Inform Muncie

Inform Muncie is a student-led news outlet committed to collaborative and inclusive storytelling in our community. We give voice to untold stories and under-recognized people and neighborhoods.

The Ball State Daily
Native Language

Cultural sensitivity in the community

Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023

In Sra. Kelsey Pavelka’s past classroom, students were greeted with a calendar that featured eye-catching construction paper behind each day of the week. But something was more notable than the colorful decoration behind the numbers: the words December and Diciembre above the days of the week. 

Zeus-Inform-Muncie

Southcentral Muncie’s Zeus Currie: Big as life

Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023

Zeus Currie is, in multiple respects, a larger-than-life character. Firstly, he shares the same first name as a Greek god. Secondly, he is simply a mountainous man. 6 foot 9, with more than enough weight to play as a nose tackle in the NFL, he will be the first to admit that he is an intimidating person when you first see him. Having that size greatly helps him in his work as a security guard.

Soul-Food-inform-muncie

Mama and Son Soul Food Kitchen: Family matters

Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023

Mama and Son Soul Food Kitchen, formerly named Mama Bond’s Soul Food Kitchen, is located inside Historic Rose Court and marked by its circular image of Dominique Isom, “Son,” and Consuela Nixon, “Mama,” at the storefront.

Soup-Kitchen-inform-muncie

An oasis in a food desert: The soup kitchen of muncie

Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023

In 2017, Marsh Supermarkets, a retail food chain that at one point had 86 different stores between Ohio and Indiana, filed for bankruptcy. The company announced that the remaining 44 stores, five of which were in Muncie, Ind., would be open for purchase. Only two of Muncie’s five stores would be bought out, however. Kroger Co. picked up the old Marsh Supermarkets on Wheeling, on the northwest side of Muncie, and on Tillotson, on the west-central side of Muncie.

Muncie garden gives back

Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023

20 years ago, a seed of hope was planted in a neighborhood disconnected from each other. This neighborhood is located on the Southside of Muncie, Indiana, and this seed has now sprouted into a community garden bringing young and old neighbors together.

Habitat-inform-muncie

Humanity at its finest

Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023

In the Muncie community, there are non-profit organizations that try to make an impact for everyone in the area. Habitat for Humanity is one of those organizations that look to make a long-term impact. 

orchid-2-muncie-inform

Ball State University’s orchid haven

Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023

Southwest of Ball State University’s campus lies the Dr. Joe and Alice Rinard Orchid Greenhouse. It’s a 3,400-square-foot conservatory that hosts a wide array of orchids and other plants, as well as a honeybee display and a turtle named Beaker.

Addi-Thumbnail-1

Ball State’s Addi Smith speaks for genderqueer identities

Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023

Since 2017, Addi has been growing their brand under Addison’s Agenda, a website they launched to promote their business, advice, and life’s musings. In the midst of COVID-19, they developed a YouTube channel and a video series called Ask Addi as a service to educate people on how to talk about genderqueer issues, including the language around the topic.

flower-power-inform

The power of a flower

Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023

A mandarin-colored leaf peers over the veiny flesh of an orchid. The fuschia lung-like petals of the flower face inward. The human-like stature of the plant creates curiosity and enchantment. The orchid that could stunt double as a fairy: The Pink Lady Slipper Orchid. A population of Pink Lady Slipper Orchids sit quietly as the morning mist taps their petals at the Ball State Dr. Joe and Alice Rinard Orchid Greenhouse.

Illegal orchid trading

Illegal orchid trading

Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023

The orchid legal trade market is very large, but so is the unknown illegal trade market. For most trades, it is illegal to trade wild orchids internationally without a permit from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Although, for some, dealing with wild specimens is completely forbidden for them. 

Q & A with Juli Metzger

Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023

Juli Metzger: There used to be a publication in Muncie called the Muncie times, and it was an African American publication. The woman who founded it, her name was B. Foster, and she died in 2011. When she died, the publication went away. It was really a one-man show she did, she did it out of just sheer will. It was a very basic kind of publication that had obituaries and it had church announcements, very local.

Servant Leadership Inform Muncie

Power of servant leadership

Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023

Muncie has 825 organizations employing over 6,035 people and Ball State University students aren’t shying away from getting involved. Senior psychology major Caleb Floyd, member of The Phi Beta Sigma Chapter, participated in the annual ‘Sleepout for the Homeless’ on Nov. 2.

Music Muncie Inform

Music in muncie

Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023

Music brings people together and is a way to bond and help the community. Throughout Muncie, there are many musicians that try to get people together through their art form. While some may make different types and forms of music, they all look to positively impact the community.

ACDC Inform Muncie

Reversing substance use in delaware county: The ACDC

Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023

The Addictions Coalition of Delaware County (ACDC) officially formed in July 2020 with the purpose of bringing “the resources, energy, and expertise of Ball State University to the community.” The seed for the organization was planted a year earlier, however, when Ball State University faculty members Dr. Jean Marie Place and Dr. Jonel Thaller discussed ways in which the issue of addiction could be addressed within Delaware County.

A church transformation

Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023

Liberty lofts in Muncie, Indiana, was once home to the First Church of Christian Scientist before hosting an LGBTQIA congregation called the Rainbow Cathedral. The historic building of 326 West Charles St. has been called home to many things but is now home to people. Quite literally.

The revitalization of a community

Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023

In the 1920s General Motors invested themselves in the Southside of Muncie. Along with them and other auto part makers, the Southside of Muncie continued to boom throughout the 50s and 60s. Increased automation and globalism of industrial giants began to come into the picture, resulting in lost jobs that had no promise of returning. 

Hunchback-inform-muncie

The Hunchback of Notre Dame review

Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023

Combining love, drama, and action, the Muncie Civic Center presented The Hunchback of Notre Dame from October 7-23. Directed by Brittany M. Covert, the play starred Kyle Thomas as Quasimodo, Cameron Clevenger as his voice, Michael Williamson as Frollo, and Elizabeth Belle as Esmeralda. With one of the main characters being hard of hearing, the play provided an ASL translation throughout the show as well as a singing voice for Quasimodo.

hoosier-heat-inform-muncie

JohnTom’s Barbecue lands national distributer

By Inform Muncie · Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023

As a child, when Muncie native Lathay Pegues was barbecuing with his grandfather in his Industry neighborhood, he never would have dreamed his love for barbecue would bloom into a nationally distributed brand, JohnTom’s Barbecue.

coming-out-muncie-inform

Study: Coming out at work risky business

Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023

For the LGBTQ+ community, coming out at work is scary, and some say laws should be changed to protect those who could be targeted because of their sexual orientation. Almost half of persons who identify as queer are closeted at work, according to a 2018 study by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.