INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Concerns are rising over the potential for stagflation as slower economic growth and high unemployment continue to affect the U.S. economy.

“Stagflation,” a condition characterized by stagnant economic growth and high inflation, is feared to be on the horizon due to current economic trends.

On News 8 on Friday night, former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard discussed measures to prevent stagflation, emphasizing the importance of controlling inflation even if it means accepting certain levels of unemployment.

“The rule of thumb is keep the prices as you want them to be, keep the inflation where you want it to be, and accept whatever unemployment has to come.”

During his tenure as mayor, Ballard focused on expanding global partnerships between Indianapolis and countries worldwide. He believes that international cooperation could help ease stagflation, although current fragile supply chains and tariffs pose challenges.

Ballard noted that tariffs have negatively impacted international cooperation and supply chains, suggesting that the economy functions better with minimal trade barriers.

He expressed support for free trade principles, referencing Adam Smith’s book “Wealth of Nations” as a guiding philosophy.

This story was created with artificial intelligence using a script aired on WISH-TV.

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INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The state’s long wait for a Wawa is almost over. The family-owned gas station and convenience store chain will open three locations in Indiana before the end of May.

Daleville has the honor of being the first Indiana city with a Wawa. The store at 16100 W. Commerce Road will open at 8 a.m. on Thursday, May 15. A ribbon cutting will follow at 9 a.m.

Next is the Wawa at 5890 Midland Pointe Blvd. in Noblesville. which will welcome its first customers Doors open at 8 a.m. on Thursday, May 22, with a ribbon cutting ceremony an hour later.

In third place is the Clarksville Wawa. The store at 1354 Veterans Parkway will welcome its first customers at 8 a.m. on Friday, May 30, and host a ribbon cutting ceremony at 9 a.m.

“We are excited to enter the state of Indiana with our first three stores opening all in the month of May. We look forward to bringing our unique brand of fresh food, beverages and convenience to the state,” Brian Schaller, president of Wawa, said in a release.

Wawa fans in Indianapolis won’t need to wait too long for a store of their own. The Wawa location at 3835 E. 96th St., a few blocks east of Keystone Avenue, is one of up to 10 stores the chain plans to open before the end of the year.

The chain’s Indiana expansion is just getting started. Wawa says it plans to build and build and open from 8-12 stores per year in Indiana with plans to eventually open up to 60 stores in the Hoosier state.

ROANOKE, Ind. (WISH) — A 46-year-old man and his 80-year-old father were found shot Thursday night in their home in a northern Indiana town, and both later died at a Fort Wayne hospital, authorities said.

Investigators think Brandon M. Henline shot and killed his father, Richard L. Henline Jr., and then committed suicide, the Huntington County Coroner’s Office says.

Authorities believe an argument between the two men may have triggered the shooting.

The two men were found shot shortly before 9:10 p.m. Thursday at the home on Allen Street in Roanoke. The town of about 1,800 residents is about a half-hour drive on U.S. 24 southwest of downtown Fort Wayne.

Huntington Central Dispatch had received a 911 call reporting the shooting.

Autopsies done at the Northeast Indiana Forensic Center in Fort Wayne confirmed Richard Henline died of multiple gunshot wounds in a homicide, and Brandon M. Henline died from a single gunshot wound.

The Huntington County Sheriff’s Office says it also was part of the investigation.

Mental health resources

• Be Well Indiana
• Indiana Suicide Prevention
• Indiana Department of Child Services’ Children’s Mental Health Initiative
• National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988 or 800-273-8255
• More resources

(AP) — Jill Sobule, the award-winning singer-songwriter whose witty and poignant writing first attracted widespread attention with the gay-themed song “I Kissed a Girl,” died in a house fire Thursday. She was 66.

Her death was confirmed by her publicist, David Elkin, in an email Thursday afternoon. It was not immediately clear how the fire in Woodbury, Minnesota, started.

“Jill Sobule was a force of nature and human rights advocate whose music is woven into our culture,” John Porter, her manager, said in a statement. “I was having so much fun working with her. I lost a client & a friend today. I hope her music, memory, & legacy continue to live on and inspire others.”

During her more than three decades of recording, Sobule released 12 albums that addressed such complex topics as the death penalty, anorexia nervosa, reproduction and LGBTQ+ issues.

Her first album, “Things Here Are Different,” was released in 1990. Five years later, she received widespread attention for her hit singles, “Supermodel,” from the movie “Clueless,” and “I Kissed A Girl,” which, despite being banned on several southern radio stations, made it into the Billboard Top 20.

She also starred in an autobiographical off-Broadway musical that initially premiered at the Wild Project in New York in 2022 and includes songs and stories about her life.

Sobule was known for taking control of her career by fundraising so she could make her next album. In 2008, after two major record companies dumped her and two indie labels went bankrupt beneath her, she raised tens of thousands of dollars from fans so she could make a new album.

“The old kind of paradigm, where you’ve always waited for other people to do things, you’d have your manager and your agent,” she said at the time. “You’d wait for the big record company to give you money to do things and they tell you what to do. This is so great. I want to do everything like this.”

Sobule was scheduled to perform in Denver on Friday night. Instead, there will be an informal gathering hosted by her friend Ron Bostwick from 105.5 The Colorado Sound at the performance space where attendees can “share a story or song,” according to her publicist.

A formal memorial to celebrate her life and legacy will be held later this summer.

“No one made me laugh more. Her spirit and energy shall be greatly missed within the music community and beyond,” Craig Grossman, her booking agent, said in a statement.

Born in Denver, Colorado, on Jan. 16, 1959, she has described herself as a shy child who preferred observing over participating.

Sobule was known for playing dozens of shows a year and has described her live performances as vulnerable experiences. She said she often doesn’t have a set list and wings it.

She’s performed with such icons as Neil Young, Billy Bragg and Cyndi Lauper, and also inducted Neil Diamond into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, according to her website. She also sang a song as herself on an episode of “The Simpsons” in 2019.

“In a good way, I feel like I’m still a rookie,” she told The Associated Press in 2023 in an interview about her musical. “There’s so much more to do and I haven’t done my best yet.”

She is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, James and Mary Ellen Sobule, along with her nephews and cousins.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House released President Donald Trump’s 2026 budget proposal Friday, hoping to slash, if not zero out, spending on many government programs. It seeks a sweeping restructuring of the nation’s domestic priorities reflective of the president’s first 100 days in office and sudden firing of federal workers.

Trump’s plan aims for steep cuts to child care, disease research, renewable energy and peacekeeping abroad, many already underway through Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, all while pumping up billions for the administration’s mass deportations agenda.

The budget drafters echo Trump’s promises to end “woke programs,” including preschool grants to states with diversity programs. And they reflect his vow to stop the “weaponization of government” by slashing the Internal Revenue Service, even as critics accuse him of using the levers of power to punish people and institutions he disfavors

Overall it’s a sizable reduction in domestic accounts — of nearly 23%, the White House said.

At the same time, the White House said it is relying on Congress to unleash $375 billion in new money for for the Homeland Security and Defense departments as part of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” of tax cuts and spending reductions. His goal is to repel when he calls a “foreign invasion,” though migrant arrivals to the U.S. are at all-time lows.

House Speaker Mike Johnson welcomed the proposal as “a bold blueprint that reflects the values of hardworking Americans and the commitment to American strength and prosperity.”

Budgets do not become law but serve as a touchstone for the coming fiscal year debates. Often considered a statement of values, this first budget since Trump’s return to the White House carries the added weight of defining the Republican president’s second-term pursuits, alongside his party in Congress.

It comes as Trump has unilaterally imposed what could be hundreds of billions of dollars in tax increases in the form of tariffs, setting off a trade war that has consumers, CEOs and foreign leaders worried about a possible economic downturn.

Democrats assailed the budget as a devastating foreshadowing of Trump’s vision for the country.

“President Trump has made his priorities clear as day: he wants to outright defund programs that help working Americans,” said Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee. This, she said, “while he shovels massive tax breaks at billionaires like himself and raises taxes on middle-class Americans with his reckless tariffs.”

The White House Office of Management and Budget, headed by Russell Vought, a chief architect of Project 2025 from the conservative Heritage Foundation, provided contours of a so-called skinny version of topline numbers only.

It covers only the federal government’s discretionary spending, now about $1.83 trillion a year on defense and nondefense accounts. Trump’s team drops that spending by $163 billion, to $1.69 trillion, a portion of the nation’s nearly $7 trillion budget that includes far more programs and services.

Federal budgets have been climbing steadily, as have annual deficits that are fast approaching $2 trillion with annual interest payments on the debt almost $1 trillion. That’s thanks mostly to the spike in emergency COVID-19 pandemic spending, changes in the tax code that reduced revenues and the climbing costs of Medicare, Medicaid and other programs, largely to cover health needs as people age. The nation’s debt load, at $36 trillion, is ballooning.

“We need a budget that tells the full story, and it should control spending, reduce borrowing, bring deficits down,” said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a fiscal watchdog group.

Among some of the White House’s proposed highlights:

The State Department and international programs would lose 84% of their money and receive $9.6 billion, reflecting deep cuts already underway, including to the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The Health and Human Services Department would be cut by $33.3 billion and the Education Department’s spending would be reduced by $12 billion. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health would all face steep reductions.

The Defense Department would get an additional $113.3 billion and Homeland Security would receive $42.3 billion more. Much of that is contingent on Congress approving Trump’s big bill. That legislation drew criticism from leading defense hawks, among them the former GOP Leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

McConnell called the proposed boost in defense money in the president’s budget a “gimmick.”

“America cannot expect our allies to heed calls for greater annual defense spending if we are unwilling to lead by example,” McConnell said in a blistering statement. “Fortunately, Presidential budget requests are just that: requests. Congress will soon have an opportunity to ensure that American power – and the credibility of our commitments – are appropriately resourced.”

It’s Congress, under its constitutional powers, that decides the spending plans, approves the bills that authorize federal programs and funds them through the appropriations process. Often, that system breaks down, forcing lawmakers to pass stopgap spending bills to keep the government funded and avoid federal shutdowns.

Congress is already deep into the slog of drafting of Trump’s big bill of tax breaks, spending cuts and bolstered funds for the administration’s mass deportation effort — a package that, unlike the budget plan, would carry the force of law.

Vought is also expected on Capitol Hill in the weeks ahead as the Trump administration presses its case.

Among the more skilled conservative budget hands in Washington, Vought has charted a career toward this moment. He served during the first Trump administration in the same role and, for Project 2025, wrote an extensive chapter about the remaking of the federal government.

Vought has separately been preparing a $9 billion package that would gut current 2025 funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which involves the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio. Trump signed an executive order late Thursday that instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and federal agencies to cease funding for PBS and NPR.

Vought has said that package of so-called budget rescissions would be a first of potentially more, as the Trump administration tests the appetite in Congress for lawmakers to go on record and vote to roll back the money.

___

This story has been corrected to reflect that the administration is proposing to cut the Health and Human Services budget by $33.3 billion, not $33.3 trillion.

BEECH GROVE, Ind. (WISH) — A child was shot Friday afternoon while traveling in a vehicle going westbound on I-465 near the Emerson Avenue exit, police say.

The child was taken to Riley Children’s Hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening. Poilce did not yet share any information on the child’s age or gender.

Sgt. John Perrine of Indiana State Police said the shot was believed to have been fired from another vehicle traveling on I-465 westbound near Emerson about 1:30 p.m. Friday

A few minutes later, a crash happened at South Emerson Avenue and Elmwood Avenue in Beech Grove, just north of the I-465 exit for Emerson Avenue. That crash involved one of the vehicles involved in the shooting, which had exited I-465.

Two people in one of the vehicles in the crash were taken to a hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening.

The child shot was inside one of the vehicles that crashed at Emerson and Elmwood avenues.

Perrine said about 3 p.m. Friday from the crash scene, “At this time, we do have a person of interest in custody, but, again, it’s a very complex investigation, with several scenes right now. We have the scene of the shooting, the crash scene. We have people at the hospitals. We have a lot of information that we’re trying to gather. We don’t have a lot of answers to the questions right now, but we’re working through that as fast as we can.”

The state police sergeant, a spokesman for the Indianapolis district, added that investigators think they have the vehicle from where the shots were fired. He did not know where that vehicle was found.

He called the shooting of the child “heartbreaking.”

“In the grand scheme of things, it shouldn’t have happened.”

An infant in one the vehicles was not injured, but was taken to a hospital to be checked.

Perrine says investigators think they have everyone involved accounted for, and more information will be provided later.

• 74-year-old arrested after Johnson County road rage incident with gunfire

ISLAND PARK, Idaho (AP) — A pickup truck and tour van collision near Yellowstone National Park has killed seven people and injured eight others, Idaho State Police say.

The crash happened just before 7:15 p.m. Thursday on a highway near Henry’s Lake State Park in eastern Idaho, police said in a press release. The state park is roughly 16 miles (26 kilometers) west of Yellowstone National Park.

Both vehicles caught fire after the crash, the Idaho State Police said in a news release. The driver of the Dodge Ram pickup and six people inside the Mercedes passenger van died. The van was carrying a tour group of 14 people, and the surviving occupants were taken to hospitals with injuries, police spokesman Aaron Snell said.

Authorities have not said what led up to the crash, which remains under investigation.

Police say air ambulances along with emergency paramedics responded to the collision.

The Fremont County coroner’s office had not released the names of those killed as of Friday morning. The Idaho State Police said officials were still working on notifying family members of those killed and injured, so the agency was not yet releasing the names, ages, hometowns or nationalities of the people involved.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — As the Pacers continue their playoff run in Cleveland this weekend, there will be a noticeable absence courtside among the Indiana fans.

Pacers All Star Tyrese Haliburton’s father John — an ever-enthusiastic fans recognized by many — will not be in attendance at Rocket Arena for the first or second games of the second round series. After confronting Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo on the court following the Pacers’ Game 5 and series-clinching win in overtime Tuesday, Haliburton’s father agreed to not attend home or away games “for the foreseeable future.”

The Pacers point guard talked about the decision to local media for the first time Friday.

“I understand the decision made by our organization and the league,” Haliburton said. “I’ve spoken on it many times – that my father was in the wrong – but at the end of the day, he’s my dad, so I’m not going to ridicule him by any means.”

“I’ve got a lot of love for him. I love him dearly,” Haliburton continued. “He’s going to sit at home and watch the game. He’ll be just fine. We talk every day, and it’s going to be totally fine.”

John regularly sits on the baseline at Gainbridge Fieldhouse during home games with Tyrese’s mother and girlfriend. He’s known for emphatically cheering on the team throughout the season.

“Growing up, I think every other kid if your dad claps too loud as a choir concert or whatever the case may be, you might be a little embarrassed. I think that’s what it was at one point in my life, but I’ve gotten to the point now where my dad is who he is, and I love him for who he is and so does everybody who knows him,” Haliburton said. “This is just one thing, and we’re not defined by one thing that happens in our lives. We all make mistakes. You know, we move on.”

Haliburton laughed adding that he’s sure he’ll still hear from his father throughout the game.

“I’m sure I’ll be getting texts at halftime and calls after the game.”

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Finding the right car for a teen driver can feel like walking a tightrope—trying to balance safety, reliability, and affordability all at once. But a new report from Consumer Reports, in partnership with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, is giving families a clearer roadmap.

Jen Stockburger, director of operations at the Consumer Reports Auto Test Center, joined Daybreak to break down the list of safest new and used vehicles for young drivers.

“This list is a combination of performance tests that we do at Consumer Reports like braking and handling, combined with those cars that offer really good crash protection from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety,” Stockburger said.

More than 100 vehicles made the cut, including some well-known names.

Look for most model years

“For me, the ones that stick out are the ones that provide the most model years—those like the Honda Civic, the Subaru Forester, even some luxury models like the BMW X2 or the Explorer,” she said.

Stockburger says the more model years a car has, the more affordable it tends to be, making it easier to get a safe car that fits the budget.

Pay attention to safety features

For parents shopping with safety in mind, she suggests paying close attention to crash avoidance technology.

“Buy as much safety as you can afford,” she said. “Look for things like standard automatic emergency braking. Those are on all the vehicles in our best list, but not necessarily on the good list.”

Stockburger also recommends checking the vehicle sticker or asking the seller to confirm if those features are included.

When it comes to new vehicles, she says buyers are getting even more peace of mind.

“The new list is all of the cars that are the current Insurance Institute top safety picks or top safety pick pluses,” she said. “That means they are really the upper echelon in terms of crash protection.”

She points to additional features like blind spot warning and rear cross-traffic alert, which can be especially helpful for new drivers.

“Use as much safety as you can afford, even if it means getting a slightly more affordable car to get those options on it,” Stockburger said.

As more new vehicles add sensors and alert systems, Stockburger says Consumer Reports only awards safety points if the features come standard across all trims.

“We don’t want you to have to buy the highest trim or the most loaded vehicle in a model to get the safety feature,” she said.

Leaning toward used car? Research is key

For families leaning toward a used car, Stockburger says research is key, especially since the average new car price now hovers around $47,000.

“When you’re shopping either from a private party or a dealership, one of the great advantages of a dealership is that you can get what they call a certified pre-owned car,” she said.

Consumer Reports also offers reliability data for members to help identify used cars that not only made the safety list but have a strong track record.

“Regardless of what car you’re choosing, if you have the opportunity, take it to a mechanic or get a mechanic to come look at the car with you to make sure it’s in good running condition,” Stockburger said.

With graduation season underway, it’s the perfect time to have conversations about safety, value, and making the best investment for your teen.

For the full list of recommended new cars, click here. For the used car list, click here.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — When you listen to the new edition of the Behind the Bricks podcast, you’ll quickly realize a trip to Indianapolis Motor Speedway should be tastier this May.

“Food has gotten a boost,” Zach Horrall, Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s digital marketing manager, told News 8. “One big project over the off season was to improve a lot of our concession stands and really It’s a back-end thing. Fans may not necessarily see it, but the goal is to get hot food out to them quicker than we have in the past so the lines can keep moving and so the fans can get back to their seats much quicker.”

In the podcast, IMS and NTT IndyCar Series President Doug Boles takes race fans to a grandstand concession stand.

“This kitchen was a lot smaller last year. You couldn’t create the fresh food that we can create, get it through the window and serve you really, really quickly,” he explained, pointing out the new improvements. “Right here in the kitchen: all brand-new fryers, grill, everything we need to pass things through the window and get it to you as quickly as possible so you can get back to the action.”

The pod also invites fans at the track to take a moment to look up – at the decades-old roof structures along the main straightaway.

“We spent the off-season really scraping off what was there, checking the infrastructure and making sure that the roof and the metal was sound, and then repainting it all to make it up-to-date and really feel like a bit of a new or freshened-up experience,” Boles said.

Just across the track, the off-season’s highest-tech addition shines. It’s a massive HD screen that hangs over the entrance to Gasoline Alley.

“There’s been a TV there. It was great, it served a purpose, but it was getting a little bit dated,” Horrall admitted. “So we spent this offseason putting a new HDTV up there for people in those Paddock grand stands…And that’ll really help with that fan experience and for people that are sitting right there to see what else is going on everywhere else on the track.”

To watch the new episode of “Behind the Bricks,” scroll down. To listen on-the-go, grab the pod through the All Indiana Podcast Network.

Follow the IMS social media channels for more information on IMS and the “Behind the Bricks” podcast.