(Connersville, IN)--There was to have been a hearing this week to force the owner of a Fayette County property to allow searchers to look for the remains of Denise Pflum – the Connersville teen who went missing back in 1986.  Up until now, Erika Johnson had refused to allow the search to take place.  That hearing did not take place this week.  Now, Denise’s parents have indicated that attorneys for both sides have agreed to structure the language in an agreement to proceed with the search of the property in question.  A new hearing has now been set for May 3.

(Darke County, OH)--A Richmond woman is being blamed for a Darke County crash on Thursday that has left three people, including two children, in serious condition at two different Dayton hospitals.  Investigators say Melissa Leonard of Richmond turned in front of an oncoming car on State Route 121 at Weavers – Fort Jefferson Road.  Leonard was not seriously hurt, but 24-year-old Mary Funk was Careflighted to Miami Valley.  A six-year-old girl and a two-year-old boy both went to Dayton Children’s.  Three separate medical helicopters responded to the scene.

(Liberty, IN)--Earlier this week, Kicks 96 and 101.7 The Point News reported that lots of Union County residents had expressed concern over police canine Ice.  They claimed that the dog’s original handler recently took another position outside of the department and that the police canine was placed in the local shelter.  Thursday, the Sheriff’s Departments of Union and Fayette County indicated that the two departments had reached an agreement that will send Ice to serve in Fayette County.

(Richmond, IN)--The numbers are up for the percentage of Richmond Community School teachers and employees in terms of job satisfaction.  The results of an annual cultural survey were discussed at Wednesday afternoon’s RCS Board meeting.  Just over 250 RCS employees responded to the survey.  61% say they’re satisfied with their jobs.  Another 34% are somewhat satisfied, and that’s up from last year.  "You can see a 3.8% growth in job satisfaction from 'somewhat satisfied' to 'satisfied'," explained   Jamie Bolser with RCS.  As for staffers who are not satisfied, here are the reasons:  "student discipline and behavior and a lack of effective communication," Bolser said.  79% of RCS staffers say they would recommend working for the district.

(Wayne County, IN)--A police officer was struck in Dayton Wednesday night, and officers caught the suspect after a chase that ended in Wayne County.  Officers from multiple agencies chased the suspect west on I-70 through Montgomery and then Preble County.  Stop sticks were successfully deployed.  The man was driving on all four rims as he passed the Chester Boulevard exit with sparks flying.  He was taken into custody west of the U.S. 35 exit.  The officer who was struck in Dayton was not seriously hurt.

(Richmond, IN)--Richmond fire crews battled a house fire Wednesday night.  The call came in at around 10:30 to a house in the 1100 block of North West 6^th Street.  "The first crew arrived and advised there was heavy smoke showing.  We made a quick attack and got it knocked down and under control in 15 minutes," said Battalion Chief Chuck Powell.  No one was home at the time and there were no injuries.  There’s no word yet on what started the fire, which consumed most of the house.

(Richmond, IN)--On Tuesday, Kicks 96 and 101.7 The Point News reported that new numbers from the state show that Wayne County has lost 700 members of its labor force since this time last year.  Now, here’s a look specifically at the city of Richmond.  Richmond has lost 312 members of its labor force in the last year.  More eye-opening, though, is the fact that there are 445 fewer Richmond residents who are employed as there were a year ago.  The city’s unemployment rate stands at five percent.

(Richmond, IN)--Richmond police caught a man classified as a sexually violent predator who is now also an alleged burglar Tuesday.  50-year-old Christopher Cones was taken into custody in the 100 block of South West 4^th Street.  Details of that burglary have not been released.  Cones was convicted of first-degree rape in Oklahoma back in 1998.  In Wayne County, this now makes his fifth criminal case in the last ten months.  The previous four involve trespassing and theft.

(Richmond, IN)--33 years in prison is the sentence for a former Richmond woman who was responsible for the death of a two-year-old boy in 2019.  Pamela Barger operated a babysitting service.  Barger failed to seek medical attention in a timely manner after the toddler suffered blunt force trauma to the head.  A co-defendant, Todd Volker, had previously been sentenced to 25 years for his role in the boy’s death.

(Richmond, IN)--Last week, Richmond Common Council denied rezoning that would have advanced the plan to create a large housing development called Smith Hill located near the intersection of South 37^th and Backmeyer Road.  The property is owned by an LLC formed by Craig Kinyon and Reid Health.  Reid incidated the property had been purchased to help solve a housing shortage in Richmond that makes it difficult to recruit and retain employees.  Monday, a Reid Health spokesperson issued a short statement on what Reid will do with the land now that zoning was rejected.  The statement said simply that Reid is exploring other options, but did not indicate what those options entail.

(Wayne County, IN)--Numbers released by the state Monday show that Wayne County is holding steady at its highest employment rate in the last three and a half years.  Wayne County’s rate remained at 4.6% Tuesday morning.  Most other area counties in Indiana saw a slight decline.  The number of people listed as unemployed and the number of people in Wayne County’s workforce remain nearly identical to last month.  But, Wayne County’s labor force has shrunk by nearly 700 people since this time last year and now stands at just under 29,000 people.

(Abington, IN)--Indiana’s Public Access Counselor has determined that the Abington Township Advisory Board did not violate Indiana Open Door laws regarding a meeting earlier this year.  The allegation was that the Board held an executive session without providing public notice.  That was one of three investigations by at least four separate agencies regarding the Board and the volunteer fire department.  There is another meeting scheduled for either Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon.  The notice on the department’s door says the meeting is Tuesday the 24^th, meaning either the day or the date is incorrect.

(Union County, IN)--There has been no response yet from law enforcement agents in Union County after allegations centering on the treatment of a police canine named Ice swirled across social media over the weekend.  Several concerned residents claim that the dog’s original handler recently took another position outside of the department and that the police canine was placed in the local shelter.  They further claim that the handler offered to keep the canine until another handler was put in place, but that request was denied.

(Richmond, IN)--A New Paris man is facing numerous felonies after an overnight incident Sunday night.  31-year-old Kyle Burwick was taken into custody in the 3200 block of East Main Street in Richmond and booked into the Wayne County Jail two minutes before midnight Sunday night.   An undisclosed quantity of methamphetamine was recovered.  Burwick is also charged with felony resisting arrest.  Details of what led to the arrest have not yet been released.

(Wayne County, IN)--There has been a huge jump in the number of substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect in Wayne County so far this year.  According to new numbers from the state, Wayne County has experienced 93 confirmed cases of abuse and neglect so far this year.  That’s an 86% increase in the number of cases as compared to the first three months of last year.  Local officials have not speculated on the reason for the drastic increase in cases.

(Richmond, IN)--A lawsuit against both the city of Richmond and the town of Fountain City was dismissed this week.  It was filed last year by Matthew Meyers of Lynn.  Meyers claimed in the lawsuit that potholes and other debris on Round Barn Road caused him to lose control of his motorcycle and crash last summer.  Meyers was seeking unspecified damages for both physical and emotional trauma.  The lawsuit was dismissed this week because the accident occurred neither inside the city limits of either Richmond or Fountain City.

(Richmond, IN)--Richmond Mayor Ron Oler met this week with the self-proclaimed mayor of the Uranus Fudge Factory this week.  Uranus will soon be opening a new site on U.S. 40 at the state line.  The two mayors exchanged gifts and posed for photos.  The mayor said that he was excited to open Uranus in Richmond.  The general store is expected to open before the end of this year and will employ a hundred people.

(Richmond, IN)--Thursday, Richmond’s Board of Public Works will address a contract to perform an environmental site assessment at the former Elder-Beerman building.  The assessment will include adjacent lots and the skywalk that connects the building to the municipal parking garage.  It’s the latest step to convert that property into a new building with roughly 150 market-rate apartments.  Right now, Richmond has a vacancy rate of only one percent for those types of units.  A large proposed development on South 37th that would have included those types of apartments was struck down by Common Council earlier this week.

(Liberty, IN)--Union County’s prosecutor will not be pursuing a criminal case against a man involved in a shooting last month.  It happened on March 30 on Liberty Pike.  A deputy was originally dispatched there for a dispute between two men.  Bradley Bowling was found lying in the road with multiple gunshot wounds.  A handgun was found under him.  Oscar Gentry was then located nearby and taken into custody without incident.  The charging decision indicated that Gentry will not be tried because of evidence that the shooting was done in self-defense.

(Richmond, IN)--A shortage of bus drivers is impacting Richmond Community Schools both Thursday and Friday.  RCS, in a message Wednesday, called the shortage “unexpected” and encouraged anyone who can arrange their own morning and afternoon transportation to do so.  The driver shortage will impact the entire district.  There is no indication that the shortage will extend into next week or beyond.