Opinion

By: Quint Studer for the Muncie Journal— Pensacola, FL—Cities across America have been vying for the privilege of hosting Amazon’s $5 billion second headquarters, which is expected to bring with it up to 50,000 high-paying jobs. Back in January the online retailer selected 20 finalists from a list of more than 200 cites that applied. And, as the Wall Street Journal, cities that didn’t make the short list—among them Detroit, Cincinnati, and Sacramento—are rushing to make changes based on Amazon’s…

By: Jeannine Lee Lake— Fifty years ago, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was shot and killed on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, I hadn’t been born. Yet, even to this day where I’m 48 years-old, no other person besides Christ has permeated my life. Many others — millions and even hundreds of millions— could likely say the same. His life changed my life and his death changed the course of the civil rights movement that was…

By: Paul Ward, Spiritual Life Coordinator, Youth Opportunity Center (YOC)— Muncie, IN—Do you ever feel like all hope is lost? Sit in front of the evening news and you’ll see violence, arguments, and injustice. No one offers any real change. No one offers any real hope. When we lose everything, we lose hope. During World War II an Austrian psychiatrist named Viktor Frankl was sentenced to the Auschwitz concentration camp. While he was living in the midst of pure misery, Frankl…

By: Jeff Bird, MD and Dave Hyatt— “Welcome and we’re glad you’re here.” When Jay County Hospital joined IU Health and became IU Health Jay Hospital on March 1, that was the message you could hear echoing down the halls repeatedly. Teams from Muncie and across the state have descended on Portland in recent weeks to ensure that the transition to joining the state’s largest and most trusted healthcare system would be a smooth one. That meant change. Not just…

By: Dennis Tyler, Mayor of Muncie— Editor’s Note: The following is a copy of Mayor Tyler’s statement to the Indiana Senate Appropriations Committee that was read on February 15th in response to House Bill 1315. “Good morning Mr. Chairman and committee members. Thank you for allowing me to submit my testimony this morning. I apologize for not being here in person. Scheduling conflicts today would not allow me to attend. “As you begin your Senate hearings today on HB1315 and its…

By: Jonathan Lamb— Congress passed a comprehensive tax reform package – the Tax Cut and Jobs Act – that was not without controversy, as we all know. As an economist, I believe it was the right legislation at the right time. I would have voted with my Republican colleagues had I been representing Indiana’s Congressional 6th District. There are three simple reasons to support the changes. First, the new tax laws make for lower and less complicated corporate tax rates,…

By: Bryan Ayars, CEO— What would you do if 70 percent of your income disappeared? Open Door Health Services will find out if the U.S. Congress does not reinstate essential funding to community health centers throughout the country. Without these vital funds, Open Door — which provides affordable, expert care to more than 30,000 area residents — will lose more than $2 million. That’s money we planned to invest in our community through critical diabetics monitoring, hypertension treatment, dental work, behavioral…

By: Indiana Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch— Growing up as a 12 year old who towered over her peers and teachers at 5-foot eight, I was a target for many of my classmates’ ridicule and jokes. Suffering through those harsh words, my father gave me some advice that helped shape who I am today. His valuable lesson was to love, accept and respect myself, and when I began to do that, even with all of my imperfections, I could accept and respect…

By: Steve Edwards— There’s no two ways about it. Muncie Community Schools is at a crossroads. It’s designation as a distressed district takes its fate solely out of the hands of the local school board and existing administration. That’s where Administrator Assistance (AA) and I come in. Administrator Assistance, a 10-year-old company specializing in strategic planning for public schools, work for the State of Department of Education and under the direction of the state’s Distressed Unit Appeals Board (DUAB).  Our…