Author Archives: Mike Emery

With influenza cases peaking and a stomach bug spreading, Reid Health’s being kept busy. That makes selecting the correct treatment option important. Dr. Jennifer Bales, Wayne County’s health officer and a Reid emergency physician, shared during the county health board’s Jan. 14 meeting when to seek treatment from Reid’s emergency department or its urgent care […]

A Chipotle restaurant recently opened on a Chester Boulevard-facing lot in front of Richmond’s Meijer store. Soon, a dental office could be built on land just east of the Chipotle. Richmond’s Advisory Plat Committee approved 4-0 a petition to split off 0.929 acres from Meijer’s 21.575-acre parcel for development of a dental office. The parcel […]

A Wayne County judge recused herself from a police major’s lawsuit and indicated it’s unlikely any Wayne County judge could preside over the suit. Circuit Court Judge April Drake filed her recusal from Richmond Police Department Major Adam Blanton’s lawsuit against Prosecutor Michael Shipman. Drake served as chief deputy prosecutor with Shipman prior to being […]

Indiana’s busy 2025 legislative session with new Gov. Mike Braun could significantly affect county governments. State legislators will look at reducing or eliminating property taxes that significantly fund local government. And, it’s a budgeting year. Misty Hollis wants to make sure Wayne County is ready for any upcoming loss of funding. She was the only […]

A livestock auction facility planned for U.S. 27 is taking steps forward, even though its future remains uncertain. One step involved presenting a drainage plan during the Jan. 8 meeting of the county’s drainage board, which is composed of the three county commissioners. The board voted 3-0 to approve the plan as Gordon Moore, the […]

A planned beauty salon received two variances from Wayne County’s Board of Zoning Appeals during a Jan. 9 meeting. Tracy Glynn plans to build a 40-foot-by-60-foot pole barn for her salon at her Minneman Road home, which is zoned agricultural. Glynn needed a variance of use for the salon and a variance from development standards […]

As snow continued falling Jan. 5, blowing and drifting on county roads, Wayne County’s commissioners declared a Level II travel watch. It was the first Level II declaration since Dec. 23, 2022, when neither Brad Dwenger nor Aaron Roberts yet occupied his commissioner seat. With that in mind, commissioners met Jan. 8 with Matthew Cain, […]

Richmond Police Department Major Adam Blanton has filed a lawsuit against Wayne County Prosecutor Michael Shipman over Shipman’s inclusion of Blanton on a list of potentially problematic law enforcement officers. U.S. Supreme Court rulings in Brady and Giglio cases require prosecutors to disclose to defendants anything that could impeach law enforcement witnesses. That information could […]

Wayne County Council cleaned up the county’s 2024 finances and organized itself and its finances for 2025. To begin its Jan. 2 meeting, council elected Max Smith as its president, replacing Beth Leisure, who had presided over council for three years. Smith thanked his fellow councilors for the confidence, and he thanked Leisure for her […]