It is a busy Sunday morning across the country, and if you’re looking for channel 13 latest news, you’ve probably realized that "Channel 13" means something totally different depending on whether you're sitting in a living room in Indianapolis, Houston, or Rochester. Local news is a weird beast like that.
Honestly, the headlines hitting the wire right now are a mix of high-stakes sports drama, some pretty heavy local crime stories, and the kind of weather warnings that make you want to stay under the covers until May.
The Big Story in Indy: A Hoosier Invasion of Miami
If you are following WTHR in Indianapolis, the city is basically vibrating with "cream and crimson" energy today. As of January 18, 2026, the big story is the mass exodus of Indiana University fans to Miami.
Why? Because the Hoosiers are about to play the Miami Hurricanes for the CFP National Championship.
It’s one of those "is this real life?" moments for fans who have waited nearly forty years for a run like this. John Letner, a fan who spoke to the station at Indianapolis International Airport this morning, basically summed it up by saying he felt like he needed someone to wake him up from a dream. You’ve got live music in the terminals, people in candy-stripe pants everywhere, and an atmosphere that feels more like a festival than a flight boarding.
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But it’s not all touchdowns. WTHR is also reporting on a much darker story out of Bloomington. A house fire in the 3800 block of East Anderson Road early this morning left two people dead and two others injured. Police have a person of interest in custody, which has turned a local tragedy into a potential criminal investigation.
Houston’s Channel 13: Fires, Carjackings, and Cold Snaps
Down in Texas, KTRK (the local ABC affiliate) is dealing with a very different set of problems. Southwest Houston spent the morning watching smoke billow from a 2-alarm warehouse fire.
Firefighters were called in when batteries were discovered inside the building, which is always a nightmare scenario for hazmat crews. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but it’s been a mess for traffic.
Channel 13 latest news in Houston also includes some pretty gnarly crime updates:
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- A violent carjacking in Downtown Houston ended in a deadly crash.
- A wrong-way driver on Tomball Parkway didn't survive a head-on collision.
- Police are still unraveling the details of a shooting in Northeast Houston that left one teen dead.
On top of the crime, there's a serious "Cover Up, Texas" warning. It’s freezing. Well, "Houston freezing." The station is tracking an Arctic blast that’s supposed to stick around through Tuesday, and since the Texans are headed to play the Patriots in what looks like a snowy showdown, the local sports fans are bracing for a cold weekend both at home and away.
Rochester and the Olympic Dream
Moving up to the Northeast, 13 WHAM in Rochester is leaning heavily into the "local kid makes good" narrative. Haley Winn, a Rochester native and professional hockey player, just found out she’s heading to Milan for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
She’s the first woman from the area to make the U.S. Olympic Women’s Hockey Team since 2006. It’s a huge deal. Her interview on the station was pretty emotional—she admitted she just started crying when she got the news.
The station is also keeping tabs on some national-level legal drama. There’s a report that the DOJ is looking into the widow of Renee Good, which is sparking a lot of local conversation.
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Why These Local Updates Actually Matter
You might think local news is just "small-town stuff," but these stations often break things that go national within hours. Take the Indiana legislative session updates coming from WTHR. They’re currently debating things like:
- Ads on school buses (yeah, that’s a real debate).
- Charging parents in school shootings.
- Age verification for social media.
These aren't just local squabbles; they're blueprints for how other states might handle these issues later in the year.
Staying Safe and Informed
If you’re trying to keep up with the channel 13 latest news in your specific area, honestly, the best move is to download the specific station’s app. Most of these ABC and NBC affiliates have moved to a "streaming-first" model.
For instance, 13News Now+ or the WTHR app will give you live pushes for weather alerts, which, given the "Arctic blasts" hitting both the Midwest and the South right now, is probably a good idea.
Quick Actionable Steps:
- Check your local weather app: Specifically look for "wet bulb" temperatures if you’re in the North, as the freeze-thaw cycle is causing significant pipe issues this week.
- Update your social media settings: If you're in Indiana, new age verification laws might affect how your teens access certain platforms by next month.
- Support local athletics: If you're in Rochester, the Olympic send-off events for Haley Winn are happening throughout the next two weeks.
The world feels a bit chaotic right now between international tensions and local crime, but these Channel 13 stations are basically the glue holding the community narrative together. Whether it's a warehouse fire in Houston or a championship flight in Indy, the "latest news" is really just the story of where we live.