OVERTURNED TRUCK BLOCKS I-24 EASTBOUND
I-24 Eastbound is blocked due to a truck fire at the 65 mile marker in Trigg County. This is in the work zone where 2-way traffic is running with a centerline barrier wall from the 55 to 65 mile marker in Trigg County. As traffic picks up around daylight, backups are likely along the main detour route and could last until 10 am according to the KTC.
HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 8 PM
A Heat Advisory means that a period of hot temperatures is expected. The combination of hot temperatures and high humidity will combine to create a situation in which heat illnesses are possible. Drink plenty of fluids…stay in an air-conditioned room…stay out of the sun…and check up on relatives and neighbors. Take extra precautions…if you work or spend time outside. When possible…reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Wear light weight and loose fitting clothing when possible and drink plenty of water.
MSU TO OFFER STIMULUS FUNDS TO STUDENTS
Murray State University is offering students up to $1,500 through federal stimulus funds this semester. Eligible continuing students received award amounts through email last week. Students attending Murray State for the first time this fall semester will receive notification after August 24. The most recent grant awards will range from $250 to as much as $1,500 for qualifying students. The money can be used for education-related expenses or emergency costs related to COVID, including tuition, food, housing, healthcare or childcare.
NO UPDATE FROM CCHD
The Calloway County Health Department did not release an updated COVID-19 report yesterday. Calloway County’s current positivity rate is 14.1% which is higher than the state rate of 10.8%. Yesterday, the state reported 1,301 new cases and 7 new deaths. There were 1,139 hospitalized as of yesterday, which is 340 more than last Monday, including 331 in ICU, which is 81 higher than a week ago.
RUDOLPH DONATES AED
Robbie Rudolph and Rudolph Tire donated an AED to the Calloway County Sheriff’s Office to help with the department’s Automated External Defibrillator program. The AED will be placed in one of the department’s patrol vehicles. Last month the Calloway County Fair donated an AED to the program, but the Sheriff’s Office needs three more AEDs to equip the remaining deputies.
MSU AND WKCTC REACH AGREEMENT
Murray State University and West Kentucky Community and Technical College have expanded their existing relationship by introducing two new partnership initiatives. The first announcement is the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, which will provide assistance to eligible students who wish to transfer from an associate’s degree program at WKCTC to a bachelor’s degree program at MSU’s Paducah Regional Campus. The second partnership announcement is the establishment of a 2+2 articulation agreement, which will provide students who have earned an associate’s degree at WKCTC a seamless transfer process into Murray State’s bachelor’s degree program in Exercise Science which will be offered at the Paducah campus beginning this semester.
R-CUT SHIFTS SET FOR WEDNESDAY
A contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans a permanent traffic shift to the R-Cut installations at two intersections along U.S. 45 between Mayfield and Paducah. Construction has progressed at the U.S. 45/KY 408 intersection north of Mayfield and the U.S. 45/KY 1288 intersection south of Lone Oak to allow traffic to permanently move to the R-Cut alignment at these locations. On Wednesday morning at 9, the median in the existing intersections will be closed, with traffic moving to the R-Cut crossing points. Motorists should be alert for construction personnel making changes to the work zone traffic control at that time.
CALVERT DRIVE IN OWNER DIES
The owner of the Calvert Drive-In in Calvert City has died at the age of 110. The theater’s Facebook post said Evelyn Harrington was born in 1911 and opened the Calvert Drive-In Theater with her husband in 1953. Family says she worked at the drive-in well into her 80s.
GAS PRICES HIGHER
Gas prices in West Central Kentucky are five cents higher this week at $2.94 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report. Yesterday’s national average is $3.19 per gallon, the most expensive gas price average of the year. Gas is $1.02 more than a year ago, a nickel more than a month ago, and two cents more than a week ago. Pump prices fluctuated across the country last week with states seeing as much as a nine-cent jump to a seven-cent decrease. The variation in prices is partly attributed to the U.S. seeing an increase in demand and decrease in stocks, according to the Energy Information Administration.
MCCH GOLF CLASSIC SET FOR NEXT MONTH
The tenth annual Golf Classic hosted by the Foundation at Murray-Calloway County Hospital will be held September 17 at Miller Memorial Golf Course. The last tournament brought in around 100 golfers, raising close to $27,000. One hundred percent of the proceeds go toward the Enduring Hope Campaign in the building of a new regional cancer center. The golf tournament is a 4-person scramble with morning and afternoon sessions available. Registration forms are available by calling 270-762-1291. Pre-registration is required.
IN AND AROUND KENTUCKY
UNDATED—Senator Rand Paul is speaking out against what he calls “the CDC’s anti-science mask mandates.” The Kentucky Republican posted a video on Twitter yesterday, criticizing federal leaders and agencies for policies that recommend wearing masks indoors. He says the public should not follow mask mandates and should have the choice about whether to be vaccinated for COVID-19. He also threatened to hold-up all Senate bills with amendments to de-fund public schools if moves are made toward online or distance instruction as a COVID-19 control measure.
LEXINGTON—An appeal for former Democratic Party Chair Jerry Lundergan and Dale Emmons is being denied. The pair were convicted of campaign finance crimes after they funneled money into the 2014 Senate campaign of Alison Lundergan Grimes. Lundergan was sentenced to almost two years in prison and was ordered to pay a 150-thousand-dollar fine. Emmons faced nine months in prison and a 50-thousand-dollar fine.
UNDATED—Many Kentucky school districts are continuing to face a bus driver shortage. As the fall semester approaches in the commonwealth, many districts are struggling to cover enough bus routes to meet transportation needs. Some districts are operating fewer routes and staggering pick up and start times to make up for the shortage. Many older drivers have retired because of fears about COVID-19 exposure, leaving districts to get creative about filling empty positions.
OWESNBORO—Owensboro Police are investigating after being told of a potential terroristic threat referencing Owensboro Innovation Academy. Police say screenshots were made available to authorities showing social media messages where an individual threatened to “shoot up the school,” referring to OIA. The schools were informed of the threat, and officers located the juvenile who originally posted the messages. OPD says there is evidence to suggest that the social media account where the messages originated from may have been compromised by someone unknown.
FORT CAMPBELL—Soldiers at Fort Campbell and Fort Knox have a little over a month to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The Pentagon said yesterday all members of the U.S. military will have to be vaccinated by September 15th. The date could be moved up if the vaccine gets full FDA approval or if infection rates rise. A memo from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said FDA approval is expected in early September, and troops shouldn’t wait until the last minute to get their shots.
WASHINGTON DC—Senator Mitch McConnell is accusing Democrats of seeking to tax-and-spend the U.S. into oblivion. Speaking on the Senate floor yesterday, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Dems are following a “socialist shopping list.” He warned about inflation and again vowed to withhold Republican support from efforts to raise the national debt ceiling. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned a failure to raise the debt limit could have devastating economic consequences.
TENNESSEE—There are nearly 22-hundred new coronavirus cases in Tennessee. The Tennessee Department of Health reported the new cases yesterday, bringing the total since the outbreak began to over 923-thousand-500. An additional six COVID-19-related deaths were also reported, with the total number standing at over 12-thousand-840. There are over 17-hundred COVID-19 hospitalizations in Tennessee.
TENNESSEE—Governor Bill Lee says he doesn’t like the idea of businesses requiring vaccinations for COVID-19. While in Franklin yesterday, Governor Lee said he thinks requiring vaccinations “is generally a bad idea for private businesses or anybody.” Critics of vaccination requirements say it’s a form of discrimination and a violation of privacy. Tyson Foods, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Meharry Medical College are among private businesses in Tennessee requiring employees to get vaccinated against COVID.
TENNESSEE—The state’s largest school district is responding to the potential for a special session by Tennessee legislators. House Speaker Cameron Sexton has pledged to call a special session if school districts choose to require masks or close over coronavirus concerns. A spokeswoman for Shelby County Schools said yesterday the district will follow any laws passed. The district held its first day of school yesterday under a universal mask mandate.
TENNESSEE—Tennessee’s Oak Ridge Boys will celebrate “A Country Christmas” at Gaylord Opryland in Nashville again this year. The band will play 31 shows from November 24th to Christmas Day. The shows were announced during their tenth anniversary special appearance at the Grand Ole Opry over the weekend. The band will play Christmas classics as well as some of their top hits.
ILLINOIS—Officials say about 40-percent of state workers are still working remotely or in a hybrid situation. A memo within the Governor J.B. Pritzker administration says four out of ten state workers in executive agencies are not coming into an office every day. The internal document shows over 19-thousand of the state’s almost 49-thousand workers in those agencies are listed as remote workers or on rotation as of July 9th. The pace of the state’s return to in-person work is causing tension between the administration and Republicans in the legislature.
