Richmond received a green light from Indiana’s legislature to enact a food and beverage tax, and so too did eight other Wayne County communities. Now, Cambridge City, Centerville, Dublin, Fountain City, Greens Fork, Hagerstown, Milton and Mount Auburn also could choose to tax diners. Those provisions ultimately were sent to Gov. Mike Braun as part […]
Author Archives: Mike Emery
Mike Emery is a reporter and layout editor for the Western Wayne News.
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Hearing about housing dollars set for May 7
Wayne County Council plans to conduct a public hearing May 7 about appropriating $320,000 for a housing accelerator program launched by the Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County. The additional money from county economic development income tax funds and consolidated EDIT funds would help five developers build houses on 82 sites in three county communities. […]
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Chief deputy will seek top spot
Alan Moore’s involvement with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office stretches back three decades. Now, after serving as chief deputy, he’d like to lead the department as sheriff. Moore was scheduled to officially announce during an April 22 event at Red Front Pizza and Grill in Richmond his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the 2026 […]
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Another plastics fire suit filed against city
One day short of two years after a plastics fire erupted on Richmond’s west side, another lawsuit was filed to recover damages for more than 100 city residents. Trevor Crossen from Crossen Law Firm in Carmel filed the paperwork April 10, and the suit has been assigned to Circuit Court. It is the second lawsuit […]
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Hotel requests variance
A new hotel is planned for Richmond’s east side, near the Interstate 70 interchange with U.S. 40. Ani Lodging LLC of Chicago has requested a variance of development standards to increase the maximum allowable structure height to accommodate the four-story hotel. The Richmond Board of Zoning Appeals is scheduled to consider the variance petition during […]
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BZA gives cheese business its OK
Cheese lovers could have a new location to purchase fresh cheese after a decision by the Wayne County Board of Zoning Appeals. During their April 10 meeting, BZA members granted a variance of use to allow the processing and sales of cheese and other dairy products at 5091 Palmer Road, which is northwest of Webster. […]
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Property taxes due May 12
Property tax bills aren’t necessarily good news, but it’s better to find the bill than miss a payment. The bills are arriving in Wayne County residents’ mailboxes about a month before spring payments are due. According to Treasurer Beth Fields, the bills were mailed April 10. They include two payment coupons for payments due this […]
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RP&L saves on mobile power unit
Richmond Power & Light will purchase a new mobile power unit for almost $12,500 less than its budget. During its April 7 meeting, the RP&L board, which is comprised of Richmond Common Council members, unanimously accepted the $87,583 bid from Altec Fenex of Sandoval, Illinois, to provide the new unit. The purchase had been budgeted […]
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Council approves bonds for Smith Hill funding
The question of how to pay for an east-side Richmond housing development now has one more part of the answer. Richmond Common Council passed a resolution and two ordinances April 7 for the Smith Hill planned unit development, which occupies 80 acres south of Backmeyer Road between South 37th Street and Garwood Road. The development […]
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Threat to smack officer’s mouth leads to RPD demotion
The demotion of a Richmond Police Department officer resulted from a 26-second incident during which he threatened to smack another officer in the mouth. During an April 3 special meeting, RPD’s Merit Commission, which had conducted a March 24 hearing, rejected the administration’s request to fire Jeremy Worch, an 11-year RPD officer. Instead, Worch, who […]