Photo via MSU Marketing and Public Relations
MSU COMPLETES SPRING COMMENCEMENT
After COVID issues postponed in-person commencement last spring, Murray State University hosted in-person commencement ceremonies Friday night and Saturday at the CFSB Center for May and August 2021 graduates as well as 2020 graduates. A total of 1,464 comprised this spring’s graduating class of degree applicants from May and August, including doctoral, specialist, master’s, baccalaureate, and associate degrees. A total of 31 states and 22 countries were represented.
WHITAKER AWARDED MSU PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Murray State University has awarded Claire Whitaker of Murray High School with the prestigious Presidential Fellowship scholarship, which includes full tuition, housing, and meals for up to four years at the University. Claire Whitaker is the daughter of Denise and Mark Whitaker of Murray. Students selected for the Presidential Fellowship scholarship complete a rigorous multi-step application process that includes multiple in-person interviews. During their time at Murray State, recipients of the scholarship are responsible for conducting extensive research projects and serving as leaders in the campus community.
MCCH OBSERVES NATIONAL HOSPITAL WEEK
This is National Hospital Week and Murray-Calloway County Hospital honors the hundreds of caring staff members & nurses at both the hospital and supporting facilities who work together 24/7 to deliver hope and ensure quality medical care is available to all. For over 110 years, Murray-Calloway County Hospital has served Calloway and the surrounding counties with high-quality hospital and clinical services that continue to expand, year after year. National Hospital Week was established in 1953, and this year it will be celebrated from May 9 through May 15. The dates overlap the celebration of National Nurses Week, chosen to coincide with Florence Nightingale’s birthday, honoring her role in revolutionizing hospital care in the mid 1800’s.
CALLOWAY COUNTY COVID UPDATE
The Calloway County Health Department reported 4 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the county case total during the pandemic to 3,487. Of that total, 3,425 have recovered, 12 are isolated at home, and 1 is hospitalized. There have been 49 COVID-19 related deaths in the county. As of yesterday, 27.2 percent of Calloway County residents have been fully vaccinated including 64% of those 65 and older. Calloway County’s COVID-19 positivity rate as of Sunday was 1.48%, which is lower than Thursday’s rate of 1.79%. The Calloway County School District reported 1 new student case and had four students quarantined last week. The Murray Independent School District had no new cases and 1 student quarantined. Murray State University has reported one student case in the past week.
KENTUCKY COVID UPDATE
At Sunday’s COVID-19 update for Kentucky, 195 new cases and 8 new deaths were reported, raising the total to 6,586 Kentuckians who are listed as Covid deaths. As of Sunday, there have been over 6.34 million coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky with a positivity rate of 3.28%, which is lower than last Sunday’s rate of 3.43%. There are 396 Kentuckians hospitalized which is 20 less than last Sunday, including 114 in ICU, which is 8 more than one week ago. At least 51,824 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.
KENTUCKY VACCINATION UPDATE
The total number of Kentuckians vaccinated as of Sunday is 1,867,037 which is up over 25,000 from Thursday’s total. That is 42% of Kentuckians vaccinated including 80% of those 65 and older. Approximately 633,000 Kentuckians need to get at least their first dose to meet the Team Kentucky Vaccination Challenge which Governor Andy Beshear said will trigger him to lift more restrictions. At the current rate, that will not happen until sometime after mid-July. Additionally, the Governor has given no timetable or benchmark that will trigger lifting of his mask mandate.
WKCTC ANNOUNCES 16 ADDITIONAL INITIATIVE DONATIONS
West Kentucky Community and Technical College announced $27,000 in additional donations and scholarships last Friday as part of The West Kentucky Community and Technical College Guarantee. In its second announcement, the college will provide $11,000 in direct support and $16,000 in possible scholarships funded through a recent $15 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. As part of The WKCTC Guarantee initiative, 30 Community Connections Service Awards were given to selected organizations over the past two weeks, with the last 16 donations announced last week.
MSU STUDENTS SELECTED AS FULBRIGHT FINALISTS
A pair of Murray State University students have been selected as Fulbright program finalists, receiving the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award. The first finalist for the Fulbright program for this academic school year is Elena Hammann, who will complete her ETA service in Colombia. A senior from St. Louis, Hammann is majoring in engineering physics and Spanish with a minor in mathematics. The second finalist for the Fulbright program for this academic school year is Dylan Glunt who is a December 2020 graduate from Paducah. During his time at Paducah Tilghman, he took interest in foreign languages and went on to pursue a degree in Spanish along with a teaching certification while studying Portuguese as well. The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the United States government.
IN AND AROUND KENTUCKY
FRANKFORT—Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Dr. Ryan Quarles has directed Kentucky Department of Agriculture staff to support the state’s robust agricultural traditions this summer as a way of bringing some level of normalcy to 2021. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture plans to move forward with supporting local agricultural events throughout the summer. The Department encourages local officials to monitor both state and Centers for Disease Control guidelines when planning events. Quarles said Governor Beshear’s decision to lift the mask mandate for outdoor events with less than 1,000 people pretty much encompasses every agricultural tradition in Kentucky, adding that that decision, coupled with wide vaccine availability, means the agricultural community is going to move ahead with a year that looks much more like 2019 than 2020.
LEXINGTON—Police are investigating a deadly Lexington shooting. Officers responded yesterday evening to a shooting on Florence Avenue, where they found two men and a juvenile male with serious injuries. They were taken to the hospital, where 17-year-old Mar’quevion Leach died from his injuries. Police are unclear about whether the victims are related. No one is in custody, and police say it’s too early to know a motive.
HARLAN COUNTY—A man is in stable condition after a Harlan County shooting. KSP Troopers say the shooting happened at Eastbrook Station where Derek Tindell was found with a gunshot wound to the arm. Troopers say the shooter left the scene and is not in custody. No word on a motive.
OHIO COUNTY—A Memorial Day burial in Ohio County is planned for a sailor killed in the attack at Pearl Harbor in 1941. The remains of Navy Fireman Third Class Welborn Ashby were identified in November 2019. Ashby was aboard the USS West Virginia and eventually buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii. His remains will now return to Centertown, Kentucky. The service will be held May 31st at Bevil Brothers Funeral Home in Beaver Dam, and burial with full military honors will follow at Centertown Cemetery, including a Missing Man Flyover by Smoke on Aviation.
LOUISVILLE—The state is reinstating its work search requirement for Kentuckians receiving unemployment benefits. Those making a claim for unemployment benefits are advised to keep a record of all of their job contacts. That includes the name of the business, the title of the position, the name and title of the person contacted, the date of the contact and how they were contacted. The rule was reinstated yesterday.
UNDATED—The Saudi Arabian businessman who owns Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit is standing by legendary trainer Bob Baffert. Amr Zedan said yesterday that he believes Baffert is innocent of any wrongdoing. Churchill Downs suspended Baffert after Medina Spirit failed a drug test. Zedan told Thoroughbred Daily News he trusts Baffert and is confident his colt will remain the official winner of the 2021 Derby.
WASHINGTON DC—President Biden is declaring a major disaster in Tennessee. The declaration approved on Saturday will allow the state to receive federal funding as Tennessee recovers from severe storms, tornadoes and flooding between March 25th through April 13th. Nearly two dozen of the state’s 95 counties qualify for assistance. Among them are Cheatham, Claiborne, Davidson, Decatur, Fentress Hardeman, Jackson, Maury, Overton and Williamson counties.
TENNESSEE—The Knoxville-based Pilot Company says it has plenty of gas available. Pilot issued the statement after a pipeline that supplies much of the Southern and Eastern U.S. was the victim of a cybersecurity attack on Friday. The company that operates the pipeline has taken some systems offline to contain the attack. Pilot says while it relies on the pipeline for some of its fuel supply, it currently has plenty of gas thanks to investments in its supply-chain infrastructure.
TENNESSEE—The state’s top veterinarian is warning about an illness that could be deadly for horses. Equine Infectious Anemia has been detected in two horses in West Tennessee. The Shelby County stable where the horses with the blood-borne illness are kept has been quarantined. Doctor Samantha Beaty released a statement late last week saying EIA can be spread by biting insects and that early detection is the key to preventing the illness from spreading.
ILLINOIS—Over 17-hundred new COVID-19 cases are being reported in Illinois. Health officials announced the new cases yesterday, along with 30 additional deaths. More than 18-hundred people in the state are hospitalized for COVID-19, with 232 on ventilators. Over one-point-three-million Illinoisans have tested positive for the virus and more than 22-thousand have died since the pandemic began.
