Articles by Mike Rhodes

Scott McKee

Business June 30, 2020

First Merchants Names Scott McKee Corporate Social Responsibility Director

By: First Merchants— Scott McKee brings commitment to community leadership, passion for social causes MUNCIE, IN— First Merchants Corporation (NASDAQ – FRME) has announced the naming of Scott McKee as its Corporate Social Responsibility Director. McKee, an industry veteran with more than 30 years’ experience, will lead and implement efforts around community relations, volunteerism, philanthropy, financial education and community reinvestment activities. Beginning in 2019, Company leadership began discussing changes to further support core values of community leadership, organic growth and…

Read More
Photo provided

Non-Profit June 29, 2020

Yorktown Non-profits Receive $3,400 in Grant Funding

By: Kallie Sulanke— Muncie, Ind. – The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc., through the Town of Yorktown Endowment Fund, is awarding $3,400 in grants to two organizations serving the Yorktown community. Yorktown Fire Department has been awarded $1,700 to defray the cost of designing, developing, and publishing fire safety education booklets to give to children in the Yorktown community. The project will allow the Yorktown Fire Department to collaborate with Pleasant View teachers to promote fire safety…

File photo

Non-Profit June 28, 2020

Selma Athletic League Receives Grant From Community Foundation

By: Kallie Sulanke— Muncie, Ind. – The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc., through the Liberty Perry Selma Town Endowment Fund, is awarding $890 to the Selma Athletic League.  Selma Athletic League offers baseball and softball opportunities for children of all ages in the community. This grant will defray the cost of improvements needed to run an effective baseball and softball league for youth in Selma.  The Liberty Perry Selma Town Endowment Fund started as an Acorn Fund…

Early-stage chickens are fine, assuming they look like these. Photo by: Nancy Carlson

Carlson June 26, 2020

John Carlson: To Cluck or Not to Cluck

By: John Carlson— My wife wants chickens. I want chickens, too. It’s just that I want the kind of chickens named Original Recipe that Colonel Sanders packs into those red-and-white tubs with the initials “KFC” printed on the side of them. Nancy wants hers in a coop out back. Anyway, I have long been staunchly supportive of her desire to raise chickens within Muncie’s city limits. But that was only because I never dreamed we’d ever actually be allowed to…

Photo of students who participated in a prior summer workshop. Photo provided

Education June 25, 2020

Over 1,000 Students Enroll in BSU Journalism’s Summer Workshops

By: Juli Metzger— Muncie, IN—More than 1,000 middle and high school students and teachers representing 36 states registered for Ball State University Department of Journalism’s Summer 2020 Journalism Workshops in the first-ever online only programming of the iconic skills bootcamp. The on-campus residential workshop moved to a virtual experience after quarantine orders and other mandated precautions in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The result was 35 free sessions covering topics like reporting basics, writing, photography, digital design, using social media,…

Trevor Lowe and Micah Brown

Non-Profit June 25, 2020

Scholarships Awarded to Students by Muncie Pride and Muncie OUTreach

By: Dee McKinsey— Muncie, IN—Two Delaware County recent graduates were awarded scholarships for their essays on the origin of the gay pride flag. Trevor Lowe,  Muncie resident and recent graduate of Muncie Central, will receive a $1000 scholarship.  Micah Brown, Dunkirk resident and  recent graduate of Wes-Del High School, will be awarded a $500 scholarship. Lowe is a member of the Youth Symphony Orchestra; Muncie Central Marching band and plans to study music education at University of Indianapolis. Brown organized…

Aerial photo of Muncie and Delaware County by Michael Wolfe

Government June 24, 2020

New Walking and Biking Trails Planned for South Side of Muncie

By: Delaware County Redevelopment Commission— Muncie, IN – Three miles of new walking and biking trails south of the city, serving fast-developing areas, are planned by Delaware County officials. The Muncie Industria Center Trail, which will connect residents of the south side of Muncie to the Ivy Tech Community College campus, industrial areas and the new Delaware County Justice Center complex, is a project created and led by the Delaware County commissioners. The trail, estimated in cost at about $3.3 million,…

Aerial view of the Ball State Campus. Photo by: BSU Photo Services

Education June 24, 2020

Ball State Faculty and Students Win Regional Emmy® Awards

By: Marc Ransford— Muncie, IN – Ball State University faculty and students received two Regional Emmy® Awards and seven Student Production Awards during the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) Lower Great Lakes Emmy ​Awards on June 20, conducted virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic. Sports Link, Ball State’s digital sports production program, was honored in seven student production award categories. Ball State received the following production awards: College Long Form — Non-Fiction — “Why It Matters: A Tale of Two…

David Owsley Museum of Art. File photo

Entertainment June 24, 2020

Final Friday: ‘Bridges and Borders’ with the David Owsley Museum of Art 

By: Rachel Buckmaster—  Muncie, IN – Muncie’s creative community will be celebrated with the David Owsley Museum of Art’s first ever online Final Friday event on Friday, June 26 from 7 – 9 p.m.. Final Friday: BRIDGES & BORDERS will feature a variety of distinctive local voices, as emcees C.S. Hendershot and Michael Mares introduce PechaKucha speed talks on Facebook Live. Following the presentations, DJ Jannell will provide music and video collages inspired by summer and celebrating art and community. …

Photo provided by: Ball State University

Non-Profit June 23, 2020

George and Frances Ball Foundation Awards 2nd Allocation of Funds to Muncie Community Schools

Muncie Community Schools Expands Preschools to all Elementary Buildings, and Project Lead the Way STEM Curriculum at all Muncie Community School Buildings with Support from the George and Frances Ball Foundation By: Thomas J. Kinghorn— Muncie, IN—The George and Frances Ball Foundation awarded the second allocation of a $1 million, 3-year commitment to the Ball State University—Muncie Community Schools partnership. The first year’s grant supported summer professional development for teachers, introduction of Project Lead the Way curriculum in 4 schools,…