Indianapolis Colts great and receivers coach Reggie Wayne held an autograph session at tent sale July 19

By Staff Reports / July 20, 2023

The 2023 Kia of Muncie and Toyota of Muncie held their tent sale at the parking lot of Scheumann Stadium yesterday. The event kept its annual tradition of having an athlete from the Indianapolis Colts visit and sign autographs. Last season, then-starting quarterback Matt Ryan stopped by. But when it was announced that this year's guest was Colts great and receivers coach Reggie Wayne, many first-time attendees like Phil Vinson made the stop. 

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WORLD NEWS

Associated Press: Why allowing Ukraine to ship grain during Russia's war matters to the world

By Associated Press / July 19, 2023

LONDON (AP) — Russia has suspended a wartime deal designed to move grain from Ukraine to parts of the world where millions are going hungry. The Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the U.N. and Turkey, has allowed 32.9 million metric tons (36.2 million tons) of food to be exported from Ukraine since August, more than half to developing countries, according to the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul.

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NATIONAL NEWS

Associated Press: Hollywood's actors are joining screenwriters on strike. Here's why and what happens next

By Associated Press / July 18, 2023

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hollywood actors are joining screenwriters in the first dual strike from the two unions in more than six decades, with huge consequences for the film and television industry. Here is a look at how it has played out, why it's happening, and what could come next. More than a month of talks on a new three-year contract between the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the studios, streaming services and production companies that employ them led to little progress, and the tone became openly hostile in the days before union leaders voted to begin a strike on Friday. A last minute intervention from a federal mediator didn't bridge the gap.

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LOCAL NEWS

Road work on McKinley Avenue

By Staff Reports / July 17, 2023

Repairs are being made to McKinley Avenue between Riverside and Neely beginning today. The repairs will be complete by the end of July 20, according to a Facilities Planning and Management report. Riverside and Neely will remain open during the road work on McKinley. The Northbound lane of McKinley will be closed from Neely to Riverside today and will be open again at 5:00 p.m. 

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NATIONAL NEWS

Associated Press: 2024 GOP candidates desperate to make debate stage are finding creative ways to boost donor numbers

By Associated Press / July 16, 2023

With six weeks until the first 2024 Republican presidential debate, some hopefuls are finding creative ways to boost their donor numbers and ensure they make it on stage. Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy rolled out a plan to let people who raise money for his campaign keep 10% of what they take in from other donors. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is offering $20 Mastercard or Visa gift cards in return for campaign donations of as little as $1. Businessman Perry Johnson is offering copies of his book in exchange for donations.

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NATIONAL NEWS

Associated Press: First over-the-counter birth control pill gets FDA approval

By Associated Press / July 13, 2023

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials have approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill, which will let American women and girls buy contraceptive medication from the same aisle as aspirin and eyedrops. The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it cleared Perrigo’s once-a-day Opill to be sold without a prescription, making it the first such medication to be moved out from behind the pharmacy counter. The company won’t start shipping the pill until early next year, and there will be no age restrictions on sales.

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NATIONAL NEWS

Associated Press: Senators call for Supreme Court to follow ethics code like other branches of government

By Associated Press / July 12, 2023

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, responding to Associated Press investigative stories on the Supreme Court, said Tuesday it was time for the justices to bring their conduct in line with the ethical standards of other branches of government. “If they just establish the basic standards of every other branch of government, it would give us much more confidence in their integrity,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said. He commented in Vilnius, Lithuania, where he was attending the NATO summit as part of the U.S. delegation.

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NEWS

Ball State Public Media receives grant award from Indiana Arts Commission and Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations

By Staff Reports / July 11, 2023

Ball State Public Media has been awarded grants from The Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) and Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations (IPBS) to support its arts and culture content initiative. The IAC also recognized Ball State Public Media as an Indiana Arts Trust award winner. The grants will enable Ball State Public Media to launch a comprehensive arts and culture initiative. 

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NEWS

Associated Press: Disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar stabbed multiple times at Florida federal prison

By The Associated Press / July 10, 2023

Disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar, who was convicted of sexually abusing female gymnasts including Olympic medalists, was stabbed multiple times during an altercation with another inmate at a federal prison in Florida.

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WORLD NEWS

Associated Press: Zelenskyy hails Ukraine's soldiers from a symbolic Black Sea island to mark 500 days of war

By Associated Press / July 9, 2023

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy marked the 500th day of the war Saturday by hailing the country's soldiers in a video from a Black Sea island that became the symbol of Ukraine’s resilience in the face of the Russian invasion. Speaking from Snake Island, Zelenskyy honored the Ukrainian soldiers who fought for the island and all other defenders of the country, saying that reclaiming control of the island “is a great proof that Ukraine will regain every bit of its territory.”

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NEWS

Ball State University and Heartland Film partner for film production students

By Staff Reports / July 5, 2023

Ball State University film production students are getting an opportunity to learn from Heartland Film, an Indianapolis-based company according to the press release. Heartland Film is well known for hosting the Heartland International Film Festival. It will also be a partnership between Heartland and the University’s new Radiance Cinema. 

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NATIONAL NEWS

Associated Press: The American flag wasn't always revered as it is today. At the beginning, it was an afterthought

By Associated Press / July 4, 2023

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — In the bedroom of the Betsy Ross House, a reconstruction of where the upholsterer worked on her most famous commission, a long flag with a circle of 13 stars hangs over a Chippendale side chair and extends across the floor. Over the weeks in 1776 needed to complete the project, Ross would have likely knelt on the flag, stood on it and treated it more like an everyday banner — not with the kind of reverence we'd expect today.

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LOCAL EVENTS

Where to celebrate Independence Day in Delaware County

By Staff Reports / July 3, 2023

As Independence Day approaches there are a variety of locations to celebrate around Muncie and Delaware County. The City of Muncie will have Fireworks on The Levee. It will be on the Muncie Central High School grounds. It is an annual tradition and will also be able to be viewed from the downtown area. It is free to the public. The Canan Commons will have “Our American Character” with America’s Hometown Band. They will be playing the Fourth of July music. It is free and open to all with lawn space available. It will be concluded with fireworks. 

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NATIONAL NEWS

Associated Press: What to know about Fourth of July holiday origins and traditions

By Associated Press / July 2, 2023

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Fourth of July is Americana at its core: parades and cookouts and cold beer and, of course, fireworks. Those pyrotechnics also make it an especially dangerous holiday, typically resulting in more than 10,000 trips to the emergency room. Yet fireworks remain at the center of Independence Day, a holiday 247 years in the making. Here are five things to know about July Fourth, including the origin of the holiday and how fireworks became part of the tradition.

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NATIONAL NEWS

Associated Press: Morning-after pill vending machines gain popularity on college campuses post-Roe

By Associated Press / July 1, 2023

SEATTLE (AP) — Need Plan B? Tap your credit card and enter B6. Since last November, a library at the University of Washington has featured a different kind of vending machine, one that's become more popular on campuses around the country since the U.S. Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion last year. It's stocked with ibuprofen, pregnancy tests and the morning-after pill.

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NATIONAL NEWS

Associated Press: How the Supreme Court student loan decision affects you

By Associated Press / June 30, 2023

NEW YORK (AP) — The Supreme Court has ruled the Biden administration overstepped its authority in trying to cancel or reduce student loan debt, effectively killing the $400 billion plan, which would have canceled up to $20,000 in federal student loans for 43 million people. Of those, 20 million would have had their remaining student debt erased completely. The court's decision means, barring an act of Congress, those Americans are on the hook for payments starting in October.

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NATIONAL NEWS

Associated Press: Court rules for a designer who doesn't want to make wedding websites for gay couples

By Associated Press / June 30, 2023

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a defeat for gay rights, the Supreme Court's conservative majority ruled Friday that a Christian graphic artist who wants to design wedding websites can refuse to work with same-sex couples. The court ruled 6-3 for designer Lorie Smith despite a Colorado law that bars discrimination based on sexual orientation, race, gender and other characteristics. Smith had argued that the law violates her free speech rights.

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LOCAL NEWS

Local community events weekend roundup

By Staff Reports / June 30, 2023

Many events are going on this weekend around Muncie and Delaware County. Yorktown will have its Farm and Artisan Market from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. The market is in Walnut Grove in Morrow’s Meadow Park. The park has playgrounds, trails and launching sites for kayak trips. Tonne Winery will have the Hunter Lee Band play as a part of their Music Series. The concert will be from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Food available will be La Patrona and Farmland BBQ. It is encouraged to bring your own lawn chairs. 

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NEWS

Band student moves to the beat of her own drum

By Madelyn Moore / June 29, 2023

She stands at 5 feet, 6 inches tall, with a pounding heart. There’s a moment of silence. Counts are whispered. She breathes, then, drumsticks are flying. When the question of ‘who’s good?’ was on the table, students at the Music For All Summer Symposium, held June 24 through July 1 on the campus at Ball State University, were quick to turn their heads and look at Evey Arleth. 

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NATIONAL NEWS

Associated Press: Smoke and haze from Canadian wildfires leave Detroit with some of the worst US air quality

By Associated Press / June 28, 2023

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit area woke up Wednesday to some of the worst air quality in the United States as smoke from Canada's wildfires settled over most of the Great Lakes region and unhealthy haze spread southward, as far as Missouri and Kentucky. The Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow.gov site showed Detroit in the “hazardous” range and warned that “everyone should stay indoors and reduce activity levels.”