Indiana
Yorktown, Indiana, ranked among cheapest, safest places to live
YORKTOWN — The children’s eyes widened.
Then the class of 26 third-graders in Michelle Kahoe’s class broke into spontaneous applause.
The students were told their hometown of Yorktown was recently ranked No. 8 of the “50 Cheapest, Safest Places to Live in the U.S.,” according to MoneyLion.com, a financial technical platform and mobile app.
To compile its list, MoneyLion analyzed cost-of-living metrics and FBI crime data to identify cities that combine affordability with safety. Using crime statistics and housing/expenditure data from sources like Zillow, Sperling’s BestPlaces, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the study ranked cities where annual living costs stayed under $55,000 while maintaining low violent and property crime rates.
Third-grader Claire was not surprised.
“I like that Yorktown is not so crowded like in New York City,” she said. “You can walk around and see people know you or say ‘hello.’”
Classmate Trey agreed: “I know people everywhere I go.”
Wyatt said he likes “there are places to go fishing, lots of ponds in my neighborhood,” where he said he caught bluegill, bass and catfish. “No, I don’t eat them. I put them back in the pond.” Wyatt said his dad taught him how to fish at a young age, and he goes fishing when his father and friends go.
“We consider ourselves the ‘Diamond of Delaware County,’” said Chase Bruton, Yorktown town manager since 2023 and past president of the Indiana Municipal Management Association. “We pride ourselves as being one of the best places to live in East Central Indiana.
“We attribute this to the small-town feel, good schools, and a close-knit community,” Bruton said.
Third-grader Cambrie added, “The town is always beautiful and well kept.”
Although the median income for Yorktown residents ranges from about $50,000 to $80,000, depending upon the source, according to MoneyLion.com, the annual cost of living in Yorktown was determined to be $37,572 per household.
“The people here really do enjoy the small-town vibe,” said Bruton, who previously served as project manager for Plainfield, Indiana. “Plainfield (population 33,000) had a ton of revenue. We are a much leaner organization. The town does a really good job with allocating the resources we have. Population is just under 12,000, and we are the 75th largest Indiana community, bigger than eight or nine counties in the state.”
One of the free town highlights is the Civic Green, built in 2020, which includes a splash pad, a covered stage for concerts, and some private shelters. The Chamber of Commerce finances bands through sponsorships and donations, with the town providing the location. This year, the town will host 15 free concerts on Friday evenings from May 29 and weekly throughout the summer.
“Yorktown is not a dying community as many smaller towns are. We have a bright future,” Bruton said.
Yorktown employs 33 full-time staff including police, headed up by the Yorktown Chief of Police Kurt Walthour, who has held this position since 2022.
Yorktown enjoys safety in numbers
MoneyLion.com recognized Yorktown in part for its high safety marks. Violent crime rate was low, with 0.0508 crimes per 1,000 residents. Property crime rate was also low with 2.202 crimes per 1,000. Yorktown employs 11 full-time and three part-time officers, according to the police chief; the part-time officers all have more than 20 years’ experience.
The safety rating did not go unnoticed by third-grader Charlotte, who said, “I like that Yorktown is a small town. It makes it nice and secure.”
“Any kind of recognition like this No. 8 ranking is a reflection of the local leadership and officers in our community,” Walthour said. “Yorktown is a very good community for crime in general. Every so often we’ll get juveniles doing what they should not be doing.
“We are more of a residential community than business, and the younger officers are out driving around being seen,” he said. “Schools are very easy to work with.”
The police can be seen interacting with students in the schools, where two officers serve as student resource officers. Often, a part-time officer will serve in the schools, as well.
“I’ve talked to criminal justice classes at the high school, and am currently meeting with the middle school principal about putting something together and talking to middle school parents about their kids and social media,” Walthour said. “Especially after what happened with the girl abducted in Fishers. We can’t be in their homes, of course. The parents need to police their kids at home and know what they’re up to and (who they’re) communicating with.”
“Public safety is our priority. The community is safe, and there are attractions: Four Day Ray (newer restaurant in town) — and the parks are a huge thing. Morrow’s Meadows is packed and there are new basketball courts out there. The city is also improving the area for better handicap accessibility. … There is a new apartment complex being built,” Walthour said. “There’s not a day you drive around that you don’t have at least five or six people wave at you. You need the community to do your job.”
One longtime community member, Becki Monroe, who started the Yorktown Historical Society 21 years ago, says she now has a great-great-grandson who is ninth generation of four different families from Yorktown.
“We were here when they put in the dirt,” Monroe laughed.
“In the early years, families came and stayed in Yorktown because of all the employment — a glass factory, Warner Gear Transmissions — and so many were farmers,” Monroe said. “My great-grandfather was a business owner. He operated a pool hall, liquor store and card room in town.”
Today, new housing attracts people to Yorktown. In addition to the Civic Green is a farmers market.
The Farmers’ Market operates each Friday night, from 4:30 to 7:30, from May through September at Morrow’s Meadows on Smith Street across from the school.
Morrow’s Meadows was a particular favorite spot in Yorktown for Kahoe’s third-grade class. Zach enjoyed Morrow’s Meadows, right across from the middle school.
“After I pick up my brother after school, we go right across the street and play until we get picked up,” Zach said.
Payton liked that there were “lots of parks where you can ride your bike and scooter,” and Sawyer noted, “Morrow’s Meadows is right next to the Pizza King, where you can go after playing.”
Yorktown graduate Nancy Sears Perry, who is serving in her second term on the Yorktown City Council, is also a lifelong resident who said, “Our family rolled in with the wagons in the mid-1800s.”
Music, markets among other amenities
Together with her business partner, Jeff Tingler, also a Yorktown graduate, Sears owns and operates the Yorktown Farm and Artisan Market in a partnership with the town.
“We average 55 vendors each Friday night, and on the nights of the ‘Young Entrepreneur’ program, once a month, the vendors number around 75,” Sears said.
The program, which is for school-aged kids 6 to 16, encourages the students to operate their own food or craft carts at the market. Sears and Tingler provide some training and information packets for the children and their parents. “They have to go through the same certification, labeling, and state laws to participate,” Sears said.
Started in 2021, the Yorktown Farm and Artisan Market is serving more than its weekly Friday night attendance of 1,200 to 1,800 visitors through initiatives and grants.
“We have started a 501C-3 non-profit arm of the farmers’ market so we can apply for grants to fund our food insecurity initiatives. We are a SNAP retailer, certified through USDA,” Sears said. “We have applied for the ‘Double Up’ grant. If someone comes to our table and runs their EBT card for $20, we can give them $40 for SNAP qualifying items. This will be our fourth season of being one of the 17 farmers’ markets that offers Double Up.”
Through the Indiana Department of Health, Sears and Tingler sought the help of Yorktown High School family and consumer science teacher and FCCLA club sponsor Misty Terrell Green to be in the national “Power of Produce” program.
“Any child through eighth grade can stop by the Power of Produce table where they get a $2 token to buy produce at the market. The booth is attended to by FCCLA club members who distribute information to the students and play games with the kids. We budgeted for 75 tokens and had 464 kids in the first year,” Sears said. “Now we have over 500 kids taking advantage of the tokens.”
With everything from visits and demonstrations by master gardeners to craft participation headed up by a local artist to a farm family who bring their goats to pet, “this is why our market is hopping. We have become an attraction; we want to create an environment that the whole family can enjoy,” Sears said.
“It’s (Yorktown) a great place to be. Having grown up in Yorktown, this is where we wanted to raise our family,” the town council member said. “We are trying to create that third space where people go to work, home — and where is that third place people want to go?”
For third-grader Lucy, the place to go is the Yorktown Public Library, across Indiana 332 from the elementary and middle schools. “I like how they read books to the 2-year-olds,” Lucy said. “And then they have cooking classes. I have made chocolate chip cookies and smoothies.”
Baseball center and sometimes right-fielder Drew enjoyed the sports at Yorktown: “If you wanna try a sport, there’s all sorts of sports there and places where everyone can play. You can practice baseball and football.”
Addy likes that “the animal of our town is the tiger because he’s feisty.”
School and food places rank high
Schools are another reason for the satisfaction among Yorktown families, said 11th-year Yorktown High School Principal Stacy Brewer. The ranking “does not surprise me because — I’m probably biased, but — Yorktown is an excellent place to teach, work and raise children.”
Several third-grade students noted their teachers are “very nice and if you needed help, they helped you,” as Alex said. Sadie said teachers are especially helpful when “teaching long division.”
“We’re continually listed in the USA News and World Report’s top 10 percent of the state and country for our academic prowess,” Brewer said. “Most recently we were named to the Gold-level Advanced Placement School Honor Roll, awarded by the college board.”
The designation is given annually to schools with AP programs that broaden participation, foster college-going culture, and improve student performance. To earn the gold distinction, 75 percent of seniors took at least one AP exam, according to the AP site.
“Yorktown’s strength comes from the way our community looks out for one another,” the principal said. “Across all four schools, this means strong partnerships with families, a clear focus on student safety and well-being, and adults who are deeply invested in helping students succeed academically and personally.”
“When students feel supported and seen, school becomes a more stable, positive place – and that stability extends well beyond the classroom,” Brewer said. “I love working with the Yorktown community, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
The only other place many third-graders want to be is where food is being served.
Third-grader Dominick said he “liked the variety of foods in Yorktown, like burgers, and tacos, and French fries, and chicken nuggets …” It might be noted that McDonalds, Burger King and Taco Bell are all found along Indiana 332 when traveling from Muncie into Yorktown.
Classmate Braxton added, “Don’t forget Pizza King and Frozen Boulder,” while “Twisters Soda Bar” was added by Caden, whose favorite concoction was strawberry lemonade.
It was hard to believe the students had just come back to the classroom from lunch.
Gov. Mike Braun asked state regulators to reconsider their decision to greenlight a $71 million rate increase for AES Indiana, doubling down on his condemnation of a move that could leave Indianapolis residents with higher electrical bills for years.
Braun wrote in a June 18 news release that he had asked Indiana Utility Counselor Abby Gray, who heads the office representing ratepayers in proceedings before the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, to petition for a rehearing of the AES rate case.
Gray indicated in the release that her office would submit the petition shortly. No petition had been posted on the IURC’s online docket as of this story’s publication.
The rate increase, which was approved by the IURC on June 17, was substantially less than the $192 million increase that AES initially requested. It was also less than the amount proposed in a settlement last October between AES and major electricity consumers.
But the Office of Utility Consumer Counselor, which Gray leads, came out strongly against any increase to AES’s base rates. In September, the OUCC called for a $21 million reduction instead.
As the Republican Party grapples with rising discontent over affordability, Braun has used opposition to rising utility rates to telegraph that he’s committed to keeping costs down for Indiana residents. He signed a law in February that allows the state to make rate-setting decisions that reward or penalize utilities based on metrics including affordability.
In March, he told reporters that he would take on Indiana’s five investor-owned utilities, describing himself as the “new sheriff in town.”
And after the IURC voted 3-1 to approve the AES rate increase, he wrote in a post to X that he was “deeply disappointed.”
Braun wrote in the June 18 news release that he had appointed Gray, a longtime OUCC lawyer and judge, to her current post because he knew she “would help me fight for Hoosiers.”
According to AES’s estimates, the rate increase will cost households an additional $5 per month for every 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity they use, beginning in July. A second hike will take effect in January.
Tilly Robinson is a Pulliam fellow for the Indianapolis Star. She can be reached at tilly.robinson@indystar.com.
The Protect College Sports Act, legislation meant to introduce and codify sweeping reforms related to college athletics, passed out of the Senate Commerce Committee on Thursday morning.
It now heads to the Senate floor.
The bill passed out of committee by a 19-9 vote. Indiana Republican Sen. Todd Young voted no, his decision reflecting Big Ten concerns over the bill.
A spokesman for Sen. Young told IndyStar, “Senator Young hopes that additional changes can be made to the bill to address concerns raised by the Big Ten.”
Co-sponsored by Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), the Protect College Sports Act represents Congress’ most substantial success so far in a yearslong effort to bring legislative reform to college athletics. Since before the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders in college sports — including the NCAA, member conferences and schools, and other major players — have lobbied for national solutions to what have become state and regional problems.
Several pieces of legislation have been introduced across the last several years, only to fizzle long before reaching the floor of either chamber. The SCORE Act, introduced last year in the House of Representatives, gained some traction and passed out of committee, but was never brought to the floor.
Which makes Thursday’s news meaningful. Moving the Protect College Sports Act to the Senate floor, while not a guarantee of any outcome, potentially takes the bill past a threshold no other such piece of reformative legislation has yet been able to cross.
Cruz told Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger on Thursday that Cruz believes Sen. Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is committed to introducing the bill to the Senate floor soon.
The bill provides a legal framework for a host of potential reforms and protections for college sports. It grants limited antitrust protection to the NCAA, places limits on certain things including potential conference realignment, builds safeguards meant to protect non-revenue and Olympic sports, addresses potential broadcast rights reforms, and more.
It enjoys significant backing, and not just among leaders in college sports. This week, the NFL, its players’ association, the National Basketball Players Association and Major League Baseball all voiced their support for the bill.
Two key constituencies not in lockstep on the bill voiced their own concerns Thursday.
In a joint statement issued just after 10 a.m. Thursday, the Big Ten and SEC — far and away the two most powerful conferences and arguably two greatest power centers, full stop, in college athletics — suggested they still hold significant reservations over the bill.
“From the outset, we identified a set of essential revisions to the PCSA necessary for the long-term sustainability of college athletics,” the statement read. “We have worked with both majority and minority staff to advance those revisions, which focus on better supporting student-athletes and stabilizing the college sports environment. We continue to believe revisions are needed to secure our support for the bill.
“Despite our sustained engagement and good faith efforts, these critical revisions have not been accepted.”
The statement went on to note the “several Commerce Committee members that share our concerns and support these recommendations.”
Young is one of several members of the committee representing a Big Ten state, including one of three Republicans. He is the only Republican member of the committee whose state contains multiple schools in the conference.
Allowing for those reservations, Thursday’s news is still significant. It marks the first time a bipartisan bill on the subject has reached this point in the Senate and, should it be brought to the floor, it would be the first such legislation to reach that stage, in either chamber.
The bill could be brought to the Senate floor as early as July, though that timeline remains fluid.
(INDIANA CAPITAL CHRONICLE) – The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission voted 3-1 Wednesday to approve a $71 million electricity rate increase for AES Indiana customers.
That is about 37% of what the utility initially requested and lower than a settlement agreement proposed in October.
Neither Gov. Mike Braun nor consumer advocates are happy with the outcome.
“My top priority is affordability, which is why I am deeply disappointed by the IURC’s approval of another AES rate increase,” he said. “Hoosiers have spent years tightening their belts and making tough financial decisions. It’s time for utility companies to do the same.”
Members of the commission didn’t explain their votes Wednesday. IURC Chair Andy Zay focused his remarks on the process.
“There’s a lot of eyes on this order and what we’re doing today,” he said. “What is before you on the floor is a nearly a year’s worth of work, evidence, deliberations, and considerations that bring us to this moment in this decision. None of this was taken lightly. I want to thank my colleagues for the patience and working through this amongst the auspice of affordability, which is certainly a hot topic now, as well as the resiliency, reliability that we see in this increased demand in electricity.”
The Office of Utility Consumer Counselor last year recommended that state regulators deny AES Indiana’s request for a $193 million base rate increase — instead proposing a $21 million reduction in current rates.
“The AES rate order issued today is an outrage and Hoosiers deserve better!” Counselor Abby Gray said in a statement Wednesday. “Governor Braun has made it clear that ratepayer affordability is a priority, far more than just a ‘hot topic’ as described by the chairman of the IURC today. This order fails the governor’s call to overhaul how utilities are regulated in order to lower bills for ratepayers.”
Gray’s office represents Hoosier ratepayers in regulatory cases.
“The order approves a substantial profit margin for shareholders in addition to a rate increase for customers,” she continued. “It even requires ratepayers to pay approximately $3 million to AES lawyers and experts.”
AES Indiana provides electricity service to about 490,000 homes and businesses in Indianapolis and some nearby areas.
The utility originally sought $193 million in rate increases. The previously proposed settlement agreement dropped that to $91 million, while the final, approved settlement agreement lands at $71 million.
Three IURC members supported the increase: Zay, David Veleta and David Ziegner.
Commissioner Bob Deig voted no. A fifth member, Anthony Swinger, recused himself because he worked on the case previously when he was on the consumer counselor’s office staff.
Ben Inskeep, program director for ratepayer advocacy group Citizens Action Coalition, said utilities across the country often ask for a larger increase than they need, knowing that regulators will disallow “roughly half” of it.
“The latest AES Indiana fuel adjustment clause proceeding shows AES Indiana is actually not only earning all of their allowed profit but over-earning by $19 million their return amount,” he said. “They’re already extremely financially successful at this moment in time, so it’s rather bizarre to even get an extra $71 million dollars approved here.”
Inskeep also noted that the increases will fall disproportionately on residential customers over commercial and industrial users.
Brandi Davis-Handy, president of AES Indiana, said the company has maintained some of the lowest rates in the state for more than a decade “through disciplined planning and a focus on efficiency. We applied the same approach here by working closely with stakeholders to make balanced decisions that keep the system reliable, limit customer impact, and align with the state’s energy pillars.”
AES said for a typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month, the increase will be less than $5 per month per phase. Phase one rates will be implemented in July 2026 and phase two rates will be implemented in January 2027.
The final order says the utility “will not seek to implement a change in basic rates and charges as a result of its next base rate case before January 1, 2030.”
A new law, however, requires all utilities to file a multi-year rate case in 2029, though implementation wouldn’t happen until 2030.
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