Local News

(Richmond, IN)--Wayne County property owners can expect their property tax statements in July, that according to Treasurer Linda Corder at Wednesday’s meeting of the Wayne County commissioners. Spring property taxes are normally due on or close to May 10. That date came and went this year, largely because the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance has not yet approved the tax form appearance. That department oversees local government budgeting and property tax assessment. Last year, the spring installment of property taxes was skipped entirely and paid in November.

(Richmond, IN)--A City of Richmond department head is stepping down. Bob Tyler has announced that he will resign as the city’s sanitary district director at the end of next week to take a job in Peoria, Illinois. Tyler cited remediation of the South West Fourth Street flooding problems as one of his primary accomplishments in Richmond. It will likely be at least a couple of months before Tyler’s replacement is named.

(Richmond, IN)--At Wednesday night’s meeting of the Richmond Community School Board, board members indicated they’d like to see a concerted effort at increasing the system’s marketing. Enrollment has decreased in four of the last five years. Declining enrollment affects state funding. Richmond schools lose $4000 in state support with every student that leaves the system. It’s a trend that board members and superintendent Dr. Allen Bourff hope to reverse through self-promotion. Bourff indicated that he would unveil a more detailed marketing plan at the next board meeting in two weeks.

(Richmond, IN)--It will be next month before Richmond Police officers learn whether or not they will be able to continue to take their cruisers home with them. Richmond Police Chief Kris Wolski indicated Tuesday afternoon that the decision has been delayed and will likely come early next month as discussions and evaluations of the department’s policy continue. Eliminating the take home policy is seen as a gas-saving measure, but the department has been able to cut fuel costs as much as 20 percent in the last month using other measures. Proponents of the take-home policy say it increases both neighborhood safety and officer response time. Opponents cite the fact that less than half of RPD’s officers live inside the city limits.

(Centerville, IN)--Officials from Wayne County schools, youth organizations, law enforcement, and health care facilities gathered at Centerville High School Tuesday night to discuss a recently-released substance abuse report on Wayne County. The results, while shocking, may shed light on the root of some of the area’s problems with employment and scholastic achievement. For example, Wayne County in among the highest in the state for cocaine possession, cocaine sales, marijuana possession, and public intoxication. There were more than 200 juvenile drug arrests in the last year. Interestingly, young white females in Wayne County – many of whom are unwed mothers - use cocaine at a rate higher than any other demographic group. You can read the entire 30-page report, which contains lots of drug-related statistics, on the Wayne County website.

(Richmond, IN)--Would you ever have imagined waiting in line to buy gas for $3.75 a gallon? That’s what happened Tuesday afternoon on National Road West in Richmond. Residents who live in the Toschlog area had a difficult time getting home because of people who lined up at the Swifty station on US 40. Swifty is typically one of the last to raise its prices. While most area stations had just to $3.93, Swifty remained at $3.75. At 4 o’clock, the Richmond Police Department indicated that traffic on National Road West had become a real concern with a line of about 20 cars extending onto 40. By 8 o’clock last night, Swifty’s price had jumped to match other stations in town. Connersville’s Swifty had similar lines Tuesday afternoon.

It was just like on TV: a minivan carrying roses, balloons and a giant check pulls up to a house with good news for a bug-eyed prize winner.