CLARKSVILLE, Ind.–Indiana Governor Mike Braun issued a gas tax holiday for the sixth month in a row on Thursday.

He has suspended both the gas excise tax and the gas usage tax. That equals Hoosiers saving about 60 cents per gallon at the pump.

Braun says he will reevaluate the conditions on October 6.

“Affordability is my top priority, and my gas tax suspensions are delivering the cheapest gas in America for Hoosiers. I’m keeping those savings going for Hoosier families. My recommended budget will tap our reserves to keep state and local infrastructure projects fully funded,” said Braun at a Thursday news conference.

Governor Braun first suspended the gasoline usage tax in April and expanded the relief in May to include the gasoline excise tax. He has continued the suspension to provide Hoosier families additional breathing room at the pump while protecting funding for state and local infrastructure projects.

“I am very proud of the fact that Indiana has had the lowest gas prices in the U.S. since April,” said Braun.

The price of gasoline has gone up across the United States ever since the war in Iran began. In February, AAA said the average price for gas in the U.S was under $3 per gallon. As of September 3, AAA says the U.S. average is $4.14.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) plans to launch mobile driver’s licenses within the next 18 months, Indiana’s I-Team has learned.

Wednesday, the Interim Study Committee on Roads and Transportation met to talk about the rollout of mobile driver’s licenses.

A mobile driver’s license is a digital version of a physical license, learner’s permit or identification card. The license lives on a smartphone, typically in a mobile wallet or through an app.

Indiana has been talking about the idea since 2019.

Indiana’s I-Team found at least 21 states already use mobile driver’s licenses, including neighboring Kentucky, Illinois and Ohio.

The Indiana BMV says our state’s version is currently under construction.

“There is no Indiana mobile driver’s license yet, so there’s tech work that needs to be done to actually make it,” said Matt Kestian, General Counsel at the Indiana BMV, told Indiana’s I-Team.

The state is working with alcohol and tobacco retailers, banks, law enforcement, and election offices.

“It’s not a photo of the license; it’s a connection between a phone and a reader, and so we need to have that infrastructure in place,” said Kestian.

Lawmakers asked questions about whether other identification like hunting licenses and car registrations could be added to it.

“Not at this time,” responded Kestian.

Groups including the American Civili Liberties Union have raised concerns about privacy, tracking, and security.

“The ACLU of Indiana has serious concerns about digital driver’s licenses, particularly around privacy, tracking, and the ability for the government to revoke someone’s access to their ID,” ACLU of Indiana advocacy manager Danielle Drake said.

Sen.  Mike Crider, R-Greenfield, said the state has adopted federal standards that other states have used.

“I think anytime you bring something new out, you make sure that you’re addressing things that can’t be hacked,” said Sen. Crider.

Scott Shackelford, a cybersecurity expert and professor at Indiana University Kelley School of Business, said security should be a concern for mobile driver’s licenses.

“That’s going to be a really prime target potentially for attackers,” said Shackelford. “So if that database is compromised or if a phone is, those credentials can be stolen and used for frankly identity theft, for impersonation, and for other purposes.”

Shackelford said the more data we put out there, the harder it is to monitor all of it.

“When we’re relying on you know major tech companies,” said Shackelford. “Let’s just say they don’t have the best track record for accountability with our data as part of that equation.”

The Indiana BMV emphasizes that people will not be tracked, the mobile driver’s licenses will not be mandatory, and people will not have to hand their phones over to anyone.

“That that’s not at all how this works,” said Kestian. “You would not be handing your phone over to someone else. Their phone would be interacting with a device that the officer would have in sort of a like a tap to pay.”

Lawmakers did not vote and they actually don’t need to.

The BMV says all the laws they need to implement mobile driver’s licenses are already in place.

Previous reporting: https://www.wishtv.com/news/indiana-bmv-looks-to-launch-mobile-drivers-licenses/

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indianapolis woman was searching for answers Wednesday after federal immigration agents detained her brother Tuesday morning at an east-side job site.

Following reports of immigration activity throughout central Indiana Tuesday and Wednesday, Circle City Broadcasting contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to ask whether the agency was conducting a sweep.

An ICE spokesperson declined to confirm or deny the reports, saying in a statement: “ICE agents uphold our nation’s immigration laws in all 50 states, seven days a week, 24 hours a day.”

Dulce Morales said agents detained her brother, 27-year-old Milo Morales, while he worked at a job site Tuesday morning.

She tracked his phone’s last location to a parking lot off 38th Street on the far-east side. By the time she arrived, Dulce said he was gone. However, she said she approached a black SUV with tinted windows at the scene and met a man who identified himself as an ICE officer.

“He was wearing this vest, a green vest that says ‘Police – ICE’. He did identify himself as ICE as well,” Dulce said. “I asked, ‘Have you detained anyone? And he said, ‘Yeah, I’ve detained plenty of illegal immigrants.’”

Dulce said the agent told her they had taken several people into custody at the job site where her brother worked, but would not confirm if her brother was among them.

Hours later, Dulce received a call from Milo, who confirmed agents had detained him. She says that because Milo has no criminal record, he has no assigned federal identification number — often called an “A-number” — meaning the family cannot track where he will be transferred.

“We just want to know if he’s OK. We want to make sure he comes home. He’s a hard-working man … and I mean he’s going to be a dad soon, too. We just want him to come home,” Dulce said.

As a member of the military, Dulce says she feels disheartened to see what is happening to her brother.

“Working as a servicemember and finding out that they’re taking your family left and right, it’s really hard to keep showing up,” Dulce said.

Her family says no one has heard from Milo since 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at the east-side location. They remain unsure of his whereabouts or when the government will assign him a tracking number.

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service is providing tax relief to individuals and businesses in 21 Indiana counties affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding that began Aug. 11, 2026.

Eligible taxpayers now have until Feb. 1, 2027, to file many federal tax returns, make certain tax payments and complete other time-sensitive tax-related actions that were originally due between Aug. 11, 2026, and Feb. 1, 2027.

The relief applies to residents and businesses in Carroll, Dearborn, Decatur, Delaware, Fayette, Franklin, Hamilton, Hancock, Henry, Lake, LaPorte, Madison, Marion, Morgan, Porter, Pulaski, Randolph, Rush, Tipton, Union and Wayne counties. It also may apply to taxpayers outside the disaster area whose records needed to meet a deadline are located in an affected county.

The Feb. 1 deadline covers many individual and business income tax returns, partnership and S corporation returns, estate and trust returns, certain employment and excise tax returns, and other qualifying filings. Affected taxpayers also have until Feb. 1 to make estimated income-tax payments originally due on or after Aug. 11.

The extension also applies to individuals who received an extension to file their 2025 federal income tax return. However, taxes owed on those 2025 returns were due April 15, 2026, and are not eligible for the postponement.

Special relief applies to certain payroll and excise tax deposits. Penalties on deposits due Aug. 11 through Aug. 25 will be waived if the deposits are made by Aug. 26.

Taxpayers with IRS installment agreements will not have their agreements default because of missed payments during the postponement period. However, interest and applicable late-payment penalties will continue to accrue. Those who want to suspend automatic payments should contact the IRS or their bank.

Additional disaster relief

Affected taxpayers may elect to claim qualifying uninsured or unreimbursed disaster-related casualty losses on either their 2026 or 2025 federal tax return. The FEMA disaster declaration number, 4933-DR, should be included when claiming the loss.

The IRS also will waive normal fees for affected taxpayers requesting copies of previously filed tax returns or transcripts. Qualified disaster-relief payments received from government agencies generally are not included in taxable income.

Additional relief may be available for certain retirement-plan and IRA distributions related to the disaster.

The IRS says taxpayers who receive a penalty notice for a filing, payment or deposit covered by the postponement should contact the telephone number on the notice to request abatement. Taxpayers outside the designated disaster area who believe they qualify can call the IRS Special Services line at 866-562-5227.

The disaster declaration also may provide additional time for certain taxpayers to claim refunds or credits under the recently enacted Disaster Related Extension of Deadlines Act.

Free tax preparation may be available through VITA, TCE, AARP Tax-Aide and IRS Free File programs. Disaster recovery information is available through DisasterAssistance.gov.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A Marion County judge on Wednesday sentenced a mom convicted of killing her 5-year-old daughter to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The sentence for Toni McClure came after an eight-day jury trial. She was convicted of murder, criminal confinement, and battery on Tuesday for the 2024 death of her daughter, 5-year-old Kinsleigh Welty.

Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement on the sentencing that this is justice well-served.

Today, justice has been reached for Kinsleigh.

For more than two years, our trial team and investigators have carried the enormous responsibility of seeking justice in a case involving the unimaginable death of a 5-year-old child. They approached that responsibility with the care, diligence and determination this case demanded, and I commend their commitment to Kinsleigh and her family.

Seeking a life without parole sentence is among the most serious responsibilities entrusted to a prosecutor. It is not a decision we take lightly. The intentional killing of a 5-year-old at the hands of her mother made it our duty to seek a life without parole sentence, and today, we are grateful that the jury agreed and imposed the sentence.

It is my hope that we can remember Kinsleigh for who she was, not how she died. Her story should not be defined by those responsible for her death. She was a little girl who was loved, whose life touched others and whose memory will live on. Today is about Kinsleigh.

Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears

Two others involved in Welty’s death have already been convicted and sentenced.

Ryan Smith, McClure’s then-boyfriend, pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent resulting in death, and will serve 20 years in prison.

Tammy Halsey, Welty’s grandmother, also accepted a plea deal for similar neglect charges. She’s due in court for sentencing on Sept. 24.

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Gov. Mike Braun is applauding a decision by state regulators to take another look at AES Indiana’s proposed rate increase.

The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission agreed to rehear the case following concerns raised about new developments involving a proposed Google data center in Monrovia and the planned acquisition of AES by a BlackRock-led consortium.

Braun said keeping utility costs affordable for Hoosiers remains one of his top priorities.

“I am pleased the IURC agreed to rehear the AES rate hike and I applaud OUCC Abby Gray on her steadfast work on behalf of Hoosiers,” Braun said. “Affordability for Hoosiers is my number one issue and I won’t stop fighting to ease the burden of high utility costs for working families.”

The rehearing could give regulators another opportunity to consider how the Google project and AES acquisition could affect the utility’s infrastructure needs, finances and the rates customers ultimately pay.

The Citizens Action Coalition had requested the rehearing, arguing that the developments occurred after the original evidentiary record closed and could materially affect the commission’s decision on AES Indiana’s rates.

For customers, the renewed review could provide another chance for regulators to determine whether the proposed rates accurately reflect AES Indiana’s current circumstances and future costs.

“We are pleased that the Commission recognized that these developments warrant a very close look,” said CAC Program Director Ben Inskeep. “The Commission should not lock Indiana ratepayers into long-term rates based on an outdated picture of AES Indiana’s customers, investment needs, and financial circumstances.” 

AES Indiana also reacted to the decision.

“AES Indiana has received the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission’s order regarding the petition for reconsideration and rehearing of our rate case, which was approved on June 17, 2026. We respect the Commission’s process and remain committed to being open, transparent, and responsive throughout these proceedings. We continue to believe the merits of our originally approved case are strong and support the investments necessary to provide safe, reliable, and increasingly resilient electric service. Most importantly, our focus remains on serving the more than 530,000 customers who depend on us every day across Central Indiana,” said AES Indiana in a statement.

INDIANAPOLIS — FEMA has approved more than $2.1 million in financial assistance for Indiana families affected by severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding in August, Gov. Mike Braun announced Wednesday.

More than 25,000 Hoosiers have applied for FEMA’s individual assistance, with payments continuing to be distributed on a rolling basis.

“Thousands of Hoosiers have been impacted,” Braun said, adding that his administration remains committed to helping survivors throughout the recovery process.

The U.S. Small Business Administration is also offering low-interest disaster loans to eligible Indiana businesses, private nonprofit organizations and residents affected by the storms.

Hoosiers have until Oct. 25, 2026, to apply for FEMA assistance. Applications can be submitted at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362.

State and federal assistance is also available through one-stop shops and mobile registration centers across Indiana. Residents can call Indiana 211 at 866-211-9966 for additional information and resources.