Photos via CCSD
CCSD REVITALIZES AED PROGRAM
In 2004, the Calloway County Sheriff’s Office first implemented an Automated External Defibrillator program. That same year, Deputy Sheriff Dan Galloway was off duty when he collapsed at a business. Two Calloway County Deputies arrived and used an AED from their patrol vehicle. Galloway survived that episode and was told by doctors that the AED saved his life. He is now a Telecommunicator for Calloway County 911 Dispatch. The AEDs from 2004 were recently taken out of service due to replacement batteries no longer being made for them. Two local businesses have since donated new AEDs to the department. The Murray Bank donated five and Mitchell’s Towing donated three. An AED will be placed at the Sheriff’s Office and the Calloway County Judicial Building. The remaining six will be assigned to deputies on patrol. The Sheriff’s Office still has a need for an additional five AEDs to be fully equipped for each patrol deputy.
CALLOWAY COUNTY COVID REPORT
The Calloway County Health Department reported 4 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday, bringing the county case total during the pandemic at 3,506. Of that total, 3,447 have recovered, 10 are isolated at home, and none are hospitalized. There have been 49 COVID-19 related deaths in the county. As of yesterday, 29 percent of Calloway County residents have been fully vaccinated including 65.7% of those 65 and older. Calloway County’s COVID-19 positivity rate as of Thursday was .81%, which is higher than Wednesday’s rate of .74%.
KENTUCKY COVID REPORT
At Thursday’s COVID-19 update for Kentucky, 575 new cases and 13 new deaths were reported, raising the total to 6,693 Kentuckians who are listed as Covid deaths. As of Thursday, there have been over 6.52 million coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky with a positivity rate of 2.7%, which is lower than last Thursday’s rate of 3.04%. There are 357 Kentuckians hospitalized which is 54 less than last Thursday, including 104 in ICU, which is 13 less than one week ago. At least 52,401 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus. As of Thursday, 1,937,333 Kentuckians have been vaccinated for a 44% total, including 80% of those 65 and older.
NORTH CALLOWAY ELEMENTARY GETS FUNDS VIA QSK
Through a fundraising partnership with Qdoba Mexican Eats of Murray and coinciding donations, Omicron Sigma Kappa has donated $400 to North Calloway Elementary School. The funds will be used to build the library’s collection and to replace books that were lost as a result of COVID-19 restrictions and the shift toward non-traditional instructional formats. With OSK’s donation, North Calloway will be able to further support student literacy initiatives. OSK is the student organization of Murray State’s Department of Organizational Communication and Leadership.
MSU ONLINE PROGRAM NAMED AMONG THE NATION’S BEST
Murray State University’s bachelor’s degree program in public and community health was recently named as one of the 15 best online bachelor’s degree programs in public health by bachelorsdegreecenter.org. Murray State’s Bachelor of Science in Public and Community Health is a dynamic major that is interdisciplinary in nature and provides options that allow students to prepare for various careers in public and community health organizations, such as hospitals, governmental agencies, non-profits, and worksite wellness programs. These programs prepare students to sit for professional certifications/licensures as well as for graduate studies in related fields.
KTC RECYCLING EFFORT TO SAVE TAXPAYERS MONEY
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 1 has started a recycling project that is expected to save taxpayers $1 million over the course of six to eight years by repurposing concrete waste material. A 100,000 ton stockpile of waste concrete stored in the median of Interstate 24 near mile marker 58 in Trigg County represents about half the concrete removed from a 13-mile eastbound concrete rehab project in 2020. Over the next several months, the material will be recycled to produce three of the most common types of rock highway crews use to repair and maintain roadways in the twelve-county district. District one leased a crusher and screening equipment. Maintenance personnel primarily from Lyon County will operate the machinery to produce the useful rock for short and long-term use.
IN AND AROUND KENTUCKY
FRANKFORT—Kentucky’s April unemployment rate was 4.7%, according to the Kentucky Center for Statistics. The rate was down 0.3 percentage points from March and down 12.2 percentage points from the 16.9% recorded for the state one year ago when the restrictions put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 had the largest impact on the state’s economy. The U.S. seasonally adjusted jobless rate for April was 6.1% according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The survey is designed to measure trends in the number of people working, and includes jobs in agriculture and individuals who are self-employed.
FRANKFORT—Kentucky will receive more than $3.6 million in federal funding to support economic growth and recovery of the state’s tourism and arts industries. As part of the National Endowment for the Arts’ first distribution of American Rescue Plan funding, more than $800,000 in federal funding will be distributed to Kentucky to support the commonwealth’s $2.3 billion arts and culture industry as it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the next several weeks, the Kentucky Arts Council will determine how this critical federal funding will be distributed to arts organizations throughout the commonwealth.
FRANKFORT—The Kentucky Department of Agriculture is accepting new concept proposals for the specialty crop block grant program due to new COVID-19 funding provided by the USDA. The Specialty Crop Block Grant program is a federal grant program aimed at supporting specialty crops in agriculture. Applicants must describe how the projects will potentially affect and produce measurable outcomes for the specialty crop industry and/or the public. Preliminary proposals must be submitted by June 18. Qualifying applicants will be notified and invited to complete a full grant application. Specialty crops are defined as fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticultural products, nursery crops, and honey.
WASHINGTON DC—Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says the Biden administration refuses to admit our southern border is still in crisis. Speaking on the Senate floor yesterday, the Kentucky Republican said the crisis is still growing and it’s “unacceptable.” McConnell argued the Biden administration has “tried to boast” that the number of unaccompanied minors has gone down. He says Democrats can’t get control of the “crisis they have stoked.”
FRANKFORT—Kentucky Republicans want the state to fully reopen before Governor Andy Beshear’s set date of June 11th. Top GOP leaders say Beshear isn’t moving fast enough to lift restrictions. The governor spoke about the issue yesterday at a clinic in Mt. Sterling, saying that he will be sticking to his original timeline.
ROCKCASTLE COUNTY—Kentucky health officials are concerned about low vaccination numbers in the commonwealth’s southern counties. Cumberland Valley District Health Department leader Christie Green says vaccinations in Rockcastle, Jackson, and Clay counties stand just below 23-percent of the population. Officials say a FEMA clinic in Laurel County has vaccinated almost 800 people, well below expectations. Green says some success in getting people in the area vaccinated has come from one-on-one conversations. The CVDHD is also offering rides to vaccination locations for those who don’t have transportation.
OHIO COUNTY—Kentucky State Police say a fourth victim has been found dead inside an Ohio County barn. Investigators returned to the scene yesterday where three people had been found shot to death near the barn on Wednesday. Crews worked yesterday to cool down a barn fire when the fourth victim was found badly burned inside. The bodies were all found in the 57-hundred-block of Highway 62. An investigation into the deaths is ongoing.
LEXINGTON—One of the state’s largest churches is making masks optional. Crossroads Church in Lexington announced earlier this week that masks will be optional starting Sunday, May 23rd. The church says it will have mask sections for those who aren’t yet ready to ditch face coverings over coronavirus concerns. The CDC is still calling for masks in crowded indoor settings.
FORT KNOX—Ghost hunters are returning to Fort Knox. The non-profit group 207 Paranormal is hosting tonight’s ghost-hunting event. Stories of scary encounters at the historic military installation are well known. Hauntings at Fort Knox have led to visits by teams of ghost hunters, authors, national TV shows and the curious.
TENNESSEE—Governor Bill Lee says one of the worst human trafficking crises in the last 20 years is impacting Tennessee. Governor Lee’s comment on social media yesterday comes after he says the state declined the Biden administration’s request to place unaccompanied children in Tennessee. Lee also said that he asked the White House to secure the nation’s border and stop scattering children across the country. Lee made the comment after illegal immigrants were seen arriving at Wilson Air Center in Chattanooga late Saturday night.
TENNESSEE—There are 420 new coronavirus cases in Tennessee. The Tennessee Department of Health reported the new cases yesterday, bringing the total since the outbreak began to over 859-thousand-700. An additional eleven COVID-19-related deaths were also reported, with the total number of coronavirus-attributed deaths standing at over 12-thousand-360. Over 560 people with COVID-19 are hospitalized across the state.
TENNESSEE—The Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency is encouraging safety ahead of the summer boating season. The TWRA says there were over 30 boating-related deaths in Tennessee last year. That’s the most on Tennessee waters in nearly 40 years. Just eight deaths were reported in 2019.
TENNESSEE—Today is International Tennessee Whiskey Day. The designation comes after the Tennessee General Assembly passed a resolution earlier this year. The resolution says the day celebrates and acknowledges the many contributions of the “state’s renowned distilling industry, its people and products that help fuel Tennessee’s economy.” Governor Bill Lee signed the resolution last week.
TENNESSEE—Calling all Bigfoot enthusiasts. The first Smoky Mountain Bigfoot Festival is scheduled for tomorrow for both serious believers and those who might turn out for its humor. Bigfoot seekers are invited to the event to share their “research” and take part in fun activities. It will kick off at the Townsend Visitors Center with a Five-K run.
ILLINOIS— House GOP leaders want Illinois Department of Employment Security local offices immediately opened. IDES closed doors to local offices early in the pandemic, and they haven’t reopened. Republican leaders say many Illinois residents have faced difficulties and unresponsiveness when filing unemployment claims over the past year. Representative Amy Elik says residents need direct contact with IDES to resolve pressing issues. Governor J.B. Pritzker says the state is trying to reopen the offices, but he has not announced a specific date.
