Indiana has the most polluted rivers and streams of any state, with the most miles of rivers and streams deemed too polluted to swim in of any state. Almost all Indiana’s lakes and reservoirs sampled are unfit for drinking water. This report was funded by the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), a not-for-profit funded by donations, grants and investment income, with funders including the Sierra Club, the Rockefeller Family Fund, Public Citizen and the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Indiana’s nationally-recognized CollegeChoice 529 Savings Plans are celebrating 25 years of Hoosiers saving for education. Beginning in 2024, the maximum tax credit increases by 50 percent, for contributions made in 2023. This is the first time the tax credit has increased since it went into effect in 2007.
Liberty Christian boys basketball coach Jason Chappell is stepping away from his coaching duties. His 18-year tenure included an 18-10 season with his seventh Sectional title earlier this month. He will remain as the Athletic Director for the school, according to the Herald Bulletin.
Three – that’s the maximum number of e-learning days allowed per year for Indiana schools. Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb officially signed House Bill 1093 into law last week.
Another one reports to jail. Retired Muncie police officer Jess Neal has reported to a federal prison in Kentucky, where he is serving a two-year sentence for a corruption-related conviction. Neal admitted facilitating payment of a bribe to ex-Democratic Party chairman Phil Nichols so his friend, contractor Tony Franklin, could be awarded Muncie Sanitary District demolition contracts. Neal joins former Muncie Mayor Dennis Tyler in the federal prison system – he is housed at the Morgantown Federal Correctional Institution in West Virginia, and the Muncie paper says he’s scheduled to be released Oct. 29.
Cornerstone Center for the Arts has upcoming programming that may interest and delight Muncie residents old and young alike. The 2022 Young Artist Exhibition is a juried art competition open to all K-12 students residing in Delaware County, beginning Thursday, May 5. The Education Department at Cornerstone has Summer Camp for ages 7 to 12 this June and July. And even sooner – Open Mic Night is this Friday. There is a $5 cover charge. If you want to perform email jbennett@cornerstonearts.org.
Free food today for Madison County at Callaway Park in Elwood from Second Harvest Food Bank. There’s also a Wabash event today, Muncie Mall and Blackford County Fairgrounds on Thursday, and Friday at First Baptist Church New Castle plus Goodrich Park Winchester – all start at 10 a.m., except for Wabash which is 11 a.m.
The first day of spring arrived quietly Sunday, but for many Americans, a new survey found that only half participate in annual spring cleaning. 37% say they never do a deep clean of their home. Most hated chores: Cleaning bathrooms, washing dishes, doing laundry. 65% of women with kids say they do all the chores in the family, versus 23% of men. 55% say they’ve become more diligent in cleaning since the onset of the pandemic.
