(Richmond, IN)--Here’s more on the makeup of the Smith Hill development, which appears to be fully moving forward.  The proposed development now includes up to 277 individual living units, which is more than was originally proposed in the development’s initial stages.  "We are anticipating that up to one hundred of those may be town homes.  Those town homes may be owner-occupied; they may be for rent.  We don't know.  We have the flexibility to do both," said developer Chris Hamm.  Those potential rentals would be located closer to South 37^th in the northwest part of the development.  As for the individual homes, some will be very pricey.  "There will be a section of custom homes that will be created which are anticipated to be sold from $800,000 to $850,000 a piece," Hamm explained.  Hamm said homes on the low end will sell for about $300,000.

(Franklin County, IN)--Storm damage was assessed across southern parts of the Whitewater Valley Thursday, which took the brunt of storms that moved through the area Wednesday night into Thursday morning.  The National Weather Service determined Thursday that an EF-2 tornado touched down in southeastern Franklin County  In the Drewersburg area, one home was destroyed with another receiving extensive damage.  One woman had to be rescued from her basement.  The tornado had an estimated wind speed of 125 miles per hour.

(Richmond, IN)--On Wednesday, the Richmond Community School Board removed proposed RIF’s from the agenda for the Wednesday night meeting.  But that does not mean the issue is over.  Here’s RCS Board President Austin Brann:  "They were removed for more discussion prior to the end of the month.  We will be having another meeting - probably executive session first and then a session to vote on that."  The proposal that was removed from the agenda called for 19 positions to be eliminated.

(Richmond, IN)--The Richmond Education Association, or teachers’ union, has issued a follow-up statement after announcing earlier this week that there was a near-unanimous vote of no confidence in the RCS Central Office leadership.  The new statement essentially addresses fears of retaliation against leaders of the REA.  It lays out a six-point prediction of actions they say RCS may take to ultimately terminate those leaders.  The REA said that the predictions are based on previous actions by the RCS administration that came to fruition.  RCS has not addressed the no-confidence vote.

(Connersville, IN)--A Connersville man is facing charges including child molesting and sexual misconduct with a minor.  52-year-old Forrest Crawley faces those charges following a lengthy investigation.  Details of what led to the charges have not been released.  Crawley is being held on a $150,000.  A judge in the case issued a no contact order on Thursday.

(Whitewater Valley)--For the most part, the Whitewater Valley escaped the severe storms and tornados that roared through parts of the Midwest Wednesday night and early Thursday morning.  The strongest storms went through the southern parts of area at around midnight.  Tornado warnings were issued between midnight and one o’clock Thursday morning for parts of Franklin, Preble, and Butler County.  But those were radar-indicated tornados only with no confirmed touchdowns.  Heavy rain was also an issue.  Radar indicated more than four inches of rain fell overnight in those same tornado-warned areas.  There were no widespread power outages in the immediate area Thursday morning.

(Richmond, IN)--The Richmond Community School Board met Wednesday afternoon and did not address the proposed 19 RIF’s that had appeared on the agenda earlier in the day.  The Board did, though, unanimously approve a realignment that will send fifth-graders out of intermediate buildings and back to elementary buildings.  Board member Nicole Stultz said that the Board felt the community supported the change.  "We did feel collectively as the Board that that was something that was perceived as favorable," Stultz said.  The change will not take effect for the upcoming school year.  It won’t be implemented until the ’27-’28 school year.

(Richmond, IN)--An arrest has been made in connection with two Richmond armed robberies.  Those robberies had occurred on Sunday at the Clark station at 12^th and North E and at the Milkhouse at 17^th and East Main the following day.  Investigators on Wednesday questioned 32-year-old Jordan Jarrett at RPD headquarters and arrested him there.  Jarrett is now charged with two counts of armed robbery and five other felony counts.  Jordan has a violent criminal history.  He has two previous robbery cases and, back in 2013, was sentenced to eight years in prison for child molesting.  No one was hurt in this week’s robberies.

(Richmond, IN)--The Richmond Police Department is asking for the help of the public in identifying and arresting the driver in a hit-and-run incident that occurred earlier this week.  It happened on Monday afternoon just before two o’clock.  Investigators say that a person was struck near North 14^th and C.  That victim was left in critical condition.  The only description of the vehicle is that is black with Ohio plates.  There are no surveillance images.  The victim’s name and current condition have not been released.

(Richmond, IN)--Reductions in force will be addressed when the Richmond Community School Board meets late Wednesday afternoon.  There are 19 total positions set to be cut, including six teachers at the middle and high school levels.  Other positions facing cuts include the district’s financial director and the middle school athletic director.  The Board will also address a proposed grade-level realignment that would have fifth-graders return to elementary schools.  The cost of that realignment is currently set at between five and six million dollars.  Wednesday afternoon’s meeting gets underway at 5:30.

(Richmond, IN)--The timeline for construction at the controversial Smith Hill residential development near Backmeyer and Garwood Roads in Richmond came more into focus Tuesday.  Developer Chris Hamm provided that timeline to the Richmond Redevelopment Commission yesterday.  Survey work and traffic studies are already underway.  Hamm talked about when more significant work is likely to begin.  "It's very unlikely that home construction would start this year.  The hope would be that we could get out there and begin moving dirt, shaping, and doing pipe work over the winter," Hamm said.  Hamm added that it’s more likely that actual home construction would begin next spring.  Funding allocations for the project were approved Tuesday.  There are now projected to be as many as 287 housing units.

(Richmond, IN)--An alleged drug dealer was taken into custody Tuesday night.  33-year-old Melinda Johnson was arrested at her home in the 1400 block of Hunt Street and now faces charges that include dealing methamphetamine and dealing cocaine.  Details of what led to those charges have not been released.  Johnson was shot in that home three years ago, and she was convicted of drug dealing eight years ago.  She was sentenced to three years in that case.  A firearm was also recovered during Tuesday’s arrest.

(Richmond, IN)--Changes are coming to the five-point intersection in Richmond’s Depot District.  Those changes were addressed Tuesday during the meeting of the Richmond Redevelopment Commission.  The traffic signal where Ft. Wayne Avenue, North D, and three other streets come together will change.  "If you're aware of that current signal where it has that large, steel stand crossing the whole five-way intersection...it's going to be a much more modernized look.  We'll have just cantilevers," said Jack Blocks, who is a project engineer.  There will also be new crosswalks at the intersection.  The work is part of an effort to connect the area to the Cardinal Greenway Trail.

(Franklin County, IN)--Nearly two years to the day after he went missing, the remains of a missing Franklin County man have been positively identified.  Roger Purcell went missing back in June of 2024.  Remains found in eastern Franklin County late last week have now been identified as Purcell after forensic examination.  Purcell's mother had said that he was both diabetic and had brain damage from a stroke.  She also said that he had been hearing voices before he disappeared.  Investigators have not said if there was any indication of foul play.  Additional autopsy results are pending.

(Richmond, IN)--The Richmond Police Department is continuing to ask for the help of the public in locating a missing teenage boy.  That boy is 14-year-old Dredyn Williams.  A release from RPD on Tuesday said that he is missing from the 400 block of South West 2^nd Street.  Details of what may have led to his disappearance and how long he’s been missing have not been released.  Dredyn is described as a black male, about 5’7” tall and 160 pounds.

(Richmond, IN)--The Smith Hill project came under fire again when Richmond Common Council met Monday night.  The next step in the project will be a term sheet which lists terms between the city and the developer for the project.  The Redevelopment Commission will address the release of $3.2 million Tuesday.  Questions arose from Councilman Larry Parker about the transfer of $1 million worth of land for the project from Reid Health to the city in lieu of payment for cleanup of the old Reid property on Chester Boulevard.  Here’s Parker talking about Reid’s role:  "They get their cake and they get to eat it.  That's fantastic.  They're going to give us the land as long as we do what they want us to do."  Developers are currently working on surveys and traffic studies.

(Richmond, IN)--The Richmond Education Association, or teachers’ union, on Monday issued a vote of no confidence in the leadership of the Central Office of Richmond Community Schools.  The statement says that the step "reflects ongoing and serious concerns in three critical areas."  Those areas are poor leadership, poor communication, and fiscal management.  According to the REA, at least 98% of the votes cast indicated they have no confidence in those three areas.  The statement does not seek any specific resolution, and there has been no public response from the RCS administration or Board.

(Richmond, IN)--For the second night in a row, there was an armed robbery in Richmond.  On Sunday night, someone held up the Clark station at 12^th and North E.  Then, early Monday evening, a man held up the Milkhouse near 17^th and East Main.  Richmond Police have not released any information yet.  Witnesses said the suspect was a white male who displayed a handgun.  No injuries were reported.  RPD has also not said if they suspect the same person is responsible for both robberies.  No arrests have been made.

(Richmond, IN)--The proposed condominium complex on 19 acres just south of Walmart and just north of Backmeyer Road in Richmond is on hold at the request of the developer.  At the previous meeting of Richmond Common Council, some council members expressed concern about a possible entrance to the complex off of Backmeyer Road.  City Planning Director Shannon Hayes said Monday night that they’re now taking a closer look.  "Both the developer and the agent have reached out to me, and they are preparing a written commitment to get an independent traffic impact study," Hayes said.  There is no timetable for the completion of the traffic study.

(Richmond, IN)--Zoning for the expansion project at Uranus was narrowly approved Monday night.  Richmond Common Council approved the zoning change by a 5-4 vote despite ongoing disputes between Uranus and adjacent property owners over water and fire issues.  City Attorney AJ Sickmann advised council that those disputes would continue regardless of the zoning issues and that the city should not inject itself into the case.