Although it wasn’t as destructive as the March 14 tornadoes that struck Winchester, National Weather Service has confirmed a damage-causing tornado April 2 in Wayne County. In its preliminary assessment, NWS says the brief, weak EF0 tornado, which is the lowest on the scale with 65 to 85 mph winds, occurred with severe thunderstorms in […]
Category: News
Live eclipse day updates
Welcome to the Western Wayne News eclipse day coverage for April 8, 2024. This article has updates from our reporting team stationed around Wayne County as the community celebrates this rare celestial event. For more information and related articles and resources, visit the WWN Eclipse Guide. Monday, April 8 4:56 p.m. — Traffic is normal […]
Hagerstown’s new building commissioner resigns
Hagerstown finds itself looking for a new building commissioner for the second time in less than a year, and perhaps redefining the position. Terry Ford has resigned to take a similar position with the Town of Centerville. Hagerstown had hired him last fall after searching several months to replace his predecessor. At that time, Ford […]
Grammy nominee to perform in Hagerstown
National performers are entertaining local crowds during eclipse festivities. A Nashville songwriter for some of country music’s biggest names will perform a free concert in Hagerstown on Saturday, April 6. Jeffrey Steele, a five-time Grammy nominee, will perform some of those hits and share the stories behind them at Hagerstown High School’s gym, 701 Baker […]
Deadline nears for voter registration
Only a few days remain for Wayne County residents to register to vote if they want to have their say in May’s election. Voter registration ends Monday, April 8, for the May 7 primary. Those interested in registering can visit the voter registration office inside Wayne County Courthouse, 301 E. Main St., Richmond, or see indianavoters.com. […]
Brick work at Northeastern will wait
Masonry at Northeastern Middle/High School will continue leaking and flaking a while longer. Repair bids came in at almost double the expected cost, so the school board rejected them on March 20. “The board will gather information on how to re-engineer the project and will consider if it needs to sell a bond to do […]
Eclipse notebook: road closures, restrictions, schedule changes
Hagerstown Police Department has announced road closures and restrictions for the eclipse weekend to accommodate several events. Police ask for patience. Closures: Restrictions: Cambridge City cemetery closing Riverside Cemetery’s gates will be locked at 7 a.m. Monday, April 8, and will be unlocked at 7 a.m. Tuesday, April 9, to keep guests from camping in […]
RCS discusses renovations, food service, board pay
Richmond Community Schools is moving forward to issue $20 million in debt for facilities repairs and improvements. The board conducted its second preliminary determination hearing for 2024-25 lease financing at its March 13 meeting. No residents spoke. The approximately $18.6 million would fund safety, security and energy efficiency projects, site work, athletic improvements, and potential […]
For now, Centerville willing to share its building commissioner
Centerville’s council discussed personnel updates involving the building commissioner and fire department, plus some needed repairs at its March 26 work session. Building commissioner Kevin Branson, Centerville’s building commissioner, has resigned to take another position. Town manager Kevin Slick has hired Terry Ford to start in April to replace Branson. Ford was Centerville’s building commissioner […]
Abington Township board removes fire chief
The Abington Township board removed James Ausmus as the township fire department’s chief with a 2-1 vote March 26. Township Trustee Steven Kaiser said that during a meeting with an attorney, a determination was made that Ausmus breached his contract with the township and misused funds when distributing stipends to department officers during January. Ausmus […]