(Wayne County, IN)--If Wayne County reports as many residents becoming fully vaccinated from Covid-19 on Friday as it did Thursday, it will mean that 20,000 residents are completely protected.  As of Friday morning, Wayne County has 19,775 residents fully vaccinated.  That represents 30% of the population.  On average, more than 200 people are becoming fully vaccinated daily.  Wayne County continues to have one of the higher per-capita vaccination rates in all of Indiana.

(Richmond, IN)--For the third straight day, Richmond police Thursday investigated a shots fired incident.  This time, though, an arrest was made.  Officers found shell casings after a call that originated from South 19^th and J.  A suspect was later found in the 1000 block of South F.  He’s been identified as 18-year-old Kieran Eubanks.  No injuries were reported.  Eubanks was in jail Friday morning facing charges that include possessing a handgun without a license and possessing stolen property.  Investigators have not said whether or not they believe this week's shots fired incidents are connected.

(Richmond, IN)--Wayne County’s Chamber of Commerce announced Thursday that it is launching a new program to help small businesses provide health insurance to its employees.  The program will give roughly 400 small businesses that are members of the Chamber an opportunity to save up to 25%.  Family members of the employees will also be eligible.  For more information, log onto the Chamber’s website.

(Richmond, IN)--A man was captured after allegedly pointing a gun at people at a Richmond park and then fleeing police.  It happened Thursday afternoon at the 7^th Street Park.  Scanner traffic indicated an off-duty officer helped to chase down a man later identified as 46-year-old Eric Carr.  Carr was arrested at his home in the 400 block of South 6^th.  No one was hurt.  Carr has a lengthy criminal record.

(Richmond, IN)--A Richmond man was taken into custody following a wild chase Wednesday afternoon.  Police tried to stop a car driven by 39-year-old Brian McCubbins.  But McCubbins fled through the Fairview area, went north on Chester Boulevard, and then east on I-70 at speeds that reached 110 miles per hour.  He exited at the state line and went back into the city on National Road East.  He bailed out Fire Station #3 and was caught in a wooded area.  McCubbins was driving despite a lifetime license suspension.

(Union County, IN)--One Whitewater Valley county was downgraded from blue to yellow when Indiana’s updated color-coded Covid-19 map was released Wednesday.  It’s Union County.  Union County has added only three cases in the last week.  But, according to the state’s dashboard, now has a positivity rate in excess of nine percent.  Wayne County remains blue with 15 new cases since Monday.  Franklin County, which had been yellow last week, has improved to blue on the state’s new map.

(Richmond, IN)--The city of Richmond has released a map of the city that shows its solar energy potential.  The map highlights larger buildings like schools and factories where the installation of rooftop solar energy could be feasible.  But, the city has also introduced race and equity into the project, claiming that, quote, marginalized residents are much less likely to have rooftop solar than white residents, unquote, and that those marginalized communities will be disproportionately burdened by rising temperatures.

(Richmond, IN)--Shots were fired into two different homes early Wednesday morning in an area of Richmond that has experienced numerous shots fired calls in the last year.  At just before 2 o’clock Wednesday morning, several rounds went into two neighboring homes near North West 5^th and Pearl Street.  There were no injuries.  According to scanner traffic, witnesses saw a silver Chrysler occupied by up to five masked people flee the area to the east.  Multiple shell casings were recovered in the area.  No arrests have been made.

(Lewisburg, OH)--There is a major jobs announcement for Preble County.  224 new jobs will come to Lewisburg with the opening of a new facility for Royal Canin.  Royal Canin is a dog and cat food manufacturer that provides individualized nutritional solutions.  The company is investing $390 million into a 175,000 square foot facility.  A job fair has been set for May 6 at the Lewisburg Community Center.

(Richmond, IN)--The new superintendent of Richmond Community Schools is no stranger to the school or the city.  On Tuesday, RCS made official the announcement that Dr. Curtis Wright will assume the top role.  Wright graduated from RHS in 1997 and then earned a bachelor’s degree at Earlham College.  A public hearing that is required by law will be held at 5:30 Wednesday afternoon.  Wright is expected to sign a contract with RCS next month and formally start as superintendent on the 1^st of June.

(Richmond, IN)--Richmond police are still looking for a suspect in the city’s latest shooting.  This one happened at just before 3 o’clock Monday afternoon at an apartment complex in the 800 block of North 16^th.  Investigators say 42-year-old Fragust Ford was shot in the lower body and taken to Reid Health with non-life-threatening injuries.  Witnesses were interviewed Monday, but there has been no description released of any shooter.  One witness said a light-skinned black male fled the area in a gray Impala.

(Richmond, IN)--The Richmond Community School Board is expected to name the school system’s new superintendent Tuesday.  Kicks 96 and The Point News is not yet naming that person, but he is a Richmond High School graduate who is currently working in education in central Indiana.  A public hearing will be held Wednes.  The new superintendent was picked after the application process was opened for a second time.

(Richmond, IN)--Shots appear to have been fired in Richmond Tuesday morning.  No one was hurt.  Several callers to 911 reported hearing a rapid succession of gunshots in the 100 block of North 20^th at just past midnight Tuesday morning.  Officers responded and found shell casings and also located a window that had been broken in one home.  One witness reported seeing a suspect running eastbound.  No arrests have been made.

(Richmond, IN)--The NTSB and the Indiana State Police will continue Monday to investigate the cause of a plane crash that claimed the life of a Richmond man Sunday.  "Right now, we don't have any idea what caused the plane to go down," said Coley McCutcheon with the Indiana State Police.  The wreckage of the plane and the body of 78-year-old Judson Costlow was found in a field near Boston, just south of the airport.  Costlow had just taken off and was headed to Arizona when the plane went down.

(Richmond, IN)--A teenager was killed in a crash on New Paris Pike in Richmond on Friday night.  The Wayne County Sheriff’s Department is handling the investigation and has not yet released any information on the crash, but friends and family members on social media Monday morning were remembering 17-year-old Terrance Gillard.  At least one other person was seriously injured.  That person’s identity and condition have not been released.

(Wayne County, IN)--Wayne County’s Monday-to-Monday Covid-19 case count is headed back in the right direction.  After trending upward for the last few weeks, the number of cases since last Monday was down from 50 the previous week to 45 Monday morning.  There have now been 6944 cases in Wayne County, which would represent more than ten percent of the population.  Preble and Randolph County have seen significant case counts since last Monday, while Union and Fayette have had hardly any.  There were ten Covid-19 patients at Reid Health Monday morning.  That’s the first time the total has been in double digits in a month.

(Wayne County, IN)--Wayne County overdose deaths are rising at an alarming rate.  Wayne County Coroner Kevin Fouche on Thursday called it a major problem.  As of Thursday, Wayne County has already had 33 deaths this year due to drug overdose with another ten cases likely but still pending.  It puts the county on pass to surpass its 2020 total of overdose deaths by August and take the total over 120 for the year.  Fouche said Thursday that ¾ of the deaths this year have involved opiates and, of those, 80% involved fentanyl.  One person had already overdosed Friday morning in the Family Dollar parking lot.

(Wayne County, IN)--Wayne County had another week of inflated jobless claims that have come with the release of stimulus money.  According to the state Thursday, another 400 people filed claims in the last week numbers were available.  That’s down significantly from the 763 jobless claims the week before, but still well above the 110 claims that the county had averaged before stimulus.  An identical spike was seen last year when stimulus money was released.  Then, jobless claim spiked from 92 one week to 719 the following week.

(Richmond, IN)--Earlham College has had significant budget issues in recent years but has just experienced a record amount of giving.  The college announce Thursday that it has received $1.3 million in donations during its annual Earlham Day.  Earlham has operated at a deficit for several years, including a cumulative net loss of $36 million at the end of the 2019 fiscal year.  Nearly 3000 donors contributed to the fund-raising effort.

(Richmond, IN)--There are two new locations to get a Covid-19 vaccine.  Reid Health announced Wednesday that their urgent care facilities in both Richmond and Connersville have begun administering shots.  The vaccine is available every day from 9 in the morning until 7 in the evening with no office fee or copay for vaccination-only visits.  Reid says appointments should be made through the website ourshot.in.gov.

(Franklin County, IN)--One Whitewater Valley county was downgraded from blue to yellow when Indiana’s updated color-coded Covid-19 map was released Wednesday.  Franklin County now has a positivity rate of just over six percent.  Only four of Indiana’s 92 counties have had less than 20% of its population vaccinated, and Franklin County is one of those four.  Meanwhile, all other area counties remained in the blue on Wednesday.  Wayne County’s positivity rate is three and a half percent.

(Fountain City, IN)--A Western Wayne principal will become the new Assistant Superintendent at Northeastern.  Jessica Neill is currently the Western Wayne Elementary principal but will begin on July 1 in her new role at Northeastern.  Neill has more than 20 years of experience at various levels of school leadership.  Meanwhile, the Richmond Community School Board has picked its new superintendent.  He is an RHS graduate but has not been named publically.

(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.

(Richmond, IN)--A small child appears to be okay after falling out of a second-story window Thursday on South 17^th Street in Richmond.  The one-year-old boy was conscious when medics arrived.  A medical helicopter was summoned but could not fly because of the weather.  The boy was taken to a distant children’s hospital for overnight observation.  Details of how the boy fell out the window have not been released.

(Winchester, IN)--A new trial date has been set for former Northeastern Assistant Superintendent Eric Green.  Green is accused of providing alcohol to two underage boys who had recently graduated from Northeastern at Green’s home in Winchester.  A bench trial was to have taken place late last month, but that’s now been reset for May 4.  Green had been on paid administrative leave for a year before resigning in February.

(Richmond, IN)--Here’s an update on a shooting that occurred at 1 o’clock Thursday morning near South 10^th and G in Richmond.  Police now say that 51-year-old Ronald Caldwell was shot in the hand and suffered a head injury while trying to fight off an attacker.  Caldwell was taken to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton and is in stable condition.  39-year-old Laura Davis was also hurt while trying to help Caldwell.  The initial report was that the shots had come from a pellet gun.  During the investigation, 20-year-old Peyton Sutton of Eaton was arrested for drug possession.

(Richmond, IN)--Two teenagers led police on a wild chase through Wayne County Thursday morning.  It began as a suspicious person call at around 3 o’clock Thursday morning.  Police tried to stop a vehicle, but it fled.  It went onto Chester Boulevard north and then reversed direction toward Richmond.  At one point, the car actually fled on the Cardinal Greenway trail.  The chase ended when the car crashed on Arba Pike.  A 16-year-old girl remained in the car as police approached, but the 16-year-old boy who was driving fled into a wooded area and was still being sought at 5 o’clock Thursday morning.

(Richmond, IN)--There is no mask mandate inside the city of Richmond.  And, after Wednesday’s meeting of the Wayne County Commissioners, there’s not one at the county level either.  Commissioners Wednesday decided against extended the mandate, although all three were adamant that they believe it should continue.  A lack of enforceability was cited as one of the primary reasons for not extending the mandate after it was lifted at the state level on Tuesday.  The Wayne County Board of Health had recommended last week that the mask mandate be extended.

(Wayne County, IN)--Wayne County continues to have one of the higher Covid-19 vaccination rates in all of Indiana.  As of Wednesday morning, 15,197 residents are now fully vaccinated.  That’s 23% of the county’s population.  While Wayne County’s rate is high, Franklin County’s remains low.  Franklin County has the third lowest vaccination rate in Indiana.  The Wayne County Health Department Tuesday announced a Moderna vaccine clinic coming up this Saturday at the former Elder-Beerman building in Richmond.

(Richmond, IN)--Wayne County’s 911 system and the interlocal agreement between the county and the city of Richmond was discussed during the meeting of Richmond Common Council this week.  Last year, there were almost 44,000 calls to 911.  That’s about 120 calls per day.  99% of those calls are answered within ten seconds, and that’s well ahead of industry standards.

(Boone County, KY)--Searchers will be back in the Ohio River this week to search for the body of the six-year-old boy who was killed by his own mother at Rush Run in Preble County.  High and swift water in the river has prevented divers from entering the river to search for James Hutchinson since March 17.  Brittany Gosney has been charged with her son’s murder and appears likely to pursue an insanity defense.

(Richmond, IN)--Indiana’s mask mandate is over.  And, Richmond Mayor Dave Snow said Monday that the mandate would not be extended at the city level.  In Snow’s statement, he said that new information, increased awareness, and a vaccine that’s now available to all adults are factors that helped lead to his decision.  Snow also encouraged mask-wearing and social distancing to continue despite not issuing a mandate.  He added that he would continue to monitor and reassess the situation and would consider reinstating restrictions if conditions change.  Even though Indiana’s mask mandate has ended and with the announcement that it won’t be extended inside the city of Richmond, there are still places where you will have to mask up.  That includes any private business that wishes to require a mask of its customers.  People who enter the city building in Richmond or ride the city’s busses will have to wear a mask.  Wayne County Commissioners will likely discuss a extending the mask mandate Wednesday.  Two of three commissioners have already said they felt the mandate ended too soon.  No other area county or municipality has indicated there would be a mask extension.

(Richmond, IN)--A shooting victim is refusing to cooperate with police.  According to a release Monday, Richmond police responded to the 2000 block of Glen Court on the report of someone being shot.  When they arrived, they found Aimee White with a gunshot wound to her leg.  White was taken to Reid Health to be treated for her injuries but did not provide investigators with any other information.

(Connersville, IN)--The Spartan Bowl in Connersville is the best high school gym in Indiana.  That’s according to the results of a poll conducted by Visit Indiana.  The Spartan Bowl was constructed back in 1958 and was designed by the same man who designed the Fieldhouse in New Castle, which finished second voting.  The Tiernan Center in Richmond did not make the top ten.

(Wayne County, IN)--Wayne County continues to hold steady with its weekly Monday-Monday Covid-19 case count with 38 new cases since last Monday.  Weekly numbers show no significant rise for at least a month.  Here is the weekly number of cases for the last five weeks:  38, 38, 39, 35, 30.  Other area counties are showing a similar month-long period of steady but low new cases.  Here are the numbers for the last five weeks in Union County:  3, 1, 4, 9, 4.  There were only four patients in Reid Health containment areas Monday morning.  There has not been a Covid-19 death in Wayne County reported since March 12.

(Wayne County, IN)--With less than 24 hours before Indiana’s statewide mask mandate will come to an end, but was still no official word from the city of Richmond or Wayne County on whether or not the mandate will be extended locally.  The county’s Board of Health recommended an extension last week, but it takes elected representatives at the city or county level to make and extension official.  Richmond Common Council meets Monday night, meaning an announcement is possible.  But county commissioners won’t meet until Wednesday, so the mask mandate at the county level will remain in place at least until then.  Only five of 92 Indiana counties have a recommended extension.  Wayne County is one of them.

(Liberty, IN)--A threat prompted a delay at Union County Middle School Monday morning.  The threat was made last Thursday night on social media.  Union County officials say there’s nothing that leads them to believe the threat is credible, but they’re still operating on a delay Monday morning to allow for a staff briefing.  There will also be an increased law enforcement presence at the school this week.

(Wayne County, IN)--There’s been no official word from any governmental agency in Wayne County yet after the Health Board recommended an indefinite extension of the mask mandate on Wednesday.  Each agency will have the final call about whether or not to allow a mask mandate to expire this coming Tuesday.  Richmond Mayor Dave Snow indicated that he is taking the recommendation under consideration.  Only three other counties in all of Indiana have said they’ll extend the mask mandate and they are all counties with much larger populations.  There are currently 34 Indiana counties with higher positivity rates and case counts than Wayne County that will allow the mandate to expire on Tuesday.  Here are some of the reasons the Wayne County Board of Health voted 4-2 to recommend an extension of the mask mandate that will expire statewide on Tuesday.  Board Member Jon Igelman said "One of these days it’s going to mutate into something really bad."  Board President Paul Rider said that there’s no way to know how long vaccinations will last.  97% of Indiana’s other 91 counties disagree and will allow the mandate to expire.  Bob Coddington and Pete Zaleski are the two health board members who voted against extending the mandate.

(Richmond, IN)--A Richmond woman was jailed early Friday morning and now faces a felony charge of battering a police officer.  Officers were called to the 600 block of South 11^th overnight and encountered 37-year-old Bethany Ford.  Ford allegedly resisted arrest and then attacked an officer.  There’s no word yet on whether or not any officer was injured.

(Wayne County, IN)--On Wednesday, the Wayne County Board of Health recommended that the county extend the mask mandate beyond this coming Tuesday, which is when it will end on the state level.  The Health Board indicated that it will follow CDC guidelines, and that federal agency has set no end date to mask-wearing.  It’s important to note, though, that local elected officials will make the final call about whether or not to end the mandate on Tuesday.  That includes Wayne County Commissioners and Richmond Mayor Dave Snow.  It’s a virtual certainty that Wayne County commissioners will issue an extension.  Two of the three said last week that they felt it was too early to end the mask mandate.  The Wayne County Health Board will address the mandate each time it meets.  Wayne County would be one of only four statewide to extend the mandate.

(Richmond, IN)--The former Crain Sanitarium at the corner of 22^nd and East Main in Richmond is now in major jeopardy.  That property has drawn to attention of the city’s Unsafe Building Commission, which is ordering the owners of the structure to either fix it up or tear it down.  And, that work must begin within 30 days.  If that does not happen, the city could potentially step in and tear it down.  At a recent hearing, inspectors cited a rotting porch and other major issues with the structure.  The owner, Heaven Johnson, has not responded.  She tried to pass herself off as a Beverly Hills designer several years ago with plans to fix it up.  In reality, she had been convicted of fraud in multiple states and has used numerous aliases.  The city’s law department is looking into the ramifications of a historic easement on the deed.

(Richmond, IN)--The person who got Reid Health’s 30,000^th dose of the Covid-19 vaccine Wednesday went to quite some length to get it…literally.  When people in their 30’s became eligible earlier this week, two Fort Wayne residents began looking in their area.  But, they couldn’t find any appointments there.  But they did find appointments through Reid.  Wednesday, they drove a hundred miles south to get their shots and, in the process, put Reid over the 30,000 vaccine mark.  Reid’s vaccination clinic continues every day but Sunday at the Kuhlman Center.