Wayne County’s commissioners and council members allocated another $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act dollars Feb. 21. When they met that morning, commissioners developed a counterproposal to more than $2 million in recommendations council advanced during its Feb. 7 meeting. Then, during the evening workshop, council members voted 5-0 to accept the counterproposal that […]
Author Archives: Mike Emery
Mike Emery is a reporter and layout editor for the Western Wayne News.
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What’s planned for Richmond’s former Steak ’n Shake site?
A popular restaurant for chicken sandwiches plans a Wayne County location. A petition before Richmond’s Board of Zoning Appeals indicates a Chick-fil-A restaurant is planned for the former Steak ’n Shake location at 5901 National Road E. Chick-fil-A Inc. of Atlanta, Georgia, is the applicant requesting five variances of development standards for the location. The […]
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Sheriff: Opioid money could help jail inmates
Sheriff Randy Retter hopes Wayne County opioid settlement money will help him institute a new jail program to assist inmates during and after their incarceration. Retter explained to Wayne County’s commissioners Feb. 14 that he’d like to employ a “navigator” to help connect inmates with resources that help them fight addiction and improve their lives. […]
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Gas station receives OK for illuminated signs
The gas station at 100 Richmond Ave. received Board of Zoning Appeals permission to install illuminated Citgo signs. Ohio Richmond LLC, which owns the station, applied for a variance of development standards to install the signs on its canopy, which is within 300 feet of neighboring residences. The BZA voted 4-0 in favor of the […]
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Richmond extends animal agreement
Richmond has extended its contract with the Henry County Humane Society for care of stray dogs and cats. Terms of the contract approved Feb. 15 by the city’s Board of Public Works and Safety match those of 2023. The city will pay $41,200 for up to 400 animals housed at the New Castle facility. The […]
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County expects improved radio system by end of 2025
By the end of 2025, Wayne County expects to have an improved emergency communications system. Long-known radio coverage gaps in the county’s northeast and southwest areas will be addressed, and the county’s 12 volunteer fire departments will use new 800 megahertz mobile and portable radios. Ritter Strategic Services, a public safety consulting firm of which […]
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911 hang-ups increase 40% in 2023
Communications specialists in the Wayne County Emergency Communications Center last year answered 44,592 calls to 911, but more than one out of five times, nobody was on the line. The number of 911 hang-ups increased 40.0% from 2022 to 9,646, according to statistics released by the ECC. Matthew Cain, the county’s 911 director and director […]
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Honoree delivers to help save man’s life
Richmond Police Chief Kyle Weatherly told Common Council members that on any given day first responders can be identified who went “above and beyond the call of service.” That could be emergency communications specialists, firefighters, EMS personnel or law enforcement officers. However, Weatherly appeared at council’s Feb. 5 meeting to honor a citizen with a […]
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Council OKs $2M in ARPA spending
Sheriff Randy Retter will get the armored vehicle he’s long wanted. Wayne County Council designated $350,000 for a BearCat as part of $2 million in spending it approved for uncommitted American Rescue Plan Act dollars. During a Feb. 7 morning meeting, council members considered eight ARPA expenditures the county’s commissioners had recommended during the Jan. […]
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‘Really scary’: Property fraud grows nationwide
Wayne County Recorder Debbie Tiemann has heard a scary example of property fraud: Snowbird landowners return home to find a different house on their property. Their property had been fraudulently sold, and the buyers had demolished the existing house and built their own. Such property fraud is rare in Indiana, according to the Indiana Recorders […]