Yorktown baker focuses on allergen-friendly recipes

By Ellie Marker / August 30, 2024

Found on Facebook as Sweet Confections, Theresa O’Brian runs a small business baking cookies and cupcakes out of her Yorktown-based home. For the last three years, parents of Cardinals have been able to place orders for their students that O’Brian then hand delivers to dorms and off-campus residences. O’Brian started baking years ago as a hobby, following the footsteps of her mother who would bake while O’Brian was growing up. Their family made everything homemade out of necessity, so they knew what was going into their food. 

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LGBTQ+

Midwest LGBTQ+ photographers and videographers work to preserve LGBTQ+ identities

By Trinity Rea / August 25, 2024

LGBTQ+ visual artists across the Midwest are doing their part in capturing LGBTQ+ identities.

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MUSIC

Ball State’s sponsorship of Three Trails Music Series aims to connect campus with community

By Ella Howell / August 22, 2024

Richard “Rick” Zeigler owned one of the largest record shops in Indianapolis. Now, as the music coordinator for the Muncie Three Trails Music Series, he’s responsible for curating a list of artists meticulously selected for the Muncie community to enjoy at no cost. 

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GRADUATION

Graduating non-traditional Ball State University students have accomplished more than a degree

By Ella Howell / April 27, 2024

Before sunrise, while most of Ball State University’s campus remains still and quiet, a few early risers start their day to fulfill other commitments: a full-time job, missing a class to care for a sick kid or simply being in a completely new environment. There are many paths students take, and varying experiences bring diverse challenges. 

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LGBTQ+

Indiana's Free Mom Hugs organization and Muncie Outreach discuss how LGBTQ+ groups help strengthen pride in local communities

By Zach Gonzalez / April 24, 2024

A hug can communicate warmth and love without saying a word. For LGBTQ+ individuals rejected by family members, a hug from Free Mom Hugs staff resembles affection they may not receive from those of their own household. 

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LGBTQ+

With limited performance opportunities in Muncie, local drag artists bond through mutual support

By Hannah Amos and Ella Howell / April 22, 2024

After spending the day cutting hair for those who find themselves in his salon chair, Chandler Skye heads out for the evening, but he doesn’t return straight home. Instead, he heads to the venue of his next show and finds himself onstage with a full face of makeup, a wig and an eye-catching outfit. In front of the audience, he is no longer known as Chandler Skye. In his shift from the hair salon to the stage, he becomes Aura Aurora, a well-known Muncie drag queen.

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PARTNERSHIP PAPER

Muncie Southside’s robotics team fosters STEM learning

By Grayson Joslin / April 15, 2024

After a school day ends at Muncie Southside Middle School, most students return home, but a select few enter Brian DeRome’s classroom to learn about robotics.They wander in to the white-covered brick classroom, with chatty conversation about homework assignments and the upcoming practice. 

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PARTNERSHIP PAPER

United Way’s 'Cradle to Career' initiative impacts elementary schools across the Muncie Community

By Katherine Hill / April 12, 2024

Stepping inside any elementary school classroom during independent reading time, it’s not uncommon to look out amidst a sea of wandering eyes flickering from line to line, discovering what happens when you give a mouse a cookie and how hungry a caterpillar can be.

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LOCAL BUSINESS

For 40 years, Wizard’s Keep Game and Hobby store has served the Muncie Community

April 10, 2024

The roll of dice. The fwip of cards. Jokes, taunts and laughs exchanged alongside strategies and plans. Bonds are formed and made stronger simply by playing games.

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MUNCIE LOCAL

The local artist behind The Cup’s alien-like art

By Abigail Denault / April 8, 2024

The Cup’s patrons might take their beverage into the seating area to the tune of an indie-alternative song and like Jessica Wolfe, a 2023 graduate of Ball State University, they might notice new additions to the walls since their last visit.

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LOCAL BUSINESS

Recovery Cafe Muncie is looking to reshape the conversation around addiction

By Trinity Rea / April 1, 2024

Fred Timberlake often spends his days in downtown Muncie listening to the sound of trains driving past, or listening to the sound of water running down by the White River. 

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WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

Muncie’s American Legion Auxiliary supports veterans and their families financially and emotionally

By Ella Howell / March 24, 2024

During World War I, women in the United States stepped up to fill the gaps from those who left to fight for their country. Upon their loved one’s return, the motivation to continue the support for their country and their veterans didn’t diminish.

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WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

Ball State University Professor Courtney Jarrett works with the Notable Women of Muncie Project to write a children’s book titled ‘Muncie Women: A to Z’

By Arianna Lessner / March 21, 2024

They’re integral to our society — mothers, wives, sisters, friends. Women do important things every day, just like everyone else. 

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LOCAL BUSINESS

Sacred Steps Yoga Studio promotes relaxation and peace

By Lily Jones / March 20, 2024

Yoga has been a way for people to feel more relaxed, both for their body and their mind. It can give people a sense of calmness that can help them get away from day-to-day life.

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LOCAL CHARITY

Gaston Community Church member Brenda Ragland started Brenda’s Closet to provide clothing for those in need.

By Hannah Amos / March 17, 2024

The smell of freshly ground coffee. A pulpit with no pews but booths instead. A unique history makes up Gaston Community Church. 

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BALL STATE STUDENTS

Crochet continues in younger generations, as it can't be machine-made

By Ella Howell / March 5, 2024

A spool of yarn and the pull of a hook has the potential to create intricate patterns. The craft is unique, as it can only be done by human hands. Machines aren’t capable of manipulating the yarn in a way that emulates the centuries-old art form. 

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CAMPUS EVENT

Students and East-Central Indiana residents get to experience the arts firsthand with 'Arts Alive'

By Jose Padilla / February 27, 2024

Sitting in front of a round table located in the middle of his office, decorated with lush green plants and surrealist decor, Seth Beckman explained why Arts Alive was created and is significant. 

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DAVID OWSLEY MUSEUM OF ART

Ball State’s David Owsley Museum of Art’s spring show features the unique collection of Sir Mark Fehrs Haukohl

By Madelyn Bracken / February 25, 2024

Bold colors, ornate frames, dramatic subjects. All of these are characteristics of the lost era of art in the new exhibit at the David Owsley Museum of Art titled “Beyond the Medici.”

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BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Muncie’s Martin Luther King Jr. Dream Team focuses on spreading the message of Rev. King and Founder Beatrice Moten-Foster

By Hannah Amos and Ella Howell / February 20, 2024

In 1965, thousands of people participated in a march from Selma, Alabama, to Montgomery. Among those who took on the 54-mile protest was Beatrice “Bea” Moten-Foster.  

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BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Ball State University's National Pan-Hellenic Council, or the Divine Nine, has gained the ninth organization

By Calvin Scott / February 16, 2024

The Ball State National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) is more than just an organization, it is a haven for young men and women to strive to become who they aspire to be.