Flags of Honor, September 4-12 at Minnetrista
On Sunday, the Exchange Club of Muncie will launch this year’s Flags of Honor. More than 1,000 American flags will fly at Minnetrista from the 4th to the 12th. Community members can sponsor a flag to honor a loved one with a yellow ribbon for $30.
More local news briefs for Friday, September 2, 2022 below…
The StarPress reports a former employee at the Madison Street PrimeTrust federal credit union has been accused of stealing thousands of dollars from customers’ accounts. 28 year old Samantha Lynn Underhill was arrested this week by city police on three preliminary charges — fraud on a financial institution and two counts of theft. Underhill indicated she began stealing money after returning from a pregnancy leave and was unaware of how much money she took.
A Delaware Circuit Court 4 jury found a Muncie resident guilty of dealing heroin to a local woman who then died of an overdose. 33 year old Vera Renee Morgan was charged with dealing in a controlled substance resulting in death, a Level 1 felony carrying up to 40 years in prison. The Starpress reports the jury reached its verdict in less than 2 hours and also found Morgan to be a habitual offender. She will be sentenced on October 19th.
US Senator Todd Young has been endorsed the the Indiana State Police Alliance. During Alliance events in Evansville, Terre Haute and New Albany yesterday young said he would ensure that our men and women in blue would have the tools necessary to do their jobs and keep our communities safe from violent criminals.
Tippecanoe County’s sheriff has released a couple of security camera pictures of the group of young people who investigators say damaged or crashed eight school buses and destroyed some playground equipment at a nearby elementary school. The pictures appear to show three young men and one young woman. The sheriff says he’s hoping someone recognizes the group.
If you have a Bank of America debit or credit card, you can get free general admission to Newfields, Conner Prairie, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum this weekend. This is part of Bank of America’s Museums on Us program, which offers similar promotions throughout the year. To find participating museums and learn more, head to about.bankofamerica.com and search for Museums on Us.
The new Gillman Home Center on south Madison street is expected to open by late September according to the retailer’s general manager. The company is hiring for a variety of positions so interested parties should visit the Gillman Home Center’s Muncie Facebook page for more information.
54 year old Layfayette Square Mall in Indianapolis is shut down. Last year the million-sq.-ft. property was acquired by Sojos Capital, which announced a $200 million plan to transform the mall and its surrounding areas into a mixed-use development called Window to the World. Mall tenants will soon vacate the premises for 3 months while Sojos turns vacant anchor spaces into a boutique hotel, revamps the interior with murals and video screens and turns the concourses into unique hangouts with vendors and bars. A soft opening will take place in November. After that 700 residential units will be constructed.
Online poll results show an Indiana Senate Race may be closer than expected. Senate Democrat Tom McDermott’s campaign commissioned a poll that shows just a 3 point difference between him and Republican incumbent Todd Young. The poll had Young at 45 percent and McDermott at 42, but Young’s campaign disputed the results because the poll was conducted online.
A man and woman were found dead inside a home in Fishers Wednesday morning. Police received a 911 call from someone threatening to commit suicide. Policee made their way to a home on Forsythia Lane near 141st Street and Cumberland Road. The officers made an attempt to contact whoever was inside the home but received no answer. They made their way inside and found the bodies of a man and woman. There’s no word on what caused their deaths, and their names have not been released. Detectives say there’s no threat to the public, and are continuing to interview neighbors and witnesses.
The City of Muncie now has an in-house paving crew. The team is still training on the new equipment, but they completed their first practice run on 6th street off of Hoyt, and are planning to work on Tulip, Azalea, and Primrose next.
WTHR reports The Indiana Secured School Safety Board has approved nearly $23 million in state grants toward school safety. The grants will be allocated to 425 schools as part of the Secured School Safety Grant program. The measure marks the fourth straight year the General Assembly has allocated a record level of funding for school safety investments.
The Ball State University Homecoming Parade has been one of Ball State’s greatest traditions since it began in 1939. This year’s homecoming parade will take place beginning at 9 am on October 22nd. University organizations and Muncie community businesses and groups enter floats, cars, bands, and even horses to show off their Cardinal Pride.
Local college students and recent graduates of all majors are invited to apply for a paid internship with Indiana House Republicans. House interns will be paid $800 bi-weekly during the 2023 legislative session. To learn more and apply online before the Oct. 31 deadline, visit indianahouserepublicans.com/internship.
The Noblesville Housing Authority is now accepting online pre-applications for the Housing Choice Voucher (Program Waiting List. The open enrollment period will last until 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 9. HCV is a federally-funded program that subsidizes decent, safe, and sanitary housing for low-income persons. Madison county persons are also eligible to apply. Visit goNHA.org for more information.
A Muncie man found with 28.5 grams of heroin has been sentenced to nine years in prison. 37 year old Daniel Nathan Williamson, pleaded guilty to a Level 3 felony dealing heroin after reaching a plea agreement with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office. The Level 3 charge is a lesser-included offense to the originally charged Level 2 felony count. Williamson is currently incarcerated in the Delaware County jail.
Ball State University’s College of Sciences and Humanities has been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation that is expected to play a major role in increasing retention and graduation rates among academically talented low-income students in Chemistry and Biology. The grant totals $750,000 over 5 years and will be used to provide scholarships to 16 high-achieveing undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need.
Yesterday members of the Indianapolis Newspaper Guild marched on Monument Circle demanding a fair contract with Gannett, owner of USA Today and many local newspaper outlets across the country including the Indianapolis Star and The Muncie Starpress. Yesterday represented the end of a 2 year collective bargaining agreement between Gannett and journalists. Guild Members felt that Gannett’s strategy of cutting from its local newsrooms hurts journalists and the communities they serve. Members also felt they were far past overdue for a fair contract.
IPR reports Delaware County has begun the process of considering vote centers. Instead of having 50 precinct voting locations where voters have to cast a ballot in their specific precinct on election day, counties can use vote centers where there are fewer locations – but a voter can vote at any one of them. Delaware County’s draft plan suggests using about 25 voting locations throughout the county on election day and two satellite voting locations – one on Muncie’s north side and one on the south side – that would be open for two weeks prior to election day, including Saturdays.
The Noblesville Housing Authority is now accepting online pre-applications for the Housing Choice Voucher Program Waiting List. The open enrollment period will last until 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 9. HCV is a federally-funded program that subsidizes decent, safe, and sanitary housing for low-income persons. Madison county persons are also eligible to apply. Visit goNHA.org for more information.
WTHR reports The Indiana Secured School Safety Board has approved nearly $23 million in state grants toward school safety. The grants will be allocated to 425 schools as part of the Secured School Safety Grant program. The measure marks the fourth straight year the General Assembly has allocated a record level of funding for school safety investments.
The Herald bulletin reports Anderson Police are investigating the Thursday morning shooting death of a 19-year-old Anderson man. Jacob L. Spivey, who resided in the 100 bock of Darin Court, has been identified as the victim, according to the Madison County Coroner’s Office. Caleb McKnight, APD public information officer, said police received a report of an accidental shooting at 5:55 a.m. in the Apple Creek Apartments. The incident is under investigation and detectives have been assigned to the case, according to McKnight.
The Pendleton Fall Festival is set to run 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, in downtown Pendleton. The event will showcase downtown Pendleton in a festive atmosphere of vendors selling goods, activities for all ages, as well as a chance to explore local shops.
Thanks for reading and have a wonderful Labor Day holiday!
