Darnell (Photo via KSP)
KSP SEARCHING FOR ESCAPEE
Troopers with Kentucky State Police are searching for an inmate who escaped from the Keaton Correctional Facility in Paducah. Sometime between 5 and 7 pm Friday, 35-year old Joseph Blake Darnell of Bowling Green escaped from the facility. Darnell is described as a white male with blue eyes and short brown hair. He is approximately 6 feet tall and weighs approximately 180 pounds. KSP asks the public to be on the lookout for Darnell and if located you can call 270-856-3721.
ONE INJURED IN SATURDAY MORNING ACCIDENT
At approximately 10:30 Saturday morning, Calloway County Sheriff’s Department Deputies responded to the 2000 block of Highway 641 South for a report of a single vehicle injury collision. Upon their arrival, they located one vehicle overturned and off the roadway. A Preliminary investigation has indicated that Noah Smith was driving southbound on Highway 641 when he lost control of the vehicle due to pooling water and left the roadway. The vehicle struck a rock embankment and overturned numerous times. 21-year old Charity Sawyer of Paris, Tennessee was a passenger in the vehicle. She was transported to Murray-Calloway County Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. Evidence at the scene indicated the driver and passenger were not wearing their seatbelts at the time of the collision.
CCHD REPORTS 1 NEW COVID CASE
The Calloway County Health Department reported 1 new case of COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the county case total during the pandemic to 3,459. Of that total, 3,399 have recovered, 11 are isolated at home, and none are hospitalized. There have been 49 COVID-19 related deaths in the county. Calloway County’s COVID-19 Incidence Rate per 100,000 on Sunday was 5.9%, which is higher than Saturday’s rate of 5.1%. There are currently 7 red zone counties for COVID-19 cases in the state.
KENTUCKY POSITIVITY RATE DECLINES
At Sunday’s COVID-19 update for Kentucky, 325 new cases and 4 new deaths were reported, raising the total to 6,449 Kentuckians who are listed as Covid deaths. As of Sunday, there have been over 5.48 million coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky with a positivity rate of 3.18%, which is lower than last Sunday’s rate of 3.48%. There are 381 Kentuckians hospitalized which is 13 less than last Sunday, including 99 in ICU, which is 1 more than one week ago. At least 51,124 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.
CALLOWAY FFA NAMED A GOLD CHAPTER
For the 20th consecutive year, the Calloway County Future Farmers of America Chapter has earned a Gold Chapter Rating from the Kentucky FFA State Association. Less than 30% of the state’s chapters received a Gold rating, with Calloway County, Graves County, and Carlisle County the only three to receive the rating from the Purchase Region. The chapters are being honored for their outstanding accomplishments in their program of activities during the school year. Each chapter will receive a plaque sponsored by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.
MHS ANNOUNCES GSA RECIPIENTS
The Murray High School Guidance office has announced members of the 2021 Governor’s School For the Arts class. The recipients were Jeremiah Morris and Skylar Swalls. Carleigh Mollette and Meg Robinson were named as GSA alternates. Jeremiah Morris is the son of Mathew and Ashleigh Morris. Skylar Swalls is the daughter of Wendy and Scott Swalls. Carleigh Mollette is the daughter of Jim and Julie Mollette. Meg Robinson is the daughter of Michael and Jackie Robinson. The GSA three-week summer program is for rising juniors and seniors in Kentucky. Located at the University of Kentucky, the $3,800 program is free for students to attend including tuition, room, and board, and is funded by the state and private fundraising.
EAST CALLOWAY TRIO CLAIM DUCKSTAMP AWARDS
Tanner Schrock won first place in the Kentucky Junior Duckstamp Art Contest. Shrock is a 4th grader at East Calloway Elementary School and won for his conservation statement. He received a plaque, $100, and other prizes. Roman Thompson won second place in his age division of the contest. Thompson is a 5th grader at East Calloway Elementary. Coltin Knieriem won third place in his age division. Knieriem is a 3rd grader at East Calloway Elementary. The Kentucky Junior Duckstamp contest educates students on the importance of wetland and wildlife conservation while allowing them to practice art techniques that depict realistic waterfowl in the correct habitat.
AREA CHEER TEAMS CLAIM NATIONAL TITLES
The Graves County High School Coed Cheerleaders won the Large Varsity championship Saturday at the Universal Cheerleaders Association Nationals in Orlando, Florida. It is the school’s 8th national title. McCracken County won the Large Coed Virtual Division national championship, beating out teams from California and Wisconsin. Both schools will compete for the Kentucky state championship next month.
IN AND AROUND KENTUCKY
FRANKFORT—Secretary of State Michael Adams announced last week that, for the fourth consecutive month, more voters were removed from Kentucky’s rolls than added. In March, 4,596 new voters registered, and 6,611 voters were removed. Of that total, 4,622 deceased voters, 1,447 voters voluntarily de-registered, and 542 were felony convicts. There are 2,015 fewer voters on the rolls as of March 31 than on February 28, a .06 percent decrease.
FRANKFORT—The White House is ordering federal assistance for Kentucky following historic flooding. President Biden approved Kentucky’s disaster declaration over the weekend, two weeks after aid was requested by Governor Andy Beshear. Heavy rains over a three-day period at the end of February and beginning of March led to significant flooding along the Green, Kentucky, Licking, Ohio, Rolling Fork, and Mississippi rivers. Federal approval will move individual and household assistance requests forward for more than 23-hundred impacted homes in Breathitt, Clay, Estill, Floyd, Johnson, Lee, Magoffin, Martin, and Powell counties.
LEXINGTON—All six Fayette County Public Schools high schools will be offering COVID-19 vaccinations for students, families, and staff. District administrators notified parents and guardians of the clinics by email over the weekend. All FCPS students 16 and older and their families, as well as employees, will be eligible for the no-cost vaccination. Parents or guardians must give consent for students under 18, which can be done online.
LEXINGTON—The Big Blue Nation joined with friends, classmates, and UK men’s basketball teammates to remember Terrence Clarke. A candlelight vigil honoring Clarke was held Friday night in front of the Wildcat Coal Lodge. A memorial outside the building was added all day Friday as people paid their respects to the 19-year-old. Clarke died Thursday in a crash in Los Angeles.
LEXINGTON—People in Kentucky are speaking out against gun violence in their community. Hundreds joined in the annual Peace Walk held Saturday at Lexington’s Duncan Park. The event is an effort of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office and over 30 community organizations. Governor Andy Beshear spoke at the event, calling on the community to ensure that nobody has to lose someone to gun violence again.
OWENSBORO—This year’s Kentucky Wesleyan College graduation is in the books. Over 170 KWC graduates were able to participate in an in-person ceremony over the weekend. The college’s 153rd commencement exercises were held Saturday morning at the RiverPark Center in Owensboro, with graduates crossing the stage to receive their diplomas.
LOUISVILLE—Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant is shuttered. The plant is closed for two weeks starting today. The closure is expected to last for two weeks. It’s due to a shortage of semiconductor chips impacting the entire automotive industry. Ford also won’t run weekend overtime shifts next month.
LOUISVILLE—A Kentucky Derby winning trainer is being mourned. Churchill Downs officials say John T. Ward, Jr., passed away on Saturday at the age of 75. Ward won the 2001 Derby with Monarchos. The native of Lexington was also the executive director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.
OLDHAM COUNTY—A farm for retired thoroughbred racehorses will open to the public next month. The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation sanctuary farm at Chestnut Hall is 25 acres and will serve as the forever home for eleven horses. The CEO of Churchill Downs bought the land and asked the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation to run the sanctuary. Tours of the farm will be offered through Visit Horse Country.
TENNESSEE—The Tennessee Department of Health is clearing the way for the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to be used across the state again. TDH made the announcement on Friday, after the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to recommend to the CDC that use of the vaccine may resume. The recommendation was made after reviewing cases of rare but serious blood clots in some people who received the vaccine.
TENNESSEE—Protesters say they’re not satisfied with the Knox County DA’s decision not to charge any of the officers involved in the shooting death of a high school student. Protesters from East Knoxville traveled to West Knoxville yesterday to demonstrate outside what they believed to be the home of District Attorney General Charme Allen. Anthony Thompson, Jr. was killed inside a bathroom at Austin East Magnet High School earlier this month after being found on campus with a gun. The 17-year-old was shot and killed by a Knoxville police officer after Thompson, Jr. fired a round into a trash can.
TENNESSEE—The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds are the headliner for this year’s Great Tennessee Air Show. Other featured performers will include the U.S. Special Operations Command Parachute Team, and the Quicksilver P51 Mustang. Organizers say this year’s show will be socially distanced featuring premium seating, boxes and free parking. It’s set for June 5th and 6th at Smyrna Airport.
