Articles by Mike Rhodes

Help Struggling Families Avoid Losing Heat During This Brutal Winter by Giving to the ‘Friend to Friend Utility Assistance Fund’ 

By Kim Williams— EAST CENTRAL, IN – Each year, frigid temperatures throughout the Heart of Indiana region produce large utility bills for residents. This past week’s extreme below-freezing temperatures will produce even larger utility bills than normal.  Thousands of local families will struggle to cover the cost of those bills and may face the possibility of utility disconnection and the resulting loss of heat during the remaining coldest weeks and months ahead. Heart of Indiana United Way’s Friend to Friend…

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Muncie Action Plan Task Force 3 Review

By Heather Williams— MUNCIE, IN – As the Muncie Action Plan (MAP) closes out the year, we would like to share MAP’s efforts to improve quality of life in Muncie and Delaware County as we approach our  MAP’s Task Force 3 is charged with improving Muncie’s Neighborhoods by cultivating partnerships around comprehensive, block-level strategies for improvement. The best indications of progress towards achieving healthy blocks and healthy neighborhoods are stabilized housing markets, improved housing conditions, increased resident engagement and grassroots…


Indiana Prepares for Annual Count of Individuals Experiencing Homelessness 

Editor’s note: Delaware County, will conduct the Point-In-Time count on Wednesday, January 24, 2024 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. with the rest of the State of Indiana. By the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority— INDIANAPOLIS—The statewide annual count of individuals experiencing homelessness will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024. Service providers and volunteers in local communities across Indiana will be conducting the 2024 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count for the Indiana Balance of State (BOS) Continuum of Care (CoC) in…


Free Upcoming Planetarium Shows Through April at Ball State and The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse

By Planetarium staff— MUNCIE, IN—All regular planetarium programs are free of charge, cash donations are accepted at the door. One free pair of solar eclipse glasses will be provided to each planetarium show guest for a suggested cash donation of $1, while supplies last. Glasses are partially funded through support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Simons Foundation. January  The Universe Overhead Fridays: Jan. 12, 26 at 6:30pm Saturdays: Jan. 13, 27 at 6:30pm The sky…


Dorothy Douglass Investigates Why ‘Muncie Has So Much to Offer’

Editor’s note: Original published July 19, 2016, we are bringing this story back for your reading pleasure.  By Dorothy Douglass— MUNCIE, IN—Muncie, Indiana, gets a bad rap every now and then. And as a former member of that tribe who said, as a young college student, “I can’t wait to get out of this town after I finish college,” I feel like I should retract that 35-year old statement. Anyone can choose to look at the bad, or look at…


Indiana Humanities Seeks Submissions for 2024 Indiana Eclipse Poetry Contest

By Anna Bowman— INDIANAPOLIS—Indiana Humanities is looking to select an official poet for the April 8, 2024 eclipse, an event that will not happen again until 2044. Indiana is one of only a handful of states that are in the path of totality for the eclipse, and Hoosier poets everywhere are invited to submit an original poem inspired by this event. The poet who submits a poem that best reflects the significance of the eclipse will receive a cash prize…


Reps for ICPE to Address Status of Education in Indiana at AAUW and League of Women Voters Joint Meeting

By Sheryl Swingley— MUNCIE, IN—Two representatives of the Indiana Coalition for Public Education will be the guest speakers for a joint meeting of the Muncie branch of the American Association of University Women and the League of Women Voters of Muncie-Delaware County. The meeting is open to the public. The meeting will start at 10 a.m. and wrap up no later than noon on Saturday, Jan. 27, at Motivate Our Minds, 2023 E. Highland Ave., Muncie. The topic of the…


Muncie Action Plan Task Force 2 Review

By Susan Volbrecht – MUNCIE, IN – As the Muncie Action Plan (MAP) closes out the year, we would like to share MAP’s efforts to improve quality of life in Muncie and Delaware County as we approach our Annual Community Meeting on Wednesday, January 31st at 6:00 p.m. The public is invited to join MAP at Minnetrista’s Indiana Room to hear from each of our four task forces as they share the work completed during 2023. This is the second…


Hoosiers’ Stances on Marijuana, Abortion Highlighted in 2023 Hoosier Survey Results

By Ball State University Communications— MUNCIE, Indiana – Results from the 2023 Hoosier Survey show year-over-year consistency in Indiana residents’ thoughts on pressing social issues such as marijuana use and abortion. The Bowen Center for Public Affairs at Ball State University has released the first of three rounds of results from the 2023 Hoosier Survey, the center’s annual non-partisan public policy study. The results represent the pulse of the state regarding the most pressing issues facing Indiana residents. Results about…


Gaston Resident and Marian University Senior Brylee Koontz Awarded Orr Fellowship

Koontz is one of only 78 students to be offered Orr Fellowships, out of 916 total applicants from 60+ universities. By Amy Hanna, Borshoff— INDIANAPOLIS– Marian University senior Brylee Koontz has been awarded the prestigious and highly competitive Orr Fellowship. A Gaston resident, Koontz is one of only 78 top-tier college seniors selected as Orr Fellows for the Class of 2024. Two other Marian University students were also awarded Orr Fellowships. Orr Fellowship, one of Indiana’s most celebrated non-profit talent…