In Darke County, nominations are open for the 2026 IGNITE Awards, recognizing students involved in career-connected learning. Employers and educators can submit nominations through March 18, with honorees recognized at the Darke County Economic Forum on May first.

Centerville Fire and Rescue say the town’s Comprehensive Draft Plan is now complete. A public open house will be held March 12 from 4 to 7 p.m. in downtown Centerville (220 E Main St.) for residents to provide input on long-term development and public services.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County with United Way of Whitewater Valley, received a matching grant of up to $200,000 for renovations at the Ronald L. McDaniel Boys & Girls Club in Richmond. The upgrades include a new gym floor, fresh paint, HVAC improvements, and additional storage. Renovations begin in June 2026, creating a high-quality space for sports, education, and teen programs.

State Road 140 south of Knightstown will close over the Big Blue River for a bridge replacement project beginning Monday, March 9. The closure is expected to last about six months, weather permitting. INDOT reminds drivers to use caution around work zones.

The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles will stop allowing gender?marker changes on driver’s licenses and state IDs starting tomorrow. The agency says the move is required under a 2025 executive order from Governor Mike Braun, which directs state agencies to define sex and gender as the same and fixed at birth.

For the past decade, Hoosiers could update their gender designation with a court order or a physician’s statement. Those documents will no longer be accepted. The BMV also cites a 2024 Indiana Court of Appeals ruling that defined gender in state motor?vehicle law strictly as biological sex.

The change has sparked backlash and ongoing legal challenges. The ACLU of Indiana has filed a class?action lawsuit, arguing the policy discriminates against transgender residents. LGBTQ+ advocates say mismatched IDs can increase risks of harassment and violence.

Indiana briefly offered a nonbinary “X” option in 2019, but with the new rule, the state is returning to a strictly binary system for all credentials.

College Goal Sunday is coming up on February 22nd, offering free, in?person help for families filing the FAFSA. Financial?aid experts will be available statewide from 2 to 4 p.m. local time to guide students and parents through the updated federal form.

Locally, families can go to IU East at 2325 Chester Boulevard in Richmond for hands?on assistance. Students who attend and complete the appropriate form will also be entered for a chance to win one of five $1,000 educational prizes.

This year marks the 37th year of College Goal Sunday, one of Indiana’s largest FAFSA?support events.

Court records are revealing new details in the disappearance and death of 17?year?old Hailey Buzbee of Indiana. Investigators say Tyler Thomas, a Columbus man, admitted to communicating with Buzbee for more than a year through online gaming platforms and an encrypted messaging app.

According to the affidavit, Thomas told detectives he picked Buzbee up and claimed he dropped her near the Indiana–Ohio line. Cellphone data contradicts that, instead placing him traveling toward Columbus and Logan. Records also show he booked a cabin for two guests the same weekend she went missing.

During a search of Thomas’ phone, FBI agents reported finding suspected child sexual?abuse material. Thomas is being held in the Franklin County Jail on $1.5 million bond, and his attorney says he plans to plead not guilty to any charges connected to Buzbee’s death.

Richmond Police are voicing support for a proposed “Hailey’s Law,” which would create a new Pink Alert system for missing children and vulnerable people in Indiana. The department says the tragic death of 17?year?old Hailey Buzbee has highlighted gaps in the state’s current alert options.

Right now, Indiana only uses AMBER Alerts—which require confirmed abduction and imminent danger—and Silver Alerts for missing endangered adults or individuals with verified impairments. Police say many cases involving teens don’t meet either threshold.

Under Hailey’s Law, a Pink Alert would notify the public when a child or vulnerable person is missing and believed to be in danger, even without confirmed abduction. It would also flag situations involving suspicious online contact or possible grooming, and give law enforcement more discretion to activate alerts earlier.

The proposal also calls for expanded predator?awareness education and updated training on online safety.

Richmond Police say they will continue supporting the bill as it moves forward.

A Richmond mother is facing two felony counts of neglect after police say they found dangerous and unsanitary conditions inside her home. According to court documents, officers were called to a house on South Eighth Street on January 31st, where they reported large amounts of animal feces and urine throughout the home, a second?floor bedroom being used by dogs as a bathroom, and an electric heater with exposed wiring accessible to two young children.

Investigators also noted a non?working heating system, ice forming on part of the kitchen floor, stagnant water in the sink, and a bathroom toilet filled with human waste. The odor was described as “putrid,” and officers reported trash scattered across the home.

The Indiana Department of Child Services removed the children, ages 4 and 2, placing them with grandparents. Twenty?four?year?old Phyllis Berry was arrested and later released on bond. Her initial hearing is set for February 19th

Richmond Common Council is taking a more hands?on approach to city spending this year, adding new layers of oversight for department expenditures. The shift became clear during the February 2nd meeting, when council reduced a $329,000 appropriation request by more than $85,000 before approving it.

Finance Committee Chair Jerry Purcell says the goal is to ensure money is spent exactly where departments say it will be, rather than allowing broad, blanket appropriations. Under the new policy, any request over $5,000 must come back to council for approval.

Council President Justin Burkhardt says the change promotes trust, transparency, and accountability, especially after disagreements last year over more than $105,000 in legal?related spending the council opposed but couldn’t stop because funds had already been appropriated.

City Controller Tracy McGinnis says the process is more time?consuming but working as intended.

Council also approved participation in a new urban forestry cohort through Indiana University, which will help develop a citywide tree?management plan.