MARSHALL DEPUTY HOSPITALIZED AFTER ACCIDENT
Today, we have additional information on Wednesday’s crash that blocked U.S. 641 near Interstate 69 in Marshall County and involved a Marshall County Sheriff’s Department deputy and another vehicle. Sheriff Eddie McGuire told WPSD TV that the deputy was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. U.S. 641 was closed for several hours at Kentucky 58 because of the collision while crash investigators completed their work at the scene. KSP Post 1 says its investigation into the crash is ongoing, and more details about the collision will be released when they are available.
KTC CLOSES PORTION OF BEECH GROVE ROAD
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has issued an order closing until further notice, Beech Grove Road in Graves County at the Mayfield Creek Bridge due to the unsafe condition of the bridge. The bridge is located at mile point 2.8, about halfway between Antioch Church Road and Barnetts Chapel Road. In a recent inspection of the Mayfield Creek Bridge, inspectors found all timber piles in one of the piers had sustained additional damage due to overweight vehicles crossing the structure. District 1 engineers will work with the Graves County Road Department and fiscal court to further evaluate the bridge to determine if it can be repaired or should be replaced.
KENTUCKY EVICTION RELIEF FUND OPEN UNTIL FALL OF 2022
Governor Andy Beshear said Thursday that, while the federal eviction moratorium is ending June 30, Kentucky’s Healthy at Home Eviction Relief Fund is open until September 30 of next year and has about $200 million left to assist Kentuckians with up to 15 months of rent and utilities. To date, Team Kentucky has helped Kentuckians with more than 5,500 rent and utility payments totaling more than $20.3 million in assistance. The Kentucky Housing Corporation paid out more than $2 million from the fund last week to Kentuckians in need, which is up 15% from the week before. Kentuckians can submit an application at teamkyhherf.ky.gov
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE DOWN
Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted preliminary May unemployment rate was 4.5%, according to the Kentucky Center for Statistics. The preliminary May jobless rate was down 0.2 percentage points from April and down 6.4 percentage points from the 10.9% recorded for the state one year ago when the restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19 limited certain business operations. The U.S. seasonally adjusted jobless rate for May was 5.8%, down from the 6.1% reported in April, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Kentucky’s civilian labor force was 1,988,165 in May, a decrease of 1,931 individuals from April.
CALLOWAY COVID REPORT
The Calloway County Health Department reported no new cases of COVID-19 yesterday, keeping the county’s total during the pandemic at 3,551. Of that total, 3,485 have recovered, 17 are isolated at home, none are hospitalized, and there have been 49 deaths, but none since April 15. As of Thursday, 35.2% 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 Thursday was 5.31%, which was down from Wednesday’s 5.65% rate.
KENTUCKY COVID REPORT
At yesterday’s COVID-19 update for Kentucky, 255 new cases and 3 new deaths were reported, raising the total to 7,178 Kentuckians who are listed as Covid deaths. The state’s current positivity rate is 2.06%, which is slightly lower than last Thursday’s rate of 2.08%. There are 229 Kentuckians hospitalized which is 46 less than last Thursday, including 66 in ICU, which is 12 less than one week ago. As of Thursday, 2,134,353 Kentuckians have been vaccinated for a 48% total, including 82% of those 65 and older.
TVA NAMES NEW VP FOR NORTH REGION
TVA vice president of Federal Affairs, Justin Maierhofer, was named yesterday as the regional vice president of the North region. In this new role, Maierhofer will lead integrated engagement strategies with local power companies, directly-served customers, state and local government officials, and community groups throughout central Tennessee and TVA’s territory in Kentucky. Maierhofer has held key leadership positions throughout his career with TVA, including vice president, External Affairs and vice president and chief of staff for the Office of the CEO. Prior to joining TVA, he served as senior policy advisor for the U.S. Department of Energy.
IN AND AROUND KENTUCKY
FORT CAMPBELL—Fort Campbell’s Week of the Eagles is back. The annual events honoring the legacy and heritage of the 101st Airborne Division was canceled last year over coronavirus concerns. This year’s events will be held June 21st through the 25th at Fort Campbell. The first Week of the Eagles event was held in 1974.
OWENSBORO—Both sides of a dispute over the ownership of a Confederate monument in Daviess County agree that a temporary restraining order will not prevent it from eventually being relocated. The restraining order was issued last week, preventing the Daviess County Fiscal Court from moving the statue while the ownership lawsuit is pending. The Kentucky Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy says they own the statue and want it removed from county property until they find an appropriate place for it. The Fiscal Court has already voted to relocate the statue and wants the suit dismissed all together.
HENDERSON—Organizers say the first day of the W.C. Handy Blues and Barbecue Festival had record turnout. The festival kicked off Wednesday in Henderson after being canceled last year because of the pandemic. Officials say businesses are already feeling the benefits of the festival’s return. The festival continues through the weekend
LOUISVILLE—Honor Flight Bluegrass will be back in business this fall. The organization that supports America’s World War Two, Korean and Vietnam war veterans announced yesterday it will resume activities after a year of being canceled by coronavirus concerns. The flights take the vets to Washington, DC free of charge to see the monuments honoring their service. The all-volunteer staff will next take heroes to the nation’s capital on October 20th.
OWESNBORO—The Daviess County Public Schools board is approving a sponsorship deal for the district’s two high school football stadiums. The deal with Independence Bank is for one-million dollars over ten years. The deal doesn’t include naming rights. The stadiums will continue to be called Eagle Stadium at Apollo and Reid Stadium at Daviess County.
TENNESSEE—The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says an East Tennessee girl remains missing. An AMBER Alert went out for Summer Wells Wednesday morning after an Endangered Child Alert was issued the night before. The TBI says nearly 700 acres of Hawkins County countryside near her Rogersville home has been searched. The five-year-old is described as white with short blond hair, blue eyes and weighing about 40 pounds.
TENNESSEE—A rescue team from Knoxville is joining the search for Summer Wells. The five-year-old was reported missing Tuesday evening. Knox County Rescue says one of its teams is on its way to Hawkins County this morning to help look for Summer. The team will spend 36 hours looking for Summer.
TENNESSEE—The National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis is part of Juneteenth commemorations. The NCRM will virtually join nine leading Black museums and historical institutions today to mark the enforcement of the end of enslavement. The event titled Black Freedom will start at 11 o’clock Central Time this morning and can be watched on the NCRM’s website, CivilRightsMuseum.org. Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when Union troops arrived in Texas and told the last enslaved people there they were free.
ILLINOIS—A new Illinois law is set to expand voters’ access to the ballot box. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a bill yesterday that will expand access to curbside voting and establish a central polling location within each county. The law will also establish permanent vote by mail registries, strengthen cybersecurity standards for election authorities, and provide better access to voting opportunities for justice-impacted individuals. The general primary election date for 2022 is also set by the law for June 28th of that year.
