A Ball State University employee collapsed while working Tuesday night and died from an apparent heart attack.

An electrician, was working at the Teacher’s College when other employees found him in Room 101. He was pronounced dead at the scene after 11 p.m. 

A history of heart and respiratory problems, according to Delaware County Coroner James Clevenger Jr., and likely died of heart failure.

Source: The Star Press

A home invasion in a near-campus neighborhood resulted in the arrest of a Muncie man Tuesday on burglary and battery charges.

Police were called to a residence in the 300 block of South Nichols Avenue around 4 p.m. and one of the residents said two men entered his house, and one punched him and stole his wallet.

The victim recalled the suspect who had been at his house for a party and was able, with help from his friends, to identify him to police.

Ball State University police later arrested Yannick Christian Atchade, 21, 2706 W. Welllington Dr., after the victim identified him as one of the suspects.

Atchade was held on preliminary charges of felony burglary, battery and theft, and held under a $20,000 bond.

Source: The Star Press

A winning Hoosier Lotto ticket worth $9 Million was sold at the Village Pantry at 4900 E. Jackson St., Muncie.

A Delaware County courts official has been admonished for abusing his power when he received a parking ticket last year.

Complete story available at: The Star Press

A three-year-old program to fund new ambulances in rural Delaware County is paying off.

The Delaware County commissioners this week delivered new ambulances to EMS services in Daleville/Salem Township and Eaton.

The ambulances cost about $150,000 apiece but weren't purchased with tax dollars.

The county paid for them using revenue from an $11 run fee paid by people who require an ambulance in Delaware County.

Daleville, Eaton, Albany and Delaware County EMS all contribute to the user fee fund.

The user fee was established three years ago under a different set of commissioners as a way to generate ambulance replacement money for the three round-the-clock volunteer EMS services.

"Each of these groups struggled at times to get new ambulances," Todd Donati, president of the board of county commissioners, said. "They end up with used ones or hand-me-downs from Delaware County EMS."

Tommy Crawford, Salem Township trustee, described the user-fee program as "one of the best things I've seen happen in Delaware County."

"That lets us save that many more people's lives," he said.

Delaware County EMS will own the ambulances and lease them to Daleville and Eaton for $1 a year.

The volunteer services will be responsible for insuring and maintaining the ambulances.

Source: The Star Press

Two loose dogs near Ball State University on Friday proved the community's animal control woes are far from solved.

Police from Ball State University and the Delaware County sheriff's department responded to a report of two loose dogs in the area of Bethel and Tillotson avenues Friday morning.

"It appeared to be somebody dumped them," Ball State University Police officer Brad Clark said. "They were on our property and almost froze."

According to Clark, the university's police dispatcher contacted city animal control to request they come pick up the dogs and take them to the city's animal shelter.

"They just told us they don't work on Fridays and unless the dog is vicious, they can't come out," Clark said. "It's a little frustrating that we can't get hold of somebody."

According to Clark, the dogs appeared to be labs or retrievers and were not vicious. They were, however, nearly frozen to death.

The dogs and police caused a scene and prompted some passersby to stop and help. Some even brought dog food.

Clark convinced someone with a barn to take the dogs for the weekend until the animal shelter opened Monday.

Source: The Star Press

They will target many of the state and federal highways in East Central Indiana.

MUNCIE -- Even as snow makes the roads treacherous, Indiana State Police want motorists to know that the most common cause of crashes is simply bad driving.

The ISP last week released a list of highways in Delaware, Blackford, Grant, Jay and Randolph counties that they will target under "crash causation factor patrols."

Troopers in marked and unmarked patrol will be looking for speeding, unsafe lane movement and failure to yield right of way.

The targeted roads are: 

• Ind. 3, Ind. 18 and Ind. 26 in Blackford County.
• Interstate 69 and the Muncie Bypass in Delaware County.
• Interstate 69 and Ind. 9 and Ind. 26 in Grant County.
• Ind. 67 and U.S. 27 in Jay County.
• Ind. 32 and Ind. 67 in Randolph and Delaware counties.

  These highways were identified as problem areas by state police.

  "The goal is to reduce the overall number of fatal and personal injury accidents," Sgt. Rod Russell said.

  Russell stressed that driving behavior, not road conditions, are often the primary causes in accidents.

Mayor Sharon McShurley has agreed to ask the federal government for enough money to rehire 25 of 32 firefighters laid off last year.

Complete story at: The Star Press

According to Muncie Police, an unknown gunman shot the victim once in the back and once in the stomach.

Police are uncertain what led to the shooting because they had been mostly unable to speak with the victim.

"They took him to the hospital and he went to surgery right off the bat," Police said.

The victim was by himself when he was shot.

Happy Holidays to all ScanMuncie members and Visitors.