Author Archives: Mike Emery

The Morrisson-Reeves Library building on North Sixth Street turned 50 years old a couple of years ago, and the building’s beginning to show its age. The problems aren’t just cosmetic. Dena Little, director of MRL, appeared before Wayne County Council during its June 4 meeting to describe a nearly $26 million project planned to fix […]

Whitewater Community Television has provided Wayne County’s commissioners a $40,000 proposal at a rate of $250 per hour to livestream and store video of county meetings under the new state law that takes effect July 1. The county has tested a system of handling the livestreaming and storage itself using an Meeting Owl 360-degree camera. […]

Wayne County’s commissioners unanimously chose June 4 to discontinue the county syringe exchange program that began in August 2016 aimed at reducing the county’s hepatitis C cases. Dr. Jennifer Bales, the county health officer, had requested a one-year program extension, and the county’s Board of Health voted that there remains a county hepatitis C emergency […]

Safety Village of Wayne County teaches important safety lessons to about 2,500 children ages 4 to 8 each year. “It’s a great program,” said Jeff Plasterer, president of Wayne County’s commissioners. “I want to be supportive.” Rich Cody, executive director of Safety Town, spoke with commissioners during their May 28 meeting about ways they could […]

After close of the Indiana legislature’s 2025 session, the Department of Local Government Finance has recalculated the agricultural land base rate for 2025 land assessments. The DLGF sent assessing officials statewide a memorandum dated May 9 and signed by DLGF Commissioner Jason Cockerill with the new base rate. The amendment lowered the base rate after […]

After two decades as Wayne County prosecutor, Mike Shipman will not run for reelection during next year’s election. Shipman announced his decision May 29 by email, saying he had always planned to leave prosecution once he reached 30 years of public service. His term expires Dec. 31, 2026. In 2005, Shipman was appointed prosecutor replacing […]

Wayne County will have received more than $1 million in opioid settlement money with receipt of its 2025 share, and Richmond will come close to that $1 million figure. The county commissioners think that coordinating how the new payments are spent could benefit both entities. During their meeting May 21, commissioners discussed formalizing their process […]

Wayne County Auditor Mark Hoelscher has entered a pretrial diversion agreement to resolve two misdemeanor intimidation charges against him. Hoelscher signed the agreement May 19, and Judge Matthew R. Cox, the case’s special judge, granted an indefinite continuance May 20. The scheduled July 18 trial in Superior Court 3 has been canceled, according to case […]

After nearly five decades, the Wayne Township trustee’s office will move to a new space this week. On May 30, it will begin serving the public at 15 S. 11th St. in Richmond. “I love it,” Trustee Susan Isaacs said of the new space. “It’s beautiful.” The trustee’s office has enjoyed a 50-year, rent-free contract […]