Photo via Calloway County Sheriff's Dept.
MURRAY MAN CHARGED WITH BURGLARY
At approximately 7:45 Thursday morning, the Calloway County Sheriff’s Department responded to the 500 block of Geurin Road for a report of a burglary in progress. Prior to the arrival of deputies, the suspect left the building on foot. A short time later, deputies located the man walking along Beane Road and took him into custody. Upon further investigation, his vehicle was located at an unoccupied residence on Geurin Road where there was evidence of another attempted burglary. 29-year old William Elliott of Murray was arrested and charged with Burglary, Criminal Mischief, and Attempted Burglary. He was lodged in the Calloway County Jail.
CALLOWAY COUNTY REPORTS 49TH COVID DEATH
The Calloway County Health Department reported 3 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday, bringing the county case total during the pandemic to 3,445. Of that total, 3,379 have recovered, 17 are isolated at home, and none are hospitalized. There have been 49 COVID-19 related deaths in the county, including 1 reported yesterday. Murray State University has reported 3 student cases this week. Neither local school system has reported any new cases this week, but Murray Independent School District has reported that two students are quarantined. Calloway County’s COVID-19 Incidence Rate per 100,000 on Thursday was 4.8%, which is lower than Wednesday’s rate of 5.5%. There are now 8 red zone counties for COVID-19 cases in the state, but none are west of Louisville.
KENTUCKY POSITIVITY RATE INCHES UP
At Wednesday’s COVID-19 update for Kentucky, 834 new cases and 17 new deaths were reported, raising the total to 6,302 Kentuckians who are listed as Covid deaths. As of Wednesday, there have been over 5.22 million coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky with a positivity rate of 3.45%, which is higher than last Wednesday’s rate of 2.81%. There are 416 Kentuckians hospitalized which is 36 more than last Wednesday, including 102 in ICU, which is the same as one week ago. At least 50,642 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.
WILMURTH WINS KDA CONTEST
Calloway County High School senior Annabel Wilmurth recently submitted an essay for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture 2021 Poster and Essay Contest themed Kentucky Agriculture Never Stops. Her entry won for the 12th grade class. She will be recognized as a contest winner by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and receive a certificate acknowledging her award as well as a $100 check from the Kentucky Agriculture and Environment in the Classroom program.
TWO MSU STUDENTS WIN HEARST AWARDS
Two Murray State University journalism and mass communications students have been selected as winners in the radio and television categories of the prestigious Hearst Journalism Awards program this year. Piper Cassetto is a senior television production major from Louisville who won fifth place in the Hearst TV 1 Competition, and Hannah Bullard, a senior journalism major from Hopkinsville, won sixth place in the Hearst Audio News and Features Competition. The awards recognize winners of monthly competitions in writing, photojournalism, television, audio and multimedia journalism. Participants from 103 accredited schools are eligible to enter.
FRIENDS OF LBL HOSTING HEMATITE EXPLORATION DAY
The Friends of Land Between the Lakes invites you to join the Woodlands Nature Station naturalists this Saturday as they host Hematite Exploration Day at the Hematite Lake Trailhead in Land Between the Lakes. This special day of trail discovery celebrates the great wildlife diversity that visitors to LBL can find all throughout the area. The program is from 11am to 2 pm. Naturalists will be stationed at several locations along the fan-favorite trail with its new boardwalk, with educational booths about lake life, beaver ecology, spring wildflowers, and other wildlife. The program is free to all LBL visitors.
IN AND AROUND KENTUCKY
FRANKFORT—Senator Rand Paul says he’s in favor of President Biden’s plan to bring troops home from Afghanistan. The Kentucky Republican says he’s been against the war for at least a decade. He reintroduced the American Forces Going Home After Noble Service Act in the Senate yesterday. The bill would provide bonuses for those who have been deployed to support the Global War on Terrorism, and reallocate savings from ending the conflict in Afghanistan to domestic needs.
LEXINGTON—Fayette County Public Schools may offer students the chance for a do-over year. Families have until May 1st to send a request to a supplemental year for their students. A new law allows students a chance to repeat courses or grade levels because of the pandemic. Students would be able to continue to participate in extracurricular activities as long as they meet KHSAA age and eligibility requirements. The board will decide before June 1st whether the requests will be accepted.
LEXINGTON—Friends, family, and fellow church members of Lexington Police Officer Dawn Miller are sending up prayers for her recovery. A prayer vigil for Miller was held last night at Crossroads Lexington. Miller’s cruiser was struck early Monday morning on New Circle Road by a driver going the wrong way. Miller had been on her way home from her shift. The other driver was killed, and Miller is hospitalized with very serious injuries. The crash remains under investigation.
LOUISVILLE—Fans have a chance to see the horses preparing for the Kentucky Oaks and Derby workout. Churchill Downs is opening morning training sessions starting tomorrow at 7 o’clock. Parking in the White Lot is free as are the three-hour training sessions. The morning training sessions will be held through Wednesday, April 28th.
OWENSBORO—A previously delayed Ted Nugent concert in Owensboro is being pushed back again. The show at Owensboro’s RiverPark Center was originally scheduled for August of last year. It was then rescheduled for August 11th of this year. However, yesterday it was announced Nugent’s entire tour is being postponed until next year.
TENNESSEE—There are over one-thousand-530 new coronavirus cases in Tennessee. The Tennessee Department of Health reported the new cases yesterday, bringing the total since the outbreak began to over 829-thousand-100. Several additional COVID-19-related deaths were also reported, with the total number of coronavirus-attributed deaths statewide standing just over 12-thousand-and-40. About 800 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized statewide.
TENNESSEE—The Knox County DA says police body-camera video of a deadly shooting at a high school won’t be released until the investigation is complete. A student was shot and killed inside a bathroom at Austin-East Magnet High School on Monday. Knoxville police struggled with 17-year-old Anthony Thompson, Jr. in a bathroom after being called about the possibility of a male on campus with a gun. The TBI says the bullet that wounded an officer during the struggle wasn’t fired by Thompson’s gun.
TENNESSEE—The Knoxville police officers involved in a deadly shooting at a Knox County high school are being identified. KPD says officers Adam Wilson, Jonathon Clabough, Brian Baldwin, and Lieutenant Stanley Cash were involved in the shooting at Austin-East Magnet High School on Monday. They were called there about the possibility of a male with a gun on campus. Officer Adam Wilson was wounded and 17-year-old Anthony Thompson, Jr. was killed during a struggle in a bathroom.
ILLINOIS—A new bill is proposing term limits for leaders in the Illinois General Assembly. A measure that advanced out of committee yesterday would require leadership to change at least every ten years. Roles affected include House Speaker, Senate President, House Minority Leader, and Senate Minority Leader.
