Special Report

With Halloween comes tales of ghosts and haunted houses.  But what if those stories are not just stories.  There are some local people whose job is to find proof in the paranormal.  There are those who believe that after we die, some of us stick around. By definition, paranormal is beyond the range of scientific explanation. But there is a science to discovering what could live beyond our earthly perception. WSBT followed two teams of paranormal detectives as they investigate local reports of hauntings.

About 75 percent of teens now own cell phones, and most of those phones have texting and camera capabilities. That creates the perfect storm for a surge in teen text messages containing sexually explicit images. But, it’s becoming increasingly apparent to Michiana authorities that most teens don’t know the consequences of sexting, and many parents may not be aware of the dangers when they put that phone in their child’s hand. 2011 started with a local school, P-H-M’s Grissom Middle School, making sexting headlines.

Parents know that when the teen years roll around, there will be arguments. Those arguments typically have been about driving the car, dating, homework or chores. But now you can add a new issue to that list…tattoos.  All you have to do is turn on the TV and tattoo shows are everywhere: LA Ink, Miami Ink, Ink Master, Tattoo Highway. Elsewhere in our culture, the celebrity world is full of tattooed stars in sports, singing and...

Another high school football season will soon be coming to a close.  It's the first season on the books since a new Indiana law took effect July 1 to try and better protect high school athletes when it comes to concussions. So has the new law worked?  Some of the area's premier sports medicine physicians say the law is working. They're seeing a 300 percent increase in the number of cases of high school athlete concussions since that law kicked in. So clearly everyone is doing a better job identifying concussions, but then what?

Each year, 911 dispatchers in our area handle more than a half a million calls. Operators say most are actual emergencies, but that's not always the case. Last year, South Bend's 911 dispatchers received calls from people seeking help for personal disputes, and recipe ideas. One man asked operators to turn his power back on. These non-emergency calls tie up lines for real emergencies. Watch WSBT-TV Reporter John Paul's special report here . And listen to more non-emergency 911 calls here .

Few of us can imagine the enormity of being asked to decide if another person should be allowed to live or die.  In our court system, death penalty cases are rare.  But there is one case out of St. Joseph County that continues to haunt some of the jurors who served on it, even as an execution date draws ever closer for the notorious Mishawaka triple murderer who is at the heart of it. The Wayne Kubsch case goes clear back to 1998 when the crimes occurred.  Kubsch’s wife, Beth; her ex-husband, Rick Milewski; and their son, Aaron Milewski were found murdered.

It's officially called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, but we all know it as Obamacare. It's the most complex law since Medicare. Some people don't have internet access, don't understand the complexity of the law and will need help. Some seniors will need assistance navigating through Medicare. The poor will need help understanding Medicaid. And right now, a good amount of people don't know about the individual mandate under which we are living.

A whole industry has sprung up to keep tabs on what student athletes are saying and doing online. In fact, after the Manti Te'o girlfriend hoax story erupted, Notre Dame hinted that once the dust settled the university may revisit its approach when it comes to student athletes' use of social media. In this special report, Diane Daniels takes a look at how some schools ban or monitor student athlete posts outright:

A Granger woman has survived a lot of heartache at the hands of heart disease -- the #1 killer of most women. It's a story you'll only see on WSBT:

There are more than 100,000 Americans waiting for organ transplants right now... more than 90 percent of them need a new kidney. It is THE organ most in demand for transplant. A thousand people in Indiana are on the waiting list. We want to introduce you to one of them. Watch Cindy Ward's special report posted above.

There are people who work in the Chase Tower who love the building. Some of them are frustrated by what they consider a media-fueled perception that South Bend's tallest building is falling apart, but they also concede there are issues. The elevators do break down, which is a big problem in a 25-floor building. The parking garage needs repairs, and so does the heating system - and depending on which expert you ask, maybe the plumbing. Management told WSBT the building is about half full, and there is concern more tenants could leave.

A whole industry has sprung up to keep tabs on what student athletes are saying and doing online. In fact, after the Manti Te'o girlfriend hoax story erupted, Notre Dame hinted that once the dust settled the university may revisit its approach when it comes to student athletes' use of social media. In this special report, Diane Daniels takes a look at how some schools ban or monitor student athlete posts outright:

It's officially called The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, but we all know it as Obamacare. It's the most complex law since Medicare. WSBT examined topics related to health care reform and what it means for all of us.. Our last one - health and religion. For example, do religious institutions have to provide free contraceptive coverage under Obamacare. That is a major debate right now. The Obama administration is working on new guidelines allowing religious-affiliated organizations opposing contraception to opt out of that federal mandate.