(Wayne County, IN)--Firefighters were battling a large barn fire early Monday morning.  The first units to arrive to East Seany Road near Fountain City indicated the barn was already fully involved.  In addition to Fountain City, crews from Williamsburg, Economy, Hollansburg, and numerous other communities all arrived to help provide water.  There’s no word yet on any injuries or what started the fire.

(Richmond, IN)--An engineering firm has identified some potential issues related to water at the proposed Smith Hill development on Richmond’s southeast side.  In that report, which is part of the materials being reviewed by the Richmond Advisory Plan Commission, soil testing has revealed water on some building sites as close to the surface as a foot and a half.  The report states that basements may not be possible in all locations and that significant, long-term dewatering requirements should be anticipated.  The report also states the underground water could cause an issue with the installation of utilities.  The Plan Commission will hear more when it meets on the 18^th of this month.

(Richmond, IN)--A heavily used ramp on I-70 in Wayne County is reopening Monday night.  It’s the eastbound exit from 70 to Williamsburg Pike.  It will restore access to both southbound Williamsburg Pike and to northbound U.S. 35.  That ramp had closed in late August to allow crews to construct new roundabouts at that interchange.  But, there’s also a new closure.  Smyrna Road will close Tuesday for about two weeks to allow for work on the overpass over the interstate.

(Richmond, IN)--There were a couple of drug arrests of note over the weekend.  Gary Lady was taken into custody Sunday night at the Richmond Inn & Suites on East Main and charged with dealing cocaine and possession of meth.  This makes the drug arrest #6 for Lady in the last six years.  And, 26-year-old Brianna Gross was arrested Saturday at South 13^th and A.  Her book-in photo for possession of cocaine and OWI shows her still with cat make-up on her face.  Gross was released on her own recognizance Monday morning.

(Brookville, IN)--The Brookville woman who shot and killed her own brother has been sentenced to 17 ½ years in prison.  The sentence for Crystal Pence comes after she changed her plea to guilty of voluntary manslaughter.  Nearly two years ago, Pence shot and killed her brother, 32-year-old Ronald Pence.  She told investigators then that she did it because he asked her to do it.  Crystal Pence spoke at the sentencing and said that her brother had been struggling since their father committed suicide a year before.

(Richmond, IN)--One of the biggest concerns of the proposed Smith Hill project, which would add up to 265 residential units consisting of 167 single-family homes to Richmond’s southeast side, is its impact on traffic.  Now, the results of a traffic study have become available.  The study was conducted by HWC Engineering.  It concludes that the development will not have a major impact on traffic along South 37^th, Hodgin Road, Garwood Road, or U.S. 40.  It does, though, suggest that either a traffic light would have to be installed or a roundabout constructed at the intersection of South 37^th and Hodgin Road.  The study also identifies ongoing problems on U.S. 40 at the intersections of Elks Road and Garwood Roads, but claims the Smith Hill development would not make those problems any worse than they already are.  The issue goes before the Plan Commission in about three weeks.

(Darke County, OH)--There was a fatal crash involving a motorcycle in Darke County on Thursday.  It happened late Thursday afternoon on State Route 121 at the entrance to Wayne Lakes.  Investigators say 78-year-old Charlene Flatter turned directly into the path of an oncoming motorcycle being driven by 52-year-old Rickie Hess Junior.  Hess was pronounced dead at the scene.  Flatter was not injured.

(Terre Haute, IN)--Saturday is a big day for three area runners competing at the IHSAA state cross country championship in Terre Haute.  That includes Seton sophomore Hayden Neagle.  Hayden is the first Seton girl to compete at the state since 2017.  RHS runners Cale Newton and Dash Thacker will also be competing.  Best of luck to Hayden, Cale, and Dash.

(Richmond, IN)--There have been more incidents in Richmond involving kids with guns.  On Wednesday, Richmond police released details on an arrest that occurred Tuesday on South 9^th.  A 12-year-old boy was taken into custody for unlawful carrying of a handgun.  The boy was arrested along with Robert White-Martinez, who was charged with intimidation with a deadly weapon.  Then, Wednesday night, 18-year-old Luis Wool was taken into custody in the area of Linda Lane and Sylvan Nook Drive in Richmond and charged with intimidation with a deadly weapon and pointing a firearm.  Details of what led to that charge have not been released.  Wool was in the process of bonding out of jail at 4:30 Thursday morning.

Note: The accompanying mugshot is of Wool, not of the 12-year-old boy.

(Richmond, IN)--Wayne County Commissioners on Wednesday addressed the policy of prayer before public governmental meetings.  The policy would allow each local body to sets its own parameters involving prayer.  Commissioners were split on the issue.  Here’s Jeff Plasterer:  "While I support prayer, I also believe that, in this case, government and religion should remain as separate as possible."  Aaron Roberts had a different point of view.  "The phrase 'separation of church and state' does not actually appear in the U.S. Constitution," Roberts said.  The vote passed by a 2-1 margin.

(Richmond, IN)--Many people nowadays transition straight from Halloween to Christmas.  So, when this happens, it will seem well into the Christmas season.  Two weeks from Saturday, the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree will be making a stop in Richmond on its way to Washington, D.C.   The Wayne County Area Chamber of Commerce says it envisions a family-friendly series of events centered around the tree’s stop in downtown Richmond.  Thursday, Richmond’s Board of Public Works will address planned street closures to allow those events to take place.

(Richmond, IN)--Sim Hodgin Parkway in Richmond won’t be reopening any time soon.  That road, which cuts through the Whitewater Gorge, has been closed for several months to allow for removal of the Weir Dam and for work on a railroad bridge.  Part of the reason for the extended closure is that drivers have driven around barricades.  Here’s Aaron Stevens with RPD:  "There were some cars that had broken through the barricades.  Average speeds on them approaching that area were in excess of 45 miles per hour."  When will Sim Hodgin reopen?  "I hope it's sometime in December," Stevens said.  The Board of Works has approved the extended closure.

(Richmond, IN)--He held numerous titles in his nine decades in Wayne County.  Family, friends, and associates of John Catey are remembering all of those contributions.  Catey died Sunday afternoon.  Catey joined the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department in 1958 and became sheriff in 1970 and would serve in state leadership roles in that capacity.  In the 1980’s, he became a Wayne County Council member and then a Wayne County Commissioner.  He was also on the board at Reid Health during construction of its new facility.  Service has been set for 1 o’clock Friday afternoon at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Richmond.  John Catey was 92.

(Greenville, OH)--IU East is expanding its Seamless Admission program.  That’s the program that automatically admits high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors who have GPA’s of 2.5 or higher.  IU East has now partnered with Greenville High School to introduce 400 students there to the program.  IU East began the program with Richmond High School last year.

(Richmond, IN)--A suspect in a child sexual abuse case turned himself in at the Wayne County Jail Monday afternoon and has already bonded out.  21-year-old Sawyer Knott is charged with possession of child sex abuse material and child exploitation.  Details of what led to those charges have not yet been obtained.  A warrant for Knott’s arrest was issued last Friday after a judge found probable cause in the case.

(Richmond, IN)--Last week, Kicks 96 and 101.7 The Point News reported on Richmond Community School enrollment figures.  Now, here’s a look at another number…chronic absenteeism.  A student is described a chronically absent if he or she misses at least ten days in a school year.  Absenteeism has been a recent focus of RCS administrators.  The good news is that Richmond’s rate of chronic absenteeism is coming down; the bad news is that it remains very high.  According to new numbers from the state, 30% of RCS students were chronically absent last year.  That's down from 33% the year before.  No other public school in Wayne County is even close to Richmond's 30% number.  Centerville’s number is 10%.  Northeastern’s chronically absent rate is 8%.

(Wayne County, IN)--Measles cases in Indiana are up in the last week, and Wayne County continues to have the most confirmed cases in the state.  According to the Department of Health’s dashboard, which was updated on Friday, Wayne County now has 14 confirmed cases of measles.  Wayne County Health Officer Dr. Jennifer Bales recently said there could be more cases.  "There is concern that there are undocumented cases in the community.  But, you can only document cases if there is testing and it is confirmed," Bales said.  The number of cases of measles statewide jumped by about 30% just last week.  Randolph County has two cases.  No other Whitewater Valley county has any.

(Richmond, IN)--A domestic issue on Richmond Avenue escalated on Saturday.  When police arrived on a stabbing call, they took 57-year-old William Mills into custody on a charge of domestic battery with a deadly weapon and criminal mischief.  Mills has bonded out of jail.  The victim’s injuries were determined to be non-life-threatening.

(Richmond, IN)--One man allegedly chose an unusual form of retaliation when someone parked a Tesla where he thought it shouldn’t have been parked.  It happened over the weekend in the 100 block of North West E Street in Richmond.  37-year-old Johnathon Weiss allegedly went after the Tesla with his own bodily waste, whatever that may have been.  Weiss was booked into the Wayne County Jail on a charge of Malicious Mischief with human blood, semen, urine, or fecal waste contact.  Weiss has since been released.

(Richmond, IN)--Wayne County leaders this week passed the county’s general fund budget for next year.  But, what lies past that raised some concerns.  "It's going to look different in a couple of years and I just want to be careful we don't keep using all the cash available to us," said County Council member Misty Hollis.  "We have a lot of unknowns ahead of us," responded Council's Max Smith.  Council indicated that it anticipates state-mandated cuts.  The general fund budget for the county next year is $45 million.