Articles by Mike Rhodes

Scott Smalstig (green shirt) guides TeenWorks kids on the fine art of operating a line marker device on a ball field. Photo provided

Non-Profit January 4, 2022

TeenWorks Now Accepting Applications for Summer Jobs Program

By Emily Hitchcock— MUNCIE, Ind.—TeenWorks, a local non-profit working to empower teens to achieve excellence in community, college, and career is now accepting applications for the 2022 Summer Jobs Program. The organization is looking to hire 100 teens who are interested in earning wages, developing their professional skill set, and working alongside friends! This program will run June 15th through July 22nd and is a great opportunity for students to gain experience, acquire new skills, and build their resumes. Students hired…

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MAP Task Force 2 composite by Megan Orbin

Non-Profit January 4, 2022

Muncie Action Plan Task Force 2 Grows Strong Neighborhood Associations

By Heather Williams— MUNCIE, Ind. – The Muncie Action Plan (MAP) spent much of 2021 in partnership with representatives from Delaware-Muncie Metropolitan Plan Commission and NEXT Muncie surveying Muncie’s citizens and working with the urban planning firm czb in the development of the new Strategic Investment Plan for the City of Muncie The last large-scale MAP planning took place in 2009 and although two updates have been completed since, we are excited to put into place the newest large-scale engagement effort where Muncie’s residents…

Deb Rolli is the facilitator of the Commonway Church GriefShare program. Photo by Allison Robbins

Health January 3, 2022

Muncie-Area Church Members Come Together to Lighten the Load of Loss Through ‘GriefShare’

By K. Aleisha Fetters— MUNCIE, Ind.—Grief is a hard journey. But it’s one that Muncie church members are increasingly walking together. They are doing so through the aptly named GriefShare, a grief recovery support program that is helping people in the US, Canada, and more than 10 other countries find meaning and rebuild their lives following the loss of friends, family members, and loved ones. “GriefShare provided me a lifeline during my time of loss,” says Cheyrl McCoy, a former participant….

Skerryvore Comes to Pruis Hall On January 13th.

Entertainment January 2, 2022

Skerryvore Comes to Pruis Hall On January 13th

By Jennifer McGowen— MUNCIE, Ind. – Enjoy the sounds of contemporary Scottish traditional music a mix of fiddle, accordions, pipes and whistles, alongside guitar and vocals, underpinned by driving bass, drums and keys as Skerryvore comes to Pruis Hall at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 13. Tickets for Skerryvore are currently on sale at the Emens box office, online at Ticketmaster.com, or by phone at 765-285-1539. Over the last 15 years, Skerryvore has brought their performances to audiences across the…

When turkey trauma threatens, be sure to buy yourself a backup bird. Photo by Nancy Carlson

Carlson December 31, 2021

John Carlson: Here’s to the Backup Bird!!!

By John Carlson— This being just one day away from 2022, I wanted to take the opportunity to celebrate an outstanding new advancement in American meat culture which 2021 brought my family. It’s the backup bird. But first, some background. If you combine the years we’ve been alive, Nancy and I have lived through 143 Thanksgivings. Even more impressive, if stretched end-to-end and measured consecutively instead of concurrently, those Thanksgivings would go all the way back to 1848, and I…

It was a nice evening for Set the Night to Music fireworks. Photo by Mike Rhodes

Business December 30, 2021

Muncie Journal’s Most Viewed Stories of 2021

By Mike Rhodes, Editor-in-Chief, MuncieJournal.com— Muncie, IN—Every year around this time we share Muncie Journal’s Top 10 most viewed stories of the year.  In 2019, an article about the polar vortex took the top spot. Amazingly, our most viewed story in 2020 was NOT about COVID-19, but it was close. You’ll find the Top 10 most viewed stories for 2021 below. You can click on any story headline to review the initial story and the date it was published. (When you click…

Photo courtesy of 1925 PubHouse

Government December 29, 2021

1925 PubHouse to Open in Courtyard Marriott Downtown

By City of Muncie— MUNCIE, Ind.—1925 PubHouse, which operates a restaurant in Anderson on the Grandview Golf Course, has signed an agreement to open a new location at the Courtyard Marriott hotel in downtown Muncie. Mayor Dan Ridenour commented, “This transaction has been months in the planning and we are pleased to be able to  announce that 1925 PubHouse is coming to Muncie. We look forward to adding them to our list of great restaurants in downtown Muncie. They have…

Yorktown High School senior Grace Huisman—member of Pridemark Construction's 'Future Leaders of America' series.

Education December 28, 2021

Grace Huisman—Member of Pridemark Construction’s ‘Future Leaders of America’ Series

By Stacey A. Shannon— MUNCIE, Ind.—Editor’s note: The Future Leaders of America series on MuncieJournal.com profiles high school seniors who display leadership qualities in their school and the community. The series is brought to you by Pridemark Construction. Not many high school students can say they’ve participated in multiple triathlons, but Yorktown High School senior Grace Huisman is one of them. Those triathlons are in addition to her regular high school sports as well, including cross country, swimming and track….

Presentation to TeenWorks members. Photo provided.

Non-Profit December 27, 2021

Muncie Action Plan Task Force 1 Links Learning, Health and Prosperity

By Chuck Reynolds and Missy Modesitt— MUNCIE, Ind.– The Muncie Action Plan (MAP) spent much of 2021 in partnership with representatives from Delaware-Muncie Metropolitan Plan Commission and NEXT Muncie surveying Muncie’s citizens and working with the urban planning firm czb in the development of the new Strategic Investment Plan for the City of Muncie The last large-scale MAP planning took place in 2009 and although two updates have been completed since, we are excited to put into place the newest large-scale engagement effort where…

Let Christmas classics play inside your head to smooth your workouts. Photo by Nancy Carlson.

Carlson December 24, 2021

John Carlson: Carols Are Best Kept in Mind

By John Carlson— The tunes playing for me in IU/BMH’s cardiac rehab classes originate inside my head, not through some public address system. If this music didn’t originate inside my head, I’d have to find some outside source to provide it. One alternative would be to wear my hearing aids in rehab. Almost like magic, when connected to the tunes playing from my iPhone, these hearing aids deliver the sort of assault on my eardrums that I craved as a…