Wayne County’s commissioners have approved another distribution of opioid settlement funds, granting $201,970.02 to area law enforcement agencies. A unanimous vote 3-0 in favor of the fund usage happened at their April 24 regular meeting. Requested items on police department wish lists submitted to commissioners included funds for K-9 programs ($28,500 for Sheriff’s office, $7K […]
Author Archives: Chris Hardie
Chris Hardie is the owner and publisher of the Western Wayne News.
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Local filmmakers earn festival award
Their short film may have been about the challenges of loneliness, but Emily Hawkins and Maya Hawkins hopefully felt the love Friday when their creation won the Audience Choice Award at the 17th Annual Phantoscope High School Film Festival. The duo, students at Richmond High School, produced “Everybody’s Lonely” about a teenager struggling to get […]
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County considers ending mobile home taxation
Some owners of mobile and manufactured homes in Wayne County may soon be exempt from property taxation. At the April 17 joint workshop between the county’s commissioners and council members, Treasurer Nancy Funk presented the option to end assessing personal property taxes on the structures, in part as a way to reduce the work her […]
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Women’s Fund celebrates 20 years, funds $40K in grants
The Women’s Fund of the Wayne County Foundation is hitting some big milestones in their work to provide opportunities and growth for women and girls in the community. At their annual luncheon on April 13 at Forest Hills Country Club, 266 women came together to witness grant recipients learn of the funds they would be […]
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Civic engagement pays off
What’s a problem facing your community, and how could a citizen solve it? That was the question posed to area middle-school students to launch the civics bee contest hosted by the Wayne County Area Chamber of Commerce on Friday, April 19 at Indiana University East. The event aims to encourage young people to engage in […]
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New Richmond taxi service available
HK&L Transportation Services of Richmond is now offering taxi rides to area residents. Operating hours are Mon-Sat 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., servicing Wayne County and surrounding cities. Base rates are $10 cash/$12.50 credit card for “anywhere in Richmond,” with additional fees for nearby cities, airport runs and special destinations. Reserved rides are available. Owners […]
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Council kills housing development plan 6-3
Cheers erupted from the audience after Richmond’s Common Council voted Monday night 6-3 against a proposed rezoning that was needed for a planned housing development to move forward. For close to three hours, attendees and council members spoke passionately about the issues raised by the Smith Hill Planned Unit Development. Those in favor of the […]
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Celebration without congestion, issues
The community prepared for massive crowds, traffic delays, and an eclipse celebration of a lifetime on April 8. In the end, the last one happened largely without the first two. There was heavy traffic around Indianapolis, and hotels did fill up much more than usual. But whether it was the abundance of viewing opportunities across […]
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Reid, Anthem reach contract agreement
Reid Health and Anthem insurance have reached an agreement that will allow the healthcare system’s providers to remain in-network for Anthem’s insurance coverage. Reid announced the agreement March 14 following months of negotiations and concern over whether the two entities would be able to find mutually acceptable terms on a contract that was last negotiated […]
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WWN will be available on a new day
Beginning with our March 13 edition, the Western Wayne News will be printed and delivered to subscribers and retail locations one day later in the week. This is a change we think many of you will notice, so I want to share a bit more about why we’re making it. At the core of what […]