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The Manifest Destiny Reporter

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06/28/2024

This is our newsletter. Its small now but look for it to get much more content in the future. This is the Summer Edition. The first article is based on facts, but the opinions in the story are my own, and were not meant to hurt anyone or cost them any financial or mental stress. Hope you enjoy it. ===Elisabeth Edgell

05/11/2024

Public Education in Muncie IN

Gov. Eric Holcomb lauded the Ball State Muncie Schools takeover this week during an event at Southside Middle School.
More than 200 people including teachers, school and Ball State officials besides community leaders heard how public education improved over the last six years with new programs like social emotional learning, career training and pre school programs.
Lee Ann Kwiatkowski, CEO and director of public education, acknowledged more work was needed, especially with standardized testing that found single digit ILearn scores at Southside and Southview last year.
Her tenure ends in July when associate superintendent Chuck Reynolds becomes the new CEO. He’s had years of experience locally and Kwiatkowski was a former education official for the governor.
Holcomb pointed out how powerful the community collaboration and commitment was to public education. The state has committed over $1 billion in new money to K-12 education in recent years.
Mary Dollison, a founder of Motivate Our Minds, an after school program in Whiteley, was frustrated with testing besides the help other inner city schools like Longfellow receive to succeed.
Others remain concerned that Muncie Schools no longer has an elected school board like others in the state and still has marginal participation from parents. Few families attended the event this week.
The Indiana General Assembly gave the university the task of running public education six years ago with no sunset for returning it to the people.
Sue Errington, Muncie’s state representative, was in the audience and mentioned later that unlikely the Republican majority in the Legislature would return control to an elected board.
Geoffrey Mearns, Ball State president, said public education was important to the future of the community. The university is nationally known for its century old Teachers College that has graduated hundreds of thousands educators.
Muncie Schools recovered financially from debt created some years ago with generous donations from the community. It now has a $32 million cash balance and raised teacher pay from $34,659 to $51,500.
Several million dollars in federal funds have been secured to renovate Southview and West View besides other schools.
James Williams, school board president, also pointed out that enrollment had stabilized with about 5,000 students now attending. Muncie is the largest public school district in the area next to Anderson.
Education leaders made no mention of the latest partnership allowing the YMCA to build on school grounds next the Central High.
That group and another running the old Muncie Area Career Center introduced religion into public education that raises issues with some.

Rick Yencer

04/25/2024

Crisis in South Muncie

That crisis center for the addicted has a big price tag while looking to open in months to come.
Found at Hoyt and Eighth across from The Common Market, the facility will be operated by IU Health and provide services similar to The Hub in the neighborhood.
Architect Keith Gary who owns US Architects, designed the new building and oversees construction. Mayor Dan Ridenour announced the plan a year ago to combat growing drug addiction in the community.
Fredericks of Pendleton, got a $650,000 contract from city government to construct the building at the site of the legendary Workman’s Bar. More was spent to buy the property and draw plans for the new building.
That bar run by the Moore family served a couple generations of those who worked at Chevrolet plant that closed and was razed sometime ago.
Gary said Wednesday the old building actually was a handful of buildings expanded or rebuilt over time. It was torn down and the new building came in the spring.
There’s still a couple months of work before it is ready for equipment, furnishings and staff.
The mayor dedicated a portion of the $2 million set aside in the American Rescue Plan for addiction services. And the city signed a deal with IU Health to operate it.
The facility will have medical staff besides provide showers and laundry for the addicted and homeless like The Hub.
Courtney Thomas, IU Health spokesman, said the local hospital supported addiction services besides providing them.
The IU Health Addiction and Treatment Center recently moved to a facility on Hutchison, south of Jackson, and provides medical and psychological help.
Others that help the addicted and homeless include Muncie Mission that operates The Hub, besides the men’s shelter on Liberty; the local YWCA on Charles, Recovery Cafe, downtown, and The Norm found on South Madison.

Rick Yencer

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We are a new up-and-coming news option for Delaware County Indiana. As of now, we are just live in this format. Coming in August, we will be located on our own website, and this business page is how we will get this information to you. Owning our own website will be a better option and the good news? (pun intended, lol) We will NEVER CHARGE YOU to be subscribed. We also will own ourselves. This paper is owned by a local citizen, who is not in a political office, and is not a supporter of any one agenda other than to bring REAL news in a TIMELY fashion, making sure its information that you don’t already have from “other” sources. We work together and collaborate with other community activists that share our common goals as well, because it doesn’t matter WHO gives you the information, as long as its NOT your local government. We also include the public in our news, and its often the public that gives us our information. Here at our offices, we go to the private citizen first. After all? That is WHY we are here, to assist our community in finding out our problems and things that need addressed, doing our due-diligence and investigating thoses issues, and then bringing them to you for final decision and options for a solution. We want to be the change that we want to see in the world and we want your assistance to do it!

Bottom line, we find our news in this area lacking, and we want to put our money where our mouth is and work towards change, with your help. Our community deserves our attention, and you deserve a news source that gives it to you straight. Together we can accomplish much, and we are looking forward to rolling up our sleeves and getting to work. Here is to the beginning of a wonderful friendship!! We look forward to serving this county!

The Manifest Destiny Reporter News Team