Indianapolis, IN
Holiday Adventure Pass: a festive quest for prizes in Indianapolis, Hamilton County
(WISH) — Tourism organizations serving Indianapolis and Hamilton County have come together to create the Holiday Adventure Pass.
The pass sadly won’t provide discounts to holiday attractions, but will issue credits for checking in at holiday attractions on their phones. Those credits can be redeemed for prizes. The no-cost pass is available now through Dec. 24; just sign up online.
To earn points, phone users must enable “location services” to check in via GPS or PIN at participating locations, said a news release from the government-supported tourism groups’ Visit Indy and Visit Hamilton County. Some of the venues are ticketed attractions, and although the Holiday Adventure Pass does not cover admission costs, “simply visiting a participating venue allows users to accumulate points,” the release said.
One check-in equals one credit, which qualifies for one of 2,000 “special edition” stickers featuring festive local art.
Three check-ins qualify for a one of 500 limited-edition ornaments.
Five check-ins can be turned into a holiday green beanie with the Holiday Adventure Pass logo.
Prizes can be redeemed only at The INDEX, a downtown Indianapolis visitor center and gift shop, and at the Carmel Christkindmarkt on Carter Green in Carmel.
Following is a list of attractions in Indianapolis and Hamilton County where credits can be collected, with links to find out more information.
- A Merry Prairie Holiday at Conner Prairie, Nov. 29-Dec. 22 in Fishers.
- Athenæum Christkindlmarkt, Nov. 29-Dec. 22, in Indianapolis.
- Carmel Christkindmarkt, Nov. 23-Dec. 24.
- Circle of Lights, Soliders & Sailors Monument on Monument Circle in Indianapolis.
- Civic Theatre, in Carmel, which will feature “Irving Berlin’s White Christmas Nov. 29-Dec. 24.
- Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art’s Jingle Rails, a model-sized “locomotive wonderland,” Nov. 16-Jan. 20 in Indianapolis.
- Indiana Historical Society’s Festival of Trees, more than 80 decorated trees, Nov. 15-Jan. 4 in Indianapolis.
- Indiana State Museum’s Celebration Crossing, an event for children and their families, Nov. 29-Jan. 5 in Indianapolis. Other Celebration Crossing events include an adult-exclusive one and another for Kwanzaa.
- Indiana Repertory Theatre “A Christmas Carol,” Nov. 16-Dec. 24 in Indianapolis.
- Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, which has “Elf in Concert” Nov 16-17, a playing of the movie “Elf” with music played live; and Yuletide Celebration Dec. 6-23.
- Indianapolis Zoo’s Christmas at the Zoo Nov. 23-Jan. 5.
- Newfield’s Winterlights Nov. 23-Jan. 5 in Indianapolis.
- Nickel Plate Express Reindeer Express, a train ride from Noblesville to Arcadia with holiday specialties.
- The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis’ Whimsical WinterFaire for young children on Dec. 3.
- The Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, which will have “A Motown Christmas” on Nov. 14; the Indiana Ballet Conservatory’s “The Nutcracker” on Nov. 30-Dec. 1; “Cherry Poppin’ Daddies: WWII Tiki Xmas Canteen” on Dec. 5; “The Four Phantoms: Holiday Show” on Dec. 6; “Jane Lynch’s A Swingin’ Little Christmas” on Dec. 7; Carmel Symphony Orchestra’s “Family Pops: A Viennese Christmas” on Dec. 15; Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s “Handel’s Messiah”: and Indianapolis Symphonic Choir’s “Festival of Carols” Dec. 20-22.
Visit Indy gets support from the Indianapolis city government and Indianapolis Convention Center.
The Hamilton County Tourism Board oversees Visit Hamilton County.
Statements
“The Holiday Adventure Pass provides visitors with an engaging way to explore a wide range of holiday attractions in both counties while earning prizes to commemorate their visit. This initiative is timely and will help drive additional visitors into Central Indiana, ultimately driving additional spending to support the hospitality industry.”
Chris Gahl, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Visit Indy
“This partnership allows both destinations to create an enriching holiday experience for residents and visitors. From beloved annual traditions to fresh new highlights, each stop celebrates our communities’ unique charm and spirit, creating memories that will last well after the holiday season.”
Ashley Ledford, marketing and promotions director of Hamilton County Tourism
INDIANAPOLIS — One person is in critical condition following a shooting on Indy’s near east side.
According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, around 8:10 p.m., officers were called to the 2000 block of East Washington Street on reports of a person shot.
Upon arrival, police located a 50-year-old man with injuries consistent with a gunshot wound.
He is currently reported to be in extremely critical condition.
No additional information has been made available at the time of this article’s publication.
This is a developing story; check back for updates.
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission on June 17 gave AES the nod to raise electricity rates enough to earn an additional $71 million each year, a decision that drew reproof from Indiana lawmakers who called it another blow to cost-burdened consumers.
The approved rate represents less than half of the $192 million increase that AES initially requested. It’s also less than the $91 million increase proposed in an October settlement agreement between AES, the city of Indianapolis and major electricity consumers like Kroger and Walmart.
But the new rate is still significantly more than what the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor, the state agency representing ratepayers in the case, recommended in September. The OUCC’s proposal would have capped AES’s annual operating revenue at $21 million less than the current level.
The rate increase authorizes AES to earn a total of nearly $2 billion each year, or an estimated $384 million in profit.
The higher base rate comes as a double whammy for Indianapolis-area households, who are already paying more for electricity this summer after AES temporarily raised rates to account for higher-than-anticipated fuel costs during last winter’s storms. The increase also arrives against the backdrop of inflation, which rose to a three-year high last month, and surging gas prices due to the war in Iran.
Gov. Mike Braun wrote in a Wednesday post to X that he was “deeply disappointed” by the IURC’s approval of the rate increase.
“Hoosiers have spent years tightening their belts and making tough financial decisions,” Braun wrote. “It’s time for utility companies to do the same.”
The IURC’s decision also drew fire from the other side of the aisle. In a June 17 news release, five Democrats representing Indianapolis in the state Senate – J.D. Ford, Andrea Hunley, La Keisha Jackson, Fady Qaddoura, and Greg Taylor – chastised Indiana’s Republican supermajority for failing to rein in rising utility costs.
“Hoosiers pay more. Monopoly utilities collect more. And the leaders in the super-majority who promise affordability over and over again show those are just empty words,” the news release said. “Instead, they continue to defend a system that takes more and more out of our paychecks.”
The consumer advocacy group Citizens Action Coalition also slammed the rate increase. Ben Inskeep, CAC’s program director, said the decision left him “less optimistic that this commission is willing to do things differently and to actually hold utilities accountable.”
He said the IURC should have penalized AES for issues that plagued customers after the utility updated its billing system in 2023, including duplicated withdrawals for the same monthly bill.
The rate increase will take effect in two phases, with rates going up in July 2026 and January 2027. AES officials anticipate the hikes “will be less than $5 per month per phase” for a household that uses 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per month, according to a Wednesday news release from the utility.
“The IURC’s decision reflects a thorough, transparent process and balances the need for continued investment in the electric system with a focus on customer affordability,” the news release stated.
Under a state law that Braun signed in February, AES cannot ask for another increase to its base rate until January 2030 — though electricity bills could still go up for other reasons, like the fuel adjustment charge hitting consumers this month.
Three members of the five-member IURC signed off on the rate increase: Andy Zay, David Veleta, and David Ziegner. Commissioner Bob Deig dissented. Commissioner Anthony Swinger recused himself from the decision because he worked on the AES rate case for the OUCC before he was appointed to the IURC by Braun in January.
“None of this was taken lightly,” Zay, the IURC’s chair, said at the Wednesday hearing, adding that the commission and its staff had carefully weighed concerns about affordability. The commissioners did not go into further detail at the hearing.
But the commission’s order shows some of the debates that played out during the rate case. One point of contention was AES’s authorized return on equity — that is, how much the utility can earn each year in profits. Other disputes hinged on how AES forecasts its operating expenses.
The OUCC accused AES of including more than 100 “phantom hires,” vacant positions it did not necessarily intend to fill in its calculations. Last year, AES said that the rising costs of vegetation management, or trimming trees around power lines, also drove the need to raise rates. The OUCC recommended keeping vegetation management costs flat.
One factor that’s not driving higher prices? Data centers.
AES does not currently provide service to any data centers and did not include them in its calculations, AES president Brandi Davis-Handy said in testimony before the IURC.
Tilly Robinson is a Pulliam fellow for the Indianapolis Star. She can be reached at tilly.robinson@indystar.com.
Interactive radar | Weather alerts by county
WATCH LIVE COVERAGE
(WRTV) — A tornado watch has been issued through 1 a.m. EDT Thursday for much of Indiana, the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center said.
The watch area covers 47 of Indiana’s 92 counties, and includes Indianapolis and its surrounding counties.
Counties in the watch area are Bartholomew, Blackford, Boone, Brown, Carroll, Cass, Clay, Clinton, Daviess, Decatur, Delaware, Fountain, Grant, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Henry, Howard, Huntington, Jackson, Jay, Jennings, Johnson, Knox, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Martin, Miami, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Owen, Parke, Putnam, Randolph, Rush, Shelby, Sullivan, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Vermillion, Vigo, Wabash, Warren, and White.
WRTV Meteorologist Ryan Morse says Wednesday afternoon’s rain was the first of two rounds coming to the Hoosier state. A line of supercells were expected to form in Illinois and travel into central Indiana.
In neighboring Illinois, dozens of counties are under a tornado watch until 10 p.m. CDT/11 p.m. EST.
All threats of severe weather were on the table: damaging wind, strong tornadoes, large hail, and flooding.
Severe storms should exit Indiana in the early morning hours.
WISH-TV Meteorologist Keith Gibson says people should have multiple ways of getting alerts and have electronic devices fully charged in case they lose power.
The next chance for rain after these storms could be on Saturday.
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