INDIANAPOLIS — People from around the world will fill downtown Indianapolis streets this weekend for a wide array of events.

Taylor Schaffer, president and CEO of Downtown Indy Inc., said, “From the Indianapolis Zoo opening Zoo Boo this weekend to the international violin competition happening at Hilbert Circle Theatre, from a Colts game on Sunday and an Indy Eleven game on Saturday from WWE to Swing at Victory Field, there really is something for everybody happening in downtown Indianapolis this weekend.”

Downtown Indy Inc. expects tens of thousands of people to visit the city this weekend.

“It’s really more meaningful when it’s that mix of local regional and national audiences coming to Indianapolis and being able to get a sense of downtown, get a sense of downtown entrepreneurs and businesses at the same time they’re heading to the event that they came into Indianapolis for,” Schaffer said.

Well-established partnerships like the Circle City Classic, now in its 42nd year, and new collaborations with WWE allow the city to showcase its hospitality. Schaffer said these partnerships serve as economic drivers that attract other organizations to bring events to the city.

“We know how to host a lot of people all at once. We know how to get people in and out in a reasonable manner. We know how to have a walkable experience that really accommodates all those visitors, perhaps from all different walks of life, from all different areas of the community and the country,” Schaffer said.

Visitors traveling to town for these events continue to spend money on lodging, shopping and food.

“Location is everything. It makes a lot of difference when there’s things in town,” said Brent Drescher, general manager of District Tap.

The bar, restaurant, and sports pub sits at the corner of Meridian and Georgia streets, within walking distance of both Lucas Oil Stadium and Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Drescher said business increases significantly when events happen in town.

“Easily a nice uptick, by several thousand, easily,” he said.

Drescher said every event provides an opportunity to boost sales and demonstrate Hoosier hospitality.

“Very festive atmosphere. A lot of people out here have a great time, and this is just a part of their experience,” Drescher said. “We take that very seriously. And we love watching them have a good time as well.”

WWE and Indiana Sports Corp announced a partnership in 2024 to bring three of the company’s largest stadium events to Indianapolis. Indiana Sports Corp said the events — WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble — have a combined economic impact of more than $300 million. These events bring hundreds of thousands of fans to the host city from all 50 states and dozens of countries.

The 42nd Circle City Classic celebrates historically Black colleges and universities, youth leadership, and community achievement. Circle City Broadcasting is a partner with Circle City Classic.

BOONE COUNTY, Ind.–Boone County is looking at removing county auditor Debbie Crum after an internal investigation revealed she emailed personal information for all 290 Boone County employees to the Indiana Department of Child Services.

A public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, October 6 at 10:00 am.

“Evidence in this matter will be presented at that time by County Attorney Beth Copeland,” said Boone County Communications Director Brent Wheat. “By statute, no decision on the matter can be made at the hearing.  After the applicable waiting period, the boards then may consider whether to petition the court for removal.”

The county has also hired Taft Law Firm to advise them on the matter, with an appropriation not to exceed $25,000, Wheat said.

Crum has not yet responded to requests for comment.

The data leak happened on June 30.

An internal investigation revealed auditor Debbie Crum emailed personal information for all 290 Boone County employees to the Indiana Department of Child Services.

Weeks later, a DCS employee emailed that document to four Boone County employees and two county vendors “for reasons that remain unknown,” according to Boone County.

Boone County completed its internal investigation into the disclosure of names and Social Security numbers to unintended recipients.

Here’s a breakdown of what Boone County’s investigation found:

• In May 2026, the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) initiated its annual audit of the County’s financial records by contacting Boone County Auditor Debbie Crum.
• As part of the audit, DCS requested documentation related to certain employees whose work involves child support services, according to Boone County.
• After an initial report was emailed by Crum that did not contain the requested information, a DCS employee sent a follow-up email identifying to Crum the 12 specific employees whose records were needed for the audit.
• In response, Auditor Crum requested the Boone County Human Resources Department provide her a report of all employees enrolled in the County’s long-term disability plan.
• The request did not include the context or purpose of the request, according to Boone County.
• HR generated the requested report and placed it on the County’s secured network drive for retrieval by the Auditor’s Office.
• On June 30, Auditor Crum retrieved the report and emailed it to two DCS employees—without opening or reading the report first, according to Boone County.
• Rather than containing information limited to the 12 employees identified by DCS, the report included personal information for all 290 employees enrolled in the County’s long-term disability plan, including names and Social Security numbers.
• Approximately three weeks later, one of the DCS employees forwarded the email to four Boone County employees and two county vendors for reasons that remain unknown. Boone County officials discovered the disclosure at this point.

Indiana’s I-Team broke the story about the employee data disclosure.

“Boone County recognizes the seriousness of any unauthorized disclosure involving employees’ personal information,” said Boone County in a statement to Indiana’s I-Team. “Protecting confidential information is a fundamental responsibility, and County officials regret that this incident occurred.”

The County says it is implementing safeguards to strengthen internal procedures governing the handling and transmission of sensitive employee information.

“The County is also taking measures to support those employees with resources to help protect their personal information, including credit monitoring and identity protection services,” said the county in a statement.

“County employees have every right to expect that their personal information will be handled with care, accuracy and accountability, and shared only when necessary,” said Boone County Commission President Tim Beyer. “Our investigation found that substantially more information than was requested was disclosed. We are committed to strengthening our procedures, supporting our employees, and taking appropriate action to ensure an incident like this does not happen again.”

Boone County is encouraging employees to review their credit reports and financial accounts for suspicious activity.

Employees should also consider placing a fraud alert or security freeze on their credit files, according to the email sent to Boone County employees.

“County employees deserve full confidence that their personal information is handled responsibly. The Council is committed to supporting affected employees while carefully reviewing the findings of this investigation and considering any actions necessary to protect the integrity of county government,” said Boone County Council President Jennifer Hostetter.

Indiana’s I-Team contacted Indiana DCS for comment and the agency provided the following statement:

The Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) takes very seriously the protection of the information entrusted to us in providing services.

On July 21, 2026, DCS’ Child Support Bureau learned that data in its custody was inadvertently disclosed by email to both internal and external parties. While this information was originally provided to CSB by the Boone County Auditor for use in CSB’s ordinary course of business, it included additional data that the agency should not have received. 

DCS took immediate action to control the situation and is closely following state and federal protocols, including adhering to Indiana Code 24-4.9-3-1, commonly referred to as the “Indiana Security Breach Notification Statute.”

INDIANAPOLIS — Three more Indiana counties have been added to the federal disaster declaration stemming from severe weather and flooding in August.

Gov. Mike Braun announced Friday that FEMA approved his request to add Pike, Cass and Putnam counties to the major disaster declaration.

Residents in those counties, along with residents in the 21 counties previously approved for Individual Assistance, can now apply for financial assistance through FEMA.

Individual Assistance is available in 24 counties: Carroll, Cass, Dearborn, Decatur, Delaware, Fayette, Franklin, Hamilton, Hancock, Henry, Lake, LaPorte, Madison, Marion, Morgan, Pike, Porter, Pulaski, Putnam, Randolph, Rush, Tipton, Union and Wayne.

Public Assistance is also available for impacted local governments and certain nonprofit organizations in Cass, Carroll, Fountain, Grant, Marion, Morgan, Parke, Pike, Pulaski, Putnam, Randolph, Rush, Starke, Union, Vermillion and Warren counties.

Braun thanked President Donald Trump and FEMA for the federal response to the August storms and flooding.

“Thanks to President Trump and our state’s coordination with FEMA, Hoosiers will continue to receive support at an unprecedented pace,” Braun said.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The damp, gray weather that has defined the workweek is finally lifting. Central Indiana is in the perfect spot for a beautiful weekend, sandwiched between storm systems passing to our east and west.

Today:

High clouds from a storm system over the Great Plains will filter the sunshine through the day. These clouds could become thick enough this afternoon to keep temperatures a few degrees cooler.

Highs will reach the low to mid-70s by late afternoon across most of central Indiana. While most areas stay dry, a stray light shower is possible.

Tonight:

Clear skies and calm winds will allow temperatures to drop quickly. Lows will fall into the upper 40s to low 50s statewide.

Patchy fog will develop overnight, especially in low-lying areas and river valleys.

Tomorrow:

Saturday morning could start with dense fog in some areas.

Once the fog burns off, expect a lot more sunshine compared to previous days. Highs will climb into the mid-70s.

Sunday:

Sunday brings more of the same. Watch for patchy fog again Sunday morning as clear skies and calm winds set up overnight Saturday.

Sunday afternoon looks fantastic with mostly sunny skies and highs in the mid to upper 70s.

7 day forecast:

We’re now expecting a much weaker wave Tuesday night. Cloud cover and rain chances will increase, but the threat of strong thunderstorms has dropped a bit.

Some uncertainty in regardds to the remnants of Hurricane Polo, which is currently spinning off the southern Mexico coast. Some models hint that some of that moisture could head our way late week – but not all are on the same page. Some worth watching next week.

For now, expect highs to stay in the upper 70s to near 80 degrees early next week with increasing humidity Tuesday and Wednesday.

PARKER CITY, Ind. — Monroe Central High School will not participate in its scheduled football game at Wes-Del High School Friday, the school announced Thursday.

In a social media post, school officials said the school would not participate to give the community a chance to mourn the death of Monroe High School junior Charli Siekmann.

According to her obituary, she died Wednesday from injuries she suffered in a crash.

A student athlete, Charli’s obituary said she was a member of the Monroe Central Golf Team, Quiz Bowl and Academic Bowl.

In the social media post, Monroe High School officials said they wanted to give the community a chance to honor Charli and support her family. To do that, they school will not participate in the varsity football game at Wes-Del on Friday.

“We appreciate everyone’s understanding and support as we come together to honor Charli’s life,” the statement said.

Charli was 16 years old.

INDIANAPOLIS–A man was found dead in the Broad Ripple Park area at around 6:30 Thursday morning.

IMPD says they were out on patrol, and they found a man in a portable bathroom nearby. He was unresponsive and he was later pronounced dead at the scene. Also at the scene, they discovered an unoccupied vehicle.

The Marion County Coroner’s Office identified him as a man in his 20s.

They are trying to figure out the cause and manner of death.

STATEWIDE–The Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH) has concluded its investigation after a horse died at a Girl Scouts camp in rural Morgantown.

Veterinarians from BOAH completed an unannounced visit at Camp Gallahue on September 18 after receiving a complaint about two “very thin” horses and another that was deceased.

“No horses were present at the camp; all had been returned to the owner-contractor(s) who supplied the horses to the camp,” said Denise Derrer Spears, a spokesperson for BOAH, in an email to Indiana’s I-Team.  “BOAH veterinarians discussed with the camp’s site manager and program director the circumstances that generated the complaint.  Based on information provided, the caretaker was trying to manage the weight loss of the two horses at the center of the complaint.”

The cause of death for the third horse was attributed to an acute medical condition, Derrer Spears said.

“BOAH’s veterinarians provided guidance to the camp staff about the importance of involving professional veterinary care earlier, at the first sign of distress or illness in an animal,” said Derrer Spears. “Additionally, the owner-contractor should be contacted earlier to remove any horses that become ill or distressed.”

The Indiana State Board of Animal Health did not find any evidence of wrongdoing or violations, Derrer Spears said.

Veterinarians did not inspect the horses who had lost weight.

“When our veterinarians visited, the animals had already been returned to the owner/contractor, so they were not on-site to inspect,” said Derrer Spears.

The veterinarian will return for a recheck to see if progress is made (such as animals gaining weight or an injury is healing or proof that a private veterinarian is providing treatment), according to BOAH.

“If acceptable progress has been made, the case may be closed,” said Derrer Spears. “If progress is not sufficient, the veterinarian will plan another revisit or charges could be brought.”

The Brown County Animal Control accompanied veterinarians with Indiana BOAH.

Animal control officer Billie Grimes-Watson referred questions to Denise Derrer Spears.

Concerned citizens contacted Indiana’s I-Team after photos circulated online showing a dead horse and other horses that appeared to be in poor condition at the camp in Brown County.

The camp’s website states that scouts can ride horses at the barn and includes a request for supplies for the animals.

Circle City Broadcasting obtained photos of horses at the camp from a source who asked to remain anonymous.

Lauren Palmer, director of communications for Girl Scouts of Central Indiana, said in an email, “We were saddened by the passing of a horse at Camp Gallahue due to an unexpected illness.”

Palmer said the Girl Scouts worked with the horses’ owner to ensure the remaining animals received veterinary care as soon as the organization learned about the situation. A local provider owns the horses and leases them to the camp.

“As a precaution, all horse programming for the remainder of the season has been cancelled while we assess next steps,” Palmer said in the email.