Articles by Mike Rhodes

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…

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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…

The fact of the matter is, some birthdays seem way more serious than others. Photo by Nancy Carlson

Carlson September 25, 2020

John Carlson: An Ominous Awakening

By John Carlson— This morning I woke up seventy-years-old. All I could think was, “Uh–oh.” As ages go, seventy seems a sobering one. If you die at seventy, people who liked you will say, “Well, he lived a good long life.” People who didn’t like you will say, “It’s about time that nitwit bit the big one.” Either way, your mortality won’t surprise anybody. Also at seventy, you are acutely aware of time’s passage. Not that I haven’t already been…

Ivy Tech's downtown Muncie facility.

Education September 24, 2020

Ivy Tech Community College Confirms Plans for January Start of Classes

By Kelsey Batten— Indianapolis, Ind. – Ivy Tech Community College confirmed that it will continue to provide students with the same breadth of course delivery options in the Spring 2021 semester as those that started last month, and those beginning October 26. In January, students will once again be welcomed back onto Ivy Tech campuses throughout Indiana for face-to-face courses while the College will continue to offer a majority of its courses in blended, virtual, and online formats. The focus will continue…

YMCA of Muncie, 500 S Mulberry St, Muncie, IN 47305 Photo by: Mike Rhodes

Entertainment September 24, 2020

Youth Voter Block Party To Be Held September 25th at YMCA Parking Lot    

  Muncie, IN—In an effort to help educate and encourage young people to vote in the 2020 election, the YMCA is hosting a Youth Voter Block Party on Friday September 25, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the YMCA downtown parking lot, 500 S Mulberry St. Local and state candidates will be available to answer questions, and there will be an opportunity for young voters to interact with candidates. Sam Coffman a student from Wapahani High School is organizing…

Kimberly Murphy with her 15-year-old daughter, Krystal and grandson, Terry Dates Jr., son of Kimberly’s middle daughter, Marcya Hill-Brown. Photo by: Lorri Markum

Non-Profit September 23, 2020

United Way Impacts Families in Positive Ways

By Kimberly Murphy— So much has happened these last few years, it’s hard to know where to begin. I’ve gone from a struggling single mom to a woman confident in her abilities, a newly minted college graduate. I know I am on the edge of realizing my dreams. United Way of Delaware, Henry and Randolph Counties and the programs they fund and support, have been with me every step of the way. I am grateful that I am evidence of how…