Friday 29th March 2024

THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 2021

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FISCAL COURT APPROVES 21-22 BUDGET
At this week’s meeting, the Calloway County Fiscal Court passed the second reading of the 2021-22 annual budget. All county employees received a cost-of-living adjustment while some employees in several departments received a larger raise after a thorough review and salary comparison with agencies in the area and the state. Also at the meeting, the court accepted three primary bids and two secondary bids for red gravel, and Judge Executive Kenny Imes and Sheriff Nicky Knight honored Sgt. Charles Tidwell on his retirement from the Calloway County Sheriff’s Office.

KSP PROBING MCSD OFFICER INVOLVED ACCIDENT
Troopers with Kentucky State Police, Post 1 are investigating a two-vehicle injury collision in Marshall County involving a Marshall County Sheriff’s Deputy and another vehicle. The collision occurred at around 3:15 yesterday afternoon on US 641 near Interstate 69 at the intersection of KY 58. The southbound lanes of US 641 were closed at the accident site for approximately two hours. The investigation is ongoing at this time and is being conducted by Trooper Aaron Jestes. An update will be released once more details will be made available.

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.

MIRACLE NAMED NEW MARSHALL COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT
The Marshall County Board of Education named Steve Miracle as the new superintendent during a special called meeting on Tuesday. Miracle has 22 years of experience in education and previously worked as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, and eventually a superintendent. Miracle was nominated for Kentucky Superintendent of the Year at Trimble County. He most recently worked as the principal for Bullitt Central High School. Before his time as an educator, Miracle was enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He replaces Trent Lovett who will be retiring at the end of June.

CALLOWAY COVID REPORT
The Calloway County Health Department reported 2 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday, bringing the county’s total during the pandemic to 3,551. Of that total, 3,483 have recovered, 19 are isolated at home, none are hospitalized, and there have been 49 deaths, but none since April 15. As of Wednesday, 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 Wednesday was 5.65%, which is the same as Tuesday’s rate.

KENTUCKY COVID REPORT
At yesterday’s COVID-19 update for Kentucky, 233 new cases and 4 new deaths were reported, raising the total to 7,175 Kentuckians who are listed as Covid deaths. The state’s current positivity rate is 2.07%, which is higher than last Wednesday’s rate of 2.06%. There are 238 Kentuckians hospitalized which is 41 less than last Wednesday, including 65 in ICU, which is 23 less than one week ago. As of Wednesday, 2,131,157 Kentuckians have been vaccinated for a 48% total, including 82% of those 65 and older.

WKCTC PLANS GED GRADUATION
In 2020-2021, 60 students received their GED from West Kentucky Community and Technical College’s Skills U, the adult education program at the college. Recipients will be honored during a virtual GED graduation that is set to premiere on the college’s Facebook page and YouTube channel June 30 at 6 p.m. WKCTC President Anton Reece said the students have proven hard work and dedication pays off, they are proud of them, and join their family and friends in celebrating this joyous occasion.

PADUCAH BUSINESS EXPANDING
Millwork Products In Paducah is expanding. The company will use 1.5-million dollars to build a new building creating more room for production and warehouse space. A total of 15-new jobs will also be created due to the expansion. The company worked with state and local leaders to get the expansion off the ground.

IN AND AROUND KENTUCKY
FRANKFORT—A Kentucky state Representative is set to lead an effort toward making Juneteenth a state holiday. Representative George Brown says he will pre-file a bill today proposing the state holiday. Congress has already passed a measure that would make the day marking the end of slavery in America a federal holiday. President Biden is expected to sign the bill.

LEXINGTON—The University of Kentucky is starting its pediatric research program for the kid’s COVID vaccine. It will take part in the kidCOVE research study to make sure vaccines are safe for kids ages six-months to 11-years-old. This study will use the Moderna vaccine, which is currently only authorized for adults. More information can be found at Stop-COVID-KY-Dot-Com.

FRANKFORT—Kentucky state leaders are taking part in World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Governor Andy Beshear and others placed purple flags at the English Gardens on the State Capitol grounds this week as a reminder to always report abuse immediately. Over the last fiscal year, Kentucky received more than 23-thousand reports alleging elder abuse. The state is a mandatory reporting state, meaning anyone who suspects abuse legally has to report it to adult protective services.

FRANKFORT—Governor Andy Beshear says his son Will has been vaccinated for COVID-19. Beshear tweeted that his son had received the Pfizer vaccine yesterday, just a day after his 12th birthday. The governor said in a tweet that he believes “in this vaccine and its effectiveness.”

OWENSBORO—After giving Owensboro officials the impression that they had completely shut down, Alorica says it is just moving out of its current building. The company announced yesterday that it is permanently moving to its current work-from-home operating model. Company officials say that 250 employees of the customer service call center are still working remotely, and that they are looking to hire more workers as part of that program.

PENDLETON COUNTY—An investigation into the deaths of a man and woman is underway in Falmouth. Kentucky State Police confirmed Tuesday that they are investigating the deaths as a double homicide. The Pendleton County Sheriff’s Office reported the deaths of 28-year-old Dillon Carpenter and 24-year-old Madison Klups on May 31st. Troopers say the two died from gunshot wounds.

OWENSBORO—Police say a suspect in an Owensboro shooting is under arrest. Authorities say 24-year-old Juwan Cotton was taken into custody Tuesday in connection with a May shooting that left a 33-year-old man hospitalized with a potentially life-threatening wound. Officers say the shooting happened the evening of May 30th in the 600-block of Orchard Street. Cotton is facing assault and robbery charges.

FRANKFORT—The vast majority of Kentuckians who test positive for COVID-19 aren’t vaccinated. The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services reports nearly 42-thousand Kentuckians tested positive for the virus between March 1st and May 31st. Of those, less than three percent had been vaccinated for the coronavirus. Over 97 percent who did test positive weren’t vaccinated.

FRANKFORT—A Kentucky judge is ordering more testing to be done on a urine sample of Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit. The Franklin Circuit Court judge ruled yesterday two members of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission must travel to a lab chosen by trainer Bob Baffert and the horse’s owners to witness the division of the colt’s post-race sample. Baffert sued the commission to get a portion of the sample. The Hall-of-Fame trainer says Medina Spirit’s failed steroid test is the result of a topical ointment, not an injection.

LOUISVILLE—Another Kentuckian is being charged for his alleged role in January’s unrest at the U.S. Capitol Building. Kurt Peterson was arrested by the FBI yesterday on charges of obstructing an official proceeding, destruction of government property and entering a restricted building or grounds. The Hodgenville man is one of over a dozen Kentuckians arrested since the January 6th breach of the Capitol.

TENNESSEE—There are nearly 240 new coronavirus cases in Tennessee. The Tennessee Department of Health reported the new cases yesterday, bringing the total since the outbreak began to 865-thousand-750. An additional two COVID-19-related deaths were also reported, with the total number of coronavirus-attributed deaths standing at over 12-thousand-500. Less than 300 people with COVID-19 hospitalized in Tennessee.

TENNESSEE—The TBI is issuing a statewide AMBER Alert for a missing nine-month-old girl. The TBI said last night Nichelle Simone Omega is believed to be with her non-custodial mother. Nyx Omega is wanted by Smyrna police for custodial interference. The TBI says they may be in a 2008 grey Scion with Tennessee tag DKG-392.

TENNESSEE—The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is reporting there’s evidence of alligators and cougars expanding their territories into the state. The report is in the TWRA Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Guide for the 2020-2021 season. The TWRA says species expanding their ranges in the state are protected and can’t be killed until a hunting season is established. The guide lists alligators, cougars, hawks, owls, songbirds, endangered species and any other species for which a season hasn’t been set as protected.

TENNESSEE—Knoxville is getting some positive attention on a national list. QuoteWizard ranks Knoxville drivers the 16th best in the country on its Best and Worst Drivers by City report. The ranking is based on accidents, speeding tickets, DUIs and citations. The list was compiled by analyzing data from two-million car insurance quotes from drivers in the top 70 cities in the country.

ILLINOIS— A potentially hazardous foam used to fight the Chemtool fire in Rockton is under investigation by the Illinois EPA. The agency says fluorinated firefighting foam was initially used to douse the fire before contractor U.S. Fire Pumps switched to a non-fluorinated foam mixed with water. Environmental officials say trenches dug around the plant kept the substance from reaching the river, and that absorbent booms were used to prevent any spills from escaping. Water samples from the river are being collected today to look for contaminants when compared with samples taken before the foam was used.

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