Wayne County Auditor Mark Hoelscher pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor counts of intimidation during a Feb. 11 initial hearing in Superior Court 3. Special Judge Matthew Cox of Union County informed Hoelscher, 77, of his rights and special prosecutor Jason Ray, also of Union County, read the charges against Hoelscher during the five-minute hearing. […]
Category: News
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Amended food and beverage tax bill raises county concern
Richmond’s pursuit of a food and beverage tax has switched from Indiana’s House to the Senate, and it now directly impacts Wayne County and other county towns. Food and beverage tax requests from Richmond, Marion and Shipshewana have been combined into Senate Bill 304. State Rep. Brad Barrett, a Richmond Republican representing District 56, authored […]
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EDC loosening wage requirements for grants
Seeking more flexibility in employer recruitment, economic development officials voted to broaden salary requirements for those seeking grants. Since December, Economic Development Corp. of Wayne County board members and staff have discussed revising their Economic Development Income Tax grant qualifications. Employers can request EDIT cash grants for needs such as land acquisition, construction, utility connections, […]
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Biomanufacturing plant finds finishing funds
A company building a plant in Richmond to make proteins for food, chemicals and industrial products announced it has raised the capital needed to complete construction. Liberation Labs closed a convertible note with $31.5 million in new capital, which, combined with $19 million of insider bridge notes raised during 2024, brings the total raised in its […]
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Sheriff proposes way to fill jail staff
Sheriff Randy Retter needs six more jail deputies, and he presented Wayne County Council with a creative approach to filling those positions. During council’s Feb. 6 meeting, Retter explained that hiring trained jail deputies is difficult. Deputies are usually promoted from civilian corrections officers trained by jail staff. With that in mind, Retter proposed hiring […]
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Auditions planned for ‘Les Mis,’ ‘Little Shop of Horrors’
Richmond Civic Theatre is planning auditions for a radio show of “Les Miserables” and a stage production of “Little Shop of Horrors.” Tryouts for “Little Shop” are at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23 at RCT’s Annex, 13 S. 10th St. Audition materials are available at gorct.org/auditions. The musical about […]
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RSO offering 3 concerts, new youth programs
Richmond Symphony Orchestra will play a piece this weekend that musicians chose as their highlight of this season, and the ensemble is offering some new and returning education programs. Concerts RSO’s concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 16, in Civic Hall Performing Arts Center includes Igor Stravinsky’s “Pulcinella.” When RSO musicians were surveyed before the […]
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State overreach concerns officials
Hagerstown is joining the list of area towns concerned about how proposed state legislation might reduce or remove local control of services. During their Feb. 3 meeting, Hagerstown Town Council members heard from fire chief Rick Cole about the potential implications of various bills, including HB1233. Proposed by Republican rep. Karen Engleman from District 70, […]
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Valentine fundraisers benefit animals, more
At least four organizations are offering Valentine-related fundraisers or promotions in February. Nonprofits can send information about their programs and events to contact@westernwaynenews.com for publication consideration.
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Despite hurricane, RP&L reliability exceeds 99.9%
Squirrels posed a problem for Richmond Power & Light during 2024. So did trees. Those are normal issues causing outages each year, but Hurricane Helene was an anomaly that impacted RP&L’s service the most last year. General Manager Tony Foster reported to the RP&L board, which is comprised of Richmond Common Council members, the utility’s […]