Wayne County News

An eastern Indiana man has confessed to his role in the brutal slaying of a man he and four co-defendants allegedly stabbed and shot to death during a robbery.

Indiana convenience stores and gas stations seeking the right to sell cold beer to customers filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday aimed at lifting a ban on the practice.

The report entitled " A Horrible Hundred: Problem Puppy Mills In the United States " is not a list of the worst 100 mills in the nation, but HSUS maintains they are operations with deficiencies and inadequate attention to animal welfare based on data from USDA inspection reports , Call 6 Investigator Kara Kenney reports.

Amid the recent controversy arising from alleged violations by Wayne County officials of Indiana's Open Door laws, Whitewater Community Television will re-air a January seminar on the issue.

The best thing about "club" is the friendships made and maintained. The members of the Wayne County Extension Homemakers Association's seven clubs celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Indiana Extension Homemakers Association -- and a century of friendships and education -- during Achievement Night on Thursday at the Kuhlman Center at the Wayne ... (more)

He was born in Frio County, Texas on April 3, 1941, to Lorenzo and Maria Benavidez.

The 2013 Wayne County Amateur sponsored by Edward Jones is June 8-9 at Hartley Hills Country Club in Hagerstown.

She was born in Springfield, OH on June 5, 1943, the daughter of Roland and Dorothy Hiler.

They paid tribute Tuesday to another grueling but profitable United Way of Whitewater Valley campaign, 176 strong filling the multi-purpose room at First English Lutheran Church in Richmond to hear the good news.

No, the measure of success, comparatively modest at the front end, should rest in good part in the fact that the event even took place, and that future such events are planned.

<![CDATA[Fellow justice Steven H. David announced during Tuesday's appearance here by the Indiana Supreme Court that it was "a pleasure to be in Loretta Rushville, AKA Richmond." The audience, mostly hushed per instructions while watching and listening to the justices deliberate the case of Brian Yost v. Wasbash College, et. al., served up some laughter and applause as former resident and Richmond High School graduate Loretta (Hogan) Rush smiled politely but seemed otherwise less than amused. It might have had less to do with humor than demeanor, and it became apparent on a few occasions during her return "home" last week that the court's newest justice wanted no part of events being about herself. At Whitewater Community Television studios the afternoon before, Rush was being taped as part of an ongoing "Legacy Series" undertaken by WCTV and the Palladium-Item Media Group on local people of historic note. During a break in the taping, she asked that local judges and former colleagues and/or classmates David Kolger and Darrin Dolehantyset speak out on various issues so as not to revert to what she scornfully referred to as the "Loretta Rush show." It's a demeanor that complements a temperament appropriate to her tasks as an Indiana Supreme Court justice, only the second woman in the state to hold that high seat, and perhaps the first, certainly the first in a very long time, to have landed the appointment after their formative years were shaped in Richmond and Wayne County. But the power and prestige of this court derives from its ability to subvert "star power" -- that is, individual personality -- in favor of group dynamic. And that is the quality that comes across in talking to the justices individually and in hearing them as a group make arguments and pose questions to the attorneys gathered before them for this civil proceeding. There was an important civics lesson in store for those attending, a lesson that transcended a Vivian Auditorium converted to courtroom, holding meaning for a larger nation so divided on so many issues. Among these justices, there is a legal and civic spiritedness. They listen to one another. They listen to one another's questions and the answers served up by counsel representing the plaintiff or defense. When they don't think they are hearing a complete answer, or a clear enough answer, they seem to work almost in tandem, interjecting with follow-up questions of their own to flush out the clearer or more full response. In short, they are careful to want to share all the same information and answers upon which their individual opinions will be based, even as those opinions might divide on a verdict. And, yet, to the justice, they allowed that in listening to one another, they might help persuade one another when delivering their respective opinions. Like an athlete well trained to recognize when a teammate or opponent has exhibited a better performance, the justices allowed that their colleagues might make a more persuasive legal case, and in so doing might alter the final language and vote of a judgment. Yes, Richmond has every reason to be proud of Loretta Rush, one of our own. But we should be certain we are proud for the right reasons, which includes being among a select handful of jurists in the state whose collective wisdom can spell the difference between justice and tyranny.

The Wayne County Historical Museum opens an exhibit on May 6 documenting the history of the National Automatic Tool Company in Richmond.

Two hundred eighth-graders from Dennis Intermediate School and Early College Preparatory Academy in Richmond recently toured area college campuses for the last of six College For A Day events sponsored by the Wayne County Foundation.

He was born in Pennville, IN on June 16, 1930, the son of Cecil and Anna Adkins and was a life long resident of Wayne County.

Wayne County will get a share of the extra highway funding in the state's proposed two-year budget.

<![CDATA[RICHMOND, Ind. - Nancy L. Bodiker, age 73, of Richmond, died Tuesday, April 23, 2013, at Reid Hospital. Born September 6, 1939, in Knoxville, Tennessee, to Jack B. and Ruth M. Shelton Jennings, she lived in Richmond for most of her life. Nancy attended Whitewater Schools and was a 1957 graduate of Richmond High School. She worked for many years in the Richmond Community School system and summer programs at the Richmond Parks Department. She was a special neighbor and friend to many and fondly known as "Mrs. B." Nancy was a former board member of Richmond High School Alumni Association and the Wayne County Disabilities Awareness Council. She was a member of St. Mary Catholic Church and Catholic Women's United. Nancy was appointed as the Democrat Representative to the Election Commission and was past officer of the Indiana General Assembly Women's Club, precinct committee person, and delegate to state convention. Governor O'Bannon awarded Nancy the Sagamore of the Wabash. Nancy enjoyed traveling and community service. The love of her life was her family. Survivors include her husband, retired Indiana State Representative Richard W. Bodiker Sr., to whom she was married on May 1, 1965; children, Lisa Shinn (Dr. Michael) Murray of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, Richard (fiance, Dr. Alison Jaffe) Bodiker Jr. of Temecula, California, Jerry Dean Shinn of Richmond, Cathy Bodiker of Anderson, Indiana, Scott Bodiker of Richmond, and Jack Michael (fiance Traci Galyean) Bodiker of Centerville; numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren; brother, Dr. Jack (Kelli Mize) Bandura of Memphis, Tennessee; aunt, Patricia Jennings Murray of Camden, South Carolina; nieces; nephew; cousins; and many friends. She was preceded in death by her father, Jack B. Jennings; mother, Ruth M. Bandura; step-father, Andy Bandura; and daughter, Robin Bodiker Martindale. Visitation for Nancy L. Bodiker will be from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. Sunday, April 28, 2013, at Doan & Mills Funeral Home, 790 National Road West, Richmond. Liturgy of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 a.m. Monday, April 29, 2013, at St. Mary Catholic Church, 710 North A Street, Richmond, with Father Kevin Morris officiating. Burial will be in Earlham Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to: St. Mary Catholic Church, 240 South 6th Street, Richmond, Indiana, 47374; Richmond High School Alumni Association, 380 Hub Etchison Parkway, Richmond, IN 47374; or American Cancer Society, Wayne County Unit, 4567 Progress Drive, Columbus, IN 47201. Condolences may be sent to the family via the guest book at www.doanmillsfuneralhome.com.

Longtime Richmond Democratic political activist Nancy Bodiker died Tuesday at Reid Hospital following a short illness.

Indiana Secretary of Commerce Victor Smith will be the keynote speaker at the annual meeting of the Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County on May 6 at Forest Hills Country Club in Richmond.