KDFWR REQUIRES IN-PERSON CHECKS FOR HARVESTED DEER
Deer harvested during the 2021 modern gun and muzzleloader seasons in the CWD Surveillance Zone in West Kentucky must now be taken to an in person check station. This includes all of Calloway, Marshall, Graves, Fulton and Hickman counties. According to the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, most hunters will be within 10 miles of a check station as there are 17 locations offered in the surveillance zone. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources will staff the deer check stations during these firearms deer seasons to enhance its monitoring for chronic wasting disease. Special regulations now apply to the five counties because CWD was recently confirmed in northwestern Tennessee deer near the Kentucky border.
CCHD REPORTS 45 NEW COVID-19 CASES
The Calloway County Health Department reported 45 new cases of COVID-19 for Saturday through Monday. Only 8 of those cases were over 60 years of age and 32 of the 45 new cases are unvaccinated. The county currently has 165 cases isolated at home and 14 are hospitalized. Calloway County’s latest reported positivity rate is 9.93% which is lower than the state rate of 10.55%. The state reported 1,173 confirmed new cases and 15 confirmed new deaths yesterday. There were 2,045 hospitalized as of Monday, which is 209 less than last Monday, including 617 in ICU, which is 37 less than a week ago.
MSU DEPT OF THEATRE PRESENTS AESOP CLASSIC
The Department of Global Languages and Theatre Arts at Murray State University presents Androcles and the Lion as its first performance of the season. All performances will take place in the Johnson Theatre in the Price Doyle Fine Arts Building. Androcles and the Lion is a children’s play based on the timeless Aesop Fable classic. Performance dates are Wednesday at Noon; Thursday and Friday at 9:30 am, and Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $3 each and can be purchased at the door or at murraystatetickets.com.
MSU TO HOST FAMILY WEEKEND
Murray State University will welcome students and their families to campus Friday through Sunday for Family Weekend, an annual tradition that encourages students to share their college experience with their loved ones. Throughout the weekend, the University will host a variety of fun events and activities for students and their families, including the Mr. MSU Pageant, Racer 5K, Racer Band performance, and more. The Family Lunch will be held at noon Saturday on the Great Lawn. Racer One, a photo booth, bounce house, and Career Services Connections will also be available. Special events hosted by various units and departments on campus will also take place throughout the weekend. Some events may incur a fee with costs and payment options listed in the schedule and online registration system.
GAS PRICES FALL
Fall has arrived, but gas prices are still reflecting higher summertime levels instead of taking a seasonal dip. Gas prices in West Central Kentucky are seven cents cheaper this week at $2.86 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report. The national average dropped just a penny on the week to $3.18 after matching a seven-year-high in the prior week. The big culprit keeping pump prices high is the price of crude oil, which is above $73 per barrel. This time of year, consumers typically see some relief at the pump. However, with approximately 16% of crude production in the Gulf of Mexico still shut down because of Hurricanes Ida and Nicholas and the concerns about what higher COVID cases could do to the economy, oil prices remain elevated.
IN AND AROUND KENTUCKY
FRANKFORT—Governor Andy Beshear is providing guidance for Kentuckians seeking a COVID-19 booster shot. Beshear announced yesterday that boosters would be available to those 65 and older who received the Pfizer vaccination at least six months ago and live in a long-term care facility. The booster will also be available to those 50 to 64 with conditions that create high risk for COVID-19 complications. Those with weakened immune systems who have completed the series of Pfizer or Moderna shots at least 28 days ago are encouraged to get a booster shot.
WASHINGTON DC—Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has received a Pfizer COVID-19 booster shot. The Kentucky Republican made the announcement on the Senate floor yesterday and called it an easy decision. He noted he had polio as a child and called himself a lifelong champion of vaccines. McConnell said vaccines will protect families from the “terrible” coronavirus pandemic.
HARDIN COUNTY—Ford Motor Company is committed to creating five-thousand jobs by building an electric vehicle battery plant in Kentucky. The BlueOvalSK Battery Park will be located in Glendale and is set to begin production in 2025. Twin battery plants will be built to supply Ford plants across North America. Vehicles that will be powered by the Kentucky built batteries include the Ford F-150 Lightning, E-Transit, and Mustang Mach-E.
LEXINGTON—Staffing shortages in Fayette County Public Schools are leading to a rotating system of bus route cancellations. Morning route cancellations will be different each week. Canceled bus routes will run in the afternoon but not until 4:45 p.m. Superintendent Dr. Demetrus Liggins says the district has hired 19 new full-time drivers and five additional substitute drivers but still faces shortages day to day.
OWENSBORO—The first round of Afghan refugees headed to Owensboro are expected to arrive as early as next week. The International Center in the city will coordinate the transition for the refugees entering the United States. Refuge International of Owensboro will partner with the International Center to ensure the daily needs of the refugees are met. The refugees will be learning about American culture, how to speak English, and about technology, basic transportation and financial matters.
LOUISVILLE—Louisville’s police chief is repeating her feeling that the state’s largest school district needs its own police force. Following last week’s shooting death of a Jefferson County Public Schools student at a bus stop, Chief Erika Shields said JCPS must have its own officers capable of recognizing gang activity. In a video posted by Louisville police yesterday, Chief Shields said SROs can learn valuable information and her department has no desire to place officers in the schools.
TENNESSEE—Tennessee’s attorney general is appealing two federal court rulings blocking Governor Bill Lee’s mask mandate opt-out order. The AG’s office said yesterday it’s seeking an immediate stay on two court decisions that block enforcement of the executive order allowing parents to opt their kids out of mask mandates. One of the rulings impacts Shelby County and the other Knox County. Several families have filed suit against the order claiming Governor Lee’s order is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act putting some students at increased health risk.
TENNESSEE—There are over two-thousand new coronavirus cases in Tennessee. The Tennessee Department of Health reported the new cases yesterday, bringing the total since the outbreak began to nearly one-million-217-thousand-400. Nearly 20 additional COVID-19-related deaths were also reported, with the total number standing at close to 15-thousand. There are over 27-hundred COVID-19 hospitalizations in Tennessee.
TENNESSEE—Knox County Schools students are returning to class today under a court-issued mask mandate. KCS filed a motion requesting the judgment more closely resemble last school year’s rules for masking. The district sent a message to parents saying it used yesterday’s day off to ensure schools are ready for the federal order. Students and staff are required to wear masks while indoors and while riding school buses.
TENNESSEE—Police say the gunman in a deadly shooting at a Kroger store in the Memphis-area had been asked to leave his job on the day of the violence. Uk Thang was a subcontractor working in the sushi department at a Kroger in Collierville. Thang killed one person and injured at least a dozen others before killing himself last Thursday. Collierville police said yesterday Thang moved to the area in the summer of 2020.
TENNESSEE—West Tennessee will be home to one of the largest battery and vehicle manufacturing campuses in the country. Governor Bill Lee announced yesterday that Ford will move into the Memphis Regional Megasite in Haywood County. Ford and SK Innovation will invest over five-and-a-half-billion dollars in facilities to manufacture electric batteries and vehicles. The investment is expected to create nearly six-thousand jobs.
