It's Wednesday! We hope you're feeling Marty McFly.

☀️ Today's weather: Sunny with a high near 72.

🎂 Happy birthday to our member Alan Finn, and happy belated birthday to member John Krauss!

🏀 Situational awareness: The NBA is back, and the Pacers play their first game of the 2026 season at 8pm tonight in New Orleans against the Pelicans.

Today’s newsletter is 1,113 words — a 4-minute read.

U.S. household income hit a record in 2025, but the lowest earners barely shared in the gains, new census data show.

Why it matters: Broader measures of financial security show some Hoosiers still getting squeezed by medical costs, uneven income gains and a thinning public safety net — even as Americans look richer than ever.

Context: The 2025 Census Bureau report largely captures the economy before the major safety-net reductions in President Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" took hold.

By the numbers: The median household income in Indiana was $77,960, pre-tax, and $67,040 post-tax.

• Median household income nationwide rose 2.6% to $87,460 pre-tax in 2025, the highest inflation-adjusted level since records began in 1967.
• Median post-tax household income climbed 3.1% to $76,060.
• Indiana's poverty rate, measured using a three-year average, was 9.3%, lower than the national rate of 10.7%.

Between the lines: The Supplemental Poverty Measure, which factors in taxes, government benefits, housing, work and medical expenses, averaged 10.3% in Indiana and 13% nationwide over the same three years.

• Medical expenses put an estimated 7.7 million more people below the supplemental poverty line in 2025, the Census Bureau said.

Yes, but: The report suggests low-income households largely missed out on the economy's gains.

• Income among the wealthiest 10% rose 1.7%, while remaining stagnant among the bottom 10%.

Zoom in: In Indiana, poverty and pay gaps fall along gender lines as well, per the Census Bureau's American Community Survey.

• From 2019 to 2024, the poverty rate among Indiana women rose from 11.3% to 12.4% while the rate among men dropped from 9.7% to 9.3%.
• Meanwhile, the median pay for women who worked in Indiana in 2023 was $35,800 — about $14,500 less than men and the 15th-largest dollar gap in the U.S.

What we're watching

The Indianapolis Cultural Trail is installing new wayfinding signs and wants your input.

Why it matters: The pilot aims to make the trail's connections to the city's cultural institutions easier to find and understand.

The big picture: The trail is piloting the new signs along the Washington Street corridor downtown to inform a project that will roll out along the entire 10-mile system in the coming years.

Follow the money: Input from users, being taken now through Dec. 15, will be used in the final design of a trail-wide wayfinding program funded by a $2 million READI 2.0 Arts & Culture grant.

What they're saying: Originally, the wayfinding guide was the trail itself, with its distinctive brick, Kären Haley, executive director of Indianapolis Cultural Trail Inc., tells Axios.

• "Its repeating patterns are visual cues for everyone to know, 'I just keep following this… It's kind of like following the yellow brick road … It'll take me to cool places.'"
• Nearly 20 years on, Haley says the city has grown up alongside the trail, but nothing along it tells users what's around the next bend or how far they can take it.

Zoom in: The new signage includes maps of the Cultural Trail, guides to what's nearby and tips on using the amenity.

• The side facing walkers has more text-heavy signage compared to the side facing cyclists and faster-moving trail users.
• The signs are bright, eye-catching and placed at various heights — on the trail itself and on adjacent light poles.

What's next: In addition to an online survey, Haley says the trail is adding QR codes and conducting on-site interviews with trail users.

• Based on that feedback, they'll design the final signage and install it by the end of 2028.

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🚔 A proposed set of rules for how Indianapolis police can use license plate-reading technology remains on hold after IMPD's General Orders Board tabled the order during yesterday's meeting due to questions from the public.

• The new policy would add safeguards against personal searches and require officers' activity to be audited, amid criminal cases involving five IMPD officers accused of misusing the system. (IndyStar)

🛣️ Hoosier communities will receive $19.1 million in road funding reimbursements tied to Gov. Mike Braun's gas tax holiday. (WISH-TV)

🚛 House Roads and Transportation Committee Chair Rep. Jim Pressel (R-Rolling Prairie) says he's ready to pursue a crackdown on trucking companies that allegedly shut down and reopen under new names to evade safety investigations. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)

🏓 Pickleball club Picklr plans to open its fourth Central Indiana location near Greenwood Park Mall later this year with 12 courts, a pro shop, workout area and beer tap wall. (WTHR)

🐾 Audry here!

I'm a tenderhearted gal looking for a family and home to call my own.

De-tails: I'm 5 years old and 54 pounds.

• I'm a fan of treat puzzles, kisses and snuggling.
• I'm in search of a home where I can settle at my own pace and experience the joy of belonging.

What they're saying: The folks at IACS say I may need a little time to decide that everything that is safe, but my trust is well worth earning.

• "Gentle encouragement and a few treats bring out her full-body wiggles, and patient affection soon has her leaning in for more," they said.

Dig deeper: Fill out an application for Audry and see other adoptable pets online.

• The $60 adoption fee includes spay/neuter, age-appropriate vaccinations and a microchip.

As you peruse the IACS website and fawn over all the precious pups awaiting forever homes, a new Rover report reveals what breed of dog lives rent free in the heart of Hoosiers.

Driving the news: The Goldendoodle has been deemed the most popular breed in Indianapolis.

• The Golden Retriever and Poodle mix fits into Rover's "apartment dog" category by being chill, expert nappers who love walks around the block.

The intrigue: The American Eskimo dog is Indy's fastest-trending breed. 

• Rover says the Circle City is perfect for the "watchful, reserved and cautious" breed that is happiest burning off energy at home.
• American Eskimo Dogs fall into the "shy dog" category as being calm, routine-oriented pooches who enjoy alone time with their parents.

By the numbers: Indy ranks No. 95 out of 107 U.S. cities for dog walking, based on Redfin walkability data.

Our picks

😎 Arika is probably somewhere listening to "California Dreamin'."

🎤 Justin recommends the Netflix miniseries "Below" to anyone who is into krakens.