Articles by Mike Rhodes

‘The Future of Medicine’: Local Partnership Enhances Muncie as One of The State’s Leading Medical Hubs 

By: Melissa Jones— MUNCIE, IN — According to Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Delaware County has the fourth-highest number of primary care physicians per capita in the state—a ranking that should mean the county is one of the healthiest. But it’s not.  Of Indiana’s 92 counties, Delaware County ranks 85th. So where’s the disconnect?  Even with Indiana’s fourth-highest primary care physicians per capita, the county has just one primary care physician per 1,030 patients. In fact, the United States as a whole is facing a shortage in physicians. So in an effort to boost local physician training programs and retention, a…

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Delaware County Attracts Growth-Minded Company to Repurpose Empty Industrial Building

DELAWARE COUNTY, Indiana – In another move to create jobs and revenue and reclaim an empty industrial site, the Delaware County (Indiana) commissioners have announced that a closed machine shop in the town of Albany has been purchased by an Illinois company that will relocate its headquarters there. Pinson Manufacturing Company (PMC) will use the 82,000-square-foot former Littler Diecast building in Albany, installing equipment to begin creating products, jobs and tax revenue. PMC will perform CNC (computer controlled) milling and turning, CNC plasma cutting, welding, painting and abrasive services as well as manufacture components for rail maintenance of way equipment,…


Muncie Competes For National Civic League Honors

By Erin Moore, BSU Office of Community Engagement— Muncie, IN—All Muncie residents are invited to watch local advocates share our city’s story with the National Civic League for their 2020 All-America City Award at 12:45 pm EST on Monday, August 17. The performance will be livestreamed and available to the broader community from the League’s website and Facebook page. The All-America City Award is the National Civic League’s flagship program. Started in 1949, the program honors ten U.S. communities each year for leveraging civic engagement, collaboration, inclusiveness, and innovation to successfully address local issues. Muncie was announced as one of…


Six Women To Be Honored At Women’s Equality Day Program

By: WaTasha Barnes Griffin— MUNCIE, IN — The Coalition of Women’s Organizations will have its annual Women’s Equality Day program at 5 p.m. on Aug. 26th. The celebration will honor six local women who have made significant contributions to the community. The program will be a live virtual event.   The year 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing and protecting women’s constitutional right to vote. The passage marked the largest expansion of democracy in the history of our country. This event will pay special tribute to Vivian V. Conley, who was at the forefront of many community issues relating to education, civil…


John Carlson: Words With Tomatoes

By: John Carlson— You know the coronavirus pandemic is getting to you when you start talking to tomatoes. It’s even worse when they begin talking back. In my life now, I am pretty much at that point. Oh sure, I talk to Nancy some. “Hi, B******,” I’ll say, using our embarrassing pet name for each other, which if I revealed it here she would quit cooking my suppers. “Hi, B******,” she’ll respond in kind. OK! OK! We call each other Booters. Guess it won’t kill me to lose a few pounds. Later on we’ll discuss how many steps we walked…


Web of Support Releases Free Videos and Sharable Postcards To Spread Messages of Gratitude and Encouragement

By: Andrea McDermott— Muncie, IN—Web of Support: Everybody Succeeds, a mentoring initiative of the Muncie Action Plan, uses a relational approach to help youth and adults identify, expand, and strengthen their support systems. This spring, Web of Support Ambassadors participated in a four-week virtual “Deep Dive” series to explore how the Web of Support model can help build resiliency in families and communities during the COVID quarantine. The groups have created sharable postcards and informational videos to spread messages of gratitude and encouragement. “We were thrilled to be able to co-create this deep dive curriculum in collaboration with the Institute…


Muncie Civic Theatre To Present Musical ‘The Music Man’ Outdoors at Arts Terrace

By Michelle Kinsey— Muncie, IN— Seventy-six trombones led the big parade. Socially distanced, of course. Muncie Civic Theatre will present the classic family-friendly musical “The Music Man” at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 14 and 15 outdoors at Ball State University’s Arts Terrace. This musical follows fast-talking grifter Harold Hill as he cons the naive townspeople of River City, Iowa, into paying him to start a marching band, despite the fact that he doesn’t know a trombone from a treble clef. Chaos ensues as Hill’s credentials are questioned, and the town is divided in their belief in this charismatic man. This has…


Cornerstone Center for the Arts Welcomes New President and Chief Executive Officer

By: Claire Downes— Muncie, IN—Allison K. Bell, daughter of the late newscaster, Steve Bell, and his late wife Joyce Bell, joins Cornerstone Center for the Arts in Muncie, Indiana as President and Chief Executive Officer starting August 3, 2020. Bell will bring a new vision and innovation in arts education classes at the arts center. She, and her team of directors, will host classes in-person and virtually in areas of music, art, dance, theatre, and wellness. Bell will explore new opportunities for CCA to serve the Muncie and Delaware County community. The nearly 100-year old gothic building owned by Cornerstone…


John Carlson: On the Road and Under Study

By: John Carlson— Nancy and I have recently been driving around town with a hitchhiker. Not someone with an outstretched thumb, though. It’s an on-line hitchhiker. Our insurance company hooked us up with this squat little plastic guy, who is stuck to our front windshield up near the rear-view mirror. On the plus side, he promised to help lower the cost of our car insurance and doesn’t ever call me names like Johnny Flabbyton, Mister Flabster or The Flabmeister. Nevertheless, in my more cantankerous moments, I was starting to think of him as a pain in the, you know, rear bumper….


Ball Brothers Foundation Funding Supports Students in Navigating Graduation Requirements

By: Ball Brothers Foundation— MUNCIE, IN—As high school freshmen and sophomores return to school this fall—whether virtually or in-person—among the changes they face are ensuring that they meet new graduation requirements focused on career exploration and employment skills. Passed by the Indiana state legislature in 2018, the new requirements are designed to expose students to a variety of careers, customize students’ high school experiences to align with their career interests, and prepare students with employment skills. To meet these new graduation requirements, school systems across Delaware County are “re-tooling” their curriculum offerings, creating new courses, and offering extra-curricular, service, and…