Gas prices continue to top $4 across the state.

Hundreds of college degrees dumped and a controversial data center project approved.

From the television studios of WFYI public media.

It's Indiana Week in Review for the week ending April 3rd, 2026.

Indiana Week in Review is produced by WFYI in association with Indiana Public Broadcasting stations.

Additional support is provided by ParrRichey.

Gas prices around the country are skyrocketing as the war with Iran continues.

Barb Anguiano has more.

Gas prices around Indiana have crossed the four.

Dollars mark in most major cities.

That's according to triple As Christina Griffiths.

She says the last time gas prices were this high was in 2022, but says a spike in prices is typical around this time of year.

She says that's due to demand associated with spring break travel and a switch to a less volatile but more expensive summer blend of gasoline.

But she says prices are dramatically higher at this moment.

We're at the point where people are starting to figure out like, okay, well, this is getting really expensive.

We need to figure out how am I going to spend less on gas?

While gas prices are difficult to predict, Griffiths says the best thing motorists can do is have a plan.

Including researching what gas stations offer the lowest prices along your route.

So is this a temporary fuel crisis?

It's the first question for our Indiana Week in Review panel.

Democrat Kip Tew Republican Chris Mitchem, Jon Schwantes, host of Indiana Lawmakers.

And Samantha Horton, WFYI reporter and newscaster.

I'm Jill Sheridan, managing editor at WFYI.

So, Chris, is there any relief in sight?

Yeah, not as fast as I think people are going to want it to come.

And as somebody who was born and raised in southern Indiana, I now understand why my mom would always press back any time gas prices got high.

And she wanted to take me to a friend's house that was 30 minutes both ways.

Because this is really starting to impact people, I think, across the financial spectrum.

And, one of the more unfortunate things about this, and probably rightfully so, that it's being masked, is the Trump administration has actually been making a lot of steps to try to improve fuel prices in the long term.

We just came out or they just announced new renewable fuel energy standards that I think is going to increase fuel production here domestically.

And then also, we're in the process of opening up Venezuela's, oil reserves that previously we weren't able to tap.

But now, as the largest oil reserves in the world, we're starting the process of being able to use that to again bring down the gas prices long term.

But unfortunately, with the reality we have now, none of that's going to matter.

As you know, currently, the Strait of Hormuz, which currently, you know, 20% of the daily world energy production goes through, is currently not accessible.

And politically, I think that puts a lot of pressure on the Trump administration in the primaries.

And I think the Trump administration knows that.

But I also think the Iranian administration knows that as well.

And using that as leverage to try and potentially, you know, lengthen this thing out.

So, you know, even if the war were to end tomorrow, I don't think there's enough time between now and the primaries for the prices to come down enough where the Trump administration can use its previous wins to try to tell them how they're addressing the problem.

I mean, will this impact possibly, you know, the primary election as Hoosiers are seeing these prices and as the war maybe drags on and as countries are saying, you know, this is going to be a major fuel and energy concern in the long term.

Well, I don't think it helps people that, that Donald Trump has probably endorsed a great deal.

but we shall see.

I mean, there's been, loyalty that I don't understand that has continued with, Donald Trump over the years.

But, you know, according to Donald Trump, we don't care about the Straits of Hormuz.

And we want someone else to open up the Straits of Hormuz.

And so he says it doesn't matter.

I think if he continues with that tact, it's going to be a disaster.

but but invading Iran was a disaster.

And we're seeing, the beginning of the fruits of that labor right now.

and this is the president who said he's going to bring gas prices down on day one, and he's raised them.

This is a person who said he was going to, lower the price of eggs.

And eggs are more expensive.

So, the problem he has in, in these primaries that I hope comes to fruition is that he's made a lot of promises and they've all been broken, and that the people he's endorsing, are the ones that supported him on redistricting.

and, you know, for my for my vantage point, I'd like to see it be unsuccessful because I think his stranglehold on the Republican Party has been bad for the Republic.

Well, Jon, I mean, I think eggs are actually priced decently now, but it's one of the only things because futures are feeling and, across the board in many different areas.

And this could have a trickle effect as well if energy prices do continue.

And, you know, people in Indiana are going to be thinking about, oh, absolutely.

Fuel prices, it seems to me, of all the possible pain points among voters, potential voters.

That has to be, fuel prices is, I'd say, number one.

You think about interest rate, the prime rate.

It's kind of embedded in your credit card statement, you know, do you pore over the fine print every week?

It's, you know, every month, but it's there.

You know what?

If you research it.

Same thing with by, mortgage rates.

If you're buying a house, which most of us aren't doing on any given month, you know, you're not as painfully aware of it as you would be if you're driving down the street and every sign on every corner says, this is the price you will have to pay when you fill up your gas tank.

Every politician knows this is the most potent issue.

I thinking back to, when Frank O'Bannon was governor.

Let's go back in the Wayback Machine in 2000, when he took the then unprecedented step of reversing or rolling back temporarily, the state's sales tax, which saved consumers, some money because he said the top three issues right now for anybody seeking the favor of voters.

Fuel prices, fuel prices, fuel prices.

And at the time, you know why he was so sensitive to this?

Fuel had surged over $2 a gallon at the time.

So every time it's a history, it's been done to.

Yeah, yeah, but there is a call for that now.

Certainly.

what do you think, Sam?

Samantha, as as, you know, people are going to be from all sectors really impacted that like this.

I think of drivers that make a living.

You know, we're going to, keep experiencing this as the war drags on.

Yeah.

And it's, you know, it's not just, you know, you at the, at the, at the pump paying the price.

It's also for goods and services.

You think of how much we rely on products that are in our stores, that are being shipped across the country by semis, and they're paying a higher price.

So this is just going to be trickling into everyday life.

So it's not you know, we know, is it right now very heavily at the pump.

But also businesses are now having to contemplate when do we start upping our prices because we can't operate at a loss in the long term?

I mean, there are solutions.

I know there has been the lift of the e-15.

so I know that's going to be a attempt to try to, but also that is less fuel efficiency.

And it's also, you know, not necessarily workable for every everyone's vehicle.

So that's it's a, it's a, it's a solution but not adoptable.

You know.

Come on.

General election.

We got to get through the primaries.

But general election I think you'll see a lot of Democrats say we're paying a lot at the pumps.

It's a crisis.

And I guess part of the reason we're here is there was a rollback and all of the incentives to switch to electric vehicles and more hybrids, which is essentially seated that industry or promises to cede that industry to the Chinese.

but one could argue if there were more vehicles on the road that weren't consuming fuel.

I'm no economist, but I think that would mean there'd be less demand on the fossil fuels that are in the pipeline to consumers and wouldn't put as much price price pressure.

So I would think that would be a political vulnerability for the president as well in his party.

What have we ever heard from the government?

And 2000 and, 22 was the last time we put a cap on, gas tax, I believe we haven't heard a lot of, interest necessarily in suspending the gas tax.

Yeah, I mean, I it's my understanding that in order to do that, you need to have what's, what's considered an energy emergency, right?

Which I think some people could argue that, again, part of the world where 20% of the daily energy production goes through is currently closed, one could argue that's an emergency.

But I think.

an emergency tariff.

Yes.

For tariffs.

So maybe.

Well, you.

Have to go against what the president has said that that we don't have we have enough fuel in the United States to, not have to deal with the rest of the world.

So you'd have that argument to go against, what the president is said.

But I certainly think there's, you know, there's pressure and momentum to potentially, want that to want that to happen.

It's all happened so fast.

So we will see time now for our viewer feedback every week we pose an unscientific online poll question.

This week's question, will gas and fuel prices continue to pressure Hoosiers?

Vote yes or no?

The last question posed to viewers Will Mitch Daniels support help Indiana Republicans who voted against redistricting 68% answering yes and 32% saying no.

If you would like to take part in the poll, go to WFYI.org/IWIR and look for the poll.

This week, state leaders eliminated, suspended or merged over 500 degrees from the state's public and colleges and universities.

Caroline Beck reports on the latest moves, with the state's efforts to streamline degrees.

The cuts and mergers.

To degree programs are the result of a law passed last year that requires.

A review of academic.

Programs with low.

Enrollment.

Colleges and universities voluntarily made changes to these programs before the law was even in effect.

Now, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education eliminated or suspended 210 degree programs that meet the low enrollment threshold.

Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said these changes are about improving affordability.

This is a really important action that the state of Indiana took to really streamline, and to be better stewards of taxpayer dollars.

Any student currently pursuing a degree that is.

Being eliminated will be able to complete it.

So Kip is this a good move for Indiana's colleges and universities?

Well, I think it remains to be seen.

Obviously, there are, economic pressures, on universities.

What I worry about, for the future of Indiana is both of our, all of our public universities, but particularly Indiana University and pains me to say Purdue University, are seen around the world as great institutions.

And I think part of the reason that they're seen around the world as great institutions and part of the reasons people come from all over the world to attend those things is the variety of, educational choices that they have at those places.

And I don't want us to become a state that looks at our, institutes of higher institution as just job training.

they're they're there to educate, to to, expand minds, to explore creativity.

We've been, you know, we've been teaching the humanities since about the 12th century, I think.

And, it served humanity pretty well, to do those kinds of things and to turn IU and Purdue into job training facilities or, worker things.

it's not thinking about the future in the right way.

it's not a thing that, the state will be well-served in the long run.

Sure.

We have to worry about money.

but you can't let money.

I guess you can't.

You can't treat this like it's private equity and just drain out everything you can, out of it and, and not look at other factors.

It's a it's a public institution that's there to serve the public, not just to make money.

Well, Chris we did not hear a lot of clear answers about how much money this will save in the long run.

This is, of course, in response to legislation from last year.

I this is going to be more difficult for universities.

I actually don't think so.

I think a lot of credit has to go to the Commissioner for higher ed and the legislature for really making this more collaborative than forceful, I would say, because, you know, talking with some folks in the higher ed industry, a lot of the programs or a lot of the techniques they use to go through these programs and kind of set out which ones aren't, don't have high enrollments, are programs that they're already using.

They're procedures that they're already doing.

So I think a result of that is, you know, in a press release, you're not seeing that IUs and the Purdue's coming out and saying, you know, we're being this is being forced on us and it's horrible.

And we're getting rid of all these things like, I think, you know, a unanimous approval from the commission says that as well.

And, you know, and in reality, I mean, you're talking about the ones that are being eliminated, which is a fraction of the ones that are being, you know, merged and things like that.

You're talking about these guys can't get to 12 degrees a year like 12 people going through the degrees a year, you know, and, you know, one of the big things, you know, people are kind of crying foul that one of the universities is eliminating like an architecture program.

But in reality, you know, that university is actually developing a S.T.E.M.

center to merge a bunch of things and really continue to push that forward.

But just because the degree program is being eliminated doesn't mean the course necessarily is being eliminated.

You can still specialize in different things, but it's just whenever you have these set degree programs that take, you know, time and resources to maintain and manage and plan out, you know, being able to merge those and really focus on parts where it's being used.

And we've seen that, you know, it's being utilized in a good way.

I think is a is a good road to go down.

Well, Samantha, when you go through the list, you do see that a number of arts and humanities degrees have been eliminated by the number of, you know, S.T.E.M.

degrees, for instance, remain pretty stable.

Do you think that tells us anything about the actions that are being taken?

Yeah.

I mean, it's clear I mean, we even even with Braun's investment that he announced recently with, you know, in S.T.E.M.

field, you know, with the life sciences, I think it's very clear the Braun administration is very focused on pushing S.T.E.M.

and S.T.E.M.

careers in the state as and are seeing that as the growth and economic drive for this for Indiana right now.

I mean, the risk, though, is like so many programs might be some of the few in the country, in the world that are offered.

So, yeah, there might only be 1 or 2 people in that class, but it's been seen as like, that's just the thing that would be a specialized thing.

I think the bigger question, though, is they talk about the, you know, this benefiting the students.

And I think that's where we're not getting answers yet of like how this is going to trickle down and benefit students financially.

And also this year, Jon, that sort of parallels, this is an effort to eliminate some low earning degrees.

So will this just sort of snowball in this state?

Unfortunately, at least in the short term.

And I think it is short sighted.

you know, there are a couple things I'll say.

First off, there was more collaborative and the process was more gentle than it could have been.

And the results therefore were not as dramatic as they could have been.

But I think you could be worried about this on a couple of different levels.

One is the oversight by people who don't know higher education, as well as the people who are sitting in West Lafayette or Bloomington or Terre Haute or Muncie, or.

And there are others.

I'm not want to leave anybody out.

It's the commission of higher ethics.

I understand.

The.

Legislature, I understand that, but this whole thing was started by the legislature and the guidelines were set by the legislature.

So don't tell me that's not the case, right?

so I would leave it to the people who know best.

The other problem, I don't think a lot of these majors cost much money.

You know, as somebody navigated this, it's basically I'm going to take a different course sequence and I'm going to take a course over there.

It's not like you're cutting all of this overhead, and all of these professors that are sitting there to teach this one, I mean, that's just not the way it works.

And the other thing I would say IU here's your challenge.

They used to base a lot of their advertising and marketing campaigns and a lot of their pride, justifiably so, on the fact that you can invent your own degree program here.

Will Shortz, the well noted, puzzle master and editor, long time for the for the New York Times.

He's often the poster boy for that.

And I know a lot of other people who would design their own major.

So either they're doing away with that, which would be a shame.

Or what's to keep?

How many majors have been eliminated?

200.

What if I could do any of those self-designed 500?

So here's my my advice to students who feel like they can cheat it go to IU and tell them you want to design your own major, even if it's one of.

Those crossword puzzles.

That's that's my $0.02 as well.

This week, a controversial data center was approved for construction in Indianapolis.

Farah Anderson reports.

The Metropolitan Development Commission voted to approve the data center in the historically black community on Indianapolis northeast side, with six yeses and two nos.

Martindale Brightwood resident Cierra Johnson lives just a few hundred feet away from the proposed site.

Johnson says the project is not what the community wants, and they've been saying that for months.

What we are saying is that you cannot come into Martindale Brightwood and just do anything.

We matter, our voices matter, and people have to feel in alignment with our visions.

Community members say they are discussing next steps to challenge the development.

The data center developer, the California based startup Metrobloks, claims the neighborhood will benefit from an expanded tax base.

So, Jon, as the state continues to bring these data center projects, will this tension just increase?

Can I see what I said in the short term?

But I don't think it can be sustained long term.

It's the fashionable thing now.

You know, we saw people tilting at windmills literally with with turbines, wind turbines before.

Don't put this on my farmland.

It'll give cancer to the cows and the birds and the whales.

Now this seems to be I don't know.

There might be some whales in this.

In a river there in, in the Wabash.

But that's because they're all killed from the turbines.

You know, same thing here.

This is fashionable right now.

And it's obvious why people's electricity prices are up and they're.

Who can I blame?

It's not necessarily just increased usage everywhere.

What's new to the equation?

Data centers.

The problem is, if you say no data centers, or no infrastructure to support the data centers, because we're worried about maintaining, our economic footing in terms of pricing, people will go elsewhere, the data centers, until we decide to dial back the technology clock, are going to go somewhere.

So then we could be the, technological backwater, which isn't going to be good for our economy anyway.

So you might have a lower, fuel bill or I should say electrical bill.

But do you have a job?

Right?

Well, Samantha, there's also with this particular center, a lot of environmental concerns and these residents speaking loudly about, those concerns that we just don't know quite a lot about yet and are varied.

Exactly.

I mean, that's, you know, you look at a community who has been hit hard, what it was like with the railroad industry factory with lead smelting.

This is, you know, there's already a lot of trust has been broken.

And it's, you know, the idea of how do you reshape the trust.

And like you mentioned, there's is still a lot of unknowns with like some health implications with data centers.

So when there's an unknown to then bring it in with and community has had a history of, you know, having environmental damage and health, you know, consequences that come with that, that's going to be a huge you know, that there's there is a reasonable understanding of why there would be this concern and frustration that, you know, with the way the voting has been for the for these residents to feel like that.

Is that is that concern being heard?

And, Chris, we have heard from companies across the state that are bringing these projects and a lot of promises and things that the companies say, will benefit communities.

Yeah.

Absolutely.

And I think this process in particular, they are kind of following the, kind of like the the checklist, if you will, that Governor Braun kind of established on a wider level, which is, you know, first, be sure you're going to pay for most, if not all of your energy needs and your infrastructure and, you know, and then second, be sure you get the community approval then to actually go in and talk to these communities and talk about why you're the best one.

And I think these guys took all of those steps, even to the point of, you know, the difference between this and the latest data center that got canceled.

And, southern Indianapolis is, you know, that particular counselor brought it to a vote at the city council and ended up defeating it.

The counselor in this instance is for he's probably not going to bring it up for a vote.

So this is probably going to have a much smoother process to getting to approved.

But I mean, if you look at it holistically, you're talking about some piece of land that's been abandoned for decades.

It's contaminated.

So it's going to be hard to put, you know, affordable housing, things like that on.

And I think right now it's bringing in around $8,000 annually in property taxes with initial projections, for once this is completed, to go up to an $11 million, with an increase investment in affordable housing initiatives around the country or around the community.

Excuse me.

So I understand there's a lot of, you know, like you said, unknowns about what it is.

But when it comes to the raw numbers of this going into the community, you know, I think it's going to be able to, you know, improve schools, improve infrastructure, you know, and things like that, that the property taxes we.

Could do think like, because the state and local municipalities are still dealing with how to bring these projects properly.

I mean, there's incentives, of course, that that will continue to influence this discussion in Indiana.

I think everybody could do a better job of informing, the community when they're getting ready to do this.

I don't know what steps were taken in advance, but I know that there was a great outcry in this particular neighborhood.

I do think I agree with some of what Chris said.

you had a you had a brownfield site here, and probably nothing else was going to get built on that for a long time.

They are going to clean it up.

But if I'm a neighbor, I certainly understand why you're skeptical of that clean up and what the impact is going to be to you.

So, you know, I think it's really critical in these situations that we get as much community buy in as we can on them so that you don't create the strife.

It does bring jobs, you know, labor movement is strongly in favor of these things, which is a core constituency of the Democratic Party.

So that's why you probably see the Democratic Party, a little bit two-faced on this issue.

because they want the jobs, they want the economic development, but they're also very, concerned about the environmental part, part of it, certainly, what's going to happen with water.

And these folks have said that it's going to be self-contained, like a radiator in a car.

you know, and hopefully that allays some concerns.

And, and the electricity, we're all paying more for electricity.

and so we all have to be concerned about that.

Yeah.

Well, hundreds of volunteers spread out across Indianapolis last week to help prepare for the NCAA men's Final Four basketball games.

Samantha Horton reports.

The day of service was in honor of Jim Morris, who passed away in 2024.

A group of volunteers inflate basketballs in Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Others put mulch in garden beds along Mass Ave.

The projects were a part of the inaugural Jim Morris Day of Service.

Many credit Morris as essential to bringing the NCAA to Indianapolis.

Pacers Sports and Entertainment CEO Mel Raines says Morris wasn't just an incredible leader, but someone who cared deeply for the people of Indianapolis and what she hopes volunteers take away from the day.

Every project you'll be part of today, big or small, makes a difference.

This is what Jim believed in showing up, pitching in and leaving things better than we found them.

Organizers say the projects are not just for fans visiting for the tournament, but will have a lasting effect.

The community can benefit from.

So, Samantha, is this reflective of the lasting impact that sports can have in Indiana?

I mean, yeah, we're seeing a lot of these investments.

I mean, I was yesterday at a dedication for the NCAA men's Final Four, legacy project at Christian Park.

So there's there's things where it's not just the economic impact which is projected to be over $400 million.

You know, with the seven with the thousands of people expected here, which will impact, you know, restaurant workers and stuff.

But it's also these long term community investments that you'll see that that are part of having events like this.

So that's going to be for the residents of Christian Christian Park there.

They're going to have something that will be, you know, what is the hope it will be of them for decades after this event.

We heard a lot of chatter to Jon, when there's the talk of bringing the Bears and that Indiana can be, you know, a sports state as well.

Like, does it the love go around?

I think we already are through probably.

I'm not as old as Kip, but he and I both, he and I both having been natives of this city, remember.

The.

Win well contest that later we had the Pacers and high school basketball.

That was it before we.

Indy 500?

That that happened.

But it's been a boom to the city.

We look at the sanctioning bodies and the organ based here, not just events but the infrastructure people here, 365 days of the year working here, paying taxes and being contributing members of Indiana Society.

But that is Indiana Week in Review for this week.

Our panel has been Democrat, Kip Tew Republican Chris Mitchem Jon Schwantes host of Indiana lawmaker and Samantha Horton, WFYI reporter and newscaster.

You can find Indiana Week in Review, podcast and episodes at WFYI.org/IWIR or on the PBS app.

I'm Jill Sheridan, managing editor at WFYI.

Join us next time because a lot can happen in an Indiana week.

The views expressed are solely those of the panelists.

Indiana Week in Review is produced by WFYI in association with Indiana Public Broadcasting stations.

Additional support is provided by ParrRichey.