INDIANAPOLIS — Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, and a number of other major online services are down, thanks to a widespread outage.

The outage first spiked just around 1 p.m. Thursday, hitting several sites like Microsoft Outlook, 365, Copilot, Teams, OneDrive, and more.

Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services, both major cloud services that “rent out” IT infrastructure for millions of websites, were also hit in the outage.

It’s not clear what led up to the outage or how long it might last.

STATEWIDE–An Indiana man has been convicted of 18 federal charges for his role in a scheme that fraudulently obtained more than $60 million in state education funding through two online charter schools.

Phillip Holden, 65, of Middletown, was found guilty of 17 counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud following an eight-day trial. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison per count and is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 25, 2027.

The case involved Indiana Virtual School and Indiana Virtual Pathways Academy, which prosecutors said inflated student enrollment numbers to receive millions of dollars in state funding.

Thomas Stoughton, 77, of Carmel, founded both schools. He pleaded guilty to 76 federal charges the day before his trial was scheduled to begin, including 58 counts of money laundering, 17 counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Stoughton faces up to 20 years in prison for each wire fraud count and up to 10 years for each money laundering count. His sentencing is scheduled for March 11, 2027.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Holden served as director of operations for both schools. From 2016 to 2018, he participated in a scheme with Stoughton and three other school employees to inflate enrollment numbers reported to the Indiana Department of Education.

The schools received state funding based on enrollment. Prosecutors said the defendants submitted false enrollment figures claiming more than 6,000 students were enrolled between the summers of 2016 and 2018. The schools received more than $60 million in excess state funding as a result.

Employees were instructed to stop verifying student interest before enrollment or reenrollment. Incomplete applications were used to enroll people who never attended classes, including some who had graduated, joined the military, transferred to other schools or died.

Before a September 2018 enrollment count, the defendants also directed a contractor to identify about 600 former students who were no longer active but were not listed as attending another school. Employees were then instructed to reenroll many of them.

Prosecutors also said the defendants transferred hundreds of inactive students from Indiana Virtual School to Indiana Virtual Pathways Academy after the second school was established in 2017. That allowed the schools to continue claiming state funding for those students while avoiding accountability measures tied to student participation and performance.

Holden also retaliated against an employee who tried to report the scheme to the Indiana Department of Education in 2017, according to trial evidence. Prosecutors said Holden threatened and ultimately fired the employee after learning about the disclosure.

The investigation found that the schools paid substantial amounts of state funding to for-profit companies controlled or operated by Stoughton. Millions of dollars were later distributed to Stoughton, members of his family and other defendants.

Three other defendants have also pleaded guilty.

Former Superintendent Percy Clark, 84, of Carmel, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Christopher King, 64, of Greens Fork, pleaded guilty to the same charge in 2023 and is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 10, 2027. Kyle Schroeder, 52, of Fishers, pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony and is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 11, 2027.

“For years, the defendants treated taxpayer-funded education dollars as a personal revenue stream, siphoning millions of dollars away from their intended purpose,” U.S. Attorney Tom Wheeler said. “Every dollar obtained through this fraud scheme was money meant to educate and support Indiana students.”

“This verdict represents a significant victory for Indiana taxpayers and for every Hoosier who expects public education dollars to be used for their intended purpose,” Indiana State Examiner Paul Joyce said. “The evidence presented during this case demonstrated a deliberate scheme to manipulate student enrollment figures and divert millions of dollars from Indiana’s education system.

“While others involved in this conspiracy ultimately chose to accept responsibility for their actions, Phillip Holden maintained his innocence and exercised his right to a trial. After hearing the evidence, the jury found him guilty on all counts.”

The trial included testimony from 40 witnesses and more than 350 exhibits.

The FBI, Indiana State Board of Accounts, Indiana Office of Inspector General and Indiana State Police investigated the case. U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young presided over the trial.

HONG KONG (AP) — Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resigned Thursday affair raises national security concerns.

The company named Colette Kress as interim CEO. She is the current executive vice president and chief financial officer.

Huang faced growing calls to resign after his affair with an alleged Chinese spy. Late Wednesday, media reports said Huang had another extramarital affair with an Nvidia employee who reports to him.

Shares of Nvidia, one of the largest companies in the world, plunged 10% in premarket trading Thursday.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back for updates. AP’s earlier story follows below.

Megaspeed, the data center company at the center of the scandal engulfing Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, pledged Thursday to cooperate with an investigation into potential risks to U.S. national security.

Nvidia’s board, meanwhile, was reportedly meeting to discuss Huang’s future after revelations that he was having an affair with a former Megaspeed executive suspected of being a Chinese government agent. The New York Times reported Wednesday that Huang also had an affair with an Nvidia executive who reported to him. The Associated Press could not independently confirm those reports.

There was no word as of early Thursday on any outcome from those discussions.

In its first statement since the scandal broke, Singapore-headquartered Megaspeed International said Thursday that it takes its obligation to comply with U.S. export control laws “extremely seriously.”

Details about Huang’s affair with the former Megaspeed executive are unclear.

“Megaspeed is committed to working constructively and transparently with the U.S. government,” said the statement signed by its chairman and CEO, Tan Yong Pong, who also goes by James Tan.

Nvidia has said it had “no reason to believe” that either national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised, but that its inquiry would examine all available information.

Details about Huang’s affair with the woman are unclear. The New York Times reported she was Alice Huang, who also goes by the name Huang Le, and was a top executive at Megaspeed. The company prominently touts a partnership with Nvidia on its website. The two are not related.

Last month, the Times reported that U.S. intelligence agencies discovered Nvidia’s Huang had developed a close relationship with Alice Huang — and determined she was feeding information directly to Beijing. On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the FBI was investigating.

Megaspeed faced claims last year that it was illicitly shipping advanced Nvidia computer chips into China, but in December said there was “no evidence” of such exports. Singapore has also said it is investigating such allegations.

China has denied that it engaged in an attempt to ensnare Huang, who heads one of the world’s most valuable companies. Nvidia has become a leader in making chips that power AI and Huang has lobbied Washington to loosen limits on sales of Nvidia chips to China. In January, he won Trump’s approval for selling to China its H200 chips.

In its statement Thursday, Megaspeed said it has cooperated with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), which handles enforcement of national security restrictions on exports of technology, and was ready to “cooperate fully with any other relevant U.S. government authority.”

It said it has hired a U.S. law firm to handle a “comprehensive census” of its computer chips and to verify its export controls.

“Megaspeed welcomes appropriate government scrutiny and is committed to demonstrating through concrete actions that it operates responsibly, transparently, and in accordance with applicable U.S. laws,” it said.

Apart from questions over national security, Megaspeed’s finances also have drawn attention. Its total assets soared roughly 90-fold from late 2023 to 2024, to almost US$3 billion, according to Singapore corporate records.

Revenue surged to over US$294 million in 2024 from none in 2023.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A much cooler airmass has settled into central Indiana, bringing scattered light showers and a raw feel to this Thursday. We’ll also track the potential for a few snowflakes mixing in late tonight through Friday midday, especially across northern portions of the state.

Today

Expect scattered to numerous light showers developing across central Indiana through the day. Temperatures will struggle, with highs only reaching the low to mid 40s. Northwest winds gusting to 20-25 mph will make it feel considerably colder – wind chills holding in the upper 30s for most of the afternoon.

Tonight

Periodic light precipitation continues through the overnight hours. As temperatures drop into the mid 30s, a few snowflakes may mix in with the rain, particularly after midnight. The best chance for seeing flakes will be across northern Indiana. Accumulation is not expected. Winds will remain out of the northwest at 10-15 mph, keeping that chilly feel in place.

Friday

Light precipitation wraps up through midday, with northwest Indiana having the best chance for a rain and snow mix during the morning commute. Graupel – those small, soft ice pellets – may mix in at times as well, especially between 7 a.m. and noon. Highs will be limited to around the mid 40s. Skies will remain mostly cloudy, with any lingering showers ending from west to east by early afternoon. Northwest winds continue at 8-12 mph.

Weekend outlook

Dry weather returns just in time for the weekend. Saturday brings scattered clouds with highs in the mid to upper 40s – a slight improvement from Friday. Sunday looks even better, with clearing skies and continued highs in the upper 40s. Strong high pressure builds in from the west, setting up a quiet stretch of weather heading into next week.

7-day forecast

A gradual warming trend takes shape next week as high pressure remains in control. By the middle of next week, temperatures climb into the mid to upper 50s – much more seasonable for mid-November. Wednesday and Thursday look pleasant, with partly sunny skies and those milder temperatures holding. Lows Friday night will be the coldest of the period, dropping to the mid and upper 20s across much of central Indiana. After that, overnight temperatures gradually moderate, rising back into the mid 30s by early next week.

COLUMBUS, Ind. — A 60-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, man died Wednesday afternoon in a crash involving a tractor-trailer on Interstate 65 near Columbus, Indiana, police said.

At about 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, witnesses reported seeing a 2020 Volvo tractor-trailer leave northbound Interstate 65 about a mile north of the U.S. 31 exit for Columbus, Edinburgh and Taylorsville in northern Bartholomew County. A news release issued Wednesday from Indiana State Police said the truck struck a guardrail, left the east side of the road and stopped among trees.

Witnesses and first responders found the driver, Anthony Bull, unresponsive in the cab. Responders treated him, but the Bartholomew County Coroner’s Office pronounced him dead at the scene.

State police Sgt. Seth Davidson continued to investigate but did not believe any other vehicles or people were involved. A medical episode may have contributed to the crash.

Northbound traffic on Interstate 65 was affected for more than three hours during the investigation and cleanup.

Troopers from the agency’s Versailles post and personnel from the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, the North Carolina Highway Patrol, the Columbus Regional EMS, the Columbus Township Fire Department, the German Township Fire Department, the Indiana Department of Transportation and 31 Wrecker Service also assisted.

INDIANAPOLIS — A Marion County judge has been suspended without pay for 45 days following a misconduct investigation into his courtroom.

The Indiana Supreme Court ruled on Nov. 5 that Judge Jose D. Salinas of Marion Superior Court 23 failed to properly handle criminal and expungement cases and failed to adequately supervise his staff, according to court documents.

Salinas is one of three Indiana judges subject to investigation for similar behavior.

Court documents show the problems spanned several years. In one case, a defendant spent 166 days in jail after being ordered released because staff failed to enter the proper release code. In another, a man was charged as a serious violent felon in April 2026 because his prior criminal case had not been properly expunged, despite a court order granting the expungement years earlier.

According to court documents, a review of Salinas’ court also found 427 pending expungement cases, including 13 cases with delays ranging from 81 to 795 days.

The Indiana Supreme Court noted that Salinas self-reported many of the errors, cooperated fully with the investigation and has since implemented new procedures in his courtroom. The court also noted he has no prior disciplinary history.

The suspension begins at 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 7, 2026 and ends at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 21, 2027, at which point Salinas will automatically be reinstated, according to court documents.