Every meal purchased at a Richmond restaurant soon will help the city’s park system. That’s after Richmond Common Council voted 8-1 during a Dec. 15 special meeting to enact a 1% food and beverage tax. State legislation passed this year permitted the city to enact up to a 1% tax on food and beverage sales […]
Author Archives: Mike Emery
Mike Emery is a reporter and layout editor for the Western Wayne News.
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Board OKs RP&L’s $98.6M budget
Richmond Power & Light budgeted expenses of more than $98.6 million for 2026. That’s a 0.4% increase over the 2025 budget. “When we looked at our department-by-department expenses, we tried to do our very best to have a status quo expense budget this year,” said Tony Foster, general manager for RP&L during the Dec. 1 […]
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Sheriff’s department spreads Christmas cheer
Santa Claus and a toy add cheer to most any child’s Christmas. The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office plans to spread that cheer with a family-friendly Christmas event from 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 13 in the chambers room of the Wayne County Administration Building, 401 E. Main St., Richmond. The event is open to the […]
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Friends: Hamm ‘really cared about our area’
Former Indiana State Rep. Richard Hamm stayed connected to state and local government through chats over spicy shrimp, sugar cream pie and meals at the VFW. In addition to his years of helping Wayne County residents at the state level, Hamm was known for decades of providing jobs and supporting many nonprofit organizations. Friends shared […]
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Council to take public input on tax
Are Richmond residents willing to spend pennies more anytime they eat out to benefit the city’s parks? Richmond Common Council will soon find out. Council scheduled a special meeting for 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, to hear public opinions about the proposed 1% city food and beverage tax. The meeting will be in council chambers […]
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Lot’s future: Green space to enjoy lunch
A grassy plot sits next to the Romey and Evans buildings that Eric Dimick Eastman owns on the northwest corner of East Main and 10th streets. Dimick Eastman, though, sees the 0.15-acre plot’s future with paths, tables, seating, trees and bushes next to the makerspace, called The Hive, he’s creating inside his buildings. He showed […]
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Redevelopment Commission OKs $1M for water tower
Wayne County government continues to invest taxpayer dollars in bolstering water capacity to serve current employers and tempt new ones to locate here. On Nov. 25, the county’s Redevelopment Commission unanimously approved contributing $1 million toward construction of a new Gateway Industrial Park water tower. The planned water tower will store a million gallons, complementing […]
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On 2nd try, plan commission OKs zoning amendments
An amendment to Wayne County’s zoning ordinance would limit the number of female dogs permitted at commercial breeding operations. A restriction of 40 females age 1 or older was crucial to the zoning amendment resolution receiving a positive referral from the Wayne County Advisory Plan Commission during its Nov. 20 meeting. With five members of […]
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New goals set for Richmond in comprehensive plan update
Richmond officially has a new comprehensive plan. Common Council unanimously approved a resolution adopting the plan prepared by HWC Engineering to update the city’s 2019 comprehensive plan. Richmond Advisory Plan Commission had previously recommended approval with a 7-0 vote. “Your comprehensive plan is really your long-range guide for growth in your community,” said Jennifer Barclay […]
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Planned Greens Fork-area businesses get county’s go-ahead
Two new Greens Fork-area businesses received necessary variances from the Wayne County Board of Zoning Appeals on Nov. 13. John and Tressa Wallace planned an event venue in an existing barn at 12082 Indiana 38 west of Greens Fork, and Aaron and Steven Stoltzfus planned a father-son deck construction business at 5878 N. Mineral Springs […]