MPD K-9, RINGO, SNIFFS OUT OVER $1000 WORTH OF ILLEGAL DRUGS
Since completing his training in October, Murray Police Department K-9, Ringo, along with his handler, K-9 Officer Anna Wicker, have been busy at work. Ringo has been utilized on traffic stops to assist in detecting narcotics in vehicles and to assist other agencies when needed. So far, he has assisted in locating over $1000 worth of narcotics. His work has helped lead to multiple arrests for possession of methamphetamine and marijuana as well as for trafficking in other controlled substances.
CITY COUNCIL MEETS TONIGHT
The Murray City Council will meet tonight in regular session. Items on the brief agenda include a special recognition with Holly Bloodworth, a recycling update from Ron Albritten, an upate on the recent flood event with James Oakley, and a Report from Public Works Committee Chair, Danny Hudspeth. This meeting will be via video and will be streamed on the government access channels of Murray Electric Cable and Spectrum, a YouTube link on the City’s homepage at murrayky.gov, and a link on the City’s Facebook page. Tonight’s meeting begins at 6:30.
CALLOWAY SCHOOL BOARD MEETING IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
The March Board meeting for Calloway County Schools will be held at 6 tonight in the Calloway County Board of Education building. This meeting will not be accessible online, but In-person attendance will be available to the public. All attendees must follow the current CDC guidelines including wearing a mask and maintaining proper social distancing.
MAYFIELD POLICE INVESTIGATION SHOOTING
Mayfield Police officers responded to a shots fired call at approximately 5:00 pm Tuesday in the area of West Water Street and South 15th Street. Approximately two hours later, officers received a second shots fired call. Police arrived in the 100 block of South 16th Street where they reportedly found Martaevus Noonan with a gunshot wound to the leg. He was taken by ambulance to Jackson Purchase Medical Center where he was listed in stable condition. The investigation is ongoing.
STOLEN FOUR WHEELER RECOVERED, GRAVES MAN CHARGED
On Tuesday, Graves County Sheriff’s Department deputies began an investigation into a stolen four wheeler. Yesterday morning, deputies received a report of a four wheeler that met the same description in the Wingo area and were able to determine that the reported four wheeler was the one that had been stolen. The investigation led to the arrest of 20-year-old Keaton Pierceall. He was charged with receiving stolen property, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, and failure to notify the transportation cabinet of an address change. Pierceall was lodged in the Graves County Jail.
CHECKPOINT LEADS TO METH CHARGES
The Graves County Sheriff’s Department and Kentucky State Police were conducting a Traffic Safety Checkpoint on US 45 South and KY 1748 Tuesday night when deputies came in contact with 35-year-old Michael Townsend who was arrested for driving on a DUI suspended license. During a search of his vehicle, a deputy reportedly found methamphetamine. Townsend was lodged in the Graves County Jail on charges of possession of meth, possession of drug paraphernalia, and driving on a DUI suspended license.
CCHD REPORTS 1 NEW COVID CASE
The Calloway County Health Department yesterday reported 1 new case of COVID-19 . The total number of county cases during the pandemic is 3,377. Of that total, 3,307 have recovered, 22 are isolated at home, none are hospitalized, and there have been 48 deaths. The Graves County Health Department reported 1 new case, while the Purchase District Health Department reported one new case in Ballard County and ten in McCracken County.
CALLOWAY INCIDENCE RATE STEADY, LYON RATE EXPLODES
Calloway County’s Incidence Rate per 100,000 on Tuesday was 4.4%, which was slightly higher than Tuesday’s rate of 4%. Lyon County’s state leading rate exploded yesterday to 509.8%, which is almost fifteen times times higher than second place Carroll County’s rate of 34.9%.
AREA COVID-19 SCHOOL UPDATE
Neither the Murray Independent School District or Calloway County School District has reported any COVID cases or quarantines this week. Murray State University reported three student cases last week.
KENTUCKY POSITIVITY RATE REMAINS UNDER 4%
At Wednesday’s COVID-19 update for Kentucky, 1,010 new cases and 34 deaths were reported, raising the total to 4,884 Kentuckians who are listed as covid deaths. As of Wednesday, there have been over 4.62 million coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky with a positivity rate of 3.93%, which is lower than last Wednesday’s rate of 4.6%. There are 551 Kentuckians hospitalized which is 129 less than last Wednesday, including 147 in ICU, which is 28 less than one week ago. At least 48,344 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.
WKCTC NAMES A TOP-10 COMMUNITY COLLEGE
West Kentucky Community and Technical College has been named one of the top ten community colleges in the nation by Academic Influence and reported by Forbes magazine. WKCTC President, Dr. Anton Reece said the national rankings continue to raise the profile of the college and the stellar reputation for academic and student success excellence. The rankings were derived from an initial list of 839 community colleges in the U.S.
IN AND AROUND KENTUCKY
FRANKFORT—Kentucky’s annual unemployment rate for 2020 was 6.6%, up from 4.1% in 2019, according to the Kentucky Center for Statistics. The U.S. annual unemployment rate jumped to 8.1% in 2020 from 3.7% in 2019. All 50 states experienced a statistically significant increase in their annual unemployment rates from 2019 to 2020. Kentucky’s unemployment rate for 2020 was higher than 20 states and lower than 29 states.
FRANKFORT—The Republican Secretaries of State Committee has tapped Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams as its 2021 Finance Chair, the third-highest ranking member of its leadership. Prior to his election in 2019, Adams served as general counsel for several Washington-based national political committees, including the Republican Governors Association and the Republican Attorneys General Association, and he has assisted an estimated 400 Republican campaigns across all 50 states. The Republican Secretaries of State is a caucus housed within the umbrella organization Republican State Leadership Committee.
FRANKFORT—Agriculture Commissioner Dr. Ryan Quarles honored Kentucky’s soybean producers by proclaiming Soybean Week in Kentucky the week of March 8. Kentucky produced an estimated 100 million bushels of soybeans in 2020, up 30 percent from 2019, the National Agricultural Statistics Service reported. Kentucky growers achieved an estimated yield of 55 bushels per acre, up 9 bushels from a year ago and a new record. Henderson County was the top soybean-producing county in 2020, with 5.36 million bushels while Graves County was third with 4.65 million.
LEXINGTON—Public health experts are warning that life expectancy in four rural Kentucky counties is nearly ten years below the national average. Average life expectancy across the U.S. is 78-years old. In Breathitt, Owsley, Perry, and Powell counties, the average age of death drops to 69. Experts cite a number of factors affecting life expectancy, including job opportunities, poverty, and high rates of obesity, diabetes, suicide, alcohol abuse, and substance use disorders. A lack of doctors is also a factor cited for the early average age of death.
WASHINGTON DC—Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says he will oppose two key Cabinet nominations for President Biden. The Kentucky Republican said he will oppose Deb Haaland to be Interior Secretary and Michael Regan to be the head of the Environmental Protection Agency. He said he cannot support Haaland because she has vowed to “keep fossil fuels in the ground” and vote against all new fossil fuel infrastructure. McConnell said he believes voting for Haaland and Regan would be voting to raise gas prices for families who are already struggling. McConnell did vote to confirm Judge Merrick Garland to be attorney general because of his long reputation as a straight shooter and a legal expert.
MUHLENBERG COUNTY—A recreation leader at the Green River Correctional Complex is in custody after Kentucky State Police say he sold a prisoner a cell phone. KSP says they were tipped off by the Kentucky Department of Corrections about suspicions that Michael Collins had brought a cell phone into the facility and sold it to a prisoner. The cell phone was found during a preliminary investigation. Collins is charged with first-degree promoting contraband and first-degree official misconduct. The investigation is continuing.
OWENSBORO—Owensboro Police are investigating after racist and anti-semitic comments were posted during a Western Academy webinar. Project Manager Allyson Sanders was a few minutes into a forum yesterday about helping those in marginalized communities buy a home when commenters began posting slurs against those hosting the event. Sanders says the message was still able to get out despite the interruptions.
WASHINGTON DC—Senator Mitch McConnell is slamming the American Rescue Plan. Senator McConnell says it’s “a classic example of big Democratic overreach in the name of COVID relief. He added it “only” spends one percent on vaccinations and “less than 9 percent on the entire health fight.” McConnell called the nearly two-trillion-dollar package passed by the House yesterday “by far one of the worst pieces of legislation” he’s seen in the Senate.
FRANKFORT—A bipartisan effort is expected by Kentucky state lawmakers to restrict no-knock search warrants. There are two competing bills dealing with no-knock warrants. House Bill 21 would ban the use of no-knock search warrants with officers required to identify themselves and wait at least ten seconds before entering. Senate Bill four was approved by the House Judiciary Committee yesterday and would limit no-knock warrants to potentially violent cases with strict requirements for getting such a warrant.
FORT KNOX—Intramural sports are returning to Fort Knox. A volleyball match was held at Natcher Physical Fitness Center earlier this week. COVID-19 shutdown last year’s volleyball competitions on the Army base. Softball has been the only intramural sport allowed on the post since the outbreak began. The director of intramural sports at the Fort Knox Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation says their return is welcomed by everyone.
TENNESSEE—There are over 13-hundred new coronavirus cases in Tennessee. The Tennessee Department of Health reported one-thousand-355 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, bringing the total since the outbreak began to nearly 786-thousand-600. Nearly 20 additional COVID-19-related deaths were reported, bringing the total number of coronavirus-attributed deaths statewide to over eleven-thousand-600. There are more than 700 COVID-19 patients hospitalized statewide.
TENNESSEE—Tennessee is open for business. Governor Bill Lee tweeted the comment yesterday, saying the state is looking forward to hosting spring break and summer “road-trippers.” Without citing data, Governor Lee said “Tennessee is home to the #1 tourist destination in the U.S.” Nashville recently became the second city in the country to receive a Safe Travels designation from the global travel and tourism council.
TENNESSEE—Tennessee is temporarily suspending burn permits. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture said yesterday burn permits aren’t being issued in much of the state due to winds, low humidity and dry conditions. A permit from the Tennessee Division of Forestry is required to burn yard debris between October 15th to May 15 in places where city or county burn restrictions are not in place.
ILLINOIS—Senator Tammy Duckworth is applauding the final passage of the American Rescue Plan. The one-point-nine-trillion-dollar plan will provide funding for COVID-19 relief and stimulus checks for nearly 85-percent of Americans. Duckworth said yesterday after the House gave the bill final approval that working families desperately need the relief. President Biden is expected to sign the measure tomorrow.
