Articles by Mike Rhodes

First Merchants Bank Named One of Forbes 2023 World’s Best Banks

By First Merchants— MUNCIE, IN – First Merchants Bank has been recognized as one of the World’s Best Banks for 2023. First Merchants Bank ranked 31 out of 75 banks headquartered in the United States receiving this distinction and is the only Indiana headquartered bank to be recognized. According to Forbes, they use a methodology where Statista surveys bank customers for their opinions on their current and former banking relationships across 32 countries. The ratings comprise general satisfaction and if…

Read More

Taylor Green—Member of Pridemark Construction’s ‘Future Leaders of America’ Series

Editor’s note: The Future Leaders of America series profiles high school seniors who display leadership qualities in their school and the community. The series is brought to you by Pridemark Construction. By Stacey Shannon— SELMA, IN—When it comes to technology, Wapahani High School senior Taylor Green is quite knowledgeable. In fact, half his school day this year he interns with the IT department at the high school working on laptops, projectors, cameras, wiring, networking and other related tasks. Green has…


City View Groundbreaking Announced for May 17

By Michele Owen— MUNCIE, IN—City View Homes, a city-led effort to revitalize vacant lots and provide new housing stock, has been making steady progress since it was first announced in 2021. The original project involved building 48 new residences, in a combination of town homes and single-family houses. The project was then expanded with City View 2, which would transform 37 lots owned by the Muncie Redevelopment Commission into single family homes. Many of the properties, which are primarily located…


Northwest Bank Ranked Among the World’s Best Banks in 2023 By Forbes

By Northwest— COLUMBUS, Ohio – Northwest Bank, a full-service financial institution offering a complete line of business and personal banking products, has been recognized by Forbes as one of the “World’s Best Banks” for 2023. Ranked 60th in the United States, this recognition marks the fourth consecutive year that Northwest has made the list. The Forbes’ World’s Best Banks listing is determined by a customer survey ranking financial institutions by key satisfaction factors including trust, digital services, customer services and…


Heart of Indiana United Way Announces 2023 Celebration Award Winners

By Kim Williams— Delaware County, IN – Heart of Indiana United Way announces the winners of its 2023 Celebration Awards. The organization’s annual awards event highlights and thanks businesses and individuals who helped make a big impact over the past year through donations, volunteerism, advocacy, and partnerships. This year’s 11 award winners were announced through a short video released on May 4 and can be viewed on the Heart of Indiana United Way’s Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube pages. “We wanted…


West View Elementary’s Kira Zick Receives Ball Brothers Foundation’s Excellence in Teaching Award 

 By Ball Brothers Foundation— MUNCIE, IN —Every child can learn. That is one of Kira Zick’s most strongly held beliefs. She knows there’s a way to reach every student, and in her third and fourth grade Spanish/English dual language classroom, she challenges herself to figure out how. She believes a positive environment is the best foundation for learning.    “It is essential that the learning environment is safe, positive, encouraging, well-managed, as well as diverse. Every student deserves to be…


Today is Fentanyl Awareness Day

By U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Indiana— What is Fentanyl? Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for pain relief and anesthetic. It is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, as little as two milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal, depending on a person’s body size, tolerance, and past usage. 6 out of 10 illegal fentanyl tablets sold…


Letter Carriers Annual Food Drive Is This Saturday

Leave a bag of food by your mailbox By Dee McKinsey— MUNCIE, IN—This Saturday, May 13, is the 31st annual Letter Carrier Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive when postal workers gather bags of food from homes on their delivery route. The annual drive is held this time of year when food supplies may be diminished unlike the holidays when the public is more aware of the need. Postal patrons are encouraged to leave non-perishable items such as pasta, cereal, oatmeal,…


Bracelet Making Workshop at Cornerstone

By Dee McKinsey— MUNCIE, IN– Local artist Debra Gindhart Dragoo is holding a bracelet making workshop in time for Mother’s Day at Cornerstone Center for the Arts, 520 East Main St. The workshop is scheduled for 6-7:30 p.m., Thursday, May 11, on Cornerstone’s third floor.  All supplies will be provided. The cost is $20 for participants age 12 years to adult. Dragoo says the workshop will allow participants to make arm candy and blingy bracelets. She will have slider jewel…


Ball Brothers Foundation is Committed to Muncie and Place-Based Grantmaking

A perspective piece by Jud Fisher—  MUNCIE, IN—Change doesn’t happen overnight. Change takes time and determination from an entire community. This belief is alive and well in Muncie. The positive changes we’ve witnessed over the past century are due to the collective effort of countless dedicated people who were passionate about improving the place they called home. Through world wars, pandemics, economic depression, and the ups-and-downs common to many manufacturing-oriented Midwest cities, Muncie has never given up hope for a…