Articles by Mike Rhodes

U.S. Senator Todd Young is pictured presenting to members of the Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce and guests. Photo by: Mike Rhodes

Business, Government August 10, 2018

U.S. Senator Todd Young Presents to Chamber Members and Guests

By: Mike Rhodes— Muncie, IN—On Thursday, August 9th, 80 members of the Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce and their guests listened to remarks by U.S. Senator Todd Young during a luncheon at the Horizon Convention Center. Senator Young represents the State of Indiana. He currently serves on the Senate Committees on Foreign Relations; Health, Education, Labor & Pensions; Commerce, Science & Transportation; and Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Previously, in the House, he served on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Budget…

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People wearing shirts like this tend to be go-getters. Photo by: Nancy Carlson

Carlson August 10, 2018

John Carlson: A Visit To The Fittest City

By: John Carlson— We were up in Madison, Wis., for Nancy’s family reunion when I decided it would be the perfect place to film a Martian invasion movie. That’s because you wouldn’t need any extras to play the “people running their butts off in terror” scenes. The folks up there always run their butts off, just for the heck of it. It was kind of unbelievable. We drove into the city past some little lake and there on the shore…

Photo courtesy of Back to School Teachers Store.

Education August 9, 2018

Kiwanis Club of Muncie To Help Honor MCS Teachers August 9th

By: Scott Metzler, President Kiwanis Club of Muncie— Muncie, IN—The Kiwanis Club knows the importance of investing in the community’s teachers and children. On August 9th, the local Muncie chapter will help honor Muncie Community School teachers at the 2nd Annual Teachers Gala from 6-9pm at MadJax, hosted by the local non-profit The Back To School Teachers Store and Muncie Community Schools (MCS). “The Kiwanis Club of Muncie is excited to be honoring our community’s teachers,” said local chapter president…

Mike Lunsford

Business August 8, 2018

Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group Merges With Coldwell Banker Lunsford

By: Tom Farris— JOLIET, IL—Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group is pleased to announce its merger with Coldwell Banker Lunsford of Muncie, Indiana, adding one additional office to its Indiana territory. This makes 15 offices operated by Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group in Indiana since the recent addition of 14 offices resulting from merging with Coldwell Banker Roth Wehrly Graber, previously headquartered in Fort Wayne. This merger extends the company’s coverage farther into central Indiana to strengthen its overall…

Pictured L-R: Marianne Nazarian, PT; Chih-ta Lin, MD; Brooke Long, BSN, RN, ONC; Alexandra Martin, BSN, RN, ONC, orthopedic coordinator. Photo provided.

Health August 7, 2018

IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital Earns Blue Distinction® Center Designation for Spine Surgery

By: Courtney Thomas— Muncie, IN –Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Indiana has selected IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital as a Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery, part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program. Blue Distinction Centers are nationally designated healthcare facilities shown to deliver safe and effective specialty care, based on objective measures that were developed by Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies with input from the medical community. Hospitals designated as Blue Distinction Centers for Spine Surgery…

Ball State football coach Mike New addresses participants at the John Frank pre-season mini-camp. Photo provided.

Education August 6, 2018

John Frank Football League Engages Local Youth

By: Commissioner, Dennis Lee Tyler, The John Frank Football League— Muncie, IN—John Frank League honors Mr. John Frank, a long-time Muncie educator and coach.  John Frank lost his battle with cancer July 17th, 2005. He began teaching for Muncie Community Schools in 1972 at Mckinley Junior High School.  During his time as an educator, John was an inspiration to all who knew him. This memorial embodies his passion for developing our youth. He is survived by his wife of thirty-six years, Margery,…

Photo by: graphicstock

Business August 6, 2018

Ball State Economist Says Jobs Report Shows Nation’s Economy in ‘Full Expansion Mode’

By: Marc Ransford— Muncie, IN—Ball State economist Michael Hicks said Friday’s national jobs report shows an economy in full expansion mode. With net growth of 157,000 jobs and revisions of the previous two months of 59,000, job growth continues to exceed growth in the labor force. This pushed the unemployment rate to 3.9 percent, well beneath historical estimates of full employment, he said. The composition of jobs was strong with continued growth across all sectors, Hicks noted. “Wage growth last…

The back of Storer Elementary. The parking lot will also be removed. Photo by: Mike Rhodes

Government August 3, 2018

Mayor Tyler Discusses Storer Elementary Plans With Neighborhood Group

By: Mike Rhodes— Muncie IN—Mayor Dennis Tyler met with about 100 residents of the Westbrier neighborhood group on Tuesday to explain and answer questions about the city’s plans for the Storer Elementary property. The meeting was held at Riverside Avenue Baptist Church. Muncie City Council members Brad Polk and Dan Ridenour were also in attendance. The school is scheduled to be demolished by September of 2018. The building and foundation will be removed, according to Mayor Tyler, in addition to…

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Celebrates Community, Economic Impact of Indiana’s Longest Rail-Trail. Photo by: Angie Pool

Non-Profit August 3, 2018

Cardinal Greenway Trail Voted 2018 Rail-Trail Hall of Fame Inductee

By: Patricia Brooks— Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Celebrates Community, Economic Impact of Indiana’s Longest Rail-Trail  Washington, D.C.—Today, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC), the nation’s largest trails organization, announced the induction of Indiana’s Cardinal Greenway Trail into the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame. Stretching nearly 62 miles between Marion and Richmond—featuring shaded woods, running rivers, urban centers, small towns and bucolic farmland—the Cardinal Greenway is the longest rail-trail in Indiana. The trail makes up a core segment of an even longer system, the Cardinal Greenways, which…

Doug Krabacher loved the life of a Lake Erie charter captain. Photo by: John Pinckney

Carlson August 3, 2018

John Carlson: A Guy You Don’t Forget

By: John Carlson— There is a world of difference between growing up near big water and being on big water. This came to mind over a couple beers the other day, when my buddy John Pinckney and I began reminiscing about Doug Krabacher. Since Pinckney and his wife, Carol, are landlocked Munsonians like the rest of us, I don’t know the details of how Krabacher, a charter fishing captain on Lake Erie, came into their lives. Come into their lives…