Inform Muncie is a student-led news outlet committed to collaborative and inclusive storytelling in our community. We give voice to untold stories and under-recognized people and neighborhoods.
Rose Park is the Ross Community Center’s newest outdoor project and it is designed to be a space of “tranquility and education” while also providing room to grow – literally.
Open Door is a not-for-profit, federally qualified health center, that offers primary, urgent and preventative health care services, as well as some social support programs. Open Door takes patients regardless of ability to pay.
Oseye Boyd is editor of the Indianapolis Recorder, which was founded in 1895, and is one of the oldest African American publications in the country. She is a native of Muncie and a 1997 graduate of Ball State University. Oseye often returns to her hometown, where she still has family. She is a contributing member of the Audience Advisory Board for Inform Muncie.
Tiara Hicks was on the hunt for a barista. She didn’t know she’d find him at her local Kohl’s. Conner Davis was the Kohl’s employee who helped Hicks with a return. She had heard of Davis before — her daughter also worked at Kohl’s with him, and his dad was a long time regular at her shop.
Teresa Long, founder of Muncie’s Grace Beauty College, and now a licensed social worker says there’s a direct connection between what’s on the head and what’s in the head.
It wasn’t that long ago that Brandie was building her own Habitat house. But on this day, she’s paying it forward.
Friendly conversations, the smell of good food, and the sounds of classic rock. This is what any Muncie resident can look forward to at the Avondale United Methodist Church every Thursday at 5 p.m.
We often take our ability to do things on our own for granted. For some of us, though, we’re constantly reminded of the barriers that keep us from being independent.
Trans-sensitivity training and clinical competence in transgender care is an emphasis for Muncie’s frontline workers including police and fire departments and the emergency medical service workers.
Muncie OUTreach, an LGBTQ+ youth group, is rebuilding after COVID-19 slowed its growth and limited its access to the people who need it most.
Twelve-year-old Emily has been in love with music for as long as she can remember. Her earliest memory was when she was 5 years old singing with her aunt grandmother. They bonded over gentle melodies while they cooked dinner together.
Rosebud Coffee House opened its doors in the Thomas Park/Avondale neighborhood in early December 2020. Owner Tiara Hicks wanted to covert an old bank branch building to create a safe and welcoming environment for the community to hang out and work.
When the pandemic closed the doors of thousands of businesses in 2020, bicycle shops were declared essential and remained open. Bicycling offered an opportunity to spend time outside and get some exercise. Three months into COVID-19 lockdown, Hardin’s Bike Shop had sold nearly everything in their store.
In the 1920s General Motors invested themselves in the Southside of Muncie. Along with them and other auto part makers, the Southside of Muncie continued to boom throughout the 50s and 60s. Increased automation and globalism of industrial giants began to come into the picture, resulting in lost jobs that had no promise of returning. By the early 2000s, the factories that once brought the Southside to life had closed and locations that once provided to the community now provided nothing but empty lots and rusting fences.
Muncie: What once was a strong community has struggled in the clutches of American problems. Collaborative community life in South-central Muncie has decreased over the years due to economic issues. The causes of this are not the fault of the community’s members, but the members can work to mend it.
Substance use is relatively common among college students. Studies and surveys in the past have found that nearly half of the United States’ college students admit to abusing drugs or alcohol during binges at least once a month. This fact has led many universities across the country to provide services to support their students who face health emergencies from drug or alcohol use. Many schools offer additional services to those students seeking to recover from their addictions.
Uncharted territory. That was my first impression when I ventured off campus for the first time as a freshman in the fall of 2019. However, after three and a half years at Ball State University, I’ve grown to appreciate southside Muncie and its stories.
Story by Jake Williams / Inform Muncie Editor's Note: This story was originally published in December 2022 Muncie has a plethora of talent within the city. Whether it is Ball State students or natives of the city, Muncie has many great musicians, several of whom I was able to get to know and converse ...
When I first came to Muncie, I heard about staying away from “the other side of the tracks” — the dangerous side of Muncie. For my first two years here, I did just that. I stayed within campus and barely went beyond the roads of McGalliard and Tillotson. Eventually though, my studies forced me to cross those tracks and immerse myself in the space that was deemed unsafe: the Southside Neighborhood.
t’s the holiday season and that means it’s the season of giving back. On Dec. 3, the Muncie Southside Neighborhood Association held their veteran’s coffee club, which happens on the first Saturday of each month. This is an amazing idea and with everything veterans must deal with, it only makes sense that this should happen. Honestly, veterans get the short end of the stick when you think about it.
