Richmond Mayor Ron Oler’s proposal for fines of up to $7,500 for transporting homeless people into the city prompted questions about its necessity and legality when it reached Richmond Common Council Sept. 8. Oler said he doesn’t want other communities taking advantage of Richmond resources offered for unhoused people, either now or in the future. […]
Author Archives: Mike Emery
Mike Emery is a reporter and layout editor for the Western Wayne News.
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Mobile home residents again plead for help
Residents of two Island Communities mobile home parks in Richmond fear for their futures. For a second time, they requested help from Richmond Common Council, returning to council’s Sept. 8 meeting after first presenting council an ordinance providing mobile home residents protections July 6. About 25 residents in attendance were again told there’s little the […]
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City’s 2027 budget draft includes 7 unbalanced funds
Richmond Common Council members found thick binders containing the city’s 2027 preliminary budget at their seats prior to their Sept. 8 meeting. It’s the second budget cycle in council’s three-year mandate for the city to balance its budget, and Beth Fields, the city’s director of strategic initiatives, said 21 city funds are balanced. However, two […]
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RP&L’s initial rate increase lower than expected
Richmond Power & Light’s residential rates will increase slightly less than expected when RP&L implements new rates Oct. 1. General Manager Tony Foster provided the good news when presenting the RP&L board Sept. 8 with the fourth-quarter energy cost adjustment. The residential ECA will drop for the fourth quarter, the second consecutive quarter of decline. […]
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Small school receives Richmond BZA’s blessing
Janis Chance loves hearing schoolchildren play and sing near her Smyrna Road home. She told the Richmond Board of Zoning Appeals the small school located there benefits the area’s Amish community. Sam and Lydiann Shrock petitioned the BZA for a variance of use permitting the 2-year-old school that educates about 20 children. During its Sept. […]
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Union Co. 911 work requires extra dispatcher
Permanently providing Union County with emergency communications services will require that Wayne County hire an additional dispatcher. Matthew Cain, the director of Wayne County Emergency Communications, told the county commissioners during their Sept. 9 meeting that the increased workload of a permanent consolidation necessitates an extra dispatcher during busy times. He envisions 10-hour shifts Tuesday […]
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3 county measles cases ‘a big deal’
Dr. Jennifer Bales has never personally seen a measles case, but after 21 years practicing emergency medicine, Wayne County’s health officer might get her chance. There had been three confirmed measles cases through Sept. 9 in Wayne County. Bales told the county’s Board of Health on Sept. 8 that there were two cases, then Dan […]
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City settles for $2M from plastics company, owner
Richmond has reached a $2 million settlement with the company that stored plastics across three North West F Street properties. The settlement agreement on crossclaims by the city against Cornerstone Trading Group and its owner Seth Smith was filed Sept. 9 in the U.S. District Court for Southern Indiana as part of a class-action lawsuit […]
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Plastics fire lawsuit’s trial to begin Sept. 14
Eight jurors will begin deciding Sept. 14 if about 3,500 people deserve compensation from the city of Richmond, Cornerstone Trading Group and its owner, Seth Smith, because of an April 2023 plastics fire. Judge Tanya Walton Pratt will preside in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana over a lawsuit’s trial that’s […]
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Boards to consider medical records system contract
Wayne County’s commissioners delayed action on a contract providing the county health department with a new electronic medical records system. During their Sept. 2 meeting, commissioners opted to wait until their Sept. 9 meeting to act. That provides the county’s Board of Health the opportunity to first consider the contract with TrackMy Solutions during its […]