Photos via Calloway County Jail
TWO CHARGED AFTER DOMESTIC DISPUTE
Two Murray residents were arrested Monday night following a domestic dispute and foot pursuit in Calloway County. The Calloway County Sheriff’s Office responded to the disturbance on Joseph Lane and according to deputies, 46-year old Ricky Gleich of Murray fled the scene on foot. The woman involved, 49-year old Suzette Smith of Murray, allegedly tried to distract deputies from pursuing Gleich who was found hiding in a nearby home. He was arrested and charged with fleeing or evading police, assault of a police officer, and resisting arrest. Smith was charged with interfering with governmental operations and disorderly conduct. Both were lodged in the Calloway County Jail.
BZA MEETS TODAY
The Murray Board of Zoning Adjustments will meet at 4:30 this afternoon. Public Hearings will be conducted on the following: A request to have three unrelated persons occupy the property located at 821 North 19th Street. A Request to have a screen printing and vinyl t-shirt business located at 225 North LP Miller Street. A Request for a two-foot height variance on placement of fence in secondary street side yard at 1501 Chaucer Drive. A Request to install a forty-eight foot driveway located at 147 Saratoga Drive.
COMER CRITICIZES HOUSE HEARING ON JANUARY 6 CAPITOL EVENTS
First District Congressman James Comer is speaking out after New York Democrat Carolyn Maloney opened a House hearing on the January 6th events at the U.S. Capitol. The Kentucky Republican criticized Democrats, calling it another unproductive, partisan hearing aimed at pursuing political goals. He said Democratic efforts are not about gathering facts. Comer insisted no new information has emerged from a number of similar hearings in Congress and he also accused Democrats of soft-pedaling problems at the southern border.
MCCONNELL CO SPONSORS KIDS SUMMER HUNGER ACT
Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell yesterday joined Senators John Boozman of Arkansas and Patrick Leahy of Vermont in introducing The Hunger Free Summer for Kids Act. The bipartisan legislation would inject additional flexibility and choice into existing federal child nutrition programs. Currently, children must travel to a central location and eat their meals together. This works well in some communities. However, in rural areas, it can be difficult for children to reach a site, if a site even exists. The act would allow the Department of Agriculture to authorize summer meal providers to deliver food to eligible children in rural and hard to reach communities. It will also provide eligible households with an EBT card each month over summer break to purchase eligible food items from SNAP approved retailers. In USDA pilot programs, summer EBT was shown to reduce child hunger by over 30 percent.
CALLOWAY COVID REPORT
The Calloway County Health Department reported 4 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday, bringing the county’s total during the pandemic to 3,549. Of that total, 3,481 have recovered, 19 are isolated at home, none are hospitalized, and there have been 49 deaths, but none since April 15. As of Monday, 35.1% of Calloway County residents have been fully vaccinated including 69.3% of those 65 and older. Calloway County’s COVID-19 positivity rate as of Tuesday was 5.65%, which is the same as Monday’s rate.
KENTUCKY COVID REPORT
At yesterday’s COVID-19 update for Kentucky, 290 new cases and 8 new deaths were reported, raising the total to 7,171 Kentuckians who are listed as Covid deaths. The state’s current positivity rate is 2.05%, which is lower than last Tuesday’s rate of 2.12%. There are 232 Kentuckians hospitalized which is 41 less than last Tuesday, including 70 in ICU, which is 10 less than one week ago. As of Tuesday, 2,131,157 Kentuckians have been vaccinated for a 48% total, including 82% of those 65 and older.
ROAD WEEK ON KY 339 IN GRAVES COUNTY
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans an extended closure along KY 339 in southern Graves County starting today starting at around 8 am to allow a steel culvert to be replaced. The extended closure is along KY 339 just east of Sedalia between KY 564 and KY 97. There will be no marked detour.
KSP ANNOUNCES TWO NEW DRIVER TESTING BRANCHES
Yesterday, the Kentucky State Police announced two new regional driver testing branch locations for Kentuckians to obtain a state driver permit or driver license. The new regional branches will be located in Elizabethtown and Frankfort. Residents of these cities and surrounding counties should take note of their new regional location in order to make an appointment prior to arrival. KSP will continue working with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and Kentucky’s circuit court clerks to open the remaining KSP regional offices statewide by June 30 of next year.
WKCTC OFFERS INFO SESSIONS FOR BUSINESSES
Workforce Solutions at West Kentucky Community and Technical College is offering a free informational session to Kentucky businesses on June 22 from 9 am until 11 am. The free event will showcase the colleges’ customized training options for Kentucky businesses. The event also serves as the official launch of the KCTCS Apprenticeship Services. Attendees will learn about the return on investment these businesses are experiencing because of their partnership with KCTCS Workforce Solutions. Speakers will showcase their customized training programs for incumbent workers and new hires and highlight important topics such as diversifying their talent pipelines and tapping into financial resources. For more information or to register, visit the Propel 2021 web page.
TWO LOCALS INCLUDED IN LEADERSHIP KENTUCKY CLASS
Leadership Kentucky announced the members of the Leadership Kentucky Class of 2021. This year’s class includes 49 participants from across the state representing a variety of public and private sectors. Local members of this year’s class are Zac Dunlap of US Bank in Murray and Jordan Smith of Murray State University. Leadership Kentucky’s flagship program consists of seven three-day sessions where participants gather to gain insight on the Commonwealth of Kentucky and its challenges and opportunities. Throughout the sessions, class members will meet with many of Kentucky’s current leaders and explore the state’s opportunities and resources, as well as form lifelong relationships and visit new places.
IN AND AROUND KENTUCKY
FRANKFORT—Kentucky lawmakers are gathering information from cities and counties about how to allocate American Rescue Plan money. Lawmakers heard from local officials yesterday on ways they think the funds can help their communities. A share of the billions Kentucky is receiving under the plan will go out to municipalities that can use the funds for specific purposes. Lawmakers are already overrun with requests for water and sewer project funding. Applications are also being made for projects that will extend broadband to underserved areas.
WASHINGTON DC—Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says he’s “listening and hopeful” about ongoing bipartisan talks on infrastructure. Speaking on Capitol Hill, the Kentucky Republican said he’s anticipating that Senate Democrats will use budget reconciliation to pass a bill on areas where they do not agree. The procedural move allows passage with just a simple majority. McConnell said Republicans would like to get a bipartisan outcome without revising the 2017 tax bill. He said they want to figure out a way to credibly pay for infrastructure, but noted it will ultimately be up to the majority.
PULASKI COUNTY—A trial is underway for two Pulaski County constables accused of conspiracy to violate rights related to unreasonable search and seizure. Prosecutors say FBI agents found nearly six grams of meth at Michael Wallace’s home and half a gram of the drug in a vehicle at Gary Baldock’s home. A federal prosecutor says the two intended to plant the drugs on people in order to facilitate false searches and seizures. Each defendant also faces a charge of possessing meth with intent to distribute. Baldock is charged with shooting and wounding an FBI agent during his arrest. Police fired back and wounded Baldock, who survived.
OWENSBORO—A company that opened its doors in Owensboro in 2016 is shutting down. Owensboro’s mayor says Alorica ended its activities several weeks ago, blaming the pandemic and trouble keeping employees. The customer service call center announced plans when it opened to create more than 800 jobs in Owensboro. It’s not clear how many people were employed by the company when it closed.
MADISONVILLE—Madisonville is moving forward with plans for a sports complex. The city council and tourism advisory board have approved one-million dollars in funding for the planned facility. The facility will be used for indoor and outdoor sports. Construction is expected to get underway in two to three months once site plans are completed.
LOUISVILLE—A Louisville police officer accused of hitting a protester in the head with a riot stick is resigning. Officer Cory Evans resigned on Monday. He was served pre-termination papers by the department last week. Evans is expected to plead guilty next month to violating the protester’s Civil Rights.
FRANKFORT—The deadline is here for seven time Kentucky Derby winning trainer Bob Baffert to come to a resolution in his legal battle with the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. Baffert sued the commission last week claiming Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit wasn’t given due process following a failed drug test. Baffert says his team needs possession of Medina Spirit’s urine sample. He says he needs the sample to prove his claim that the colt’s failed test for a steroid is due to a topical ointment and not an injection.
NEWPORT—There are two new sandbar sharks at Newport Aquarium. It’s the first time the aquarium has featured the species in nearly eight years. The sharks arrived ahead of the aquarium’s Shark Summer, which starts on Friday. The aquarium is holding a naming contest for the new sandbar sharks through Labor Day.
TENNESSEE—-A man is dead and a Macon County Sheriff’s Office deputy is recovering from a gunshot wound following a shooting. Authorities say deputies were called about a man with a gun acting erratically yesterday afternoon. They say the man fired at deputies who returned fire. The man was later found dead in a home near the Sumner County line.
TENNESSEE—-There are nearly 130 new coronavirus cases in Tennessee. The Tennessee Department of Health reported the new cases yesterday, bringing the total since the outbreak began to over 865-thousand-500. An additional five COVID-19-related deaths were also reported, with the total number of coronavirus-attributed deaths standing at over 12-thousand-500. There are 320 people with COVID-19 hospitalized in Tennessee.
TENNESSEE—-Work is underway to install two support pieces on the I-40 bridge over the Mississippi River in Memphis. The support brackets arrived on Monday. They’ll be used as temporary braces to repair the structural crack found on the bridge. The Arkansas Department of Transportation says repair work on the bridge is going well.
TENNESSEE—-The Miss Tennessee Pageant is being held in Memphis this year for the first time in nearly 70 years. There are a number of events that are part of the pageant, including gatherings at the new Memphian Hotel, the Memphis Zoo, and a parade down Beale Street. Events start on July 27th at Graceland. All 30 women participating in an effort to compete in the Miss America Pageant as Miss Tennessee will receive a one-thousand-dollar scholarship.
ILLINOIS—Officials say a massive fire at Rockton’s Chemtool plant is contained. Rockton Fire Protection District Chief Kirk Wilson says an industrial fire crew from Louisiana dug trenches to block runoff into the Rock River, and foam was used to douse the flames. Wilson says hot spots in the fire could burn for several days but will not be spreading to other areas. Chief Wilson says no runoff into the Rock River has been detected.
