(Richmond, IN)--Vandals have done major damage at a spot aimed to pay tribute to a significant part of Richmond’s legacy.  It happened in the Starr-Gennett area of the gorge.  There, 29 medallions pay tribute to some of the most iconic artists who recorded in Richmond decades ago – artists like Louis Armstrong and Guy Lombardo.  Last week, vandals took the bronze from those medallions, causing estimated tens of thousands of dollars in damage.  The Starr-Gennett Foundation indicated that reports have been filed with both the police and their insurance company.

(Richmond, IN)--Richmond Community Schools on Monday provided an explanation about why RIFs were removed from the agenda of last week’s Board meeting.  In a written response, RCS indicated that some members of the Board determined that they did not feel comfortable having such a brief period of time in advance of the meeting to fully consider the issue.  Teachers who will have their jobs eliminated must be notified by July 1 according to state law.  The Board meets in executive session Wednesday night and will set another public meeting before that deadline.  19 positions are set to be eliminated.

(Richmond, IN)--A Richmond drug dealer has received a stiff prison sentence.  Part of the reason that 55-year-old Kenneth Gipson received a 17-year prison sentence is that he had been convicted of dealing drugs twice before.  Last summer, investigators found more than one hundred grams of cocaine and items used for distribution in Gibson’s home in the 1400 block of South 4^th.  They also located handguns and $24,000 in cash.

(Richmond, IN)--A man arrested for dealing the drugs that caused the overdose death of a Cambridge City resident has been sentenced to 15 years.  Jamen Riggs died three years ago.  Investigators said that Kain Grose sold Riggs the drugs that killed him.  As part of a plea deal, Grose pled guilty to a drug-dealing charge in exchange for the causing death element being dropped.  Solomon Williams was also charged in the case.  Williams is due to go on trial in September.

(Richmond, IN)--The Uranus Fudge Factory issued a statement over the weekend after a dispute over water access between Uranus and Camp Mahanaim prompted the camp to file a lawsuit.  The camp claims Uranus parked a fire truck on top of a valve which prevented water from being turned on at the camp, forcing it to truck in water from Greenville.  The new statement from Uranus claims that they are prohibited by law from acting as a mid-stream water utility and that they are in full compliance with state utility laws.  Camp Mahanaim has filed a lawsuit over the issue.

(Richmond, IN)--A missing Richmond teen has been located and is home safe.  Last Tuesday, the Richmond Police Department asked for the help of the public in locating 14-year-old Dredyn Williams, who had been missing from South West 2^nd Street for several days.  Over the weekend, RPD issued an update that indicated the boy had been found.  Details of where he had been and how he was located were not released.

(Liberty, IN)--There were numerous drug arrests over the weekend.  In Union County, deputies found an unresponsive person in a car on Scratch Gravel Road.  42-year-old Brandy Baker of Liberty was revived and ultimately charged with possession.  The substance was identified as fentanyl.  In Wayne County, five people have been jailed on various drug charges since Friday.  That includes Travis Davis, who is charged with dealing cocaine.

(Richmond, IN)--A Richmond habitual offender and convicted drug dealer Sunday earned the dubious distinction of being taken to jail twice in the same day.  44-year-old John Lubresky was first taken to jail Sunday morning for driving with a suspended license.  He was released.  Then, a few hours later, he was taken back to jail for battery against a juvenile.  That charge has a mandatory 24-hour hold.

(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.