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The City of Muncie is holding an opening ceremony for the Cooley Park splash pad Aug. 13. A city press release said Mayor Dan Ridenour wanted to open the newly-renovated splash pad before the summer season ended. Unsplash, Photo Courtesy

City of Muncie to open Cooley Park splash pad

The City of Muncie will hold an opening ceremony for the splash pad at Cooley Park on Aug. 13 at 4 p.m. Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour will give remarks along with other administration officials and then, they will turn on the park’s splash pad.



Why ‘A Thief’s End’ is the Best ‘Uncharted’ Game

Words cannot express my love for Naughty Dog’s Uncharted series. I first played the initial three games—Drake’s Fortune, Among Thieves, and Drake’s Deception—back in high school, and wow, what a ride. The adventures of Nathan Drake and his friends captured both my imagination and my attention for months on end; I couldn’t stop playing them (resulting in play sessions that I labeled “Uncharted Days”). It was around this time that the next Uncharted game, titled A Thief’s End, was announced. With A Thief’s End having celebrated its fifth birthday this past May, I wanted to discuss why I feel that this is the best installment in the series.



WINDSOR, ENGLAND - APRIL 11: Prince Andrew, Duke of York, attends the Sunday Service at the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor, following the announcement on Friday, April 9, 2021 of the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at the age of 99, on April 11, 2021 in Windsor, England. (Steve Parsons/WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Five national stories of the week

The pandemic prompts changes in how future teachers are trained, ex-Cuomo aide details groping as lawmakers meet in private, Epstein accuser sues Prince Andrew, Texas governor seeks out-of-state help against COVID-19 and hot weather could spur a California weather makes up this week's five national stories. 


ProtestErs hold up banners and placards during a nationwide protest against France's new COVID-19 health pass on Aug. 7, 2021, in Marseille, France. (Roger Anis/Getty Images/TNS)

Five international stories of the week

The Taliban take another Afghan provincial capital, UN says global warming nears limits, massive forest fire in Greece still burning for the seventh day, Nagasaki marks 76th anniversary of atomic bombing and France's new virus pass is required in restaurants and on trains makes up this week's five international stories. 



Courtney Williams, third-grade teacher at East Washington Academy, teaches her students how to use an anemometer April 19, 2021. East Washington Academy is one of six public elementary schools in the Muncie Community Schools district. A recent Ball State study found more students were transferring into public schools as a result of school choice options than to private schools. Jaden Whiteman, DN File

Ball State study: School choice in Indiana leads to $88 million in savings on education spending in 2019-20

Dagney Faulk, Ball State director of research in the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER), and Michael Hicks, George and Frances Ball distinguished professor of economics and CBER director, recently published a study about school choice leading to $88 million in savings for the State of Indiana in the 2019-20 school year — about 1 percent of the state’s annual general fund spending on education.


Friends and family members release balloons in Montana Lopez's honor in Muncie, June 23, 2021. After Lopez was shot and killed June 19, family members organized a balloon release, funeral and candle lighting. Blake Smith, Photo Provided

Students and teachers reflect on June 2021 shooting of Ball State freshman Montana Lopez

After a few hours at Brothers Bar & Grill on a Saturday night, senior telecommunications major Blake Smith received a University Police Department (UPD) text alert that said officers were investigating reports of shots fired on her street. She was the first of her group of roommates and friends to go back to her house, and texted her friend and neighbor Montana Lopez to check on him. Smith had been at Lopez’s house for a party before going to Brothers.


Simone Biles at the Rio Olympics in 2016. Biles dropped out of the competition at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, but returned to compete on the balance beam and won bronze. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia

Five national stories of the week

Simone Biles returns to the Olympic competition, bipartisan bill leaves out key climate and clean energy steps, the US hits a 70 percent vaccination rate amid the COVID-19 surge, US employers ratchet up the pressure on the unvaccinated and garden to open for El Paso Walmart shooting second anniversary makes up this week's five national stories.