GREENCASTLE — It is an American instinct to comment on the price of gas, but drivers in Putnam County have a unique reason for their complaints.
Most gas stations in Greencastle and Putnam County are selling gas at or near $3.19 a gallon. For contrast, GasBuddy reports Indiana's average gas price at $2.93 a gallon, about 25 cents cheaper than Putnam County.
WATCH | Why are gas prices in this Central Indiana county above the state average?
"It's a big difference, it's a lot higher in these smaller towns," said Greencastle resident Michael Mahoney. "I would just like to know why they're higher here than other towns and other cities."
GasBuddy national analyst Patrick De Haan said he is also confused at Putnam County's price hike compared to surrounding counties.
"If I was a motorist there, I probably wouldn't fill up there because it doesn't seem like stations want to be competitive with each other," De Haan said. "It would draw some questions from me as an analyst knowing how prices work throughout these states. It's rather rare to see all of these stations holding at a pretty high market price."
Gas prices reached as high as $3.29 per gallon in Putnam County, which was GasBuddy's reported average price in Alaska at the time of this report.
De Haan did not give a definitive explanation for the Putnam County prices, but said it is a local issue with station owners as opposed to a national gas price or supply situation.
As evidence, he pointed to Indianapolis, where average gas prices hovered around $2.80 per gallon.
"In Indianapolis, prices are 30 cents lower than a month ago," De Haan said. "It's just a big price war across Indianapolis, where some stations are getting wild and aggressive at wanting the lowest price."
At the time of reporting, GasBuddy's lowest observed price in Putnam County was $2.89 per gallon at the BP station on US 36 and N County Road 725 E near Groveland.
-
Game 4: Thunder rally to top Pacers 111-104 and tie Finals
The Oklahoma City Thunder rallied from a 10-point, second-half deficit to beat the Indiana Pacers 111-104 on Friday night and tie the NBA Finals at two games apiece.
Silver Alert issued for missing 76-year-old from Warrick County
Debra Bone, 76, is described as a white female, 5 feet 7 inches tall, 172 pounds, with gray hair and green eyes.
IPS helps recent grads stay on track after graduation
The goal is to prevent “summer melt” — an all-too-common trend where college-bound students fail to enroll in the fall despite being accepted and planning to attend.
Deadly crash in Monroe County claims two lives
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office is investigating a fatal crash on Friday evening. Deputies responding to the scene found two cars that had crashed head-on.
