(Wayne County, IN)--Interstate 70 and several state roads remained affected by Wednesday’s flooding on Thursday morning.  Westbound I-70 is shut down at the 146 mile marker.  That’s just east of the Centerville exit.  An INDOT photo from the scene released Wednesday night shows about 20 feet of the interstate completely washed out with water rushing underneath.  Westbound interstate traffic is being diverted off of 70 onto U.S. 27.  From there, the official detour takes drivers north to U.S. 36.  But, on Thursday morning, many drivers were trying to find their own detours and were taking county roads.  It was much the same on State Road 38 Thursday morning.  Part of the roadway washed out just west of U.S. 35.  A deputy was posted there Thursday morning and was diverting drivers onto Salisbury Road.  There has been no estimated timetable yet to have the roadways repaired.

(Whitewater Valley)--Floodwaters began to recede across the Whitewater Valley Thursday morning.  At 12:45 Thursday morning, the East Fork of the Whitewater River was at 16 ½ feet.  The river was expected to fall below the flood stage of 14 feet later Monday morning.  Rainfall totals from Wednesday vary greatly.  Wayne County EMA said Wednesday night that the totals ranged from between eight and ten inches, although radar estimates in very isolated areas were even higher than that.  The average rainfall total for Wayne County in June, July, and August combined is 12.1 inches.  That means that some areas got an entire summer’s worth of rain in just 24 hours.  In that amount of time, the water level at Brookville Lake – which was designed to contain floodwaters, has risen eight feet.

(Richmond, IN)--Even though Richmond Community Schools was below state average in IREAD results that were released Tuesday, the district showed significant improvement in recent years.  This year, 86.4% of third graders were rated as proficient.  Last year, that number was 80%.  And, the year before that, it was only 70%.  Here are the specific results for each RCS school:  Charles, 87.9%.  Crestdale, 92.1%.  Fairview, 86.3%.  Starr, 79.6%.  Vaile, 84.5%.  Westview, 86.3%.

(Whitewater Valley)--IREAD results were released by the state Tuesday.  Statewide, literacy rates improved for the fifth consecutive year, with nearly 89% of third graders demonstrating proficiency in reading skills.  Locally, one school did as well as it possibly could have.  Centerville scored a perfect 100%.  Other local school districts above average include Northeastern, Nettle Creek, Union County, Franklin County, Randolph Central, and Randolph Southern.  Richmond was below state average at 86.4%.  Western Wayne and Fayette County were also below average.  Here are specific school results:  Richmond, 86.4%.  Northeastern, 95.5%.  Centerville, 100%.  Western Wayne, 83.6%.  Nettle Creek, 95.6%.  Randolph Eastern, 80.3%.  Randolph Central, 91.2%.  Monroe Central, 83.5%.  Randolph Southern, 89.3%.  Franklin County, 90.1%.  Fayette County, 82%.  Union County, 94.9%.

(Richmond, IN)--The name of the Richmond High School football player who was critically injured at last weekend’s Richmond Flying Mummies game was released Monday.  He’s Dre Street.  Dre remained in critical condition Tuesday morning at a Level One trauma center after being flown there following the incident.  The specifics of the injuries he sustained when colliding head-first with another RHS player while wearing a bubble suit have not been released.  Meanwhile, a gofundme account has been established to help the family offset the expenses of staying by his bedside.

(Richmond, IN)--INDOT released an update on the Revive I-70 project to widen the interstate to three lanes through Wayne County.  The project is now in its second year of construction.  Monday’s update focused on the interchanges with U.S. 40 and U.S. 35.  Roundabouts are being incorporated into both of those interchanges.  At the U.S. 40 interchange at the state line, INDOT says the western roundabout is now 60% complete.  Ramps at both interchanges are being built to tie into the roundabouts.  INDOT now estimates that both interchanges will open in their final configuration late next year.

(Richmond, IN)--A 20-year-old Richmond man was taken into custody Monday and now faces two counts of rape.  William Hubbard was taken into custody at his home on North 9^th Street.  Hubbard was jailed after what appears to be a sealed warrant was issued for his arrest.  Details of the alleged rape have not been released.  Hubbard was being held Tuesday morning on a $45,000 bond.

(Richmond, IN)--A former U.S. Attorney General is coming to Richmond.  Earlham College announced Monday that Eric Holder, who was the Attorney General under President Barack Obama, will be speaking at Carpenter Hall on the evening of September 17.  Holder will be promoting his new book “Our Unfinished March”, which examines the history of voting rights in America.  The event is free and open to the public, but advance reservations are required.  That can be done on Earlham’s website.

(Richmond, IN)--Words of support poured in Sunday for the two Richmond High School football players who were injured during a between-innings incident at the Richmond Flying Mummies baseball game on Saturday night.  One of those injuries is described as critical.  The two players had donned bubbles suits and ran toward each other.  The intentional collision between the two left them both down while trainers and first responders rushed to help.  Both were taken to Reid Health, with one going to a Level One trauma center.  The team has indicated that counseling services will be available at school Monday for players and any student who needs support.  There has been no update this morning on either of the boys’ conditions.  The football team had been at the game as part of a fundraiser.  There was a nearly identical incident to what happened at McBride Stadium involving bubble suits in North Carolina less than two weeks ago.  A high school student was critically injured wearing a bubble suit was critically injured at a minor league baseball game.  The bubbles suits worn Saturday night leave the legs exposed, leading to higher-speed impacts. 

(Richmond, IN)--One of the two teens wanted for beating a pregnant woman surrendered over the weekend.  19-year-old Bailey Hatfield surrendered at the Wayne County Jail on Saturday and then bonded out.  Hatfield is charged with battery with serious bodily injury.  Police are still searching for 19-year-old Landon Eversole, who allegedly initiated the attack.  The 33-year-old pregnant woman was walking near North 16^th and E Street when she was beaten and choked.  The unborn child was not injured.

(Indianapolis, IN)--There were some good results at the Indiana State Fair for several Whitewater Valley Schools.  That includes Richmond High School.  The RHS cheerleaders took first place at the State Fair cheer competition.  Richmond also finished seventh in the Band Day competition.  Other area bands also fared well.  Winchester was 5^th.  Centerville was 8^th.  Hagerstown was 10^th.  Northeastern was 12^th, and Monroe Central finished in 14^th place.

(Richmond, IN)--Jera Schwer and Nick Wetzel, who are vice presidents of the Wetzel Auto Group, updated the situation with police vehicles for the city of Richmond on Thursday.  That update came with a further explanation of why recent bids for vehicles came in roughly $20,000 higher that a Detroit dealership.  While Bob Maxey in Detroit bid a more base unit, Wetzel was requested to bid vehicles with an eco-boost engine package and a spotlight kit.  The eco-boost upgrade that Wetzel bid - but Maxey did not - totalled $2850.  The spotlight kit added an additional $880.  In effect, according to Nick Wetzel, they were bidding on two different types of vehicles.  "It's a scenario that would be very similar to asking two contractors to give you a price to build a two car garage and you ask one to build it out of brick and the other to build it out of vinyl siding," Wetzel said.  Had the two elements been eliminated from the Wetzel bid, Wetzel's bid would have been lower than the Maxey bid.  As for the six vehicles that the city could not purchase at the start of this year, three have gone to other municipalities.  The other three remain on the Wetzel lot.  The city recently requested a bid for three additional vehicles.

(Richmond, IN)--Wayne County Republicans held a caucus Thursday night to elect a prosecutor for the remainder of the year.  The caucus was made necessary by the resignation of Mike Shipman, which, according to the caucus notice, becomes effective on September 1.  Ashley Green was the only Republican on the primary ballot in May.  Shipman has been the prosecuting attorney in Wayne County since 2005.  His term had been set to end at the end of this year.  Shipman announced last year that he would not seek re-election.

(Richmond, IN)--Two Richmond teens remained wanted Friday morning for allegedly beating a pregnant woman last weekend.  Arrest warrants were issued Thursday for 19-year-olds Landon Eversole and Bailey Hatfield.  According to an affidavit, the 33-year-old victim was walking on North 22^nd last weekend when Eversole approached her, punched her in the face, choked her, and tried to take her purse.  Eversole then told Hatfield to join the attack, which she did.  The victim was taken to Reid Health, where it was determined that the unborn child was not injured.

(Richmond, IN)--The Richmond Board of Public Works approved an agreement Thursday between the city and Richmond Community Schools to provide resource officers throughout the school district.  Austin Lipps with RPD said there are a few changes from last school year.  "Most significant was it's for three officers for $300,000 instead of four for $400,000," Lipps said.  The Board on Thursday unanimously approved the contract.

(Richmond, IN)--There’s a big problem at the Wayne County Courthouse.  The elevator is out.  An electrical component has failed that allowed the elevator to stop at various floors.  Now, the search is on for replacement parts.  And, for now, the only option to get to the courts and some other offices is to climb the interior courthouse steps.  Here’s an exchange Wednesday between the county’s Steve Higginbotham and Council member Jeff Cappa:

 

Cappa:  "What are we doing for those with disabilities to try to get up?"

 

Higginbotham:  "Yeah, that's a problem.  I don't have an answer for you today."

 

Previously, the county opened bids for a new elevator, but no bids were submitted due largely to the requirement that the work be done at nights and on weekends.  Leaders are currently exploring other locations to hold court if there’s not a quick fix for the elevator.

(Richmond, IN)--Wayne County Council on Wednesday approved extending the agreement that allows Wayne County to continue to dispatch first responders in Union County.  Union County’s local dispatch center closed last Saturday afternoon after the last of three recent resignations.  The extension was made to allow the two counties to work out a more permanent agreement.  Here’s Barry Ritter on Wednesday:  "We hope to have that completed for a new interlocal agreement with new terms  within the next 30 to 60 days for council and commissioners in both counties to appove."  Staffing was cited Wednesday as one of the primary concerns created by the permanent change.

(Richmond, IN)--A Richmond man was arrested Wednesday after allegedly vandalizing a cemetery.  Details of which cemetery it was and how much damage was done there have not yet been released.  29-year-old Tyshawn Cochrane was taken into custody Wednesday at Reid Health.  He was also charged with resisting arrest and battering a public safety official.  Cochrane has a criminal record that includes other battery and resisting cases.  He also survived a stabbing three years ago.

(Lynn, IN)--It was a week ago Wednesday that Lynn Town Marshal Brad Fisher was struck and killed by the driver of a stolen van.  Online court records on Wednesday morning indicated that prosecutors have not yet filed formal charges against the woman accused of driving that vehicle, 34-year-old Maci Atkinson.  Atkinson remained behind bars Wednesday morning without bond in the Wayne County Jail.  Atkinson has four other criminal cases still pending in Randolph County that include two for drug possession, one for syringe possession, and one for battery.  All of those cases have been filed since April and are unrelated to Fisher’s death.

(Richmond, IN)--The United Way of the Whitewater Valley has named its new executive director.  She’s Katie Wayt.  Wayt comes to the United Way with nearly a decade of leadership experience in program development and organizational operations.  She most recently led Indiana University’s online supplemental instructional program.  Wayt and her husband, Brian, have lived in Richmond for 26 years.  The United Way of the Whitewater Valley has been around now for 98 years.

(Preble County, OH)--On Tuesday, the National Weather Service released details and the rating of the tornado that touched down in Preble County on Saturday night.  They said that it rated as an EF-1 with a maximum wind speed of 100 miles per hour.  It was on the ground for just under a mile near Surface Road a few miles northwest of Eaton.  A total of eight homes sustained structural damage – some of it major.  There were no injuries reported.

(Darke County, OH)--Back in 1997, Darke County’s Joseph Whitesel was convicted of raping multiple children.  The court, at that time, also labeled him a habitual sex offender.  Now, 29 years later and after having spent ten years in prison, Whitesel is accused of doing it again.  Whitesel has been charged with three new counts of rape.  According to charging documents, the incidents took place from the start of this year and April and involved a child under the age of ten.  Whitesel’s bond has been set at half a million dollars.

(Richmond, IN)--A judge found probable cause Tuesday in a case against 23-year-old Caden Parm.  Parm had been arrested earlier Tuesday following an incident at Genesis Apartments at South 23^rd and L Street in Richmond.  Parm is now charged with criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon.  Bond was set at $10,000.  An initial hearing has been set for next week.  Details of what led to the charge have not yet been obtained.

(Preble County, OH and Franklin County, IN)--The National Weather Service confirmed Monday that two tornados touched down in the Whitewater Valley when storms rolled through last Saturday night.  One of the tornados was in Preble County just northwest of Eaton.  Lydia Michael said she’s just glad no one was hurt at her damaged home.  "We lost everything.  But we're thankful...very thankful," Michael said.  The weather service will release more details on that tornado’s strength Tuesday.  The other confirmed tornado was near Cedar Grove in Franklin County.  It was rated as an EF-0 with a maximum wind speed of 80 miles per hour.

(Richmond, IN)--Ten years ago, Richmond’s Cody Vanwinkle was labeled a habitual offender and sentenced to ten years in prison.  He’s out of prison now, but Vanwinkle is back behind bars and faces a whole new round of charges after a drug-dealing arrest early Tuesday morning.  The 38-year-old Vanwinkle was taken into custody at 12:45 Tuesday morning in the area of South 5^th and G in Richmond.  Vanwinkle is charged with dealing cocaine, dealing meth, and possession.  Details of what led to his arrest and the amount of drugs recovered have not been released.

(Richmond, IN)--There was more discussion about the purchase of police cars at Richmond Common Council Monday night.  A report was made a few weeks ago by one local media outlet that six police cars had been purchased from a Detroit dealer at a cost $20,000 less than a Richmond dealer.  Monday night, Council President Justin Burkhart said that wasn’t exactly accurate.  "After further review, that wasn't necessarily a fair article in my opinion because what was bid from our local dealer - Wetzel - was not what was bid from our Detroit dealer," Burkhardt explained.  The proposed vehicles had different engines and equipment, meaning it was not an apple-to-apples comparison.

(Richmond, IN)--Richmond Common Council met Monday night and briefly addressed a proposed rate hike for Richmond Power & Light.  "Tonight, our simple request is to refer this to Finance Committee for review.  We'll come back at a later date for presentation and public hearing," said RP&L General Manager Tony Foster.  RP&L has proposed a phased rate increase totaling just under $14 extra per month for the average residential customer to be implemented in increments over a three-year period.

(Eaton, OH)--The Preble County Fair is underway this week.  And now, the man accused of setting a young girl’s chicken coop on fire just before the fair has been formally charged.  A grand jury on Monday indicted Benjamin Heggs on charges including arson, aggravated possession of drugs, and attempted cruelty to animals.  None of the chickens were hurt in the fire.  The family told police they had been made aware of a complaint before the fire when they accidentally bought a rooster rather than a chicken.  The girl is showing the chickens at the fair this week.

(Richmond, IN)--Progress continues to be made on a new terminal building at the Richmond Municipal Airport.  Here’s Council Member Jane Bumbalough Monday night:  "We've received $1.4 million in grant award and are currently awaiting the second portion of grant funding to arrive.  Once that funding is in place, we'll be able to move forward with construction."  Also, runway improvements are slated to begin this month.

(Lynn, IN)--Hundreds of people gathered at Randolph Southern High School in Lynn Sunday to mourn the loss of Town Marshal Brad Fisher, who was struck by a stolen vehicle during a pursuit last Wednesday.  The service included more than 300 police officers and first responders from numerous local and regional agencies.  Brad’s brother, Jason, spoke at the service.  "Brad's legacy as a public service in evident in front of all of you today - a testament to his all-or-nothing attitude," Fisher said.  Following the service, Fisher’s casket was taken from the high school to Spartanburg Cemetery, where he was laid to rest.  Then came the traditional final call from dispatch.  Fisher had spent 27 years in law enforcement.  He was also a fire department captain and an umpire.

(Whitewater Valley)--Storm damage will continue to be assessed Monday day across the Whitewater Valley and cleanup and repairs will continue to some homes that suffered major damage.  In Richmond, three and a half inches of rain came down in less than two hours on Saturday night, causing major street flooding on North E, National Road East, South E, and South West G Street.  In Preble County, people in the area just northwest of Eaton took photos of a tornado that touched down and damaged at least four homes.  The National Weather Service will be in the area of Surface Road Monday to determine the size and the strength of the tornado.  Saturday night storms took their toll in Fayette and Franklin County night.  In Fayette County, high water washed out a part of Alquina Road, leading to its closure.  There was street flooding on Vine and other streets in Connersville.  In Franklin County, there were reports of a funnel cloud that may have touched down in the Cedar Grove area.   The National Weather Service will be there today to assess damage.

(Richmond, IN)--Richmond Common Council is set to meet Monday night.  An ordinance comes before council on first reading that would adopt a new schedule of rates and charges for RP&L.  Last month, council heard a proposal that would be implemented and would increase bills incrementally over the next three years that would total $14 more per month for the average residential customer when the increase is complete.  RP&L General Manager Tony Foster laid out the reasons for the increase.  This is one of them:  "Due to having modest cash balances, we've been able to weather the storm.  But, we need to rebuild those reserves."  Monday night’s meeting gets underway at 7.  As always, you can catch it live on WGTV.