(Richmond, IN)--Ground was broken Thursday on an expansion project at Blue Buffalo in Richmond’s Midwest Industrial Park.  Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb and Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers were on hand for the event.  $200 million will be invested over the next two years, which will include a 169,000 square-foot addition to expand processing operations and warehouse capacity.  Between 50 and 60 new jobs will be created.  Holcomb said that as a pet parent himself, he’s thrilled that Blue Buffalo continues to put its trust in Richmond to deliver pet products across the nation.

(Cambridge City, IN)--Three more employees of the Western Wayne School District have resigned, and those resignations continue a mass exodus that has occurred since the school year started.  According to some employees who have already left the district, nearly two dozen staffers have left.  One of the employees had filed and settled a complaint through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.  Another case with the EEOC is pending.  Many of the staffers who have left blame the culture at the administrative level.

(Richmond, IN)--A Richmond man who already has had two drug-dealing cases in the last year and a half now has a third.  30-year-old Shawn Farrow was taken into custody in the 400 block of North 19^th Street Thursday afternoon.  Farrow is now charged with dealing cocaine, dealing meth, and dealing other controlled substances.  As is often the case with accused drug dealers, Farrow bonded out of jail in only seven hours and was free again Friday morning.  The Wayne County Jail was bombarded with calls from people wondering when Farrow would be released.

(Richmond, IN)--One Richmond Community School teacher addressed the RCS Board Wednesday night about several bills working their way through the Indiana Statehouse.  That includes a bill that would require teachers to notify parents if children use names or pronouns that don’t match their biological sex.  Ti Washington is a teacher at Hibberd.  Here she is Wednesday night:  "I would then have to call their parents and basically out them.  I'm not in the business of doing that.  Our students trust us with so many things."  Washington also took issue with a bill that addresses concerns over books that could contain graphic depictions of sex.  "A parent can say 'well, I don't think that book is appropriate' and then they can turn me in.  I can get a felony for that.  Since when are we in the business of putting librarians and teachers in jail simply for educating our students?"  The comments came during the public comment portion of Wednesday night’s meeting, which does not draw a response from the Board.

(Richmond, IN)--Shortly after the Depot District overpass closes next month, Richmond police and other officials will closely monitor traffic patterns and paying attention to how emergency vehicles are affected.  An INDOT project talked this week about one concern as it pertains to getting from one part of the city to another.  "A messier part will be north to west.  The only good roads for that are Waterfall and Sim Hodgin.  If I was trying to set things up, I'd probably try to coordinate to try to push things down Industries Road and NW 5th Street."  The closure of the overpass is set to begin in a couple of weeks and last at least a year and a half.

(Richmond, IN)--The Richmond Community School Board on Wednesday night approved the calendar for the next school year, with one day still somewhat up in the air due to a once-in-a-lifetime event.  Here’s Dawn Sonsini:  "I've received a few different emails about eye safety regarding the total solar eclipse and how some schools are closing on April 8."  She’s talking about April 8 of next year.  The approval of the calendar last night means that school will start on August 7.  Wednesday night’s passage does not set the start time for school each morning.

(Richmond, IN)--Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb will be in Richmond on Thursday.  Holcomb is coming to take part in ceremonies related to the expansion of the Blue Buffalo plant.  Back in June of 2019, Blue Buffalo opened a $200 million, 400,000 square-foot facility in the Midwest Industrial Park on Salisbury Road.  Richmond Mayor Dave Snow said the Governor’s visit is an opportunity to do this:  "showcase some of the very positive projects that are happening now as a direct result of our state partnership, so (I'm) looking forward to hosting Governor Holcomb."  According to the EDC, Blue Buffalo now employs 187 people.  Thursday’s events get underway at 11 o’clock.  Indiana’s Secretary of Commerce will also be on hand.

(Richmond, IN)--Details of a heroic weekend rescue by the Richmond Fire Department were released Tuesday.  There was a report of an overnight fire with entrapment.  Firefighters were out of bed, into the trucks, and at the scene in barely more than three minutes.  Upon arrival, they began an immediate search and located one victim still inside who was unconscious and suffering from smoke inhalation.  That person was carried outside.  Two other victims got out on their own.  Life-saving measures were used on the unconscious patient in an ambulance.  The last update indicated that all patients are on the road to recovery.

(Richmond, IN)--The primary question on the minds of most Richmond residents as it relates to the Depot District overpass replacement project involves how they’re supposed to get around it.  The official detour will be posted as I-70 to U.S. 40, but that’s only because INDOT is restricted to using state routes as detours and everyone knows that’s far from the quickest detour.  Here’s an INDOT project engineer talking about one detour route for vehicles headed south:  "J Street, south on 12th to North A.  Now, obviously, on this type of job there won't be one local detour.  We fully anticipate people will be taking a hundred different streets to get around this."  The start date has now been pushed back slightly to the end of next month.

(Richmond, IN)--City of Richmond and INDOT officials held a public meeting Monday night to explain the details of a major road project that’s about to get underway.  Beginning in as soon as two weeks, the U.S. 27 bridge over the Depot District will be demolished and replaced.  Officials explained some of the features of the new bridge, which will include increased safety for pedestrians and drivers.  The number of spans will be reduced from 17 to seven.  And, the pier on Fort Wayne Avenue will be removed.  Once it gets underway, construction is expected to take two full years to complete.

(Wayne County,  IN)--A police chase on I-70 Tuesday morning reached incredible speed and ended with the apprehension of the driver.  It was a little before 4 o’clock Tuesday morning in Wayne County when police began to pursue a driver from Kentucky.  The driver was headed east on 70 at an incredible 140 miles per hour.  At times, he drove on the shoulder to elude law enforcement.  The chase came to an end after the driver reversed direction and headed west.  No other details of the chase have been released.

(Preble County, OH)--Gasper Township Trustee Jimmy Gambrell said Monday night that they just felt as though they were doing their job and that they don’t consider themselves heroes. But, to Lance and Kristina Fiemeyer, what Gasper Township first responders did on the afternoon of January 6 meant everything.

(Richmond, IN)--The closure of the U.S. 27 bridge over the Depot District in Richmond is getting closer, and there’s a public meeting Monday night to provide more details and answer questions.  It begins at 5:30 Monday afternoon at the New Boswell Event Center.  The overpass is now expected to close to traffic as soon as two weeks from Monday.  Once that happens, it will be the fall of next year before traffic passes over the new bridge.  And, construction won’t be totally complete until the summer of ’25.  Fort Wayne Avenue under the overpass will also be closing.

(Cambridge City, IN)--The historic Huddleston Farmhouse on U.S. 40 in western Wayne County has sold.  The Huddleston House dates back to 1841 and was previously owned by Indiana Landmarks.  The new owners are a central Indiana couple who plan to privately farm on the land for a few years, but then use the property as an educational site to teach historic methods of planting, cooking, and preservation.  There are covenants in place to preserve the building’s architectural nature.  Details of the sale were not disclosed, but it had been listed for $349,000.

(New Castle, IN)--Details of the arrest of an apparently disgruntled former employee were released Sunday.  According to Wayne County Sheriff Randy Retter, a man identified as Dakota Haddock quit his job at a western Wayne County business.  Just before he left that business for the last time, Haddock allegedly pulled out a gun, racked it, and made a concerning comment to other employees.   A warrant was issued for Haddock’s arrest.  He was located in Henry County and taking into custody without incident.

(Richmond, IN)--A semi and an SUV collided on I-70 Thursday afternoon.  The semi ended up in a precarious place.  "Semi went off the roadway and ended up down an embankment.  That tractor part was in the river," said Battalion Chief Chuck Powell.  The driver was able to get out on his own in the of the Whitewater River on Richmond’s east side.  Westbound traffic came to a standstill.  The semi was carrying dog food.  There was another issue.  "It was leaking diesel fuel into river.  We put out some booms to help contain the leak," Powell explained.  About 300 gallons of fuel leaked into the river.  There were no injuries reported.  Traffic on 70 was affected for more than three hours.

(Union County, IN)--There’s big economic development news for Union County.  Yesterday, Governor Eric Holcomb announced that a company called Full Throttle Fulfillment Solutions will set up shop in Union County and bring with it 50 new jobs and $7.3 million in investment.  It will be located on State Road 101 just a couple of miles south of Liberty.  Renovations to an existing building will begin in a couple of weeks.  Additional buildings are planned for the location.  Full Throttle Fulfillment will begin hiring on May 1.  Applications will be accepted immediately.  To apply, go to hr@fullthrottlefulfillment.com.

(Richmond, IN)--The animal control officer of the Richmond Police Department is looking for a man named Taylor Snider.  RPD made the announcement Thursday and didn’t say exactly why, but did say that Snider has a pit bull mix.  Snider is listed as homeless and his whereabouts are unknown.  He was convicted two and a half years ago of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon.

(Eaton, OH)--The Eaton woman who drowned her own 93-year-old grandmother in a kitchen sink late last year was sentenced yesterday.  Heidi Matheny was sentenced to life in prison.  She won’t be eligible for parole until 2037.  Matheny appeared by video yesterday from jail and did not address the court.  Here’s Prosecutor Martin Votel after the sentencing:  "To this day, the granddaughter has never been able to consistently explain to my satisfaction or to the satisfaction of law enforcement why this happened and why she felt she needed to do that.  It really is the definition of senseless."  Matheny had pled guilty to the murder earlier this month.

(Preble County, OH)--The man who allegedly threated to, quote, shoot up, unquote, a fire station has been located and jailed.  Police say Caleb Clayman was upset that first responders could not get to a remote area fast enough during Wednesday morning’s icy conditions.  Here is transcript of a warning from dispatchers:  "Male subject had a female that had overdosed on Smyrna Road just across the state line - one house across the state line.  The male stated that he's upset because the ambulance is not getting there in a timely manner and that he was in route to a fire station to shoot the place up."  Clayman is in the Preble County Jail and is charged with aggravated menacing.

(Richmond, IN)--Hundreds of parents and staff members have completed a survey about new start times for Richmond Community Schools for the next school year.  There are now two options on the table.  A slight majority prefer a later start time.  Regardless of which option is chosen, one thing is certain:  students will spend less time in the classroom.  Under both scenarios, intermediate and high school students will have about three hours less classroom time per week.  The RCS Board is likely to vote on the issue during its meeting next week.

(Richmond, IN)--Here’s more on the arrest of Stephanie Ball, who was the treasurer of the Wayne County 4-H Horse and Pony Committee, in a case that Kicks 96 and 101.7 The Point News first reported last week.  According to an affidavit obtained this week, Ball became the subject of an investigation when a check to a contractor bounced.  Ball had told the committee late last year that there was more than $11,000 in an account.  In reality, there was barely more than $200.  Ball racked up more than $4000 in purchases at big-box retailers and made another $7500 in ATM withdrawals.  She faces up to two and a half years behind bars if convicted.

(Whitewater Valley)--Wayne County’s unemployment rate, along with the number of people who are classified as unemployed, has taken a significant jump.  In new numbers released by the state Tuesday, Wayne County’s unemployment rate has jumped a half a percentage point and stood Wednesday morning at 3.4%.  But, in the last month, the county has added 206 people who are now unemployed.  Most of those – 140 – are Richmond residents.  Most other Whitewater Valley counties saw a similar jump of about a half a percentage point in their unemployment rates.

(Wayne County, IN)--Wednesday morning’s drive to work or school is much easier than Tuesday’s.  A pre-dawn snowfall created treacherous driving conditions.  In Wayne County between the hours of 6 a.m. and noon Tuesday, there were a total of 35 slide-offs or crashes.  There were no serious injuries in any of those crashes.  Traffic was slowed to stopped on I-70, bringing much of the interstate traffic into Richmond and Centerville.  Icy conditions also forced the closure of the 20^th Street Bridge and Niewoehner Road.

(Richmond, IN)--The stock values of a couple of Richmond banks took similar tumbles Monday.  Between the market’s open and about 11 o’clock, two local banks saw stock values drop substantially.  Local bank stock values leveled off in the afternoon.  Still, one local bank’s stock dropped by 7.5%, and another’s dropped by 6.8%.