Seventy-one people live in Wayne County through the Make My Move program, and that total is expected to increase. Wayne County commissioners and council members approved during their Sept. 17 workshop spending $150,000 from the consolidated economic development income tax fund to extend the county’s contract with the Make My Move company. After reaching a […]
Author Archives: Mike Emery
Mike Emery is a reporter and layout editor for the Western Wayne News.
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Deadlock delays BZA’s rental decision
A family wanting to continue renting a Toddsbury Lane home on Vrbo must wait another month to learn whether it receives Richmond Board of Zoning Approval permission after the board’s 2-2 vote Sept. 10. The Rothwell Family Trust requested a special exception that permits short-term rentals at the 3190 Toddsbury Lane house. Family members from […]
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Follow ABCs to keep sleeping babies safe
Unsafe sleep caused the deaths of 19 Indiana babies during August, leaving those families experiencing excruciating loss. That represented a spike to nearly double the normal monthly total, but sadly eight to 10 Hoosier babies suffocate to death each month because of unsafe sleep, which is the third leading cause of infant deaths, according to […]
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County eyes $1M as INDOT changes funding rules
Wayne County will pursue $1 million in Community Crossings funding for bridge and road projects. This fall is the final call before the Indiana Department of Transportation funding model changes, reducing Community Crossings funds and distributing funds based on lane miles of road. That change was the impetus behind Wayne County Council voting to implement […]
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A downtown’s $100M rebirth
If you visit downtowns across the region you will find some that are thriving, some that are almost completely dead, and everything in between. For decades, central business districts in Midwestern small towns have been gutted by suburban sprawl, shoppers fleeing to chain stores, population loss and a variety of other challenges. The downtowns that […]
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Council: Merit commission should review officers who can’t testify
Richmond Common Council has asked the city’s police merit commission to create a policy to review Richmond Police Department officers placed on the county’s list of officers whose ability to testify in court is compromised. The resolution passed 7-0 during council’s Sept. 2 meeting, with members Anne Taylor and Jerry Purcell abstaining. Taylor’s husband is […]
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New agreement needed in place of WUR
In withdrawing from Wayne Union Recycling, Wayne County government is replacing the dissolved WUR with a partnership that funds a shared educator’s position through the Wayne County Soil and Water Conservation District. Wayne County’s commissioners and council members reviewed a draft interlocal agreement for 2026 funding Sept. 3. The interlocal includes Wayne County, Richmond Sanitary […]
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Batteries boost solar power
Solar batteries from China are currently in a Georgia transit port, but work at a Richmond solar park prepares for their arrival in the city. The Indiana Municipal Power Agency, to which Richmond Power & Light belongs, selected the Richmond 6 solar park at South 23rd Street and Wernle Road for its initial foray into […]
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Council scrutinizes budget, raises it $85K
Wayne County Council spent more than two hours Sept. 3 poring over the county’s 2026 general fund budget, planning to trim departmental requests. Instead, council members spent some of their 2025 contingency money and added nearly $85,000 to the 2026 budget. That leaves the published budget at $44,215,326, although that figure is padded to ensure […]
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Sewer rate showdown: Funding options explored
Putting taxpayer dollars into industrial infrastructure is supposed to attract jobs and community growth that eventually pays us back. But when it comes to expanding sewer capacity at the Midwest and Northwest industrial parks, some residents are saying they don’t want to be a part of that plan. Richmond Common Council members have listened to […]