Articles by Mike Rhodes

Heart of Indiana United Way President & CEO Jenni Marsh.

Non-Profit June 11, 2019

United Way Program Funding UP More Than 15 Percent

By: Juli Metzger— Muncie, IN—United Way of Delaware and Henry Counties is increasing its funding of Delaware County programs by 15 percent thanks to hugely successful campaigns the last two years, and new programs that focus on improving grade-level reading and programs that address barriers toward that goal. Since 2014, United Way has invested half its dollars in Delaware County toward educational programs. It’s a focus that addresses United Way’s primary goal of ending generational poverty. “We have a very…

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A scene from last year's Genealogy Information Fair. This year's event adds new groups to speak with and a free beginning Genealogy workshop. Photo by: Muncie Public Library

Non-Profit June 11, 2019

2019 Genealogy Information Fair To Be Held At Historic Carnegie Library

By: Teresa Alley, Genealogy Information Fair Coordinating Committee— Muncie, IN—Imagine it is 3:00 AM on a Saturday and you’ve fallen down that rabbit hole again while searching online for that elusive ancestor you need to find to add to your family tree. Maybe you’ve hit another brick wall and your research seems to have stalled. You might be a Mayflower descendant or have a patriotic ancestor, but you aren’t sure how to join a lineage society. Frustrating as that may be,…

Scene from a previous DCHS annual dinner. Photo provided

Non-Profit June 10, 2019

DCHS Annual Dinner To Be Held June 19th

By: Chris Flook, President of the Delaware County Historical Society— Muncie, IN — The Delaware County Historical Society will host its 2019 Annual Meeting, Wednesday, June 19 at 6:00 PM. The event will take place at Ball State University’s Alumni Center. The DCHS is also pleased to announce that Ophelia Wellington, founding director of the Indianapolis-based Freetown Village, will speak at the dinner. Wellington founded Freetown Village in 1982 to better teach Hoosiers about African American history. Freetown Village is a…

Angela Buck, Cora Conatser, Melissa Crouch, DeKayla Elliott, Madeline Evans (top row); Taylor Gillum, Frances Heintzelman, Lily Johnson, Elizabeth Kornilow, Alexis McAllister (second row); Olivia Cheyanne Neal, Jordan Nelson, Allison Polk, Joshua Price, Munthira Raju (third row) Grahm Reedy, Karlee Rumfelt, Sarah Smoot, Tabitha Snyder, Mackenzie Walker (bottom row)

Education June 9, 2019

The Community Foundation Announces Additional 2019 Scholarship Recipients

By: Kallie Sulanke, Community Engagement Officer— Muncie, IN—Congratulations to the following graduates: Angela Buck, of Muncie Central High School, is the recipient of the inaugural eKeeper Systems Unparalleled Excellence Scholarship. Buck plans to attend Indiana University to study genetics and Spanish. She is the daughter of Mary Louise and Schuyler Buck. Cora Conatser, of Delta High Schools is a recipient of the Dr. William J. McNabney and Thelma V. McNabney Memorial Scholarship. Conatser, a senior at Delta High School, plans…

‘Modoc Rocks’ says in ink what the drummer’s folks believe. Photo by: Katie Carlson

Carlson June 9, 2019

John Carlson: A Band And A Bond

By: John Carlson— Nancy and I had our first joyful taste of being band parents back when our son Johnny, wearing a Santa hat, was chosen to play Yorktown Middle School’s drum kit for the Christmas assembly as a sixth-grader. We continued our parentally supportive roles when he played in the drum line and jazz band at Yorktown High School. Our support continued those same years when, age fifteen in his first professional bar gig, he provided the lewd, pounding…

The Yorktown Varsity Softball Team is heading to a state championship on Saturday. Photo by: Mike Rhodes

Education June 7, 2019

Winning Yorktown Tiger Ball Teams Interviewed At WLBC Prior to BIG Saturday Games

By: Mike Rhodes & Steve Lindell— Muncie, IN—Two winning Tiger ball teams from Yorktown stopped by the WLBC studio this week to talk about their recent wins and BIG upcoming games taking place on Saturday, June 8th. The Yorktown Varsity Softball Team and the Yorktown Varsity Baseball Team were interviewed by WLBC’s Steve Lindell during two lively, fun-filled live broadcasts. The Yorktown Varsity Softball Team will play New Palestine in the 2018-19 IHSAA Class 3A Softball State Tournament – Class 3A…

Photo provided

Education June 6, 2019

New Books Help Build Students’ Home Libraries

By: Cindy Miller— Muncie, IN— Students attending elementary schools in the Muncie Community Schools and Inspire Academy recently received 4,000 new high quality books to read and keep for their own, thanks to a $57,000 donation from the Back to School Teachers Store. This initiative, called Books Kids Keep, was designed to give every child in local schools a new, free book to help build a child’s home library. Many books included Disney, super hero and Star Wars titles that…

I&M plans to build the line with steel monopole structures averaging 75-feet in height. Photo provided

Business June 6, 2019

Indiana and Michigan Power Plans Transmission Improvements In Yorktown

By: Tracy Warner— Fort Wayne, IN – Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) plans an approximate $6.5 million investment to upgrade the electric transmission network serving customers in Delaware County in eastern Indiana. The Yorktown Area Improvements Project involves upgrading about 2 miles of 34.5-kilovolt (kV) transmission line to 69-kV standards. The improvements help ensure reliability for I&M customers and support economic development. The company plans to rebuild some sections of the power line in its existing right-of-way. Other sections of the…

The first "Muncie Mystery" will be held on First Thursday, June 6 in downtown Muncie.

Entertainment June 6, 2019

First Thursday To Feature Clue-Like Game For All Ages

By: Michelle Kinsey— Muncie, IN – Was it Mrs. Mulberry with the letter opener? Perhaps it was Professor Pershing with the leather briefcase? Could it be Lieutenant Liberty with the globe? A crime – pretend crime, that is – has been committed and we need YOUR help finding the culprit and the “weapon” used. Join fellow citizen sleuths for the first Muncie Mystery during First Thursday on June 6 in downtown Muncie. Here’s the deal, detectives: The only pure amber…

Jewelry by Lisa Walsh, a jewelry designer from Lafayette. Photo provided

Entertainment June 6, 2019

Natural Influences: Two Hoosiers, Nature, And Their Art To Be Presented On First Thursday

By: Barbara Schafer— Muncie, IN—Gordy Fine Art and Framing Company will open Natural Influences: Two Hoosiers, Nature, and Their Art during June’s First Thursday. From topographically inspired jewelry by Lisa Walsh to floral designed silks by Carrie Wright, the influence of nature will be celebrated during June’s First Thursday on June 6, from 5:00pm to 8:00pm.  Carrie Wright, a Muncie silk painter, will give a short talk at 6:15.  Light refreshments will be served, and the public is invited to attend. The…