Wayne County has become a member of a club that local officials didn’t want to join. It is now one of 21 counties with the worst (red) advisory level for COVID-19. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Wayne County health officials have announced a total of seven new local COVID-related deaths. Four more deaths were reported Wednesday. […]
Author Archives: WWN Staff
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Health department: 1 of 4 new COVID deaths was 30-something
Four more Wayne County residents’ deaths have been related to COVID-19, with one of the new victims in their 30s, according to Wayne County Health Department Executive Director Christine Stinson. That person is the county’s youngest COVID-related fatality since the pandemic began in March 2020. Stinson shared the news of the newest deaths with Wayne […]
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Semi driver dies after I-70 crash that reroutes traffic onto U.S. 40
An accident near a construction zone on Interstate 70 in Henry County on Friday afternoon (Sept. 3) sent westbound traffic onto U.S. 40 in Wayne County for several hours. Troopers from the Indiana State Police Pendleton District responded to a multiple vehicle crash involving three semi tractor-trailers on I-70 near the 124 mile-marker. The preliminary […]
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State bringing vaccines, testing to church, Ivy Tech on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
Temporary vaccination and testing sites operated by state officials are being operated from noon to 8 p.m. Aug. 30-31 and Sept. 1 at First Baptist Church Family Life Center, 709 S. Memorial Drive, New Castle, and in a drive-thru format at Ivy Tech Community College, 2357 Chester Blvd., Richmond. Both sites will offer rapid antigen […]
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Vaccinations paused at 3 local urgent care offices because of increase in patients; other sites available
COVID-19 vaccinations at Reid Health’s Urgent Care facilities in Richmond and Connersville and Reid Ready Care at the Richmond Meijer store have been paused to reduce the amount of foot traffic at the sites. All three locations recently have seen an increase in those needing urgent care services, according to a news release. “The numbers […]
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UPDATED: Nettle Creek Schools won’t have in-person learning until Sept. 1; Hagerstown library announces updates
Superintendent Kyle Barrentine announced Tuesday afternoon (Aug. 24) that Nettle Creek Schools will have an eLearning Day on Wednesday, Aug. 25, followed by four days of virtual learning, because of COVID-19 case numbers. He said the district plans to return to in-person instruction on Wednesday, Sept. 1. “As a parent, I know this is FAR […]
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Audio file: Hear the late Emmett Smelser discuss journalism, First Amendment
Emmett Smelser worked in several Midwest communities and spent some of his retirement years in Arizona, but he had committed to moving full-time to Richmond toward the end of his life. Smelser’s former local colleagues in journalism and those he met through many civic engagements are mourning his Aug. 13 death, which was announced […]
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Some local schools, offices requiring masks; 1 school going virtual
Several news developments have occurred with local school and government offices regarding mask requirements in recent days, and one school is switching to virtual learning for one week because of a high number of cases. Wayne County is now in the state’s orange, or second-worst, advisory level for its number of COVID-19 cases and testing […]
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Commissioners gathering Friday to discuss masking in county buildings
Wayne County Commissioners have put off until Friday making a decision about making masking mandatory in county buildings. They will meet at 2:30 p.m. Friday in commissioners’ chambers in the Wayne County Administration Building. The commissioners initially postponed taking a vote during their regular meeting on Wednesday, choosing to wait until hearing the opinion of […]
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With 200-plus students in quarantine, Centerville-Abington schools adds mask mandate
Wayne County’s COVID cases are rising sharply, and as of Tuesday, Aug. 17, Centerville-Abington Community Schools is joining Richmond Community Schools in adding a mask requirement because more than 200 CACS students have had to be quarantined since its schools opened Aug. 9. In a letter sent home Monday to families, Centerville’s Superintendent Mike McCoy […]