Articles by Mike Rhodes

Photo provided.

Entertainment January 7, 2019

Wicked Plants the Exhibit to Open at Minnetrista

By: Stephen Mortland— Muncie, IN— Wicked Plants the Exhibit is a fun way for the entire family to explore the odd and exciting in the world of botany. The exhibit is set to open at Minnetrista on Saturday, January 19. Inspired by Amy Stewart’s best-selling book, Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother and other Botanical Atrocities. Wicket Plants the Exhibit is a fun-filled, family-friendly look at some of the world’s most dangerous plants, many of which are commonly…

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Sheila Satterfield has fun making some good "Bad Art" during a recent Bad Art Night. Photo provided.

Non-Profit January 7, 2019

January Workshops at Cornerstone Center for the Arts

By: Jessie Fisher— Muncie, IN Cornerstone Center for the Arts will kick off the New Year with a series of one time workshops and camps in January. Upcoming workshops in January include Monthly Dance Club, Bad Art Night at Maring-Hunt Library, Pop Up Dance with Katie Cannon, Painting at The Elks lodge with Yorktown Council for the Arts, Pints & Paints at The Fickle Peach, Coffee & Paints, Pop Up Fitness with Katie Cannon, and Rock and Roll Summer Camp’s…

Boys & Girls Club kids. Photo provided

Non-Profit January 6, 2019

Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie Receive $100,000 George & Frances Ball Foundation Grant

By: Amy Logan— Muncie, IN—The George & Frances Ball Foundation awards The Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie with a $100,000 grant to support the Clubs’ Power Hour programming. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie dedicate time and resource to help students reach their full potential both inside and outside the classroom. Power Hour is a dedicated time at the club where all students focus on academic success. Students work on specific pieces of homework, receive tutoring from one…

550 teachers and staff attended the first-ever Muncie Community Schools appreciation luncheon. Photo by: Mike Rhodes

Education January 4, 2019

First-Ever Muncie Community Schools Appreciation Luncheon Gets High Marks

By: Mike Rhodes— You are appreciated! That was the message the Muncie Community Schools Board of Trustees and the newly created Community Engagement Council hoped to communicate to teachers during the first-ever MCS appreciation luncheon held at the Horizon Convention Center in downtown Muncie. By all accounts, they succeeded in marvelous fashion. 550 teachers, principals, board members, staff and featured speakers attended the event emceed by WLBC’s Steve Lindell. Featured speakers for the event included remarks by Ball State President…

Crows may be game birds, but they aren’t good eatin’. Photo by: Storyblocks

Carlson January 4, 2019

John Carlson: Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken

By: John Carlson— My wife Nancy and I have been off-and-on subscribers to the magazine Outdoor Indiana for a number of years, which also means we get its annual Department of Natural Resources calendar. This calendar is very handy for pointing out things you otherwise might miss. Like, without this calendar, I wouldn’t know that Feb. 25 is the day skunk cabbage will presumably be blooming up in Pokagon State Park. So if you find regular cabbage bland, you could…

The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County awards grants in the areas of in the areas of arts and culture, community betterment, economic development, education, and human services to enhance the quality of life in Muncie and Delaware County.

Non-Profit January 4, 2019

The Community Foundation Granted $983,027 in 2018

By: Kallie Sulanke, Community Engagement Officer— Muncie, IN—The Community Foundation is pleased to announce that $983,027 was granted to deserving non-profit organizations through the quarterly competitive grants process in total for 2018. Grants are awarded that address the broad needs of Muncie and Delaware County in the areas of arts and culture, community betterment, economic development, education, and human services. The Community Foundation received more than $1.68 million in requests this year. A committee of 12 volunteers reviews each application and…

Group photo of new sheriffs who attended the ISA New Sheriffs' School. Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch is seated, center. Photo by: Mike Rhodes

Business January 2, 2019

Horizon Convention Center Hosts Indiana State Sheriffs’ Association New Sheriff School

By: Mike Rhodes— Muncie, IN—There’s a new sheriff in Delaware County…and 50 more across the state who began their duties on January 1st. Earlier in December over 200 sheriffs, chief deputies and support staff from 72 Indiana counties attended the Indiana Sheriffs’Association (ISA) New Sheriffs’ School at the Horizon Convention Center in downtown Muncie. According to Steve Luce, executive director of the ISA, every 4 years, sheriffs are on an election and re-election cycle. Indiana is a term-limited state for the office…

students a trial experience as close to reality as possible.

Education January 2, 2019

Southside Middle School Students Get Real-Life Courtroom Experience

By: Emily Anderson, Court Administrator— Muncie, Indiana—The Eighth Grade teachers at Muncie Southside Middle School wanted to give the class a real-life courtroom experience, but transporting all 120 students to the Delaware County Justice Center, along with the necessary staff, proved an impossible task. Judge John Feick in the Delaware Circuit Court No. 4 responded, “Why don’t we hold a Mock Trial at the School?”  Court Administrator Emily Anderson passed the idea along, and on December 11, 2018, the Courts,…

Aerial photo of Muncie and Delaware County by Michael Wolfe

Non-Profit January 2, 2019

Muncie Action Plan to Present Updated Strategic Plan at Annual Report to the Community

By: Alex Romoser, Muncie Action Plan Administrative Coordinator— Muncie, Indiana—Muncie Action Plan (MAP) invites you to MAP’s annual Report to the Community at the Minnetrista Cultural Center on January 9 from 5:30 – 7:00 pm. MAP’s Board will present the updated Muncie Action Plan (MAP3), a strategic plan first created from input by Muncie community members over 10 years ago. “I believe that most people in Muncie care as much as I do seeing it thrive and provide a rewarding quality…

Nicolas Egierski of Granger, Indiana, a Ball State University junior computer science major and ROTC cadet (second to the right), poses with other Cadets hin the program after the Fall Commissioning Ceremony recently on campus.

We Fly January 1, 2019

Ball State Student Interns For Intelligence Service

By: Jillian Wilschke— Muncie, Indiana — For Ball State student Nicolas Egierski of Granger, Indiana, a junior computer science major and ROTC cadet, putting his skills learned in the classroom to good use was just one of many unique opportunities offered through his internship with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), which manages the United States’ intelligence satellites. “During my time as an intern last summer, I was placed in a special programs office that focused on delivering automated capabilities to discover,…