Government

By Corey Ohlenkamp, Director of Communications, City of Muncie— Muncie, IN— East Central Indiana Regional Planning district voted on Wednesday to transfer the former Delaware County Justice Center in the heart of downtown Muncie to the City of Muncie leadership in a joint partnership to further site development. The agreement between the City of Muncie and county officials will serve as a first step to bringing that location back on the tax roll, as well as continue economic development efforts around Muncie’s downtown. “We are very excited to partner with the county and work towards a development in the heart of…

By Kimberly Dowling, Judge Delaware Circuit Court 2— Muncie, IN—The Indiana Supreme Court has appointed Judge Kimberly Dowling to serve on the state’s Civil Litigation Task Force.  Dowling was appointed in January 2021 to the thirteen-member task force.  She will also serve as Chair of the Task Force’s Self-Represented Litigant committee. The Task Force is part of the Indiana Innovation Initiative, started in 2019 “to explore ways to make Indiana’s system of justice more efficient, less expensive, and easier to navigate while continuing to ensure that justice is fairly administered and the rights of all litigants are protected,” says Robert Rath,…

By Keith Roysdon— Delaware County, IN – People who walk, run or bike on Delaware County’s trails enjoy their recreational opportunities, but also their convenience for access to retail stores, restaurants and other businesses. They appreciate the added safety factor, since trails act as sidewalks along busy streets and roads. And now the Delaware County commissioners are adding even more trail mileage in one of the area’s most traffic-intensive business districts. The county has announced 1.5 miles of new trail added to several miles of recent county-built trails in the growing business district in the northwest corner of Muncie, north…

By City of Muncie Communications— Muncie, IN- In 2020, Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour and  City Council members met on multiple occasions to discuss what direction to take on infrastructure for Muncie street work in 2021 and beyond. INDOT recently awarded Muncie $2.1 million for Tillotson resurfacing from Kilgore to McGalliard and $0.9 million and $1.6 million for McGalliard resurfacing from Tillotson to Wheeling and from Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. to the East Muncie Bypass. The City of Muncie has $2.495 million budgeted for neighborhood street repair and paving. The following streets are slated for paving in 2021: 9th St….

By Mike Rhodes, Editor-in-Chief— Muncie, IN—Heather Williams was presented with the “Citizen of the Month Award” at the Muncie City Council meeting Monday night. Council president Jeff Robinson said, “Heather Williams serves as an associate director in Ball State’s Office of Community Engagement and also as the Building Better Neighborhoods program manager working directly with the city’s neighborhood associations to help build capacity and make connections with Ball State faculty, staff, and students and programs.” In her non-profit volunteer work, Heather advocates for strong neighborhoods, safe affordable housing and sustainable living. Williams is president of the board of directors of…

By Mike Rhodes, Editor-in-Chief— Muncie, IN—Since the beginning of his administration, Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour has made it abundantly clear that improving and expanding Muncie city parks would be a priority. In fact, in many of the mayor’s frequent community update videos on Facebook, he often highlights new things happening at city parks. MuncieJournal.com spoke with parks superintendent Carl Malone, to get an expanded picture and timeline for a few of the city parks. Cooley Park Cooley Park is tucked away at 3120 S Mock Ave, in Muncie. In 2021, the park will be getting totally new restrooms that are…

By Paul Singleton, Executive Director, Delaware County Emergency Communications Center— Muncie, IN—The week of April 11-17, 2021 is celebrated as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. It is the job of public safety telecommunicators to provide a continuous link from those in need to emergency services providers who respond to those needs. Prompt response of law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services is critical to the protection of life and preservation of property. The safety our law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services depends in part on the accurate information obtained from people who contact the Delaware County Emergency Communications Center. We…

By City of Muncie Communications— Muncie, IN- Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour launched his project “1000 trees in 1000 days” at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site in Heekin Park on Friday, March 19 at 2pm where the first tree planting took place. Muncie is vastly different today than it was 10 years ago, and likely unrecognizable from 50 years ago. Today, asphalt, empty lots, and concrete greet you where proud Ash and Elm trees once lined our city streets. “We have lost that cathedral of Green and want to see it return to our community,” said Ridenour. “With the assistance of…