Government

By Mike Rhodes, Editor-in-Chief— INDIANAPOLIS—State Representatives Sue Errington (D-Muncie) and Elizabeth Rowray (R-Yorktown) recognized Muncie-based Bibi Bahrami,  the  Muncie Afghan Refugee Resettlement Committee (MARRC), and the Afghan Women’s and Kid’s Education and Necessities (AWAKEN) organization for their dedication and service to the Afghan refugees who made Indiana their home last summer. “For their safety and security, thousands of Afghan refugees had to flee their homes and navigate a new life in America. Most arrived in Indiana with nothing but the clothes they were wearing, and MARRC stepped in right away to help many families transition to Delaware County. The support, compassion…

By Melissa Thomas (IEDC)— INDIANAPOLIS  – The State of Indiana is currently accepting nominations for the Governor’s Century and Half Century Business Awards, which honor Hoosier businesses that have remained in operation for at least 100 or 50 years, respectively, and have demonstrated a commitment to serve the community. Qualifying criteria are as follows: The business must have had continuous operations in Indiana for 100 or 50 years by Dec. 31, 2021. The business must have participated in the same line of work for the duration of its operations. If different, an explanation of the evolution into the current business must be…

By Senator Young Press Office— WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Todd Young was named a 2022 Champion of Science by The Science Coalition (TSC), a non-profit, nonpartisan organization of more than 50 of the nation’s leading public and private research institutions. The award recognizes members of Congress whose actions and votes consistently reflect their commitment to federally-funded fundamental research. “I am honored to receive the Champion of Science Award from The Science Coalition. Increasing investment in STEM education and pivotal research will allow our country to maintain and strengthen our global leadership in technology advancements. We cannot underscore enough the importance…

By Tony Sandleben—  MUNCIE, Ind. – The City of Muncie is one step closer to another housing project. The city has reached a deal with developer Miller Valentine Construction, who is calling the development “City View 2.” City View 2 will be an $11.8 million project that will consist almost entirely of single-family workforce housing homes on scattered sites. They will be rental units to begin with, but there will be options to purchase later. Tenants will receive a credit for part of the rent to go toward the purchase price of the home. The city will provide $1.18 million from…

By Tony Sandleman— MUNCIE, Ind. – The City of Muncie is continuing to work on its streets and roadways. The city street department continues to work on its pavement plan for 2022.  The plan covers 63 different projects and represents a dramatic increase in the number of projects to be undertaken. In 2020, Muncie was dealing with a negative $1.9 million balance in the local road and streets account. That balance was addressed in 2020 and 9 streets were still paved. With financial challenges addressed, the street department is now going full steam ahead on pavings. The second quarter of…

By Tony Sandleben— MUNCIE, Ind.—The Indiana Housing Market update for 2021 has been posted by the Indiana Association of Realtors. The report reviewed two specific areas that are of interest to realtors/developers/homeowners: Closed Sales and Median Price. For the year 2021 Muncie/Yorktown showed impressive results to advance up 3 spots to the 17th most active large real estate market (by number of sales) in the state. These 2021 results indicate that Muncie/Yorktown moved ahead of the Kokomo area, plus the Lebanon/Zionsville/Whitestown area, and the New Albany area in number of transactions. The percentage increase (+10.1%) in closed sales for the Muncie/Yorktown area…

By Troi Watts, Press Secretary— INDIANAPOLIS – State Rep. Sue Errington (D-Muncie) has introduced House Bill (HB) 1047, which would require state-accredited schools to provide age-appropriate, medically- and scientifically-accurate sexual health education to their students, for consideration in the 2022 Legislative Session. Errington, a former school teacher and former Public Policy Director for Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky, offered a similar bill last session, but it was not granted a hearing in the House Committee on Education. Errington remains determined to help students understand their sexual health as a handful of Indiana counties continue to remain above the national…

By Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb— Delivered January 11, 2022 Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Madam Chief Justice, Lt. Governor, members of the General Assembly, my fellow Hoosiers, it is indeed an honor to once again discuss the state of our great state and the work before us as we seek to make life better for all Hoosiers.Winston Churchill once said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”Ladies and gentlemen, color me an optimist, because there has never been a more opportune time to realize our true potential than right now. Even as we’re contending with the challenges of a…