Reid Health EMS lost nearly $1 million providing emergency medical service during 2023 in Wayne County. Jacob Cox, the director of Reid’s EMS program, and Matthew Cain, director of Wayne County Emergency Management Agency, provided an update about EMS services during the Dec. 11 meeting of Wayne County’s commissioners. Cox said Reid billed patients and […]
Author Archives: Mike Emery
Mike Emery is a reporter and layout editor for the Western Wayne News.
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Paw-sitive partnership helps animals
Wayne County’s ability to help neglected and stray animals is far better today than it was a year ago. That results from the partnership between the county and the HELP the Animals shelter on West Main Street in Richmond. The two entities are completing the first year of a contract that HELP would accept animals […]
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U.S. 27 subdivision passes initial step
A planned eight- or nine-lot subdivision along Webster Road and U.S. 27 took an initial step toward development Dec. 12 by receiving a variance of use from Wayne County’s Board of Zoning Appeals. Webster Heights would use about 20 acres from two parcels that are bordered on the north by the Cummings Brothers subdivision. The […]
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Sheriff receives OK to purchase 2 drones
Drones now serve law enforcement in a variety of ways, sometimes when time is critical. Therefore, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office sought permission from Wayne County’s commissioners during their Dec. 11 meeting to purchase two outdoor drones. Commissioners unanimously approved $57,385.14 from opioid settlement money distributed to the sheriff’s department to purchase two Skydio X10 […]
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Zoning change clears way for apartments
Chester Heights Apartments turned away 31 qualified tenants during November, owner Jake Powers told Richmond Common Council members Dec. 2, because there simply were no units available to rent. Despite adding 96 units just a few years ago, the complex along Chester Boulevard needs more units to meet demand. Powers of Powers Property Investment LLC […]
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RP&L board approves $94M budget for 2025
Richmond Power & Light projects a net income of nearly $700,000 during 2025. The RP&L board, which is composed of Richmond Common Council members, approved RP&L’s 2025 budget during the board’s Dec. 2 meeting. The board met Nov. 12 for a detailed budget presentation. The budget expects total income of $95,168,883 with total expenses of […]
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Mixed feelings
When Mary Anne Butters sat on the floor reading to kindergartners in 2011, she noticed their shoes were in terrible shape — no laces or too small. A little research told her that Wayne County’s rate of children living in poverty ranked among Indiana’s worst. And the county ranked with Fayette County among Indiana’s worst […]
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County works to spend every ARPA penny
When the clock strikes midnight and we celebrate the beginning of 2025, more will end than just 2024. The opportunity to allocate American Rescue Plan Act dollars also will stop. The money must be spent or committed through contract, interlocal agreement or memorandum of understanding before 2025 begins; otherwise, it must be returned to the […]
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Prosecutor puts officer on dubious list
A Richmond Police Department assistant chief has been placed on a Wayne County list that challenges his credibility. The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office maintains a Brady-Giglio list of law enforcement officers subject to evidence that could discredit their testimony in court. U.S. Supreme Court rulings in the Brady and Giglio cases require prosecutors to disclose […]
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International tire scheme results in arrest of Richmond man
A Richmond man is accused of being the middle man in an international scheme that fraudulently bought and resold tires. Bulmaro Santiago-Julian, 47, of the 1800 block of North J Street is formally charged with Level 5 felony corrupt business influence and five counts of aiding, inducing or causing fraud — three as Level 6 […]