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Hoosiers see slightly lower food prices for July 4 cookout • Indiana Capital Chronicle

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Hoosiers see slightly lower food prices for July 4 cookout • Indiana Capital Chronicle


Indiana residents will pay an average of $68.33 for a summer cookout feeding 10 people — a 2% decrease from last year — according to the 2024 Indiana Farm Bureau (INFB) summer market basket survey results released Wednesday. This rounds out to approximately $6.83 per person. 

Although the $68.33 price tag of the cookout decreased from last year, food costs in Indiana are still significantly higher than costs in 2021 ($56.70) and 2022 ($64.32). 

The INFB conducts the annual survey in conjunction with the American Farm Bureau Federation’s national survey. This year’s results indicate Indiana’s prices are 4% or 29 cents less per person than the average U.S. prices.

While inflation has slightly cooled nationwide, high interest rates and prices have generally curbed consumer spending in recent months. Janis Highley, second vice president of the INFB, said part of the reason the Indiana consumers may see lower costs at a grocery store or farmers market compared to restaurants is because there are lower overhead costs. 

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“There is a little glimmer of hope out there for us,” Highley told the Capital Chronicle. “Cooking at home, and these farmers markets and just farmers in general were resilient. And the good healthy food that we can provide for the consumers — this really shines a light on that.”

Which items saw price changes? 

Costs for a 10-person summer cookout reached an all-time high in 2023, with the average total meal price reaching $69.48, according to data from the INFB. Todd Davis, chief economist for the INFB, said inflation for the cost of food purchased at grocery stores has been slower than the overall inflation for the economy. 

Indiana’s prices are on par with prices for other Midwest states. Davis said the general location of Indiana helps keep the costs for consumers low.

“Indiana and the Midwest is at the heart of where a lot of food is produced, and if it’s not produced here, it’s nearby,” Davis said. “We’re the crossroads of the nation. And so logistically, our costs are lower than if you are on the east or west coast.”  

The survey includes the cost of 12 items; ground beef, cheese, cookies, ice cream, strawberries, chips, chicken breast, pork chops, pork and beans, hamburger buns, lemonade and potato salad. 

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While the overall cost of a cookout decreased, some items — specifically proteins — saw increases. The price of ground beef increased 14% from last year to $13.88, a cost 9% higher than the U.S. average cost. Costs for pork chops also increased by 64 cents. 

The cost of hamburger buns, lemonade, potato salad and strawberries also increased from last year. 

“Even though we are in the Midwest, I think we’re still seeing recovery from COVID,” Highley said. “With these interest rates and the supply and demand, what is available, even in the Midwest, we really do feel that pinch”

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Prices for cookies, cheese, ice cream, chips and chicken breasts decreased from 2023. 

The INFB conducts the survey in June by having volunteer shoppers look for prices on specific food items at their local grocery stores. These shoppers look for the best possible prices and do not use special coupons or purchase deals. However, Davis said it’s important to look at the survey results as “a snapshot in time of what shoppers experienced on a certain day” in June. 

“A lot of supermarkets are now getting their Fourth of July promotions and sales out for customers,” Davis said. “You could likely find better bargains, especially proteins.” 

Impact on farmers

Highley, whose family are corn and soybean farmers in Northeast Indiana, said that high costs don’t necessarily mean farmers see higher profits. 

“If you envision a $1 bill, 15 cents out of that goes back to the farmer himself,” Highley said. “The rest of it goes into transportation, production, what have you. But input costs continue to be relatively high on our farm.”

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An Investigate Midwest analysis found that Midwestern states saw the combined loss of around 30,000 farms from 2017 to 2022 as many farms were consolidated or went out of business.

“Farmers are price takers, not price makers,” Highley said. “We’re less than 2% of the population that’s feeding 98% of the world. And so we are working hard, but we do feel the pain as well.” 

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Indiana

Indiana redistricting is up for a final, deciding vote in the state Senate – The Boston Globe

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Indiana redistricting is up for a final, deciding vote in the state Senate – The Boston Globe


Indiana state senators are expected to take a final, high-stakes vote on redistricting Thursday after months of pressure from President Donald Trump, and the outcome is still uncertain.

Even in the face of one-on-one pressure from the White House and violent threats against state lawmakers, many Indiana Republicans have been reluctant to back a new congressional map that would favor their party’s candidates in the 2026 elections.

Trump is asking Republican-led states to redistrict in the middle of the decade, an uncommon practice, in order to make more winnable seats for the GOP ahead of next year’s elections. Midterms tend to favor the party opposite the one in power, and Democrats are increasingly liking their odds at flipping control of the U.S. House after the results of recent high-profile elections.

In Indiana, Trump supports passage of a new map drawn up by the National Republican Redistricting Trust designed to deliver all nine of the state’s congressional districts to the GOP. Republicans currently hold seven of the nine seats.

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On Wednesday night, he sharply criticized party members who didn’t want to go along with the plan, and he repeated his threat to back primary challenges for anyone who voted against it.

“If Republicans will not do what is necessary to save our Country, they will eventually lose everything to the Democrats,” Trump wrote on social media.

The new map would split the city of Indianapolis into four districts, each included with large portions of rural Indiana — three of which would stretch from the central city to the borders of nearby states. Indianapolis now makes up one congressional district long held by Democratic U.S. Rep. André Carson.

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The proposed map is also designed to eliminate the district of U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, who represents an urban district near Chicago.

A dozen lawmakers of the 50-member state Senate have not publicly declared a stance on the new maps.

If at least four of that group side with the chamber’s 10 Democrats and 12 other Republicans who are expected to vote no, the vote would fail in a remarkable rebuke to Trump’s demand.

Supporters of the proposed map need at least 25 yes votes; a tie would be broken with Republican Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith’s vote, who is in favor of redistricting.

In a Senate committee Monday, the redistricting legislation took its first step toward passage in a 6-3 vote, with one Republican joining the committee’s two Democrats in voting against it. However, a few of the Republican senators indicated they may vote against the bill in a final vote.

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The Republican supermajority in the state House passed the proposed map last week. Twelve Republicans voted with the chamber’s 30 Democrats against the bill.

Nationally, mid-cycle redistricting so far has resulted in nine more congressional seats that Republicans believe they can win and six more congressional seats that Democrats think they can win. However, redistricting is being litigated in several states.

Texas, Missouri, Ohio and North Carolina quickly enacted new GOP-favorable maps. California voters recently approved a new map in response to Texas’ that would favor Democratic candidates, and a judge in Utah imposed new districts that could allow Democrats to win a seat, after ruling that Republican lawmakers circumvented voter-approved anti-gerrymandering standards.

Multiple Republican groups are threatening to support primary opponents of Indiana state senators who vote against redistricting. Turning Point Action pledged “congressional level spending” in state Legislature races if the redistricting measure does not pass. Trump has also vowed to endorse primary challengers of members who vote against the new map.





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DoorDash driver accused of pepper-spraying customer’s Arby’s order, resulting in wife falling ill

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DoorDash driver accused of pepper-spraying customer’s Arby’s order, resulting in wife falling ill


Caught red (pepper) handed.

A DoorDash driver has been banned from the app after being accused of dousing an order with pepper spray and causing an unsuspecting customer to fall ill after eating the tainted food.

The sick act was caught on a doorbell camera outside an Evansville, Indiana, home just after midnight on Sunday.

A DoorDash driver sprays an unknown substance on a food delivery order in Evansville, Indiana, on Dec. 7, 2025. Mark Cardin/Facebook

The driver, who hasn’t been charged with any crime, was dropping off an Arby’s delivery to Mark Cardin and his wife, Mandy, when she snapped a confirmation photo before suddenly producing an object from her pocket and spraying the order.

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The blue-haired worker placed the spray back into her jacket pocket before walking away, all in front of the camera.

The couple brought the order inside, unaware that something was wrong with it and began chowing down.

Moments later, Mandy began struggling to breathe.

“I noticed my wife had starting eating and she started choking and gasping, and after she had a couple bites of her food she actually threw up,” he told WFIE.

Mandy and Mark Cardin ordered Arby’s to their home through DoorDash on Dec. 7, 2025. Mark Cardin/Facebook
The sick act was caught on a doorbell camera outside an Evansville, Indiana, home just after midnight on Sunday. Mark Cardin/Facebook

The horrified customer began investigating the cause of his wife’s sudden illness when he examined the order.

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“I had a look at the bag and seen that there was some kind of spray or something,” Cardin said. “The bag had been tampered with. So I pulled up my doorbell camera and seen that the lady who dropped the food off had actually tampered with it on purpose for some reason.”

Cardin shared the photos and videos of the driver to Facebook asking for help in identifying the driver.

He attempted to contact her but found she already blocked him on the app.

Cardin shared the photos and videos of the driver to Facebook asking for help in identifying the driver. Mark Cardin/Facebook

Cardin reported the food runner’s stunt to DoorDash and the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office is looking to get the driver fired and charged.

“I definitely want to see her prosecuted,” Cardin told WFIE, adding that they had never met her before and had left a tip before the incident.

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The driver has been banned from the app after footage surfaced of the late-night delivery.

“We have zero tolerance for this type of appalling behavior. The Dasher in question has been permanently removed from the platform, and our team is standing by to support law enforcement with any investigation,” a DoorDash spokesperson told The Post.

The driver has been banned from the app after footage surfaced of the late-night delivery. Mark Cardin/Facebook

Cardin doesn’t know exactly what was sprayed on the food, fearing it could’ve been worse than it was.

“It’s horrific,” Cardin said. “We assume it’s pepper spray, that’s more than likely what it is, but now in this day and age it could’ve been anything. It could’ve been rat poison, it could’ve been fentanyl. I mean, my wife could’ve been dead.”

The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office has opened an investigation into the driver and could charge her with consumer product tampering, a level 6 felony, according to WFIE.

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If the foreign spray resulted in harm the charge could be increased to a level 5 felony.

“We live in a terrible world right now,” Mark said. “Horrific. People are mean for no reason. There was no reason to do what she done,” Cardin said, encouraging other food delivery app users to be cautious with their future orders.

“I would say to anybody, if you order food on any kind of delivery service, make sure you have a doorbell,” Mark said.

“This is making me second guess ever ordering food from anywhere ever again,” he said.

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Several northeast Indiana cities, counties awarded grants for infrastructure projects

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Several northeast Indiana cities, counties awarded grants for infrastructure projects


NORTHEAST INDIANA (WPTA) – The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has announced the list of cities and counties selected to receive funds through its Community Crossings Matching Grant Program.

The Community Crossings program, created in 2016, gives funding to towns, cities, and counties in the Hoosier State that are used for infrastructure improvement projects.

Projects eligible for funding through the program include road and bridge preservation projects that comply with Americans with Disabilities Act standards, along with chip sealing and crack-filling operations.

On Tuesday, the following recipients were announced:

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Allen County, Bluffton, DeKalb County, and LaGrange County were among those that received the largest grants, at $1 million.

You can view the full list of recipients here.

INDOT says the next call for project submissions will open in July. For more information about the program, visit INDOT’s website.

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