Government

By Greg Pence Press Office— Columbus, IN –  Congressman Greg Pence (IN-06) has introduced H.R. 5506, the Rural Telehealth Access Task Force Act with Congresswoman Angie Craig (MN-02) seeking to expand rural communities’ access to telehealth capabilities. The proposed legislation seeks to establish a Rural Telehealth Access Task Force between the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), United States Department if Agriculture (USDA), Department of Health and Human Service (HHS), National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). If enacted by law, the task force would be commissioned with identifying barriers to the adoption of telehealth technologies in…

By Jeff Robinson, President, Muncie City Council—  MUNCIE, Ind.—The September 30th deadline for local non-profits to apply for grant dollars earmarked to help those organizations and their clients who were hardest hit by COVID-19 is fast approaching. In total, $2 million of the City of Muncie’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding of $31.7 million was set aside specifically to help the nonprofit sector. Applications are available on the City’s website and must be submitted by September 30th, 2021. Jeff Robinson, President of the City Council and District 2 Councilman, recruited a diverse committee representing non-profits, grantors, and local leaders to…

By Melissa Jones— DELAWARE COUNTY, Indiana — The Delaware County Redevelopment Commission invites the public to a double ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 29, celebrating the official opening of two recent trail projects. The ribbon-cutting event will start at 10 a.m. at the Star Bank at 3300 N. Everbrook Lane to commemorate the Morrison/McGalliard Trail Sidewalk. The Morrison/McGalliard project added 1.5 miles of trails and sidewalks to the northwest business corridor of Muncie, helping to safely connect residents and Ball State students to many hotels, restaurants and stores, as well as serve increased foot traffic during Ball State football games….

By Tony Sandleben— MUNCIE, Ind. – The Restaurant and the Small Business/Tourism committees have selected the businesses that will be receiving grants from Muncie’s American Rescue Plan (ARP). Mayor Ridenour and the City of Muncie have worked to award 189 businesses and restaurants $3.11 million which will all go out once the businesses selected complete the federally required paperwork. The restaurant committee has selected and sent checks to 43 restaurants. Those are: Sea Salt & Cinnamon, Elm Street Brewing Company, Roots, Mulligans, La Hacienda, Yats, Vera Maes, 12th Street Café, Frozen Boulder, the Caffeinery, Twin Archers, Dumpling House, Red Apple, GGs,…

By Lt. Governor Press Office— STATEHOUSE – Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs have announced a new program aiming to help more Hoosiers obtain access to reliable and quality broadband. Homeowners and business owners can apply for consideration for the Indiana Connectivity Program, which opens for applicants on Monday, Sept. 27. This new tool can connect residents and businesses that lack internet service with internet service providers and assist in the expense of extending broadband to unserved and underserved locations. “The Indiana Connectivity Program aims to bring high quality broadband service to unserved and underserved…

 By J.P.Hall— MUNCIE, Ind.—After years of challenges, the private Halteman Swim Club closed its doors in 2017 and was sold shortly after at the county tax sale. The property became abandoned, blighted, dangerous, and an overall eyesore upon the community. Via an incredible public/private partnership between the Halteman Village Neighborhood Association (HVNA), the City of Muncie, the Muncie Parks Department, the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority’s (IHCDA) CreatINg Places program, and many individual and local Foundation’s, all are ready to celebrate a soft opening of the public park specifically highlighting the new playground, pavilion and splash pad. What: Playground/Pavilion/Splash…

By Ro Selvey— MUNCIE, Ind. – Like many midwestern cities with a rich history, the City of Muncie has seen its fair share of changes to our local economy, our demographics, and to our neighborhoods. Many of these changes are the inevitable price of progress, they are all accompanied with their own unique challenges. Our housing is no exception. While our community has seen necessary and prudent growth in our residential structures, at the same time we are not exempt from the many homes that are left blighted and in disrepair. According to the most recent census data, 15% of…

By Jeff Robinson, President, Muncie City Council— I’ve been receiving the below email from a number of people throughout Delaware County. Each email I receive is the exact same wording, although the signatures are all different. I don’t blame these people for not understanding the limits of local government’s authority. Someone has misled these people (either purposefully, or through sheer ignorance) to believe city council has the authority on anything regarding vaccine mandates, which it does not. That authority rests with the state and a long standing precedent has been set (see Jacobson v. Massachusetts and the Supreme Court Decision…

 By Keith Roysdon— DELAWARE COUNTY, Indiana — A longtime local company will purchase an old Muncie industrial building and give it a total makeover into a modern warehouse and distribution facility. North Central Industries, an importer of fireworks with headquarters in Delaware County for decades, will turn the former City Machine Tool & Die building into an updated facility, Delaware County officials said. They intend to take a currently rundown property and make it a new and revitalized commercial site. The project means a new owner and a complete rebuild and reuse — as a warehouse — of the long-empty…