(Preble County, OH)--One person was killed and three others were injured in a crash on eastbound I-70 in Preble County Thursday night.  Four females were riding in a convertible when a tire blew out and caused the driver to lose control.  Witnesses also said the car was traveling at a high rate of speed.  The person killed was one of the passengers and was not wearing a seat belt.  The other three victims were all taken to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton.  At least one was in critical condition.  The victim has been identified as a 21-year-old resident of central Indiana.  Eastbound I-70 was closed for more than an hour Thursday night.

(Williamsburg, IN)--Investigators are looking into a string of home burglaries in the Williamsburg area.  Two of the homes are on Water Street.  Another resident who lives near Sycamore Street reported that coins and a pistol with a broken firing pin were taken from her home on Thursday.  There was no suspect information Friday morning.

(Muncie, IN)--A Randolph County mother who was drinking whiskey while driving with her four young children in her car was found guilty Thursday of most of the charges related to the crash that killed her six-year-old daughter.  A jury took only three hours to convict 30-year-old Jessica Skeens.  Skeens had also been using marijuana and cussed out first responders at the scene who were trying to save her children.  Skeens will be sentenced to at least 20 years in prison – and as much as 40 years – when she’s sentenced at the end of next month.

(Richmond, IN)--Richmond is again one of the cheapest places in the country in which to live.  That’s according results of a newly released study by Yahoo Finance, which looked at 257 cities across the country and measured things like the cost of housing, utilities, groceries, and health care.  Of those 257, Richmond ranked fifth cheapest.  Some of the statistics, though, are questionable.  For instance, the study claims Richmond’s average rent is $1432.

(Union City IN/OH)--The search for a missing Union City mother appears to have come to a tragic end.  33-year-old Shawna Ressler had not been seen for ten days after leaving her home for an appointment 35 miles to the north.  On Wednesday, Ressler’s SUV was found in a deep roadside ditch in Mercer County covered with vegetation.  The body found inside is thought to be Ressler.  The coroner’s office is working to confirm the identity.

(Richmond, IN)--New plans for a downtown Richmond building were revealed Tuesday during a meeting of the Richmond Redevelopment Commission along with a request for a million and a half dollars.  The building is known as the Dudas Inspiration Venue for the Arts, or DIVA, and it’s in the 700 block of East Main.  A six-phase renovation would include a gallery and reception area and a community conference room on the lower floors.  The third and fourth floors would include a lobby, box office, and kitchen.  The final phase would create a rooftop party deck.  The Commission took no action Tuesday.

(Webster, IN)--Four people were injured in a two-vehicle crash that closed U.S. 35 in Wayne County Tuesday night.  First responders were sent to the area of 35 and Webster Road on the report that a minivan and an SUV had each rolled over at around 9:30 Tuesday night.  The names of those involved, their current conditions, and details about what caused the crash have not been released.  35 was closed for about an hour.  Traffic was diverted onto State Road 38.

(Richmond, IN)--Wayne County Sheriff Randy Retter issued a release over the weekend that addresses a variety of issues.  Retter said that a review of crime and crash statistics indicate that the number of incidents investigated by the department are at some of the lowest levels in recent history.  Last week, the department received an award at a national conference in New Orleans.  The local jail has become the only jail in Indiana to receive a Level One accreditation.

(Wayne County, IN)--New numbers are out from the Indiana Department of Child Services about the number of confirmed cases of child abuse and neglect in Wayne County.  Last month, there were 27 new confirmed cases, including two cases of confirmed sexual abuse.  That number represents a modest six percent drop from the same point last year.  Fayette and Franklin County each had ten cases last month.  Union County had four.

(Preble County, OH)--Preble County man has now been charged with rape and the alleged victim is just 13 years old.  The victim told investigators that she had been talking through social media to a man now identified as 19-year-old Devin Tutt, who lives in the Gratis area.  They agreed to meet.  Tutt allegedly drove her to a secluded area and raped her.  Detectives now say there may be additional victims.

(Richmond, IN)--The city of Richmond will likely now take another look at allowing off-road vehicles on city streets.  The city had taken up the issue this spring, but put it on hold until the county decided the issue.  This week, the county gave its approval for vehicles like golf carts and snowmobiles to operate on county roads.  It will go into effect in about a month.  The city’s public safety committee was given the task of weighing the pros and cons of allowing ATV’s on city streets.

(Richmond, IN)--A Richmond man was jailed late Thursday night after allegedly pointing a firearm at a south-side bar.  The bar calls itself a zero-tolerance bar for guns and weapons.  29-year-old Taylor Morrison allegedly entered with a gun, was told to leave, and then pulled a knife.  Scanner traffic indicates a woman was punched, although there are no charges related to that.  There was no report of any injuries.

(Connersville, IN)--On Thursday, Wayne and Preble County first responders took part in a Hazmat drill at the Union County Co-op.  On Saturday, another disaster drill will take place in Centerville.  The Centerville Fire Department, Red Line Ambulance, and Reid Health will all be involved in a drill at Ambassador Health Care.  Centerville leaders want the community to know they’ll see lots of emergency vehicles at Ambassador Saturday, but it’s only a drill.

(Richmond, IN)--A bridge used by many in the Pleasant View neighborhood to get into Richmond was ordered to be closed immediately Wednesday.  Wayne County Commissioners closed the North 24^th Street bridge just off New Paris Pike after hearing from an engineer that the bridge has serious structural issues.  The bridge was scheduled to be replaced in two years and will now remain closed until it can be replaced.  Local leaders will now try to get the time frame moved up.

(Lynn, IN)--The water tower in Lynn has been filling overnight Wednesday night and into Thursday morning.  A leak Wednesday drained the tower and left Lynn residents without any water.  Wednesday night, the leak was located under U.S. 27 and was repaired.  While there will be water Thursday, a boil advisory will remain in place for at least the next 24 hours.  The water must pass two separate tests before the boil advisory can be lifted.

(Richmond, IN)--It’s back to school for students in the Richmond Community School District on Wednesday.  As they return, they’re seeing additional security features that have been put into place over the summer.  "Additional doors that are really...the way that they work with people coming in and locking the doors so that the students can't come through that lobby when parents or whoever might be coming into the building has been really exciting," said RCS Superintendent Todd Terrill.  Terrill described another new safety feature.  "We've added privacy screens to all the entrances to our buildings so that people from the outside can't see directly into the entranceway but, from the inside, you can see out just like nothing is there."  Several other Whitewater Valley schools were also back in session for the first day Wednesday.

(Hamilton County, OH)--The Tri Village High School community and New Madison are remembering a beloved recent graduate who was killed Tuesday.  18-year-old Austin Bruner was killed when his pickup truck crossed the center line and hit an oncoming vehicle head-on on State Route 128 just outside of Cincinnati.  Investigators said that speed, drugs, alcohol were not factors.  Austin was a standout athlete who had just graduated from Tri Village a few months ago and was to have attended Bluffton University.

(Richmond, IN)--The city of Richmond has now joined Wayne County, Centerville, and Cambridge City in opposing an INDOT plan to reconfigure U.S. 40 to one lane in each direction with a turn lane in the middle.  Richmond Common Council Monday night unanimously passed a resolution opposing the idea.  On Tuesday, Richmond Mayor Dave Snow will send a letter to INDOT that had been drafted even before Council met Monday night stating the city’s opposition.  INDOT had already said that they would not pursue the reconfiguration if local entities opposed it.

(Richmond, IN)--Richmond Common Council Monday night pulled an abatement early after a company failed to meet its obligations.  Six years ago, Finance System of Richmond was given a ten-year tax abatement based in part on a projection of adding 30 jobs.  That level of expansion has not occurred, so Council Monday night ended the abatement.  Finance System is a collection agency that operates in the former Ryan’s Restaurant on National Road East.

(Eaton, OH)--The two men accused of recently robbing Verizon stores in both Eaton and Oxford have been captured.  Oxford police said Monday that the two men are part of a multi-state group that had been operating in the Midwest.  Federal agents became involved in the investigation.  The two were caught in Illinois.  No local charges have been filed yet.  There were no injuries in either robbery.