Articles by Mike Rhodes

Greater Muncie Chamber of Commerce’s Legacy Gala Honors Jon H. Moll

By Katy Maggart— MUNCIE, IN— The 2023 Greater Muncie Chamber of Commerce Legacy Gala was held Thursday, August 31 at the Horizon Convention Center honoring Jon H. Moll, retired attorney. Among those who paid tribute to the legacy of Mr. Moll were Mr. Stefan Anderson, Retired CEO of First Merchants Bank; Rev. Dr. Ron Naylor, Retired Pastor, First Presbyterian Church; Dr. John Worthen, Retired President of Ball State University; and Mr. Jim Williams, Attorney at DeFur Voran LLP. Nicholas Tokar, attorney at tokar.law LLC and Chairman of the Greater Muncie Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors presented the award to Moll. “As…

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Multi-Agency Task Force Mobilizes to Address Community Needs

By Michelle Owen— MUNCIE, IN—At the end of July, a tragic shooting killed one and wounded eighteen at the corner of Willard and Hackley. The Muncie Police Department, aided by many other agencies, were on scene immediately and have made two arrests in connection with the case. City Hall officials immediately began to mobilize other post-crisis planning, including organizing resources for the victims – and working towards prevention. Mayor Dan Ridenour began reaching out to community members just hours after the crisis, with the goal of assembling a multi-agency task force to address violent crime in Muncie. On August 31,…


First Merchants Bank Purchases New Indianapolis Regional Headquarters Building

  By Jaime Faulkner, Director of Corporate Communications— MUNCIE, IN— First Merchants Bank of Muncie, recently hailed by Forbes Magazine as one of The World’s Best Banks, announced a building purchase August 29, 2023, for the strategic relocation of its Indianapolis area regional headquarters.  Mark Hardwick, CEO of First Merchants Bank, had this to say about the purchase of the Indianapolis regional office building:  “The purchase of our new, state-of-the-art Indianapolis regional headquarters building is tangible proof of our commitment to businesses, clients and the Indianapolis community. We are proud to serve the great state of Indiana, and our two…


Can You Solve the Muncie Mystery?

By Michelle Kinsey— MUNCIE, IN—We need a “hand” solving this year’s Muncie Mystery! Grab your mystery-loving friends and family members and head downtown during September’s First Thursday to question suspects, look for clues and – hopefully – solve the case! Muncie Mystery is hosted by Ball State University’s Office of Community Engagement, Muncie Downtown Development Partnership, Ivy Tech Community College, and Muncie Civic Theatre. “I love the collaboration Muncie Mystery provides!” said Cheryl Crowder of Muncie Downtown Development Partnership. “[There are] so many great organizations working together to produce something fun for the community! Here’s what we know so far,…


Ivy Tech Offers Supervisor Skills Training

By Lesley DeVoss—  MUNCIE, IN – Local employers work with Ivy Tech Muncie-Henry County to focus on leadership skills in upper supervisory ranks. On Thursday, June 22, the first session of the Ivy+ CareerLink Supervisor Training class was completed. The supervisors enrolled in the class were employed by Honeywell and Arrowhead. On-site for Arrowhead were Tony Randolph and Monte Foist. Honeywell was represented by Shawn Miller, Richard Macasocol, Gregory Bell, and Jesse Morris. Supervisor Training focuses on how to make the shift from individual performer to supervisor, Clifton Strengths, building and maintaining trust, embracing change, communication skills, providing feedback, resolving…


Local Author Writes Children’s Book About the Solar Eclipse

By Laurie Lunsford— MUNCIE, IN—The solar eclipse is coming April 8, 2024. Laurie Lunsford, a local artist and writer was inspired when she attended a planning meeting for this occurrence, which is special to Muncie and those cities along the “path of totality” from Texas, crossing through Indiana and up to Maine.  A large number of people from outside of Muncie are expected to come here to view the total eclipse. During the meeting, she thought about the possibility of a children’s book and was inspired to write “The Solar Eclipse is Coming.”  It is a picture book that prepares…


Greater Muncie Chamber of Commerce Announces Their 2023 Annual Dinner Awards

By Katy Maggart— Muncie, IN— The Greater Muncie Chamber of Commerce will honor its members for their impact on our community at their Annual Meeting on Thursday, October 26 at 5:30 p.m. at the Horizon Convention Center. Each year, the Chamber presents five prestigious awards at the Annual Dinner. The Chamber is asking for help from the community and its members in the nomination process for four of the awards. The awards have been updated this year to keep on track with the direction and growth of the community. The awards include: Spirit of Small Business Award The Spirit of…


Muncie Central Grads La’Saiha Ewing and Brian Whitley Receive Ball State’s Ryan Family Scholarship

By Andy Klotz, MCS— MUNCIE, IN – La’Saiha Ewing loves art. It helps her express her thoughts and feelings. As creative as she is, the 2023 Muncie Central graduate still never imagined it could help fund her college ambitions and ultimately lead her to a career as a teacher, but that’s what has happened after receiving the Michelle and Jim Ryan Family Scholarship from the Ball State Teachers College (BSTC). “Receiving the Ryan Family Scholarship is a huge honor,” Ewing said. “Honestly, I couldn’t even fathom the thought of such a beautiful opportunity. I’m so thankful to Dr. Anderson for…


Cornerstone Artist to Display Creations in September

By Dee McKinsey— Muncie, IN–Cornerstone Center for the Arts, 520 East Main St. will exhibit work from staff member and artist Michelle Metsker-Cass of Made By Meeshy Art. The exhibit opening, entitled Fluid Beauty, will be in Cornerstone’s Judith Barnes Memorial Gallery, Sept.7, from 5-8 p.m. Metsker-Cass’s work features fluid art techniques, a painting style involving acrylic paint poured to create abstract designs, along with inspirational painted illustrations depicting themes such as suicide prevention, depression and overcoming obstacles. Michelle Metsker-Cass is known for her fluid art design, where she combines vibrant colors, intricate patterns and innovative techniques to create abstract…


Village Street Fest Returns This Saturday Aug. 26th

By Michelle Kinsey— MUNCIE, IN — What can you get for two bucks? Turns out, quite a bit. The “$2 Tour of the Village” returns Saturday, Aug. 26, from 4 to 8 p.m. on University Avenue between Calvert and Dill Streets. Not only is admission free to this event, but the first 100 people through the gates will be given a $2 bill to spend on awesome $2 items from Village businesses (an Art Mart goodie bag or a $2 t-shirt from Screenbroidery, just to name a few). This event, now in its fourth year, is hosted by the Riverside/Normal City Neighborhood…