Lawaun Colvin (Photo via KSP)
KSP PROBING ASSAULT OF GUARD AT PENITENTIARY
Kentucky State Police are investigating after a report of an inmate who assaulted a guard at Kentucky State Penitentiary. Around 6:40 Monday night, KSP Post 1 dispatch received a call regarding a female guard who had been assaulted by a male inmate. According to prison personnel, 30-year old Lawaun Colvin of Louisville threw a female guard to the ground and attempted to remove her clothing in order to sexually assault her. Colvin was quickly restrained by other guards. The female guard was treated for minor injuries. Trooper Casey Hamby opened an investigation which will be presented to a Lyon County Grand Jury.
CALLOWAY SCHOOL BOARD MEETS TODAY
The Calloway County School Board will conduct a special called meeting today at 5. Among items on the agenda is a request to purchase three new buses and multiple actions concerning the Auxiliary Gym project for Calloway County High School. The meeting will not be accessible online, but In-person attendance will be available to the public. All attendees must follow the current CDC guidelines including wearing a mask and maintaining proper social distancing.
BZA MEETS WITH BRIEF AGENDA
The Murray Board of Zoning Adjustments will meet today in regular session. On the brief agenda is a Public Hearing on a Request to place two additional signs on the front of Marshall’s facade. Today’s meeting begins at 4:30 and will be held via WebEx.
VACCINATION APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE
The Murray Regional Vaccination Clinic is scheduling online appointments for administration of Moderna COVID-19 first doses at the CFSB Center. This week’s clinic will be held from 2 pm to 6 pm on Thursday, and from 8 am until noon on Friday. Appointments are currently available for those 18 years of age and older. Please visit MurrayKYvaccine.org to schedule an appointment and make sure you select April 22 or 23 to see available appointments.
CALLOWAY INCIDENCE RATE DOWN
The Calloway County Health Department reported 3 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the county case total during the pandemic to 3,453. Of that total, 3,391 have recovered, 13 are isolated at home, and none are hospitalized. There have been 49 COVID-19 related deaths in the county. Calloway County’s COVID-19 Incidence Rate per 100,000 on Tuesday was 5.5%, which is lower than Monday’s rate of 5.9%. There are currently 10 red zone counties for COVID-19 cases in the state.
STATE POSITIVITY RATE UP SLIGHTLY
At Tuesday’s COVID-19 update for Kentucky, 609 new cases and 7 new deaths were reported, raising the total to 6,360 Kentuckians who are listed as Covid deaths. As of Tuesday, there have been over 5.31 million coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky with a positivity rate of 3.44%, which is slightly higher than last Tuesday’s rate of 3.33%. There are 419 Kentuckians hospitalized which is 1 less than last Tuesday, including 121 in ICU, which is 6 more than one week ago. At least 50,872 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.
BRYANT SELECTED FOR ELITE SUMMER PROGRAM
Murray High School Sophomore Ella Bryant joins 120 Kentucky students selected for the 2021 Governor’s School for Entrepreneurs summer program. Bryant is Murray High’s second recipient to attend GSE, and the first Murray High female to be selected. Bron Bourque, a 2020 MHS graduate, attended GSE in 2018. This year’s program will welcome 120 high school students from across the commonwealth, up from 72 in recent years, with plans to double the program size in 2022.
ROAD IMPROVEMENTS TO BENEFIT TRIGG COUNTY
Governor Andy Beshear yesterday announced renewed road and infrastructure repairs are coming for much of the commonwealth through a $5 million transportation investment. Nearly 60 miles of roadway will be resurfaced, repaired, or built with the funding. One award of $140,000 will fund a new street in Cadiz, providing school buses a safer route while supporting new businesses in the area. The funding will be administered by the Department of Rural and Municipal Aid within the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
MSU TO HOST OUTDOOR CONCERT
Murray State University’s department of music will host an outdoor “Bright Days Ahead” spring concert at 6 pm Thursday at Woods Park, located at the corner of 14th Street and Olive Boulevard. The free concert is open to the public and students from the University’s wind ensemble, symphonic band, and jazz orchestra will be featured. Attendees must follow all Racer Safe and Healthy protocols. Guests are encouraged to bring a blanket or lawn chair.
PHILANTHROPY WEEK CONTINUES THROUGH FRIDAY
Philanthropy Week is a celebration of generosity in Murray-Calloway County, recognizing successful approaches to giving of time, talents, and treasures that help make this a wonderful community in which to live and thrive. Hosted by Murray State University’s Nonprofit Resource Center, Philanthropy Week recognizes and advances the historic partnership among the public, nonprofit, and business sectors. Philanthropy Week concludes on Friday with a presentation of the Donna Herndon Award for Civic Engagement which recognizes a resident of Calloway County who has exhibited a lifetime of civic engagement to others in our community.
IN AND AROUND KENTUCKY
LEXINGTON—The students and President at the University of Kentucky are reacting to the guilty verdicts in the Derek Chauvin trial. The former Minneapolis Police officer was convicted yesterday of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, which set off protests and riots across the country last summer. Many students, staff, and faculty watched the verdicts come down live on phones, tablets, and laptops, many pleased with the outcome. University President Eli Capilouto used the opportunity to remind students that killings of people of color are continuing and to speak out against anti-semitism on campus.
MOREHEAD—A group of tenants living in the North Fork Mobile Home Park in Morehead is fighting eviction. Residents say they were given short notice to relocate after Lexington developer Patrick Madden bought the property. Justice 4 North Fork members rallied outside Madden’s Hamburg office last night. Madden intends to build a shopping center on the property.
OWESNBORO—The Owensboro Police Department is getting a new bulletproof vehicle. The city commission approved the purchase application for the response and rescue vehicle yesterday. The vehicle would be used to respond to incidents like mass shootings and hostage situations. OPD will now apply for an over 263-thousand- dollar grant to complete the purchase.
GREENVILLE—Fire officials say an illegal burn in Greenville spread to a home. The blaze spread just before 1 a.m. yesterday morning in the 200-block of North Cherry Street. Crews say a fire behind the house was left unattended and spread. Everyone escaped the home safely.
UNDATED—A Kentucky man is facing charges for his alleged role in the unrest at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6th. The FBI in Louisville says Stephen Chase Randolph was arrested yesterday. The FBI says Randolph is facing charges of assaulting, resisting or impeding an officer causing bodily injury, obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder and obstruction of justice. The Harrodsburg man is expected in court today.
LOUISVILLE—The state’s largest COVID-19 mass vaccination site is extending its hours. The site at Cardinal Stadium in Louisville will remain open until 8 o’clock tonight, tomorrow and Friday night. Officials say staying open an additional two hours will allow more people to get vaccinated after work. The site has more than 20 lanes and can give up to four-thousand doses of COVID vaccines a day.
TENNESSEE—The state’s largest school district is providing emotional support for students following the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer for killing George Floyd. SCS says it’s put together a Social Emotional Learning Team with resources to help teachers and school staff support students who may want to express their feelings. The district says it’s important for adults to be aware of their own emotions when dealing with a difficult conversation before responding. Derek Chauvin was convicted on murder and manslaughter charges yesterday.
TENNESSEE—Students are returning to Austin-East Magnet High School for 90-minute sessions today. Yesterday, Knoxville faith leaders came together to pray for the Austin-East community and East Knoxville. The prayer service was held more than a week after the deadly officer-involved shooting of student Anthony Thompson, Jr. Students will return for in-person learning tomorrow.
TENNESSEE—There are over 720 new coronavirus cases in Tennessee. The Tennessee Department of Health reported the new cases yesterday, bringing the total since the outbreak began to over 836-thousand-560. Over a dozen additional COVID-19-related deaths were also reported, with the total number of coronavirus-attributed deaths statewide standing nearly 12-thousand-100. There are over 13-thousand active cases in the state.
ILLINOIS— The controversy over voting rights is under the spotlight in the Senate. Illinois Democrat Dick Durbin opened a hearing yesterday and accused Republicans of pushing a “wave of voter suppression laws” in states across the nation. He called it a deliberate attempt to suppress the votes of people of color. Durbin said it’s un-American to make it harder to vote.
