Articles by Mike Rhodes

By Kate H. Elliott— Muncie, IN—Twice a week for six weeks, Ryan McFarland sat 6 feet apart from 10 of his colleagues at Tyson Foods Inc., in Portland. The maintenance supervisor of 13 years could have been assigning repairs or coordinating equipment inspections, but instead, he talked about communication challenges, dove into management exercises, and even tackled homework. “One lesson I have brought back to my team is that not all criticism is bad or negative. I also learned new…

By Sheryl Swingley— Muncie, IN—Solarize Indiana, a grassroots community group, will sponsor a Zoom meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10, During the meeting, area residents and business owners will learn how they can plan now to add solar panels on their houses or businesses before there is no longer a federal tax credit, which ends in 2021. The Zoom meeting will involve a 30-minute presentation followed by an hour for questions and answers. There is no charge to attend…

By AARP Indiana— MUNCIE, Ind. – Sustainable Muncie Corporation (SMC) was selected for a $12,500 2020 AARP Community Challenge Grant and plans to bring greater access to broadband internet service to one of Muncie’s east-side neighborhoods. SMC will use the funding from the grant to bring public Internet access to Madjax, a facility centered on supporting makers and building a micro-economy by providing a new kind of community center. This will provide residents of the East Central neighborhood and throughout…

By Kallie Sulanke— Muncie, IN—Five local teachers will receive $1,863.49 in Robert P. Bell Education Grants from The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc. Across the county, 1,000s of students benefit from Bell Education Grants each year. Awards of up to $450 are available through the Bell Grants program. Teachers in public and private K-12 schools in Delaware County, Ind., are invited to apply for this competitive funding throughout the school year to enhance learning in their classrooms. Teachers may…