Articles by Mike Rhodes

Soup Kitchen of Muncie to Hold Annual Dinner and Auction

By Dottie Kreps, Soup Kitchen of Muncie board member— MUNCIE, Ind.—For over 25 years the Soup Kitchen of Muncie has been serving those in need of a meal in our community. Now you have a chance to support the Soup Kitchen and enjoy an evening out.  On August 28th the Annual Soup Kitchen Dinner and Auction will take place at the Horizon Convention Center. Cocktails will start at 5pm and dinner will be served at 6pm. Volunteers work with the staff to prepare hot, nutritious meals and sack lunches to hand out to anyone who comes to the Soup Kitchen, providing…

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John Carlson: There’s No Arguing With These

By John Carlson— I’m of that generation which, early in life, got used to being addressed by inanimate objects. Well, my kid sister Patty is, anyway. Do I mean TV or radio? No. I’m referring to a certain doll Patty received for Christmas one year. Was it Whizzy Wanda? Peein’ Petunia? Little Baby Poops-a-Scoop or something? No, wait! It was Betsy Wetsy! That was it! Betsy Wetsy. Hanging out together with their chapter of The Betsy Wetsy Fan Club, my sister and her girlfriends would fix their Betsy Wetsy dolls’ bottles before putting them down for naps. In no time,…


City of Muncie to Hold Neighborhood Meeting as Storer Housing Development Moves Ahead

By Corey Ohlenkamp, Director of Communications, City of Muncie— MUNCIE, Ind. – Officials with the City of Muncie administration and the Storer Housing Development Committee are planning to meet with members of the public and the local neighborhood association to update them on the latest project developments. The public meeting over the development will be at the Northside Church of God (1505 N. Tillotson Ave.) on Tuesday, August 24th at 6:30 p.m. MEETING INFORMATION Subject: Storer Committee Meeting with the public When: Tuesday, August 24, 2021 (6:30 PM-7:30 PM) Where: Northside Church of God The new proposed subdivision, built on the…


Additional COVID-19 Relief Coming to Heart of Indiana United Way 

By United Way Communications— EAST CENTRAL INDIANA – Heart of Indiana United Way (HIUW) is pleased to announce that it has received a second COVID-19 Economic Relief Initiative grant for $1,038,592 from Indiana United Ways, the state professional association of which HIUW is a member.  The grant will be used to support our community in meeting basic human needs brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant is one of 47 grants that Indiana United Ways is making to member organizations and community foundations through the initiative, which was made possible by funding Indiana United Ways received from Lilly Endowment…


Gas Prices Should Decline This Week

By John Herrik, Network Indiana— STATEWIDE–Gas prices are likely heading for a decline this week, according to GasBuddy. They did go up last week, but that was mostly due to a price cycle, which could have been worse. “They did go up to $3.19, but now we’re starting to trend a little lower. The good news is that they went up to $3.19 and not $3.25 like they did on the prior price cycle,” said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. “The most recent hike was lower and that’s jiving with things starting to slow down. Oil prices…


Community Invited to Celebrate Local Business’s 10-Year Anniversary During August First Thursday

By Seth Stegall & Melissa Jones— MUNCIE, INDIANA — In 2011, The Oprah Winfrey Show aired its final episode, Adele became a household name after the release of her first single “Rolling in the Deep,” and Intersection opened its doors. Now, the downtown Muncie-based marketing and branding agency is celebrating 10 years of bold ideas. The community is invited to celebrate with the agency during Intersection’s 10th Birthday Party on Thursday, August 5 from 5–8 p.m. Muncie native Chance Benbow started Intersection with two other friends, Andy Kennedy and Tyler Hernly. Though the agency was originally founded in northern Michigan,…


Become A Master Gardener

By Kami Fulkerson— MUNCIE, INDIANA—Ever wonder what Purdue Extension master Gardeners Do? Here are only a few of the great opportunities: Volunteer for local organizations Spread love and knowledge of gardening Travel across the state to learn more about gardening Host community programs Youth programming Kick-start your way to forever gardening and register today! Pre-registration is required and due by August 20th. $175 for an individual or $270 for couple. To register contact: Laurynn Thieme, Ag & Natural Resource Educator. 100 W. main Street #202, Muncie, IN. Email: ljthieme@purdue.edu. Phone: 765-747-7732. Purdue University is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action university….


Middle School Students Pitch New Ideas at Tech-Spark Weekend

By Ryan Hunter— MUNCIE, INDIANA—What do a water-cleaning robot, portable dishwasher, and school bus tracker app have in common? Those were just some of the solutions developed by middle schoolers at the first Tech-Spark event. On July 9-11, local middle schoolers gathered at the Innovation Connector in Muncie to collaborate and create their own business ideas. The three day experience, led by TechWise Academy, taught these young students the basics of tech entrepreneurship and foundational knowledge of robotics programming, drone programming, and app development. Students were placed into groups and had no prior relationship with their teammates before the weekend. “We…


Patterson Block in Muncie to Have Grand Opening on August 5th

By Rachel Combs— Muncie, IN— Patterson Block Muncie is hosting a grand opening celebration on Thursday, August 5th from 5:00 to 8:00 pm during the Arts Walk in downtown Muncie. This will be a family-friendly event with food vendors, live music, games, giveaways, local artist displays and more. There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony at 5:00 pm. The Patterson building was built in 1876 by Arthur F. Patterson and is one of the largest historic buildings in downtown Muncie at a staggering 21,000 square feet. This iconic building’s newest owner is Kimberly Ferguson, a native Hoosier and Ball State graduate….


Ball State Graduate Jen Gilbert Earns Bronze Medal at Tokyo 2020 Olympics

By BSU Marketing & Communications— MUNCIE, Indiana – A Ball State University graduate and notable former student-athlete has helped make history for her home country at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Jen Gilbert’s Canadian Olympic softball team earned its first-ever Olympic medal, defeating Mexico 3-2 in the bronze medal game at Yokohama Baseball Stadium in Yokohama, Japan. “Congratulations to Jen for not only achieving her dream of representing Canada in the Olympics, but for playing a key role in taking home the bronze medal,” Ball State Director of Athletics Beth Goetz said. “Jen can take great pride in the way she…