About two years after Richmond received funding, demolition began on Weir Dam. The Whitewater River already flowed Sept. 27 through a gap in the 10-foot-tall, low-head dam as three excavators, two with breaker hammers, broke apart the concrete. The noisy hammers sometimes harmonized as they cut into the dam, creating pieces moved by an excavator’s […]
Author Archives: Mike Emery
Mike Emery is a reporter and layout editor for the Western Wayne News.
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READI funding offer highlights economic development priorities
Wayne County’s regional partnership is developing its vision to apply for READI 2.0 state money. The East Central Indiana Regional Partnership received $15 million in December 2021 from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation’s original Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative. With the application due during February, the nine counties could receive up to $75 million […]
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Sheriff proposes uses for opioid settlement funds
Wayne County Jail inmates frequently struggle with opioid addiction. Treatment programs help those inmates for the days, weeks or months they are incarcerated, but Sheriff Randy Retter would like to increase those programs’ impact. He addressed Wayne County’s commissioners Sept. 13 about receiving some of the county’s 2023 opioid settlement disbursement. “What my goal is, […]
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BZA approves U.S. 27 location for livestock auction
Wayne County will have a livestock auction. Midway Auction Barn LLC and Omer Kauffman received approval Sept. 14 from the county’s Board of Zoning Appeals to locate an auction facility along U.S. 27 north of Fountain City. The BZA had previously denied a petition to locate the auction on Helm Road south of Williamsburg. Five […]
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DORA explorers: Richmond considers new alcohol law
People might soon stroll through Richmond’s Depot District sipping alcoholic drinks if council approves two ordinances presented Sept. 5. Mayor Dave Snow presented the ordinances that would enable the city to take advantage of a new state law permitting Designated Outdoor Refreshment Areas. The DORAs are exempt from certain open container laws, allowing alcoholic beverages […]
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RP&L customers will save some cents
A decrease in Richmond Power & Light’s Energy Cost Adjustment rate will save customers seven cents for each 1,000 kilowatt hours used during the year’s fourth quarter. General Manager Tony Foster presented the change to his board, which is comprised of Richmond Common Council members, during its Sept. 5 meeting. The board approved the change […]
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Wayne County Council OKs 4 new positions
Wayne County Council approved four new positions and took action on other personnel requests during its Sept. 6 meeting. Council members voted 6-0 to permit county judges to hire three legal assistants and also unanimously approved a grant clerk position for the auditor’s office. All will proceed with trying to fill the positions this year. […]
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$25 million in improvements planned
Tireless effort brought Wayne County to this point of the Hoosier Enduring Legacy Program. A rigorous application process earned the county a place in the third HELP cohort. More than 900 people provided input about what their communities need, and about 100 people served on committees identifying and prioritizing projects for the best uses of […]
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Richmond taps alternative sources to fund budget
Richmond plans to use more than a million dollars in redevelopment, opioid settlement and American Rescue Plan Act dollars to fund its 2024 budget. On Aug. 28 and 29, Richmond Common Council members received proposed budget reports from Mayor Dave Snow, Controller Emily Palmer and the city’s department heads. Snow said the budget proposal is […]
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Livestock auction returns to BZA
A livestock auction facility in Wayne County made sense, but a Helm Road location adjacent to The Barn at Helm flower farm and event space drew opposition. Comments to the county’s Board of Zoning Appeals often followed that line of thinking: The idea would benefit county farmers, but that location didn’t work. The BZA on […]