MITS providing free weekly shuttle to BMV for voter IDs

MUNCIE, Ind. – People needing drivers' licenses or Indiana state identification in order to register and vote in the November general election can ride a special weekly MITS shuttle to the Muncie Bureau of Motor Vehicles office.

The MITS Plus shuttle van leaves the downtown transfer station at 9:30 and 11 a.m. each Thursday and leaves the license branch at 10 and 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. for the return trip. The license branch, 2904 E. McGalliard Road, is not on a regular bus route.

Voter registration in Indiana is open through Oct. 11. The first day for voting by absentee ballot is Oct. 12. The general election, which will see local, state and federal offices on the ballot, as well as many local school board races, will be Nov. 8.

The Muncie-Delaware County League of Women Voters this week highlighted the weekly shuttle service as a way for people to get to the license branch for drivers' licenses and state IDs, which are necessary to register and to vote.

“It’s important to allow any citizen in Delaware County to have access to the license bureau to be able to vote,” Julie Mason, a member of the League of Women Voters and a MITS board member, said in the release.

More:Delaware County political parties fill some fall election ballot spots, leave others empty

The Thursday shuttles began Aug. 4 and continue until Jan. 26.

The League of Women Voters also announced that it had partnered with the ride-hailing service Lyft to offer free and discounted rides for the upcoming election through the LyftUp Voting Access Program.

America's Hometown Band to perform 'West Side Stories'

MUNCIE — America's Hometown Band will have a free outdoor concert, "West Side Stories," at 7 p.m. Aug. 18 at Westside Park.

The program will feature movie themes, love songs, folksongs and musical theater numbers. Admission is free, and audience members are invited to take along lawn chairs and snacks.

Information: amhometownband.org and the America’s Hometown Band Facebook page.

Arts Place awarded inaugural Ball State community arts grant

PORTLAND — Arts Place, an arts- and education-based organization with programming in Jay, Blackford and Adams counties, is the inaugural recipient of the Ball State University Community Engagement for the Arts Grant.

The Community Engagement for the Arts Grant is an annual competitive grant program offering 12-month funding of up to $35,000 to an external East Central Indiana community arts-focused organization or program, according to a BSU release. The funding is intended to support projects in any creative discipline that encourage public appreciation of art and education in the arts, promote diversity within the local arts community and make the arts accessible to all.

Arts Place’s proposal aligned with Ball State’s commitment to engaging with the greater arts community of East Central Indiana by promoting broad participation and equitable access to the various community arts organizations in the region. With its funding, Arts Place plans to enhance access to arts education opportunities in the area through a series of artist residencies and other programming that will increase opportunities for participation and reach new audiences, the release stated.

“Arts Place has been offering arts education programs through CreativeWorks for nearly a half-century. Over the past decade, however, the revenue streams for many of these activities, especially artist residencies, has declined. As a result, most of our arts education activity has focused, by necessity, on the teaching of classes and lessons,” Eric R. Rogers, chief executive officer and executive director at Arts Place, said in the release. “Residency experiences, which attract a broader audience, have been extremely limited in recent years. This project will reintroduce the community to a broad range of community artist residencies that will attract a diverse audience, including populations often not reached through our classes and lessons."

Arts Place also is contributing its own resources to bolster the project’s personnel and operations, supplies and materials, equipment, marketing and promotion, and other direct costs. In all, the project is expected to top $100,000 in total funding, increasing by more than 50% the special arts education experiences Arts Place offers to the communities it serves.

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