Former Muncie Mayor Dennis Tyler has begun his one-year sentence in a federal prison in West Virginia, WRTV reports. Records for the Federal Bureau of Prisons show Tyler is at the FCI Morgantown West Virgina, minimum-security facility. Tyler was sentenced in November after agreeing to plead guilty to one count of theft. During his sentencing, Tyler said it was his “greatest honor” serving more than 50 years in Muncie as a firefighter, lawmaker and mayor. A message on the prison’s website homepage indicates that due to COVID restrictions, all visiting at the facility has been suspended until further notice.
Yesterday, we reported the Indianapolis Colts had placed starting quarterback Carson Wentz on the reserve/COVID-19 list. That made him questionable for this Sunday’s game against the Raiders. At approximately 5pm that same day, the NFL changed their protocols to match new CDC guidelines that allowed a 5 day quarantine instead of what had been a 10 day quarantine.
The Muncie newspaper reports a new 911 director has been hired for Delaware County. Bernard “Fred” Cummings will oversee the Delaware County Emergency Communications Center when he arrives in Muncie to take the position in mid-January. He has been serving as a “Public Safety Answering Points Shift Supervisor” in a suburb of Minneapolis, according to interim 911 director Barry Ritter. Cummings has more than 30 years working in public safety, starting at the age of 16 as a Fire Explorer in his hometown in New Hampshire.
The Northern Illinois University men’s basketball conference opener against Ball State has been rescheduled for this afternoon due to COVID-19 concerns. The contest will tipoff today at 4 p.m. central time as the second game of a doubleheader, with the Northern Illinois University women’s basketball team hosting Akron at 1 p.m.
A vaccination clinic at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been extended through January 22nd. More than 2,800 vaccinations were given at that site last week and more than 3,100 tests were performed. About 15 percent of the results were positive.
It may be a new year, but there isn’t a new minimum wage in the Hoosier state. Indiana’s minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, the same as the federal rate. It’s been unchanged for more than a decade. 25 other states, however, are increasing their minimum pay per hour, including nearby Ohio. The Buckeye State will jump to $9.30 per hour on Jan. 1st.
During its weekly update of the school COVID-19 dashboard, the Indiana Department of Health added nearly 1,000 new student COVID-19 cases. The state updates its dashboard of COVID-19 statistics in schools each Monday. The Indiana Department of Health reported 991 new student positive cases from Aug. 17th to Dec 23rd. In total, the Indiana Department of Health says there have been 62,084 total student positive cases, 3,510 positive teacher cases and 5,349 staff positive cases. Governor Holcomb will give an update on the virus in Indiana, today at 2:30pm.
A baby’s rib fractures have led to the arrests of a Muncie couple on Christmas morning. 21-year-old Faith Sharrock and 32-year-old Jason Gregory were both charged with neglect of a dependent. Sharrock is also facing a count of battery. Police say Sharrock admitted to squeezing her two-month-old son “hard, with both hands,” when she became frustrated with him. Police, as well as the Indiana Department of Child Services, were notified Friday that the baby had several broken ribs, a fractured collarbone, and bruises. The baby was flown to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.
Changes are coming for those who use the Culberson ambulance service in the Hagerstown area. In a social media post Monday, Rick Culberson discussed the change in which Reid Health will begin to operate the ambulance service beginning at the first of the year. Reid Health will continue to operate the ambulance service from the same location and much of the personnel will remain the same. Culberson’s funeral home operations will remain the same.
A new law beginning at the first of the year will require that school districts and charter schools post their “internet use” policies online. A school’s policy should ban “sending, receiving, viewing or downloading” inappropriate material. The policy will also need to list penalties for violators. Schools will also need to use hardware or software to block children from accessing inappropriate content.
Hoosiers will have a chance to view live bald eagles and other birds of prey from Jan. 28-30 at Turkey Run’s annual “Eagles in Flight Weekend” while learning about the animals’ behavior. Events at the state park in Marshall, Ind. will include live birds of prey demonstrations, songbird banding, eagle nest driving tours and an owl prowl.
One Indiana lawmaker wants to spend your tax refund on teachers and lead-free pipes. Democratic state Rep. Greg Porter says a $125 tax rebate is nothing to scoff at. But he wrote in the Indianapolis Star that he’d rather spend Indiana’s nearly nine billion-dollar state surplus on “big ticket items”. Porter says that money could pay teachers in the state more or go to replace lead pipes in big cities like Indianapolis. Republican lawmakers say they’d rather give people their money back.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is warning of what they call “a potential scam duping Hoosiers” who booked campsites at state parks and forests. In the scam, a third party fraudulently advertises and rents campsites to Hoosiers who, upon arrival, find the site they paid for not available. A DNR press release said instances of the scam could date back to July. People subjected to the scam are asked to call the Indiana Conservation Officer Central Dispatch at 812-837-9536.
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY— American actress Mary Tyler Moore, best known for her roles on two iconic TV sitcoms—The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show was born in Brooklyn, New York.
Looking for a family friendly New Years Eve event to go to? How about roller skating? Gibson’s Roller Skating Arena at 2610 S. Mock Ave in Muncie will hold a New Year’s eve skating party from 8pm to 12:30am. The cost is only $20 and skate rental is included. Visit their facebook page for more information.
A forecast by Realtor.com, a leading real estate listings website, ranks the Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson area fourth among the country’s top markets next year. The key metrics used by analysts in formulating the list were expected price growth and sales growth.
A six-week course focusing on strengthening the role of women in city and urban farming will begin Feb. 7th in Anderson. Cost of the course is $65 per person, which includes boxed meals and course materials. Email EduStore@purdue.edu for registration information.
