A council member urged Hagerstown Town Council to act on items that are repeatedly brought up for discussion without final resolution. Donnie Benedict said the council has been talking for years about locating a solar array in town and annexing properties on the west side. At the council’s July 10 meeting, he suggested making final […]
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No class fees: Good for families; question remains
A decision by the Indiana General Assembly to do away with public school course fees – including book rental – has school districts worried about what will replace the fees in their budgets. While agreeing that the elimination of fees will be good for families with students, Emily Schaeffer says she and other public school […]
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Accountant: Stash money in Rainy Day Fund
Centerville’s finances are generally on solid footing and town officials should consider transferring money to their Rainy Day Fund and/or plan for one-time purchases because reserves are high, an accountant said. Upon council’s request, Paige Sansone of Indianapolis-based Baker Tilly municipal advisers provided a 41-page comprehensive financial plan that analyzed various town funds and showed […]
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Williamsburg festival offers food, cars, music
Wayne County’s festival season gets an early start with Williamsburg’s Community Farm Days on Friday and Saturday, July 28-29. Most activities are planned at Williamsburg Area Community Center, 8441 Centerville Road N. The Masonic Lodge will provide free strawberry ice cream shortcake while supplies last. On Friday, vendors will be open and pork chops will […]
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Council has little room for increases to 2024 budget
Wayne County Council members spent more than six hours July 19 listening to 2024 departmental budget requests. After only about a half-hour, requests for additional funding already exceeded the extra funds available for 2024. Department heads explained and defended the requests they had submitted, but the county expects only about $680,000 in additional property tax […]
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Gallery: Hagerstown Fly-In fun
The Hagerstown Fly-In event welcomes vintage airplane pilots to the Hagerstown airport’s grass runway to showcase their aircraft and flying skills as the public looks on. Photographer Joshua Smith captured these moments for the WWN during a visit to the aviation event on July 18, 2023:
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125 jobs expected at former auto plant
A plastics recycler plans to create about 125 jobs at the former Visteon auto plant in Connersville. NOVA Chemicals Corporation, a Canada-based producer of “sustainable” polyethylene, announced plans last week to create its first mechanical recycling facility at 4747 N. Western Ave. NOVA Chemicals will build out and equip about 450,000 square feet of the […]
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Toxic lead exposure leads to euthanasia of bald eagle
Despite some guarded optimism about his potential for recovery, Animal Care Alliance staff euthanized Freedom the bald eagle last week. WWN previously wrote about Economy-area residents helping ACA staff rescue the injured Freedom on June 19. He had been receiving care at the westside Richmond clinic, 1353 Abington Pike, since then. Joyce Luckett, ACA clinic […]
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Eclipse task force says long-term gains possible
When owners of Dot Foods were evaluating communities for a new distribution center, a deciding factor in choosing Cambridge City’s Gateway Industrial Park was a positive interaction with a resident at a gas station. They appreciated the resident’s true Hoosier hospitality while answering their questions, according to Valerie Shaffer, president of Economic Development Corp. of […]
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How can Wayne County residents live longer?
Wayne County residents can expect to live about six years less than an average American and about four years less than the average Hoosier. The county’s life expectancy is 72.9 years, according to the Indiana Department of Health. That’s 90th among Indiana’s 92 counties. A new Health First Indiana program gives the Wayne County Health […]