(Whitewater Valley)--On Wednesday, Kicks 96 and The Point is reviewing local news for 2015. Here is the script form of the review that's airing Wednesday morning...
{WEATHER}: Today is the day we take our annual look back at the year that was in local news. We begin our look back at 2015 with weather. In mid-January, an ice storm closed schools (actuality 31284). That’s Mike Sharp with the Wayne County Highway Department. Sub-zero temperatures in February also closed schools. Heavy rain brought widespread flooding in July. And, just last week, tornadoes touched down just outside Fountain City and Arcanum. Coming up at 6, we’ll look back court cases, lawsuits, and other issues.
{COURTS / LAWSUITS}: We continue our look back at 2015 with some of the disputes that headlined local news. In Febrary, Reid Health dealt with complaints about billing. In March, the fight began about who would be responsible to fix the Paulee restaurant wall. Later that month, discussions intensified about demolishing and cleaning up old Reid. Richmond spent much of 2015 in a fight with John Cahill over his burned-out properties. In August, the debate raged about backpacks for students at RHS (actuality 31750). That’s Superintendent Todd Terrill. And, in September, Wayne County considered providing clean needles to drug addicts. Coming up at 6:30, we’ll look back at local politics.
{POLITICS}: We continue our look back at 2015 by recalling local politics. In February, Common Council member Don Winget came under fire by those who claimed he was living in Union County (actuality 31374). With May came the primary (actuality 31487). That’s mayoral candidate Kyle Ingram. In September, we learned that Mayor Sally Hutton was battling cancer. A debate between mayoral candidates in October provided some comic relief (actuality 31831). Then, last month, Richmond learned who its new mayor would be (actuality 31855). Dave Snow was right. He won by 700 votes. Coming up at 7, we’ll talk economy and local jobs.
{ECONOMY}: Our look back at 2015 continues as look back on the local economy. January brought news of the closure of Omco. HH Gregg announced in March that it would shut its doors. Better news came later that month when Wayne County learned it would headquarters to Osborn. The Tom Raper dealership sold in March. In July, the Richmond Square Mall sold at sheriff’s sale. It sold again earlier this month. Some of the year’s most devastating economic news came in September, when Marjun in Winchester announced it would close and eliminate hundreds of jobs. And, in October, the development of a new drug treatment center for Richmond was announced (actuality 31830). Coming up at 7:30, we’ll look back at crime in the Whitewater Valley.
{CRIME}: We continue this morning with our annual look back at the year that was in local news. Crime made headlines throughout 2015. Remember the Bicycle Bandit? He was caught in January after using his bike as a getaway vehicle. Eyebrows were raised in late February when racial graffiti was sprayed at the home of a black Richmond doctor (actuality 31383). That’s a neighbor. The search didn’t go far. The doctor’s own husband was eventually arrested. Spring weather brought a rash of armed robberies. Richmond had seven just in April. Without question, though, the dominant crime story in 2015 was heroin (actuality 31699). That’s Wayne County Coroner Ron Stevens. The group Heroin is Here continues to work to curb the problem. Coming up at 8, the good news stories of 2015.
{GOOD NEWS}: Our look back at 2015 continues with the good news stories of the year. Just a few days into the year, Veach’s was named Indiana’s best toy store (actuality 31273). That’s owner John Veach. In February, utility workers rescued a woman who had been trapped overnight in her car on Wernle Road (actuality 31336). That’s Brad Wildman. Also that month, Richmond graduation rate soared to 96%. Scenes from a movie were shot in Eaton in April. Tennis pro Venus Williams got her degree from IU East in August. And, in October, Richmond High School was added to the National Register of Historic Places…just a few of the good news stories of 2015. We’ll wrap up our look at the outgoing year with the odd stories that made headlines.
{ODD}: We wrap up our annual look back at the year that was by remembering the year’s craziest stories. In January, Richmond residents were baffled by strange pillars of light (actuality 31302). That’s Angela Yukon. In October, a man walked away unscathed when he either fell asleep or passed out in Richmond between two railroad tracks and a train passed over him. A Winchester funeral home director stole the ring off a corpse in September. A Lynn woman threw a bucket of her own urine on a neighbor’s house in December. And, finally, while it wasn’t the most important story of the year, it certainly generated the most feedback into the news room (sfx 31616). In, May two people were caught doing the horizontal mambo on the porch of a complete stranger…in broad daylight…in Richmond’s Reeveston neighborhood. The female was identified by the Power Ranger tattoo on her nether region. And with that, our look back at 2015 is complete. Happy 2016!