KSP SEARCHING FOR NON-COMPLIANT SEX OFFENDER
The Kentucky State Police are requesting the public’s assistance in locating 35-year old Gary Carmicle of Mayfield. Carmicle is wanted for being non-compliant with the Kentucky Sex Offender Registry. He is also wanted for probation and parole violations. Carmicle has an active indictment warrant for Failure to Comply with the Kentucky Sex Offender Registry, 2nd or Subsequent Offense. Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Carmicle is asked to contact the Kentucky State Police Post 1 at 1-800-222-5555. Citizens may also report tips anonymously through the KSP app.
OPPORTUNITY DRIVE OPEN FOR NOW
Temporary repairs have been made to Opportunity Drive in Murray and one lane has been opened for travel, until the culvert pipe can be replaced. You are asked to please exercise caution when traveling on Opportunity Drive between Poor Farm Road and North Elementary School Road.
RENICK NOTCHES PERFECT ACT SCORE
Murray High School junior Chase Renick has earned a 36, the highest possible ACT composite score. Renick prepped for the ACT through the ACT Prep Book, and the Murray High School Google Classroom ACT Boot Camp, earning the perfect score after two prior scores of 33 and 35. Renick is considering attending the University of Chicago, to pursue an Applied Mathematics degree. Renick is a member of the Murray High School 30+ Club, implemented in 2019, recognizing students who have achieved a 30 or above on the ACT. Renick is the first MHS student to score a perfect 36 since the implementation of the 30 + club.
CALLOWAY INCIDENCE RATE DOWN, NO NEW CASES REPORTED
The Purchase District Health Department reported 2 new COVID-19 cases yesterday in Ballard County and 11 in McCracken County. No other area counties provided updates yesterday. The latest school report shows the Calloway County School District with no new student or staff cases yesterday, however four additional students were quarantined. The Murray Independent School District reported no new student or staff cases and no additional quarantine cases. Murray State University has reported three student cases this week. Calloway County’s Incidence Rate per 100,000 on Tuesday was 14.7% which was down from Tuesday’s rate of 15.8. Caldwell County’s Monday rate of 237.6 is now down to 140.1, with Lyon County at 200.1 rate now the highest in the state.
STATE POSITIVITY RATE CONTINUES TO FALL
At Wednesday’s COVID-19 update for Kentucky, 1,175 new cases and 33 deaths were reported, raising the total to 4,704 Kentuckians who are listed as covid deaths. As of Wednesday, there have been over 4.54 million coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky with a positivity rate of 4.6%, which is lower than last Wednesday’s rate of 5.9%. There are 680 Kentuckians hospitalized which is 203 less than last Wednesday, including 175 in ICU, which is 53 less than one week ago. At least 47,927 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.
CALDWELL COUNTY MAN FACING CHILD SEX ABUSE CHARGES
The Kentucky State Police Electronic Crime Branch arrested 46-year old William Guill of Caldwell County on charges related to child sexual abuse material. Guill was arrested as the result of an undercover Internet Crimes Against Children investigation. The KSP Electronic Crime Branch began the investigation after discovering the suspect engaging in sexually explicit communication with a child online. The investigation resulted in an interview at a residence in Paducah on Tuesday. Equipment used to facilitate the crime was seized and taken to KSP’s forensic laboratory for examination. Guill is currently charged with one count of promoting a minor in a sexual performance, one count of prohibited use of electronic communication system to procure a minor, and distribution of obscene matter to minors. Guill was lodged in the Caldwell County Detention Center.
WORK ZONE SHIFT ON I-24
A contractor has completed navigation light work along the westbound lanes of the Interstate 24 Tennessee River Bridge, and will establish a daytime work zone lane restriction on the eastbound lanes of the bridge near the 29 mile marker starting today. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says all eastbound traffic will move to the left-hand or passing lane in this work zone. Weather permitting, navigation light work is expected to be completed and the work zone removed by mid-afternoon on Friday.
MCCH OFFERING NEW TEST
Murray-Calloway County Hospital is now offering a CT Calcium Scoring screening test in the Radiology Department on the newly installed CT scanner. A CT Calcium Score exam is a quick, convenient and noninvasive way of evaluating the amount of calcified plaque in your heart vessels. This test can show narrowed or blocked areas of a blood vessel and is a safer way to determine disease stages without having to do an invasive heart catheterization procedure. If blockage is determined following the CCTA, then a heart catheterization would be the next course of action to look further at the vessels. For more information on the test, call the hospital at 270-762-1381.
WKCTC TO HOST REGIONAL AWARDS EVENT
For the fourth year, West Kentucky Community and Technical College will host its regional awards and scholarship program to recognize pre-kindergarten through high school educators, administrators, and staff members who work tirelessly on behalf of students in WKCTC’s 10-county region. This year’s Regional Educators Awards and Scholarship Program will be shared completely online via the college’s Facebook page and YouTube channel on March 11. Two finalists and a winner in each category will be announced during the program. The virtual program will also include a performance by two Paducah Tilghman High School students and comments by Kentucky Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman.
IN AND AROUND KENTUCKY
FRANKFORT—The Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing urges everyone to recognize and celebrate March 6 as National Youth Deaf Day and March 13 through April 15 as National Deaf History Month. KCDHH uses this time to celebrate, raise awareness of hearing loss, and urge everyone to protect his or her ears. National Deaf Youth Day was developed to recognize and bring together deaf and hard of hearing youth from schools for the deaf, mainstream programs and universities. One in five teens experience some type of hearing loss, and 80% of kids between the ages of 6 and 19 have hearing loss as a result of listening to loud music, particularly through earbuds at unsafe volumes.
FRANKFORT—A Franklin Circuit judge is temporarily blocking three new bills that would limit Governor Andy Beshear’s COVID-19 powers. The judge approved the motion yesterday after the bills passed the Kentucky General Assembly in January. It means all of Governor Beshear’s coronavirus orders will remain in effect for now. Beshear responded by saying the “ability to act and react quickly is necessary” to fight the “ever-changing and mutating virus.”
FRANKFORT—Final approval is being given to a bill that would require all Kentucky school districts to return to some form of in-person learning by the end of the month. The Kentucky Senate overwhelmingly passed House Bill 208 yesterday after it was approved by the state House last week. The state’s largest school district is one of just a few that have not yet returned to some form of in-person instruction. Jefferson County Public Schools will return to classrooms on Wednesday, March 17th.
LOUISVILLE—The Kentucky Derby Festival and Kentucky Lottery are working together to create a prize package for derby fans. You can enter to play by registering for a Fun Club account on the Lottery’s website and submitting a non-winning Fast Play ticket worth five-dollars or more bought between March 1st and April 10th. The drawing will be held on April 13th with the winner being named as the 2021 Derby City Enthusiast. The winner will also receive a prize package of Derby Festival-themed experiences.
MADISON COUNTY—Madison County residents are preparing for cleanup efforts after experiencing devastating flooding. Flood waters rose earlier this week to the rooflines of many houses. Officials say it could take days or weeks to assess the damage.
LEXINGTON—Flood relief efforts are underway in the Lexington area. The Christian Appalachian Project is donating food and helping find housing for flood victims in central and eastern Kentucky who previously faced damage from a recent series of snow and ice storms. The organization is also helping to find volunteers to help with the cleanup. Congressman Hal Rogers and his office staff have formed Operation Unite, which packed a trailer with water and paper towels for families in eastern Kentucky.
OWENSBORO—An amended Kentucky House bill is set to create 40 additional jobs at Glenmore Distillery. The amendment clarified a definition to ensure that malt-based products could be bottled in Owensboro. The change will allow Buffalo Trace and parent company Sazerac to open new bottling lines at the distillery, adding 40 more positions in Owensboro that would have otherwise been moved out-of-state.
OWENSBORO—Owensboro Innovation Academy is launching a competitive esports team. Students requested the new activity at the school, which encourages them to use video games to build character, learn teamwork, and apply strategic thinking. Some students at OIA are hoping to play and earn scholarships at the college level. The team’s first match is set for Tuesday.
BREATHITT COUNTY—A high school student is being credited with raising thousands in donations to help his flooded school. Freshman Beau Price of Riverside Christian School in Breathitt County has raised over ten-thousand dollars through a Facebook birthday fundraiser. He quickly surpassed his original 200-dollar goal, and several donors agreed to match gifts if giving reached 10-thousand dollars. Price has also been contacted by businesses interested in helping the school, who have also offered matching donations.
TENNESSEE—There are nearly 16-hundred new coronavirus cases in Tennessee. The Tennessee Department of Health reported one-thousand-598 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, bringing the total since the outbreak began to over 777-thousand-930. Over 20 additional COVID-19-related deaths were reported, bringing the total number of coronavirus-attributed deaths statewide to over eleven-thousand-450. There are nearly 900 COVID-19 patients hospitalized statewide.
TENNESSEE—The American Civil Liberties Union is calling a bill headed to the state House discriminatory. The bill to ban transgender student athletes from playing on middle and high school sports teams in Tennessee passed the Senate on Monday. The ACLU of Tennessee says the bill would create law discriminating against transgender girls. Governor Bill Lee said earlier this year that allowing transgender girls to play on female sports teams would “destroy women’s sports” and prevent girls from earning scholarships.
TENNESSEE—March is Keep Tennessee Beautiful Month. The 15-year-old event encourages Tennesseans to go outside to exercise while picking up trash. The event has been given the name “Trashercise.” It originated in Leiper’s Fork in Middle Tennessee.
ILLINOIS—Congresswoman Robin Kelly is the new Chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois. She was elected by a 52-percent to 48-percent margin over Chicago Alderman Michelle Harris during a process that was live-streamed through Zoom by the Democratic State Central Committee. Kelly replaces former state House Speaker Mike Madigan in the position and promises “transparency and ethical leadership.”
