(Richmond, IN)--A Richmond woman who starved her own infant son to death a decade ago now wants out of jail early.  Amy Hockett was found guilty of murder in 2013 and was sentenced to 60 years in prison.  But now, Hockett has filed a motion claiming the trial and sentencing were unfair.  Investigators found the house in complete disarray and Hockett had admitted to using heroin after the baby was born.  In the new document, she blames her attorney and the media.  She also blames Judge Gregory Horn, who she claims is biased against drug addicts.  A hearing has been set for May 1.

(Richmond, IN)--Reid Urgent Care is nearly ready to reopen at its original location.  The building at 1501 Chester Boulevard has been closed for three months after a winter storm caused broken water lines.  Clean-up has been ongoing ever since while the urgent care operated temporarily a few blocks away.   The original location is set to reopen this coming Wednesday.

(Richmond, IN)--11 years is the prison sentence that’s been handed down to a Richmond man who was a teenager when he shot someone outside of The Skate.  The sentence for Javon Moore, who is now 20 years old, was the result of a plea deal in which he pled guilty to aggravated battery in exchange for the dropping of an attempted murder charge.  Moore emptied out a seven-round magazine and shot Christopher Lambert in The Skate’s parking lot after the two had gotten into a dispute inside.  That shooting happened two and a half years ago.

(Richmond, IN)--The Richmond Police Department is warning citizens and businesses about an increase in counterfeit money.  RPD indicated Wednesday that there have been 14 counterfeit reports so far this year.  Many of the bills look real at a casual glance but are easy to spot as fake upon closer inspection.  Those bills have writing on them that say things like “Motion Picture Use Only” or “Play Money.”  Businesses are being asked to look carefully at larger denominations.

(Richmond, IN)--You may have noticed the lifts and other heavy equipment outside the Wayne County Courthouse recently.  Work has gotten underway to repair damaged limestone and other cracks on the exterior as part of a $1.8 million project.  On the inside, restrooms are being renovated and becoming ADA compliant.  Both projects will continue throughout the year.  The Wayne County Courthouse turns 130 years old this year.

(Richmond, IN)--Richmond appears to be moving closer to a major announcement regarding the former Elder-Beerman building downtown.  The plan is to construct 150 apartments in the building, which has been vacant since August of 2018.  Mayor Dave Snow recently said that a combination of tax credits and economic grants have helped to bring the city closer to finalizing what would be a $38 million investment.  If it comes to fruition and when it’s complete, there would be an estimated 300 people moving into the downtown area.

(Union County, IN)--A chase ended with the recovery of enough fentanyl to kill the entire population of Union County.  According to the Union County Sheriff’s Department, a man later identified as Jason Hardon drove a stolen vehicle into West College Corner.  Hardon was chased onto a dead-end road off of Nine Mile Road.  A canine gave a positive hit and the fentanyl was located.  Hardin went to the Union County Jail.

(Cambridge City, IN)--The Wayne County Sheriff’s Department on Tuesday issued some more information on a child pornography arrest that Kicks 96 and 101.7 The Point News reported on Monday.  27-year-old Dakota Moster of Cambridge City was arrested after investigators allegedly found numerous image and videos of obviously underage children.  On Tuesday, investigators said they believe Moster may have been communicating with children through online accounts.  They want parents who believe their child may have communicated with Moster to contact them at the Sheriff’s Department.

(Richmond, IN)--Fire broke out at a house at North West J and Ridge Street in Richmond at 4 o’clock Tuesday morning.  Heavy smoke was in the area when the first crews arrived.  According to scanner traffic, nearby homes were quickly evacuated as the roof collapsed.   Meanwhile, firefighters were battling the fire on multiple levels.  Here’s one of them:  "Looks like I've got fire on this single story in the back that's eating into the second story and getting up into the roof."  The fire was declared under control in half an hour.  There was no immediate word on the cause, the extent of the damage, or whether or not there were any injuries.

(Wayne County, IN)--Unemployment continues to inch upward in Wayne County.  New numbers released by the state Monday put Wayne County’s unemployment rate at 3.7%.  It makes the fourth straight month unemployment has increased and is also the highest rate in a year and a half.  There are also now 261 fewer people in Wayne County’s workforce than there were at this point last year.  Other Indiana counties in the Whitewater Valley are seeing the same slow but steady increases in unemployment rates.

(Camden, OH)--The intersection of two highways in Preble County is about to undergo a major reconfiguration.  Beginning Wednesday, a year-long construction project gets underway at U.S. 127 and State Road 725 in Camden.  Alterations include a turn lane to be added.  That intersection was the site of a 2017 crash that killed three members of a family when a Centerville trucker blew through the stoplight.  Both highways will remain passable through the construction process.

(Richmond, IN)--The official U.S. 27 Depot District overpass closure date has been set, and it’s one week fromMonday.  Once it closes for complete reconstruction, it won’t open again for a year and a half.  Over the weekend, the city released an interactive map with multiple routes around the bridge.  12^th Street is the recommended detour for both north and southbound local traffic.  The official detour will take traffic to U.S. 40.  Police will monitor traffic patterns once the closure goes into effect.

(Wayne County, IN)--A Wayne County man who had been jailed on Friday for possessing child pornography was released Sunday night.  27-year-old Dakota Moster now faces two counts of possessing child porn following an investigation.  Details of exactly what led to Moster’s arrest have not yet become available.  Moster has no previous criminal record.

(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%.

(Richmond, IN)--Richmond has been named a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation.  To do that, the city had to meet four requirements including having a forestry budget of at least two dollars per capita.  Richmond’s Street Department oversees a tree care program and is responsible for more than 10,000 trees.  This is the 28^th time the city has received the designation.

(Richmond, IN)--Officials at Richmond’s Atlas Apartments in the Depot District have responded to the Kicks 96 and 101.7 The Point report last week about the concerns of some residents.  Those residents had complained about numerous issues, including leaks and a sub-par heating system.  Atlas indicated that significant work to alleviate those concerns and others have either recently been completed or are currently underway.  A representative of Wayne County’s Building Commission recently toured the facility.  Atlas recently became operated by the Middletown Property Group.  MPG has had 35 complaints through the Better Business Bureau and has a B rating.

(Wayne County, IN)--Some final numbers are in now regarding child abuse and neglect in Wayne County for 2022.  Last year, Wayne County had a total of 363 substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect.  That translates to one substantiated case every single day.  It’s also the highest total of number of cases that Wayne County has had in at least the last five years.  But, 2023 is off to a much better start.  There were only ten cases last month.  That’s the lowest single-month total in the last 62 months.

(Richmond, IN)--Richmond police arrested an alleged drug dealer late Sunday afternoon.  Officers came into contact with 25-year-old Kaylyn Eversole at North 14^th and A.  Eversole is now charged with dealing controlled substances and possession of cocaine or other drugs.  Eversole has already posted a $30,000 bond and was free Monday morning.  The quantity of drugs recovered has not been released.

(Webster, IN)--A Northeastern school bus was involved in a crash Friday morning.  It happened at around 7:30 Friday morning at the intersection of U.S. 35 and Webster Road.  The driver of a pickup truck slammed into the back of the bus.  There were no Northeastern students on the bus at the time.  Despite substantial damage to the pickup, its driver escaped without any injury.  U.S 35 was passable at 8 a.m.

(Richmond, IN)--NASA on Thursday released a map that gives more details about a once-in-a-lifetime event that’s now just a little more than a year away.  The map shows specifically where and when a total solar eclipse will occur.  The total eclipse area is only about a hundred miles wide, but Richmond is smack-dab in the middle of it.  It will happen on the afternoon of April 8 next year.  Day will turn to night at around 3 o’clock in the afternoon that day.  The last total eclipse of the sun in Richmond happened back in 1806.  If you miss it next year, you’ll have to wait until 2099 for another total eclipse.

(Richmond, IN)--Some residents of Richmond’s Atlas Apartments near the Depot District are sounding off about new management and the conditions that exist.  Atlas recently became managed by the Muncie-based Middletown Property Management.  According to one resident, one tenant has gone nearly the entire winter without heat.  Another tenant claims to have multiple leaks that are going unaddressed.  In Muncie last fall, residents lined up at a council meeting to voice similar concerns regarding some of the more than one thousand units operated by Middletown.  Middletown had not responded to questions about the Atlas situation until the story aired Friday morning.  They have indicated they’ll have a statement next week.  68 elderly and disable people live at Richmond’s Atlas Apartments.

(Richmond, IN)--A Richmond drug dealer and habitual offender has filed an appeal of his lengthy prison sentence.  Alex Irwin was recently sentenced to 35 years.  There’s no word yet on what the basis for the appeal is.  Meanwhile, Irwin is still set to go on trial one month from today for a shooting.  Three years ago, Irwin was allegedly ransacking a basement on South G.  When property owner Mike Elstro went to investigate, Irwin allegedly shot Elstro in the leg.

(Richmond, IN)--IU East has chosen a new chancellor.  Dennis Rome will become the IU East leader beginning July 1.  Rome is a former professor at IU’s Bloomington campus.  He’s also a former Fulbright and Carnegie National Scholar.  At IU East, he’ll oversee all aspects of the academic and operational components of the campus.  He’s currently service as an assistant to the president at Northern Illinois.  Rome’s appointment as IU East Chancellor is pending the approval of the IU Board of Trustees.  Once that formality is complete, Rome will officially be the 7^th chancellor in IU East’s history.

(Richmond, IN)--An overnight drug overdose at Salisbury Stables in Richmond has led to yet another drug-dealer arrest for someone who has already been convicted of dealing drugs on three separate occasions dating back to 2008.  59-year-old Laura Turner was jailed early Thursday morning.  The overdose victim was taken to Reid Health.  A search warrant Thursday morning turned up an unspecified quantity of drugs.  Turner was charged with two counts of dealing cocaine.  She has two other pending drug cases.  Unbelievably, Thursday morning was her 216^th contact of all types with the county’s legal system.

(Cambridge City, IN)--Tax abatements have been approved as part of an expansion of one of Wayne County’s largest employers.  Sugar Creek in the Gateway Industrial Park is investing roughly $11 million to install new equipment and enclose part of its facilities.  The investment will allow Sugar Creek to produce additional products.  Sugar Creek opened eight years ago.  According to the EDC, Sugar Creek now employs 650 people.

(Richmond, IN)--The Richmond Community School Board meets late Wednesday afternoon, and it will again address an agenda item that would mean a significant change when the next school year begins in August.  RCS administrators have identified what they call barriers to teachers that include supervision needs before and after school.  The revised schedule reduces the instructional minutes to respond to those barriers.  It also eliminates the Tuesday early dismissal schedule.  Under the proposal, elementary students would start at 8:05 each morning.  But, Test and RHS students wouldn’t start their day until 8:50 each morning.  Dennis wouldn’t start until 9:05.  Wednesday afternoon’s meeting begins at 5:30.

(Connersville, IN)--A three-part documentary on crimes committed by former Subway spokesman Jared Fogle includes an interview with his Connersville victim.  Fogle is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence for child porn charges.  He met Christian Showalter and Hannah Parrett in 2012.  In the documentary, they recount some of Fogle’s activities, talking about the public perception and the reality.  They said this in the documentary's trailer:  "There were cameras all through the house."  The documentary, including the Connersville connection, can be streamed on Discovery Plus.  It aired Monday on ID. 

(Richmond, IN)--Court proceedings began Monday in the case of a Wayne County woman accused of stealing more than $12,000 from a local organization that benefits hundreds of kids.  49-year-old Stephanie Ball was arrested last Friday and charged with felonies that include fraud and theft.  Ball is accused of accessing the money through her association with the Wayne County 4H Horse and Pony Committee.  Since the alleged theft was discovered, officials with the group say they’ve received lots of support for the kids and that the community has rallied around the organization.  Ball’s private attorney appeared in court Monday.  She is currently free on bond.  About 200 kids are involved with the Wayne County 4H Horse and Pony Committee.

(Wayne County, IN)--What started as a routine traffic stop on I-70 Monday near Cambridge City turned into the arrest of a man wanted for murder.  Jeffery Walker allegedly went on a shooting spree at a Halloween party in 2020 in a Memphis suburb.  Two people died.  Walker was stopped Monday for speeding in his semi on I-70.  He’s being held at the Wayne County Jail and is awaiting extradition to Mississippi.

(Richmond, IN)--A public meeting has now been set to pass along final information about the project that will replace the U.S. 27 overpass at the Depot District in Richmond.  Monday, Kicks 96 and 101.7 The Point News reported that that project is set to begin and the roadway will close next month.  The public meeting has been set for 6 o’clock on the evening of the 20^th at the New Boswell Event Center in the Depot District.  INDOT said Monday that the closer will begin next month and that the project is not expected to be complete for at least three full years.

(Richmond, IN)--Construction on the new U.S. 27 overpass over Richmond’s Depot District is now only about a month away.  According to Josh Imhoff, who is the city’s Community Development Coordinator, construction will involve demolishing the current bridge from the south to the north.  Cranes will appear and be used to move pieces of the bridge away.  U.S. 27 will be closed from North D to North H Street.  Portions of North F Street an Fort Wayne Avenue that travel under the bridge will be closed.  The unofficial detour will take traffic over the 12^th Street railroad crossing.  A final meeting to explain more details of the project to the public is pending.

(Richmond, IN)--A Richmond drug dealer has been given a lengthy prison sentence.  32-year-old Alex Irwin has been sentenced to a total of 35 years.  25 of those years is for dealing multiple drugs after meth, cocaine, and fentanyl were found during a search of a home on South 21^st.  Another ten years was tacked on to Irwin’s sentence due to his extensive criminal record.   But that’s not the end of Irwin’s legal trouble.  He is due to go on trial next month for breaking into a building on South G Street and shooting the owner in the leg.

(Fayette County, IN)--Details of two separate water rescues in Fayette County were released over the weekend.  Creeks swelled after the Whitewater Valley received about three inches of rain.  One of the rescues took place on Waterloo Road.  A vehicle was found partially submerged and actively taking on water with two occupants still inside.  Ropes and other equipment was used to get those occupants out safely.  Another rescue happened on South Garrison Road.  A passerby was able to help get two occupants out of the middle of a flooded creek there.

(Randolph County, IN)--A Fountain City man was killed in a crash near Lynn Thursday morning.  It happened at just before 9 o’clock on U.S. 36, just east of the intersection of U.S. 27.  Investigators say that 32-year-old Ethan Dement of Fountain City was trying to pass a box truck and pulled into the path of an oncoming semi.  The semi driver swerved but was unable to avoid a collision.  Dement was pronounced dead at the scene.  The truck driver was not hurt.  The highway was shut down for a couple of hours as part of the investigation.

(Winchester, IN)--A Winchester man has been arrested for possessing child pornography following an investigation by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.  44-year-old Robert Puckett Junior became the subject of an investigation last summer.  That investigation led to the execution of a search warrant at his home Thursday, where a hard drive containing child pornography was located.  Puckett is now charged with ten counts of Possession of Child Pornography under 12 years old.  Numerous other agencies took part in Thursday’s arrest.

(Richmond, IN)--The Richmond Board of Public Works meets Thursday afternoon and will be dealing with a couple of contracts that help to put into motion two large projects announced by the Economic Development Corporation of Wayne county last month.  The EDC will exercise its right to purchase two lots in the Midwest Industrial Park for a total of nearly $845,000.  Those lots will be reconveyed to MV Pipe and Liberation Labs Holdings.  Those two projects combined are expected to create about 150 new jobs.  The Board meets Thursday afternoon at 5 o’clock.

(Eaton, OH)--A two-year-old child walked out of a daycare on onto a busy street in Eaton Wednesday.  The child got out of the Imagination Station daycare and onto Washington-Jackson Road near Kettering Health and the YMCA.  A passerby got the child out of the street.  A nearby resident then called 911.  "It just makes me sick and scares me half to death that they've got kids that are getting out of the building by themselves and onto the main road," the called told dispatchers.  The child was not hurt.  The investigation is continuing.

(Hagerstown, IN)--Back in 2020, three female members of a Hagerstown family conspired to hide children from their fathers, and now they’ve been sentenced.  61-year-old Nancy Frost and daughters Heather and Abbey Frost took three children to Greenfield and hid them in a hotel there.  A tip led Wayne County investigators to that hotel, and the children were eventually reunited with their fathers.  Heather Frost was given a six-month jail sentence.  Nancy and Abbey Frost each got two months.

(Richmond, IN)--A proposal is gaining steam in Wayne County to create a new, larger animal shelter.  There is currently between $10 and $13 million that the county will have available for projects that the community would support through the Hoosier Enduring Legacy Program.  According to one organizer of the effort, strays and abandoned animals are currently taken to New Castle.  Those organizers now want a new, local shelter to be built in honor of fallen RPD Officer Seara Burton based on her love and animals and her canine partner, Brev.  They’re asking for the public to contact Wayne County Commissioners to express support for the idea.

(Richmond, IN)--A downtown Richmond restaurant has permanently closed its doors.  A sign announcing the closure hung on the door Tuesday of Sip N A Bite.  It had operated for less than a year in the former home of the Tin Lizzie and, before that, Tom’s New York Deli.  A message on the Sip N A Bite website says that many factors went into the closing,  but it was not specific as to what those factors were.  Owners say they’re now looking for a new location to continue their catering business.

(Richmond, IN)--A wanted Richmond man was taken into custody following a foot chase Tuesday.  Police came into contact with a man later identified as 31-year-old MC Hunter and he allegedly fled in the area of North D Street.  He was caught a few blocks away.  A warrant had been issued for Hunter last week for crimes that include criminal confinement and battery with a deadly weapon.  Details of what Hunter is alleged to have done have not yet become available.