KSP PROBING TRIGG COUNTY SHOOTING
Troopers and Detectives with Kentucky State Police Post 1 are on scene at a location on Gold Dust Trail in the Rockcastle community of Trigg County. They are currently investigating a shooting that occurred around 12:30 this morning. More information regarding this incident will be made available as the investigation continues. There is no safety concern for the community, but the Kentucky State Police ask the public to avoid the Gold Dust Trail area while units are on scene.
MURRAY CITY COUNCIL MEETS TONIGHT
The Murray City Council will meet tonight in regular session. There will be a Public Hearing regarding the proposed use of Municipal Aid funds and Local Government Economic Assistance funds for Fiscal Year 2022. The Council will also consider three resolutions. The first is a resolution adopting and approving the execution of a Municipal Aid Co-op Program contract with the state. A second resolution would authorize the Park Board to accept donations and to establish guidelines for accepting donations for the purpose of revitalizing the City Parks and further authorizing The Park Board to grant naming rights for projects. A third resolution would authorize the city to appoint a 504 Handicap Coordinator for the Utility Assistance Project.
The Council is expected to approve a Municipal Order reappointing Michael Dobbs to the Transit Authority Board. The Council will consider two ordinances on first reading. One would amend the city code to update text and clarify current city sign regulations. The other ordinance would accept three streets into the city in Deerfield Estates. The meeting begins at 6:30 in the Council Chambers of City Hall and will be streamed on the City’s homepage and a link on the City’s Facebook page.
PEDESTRIAN STRUCK BY CAR IN MAYFIELD
Mayfield Police officers responded to the 600 block of South 12th Street last night to a report of a pedestrian that had been struck by a vehicle. According to police, 19-year-old Natalie Fulton of Mayfield was northbound on 12th Street when 20-year-old Dakota Weatherford of Mayfield walked into the path of her vehicle and was knocked to the ground. He was transported to Jackson Purchase Medical Center for treatment of his injuries.
CALLOWAY COUNTY COVID REPORT
The Calloway County Health Department reported 3 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday, bringing the county case total during the pandemic to 3,496. Of that total, 3,434 have recovered, 13 are isolated at home, and none are hospitalized. There have been 49 COVID-19 related deaths in the county. As of yesterday, 27.8 percent of Calloway County residents have been fully vaccinated including 64.6% of those 65 and older. Calloway County’s COVID-19 positivity rate as of Wednesday was 1.56%, which is lower than Tuesday’s rate of 1.57%. The Calloway County School District has reported 1 new student case this week. The Murray Independent School District had no new cases this week and no students from either system are currently quarantined. Murray State University has reported one student case over the past week.
KENTUCKY COVID REPORT
At Wednesday’s COVID-19 update for Kentucky, 680 new cases and 9 new deaths were reported, raising the total to 6,630 Kentuckians who are listed as Covid deaths. As of Wednesday, there have been over 6.37 million coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky with a positivity rate of 3.08%, which is lower than last Wednesday’s rate of 3.57%. There are 425 Kentuckians hospitalized which is 5 more than last Wednesday, including 105 in ICU, which is 6 less than one week ago. At least 52,023 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.
KENTUCKY VACCINATION REPORT
The total number of Kentuckians vaccinated as of Wednesday is 1,891,937 which is up over 16,000 from Tuesday’s total. That means 43% of Kentuckians are vaccinated including 80% of those 65 and older. Approximately 618,000 Kentuckians still 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 unspecified additional restrictions. At the current rate, that will not happen around July 28. Additionally, the Governor has given no timetable or benchmark that will trigger lifting of his mask mandate.
MCCH FARES WELL IN UTI REPORT
Murray Calloway County Hospital was among the nation’s best in the lowest rates of catheter-associated urinary tract infections in the U.S., according to data from CMS Hospital Compare. Murray Calloway County Hospital has a Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections score of zero. The figures represent data collected from January 1, 2019, through December 31, 2019. In total, 2,203 hospitals received a numeric calculation of the standardized infection ratio while 335 had a score of zero.
SHUTT NAMED STUDENT OF THE MONTH
Kyra Shutt was selected by Murray High School faculty and staff as the Rotary Student of the Month. Shutt is a senior and will study engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Shutt is the second Murray High graduate to attend MIT, and the first MHS female graduate to be accepted. Shutt is a 2021 National Merit Scholar Scholarship recipient and a 2020 Governor Scholar Program graduate, Shutt has been a varsity team member of Cross Country since eighth grade, is an eight-year member of various travel softball teams, and has actively competed with the MHS Speech Team for three seasons. Shutt is the daughter of Lynda Harrington and Brant Shutt.
WKCTC HOSTS FINANCIAL AID EVENT
West Kentucky Community and Technical College will host representatives of the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority to help current and prospective students apply for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and the Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship. The event will be held from 3-6 pm May 20 in the college’s Anderson Technical Building, Room 126. To avoid overcrowding, visitors are asked to sign up for the event in 30-minute blocks with a maximum of 15 individuals in each session.
BROADBAND FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR ELIGIBLE KENTUCKIANS
Eligible Kentuckians may apply for a newly available discount through the FCC to help temporarily reduce their cost of home internet services. The program provides a temporary discount of up to $50 per month toward broadband service for eligible households and discounts up to $100 per household toward a one-time purchase of a computer, laptop or tablet, if the household contributes more than $10 but less than $50 toward its purchase from a participating broadband provider. Kentuckians can apply today through participating broadband providers or at getemergencybroadband.org. Discounts will continue until all funding is exhausted, or six months after the Department of Health and Human Services declares an end to the pandemic.
IN AND AROUND KENTUCKY
FRANKFORT—Governor Andy Beshear is giving the okay for state vaccination sites to administer the Pfizer vaccine to 12- to 15-year-olds. The vaccine will be available to the younger age group starting today. Parents or guardians will be required to give consent before the vaccine can be administered to those under 18-years old. The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that about 231-thousand Kentuckians are in the 12-to-15 age group, which is roughly five-percent of the commonwealth’s population.
LEXINGTON—Triple-A is warning Kentuckians against panic-buying gas. The organization says supplies in Kentucky are fine unless people buy more than they need. States like Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, and Alabama have had sporadic shortages.
FORT CAMPBELL—Fort Campbell’s commander is warning soldiers who have not yet been vaccinated for COVID-19. During a virtual town hall on Tuesday night, Major General JP McGee said unvaccinated troops may not be allowed to travel freely over the summer. While a final decision hasn’t been made, McGee said unvaccinated soldiers may have to stay within a certain proximity to the post or agree to more oversight of their travel. Many soldiers take leave during the summer to see family for extended periods or move between military installations.
RICHMOND—Officials are releasing the name of the victim at the center of a Richmond murder investigation. Investigators say 35-year-old Andrea Hernandez was murdered late Tuesday night. Her body was found yesterday morning inside a home in the area of Four Mile Road between Danielle Court and Estill Avenue. Police have asked the public to be on the lookout for Hector Hernandez-Diaz, who is a suspect in the case and is considered armed and dangerous.
LEWIS COUNTY—A man is dead following a Lewis County crash. State Police say the collision happened Tuesday morning on Kentucky Nine in Vanceburg. KSP says 20-year-old Triston Burris struck another car while trying to pass it. Burris was pronounced dead at the scene. No one was hurt in the other vehicle.
UNDATED—Colonial Pipeline is restarting operations. However, the company announced last evening it could take several days for the supply of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel to return to normal. Triple-A Tennessee says despite the resumption of services, the state could face some lingering effects with limited gasoline supply at the pump. Triple-A reports that the average price for a gallon of gas went up to two-dollars-and-81 cents yesterday from two-dollars-and-74 cents the day before.
TENNESSEE—There are nearly 870 new coronavirus cases in Tennessee. The Tennessee Department of Health reported the new cases yesterday, bringing the total since the outbreak began to nearly 855-thousand-590. An additional four COVID-19-related deaths were also reported, with the total number of coronavirus-attributed deaths standing at close to 12-thousand-300. Nearly 730 people with COVID-19 are hospitalized across the state.
TENNESSEE—More than a billion dollars in sports wagers have been placed in Tennessee since the state legalized online sports betting late last year. The Tennessee Education Lottery reported yesterday that the betting has resulted in 92-million dollars of revenue for the sportsbooks, while the state has collected more than 18-million in taxes. The state collected nearly three-million in taxes last month alone. The Lottery divides the money between scholarships and grants for students, local government infrastructure projects and state-funded gambling addiction programs.
TENNESSEE—Authorities across the state are ramping up enforcement of the Click It or Ticket seat belt campaign ahead of the Memorial Day Weekend. Law enforcement statewide is partnering with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office to ensure drivers and their passengers are wearing their seat belts. More than 400 people who weren’t wearing their seat belts were killed in accidents in Tennessee last year. That’s 33 percent of the state’s total traffic deaths in 2020.
TENNESSEE—Students in one of the state’s largest school districts won’t have to wear face masks during summer school. Knox County Schools’ policy requiring masks to protect against the coronavirus in most situations will end on May 26th. The board of education changed the policy last night after voting last month to allow the policy to expire at the end of July. About six-thousand elementary and middle school students are scheduled to attend in-person summer learning camps.
ILLINOIS—Illinois lawmakers are getting impatient for Illinois Department of Employment Security offices to open again. Governor J.B. Pritzker announced yesterday that the offices will reopen this summer as the state moves through the Bridge Phase to a full reopening. A House committee passed a bipartisan resolution yesterday urging the governor and department to open offices immediately.
