JUVENILE WILL BE CHARGED WITH MMS THREAT
On Thursday, the Murray Police Department responded to a possible threat at Murray Middle School. As a result of the investigation into that incident, it has been confirmed that the school was never in danger, and a charge of Terroristic Threatening will be sought against a juvenile. The Murray Police Department reminds everyone that threats and threatening statements should never be made even if they are made as a joke as those statements have consequences. The Murray Independent School District issued a statement thanking the Murray Police Department for their quick response, support, and investigation which led to a speedy resolution.
GRAVES COUNTY WOMAN CHARGED AFTER CHASE
A Graves County Sheriff’s Department deputy observed a vehicle early Sunday morning being driven by 20-year-old Vanessa Vasquez who had a suspended operator’s license. The deputy lost visual of the vehicle but later found it parked behind a house on South 8th Street. Several neighbors told the deputy that three occupants of the vehicle fled on foot. The deputy pursued Vasquez on foot toward College Street but another vehicle pulled up and Vasquez entered that vehicle and fled. During a search of the vehicle that Vasquez was driving, deputies reportedly found methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. At around 1:30 Sunday morning, Kentucky State Police stopped a vehicle that Vasquez was suspected of being in and she was taken into custody. Vasquez was charged with operating on a suspended or revoked operator’s license, possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, fleeing or evading police, and on a warrant for bail jumping. She was lodged in the Graves County Jail.
FERRY CLOSED FOR THE WEEK
The Dorena-Hickman Ferry is closed due to flood waters at the Kentucky Landing. It is estimated the closure will be in place until about April 11th. Signs and barricades are posted.
ANOTHER REGIONAL VACCINATION CLINIC SET FOR THIS WEEK
The Murray Regional Vaccination Collaboration is accepting appointments for first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine this week at the CFSB Center on Wednesday and Thursday, from 8 AM to 2 PM each day. The clinic will be receiving an increased allocation of the Moderna vaccine for at least the next three weeks. Priority is being given to Phases 1A-1C and those age 50 and older but those 18 years of age and older will be allowed to schedule as well. Go to MurrayKYvaccine.org to schedule an appointment. Select April 7th or 8th to see available appointments. Visit kyvax.com/KYdam to schedule appointments for the site at KY Dam Village State Park Convention Center. You may also utilize vaccinefinder.org to find local pharmacies with available appointments in the area by vaccine manufacturers but it does not include regional site information. Those who are homebound or without internet access may call the Calloway County Health Department at 270-753-3381.
CALLOWAY COVID INCIDENCE RATE LOWER
Due to the Good Friday and Easter holiday period, there was limited COVID-19 reporting. Calloway County’s COVID-19 Incidence Rate per 100,000 on Saturday was 4%, which was lower than Friday’s 4.4% rate. Hickman County continues to have a COVID-19 incidence rate of 0. There are only six red zone counties for COVID-19 cases in the state. Murray State University reported 1 new student case last week, and neither local school system reported any cases or quarantines.
STATE POSITIVITY RATE UP SLIGHTLY
There was no statewide COVID-19 report on Sunday. At Saturday’s COVID-19 update for Kentucky, 587 new cases and 8 new deaths were reported, raising the total to 6,149 Kentuckians who are listed as covid deaths. As of Saturday, there have been over 4.98 million coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky with a positivity rate of 3%, which is higher than last Saturday’s rate of 2.88%. There are 368 Kentuckians hospitalized which is 13 less than last Saturday, including 89 in ICU, which is 7 less than one week ago. At least 49,829 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.
MSU STUDENT ATTENDS KCCMA
Murray State University student, Rebecca Styers recently attended the Kentucky City/County Management Association conference. Styers is a graduate student in MSU’s Master of Public Administration program. She was one of only three students to receive a scholarship to attend the conference. The mission of KCCMA is to improve the quality of government, cities, counties and services throughout Kentucky by communicating ideas, sharing experiences, and providing access to professionals at the local level. Styers came to Murray State a year after completing her bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Economics from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
SWIFT AND STALEY SCHOLARSHIP ESTABLISHED AT MSU
Murray State University and the Murray State University Foundation recently introduced the Swift & Staley Inc. Scholarship. The scholarship will be used as a tool to assist students at Murray State University’s Paducah Regional Campus in obtaining an education to prepare them for a career. Swift & Staley is a local employee-owned business headquartered in Paducah. This scholarship will be specifically for transfer or returning students with 45 or more total credit hours. Recipients must also be full-time or part-time students at Murray State attending the Paducah Regional Campus. If interested, students should apply through the current scholarship application portal to be eligible.
IN AND AROUND KENTUCKY
FRANKFORT—Eligibility for a coronavirus vaccine is expanding in Kentucky today. Those 18 and older are eligible for the Moderna or Johnson and Johnson vaccines, while those as young as 16 can sign up for the Pfizer vaccine. Governor Andy Beshar said last week that there’s been an increase in cases and hospitalizations among younger people. Governor Beshear said it’s believed the increases are due to the “more aggressive variants” of the virus.
FRANKFORT—Flags are flying at half staff across Kentucky. Governor Andy Beshear directed flags be lowered following the attack that killed a U.S. Capitol police officer on Friday. Authorities say an Indiana man rammed two Capitol officers with a vehicle, killing one. The flags will remain at half staff until sunset tomorrow.
NELSON COUNTY—The Nelson County Sheriff’s Department is asking for help finding a missing man. James Bickett, Jr. was last seen at his home in the St. Thomas area on March 28th. Bickett is described as white, 40-years old, six-six, 185 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes. He may be driving a red, 2000 Dodge Ram 35-hundred Dually pickup.
LOUISVILLE—High school and middle school students in the state’s largest school district return to classrooms for in-person learning today. It’s the first time secondary students at Jefferson County Schools are returning to classrooms since starting non-traditional instruction online in March of last year due to the coronavirus. They’ll be on a hybrid schedule based on last names. JCPS elementary school students returned to in-person learning nearly a month ago.
FRANKFORT—A natural area along the Kentucky River is opening for hunting. The Ross Creek Wildlife Management Area is nearly one-thousand acres. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources received the land as part of the Ross Creek restoration project. The project started in 2019 with more than 15-thousand trees and shrubs planted in the valley across Ross Creek where squirrel, turkey and deer can be hunted.
OWENSBORO—Dozens of community partners will be in Owensboro later this month for the Stand Against Child Abuse event. STAND will be held from 4:30 in the afternoon until 7 in the evening in the parking lot of Towne Square Mall. It’s being held as a drive-thru event this year to ensure social distancing. The annual event is sponsored by GRADD’s Community Collaboration for Children Regional Network and the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
FLOYD COUNTY—A replica of the Abe Lincoln Memorial is at its new site at Middle Creek Battlefield in Prestonsburg in Floyd County. The Honest Abe statue had sat outside a law office in Floyd County. It was bought in 2019 by a private party after the office closed. It’s hoped it will give even more contest to the historical site where Union forces stopped a Confederate advance into Kentucky in 1862.
TENNESSEE—Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn is slamming Major League Baseball for moving its 2021 All-Star game out of Atlanta over new voting restrictions in Georgia. Last week, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said the league supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes any restrictions on voting. On Saturday, Senator Blackburn tweeted at Major League Baseball asking how much of its licensed merchandise is made in communist China. She called the decision to move the All-Star game part of the Democrat agenda.
TENNESSEE—The National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis is remembering Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The NCRM held a virtual commemoration in honor of Dr. King’s life yesterday, the 53rd anniversary of his assassination. The event was followed by the museum’s call for a global moment of silence at 6:01 last evening, the same time King was shot at the Lorraine Motel. Remembering MLK: The Man. The Movement. Can be seen on the museum’s website.
TENNESSEE—Dolly Parton is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. The Sevier County-native received her second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center on Friday. She donated one-million dollars to help with research of the Moderna vaccine. Parton received the first dose of the vaccine on March 2nd.
TENNESSEE—Spring turkey hunting season is open in most of Tennessee. The season officially got underway on Saturday. Governor Bill Lee tweeted on opening day wishing his fellow hunters across the state good luck. The season ends on May 16th in all areas.
ILLINOIS—Governor JB Pritzker is signing a new bill that will make ballot drop boxes permanent across Illinois. Most of the drop boxes were already installed ahead of the 2020 general election, but only on a temporary basis. Pritzker mentioned the recent Georgia law making headlines across the nation in a statement he released over the weekend. He noted that Illinois hopes to lead the way in making more ballots accessible to more residents who have the right to have their voices heard.
