Articles by Mike Rhodes

This illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion.

Health October 7, 2020

Delaware County Weekly COVID-19 Updates, October 6th

Editor’s note: The following COVID-19 update is brought to you through a collaboration of healthcare partners including Delaware County Health Department, Delaware County Emergency Management Agency, Delaware County Office of Information, and other major healthcare providers.  As of Oct. 6, Delaware County has reported 209 new cases of COVID-19 and 5 new deaths since the last county update on Sept. 29. The county’s 7-day positivity rate is at 6.5%; the CDC suggests this number should be well under 5%. The Delaware…

Read More
L-R: Michael C. Rechin and Mark Hardwick

Business October 5, 2020

First Merchants President & CEO Michael C. Rechin Announces Retirement

COO/CFO Mark Hardwick to become CEO; CBO Michael Stewart to become President; SVP Michele Kawiecki to become CFO MUNCIE, Ind. – After more than 13 years of leading significant growth and success for First Merchants, President & CEO Michael C. Rechin announced today he will retire from his position effective December 31, 2020. Rechin will remain on the First Merchants Board of Directors and will serve as an advisor to First Merchants going forward. Charles Schalliol, Chairman of the Board…

Photo by: story blocks

Education October 3, 2020

State Partners With Ivy Tech to Get Help to Hoosiers Affected by COVID-19

By Dr. Sue Ellspermann, President, Ivy Tech Community College, Teresa Lubbers, Commissioner, Indiana Commission for Higher Education , Fred Payne, Commissioner, Indiana Department of Workforce Development Muncie, IN—We know that Hoosiers are facing many challenges due to COVID-19. Some have lost their jobs and others may not be able to return to the position they once had because the job requirements have changed. “In This Together” is the charge we often hear to collectively fight this virus. In that spirit, the Indiana…

Hard work never hurt anybody, especially if you’re watching somebody else do it. Photo by Nancy Carlson

Carlson October 2, 2020

John Carlson: The Workers Get ‘Er Done!

By John Carlson— Watching hard-working men or women go about their jobs never gets old for me. This is a reaction to my own newspaper career, I suppose. In thirty-nine years of journalism, my greatest level of physical exertion came from hitting the “shift” key on my word processor a couple hundred times a day. Well, unless you count my frequent trips to the vending machines for Cheez-Its and Hershey bars. But recently we hired Steve Massie and his guys…

Brad Edmondson has joined the IU Health Foundation as East Central Region Philanthropy Director. Photo provided

Health September 30, 2020

Brad Edmondson Joins IU Health Foundation

By Courtney Thomas— Muncie, IN– Brad Edmondson has joined the IU Health Foundation as East Central Region Philanthropy Director. He will manage development activities for IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie, IU Health Blackford Hospital in Hartford City, and IU Health Jay Hospital in Portland. Previously, Edmondson worked in development for Ball State University for 10 years, most recently as director of athletics development and, before that, as director of development for the Miller College of Business at Ball…

This illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion.

Health September 29, 2020

Delaware County Weekly COVID-19 Update, September 29th

Editor’s note: The following COVID-19 update is brought to you through a collaboration of healthcare partners including Delaware County Health Department, Delaware County Emergency Management Agency, Delaware County Office of Information, and other major healthcare providers.  Muncie, IN—Last week, the Indiana State Department of Health reduced Delaware County’s COVID-19 ranking from “orange” to “yellow,” indicating that the county’s COVID numbers are improving. Local health officials expect the county to remain in the yellow category in the state’s next update to…

This year's Fields of Faith will take place here: 1600 E. Fuson Rd., Muncie, IN. Photo by: Mike Rhodes

Non-Profit September 29, 2020

Fields of Faith 2020 To Be Held on September 30th

By Jeff Mosier— Muncie, IN—Fellowship of Christian Athletes of East Central Indiana has been approved for a crowd size variance for Fields of Faith 2020. The event will take place Wednesday, September 30thon the Shawnee Heights softball/football Field, 1600 E. Fuson Rd., Muncie, IN 47302. Gates open at 6:15 p.m. Music begins at 6:40. Program begins at 7:00. Bring your ticket, your friends, and your chairs or blankets. Masks and social distancing will be required and enforced throughout the evening….

2nd shift teamwork. Photo provided

Non-Profit September 29, 2020

Shafer Leadership Academy to Serve Up Largest Training in 14-year History

By Kate Elliott— Muncie, IN — Muncie non-profit Shafer Leadership Academy is providing 144 hours — or 45 hours per employee — of leadership training for supervisors and front-line leads at Tyson Foods in Portland, Indiana. Fueling this virtual partnership is a workforce grant facilitated through Eastern Indiana Works, which provides employers and job seekers a range of resources and services. Mitch Isaacs, executive director of Shafer Leadership Academy, said investment in leaders matters most when times are tough. “Companies…

Katie Lehman, Ready Readers Program Supervisor. Photo by Sidney Barkdull

Non-Profit September 28, 2020

MPL Ready Readers Program Went Virtual in 2 Weeks

By Katie Lehman Ready Readers Supervisor, Muncie Public Library— Muncie, IN—If 2020 has taught us anything it is that a lot can change in a very short amount of time. For Muncie Public Library’s Ready Readers program, that amount of time was two weeks. In two weeks, we took a program that emphasized the power of individual face-to-face instruction without the use of technology, and made it entirely virtual. Since its creation in 2016, MPL’s Ready Readers program has provided…

Photo provided

Government September 25, 2020

County Commissioners Provide Implicit Bias Training

By Arrick Garringer— MUNCIE, IN —The Delaware County Commissioners recently contracted with Shafer Leadership Academy to provide the workshop “Understanding Implicit Bias and Microaggressions” for their staff, other County employees, and other elected officials. The two-hour workshop, which was facilitated by Ball State University Professor of Sociology Dr. Melinda Messineo, provided participants with an understanding of unconscious bias, its origins, and its connection to micro-aggressions, along with tools and proactive everyday strategies for positive outcomes. Dr. Messineo explains “We used…