Education

By Andy Klotz— MUNCIE, IN— – The Northside Titans are state champs—again! The Muncie middle school defeated Batchelor Middle School of Bloomington 3-1 in their best-of-five state championship match of Marvel Rivals, one of 15 different games Indiana esports teams can compete in. This is the Titans’ second state title following its 2023 championship when they competed in Rocket League. “What a way for these students to finish off the season,” Northside Esports Coach Jacob Mooney said. “Batchelor is a very good team, so our kids had to really work together to come out on top. It’s really rewarding to…

By Ball State Communications— MUNCIE, Indiana — Ball State University’s Interprofessional Community Clinics (ICCs), in partnership with the Heart of Indiana United Way and with support from the George and Frances Ball Foundation and Early Years Indiana, have unveiled a newly transformed waiting area designed to enhance early learning, family engagement, and patient experience. The redesigned space creates a literacy-rich, interactive environment that encourages children and caregivers to engage in meaningful play and conversation—extending learning beyond clinical appointments. Inspired by United Way’s Talking is Teaching: Talk, Read, Sing and Read & Achieve initiatives, the space emphasizes the critical role of early language development…

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 A. Shannon— DALEVILLE, IN—Throughout his time at Daleville Junior/Senior High School, Logan Parker has pushed himself to grow and develop leadership skills. The high school senior has succeeded with his involvement in sports, student media and a variety of advisory councils. Parker played basketball all four years of high school. He was on track team for three of his four years, only missing a year due to…

By Ball State Communications— MUNCIE, IN— A new policy brief from Ball State University’s Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) examines why moving from part-time to full-time work may yield little net improvement for some households already living in poverty—even though full-time employment is associated with significantly stronger economic wellbeing for most working households. The brief—”Work Disincentives: Policy Responses to Low Returns of Full-Time Work for Poor Households”—is based on research published in the Journal of Poverty (2023) by Dr. Emily Wornell, associate director of research for CBER, and her coauthors Monica Fisher, Jeffrey J. Reimer, Paul A. Lewin, and Bruce…

By Amanda Schreiber, Press Secretary, Indiana House Republicans— STATEHOUSE  – Local schools were recently recognized for achieving high literacy rates by the Indiana Department of Education, according to State Rep. Elizabeth Rowray (R-Yorktown). IDOE recognized more than 400 schools across the state achieving a 95% or higher passage rate on the 2025 Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination (IREAD) assessment at the Literacy Achievement Celebration at the Statehouse on Wednesday, April 8, 2026. “I want to congratulate the schools in our district that demonstrated positive growth in literacy,” Rowray said. “Their success will have a lasting impact on students and serve as…

New report shows the immense impact of the college’s students, alumni and operations By Ivy Tech— INDIANAPOLIS— Ivy Tech Community College Muncie’s impact on the region adds more than $91.2 million in income through its students, alumni, and operations. That’s equal to more than 1,362 jobs supported. The overall impact of Ivy Tech was cited in a new report on the economic value of the College, as measured during Fiscal Year 2024-2025 by Lightcast. The report found that the statewide impact of Ivy Tech adds more than $4.8 billion in income through its students, alumni, and operations of campuses throughout…

By Dr. Michael J. Hicks— MUNCIE, IN— A new policy brief from Ball State University’s Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) examines how county-level restrictions on utility-scale wind and solar development in Indiana are associated with employment, gross domestic product, and local public revenue. Published through the Indiana R-STEP Collaborative, the brief summarizes findings from a broader empirical study of renewable energy restrictions across Indiana counties. The brief reports that counties adopting restrictions on renewable energy development tended to experience weaker economic performance than counties without those restrictions, with differences most evident in employment and GDP and concentrated in manufacturing and…

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 A. Shannon— MUNCIE, IN—Last August, Muncie Central High School senior Fletcher Kahle tore his ACL for the second time in his high school career. Just like that, plans shifted a bit for the varsity football and baseball athlete. The seven-month recovery time for such an injury kept Kahle off the football field last fall, but he’s looking forward to school baseball this spring. “Going through that recovery…

By Ball State Communications—  MUNCIE, IN — Actor, producer, and philanthropist Hugh Jackman will address Ball State University’s Class of 2026 at the University’s Spring Commencement ceremony. Ball State will confer approximately 2,800 doctoral, specialist, master’s, and baccalaureate degrees during the University-wide gathering. The event will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 2, in the Quad, followed by individual college celebrations throughout the day at Worthen Arena and Emens Auditorium. During the main ceremony, Mr. Jackman will receive an honorary doctor of arts degree. He has starred in many films, most notably as Wolverine in several Marvel movies and as the lead…