(Cambridge City, IN)--The Western Wayne School Board breezed through a meeting in 25 minutes on Wednesday night with barely any mention at all of the situation with Superintendent Kelly Plank.  Plank was charged this week with battery resulting in serious bodily injury as a result of an altercation last month.  Board President Kris Bex did not mention Plank or the incident specifically Wednesday night, but it was clear that’s what he was talking about.  "We are dealing with things right now.  We do not take them lightly.  You all understand that if you approach any of us, that we will not be commenting on those things because it's ongoing and I can guarantee you that everyone at this table - and, I believe, everyone in this room - has the best interest of the students and the corporation in their heads and in their hearts," Bex said.  A cash bond for Plank was entered in Henry County on Wednesday.

(Hagerstown, IN)--Wayne County leaders took steps Wednesday to collaborate with an organization called Go Rail to improve railroad safety across the county, with one crossing garnering the most attention.  That crossing is on State Road 1 near Hagerstown.  Discussion Wednesday included how modifying crossings could help ambulance service.  Here’s Commissioner Jeff Plasterer talking about some potential modifications:  "There are opportunities to either lower the rail line below the level of the road or to raise the road to go over the rail line that would prevent ambulances from being caught at that crossing."  County leaders Wednesday discussed seeking federal funding for the potential change.

(Whiteland, IN)--State Senator Jeff Raatz of Richmond joined Governor Mike Braun Wednesday for a ceremonial signing of a bill that Raatz authored which limits cell phone usage in school by students.  The law requires all public schools to adopt either a “no device” or “secure storage” policy where students would get their phones back at the end of the school day.  Raatz talked about emergency situations.  "In an emergency situation, the administration needs to be in charge of the situation," Raatz said.  The new law will be in effect by the start of the new school year in August.

(Connersville, IN)--Connersville utility officials on Wednesday afternoon issued an update on four water main breaks that closed streets and delayed schools.  By 4 o’clock Wednesday afternoon, crews had repaired all water leaks.  Work will continue Thursday to patch streets that were impacted.  The goal is to have some of those streets opened by 3 o’clock Thursday afternoon.  Residents who had their water cut off Wednesday are being advised to boil it for five minutes before usage until further notice.

(New Castle, IN)--An attorney for Western Wayne School Superintendent Kelly Plank appeared in a Henry County courtroom Tuesday afternoon to enter a plea of not guilty on Plank’s behalf.  Plank is accused of battering another female at the Elks in New Castle last month.  According to an affidavit, Plank had been drinking with friends and became upset after a woman spilled a drink on her boyfriend.  Plank had been bad-mouthing that man throughout the night.  The boyfriend’s mother then intervened and tried to calm Plank down.  Plank then grabbed the woman and swept her legs out from underneath her, causing that woman to fall and break both bones in her lower leg.  Plank now faces between one and six years in prison.  Plank’s attorney on Tuesday waived an initial hearing.

(Richmond, IN)--On Tuesday, Reid Health became just the second health system across the country to launch an AI personal assistant called Emmie.  Reid said that Emmie gives patients a secure, conversational way to get answers about their health information and guidance about certain actions.  With Emmie, a patient can ask questions like “What did my doctor say about my blood pressure at my last visit?” or “What does this test result mean?”  Patients can access Emmie through their MyReid and MyChart accounts.

(Richmond, IN)--The Richmond Community School Board had a lengthy policy discussion Tuesday on whether or not kids being homeschooled or otherwise not enrolled at RCS should be allowed to participate in extracurricular activities like sports and band in the RCS system.  Here’s Nicole Stults:  "I see it both ways.  But, it's kind of hard to say 'sure, use all of our facilities and we're going to pay for all of that and provide all of that and yet not have any of those tax dollars coming."  The Board indicated Tuesday it would seek feedback from coaches, while Superintendent Dr. Curtis Wright said that he would address the topic with the public in the first of two community meetings set for Thursday night.

(Shelbyville, IN)--More filings were made Tuesday in a recent lawsuit against Wernle Youth and Family Treatment Center and its former CEO, Darrell Gordon.  The plaintiff in the case, who legally changed his name and now goes by Bartholomew Blunt, is asking for $15 million in damages.  Blunt claims in the lawsuit that he was subjected to repeated sexual battery while housed at Wernle and that the staff was not trained to respond to warning signs.  A summons was issued Tuesday to Gordon, who now has 20 days to respond.  Blunt has an incredible record of filing lawsuits.  He’s filed eight of them so far this year against various people and organizations.  One of those eight is against his own adoptive mother.

(Connersville, IN)--State Route 44 in part of Connersville remained closed Wednesday morning after one of several water main breaks that occurred Tuesday.  The closure of 44 runs from Gray Road to Grand Avenue.  There were four breaks Tuesday, leaving many residents with low water pressure or no water at all.  The most recent statement from the city said that crews were working to restore normal service as quickly as possible, but did not put a timeline on when that may happen.  They’re also asking that residents not drive around barricades.

(Cambridge City, IN)--The Western Wayne School Board has placed Superintendent Kelly Plank on paid administrative leave following an incident over the weekend.  Plank has been charged in Henry County with battery resulting in serious bodily injury.  In a prepared statement, Western Wayne’s attorney indicated Monday that Plank was not acting in her official capacity as superintendent when the incident occurred.  The statement also indicated that the Board is finalizing an interim leadership plan.  Plank’s charge and details of the alleged crime were not included in the statement.  A judge in Henry Circuit Court 2 found probable cause Monday and issued a $7500 bond.  An affidavit will become available Tuesday the will detail the allegations that led to the charge.  Plank started her role as the superintendent of Western Wayne last summer.

(Richmond, IN)--About 20 Wayne County residents have been summoned to Wayne Circuit Court on Wednesday to explain why they didn’t show up for jury duty.  Back in February, those people all failed to report for the jury selection process in a drug-dealing trial.  On Wednesday, they will have to explain why they failed to attend.  Judge April Drake will have the option of finding them in contempt of court and sending them to jail.  If those people fail to attend again Wednesday, a warrant could be issued for their arrest.

(Richmond, IN)--On Friday afternoon, the Richmond Police Department announced the resignation of Major Adam Blanton.  Blanton has been at the center of three different local law enforcement issues, including the disposal of a police canine’s remains, the issuance of false information in a Richmond murder case, and, most recently, the as-yet uncompleted purchase of police vehicles from a local dealer.  A prepared statement from RPD Chief Kyle Weatherly said that Blanton has been a committed member of the agency and has served with dedication through his tenure.

(Preble County, OH)--Two people were seriously hurt when a semi ran an SUV off of I-70 Sunday night.  It happened at around 8:15 in the westbound lanes in Preble County.  The semi driver forced the SUV off the road.  The SUV then rolled over multiple times and ended up in a ditch.  The semi driver kept going and was eventually stopped in Wayne County.  The injuries were described as serious, but non-life-threatening.  Westbound 70 was backed up for more than an hour Sunday night.

(Richmond, IN)--A wanted Richmond woman was taken into custody after an officer spotted her at the local Walmart Sunday night.  That officer knew that 25-year-old Faith Holbert had warrants for burglary and breaking and entering.  Holbert allegedly ran and was caught after a short chase.  Three years ago, Holbert was arrested for attacking another woman with a piece of broken glass because she wasn’t invited to go horseback riding.  (Note:  mugshot not posted because Holbert was combative during the book-in process and could not be photographed.)

(West College Corner, IN)--There’s been another drug bust in the West College Corner area.  Details were released Sunday of the arrest of Dana Buttery.  A Union County deputy initiated a traffic stop on Brookville Pike.  A canine was brought to the scene and gave a positive indication.   Inside Buttery’s vehicle, deputies found an unspecified amount of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.  It’s the second time in two weeks that a routine traffic stop led to a meth arrest in West College Corner.

(Union County, IN)--Indiana continues to catch up on its county-by-county unemployment reports.  Thursday, it released numbers for March.  And, for the Whitewater Valley, unemployment rates have dropped.  Wayne County is down to 3.6% unemployment after being at 3.9% the month before with 80 more people now working.  Other area counties saw similar drops.  Once again, Union County has Indiana’s lowest unemployment rate at 2.6%.

(Eaton, OH)--A former Preble County township trustee accused of making video recordings of a juvenile in a bathroom has pled guilty to some of the charges he originally faced.  Wade Guthrie, who was a Gasper Township Trustee, pled guilty to voyeurism and tampering with evidence.  Other charges were dropped as part of a plea deal.  Guthrie now faces up ten years in prison when he’s sentenced next month.  He’ll also have to register as a sex offender for the next 15 years.

(Richmond, IN)--The Richmond Avenue Bridge project has hit an expensive snag that was discussed Wednesday when Wayne County Council met.  Crews have run into unexpected difficulty removing an overlay, and now it will have to be chipped away by hand.  The work won’t come cheap.  "There is going to be a change order of about $200,000 coming for this project," said Brandon Sanders.  The extra work is not expected to push back the reopening of the bridge, which should happen sometime in late August.

(Richmond, IN)--Changes are coming to a Richmond financial institution.  First Bank Richmond and The Farmers Bank announced this week that the combined organization will operate under the name First Bank Midwest.  The new brand also will encompass Mutual Federal, including its six offices in Ohio.  The organizations also unveiled a new logo and brand identity that will begin on the first of July.  First Bank has operated in Richmond for 140 years.

(New Westville, OH)--A 30-year-old Preble County man is facing multiple drug-related charges after deputies searched his home.  That search took place in the 5000 block of State Route 320.  That’s just outside of New Westville.  Investigators say they found 38 grams of suspected cocaine, over 600 vapes and cigars, and 25 pounds of marijuana.  Elisha McCracken now faces numerous trafficking and possession charges.  McCracken has already bonded out of jail.

(Whitewater Valley)--Following are transcripts from Wednesday morning's election-results-only newscasts:

 

WAYNE SHERIFF:  About 18% of Wayne County voters cast ballots in this year’s primary election, and the mostly hotly contested race was that for Wayne County sheriff.  Alan Moore defeated Kyle Weatherly by a 60-40% margin.  Absentee voting in that race was essentially a tie.  But Moore pulled well ahead when four vote centers opened last week, and voters casting ballots on yesterday’s traditional Election Day also clearly favored Moore.  For all Wayne County races, 42% of voters cast ballots yesterday, while the remainder voted before that.

 

 

DISTRICT 56:  Current Wayne County Sheriff Randy Retter will soon change titles and be State Representative of District 56.  Retter defeated challenger Pete Zaleski yesterday by a 53-42% margin.  Inexplicably, 281 people voted for RPD’s Adam Blanton even though he dropped out of the race a month and a half ago.

 

 

WAYNE OTHER:  In some other results of contested races in Wayne County, incumbent Brad Dwenger easily won back his seat as County Commissioner of District 1.  Dwenger got 47% of the vote, while Mark Hoelscher and Howard Price split the remaining 53%.  Barry Ritter beat Bradley Wood for 54-46% for County Council District 2.  And, for State Senate District 27, three-term incumbent Jeff Raatz easily beat challenger Anthony Jones.  Raatz won by more than a 2-1 margin.

 

 

UNION, FRANKLIN, FAYETTE:  In Union County, Barry Boggs beat Jennifer Byrd in the race for County Auditor.  There were lots of contested county-wide races in Franklin County.  Winners include Austin Joliff for Auditor, Larry Wiwi and Tom Linkel for two commissioners seats, Joe Sizemore, Dean McQueen, and Jerry Hunt for county council, and Adam Henson for sheriff.  And, in Fayette County, Dawn Hughes won for clerk.  Jabin Collins and Jerry May won for seats on county council.

 

 

RANDOLPH:  Here’s how voting went in Randolph County yesterday.  Chad Puterbaugh easily won in the race for sheriff, garnering more votes than his two challengers combined.  It was the same for Jane Grove, who got 56% of the vote for a county commissioner seat.  Democrat Christen Smith will face Republican Olivia Faddis for Superior Court Judge.  And, in what was our area’s closest race yesterday, Tammy Pegg beat Laura Martin for county recorder.  Nearly 2900 ballots were cast in that race.  Pegg beat Martin by just six votes.

PREBLE:  24% of registered voters cast ballots in Preble County races.  There were a few issues on the ballot.  Voters turned down a four-mill police levy for Gratis by a 3-1 margin.  That votes comes with Gratis’ police chief coming under fire for trying to perform ICE duties at public schools in Cincinnati.  Lewisburg voters turned down a quarter-percent municipal income tax rally by a 2-1 margin.  In a race for county commissioner, Harold Niehaus beat David Haber 56-44%.

(Richmond, IN)--During its meeting Monday night, Richmond Common Council discussed the city’s failure to date to complete a purchase of eight police vehicles, which has left a local auto dealer holding $400,000 in inventory.  Council President Justin Burkhardt read from an email sent by RPD’s Adam Blanton, who wrote the letter of intent to the dealer last September.  Just before the issue became public a couple of weeks ago, Blanton wrote an email to the dealer which both expressed concern and placed blame on Council.  Here is Burkhardt reading part of Blanton's email Monday night.  "I'd be remiss if I did not tell you that I have little faith in our city council," Blanton wrote.  It brought this response from Mayor Ron Oler.  "The comment that was sent in the middle of April was very unprofessional and was dealt with," Oler explained Monday night.  Oler was pressed on Blanton’s status, but declined to disclose whether or not Blanton is still employed by RPD.  Oler added that the city is continuing to seek either funding for the police vehicles or to facilitate sales of the vehicles to other police agencies.

(Richmond, IN)--Zoning for residential development near Backmeyer Road went before Richmond Common Council Monday night.  The land covers 24 acres currently owned by Christ United Church.  Here is the city’s planning director:  "They're requesting to rezone 19.25 acres of that property to multi-family residential for a residential develpment."  And this is what is being proposed..."what they are proposing is a subdivision consisting of nine four-unit condominiums and 21 duplex condominiums.  They will all be privately owned," the director said.  The issue will go to the Plan Commission for a public hearing on May 27.

(Richmond, IN)--A man accused of committing a series of thefts in the Richmond area has been apprehended.  Jesse Maiden was taken into custody near Holsapple Road.  Maiden’s arrest is the result of an investigation that began in February with a report of a theft from a local hotel.  Maiden also had a burglary case pending. He’s had five different felony criminal cases in the last six years.

(Richmond, IN)--Richmond Common Council meets Monday night for what should be an eventful meeting.  Council will hear an ordinance on first reading involving the proposed Smith Hill development.  The ordinance would rezone 19 acres of land with a Backmeyer Road address for multi-family residential purposes.  The ordinance will likely be referred to the city’s plan commission with no action being taken Monday night.  There is also still a spot on Monday night’s agenda for council to address the issues with the purchase of eight police vehicles from Wetzel Auto.  RPD Chief Kyle Weatherly and Adam Blanton appear on the agenda, but indicated last week they would not attend.  Monday night’s meeting begins at 7.  As always, you can catch it live on WCTV.

(Richmond, IN)--An alleged drug dealer was arrested near Fountain City in the pre-dawn hours of Sunday morning.  35-year-old Kyle Brengman was taken into custody on Pleasant Plain Road.  Brengman is charged with dealing cocaine and OWI – Endangerment.  Details of what led to Brengman’s arrest have not been released.  That arrest was part of a busy weekend at the Wayne County Jail.  Between 6 a.m. Friday and 6 a.m. Monday, 27 people were jailed.

(Boston, IN)--A teenager has been arrested in connection with a series of vehicle break-ins in the Boston area.  18-year-old Zachary McKinney was questioned early Sunday morning at RPD headquarters, charged, and taken to jail.  McKinney now faces 11 total counts involving thefts from vehicles.  One Boston resident said that she had $500 and a wallet stolen from her car.  The case remains under investigation.

(Richmond, IN)--Representatives of Wetzel Auto said Thursday that they will take no legal action against the city of Richmond.  The city and Wetzel continue to seek a solution to Wetzel having been left holding $400,000 in police vehicles for which the city cannot pay, but Wetzel said that will not include any type of lawsuit.  Wetzel added that the company’s only goal is to continue to be a good corporate citizen.  Wetzel is actively involved in the community through numerous sponsorship initiatives.

(Wayne County, IN)--Shots were fired into a Centerville-area home Thursday, and now a Cambridge City man is facing numerous felony charges.  Wayne County deputies were called to the home on Rice Road at 11 Thursday morning.  Joshua Rodgers was inside the home, but was not injured.  Witnesses in the area described the vehicle that fled the scene.  That vehicle was located in the Cambridge City area and a chase began.  22-year-old Brennen Jones was eventually taken into custody.  A firearm allegedly used in the shooting was also recovered.

(Connersville, IN)--A Fayette County man has been sentenced to ten years in prison a little more than a year after he made a bomb threat at the courthouse there.  46-John Sheets, Junior pled guilty to numerous felony charges.  Other charges were dismissed as part of a plea deal.  Sheets called in the bomb threat in March of last year in an effort to force a delay of a hearing for his girlfriend in an unrelated drug case.  Sheets then admitted to making the threat when he was arrested on drug charges a year ago.

(Liberty, IN)--An initial hearing has been set for the 11^th for a man accused of stalking in Union County.  Mark Cordell was taken into custody in the parking lot of a Liberty restaurant after a warrant was issued for his arrest a week ago today.  Details of what led to the stalking charge have not yet become available.  The arrest was the result of an investigation by the Liberty Police Department.