Tonight: The low for tonight won't get much cooler, getting down to 35 degrees. After a breezy past few days, the winds will calm down only coming out of the south at 5 mph. Fortunately, the clouds will still be sticking around throughout the night which will help warm up our temperatures tomorrow.

Tomorrow: We will be getting away from those chilly temperatures we have been feeling the past few days and the high will get in the low 60s. There will be clouds present throughout the morning, along with a few midday showers, but they will start to clear out getting into the early afternoon.

Seven-Day Forecast: After the last few days where the temperatures got below freezing, we will finally be seeing a warmup as the rest of the week concludes. Thursday will have a few light midday showers with temperatures starting to rise to 54 degrees as the high. Friday and Saturday will both get up to 68 degrees with the sun peeking in and out of the clouds throughout both days. Sunday will be our warmest high of the week getting up to 72 degrees, well above the temperatures we have experienced the past few days. Unfortunately, the temperature will drop almost 20 degrees overnight and the high on Monday will only get up to 48 degrees. Now it will start to warm throughout the middle of the week getting into the high-50s on Wednesday.

- Weather Forecaster Orion Aric

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In this episode of 9-1-1 What's Your Hot Take, Sam and Willow discuss the events of season 9 episode 13 of 9-1-1.

Music track: Talk by Chill Pulse

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Hosted by: Sam Jasionowski and Willow Emig

Edited by: Sam Jasionowski

Graphic by: Willow Emig

Today: Expect cloudy and breezy conditions in the early to mid-afternoon. Winds will sit around 10-15 mph out of the Southwest with gusts potentially over 20. Today won't be as cold as yesterday, with a high of 41 degrees.

Tonight: The winds will gradually weaken as we head into the overnight, but cloudy conditions will remain. Tonight's low is 35 degrees with a slight breeze out of the south of around 5 mph.

Tomorrow: The beginning of the weekend warmup starts tomorrow with a high of 55 degrees. Although the temperatures will be significantly warmer, we can't rule out the possibility of some showers throughout the morning and early afternoon. Expect winds to sit around 5-10 mph.

Seven-Day Forecast: The warm air arrives just in time for the weekend. Expect highs in the high-60s and low-70s throughout the weekend with partly cloudy conditions. Our low temperatures will sit in the 30s and 40s over the next seven days. A large ridge is expected to move into the central United States over the weekend, limiting rain chances early next week. This will allowmostly sunny conditions to start the week.

- Weather Forecaster Zachary Alberson

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Health insurance is not required and all testing will be conducted on a walk-in basis. For questions or inquiries, please message the department via email at hpa@bsu.edu or call 765-285-3775.

Contact the Daily News via email ateditor@bsudailynews.com.

Lease lives with autism and a rare genetic condition called CTTNB1, a neurological disorder that impairs and delays brain development. The disorder was recently found in 2011, affecting roughly one in 50 thousand children.

Lease's mom, Emily Crawford, has found support through her own research and in her community.

"We finally pulled him from public school because he was really struggling and was considering homeschooling him," Crawford said. "Then, we got the call from Hillcroft that there was an opening coming up."

Lease and his family are enrolled in Hillcroft Services Inc, a non-profit organization founded in 1953 that provides residential, employment, and community support services to individuals. They offer specialized programming, including ABA autism therapy, vocational training, and residential group living.

Lease is enrolled in the ABA therapy, where he learns skills and improves his behavior. He's made significant progress since joining.

"Tyler has grown a lot in the past several months," Clinic Director Kaitlyn Smith said. He's worked really hard on communication, not only with his therapist and his parents, but with his peers. He was not really interested at first, but now he's seeking them out to paint nails or to play."

Outside of the clinic, Lease receives additional support through Canine Companions. Canine Companions is a nonprofit that issues service dogs to help people with disabilities at no cost. Last year, Lease and his family were paired up with Russell.

"The main thing that Russell helps Tyler with is regulation", Crawford said. Tyler gets fixated on different stressors, so Russell can help redirect by nudging him or lying across him to add deep pressure."

Lease and his family continue to utilize these services, but the support from the community remains endless.

To get involved in the program, visit their website.

Contact Amelia Winter with comments at amelia.winter@bsu.edu.

From a very young age, Taylor was curious by nature, so much so, that she earned herself the nickname "Jovi the Journalist." Despite the childhood moniker, she did not discover her passion for journalism until her freshman year of high school when she took a journalism 101 course.

Though her passion was unleashed in high school, Ball State has given Taylor the opportunity to sharpen her skills as a journalist. Her studies have helped her to feel more confident in her skills as an investigator and reporter.

"The coolest part of being a CCIM student is having the opportunity to work with great professors who have such diverse backgrounds and experience," said Taylor.

She credits her growth to the many professors who have impacted her and helped give her to tools to be more effective and confident. While the professors have helped shape Taylor, the opportunities that she has had while at Ball State have also left a lasting impact.

One such opportunity was her internship for the Indiana Senate through their press secretary program. The experience offered her insights into the innerworkings of the government, and helped her build connections that will last her a lifetime.

"Each day was a new and cool experience," said Taylor, "because the program provided us with different guest speakers from Indiana Statehouse and fostered a collaborative learning environment."

With such excellent experiences in her portfolio, it is easy to imagine her passions to be limited to the world of journalism. However, Taylor has many passions that she does not shy away from sharing.

Her passions include art, dancing and music. Most notable, however, is her deep and unwavering passion for her faith.

"The story behind that is quite amazing, I believe, in of itself but it shaped me into who I am today because I have grown so much in my faith." Said Taylor.

As she soars toward graduation, Taylor is sure to make waves with her career and her many passions.

At Cardinal Media, we believe everyone at Ball State has a story worth telling. Cardinal Spotlight is our way of getting to know students beyond the surface - what they're up to, what matters to them, and what makes them who they are. Ordinary college life is more interesting than it gets credit for, and we want to hear about it.

Tonight: We are looking at a mostly cloudy night with temperatures dropping into the low-20s and staying around that range for the rest of the night. Winds will be variable around 10 mph coming out of the SSW.

Tomorrow: Temperatures will start to warm up a bit with a high of 41 degrees and winds still staying variable but gusting up to 25 mph. However, there will be a chance of snow flurries early tomorrow giving way to pretty widespread cloud cover for the rest of the day.

Seven-day Forecast: Over the next seven we will start to see a very noticeable increase in temperatures. Temperatures will still stay pretty chilly for Wednesday and Thursday with snow flurries turning into rain on Wednesday, but we will really see warmth on Friday as we break the 60 degree mark and start to see some sun break through the clouds. Saturday and Sunday are looking both at 67 degree days and even a possibility of hitting 70. Higher wind gusts could be a possibility on Sunday with gusts up to 25 mph.

- Weather Forecaster Jonas Hinderer

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Now, Mike and his son Mark work together running the bakery. Mark has been in the kitchen working for as long as he can remember.

"Growing up, I was here all the time, pretty much," Mark said. "I had pictures of me back when I was five, four, three years-old back in the back working at the original location."

The downtown location was home for Concannons Bakery until 2009 when they moved to the corner of North Morrison Road and West Bethel Ave. At their new location, the Concannons have worked hard to keep their legacy alive while also serving fresh baked goods to the community.

"Regarding the legacy of the bakery, a lot of people hope for something like that to happen with their family. With tradition and things like that it's great, but I don't think a lot of people realize how hard it is to get that balance accomplished," Mark said.

Even after moving locations, the popularity of Concannons seemed to only grow. Over the years the bakery has been visited by countless familiar faces. Concannons employees have said that many Muncie locals who have moved away still find a way to come back for a donut or two. While the donuts are a key to their popularity, it's not all that the Concannons are cooking up.

"You gotta look at, I think, the bigger picture. I mean without the donuts, the coffee, and the popcorn, and the chocolate and the candies we make, it brings everything together. Especially for those holiday seasons when people come in for a wide range of goods," Mark said.

While the Concannons have worked to bake their love into the food they sell the community, Muncie has done its best to give back to them. Lyndsey, who grew up in Muncie, now works at the bakery as the Head Cake Decorator. She remembers when the bakery was first around and enjoys being able to work there now.

"I went to Muncie Central High School, and I remember every day going across the street to Concannon's to get like a donut, milk or like cookies. And then to be able to get older and now come into Concannon's and ask for a cake decorating job, it's just amazing," Lyndsey said.

At the heart of the bakery, mixed with family, community and friends, is a tradition unlike any other. Sarah McCartney has worked for the Concannons and moved up the ladder from donut girl and now to Head Manager. She said that while growing alongside the business, they have one of those American traditions you can't really find anywhere else.

The Concannon tradition and legacy has also allowed for other families to make visiting the bakery a tradition of their own.

"It keeps things close knit and together, that family aspect," McCartney said. "To know you've got that togetherness, to know you've got a little bit of history. It's also just so great to see your family do that growing up, and now your children come in, and I mean my family comes in to visit and we make it a little tradition of our own."

As the Concannon family work to evolve the bakery more into the future, they have found recent success in selling their baked goods online. Their website, Concannon's Pastry Shop, is one innovation they've worked on alongside the large digital sign outside the front of the bakery. No matter how they evolve, one thing stays the same, and that is knowing people's enjoyment of a fresh donut.

"I mean, the biggest thing is you've gotta have a fresh donut, and you know, we make all of our donuts fresh daily. It pretty much comes right out of the fryer and into the glazer and goes straight into the case or even a box," Mark said.

Contact Aiden Murray with comments at aiden.murray@bsu.edu.

Today: With a high temperature of 28 degrees, today is an exceptionally cold March day. With cloud cover sticking around all day and occasional flurries, it feels a lot further away from spring than it is.

Tonight: A cold night ahead with cloudy skies and a low in the low-20s. Winds will slow down overnight to 9 mph SSW.

Tomorrow: Expect a slightly warmer day tomorrow despite the possibility of snow in the morning. The high will reach 41 degrees in the late afternoon with clouds and 10-15 mph winds all day.

Seven-day Forecast: We are going to see a wide variety of temperatures over the next week with highs ranging from the low-40s to the low-70s this coming Saturday. Get ready for precipitation on Wednesday and Thursday and a very warm weekend.

- Weather Forecaster Daphne Gibaud

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NewsLink Indiana is a proud Ambassador for the NOAA Weather-Ready Nation program.

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For the past few years, the music industry has been dominated by female artists. With pop princesses like Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and Sabrina Carpenter all releasing music in the past year, pop fans have been patiently waiting for the return of pop prince Harry Styles. Even with strong contenders like Conan Gray and Benson Boone, nothing could replace the Styles-shaped hole audiences were yearning for. Luckily, after spending four years away from releasing music, Styles released his fourth studio album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.

Popping Between Genres

Styles took a drastic-but successful-leap into a new sound with this record, leaning heavily into a dance/electronic sound over his usual bedroom pop sound. Styles has always been my favorite artist for upbeat, poppy music and this change to disco is very encouraged. This new sound is so funky, in the best way. "Pop" and "Dance No More" are so addicting to listen to, this genre really suits Styles. "American Girls" and "Taste Back" are the closest tracks to sounds like his old work, intertwining both old and new into a few tracks on the album. They make for some really standout songs.

Ballads are always hit or miss for me, especially with Styles' music. His older ballads hit a lot harder for me, and it still rings true. The writing on "Coming Up Roses" is beautiful, but it feels a bit out of place on the album sound-wise. Similarly, "Paint By Numbers" is my least favorite song on the album. Being put in between two songs with faster tempos, it sticks out like a sore thumb and doesn't hit as hard if it were placed somewhere else, or on a completely different album. Thematically, both songs make sense for the record; however, I don't see myself revisiting those tracks as often.

Mediocre Writing, Occasionally

The themes of the album are very striking throughout, but Styles struggles a bit with the writing on this record. He writes a lot about the way he's perceived as a musician versus the way he sees himself; it's very introspective. Styles normally has a lot of fun with his writing-"Keep Driving" on Harry's House and "Watermelon Sugar" on Fine Line are great examples-but in this album, some of the peculiar writing drags the music down. "The Waiting Game" has some fantastic writing, but lines like "and you apologize, a dirty clown" come out of left field and don't add much to the song. It doesn't ruin the entire song, but it does make me raise an eyebrow anytime I get to some so-so writing within the album.

Styles balances some of the less-than-writing with very deep and introspective lyrics. "Carla's Song," while repetitive, provides some very beautiful lyrics. "It's all waiting there for you," and "I know what you like, you can hear it anytime" is amazing writing for a closing track. It punches up exactly what Styles expresses throughout the album: If you look past the way you're perceived, you can create a better life for yourself. Being thrust into the spotlight at 16 when One Direction was formed, Styles has a lot of feelings about being in the limelight, and even with some dodgy writing, the themes shine through and give a special glimpse into his personal life.

It's All Waiting There for You

Stepping into a new genre is a big feat for an artist, and Styles proved himself worthy with Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. Even with some misses on the album, Styles came back stronger than ever after a few-year gap between releases. With the start of the Together, Together coming this summer, this album is set to have a long and healthy run.

Sources: Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify

Contact Sam Jasionowski with comments at samantha.jasionowski@bsu.edu or on Instagram @sjasionowski.

For the first time since starting operations in the summer of 2020, ScrapCycle can reliably intake and process organic material into compost from its 500 total participants in Delaware County. By spring of 2026, the organization will have approximately 22 tons of finished compost to give back to customers or distribute through local organizations.

"Now, I finally feel like the entire life cycle of compost is managed by us. Now it's just continuing to get volume and scale," ScrapCycle founder Bob Mattax said.

The last few years have seen ScrapCycle grow in several ways as it moved from a manual backyard operation to a complete, accelerated process. In January 2023, Mattax moved operations to Brumond Smith Nursery to meet demands for space. Then, in February 2024 and June 2025, he began mechanically rotating, aerating and sifting collections with a windrow turner and an industrial trommel, respectively.

Both machines allow Mattax and his team of volunteers to better handle the voluminous 500,000 pounds of organic material they have collected thus far and process it faster.

"Everything up to this point has been pretty slow… Just like a lot of chemical reactions, it comes down to surface area, so what we're doing is we're introducing more and more surface area, more and more oxygen," Mattax said.

Composting is an alternative way to dispose of many organic materials, including food scraps, yard trimmings and most paper products. Instead of getting thrown in the trash, the carbon and nitrogen-rich waste is broken down by fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms through proper aeration. The result is a hummus-like mixture, compost, that can provide nutrients for home gardens and indoor plants.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 28 percent of the total waste deposited in landfills can be composted, and most of that compostable material is surplus food waste generated by grocery stores, restaurants and individual households. Those municipal landfills are also the third largest source of human-related methane emissions in the U.S. - a greenhouse gas with 84 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide - with wasted food accounting for 58 percent of that figure.

In 2024, only 17.8 percent of the approximately 1.3 million tons of surplus food generated in Indiana was composted. Almost half of that ended up in landfills, disposed of in a sewer or incinerated.

Mattax has made agreements with local organizations like Second Harvest Food Bank to compost produce donations that have already spoiled and can not be recovered. After negotiating rates and necessary upgrades to meet their demand, Second Harvest has diverted over 160,000 pounds of food waste from the landfill through ScrapCycle.

"We don't want it to go back to the dump, but we have asked around and there doesn't seem to be a lot of other people that have the capacity yet," Second Harvest President and CEO Bekah Clawson said. "If nobody else is willing, then we're going to be stuck if we don't support Bob's endeavor. It's sort of like we're patting each other's backs."

Even though he has been able to handle much more organic material because of this and similar partnerships, Mattax said he understands that the larger issue exists on a systems level.

As Second Harvest gets sent more food year-over-year, the likelihood for spoilage-and therefore waste-is much higher. The food bank sourced 11 million pounds of food in 2025 alone, and only 66,000 pounds (0.6 percent) of that total was diverted through ScrapCycle.

"They have put a lot of effort into reducing what goes to the landfill through us, but they are just a cog in the machine, too, where Walmart has 'X' amount of food and they try to sell it as long as they can. When they can't, they give it to the food banks and then they've only got a week to try and figure out what to do with it," Mattax said. "They're not gonna try and process it or preserve it, even though you could, but our food system isn't built to handle that. It's built in a very rapid sort of way."

ScrapCycle, as an LLC, can also not apply for grants or outside funding that would have made some of the expansion over the last five years easier. The business is currently profitable, but it has plateaued with only 40 percent of members paying for the service monthly and the other patrons naming their own price or electing not to pay.

Even though the primary motive has always been to encourage and grow composting over making money, revenue is the core driver behind much of the operation because of the cost to run machinery, pay for maintenance and rent the land.

Composting is also a sensitive and time-intensive activity. While processing from pickup to final sifting is estimated to take one year, open-air windrow composting is very dependent on moisture level and temperature. Plant-digesting microbes break down waste slower in periods of cold temperatures or extreme rain during late fall, winter or spring, and if unseasonably warm summer heat causes the mass to dry out, active microbes will be killed off.

Adoption and retraining individuals is the major hurdle in Mattax's eyes as he is hoping to land contracts with more commercial customers over the next year. While banning food waste from restaurants or commercial businesses would drastically lower emissions, only one state -Massachusetts- has successfully implemented such legislation.

"The big message in all of this stuff is that we can't defer this to somebody else. We can't defer it to the government because they won't take care of it. We can't defer it to another organization. Nobody is going to come into our house and separate our stuff for us," Mattax said. "We are just going to have to be responsible at the end of the day and say 'This is my problem: I have to recycle, I have to compost.'"

ScrapCycle's immediate future plans are to concentrate on advertising and partner with the Muncie Public Library's gardening program to offer compost to local residents or sell the finished product through Brumond Smith Nursery. The ultimate goal for Mattax is to build a platform to empower entrepreneurs and communities elsewhere to make a simple change.

"At the end of the day, I'm doing this and I'm interested in spending my time doing this because I want to make a difference, to make a change, to leave things better than I found them for my kids," he said. "I have four kids and they've been the motivation in a lot of ways; it started out with my garden, but it turned into my kids at the end."

This story was produced in part with financial support from Carbon Neutral Indiana. The reporting and production of this piece were overseen by faculty and/or staff within the Department of Journalism at Ball State University to ensure adherence to professional and ethical standards.

Tonight: Temperatures will be well below freezing as we hit mid-high teens. Snow showers are expected to continue into tonight with broader accumulations than what we saw today. Expect to see anywhere between dusting to possibly an inch of snow. Colder air will continue through the area as westerly surface winds assisted with strong wind gusts come through. With a combination of dry upper air, well-below freezing temperatures, and strong wind conditions , the wind chill values are expected to drop as the night continues reaching single digits. With that being said conditions will feel drastically colder this evening into early tomorrow.

Tomorrow: Below normal temperatures will remain in the region Tuesday. Very partial and brief sunshine will assist in keeping temperatures in the mid-high 20's.

Seven-Day Forecast: As Wednesday morning approaches, a fast moving low pressure system will move through the area resulting in warm air rising above the colder air with assistance from the upper level jet. This is why there's a small percentage of snow Wednesday morning. The probable snow accumulation will probably be around 1 inch or less. Come Wednesday afternoon, temperatures will quickly increase as wind direction shifts, inviting warm southerly air into the area. Any snow that fell earlier in the day will likely melt. Come Thursday, a dominant upper-level ridge from the west will extend far East, bringing warmer temperatures into our area. Though the small transition to the ridge could provide light showers towards the afternoon. Temperatures this weekend look to be beautiful as this ridge supports southerly wind movement and higher moisture values. As for next week though, temperatures look to cool down from Sunday into Monday as a cold front moves through bringing about possible rain showers.

- Weather Forecaster Rachel Fulton

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NewsLink Indiana is a proud Ambassador for the NOAA Weather-Ready Nation program.

For more information about the Weather-Ready Nation program please click HERE

One Battle After Another received the most wins of the night with six categories under its belt. Their wins include: Best Picture, Sean Penn for Supporting Actor, Paul Thomas Anderson for Director, Cassandra Kulukundis for Casting, Adapted Screenplay, and Andy Jurgensen for Film Editing. Both One Battle After Another and Sinners have been in a fierce competition during the award season, and it seems One Battle After Another has slightly beaten the curve.

Sinners made history last night with Autumn Durald Arkapaw being the first woman to ever win in the Cinematography category. Being nominated for a record-breaking 16 awards, the film took home four, with Michael B. Jordan scoring his first Oscar with a Best Actor win, Ludwig Göransson winning for Original Score, and Ryan Coogler winning for both Best Director and Original Screenplay.

Will Arnett presented for both animation awards and made a statement calling out AI art. "Tonight, we are celebrating people, not AI, because animation, it's more than a prompt. It's an art form and it needs to be protected. Am I right?" Arnett said. With the cultural explosion of Kpop Demon Hunters, the animated film took home the Oscar for Best Animated Film and Best Original Song for "Golden."

Frankenstein also took home a few awards last night. Excelling in the technical department, the film won for Production Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, and Costume Design.

Quite a few major films went home without awards last night. Marty Supreme, Sentimental Value, and Bugonia were all nominated for major categories like Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Picture. Sentimental Value went home with one award for Best International Film but failed to win in other categories.

With the award show cycle coming to a close, the 2026 Oscars highlighted the amazing year of film that 2025 was.

Sources: IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, Spotify, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb

Photo: The Oscars

Contact Sam Jasionowski with comments at samantha.jasionowski@bsu.edu or on Instagram @sjasionowski.

Ball State University Baseball v. Butler

Cheer on the Cardinals as they face off against Butler! Come see the players throw fast pitches and slide to home base!

• Price: Free for Students
• Location: Shebek Stadium
• Date and Time: Wednesday, March 18, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Friday Night Filmworks: Space Jam | Cardinal Financial Wellness Week

That's all, folks! Celebrate your new grasp on financial wellness with a March Madness-themed twist by watching Space Jam! Free for current students, popcorn and drinks provided, raffle winners announced before film begins.

• Price: Free
• Location: Pruis Hall
• Date and Time: Friday, March 20, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

CATS

The Jellicle Cats come out to play on one special night of the year - the night of the Jellicle Ball! One by one, they tell their stories for the amusement of Old Deuteronomy, their wise and benevolent leader, who must choose one of the Cats to ascend to The Heaviside Layer and be reborn into a whole new Jellicle life.

• Price: General Public: $18 in advance, $20 at the door, Faculty/Staff/Students: $15 in advance, $17 at the door
• Location: Emens Auditorium
• Date and Time: March 20-21 at 7:30 p.m., March 22 at 2:30 p.m.

Cardinal Chorus and University Choral Union

The University Choral Union is a large and lively mixed choir comprised of approximately 100 students that performs a variety of literature, from multicultural pieces to show tunes. The Cardinal Chorus is a tenor-bass ensemble. Come see these talented students perform!

• Price: General Public: $8 in advance / $10 at the door, BSU Faculty/Staff/Seniors: $5 in advance / $7 at the door, Students: Free in advance, $5 at the door
• Location: Sursa Performance Hall
• Date and Time: Sunday, March 15, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The public will soon select potential candidates to represent Delaware County in the Indiana House of Representatives in the May 5 primary election.

RELATED: Preparation for the primary elections: a step-by-step guide on how to vote in Delaware County

Out of the 100 current representatives in the House, Delaware County represents parts of three districts: 33, 34 and 35. Of the three, District 34 comprises the majority of Muncie.

District 34 - Central Delaware County (Muncie)

The seat for District 34 has been left open, following Democratic Incumbent Sue Errington's retirement from office.

Errington was elected in 2012, but previously served on the Indiana Senate from 2006 to 2010. In a Dec. 31 Facebook post, Errington announced she would not return to her seat in the House, endorsing Democratic candidate Sara Gullion in her place.

RELATED: Rep. Sue Errington discusses not running for reelection, reflects on career

Gullion was elected to the Muncie City Council in 2024 and currently represents the 4th District. According to a Dec. 31 Facebook announcement of her campaign, Gullion's key issues are centered on "housing availability, fair wages, accessible healthcare, and strong public schools."

"I work at a law firm. We get a lot of calls from renters who have real issues with safe housing that costs too much, and there's not really that much we can do to help them [at the city level]," Gullion said. "I think renters' rights really hit District 34 hard."

Gullion said she also believes that an increase in minimum wage would be "huge" for Delaware County.

Currently, there are two candidates for the Republican primary in District 34: Randall McCallister and Richard Ivy.

Ivy previously served as the deputy mayor of Muncie, but later became the director of human resources for the Muncie Sanitary District after the city council voted to defund his position as deputy mayor.

According to Ivy's campaign website, his focus includes "strengthening infrastructure, supporting public safety, [and] expanding economic development." Ivy did not respond before the March 9 deadline for an interview.

While McCallister has not previously held public office, he said that housing reform is one of the central issues of his campaign.

McCallister said he believes that the income limits to low-income housing programs cause beneficiaries to remain fixed in low-earning jobs and discourage them from seeking better opportunities.

According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) website, eligibility for public housing programs is determined based on an applicant's income proportional to the median family income in the applicant's county. In Delaware County, the income limit for a four-person family designated as low income is 80 percent of the median family income, or $59,600.

"I think we should give people the opportunity to better themselves daily and not just say 'This is the limit of income and if you don't apply, you're kicked off of it,'" McCallister said.

He also voiced his disappointment in the current leadership of the Republican Party. He feels that neither the Republican nor the Democratic Party are representing "everyday working class citizens."

"I feel like a lot of them talk a big game, but they're not actually putting it into action. They're more focused on these big corporations coming into town instead of the small business guys," he said.

Incumbent officials

Unlike District 34, the other districts within Delaware County have incumbent officials who are seeking reelection.

J.D. Prescott and Elizabeth Rowray from Districts 33 and 35 are both campaigning for reelection. Both representatives did not respond for an interview before the March 9 deadline.

Prescott has maintained office in the 33rd District since 2018. Most recently, Prescott sponsored SB0076, a bill outlining punishments to local law enforcement entities for not complying with federal immigration enforcement agencies. According to an article from Indiana Capital Chronicle, the bill was signed into law by Indiana Gov. Mike Braun March 5.

Both Prescott and Rowray have also sponsored a concurrent resolution officially commemorating the life of Corporal Blake Reynolds, a former officer in the Delaware County Sheriff's Office who was struck and killed by a vehicle while providing roadside assistance last November.

RELATED: Funeral held for Delaware County Corporal

Prescott and Rowray are running unopposed in their Republican primaries, but both representatives will face opposition from Democratic candidates. In the 33rd District, John E. Bartlett is running as a Democrat against Prescott, while in the 35th, Phil G. Gift will oppose Rowray.

District 33 - West Delaware, Blackford, Jay and Randolph counties

Bartlett was successful in securing the Democratic nomination for the 33rd District in 2022 and 2024, but was trumped in the general election by Prescott both years.

For Bartlett, the central issues affecting the 33rd District are healthcare and education. Bartlett said that Indiana lawmakers need to allow educators in the state to determine curriculum changes.

According to a July 21 Chalkbeat article, the Indiana State Legislature ordered an audit for all k-12 schools to find and eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and language promoted by the districts, which triggered cuts to several programs across the state.

Another law, SEA 442, requires any school that intends to teach sex education to publish materials online for review. It also requires those materials to be approved by the school board and that written consent forms be delivered to the parent or guardian of the children enrolled.

"We need to get the politicians out of dictating curriculum and let the teachers and educators decide how to do curriculum for education," Bartlett said.

Bartlett also commented on the cuts to Medicaid that were included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) in July 2025. According to an Associated Press article from May 2025, the OBBBA reduced nearly $700 billion in funding to Medicaid, creating new requirements for beneficiaries of the program.

Bartlett said that these cuts to healthcare are harmful in rural areas, such as many areas in District 33. He referenced the closure of emergency and inpatient services at the Blackford County Hospital in 2023.

Bartlett said he believes that hospitals in counties closest to the Ohio border, such as Winchester, Portland and Decatur counties, will follow the same fate when the cuts to Medicaid go into effect.

"Rural healthcare in Indiana is at such a dangerous point right now," Bartlett said.

District 35 - East Delaware and Madison County

Like Bartlett, Phil G. Gift, the Democratic candidate for the 35th district, represents a largely rural voting base in Delaware County. Gift also recognized the need for a change in the education system, as well as economic development.

Gift's focus centered on the Choice Scholarship Program, which, according to the Indiana Department of Education's website, provides Indiana families "access to quality educational opportunities" by awarding scholarships to offset tuition costs. The voucher program offers funds to students enrolled in both public and private schools.

"I'm very serious about making Indiana another beacon on the hill when it comes to education," Gift said. "We need a strong public education system that everyone can have access to."

Citizens in Delaware County can vote in the primary elections May 5.

RELATED: Here are important dates, deadlines to watch out for during the 2026 election year

Nov. 3, citizens will elect three officials to the Indiana House of Representatives who represent the three districts in Delaware County.

Contact Ryan Fleek via email at ryan.fleek@bsu.edu.

For Ball State Women's Basketball, chemistry and togetherness is a key part of the team, but that expands outside of the 13 players on the roster, and into the 10 practice squad players that help the team behind the scenes.

"It's just a cool bond for sure [with the practice players]. We're around each other all day, every day, so it's a lot of being around each other," senior guard Bree Salenbien said. "They're such great guys, to do that voluntarily is special. They're definitely our biggest supporters."

For some of the practice players, this season was the first time they have been able to do something like this, but sophomore LJ Shrieve is currently in his second year as a practice player for the program.

"I'd say this team, throughout the season, has just become closer and closer. You can see it each week and every practice, and the team just continues to build on the relationships that they've established on the court and off the court," Shrieve said.

"They became such a close-knit group, and I wasn't sure if it would be that way with a bunch of new faces and people from new places and all that stuff, and so that's been the biggest difference," Shrieve said.

That is the culture Coach Sallee, and the coaching staff has created. Even with an almost brand-new team, they meshed with not only the other players on the team, but the practice squad as well.

"It went from a team that had been together for years and a core group that had been there and done that to, a team that hardly knew each other and only had a couple weeks [to get comfortable before] preseason started and, they've just become so close and together and you can see that on the court too," Shrieve said.

As they have a bond, both the team and practice players are competitors at the end of the day. So although their matchups are practice scrimmages, that does not hold them back from talking a little trash.

"There are definitely sometimes when it gets [heated]. Towards the beginning of the season, we did some scrimmages and stuff and [there was] definitely a little bit of trash talking, mostly from them. There's not too much now because we haven't done many scrimmages, but yeah, like the beginning of the season, there was for sure," sophomore practice player Seth Montgomery said.

As all of the players appreciate the practice squad's commitment, no one is as thankful for them than Head Coach Brady Sallee.

"It's one of the things that leads to our success through the years, just the dedication of those guys. Their loyalty to those girls and the way they go about it. This year, it's been no different. We've got a great group of core guys that have shown up religiously. We had a guy showing up over spring break, over Christmas break we had some guys stick back and help in any way they could," Sallee said.

This is what culture creates buy-ins from everyone. Most practice players wouldn't think to stay over break instead of going home, but the 10 practice players Ball State have feel that culture and will do anything to help the team.

"In the past, we've had guys that would come in and we'd use them for a little bit of time, and they'd leave and we'd continue on with practice. This year, these guys get here at the beginning of practice, they're passing, they're rebounding, they're doing whatever we need in drills, and clearly going through the other team's stuff. When our players see their loyalty and see that part of it, it's a natural appreciation, and they've become part of the team, they've become a teammate," Sallee said.

As these guys aren't officially on the team, they still show up to more games than anyone else, almost being the teams own hype squad.

"They are at every game, they're the loudest in the stands cheering for those girls. It's really one of the things that I think has been able to help us have the year we have. Those guys really, really do a great job with getting us prepared for who we're getting ready to play. They do it the right way, and just a great group of guys."

Although the trip from Ball State to Rocket arena is about 280 miles, the practice team won't let distance stop them from supporting their squad, as five members are making the trip to Cleveland in freshman Owen Souligne, sophomore Clay Butler, sophomore Cohen Meyers, sophomore Lj Shrieve and sophomore Seth Montgomery.

Shrieve said that all season, the team has been excited to see them up in the stands supporting them. So, when it came time for Cleveland, Shrieve texted their group chat, and nobody had a reason for why they would not go.

"I think it's just that togetherness, that relationship and culture that the coaches have established, that's trickled down all the way to the practice squad," Shrieve said.

Many teams struggle to create chemistry and a culture with each other, but the Cardinals squad is as close knit as can be, even with a roster of entirely new faces compared to last season, and that is something all the practice players appreciate.

"We've built a relationship with the girls on the team and stuff, and it's just really cool to see them on a bigger stage, like playing for something that's important, you know. I mean, it's Bree's last few games and stuff, so that's really cool too. But, I mean, we want to be there to support them," Montgomery said.

The Cardinals fell to Toledo 69-65 in the MAC semifinal game, but the practice squad was still there in support, rooting on the Cardinals.

Contact Rylan Crum with any questions at Rylan.crum@bsu.edu or on X @RylanCrum.