(Wayne County, IN)--The subject of a statewide Silver Alert was found overnight in Wayne County.    An 88-year-old man from Terre Haute went missing Tuesday morning and was said to be in extreme danger.  At just before midnight Tuesday night, that man was found in his vehicle on I-70 between Centerville and Cambridge City.  Scanner traffic indicated he was disoriented but otherwise okay.  He was taken to Reid Health as authorities tried to notify people in Terre Haute.

(Richmond, IN)--There was an accidental shooting overnight in Richmond.  One man shot himself in the leg while sitting in a vehicle in the parking lot of Forest Park Health near the corner of South 23^rd and L Street late Tuesday night.  The man was taken to Reid Health.  His identity and condition have not been released.  Investigators said he was carrying the 9 millimeter handgun legally.  No charges are expected to be filed.

(Richmond, IN)--Services have been set for a man who owned and managed what turned out to be an iconic downtown Richmond business and created memories for countless local children.  William Veach died last Sunday and will be buried Friday in Minster, Ohio.  Veach operated the store that bore his name for 50 years.  Veach’s closed for good in 2017.  William Veach was 87.

(Wayne County, IN)--There was a fatal crash in Wayne County late Monday night.  It was dispatched as a car fire on Round Barn Road directly underneath the I-70 overpass at just before midnight.  Flames were shooting high enough that I-70 was shut down.  As the fire was being extinguished, crews realized that there was someone inside and that the vehicle had actually been on I-70, lost control, and come down onto Round Barn Road.  There’s no word yet on the identity of the victim or what led to the crash.

(Wayne County, IN)--Wayne County’s public schools are in line for a massive amount of money to help with pandemic costs.  That money is part of the American Rescue Plan.  Here’s how much each school is getting.  Richmond Community Schools is now set to receive $13.7 million.  Centerville schools is getting $2.6 million.  Northeastern is getting $1.9 million.  Nettle Creek schools will get $1.8 million, and Western Wayne schools stand to receive $1.3 million.  Richmond’s influx of money represents about a quarter of its total budgeted expenditures.

(Richmond, IN)--A final closing date has now been set for one of the larger retailers in the Richmond Mall area.  Office Max has announced that the last day for the local store will be May 15.  The store has been selling off inventory since the closing announcement was made months ago.  The Richmond Office Max was heavily damaged by a tornado two years ago, which resulted in a lengthy closure.  Office Max will join JC Penney and MCL as relatively recent closures in the mall area.

(Richmond, IN)--There was a fatal shooting in Richmond over the weekend.  On Saturday night at just past 10 o’clock, officers were called to the 200 block of North 13^th Street on the report of a man being shot in the stomach.  There, they found 26-year-old Chad Mullins.  Mullins was taken to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, where he died Sunday.  Investigators have been interviewing witnesses, but no arrests have been made.  The only description of the suspect is that he was a short black male who fled the area in a dark car.  There’s no word on what may have led to the shooting.

(Wayne County, IN)--Since last Monday, some area counties have seen the highest weekly Covid-19 case totals that they’ve seen in more than two months.  That includes Wayne County, which has had 50 new cases.  That’s the highest weekly total since the last week of February.  There were 45 new cases in Darke County.   That’s their highest weekly total since February 15.  Other area counties are experiencing very low counts, though.  Since last Monday, Fayette and Union County have added only four cases each.

(Wayne County, IN)--A Wayne County man was behind bars Monday morning after a domestic incident and short pursuit late Sunday night.  It happened on Pennville Road.  A resident there reported that her husband had struck her in the head and went outside with children and a shotgun.  33-year-old Justin Oliver then allegedly fled south on Pennville and was stopped a short distance away.  Oliver faces charges that include strangulation and domestic battery with a deadly weapon.

(Wayne County, IN)--There was a massive jump in jobless claims in Wayne County that directly matches the most recent stimulus payments.  Here are the number of Wayne County jobless claims in the four weeks leading up to stimulus payments:  162, 132, 101, 123.  But, when stimulus hit, those weekly claims skyrocketed nearly seven times higher to 763 in just one week.  A nearly identical jump in jobless claims happened last year when another round of stimulus was distributed.  Meanwhile, at least two Richmond restaurants had signs posted Thursday announcing their hours had been cut due to a lack of staffing.

(Wayne County, IN)--Another 245 Wayne County residents became fully vaccinated from Covid-19 Thursday.  It brings the total number of residents now fully vaccinated to just over 17,100 people, which represents about 26% of the total population.  According to an announcement Thursday, Ohio residents can now get vaccinated at the Kuhlman Center.  There will also be a special vaccination clinic in Hagerstown on Monday.

(Wayne County, IN)--More details have been released about the fatal crash at State Road 227 and Gaar Road just northeast of Richmond that we were first to tell you about Thursday morning.  Investigators now say the man who was killed in the single vehicle crash, 28-year-old William Miller of Richmond, had 42 grams of methamphetamine in the vehicle.  He was also in possession of three grams of what’s called “gray death”, which is a potent mixture of synthetic opioids.  Miller was due to go on trial for armed robbery in June for allegedly beating a man with a shovel during a robbery.

(Richmond, IN)--One person is dead after a crash early Friday morning just northeast of Richmond.  First responders were called to the area of State Road 227 and Gaar Road in the Pleasant View area at 1 o’clock on the report of an overturned vehicle.  There, they found that an occupant of the vehicle had been ejected.  That person was pronounced dead at the scene.  The identity of the victim has not been released.  Scanner traffic indicated that drugs were found at the scene.

(Wayne County, IN)--All Whitewater Valley counties remained in the blue when Indiana’s new color-coded Covid-19 map was released Wednesday.  Wayne County’s positivity rate had dropped to 2.3% Thursday morning, which is a marked drop from the point when it rose above three percent late last week.  Wayne County also reported a Covid-19 death Wednesday, making the second straight day of reporting a death after having not reported one for an entire month.  The total now stands at 198.

(Richmond, IN)--Someone was shot in the arm with an arrow on Gardner Street in Richmond Wednesday afternoon.  It happened at around 1:30.  When police arrived, they found 52-year-old Jenita Smith with an injury to her arm from the arrow.  She was taken to Reid Health to be treated for a minor injury.  45-year-old Lawrence Paddock, who lives close to Smith, was later arrest for criminal recklessness.

(Wayne County, IN)--On Tuesday, Wayne County reported its first Covid-19 death in more than a month.  It brings the total of those who have died with the virus to 197.  There were 11 new cases reported Tuesday.  It marks the 3^rd time in the last week that Wayne County has reported double-digit cases after having gone two weeks without that happening.  The number of patients in Reid Health containment areas was back up to eight Wednesday morning.  At one point last week, there was only one.

(Preble County, OH)--A Centerville man wanted for beating a child under the age of 14 has been located in Preble County and was back in the Wayne County Jail Wednesday morning.  26-year-old Chance Duarte now faces a new felony.  Duarte has a lengthy criminal record that includes drug possession and burglary.  He was also charged in 2018 with stabbing someone twice at the Westwood Apartments in Richmond.

(Richmond, IN)--Two teenagers led police on a high-speed chase on dirt bikes through downtown Richmond overnight.  It happened at around midnight Tuesday night / Wednesday morning when IU East security notified RPD about the two riders on Chester Boulevard.  Officers tried to stop them at Sim Hodgin Parkway, but they fled into the downtown area at 85 miles per hour, according to scanner traffic.  After winding their way through downtown streets, they crashed on South West 1^st.  One went to Reid Health.  One went to RPD headquarters.  There’s no word on the extent of their injuries or how young they are.

(Wayne County, IN)--Roughly a quarter of Wayne County’s total population has now been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.  But, according to numbers from the state, the percentage is much higher for those most vulnerable.  Assuming that Wayne County has vaccinated its older residents at a rate similar to the state level, just over 65% - or nearly 2/3 – of Wayne County residents 65 or older have now been fully vaccinated.  192 of the 196 Wayne County residents to die with Covid-19 have been over age 60.  None have been younger than 50.

(Richmond, IN)--Even with Covid-19 numbers dropping drastically, local restaurants are still desperate for employees.  Here’s the Patrick Tamm, the president of Indiana’s Restaurant Association on Monday.  "Hiring to secure new employees has been atrocious."  A drive down National Road West in Richmondwill show that nearly every restaurant is hiring.  One is even offering a $500 bonus.  Here’s why:  "There are a lot of individuals that are seeing great benefit from unemployment - both state and, for the first time, federal unemployment," Tamm said.  Despite openings everywhere, more than 12,000 jobless claims have been filed in Wayne County in the last year.  That's 12 times higher than the year before.

(Richmond, IN)--While there is an abundance of Covid-19 vaccine available in many Whitewater Valley counties, there’s one place where it’s not – Preble County.  On the website where Preble County residents go to schedule vaccinations Tuesday morning was a message that says “Sorry, but due to supply shortages there are no available appointments.”  There’s no indication of when doses of the vaccine will become available.  Less than 17% of Preble County’s population has been fully vaccinated.

(Wayne County, IN)--Wayne County has just had its highest Monday-Monday Covid-19 case total since the first week of March.  Wayne County had added 48 new cases in the last week.  The rise was due largely to double-digit cases reported last Wednesday and Thursday.  Despite a higher case count, the county’s positivity rate is dropping again and is down to 2.5%.  There are five patients in Reid Health containment areas.  Wayne County has not reported a Covid-19 death since March 12 – exactly one month ago.

(Richmond, IN)--A car sitting on the tracks at the North 8^th Street crossing in Richmond’s Depot District was struck by an oncoming train late Friday night.  On Sunday, a man explained how he pulled the driver out before the car was struck.  Jeremiah Cannon said that he tried to convince the male driver to get out and, when the driver wouldn’t exit, Cannon pulled him out.  Others then tried to get the car off the track before it was destroyed by an oncoming train.  There were no injuries.

(Richmond, IN)--An alleged Richmond meth dealer was taken into custody Friday but has already bonded out of jail and was free Monday morning.  The Wayne County Drug Task Force and the SWAT Team found Travis Reed at his home in the 1100 block of South B and arrested on an active warrant for two counts of dealing methamphetamine.  Tara Vickers was also arrested there for visiting a common nuisance.

(Winchester, IN)--A Winchester teenager is now the subject of a statewide Silver Alert.  The Silver Alert was issued early Friday morning for 18-year-old Takyra Jones.  Jones was last seen at around 4 o’clock Thursday afternoon.  Winchester Police say she is in extreme danger and may need medical attention, although they’re not saying exactly what led them to that conclusion.  Takyra Jones is white, 5-3, 120 pounds, and was last seen wearing blue glasses and a grey hoodie.