Purchasing salt for roads this winter will look different for Wayne County Highway Department’s Mike Sharp. In the past, Sharp purchased from vendors via INDOT’s bidding process. But with no bids submitted this year, commissioners approved his request to find quotes independently. Plasterer asked how other road projects are being handled without gas tax revenue. […]
Author Archives: Lorin Williams
Lorin Williams is a reporter for the Western Wayne News.
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Council receives refund from 15-year project
News of a $270,000 windfall surprised Wayne County Council at its July 1 meeting. Wayne County Commissioner Jeff Plasterer reported receipt of a refund from a 2007 joint Cardinal Greenway Association project. Construction of the biking and walking trail from Industries Road in Richmond to Main Street in Losantville was achieved through federal grant money […]
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Music Walk of Fame victim of vandals, theft
A historic Richmond site has been vandalized. Twenty medallions from the Starr-Gennett Foundation’s Walk of Fame were dismantled last month. The Gennett Records Walk of Fame is embedded in the Whitewater Gorge Trail along South First Street at the Starr Piano Company site. In a June 21 social media post, the Foundation’s board of directors […]
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Bicentennial time capsule opened at Freedom Jam
Nationwide celebrations of the 250th year of U.S. independence have included reflecting on the country’s past, present and future. In Wayne County, a snapshot of the community’s history took center stage as a time capsule from 1976 was opened. The original contents of the capsule, a tall metal cylinder, were sealed and placed under Freedom […]
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Milton council member resigns
Milton town council will be short one member this summer. Hugh Payne Jr. submitted his resignation, effective Aug. 11, after 18 years of service on the council. In an announcement shared on social media, Payne said he received a letter from the town attorney requesting he resign due to not attending council meetings. He said […]
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Lilly gifts art museum $500K
The Richmond Art Museum received a $500,000 grant from Lilly Endowment to support and strengthen its operations. The gift was one of 12 Lilly Endowment grants dedicated to support Indiana art museums’ cultural impact in their communities and regions. The grant allows RAM to execute a strategic and master facilities plan for growth in the […]
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Commissioners approve contracts, ordinance
Wayne County Commissioners approved two contracts to address different road issues at its June 24 meeting. County engineer Brandon Sanders requested a road study with Terracon consulting to establish a plan for a landslide affecting part of Elks Road. Results of the geotechnical study will determine safety precautions and repair options. The road is currently […]
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RCS approves RIF at special meeting
A pending reduction in force at Richmond Community Schools came to pass during a special 5 p.m. RCS board of trustees meeting Monday, June 29. Citing budgetary constraints from state legislation constraining property tax income, officials put 19 certified teachers and classified staff and four administrative roles throughout the district up for cutting. An initial […]
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Community, knowledge shared at Juneteenth event
History and community were highlighted at an inaugural Juneteenth event Saturday, June 20. Families and friends gathered at 61 Waterfall Road in Richmond to observe the holiday. On June 19, 1865, Black enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned the Civil War had ended and that the Emancipation Proclamation had abolished slavery two and half years […]
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School board focuses on handbooks, construction updates
Updated handbooks and current construction projects were the subject of the Northeastern Wayne Schools June 17 board meeting. President Shawntel Baker and Secretary Daniel VanDuyne were absent. Student handbooks were approved incorporating Indiana’s new phone ban policy, prohibiting student cellphone use throughout the school day. Superintendent Jennifer O’Brien explained phones can either be kept at […]