What should $4 million in uncommitted federal relief funds be spent on to improve Wayne County? Should the county focus on quality of life improvements, catching up on infrastructure maintenance, highly visible projects that add to community pride, or something else? Those were the questions that Wayne County’s commissioners wrestled with during their morning Sept. […]
Author Archives: Chris Hardie
Chris Hardie is the owner and publisher of the Western Wayne News.
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Richmond council defers DORA decision, advances budget
Richmond Common Council took the next step at a Sept. 18 meeting toward finalizing its 2024 budget, and no one from the community used the available public hearing time to speak for or against the budget’s details. The budget ordinance was tabled and is now in a 10-day waiting period before it can be formally […]
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Couple experiences ‘adjustment’ living in a motel following fire evacuation
What to pack? What to do with the pets? Where to go? Those were just some of the questions Travis and Karen Poling had to consider in the moments after learning that their house on North West H Street was in the evacuation zone when an industrial fire broke out Tuesday, April 11. Karen was […]
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Amid growing concerns, environmental, health impacts of fire remain unclear
As soon as word spread that the massive plume of black smoke billowing over Richmond on Tuesday, April 11, was from burning plastics, many began to wonder about the health impacts on the community’s air, water and soil. Top of mind might have been the February train derailment just 300 miles away in East Palestine, […]
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Fire fatigue: Evacuation order remains as officials work to assess health impact
At an afternoon press conference on Thursday, state and city officials said that while progress is being made, they are not ready to allow evacuated residents back into homes surrounding the site of Tuesday’s fire. An order to shelter in place remains active as shifting wind directions and smoke patterns mean that even more of […]
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Richmond fire response continues as officials blame ‘negligent’ property owner
READ THE LATEST: Fire fatigue: Evacuation order remains as officials work to assess health impact 6:24 PM: Mayor announces press conference Mayor Dave Snow posted on Twitter that the fire is still active, that environmental hazard assessment is still happening, and that a press conference is planned for Thursday at 2 p.m. 5:40 PM: Red […]
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Task force plans to improve area broadband access
Online learning. Job searches. Telehealth appointments. Online banking. Remote work. All of these activities can change someone’s quality of life, and all of them require a reliable internet connection. In Wayne County approximately 9% of residents don’t have an internet connection at all, and of those who do only 57% are satisfied with their connection. […]
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Local banks remain a safe, ‘strong’ place to store money
National headlines about recent bank woes can raise concerns about the safety and stability of the U.S. banking system. Local bank leaders emphasize that though it’s good for residents to be aware of how account insurance and limits work, holding funds at a bank is as safe as ever. When two banks, Silicon Valley Bank […]