Articles by Mike Rhodes

Grissom Elementary improved attendance. Photo provided

Non-Profit January 9, 2023

George and Frances Ball Foundation 2022 End of Year Recap and Grantmaking Focus

By Kelsey Harrington, Program and Analytics Officer, GFBF— George and Frances Ball Foundation Convenes 50+ Community Organizations Through Collective Impact Initiative: Cradle to Career Muncie, Awards a Record $5.4 Million in Grants MUNCIE, IN—In 2022, The George and Frances Ball Foundation (GFBF) continued its commitment to extending equitable educational assistance and support to families and youth in the historically underserved neighborhoods of Muncie (Promise Neighborhoods), starting at birth and extending through to successful employment that provides a greater opportunity to…

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Ribbon-cutting at Reality Bytes Virtual Reality Arcade at 3501 W Fox Ridge Lane Muncie, IN 47304.

Business January 8, 2023

Forbes Names Indiana as the ‘Best State to Start a Business’ in 2023

By Michele Owen— MUNCIE, IN—Any small business owner can vouch for the difficulty of launching a new venture, but Hoosier entrepreneurs may have an advantage. According to a recent article by Forbes, Indiana is the number one state for starting a new business in 2023. The article gathered data and evaluated 18 different criteria, including cost of living, start up and operating expenses, amount of funding available, growth and survival rate of small businesses since 2020, natural disasters, unemployment rate,…

Graduating seniors in Delaware County or current college students may apply for 2025 scholarships from The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County at DelawareCountyScholarships.com.

Education January 6, 2023

Scholarship Applications are Now Available

By Kallie Sulanke— MUNCIE, IN—Delaware County high school seniors and current college students can apply for scholarships through March 1. The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County manages more than 50 scholarships. Scholarship awards totaling more than $200,000 benefit students each year. Students should visit DelawareCountyScholarships.com to begin their application. WHO CAN APPLY? Requirements vary from scholarship to scholarship. Most scholarships are available for high school seniors in Delaware County, Ind. Some scholarships are also available for current college…

Darrell Clark— Photo provided

Education January 5, 2023

Ball State University Hires Darrell Clark as Associate Vice President for People and Culture

By Ball State Marketing and Communications— MUNCIE, IN – Darrell Clark will join Ball State University as associate vice president for people and culture, effective Jan. 17, Alan Finn, vice president for Business Affairs and treasurer, announced. As the university’s chief human resources officer, Mr. Clark will oversee and provide strategic leadership to Ball State’s University Human Resource Services. Guided by the university’s strategic plan and enduring values, he will work in service with administrators, faculty, and staff to lead, build,…

File Photo by: Matthew Ruddick

Entertainment January 4, 2023

Cornfed Roller Derby Season 10v.2 Home Opener

By Debra Roberts— MUNCIE, IN – Cornfed Roller Derby (CFRD), had their 10th season in 2020 cut short due to the pandemic, so they are picking back up where they left off with Season 10v.2. Cornfed Roller Derby will hold their Season 10v.2 home opener on Saturday, January 21, 2023, at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in the Memorial Building. CFRD will take on Naptown Roller Derby, from Indianapolis, Indiana in the first game of this doubleheader. The second game will…

Attendees will enjoy a keynote presentation on inflation concerns by David Altig (Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta) at the Jan. 17 event. Photo courtesy of Muncie Fine Portraits.

Business January 3, 2023

Indiana Economic Outlook Luncheon Will Be on January 17th, Reservations Due on January 6th

By Victoria Meldrum, Ball State CBER— MUNCIE, IN — Registration ends Friday, Jan. 6 at 5 PM to attend the 27th annual Indiana Economic Outlook luncheon, which will be held Tuesday, Jan. 17 in downtown Muncie. Attendees will enjoy a keynote presentation on inflation concerns by David Altig, executive vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, in addition to viewing the year’s regional and national economic forecasts as projected by Michael Hicks, director of the Center for Business…

Ashley Surpas is the new associate director for Regional Initiatives at Ball State University.

Education January 3, 2023

ECI Talent Collaborative Announces New Associate Director, Strategic Plan 

By Michelle Kinsey— MUNCIE, IN – The East Central Indiana Talent Collaborative (ECITC) welcomes Ashley Surpas as the new associate director for Regional Initiatives at Ball State University. In this role, Ms. Surpas will oversee the university’s role as the backbone organization for the ECITC, a collective-impact initiative advancing talent attraction, talent development, and talent connection across Blackford, Delaware, Fayette, Grant, Henry, Jay, Randolph, Rush, and Wayne counties. Since joining Ball State’s Office of Community Engagement on Oct. 3, Ms. Surpas…

A grant to Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District will support marketing, education, and outreach for the Upper White River Watershed Project. A similar grant in 2021 supported educational programming this year, including a river education event with the students from Destiny Christian Academy.

Non-Profit January 2, 2023

Community Foundation Awards $265K to Community Organizations in November and December

By Kallie Sulanke— MUNCIE, IN—Grants totaling $264,953 were awarded from The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County to benefit the community between November and December 2022. Most grants are awarded through permanently endowed funds that benefit our community today and always. Grants totaling $81,550 were awarded from the Quarterly Competitive Grants Program at The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County during the final quarter of 2022. Quarterly Competitive Grants are awarded to fund projects and programs for which…

Happy New Year 2023

Entertainment December 30, 2022

LISTEN: 2022 Round Two, A Look Back

By Mike Rhodes, Editor-in-Chief— To call the year 2022 an “interesting one” doesn’t do it justice. That’s why it’s important to go back and remember all that’s happened in the last year. Below you’ll find a special audio presentation produced by Woof Boom Radio’s news-gathering partners, Chris Davis and John Herrick at Network Indiana. You’ll hear all about the ramifications of Roe v Wade being overturned, the impact of inflation, and an arrest in one of Indiana’s criminal cases that dates…

A family poses with their shovels at Red-tail’s 2022 Earth Day Tree Planting. Photo by Red-tail Land Conservancy.

Non-Profit December 30, 2022

Red-Tail Land Conservancy Saw Record-Breaking Volunteerism in 2022

By Kelley V. Phillips— A recently released volunteer report from local land trust shows significant growth in service hours, valued at $40K. MUNCIE, IN – Earlier this month, Red-tail Land Conservancy released their 2022 volunteering report showing a record number of service hours donated to the nonprofit. Community members from across east central Indiana volunteered a total of 1,507 hours to support Red-tail’s land conservation, wildlife habitat restoration, and outdoor education efforts, a 30% growth from last year. Since 2020, Red-tail’s volunteer…