The Charles W. Brown Planetarium, the largest planetarium in the state, is running a program titled “ The Christmas Star.” Free Showings are on Friday, December 17 at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday December 18 at 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Masks are required at all showings.
The East Central Indiana Regional Partnership was awarded $15 Million dollars in READI award funding late yesterday afternoon at a public meeting at Butler University. The East Central Region includes 8 counties: Blackford, Delaware, Grant, Henry, Jay, Randolph and Wayne and Fayette. READI, which was announced in May by Indiana Gov. Eric J. Holcomb and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, is an initiative that is dedicating $500 million in state appropriations to promote strategic investments that will make Indiana a magnet for talent and economic growth.
Second Harvest Food Bank will have tailgate food distributions today at the Muncie Mall, located at 3401 N. Granville Ave AND at the Blackford County Fairgrounds located at 409 E. Park Avenue in Hartford City. Both food distributions begin at 10am.
Delaware County Emergency Management recognized members of their Special Response Team Volunteers this week at their annual Volunteer Dinner. Awards were given to individuals who have gone above and beyond this year. See the list of award winners on the Delaware County Emergency Management Facebook page.
Thousands of Hoosiers with high blood pressure may now have easier access to monitoring devices that will allow them to check their own blood pressure. On Dec. 2, the Indiana Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning approved a policy request to expand coverage of blood pressure monitoring devices for the diagnosis and management of patients with hypertension. The Office also removed a requirement for prior authorization, eliminating a barrier for patients receiving a device. Go to munciejournal.com for more information.
The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc. has announced the 2022 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship recipients—Kathryn Alexander of Delta High School and Hazel Crow of Burris Laboratory School. Each Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship provides for full tuition, required fees, and a special allocation of up to $900 per year for required books and equipment for four years of undergraduate study.
Muncie Mayor Ridenour’s next presentation in his “Dream With Dan” series will be at 6pm this evening at Hazelwood Christian Church, 1400 W University Ave in Muncie. The program will also be live streamed on the city’s Facebook page.
The 2nd Annual Hartford City Christmas parade will take place on Thursday, December 23rd at 6pm.
Effective Jan. 1, 2022, three Indiana county income tax rates will increase, according to the Indiana Department of Revenue. Local income tax rates are determined by county officials and provided to the Department of Revenue for review regarding compliance with Indiana law. The affected counties are : Cass, Madison and Randolph. Current rates for all Indiana counties are available on the Department of Revenue’s website.
Last week we reported on the newly released TogetherDM community draft plan. All this week we have been highlighting tidbits of information from that plan. Here’s today’s excerpt: “Through a steering committee of stakeholders, public surveys, open house events, and small group conversations, the TogetherDM planning process identified a vision for Delaware County and Muncie’s future. Our vision was based on a shared understanding of our region’s utmost priorities, the values that will shape our decisions, and the direction we will pursue to achieve our goals.” Go to togetherDM.com to review the complete plan.
With the 2022 legislative session right around the corner, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce has released their top priorities for key legislative issues. They are: Economic Recovery and Modernization, Education and Workforce Development, Energy and the Environment, Taxation and Public Finance, Technology, and Worker’s Compensation.
In a bid to push more of its workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19, Kroger will eliminate paid pandemic-related leave and charge $50 per month to employees that haven’t gotten shots. Kroger stopped short of mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for workers, but said it is “modifying policies to encourage safe behaviors including vaccination.” Company officials added the grocer will also continue to offer a one-time $100 bonus to workers that get fully vaccinated.
Among the items to be discussed at this week’s Ball State Trustees Meeting will be the “Voluntary Early Retirement Incentive Plan for Full-Time Faculty.”
A study by PRPioneer.com, a site dedicated to public relations news and advice, found that Hoosiers drink enough beer over the holiday period to fill over 147 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The sheer quantity of beer consumed identified in the study is astonishing. PRPioneer analyzed data showing how many gallons of beer are consumed year-round in each state. They then ran their own survey of 5,436 respondents to establish what proportion of their yearly beer consumption happens over the festive period (from Thanksgiving through to New Year’s Eve). The resulting figure was used to divide into the number of gallons in an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Indiana came in 22nd overall with California taking the top spot.
An Alexandria man has been charged with two felonies that involved his 2-year-old daughter. Joey Dean Baker, 55, was arrested Monday by the Madison County Sheriff’s Department. Baker is charged with Level 5 felony charges of battery on a person less than 14 years old and neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injuries. He is also charged with two misdemeanors of cruelty to an animal.
Gas prices are expected to decline for at least the next week according to Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. He says don’t pay anything over $3.00 per gallon for gas. According to DeHaan, prices will continue to come down for the rest of this week and potentially into early next week until we see the risk of a price cycle.
