has become a creative quilting and sewing destination with classes, learning opportunities, and plenty of supplies and inspiration for anyone wanting to sharpen their skills or finally start that project they have been thinking about for two years. In Greensburg, Tree City Stitches is known for its premium fabrics, project kits, classes, and welcoming atmosphere, with plenty of samples on display to spark ideas before you even make it to the cutting counter.
In Vevay, Cardinal Quilts offers a deep fabric selection, quilting classes, and longarm services, making it the kind of place where serious quilters can stock up and newcomers can get helpful guidance without a trace of intimidation. And in Madison, L&L Yard Goods has been operating in the same location since 1986, offering quilting essentials, classes, and the sort of steady hometown presence that makes people come back year after year.
Together, these shops help keep quilting visible, vibrant, and local.
They also provide handmade quilts for community projects, children’s hospitals, veterans, and emergency services just like the early quilters did centuries ago.
So if your summer plans could use a little more color, a little more small-town charm,
and maybe a little more excuse to buy fabric you absolutely do not need but definitely deserve, the Shop Hop is calling. Bring a friend, bring your passport, and bring a willingness to be delighted by places where craftsmanship still matters and people still make beautiful things with their hands.
In Southeastern Indiana, quilting is more than a hobby.
It is history from the days of early pioneers, hospitality that warms you, creativity and community all stitched together one square at a time.
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