Kentucky Tornado Death Toll Rises
Governor Andy Beshear is delivering a sad update regarding tornado recovery in Kentucky. Beshear announced yesterday that the death toll from the recent tornadoes is now 77. An infant died last week, leading to the increased number. At least 92 people across five states have died as a result of the tornadoes that swept across the midwest and south December 10th. Officials are saying this is the deadliest outbreak of tornadoes seen in the U.S. in over a decade.
Governor Urging Parents To Get Kids Tested For COVID-19
Governor Andy Beshear is urging parents to get their kids tested for COVID-19 over the holidays. He said in an update yesterday that over 27-hundred children have tested positive for the virus over the last week. He is recommending that school districts have a system in place to test students and staff as classes start again. He continues to recommend universal masking in schools.
Fatal Car Accident in Murray
Yesterday afternoon there was a fatal 2 car accident in Murray. James Sills was driving a brown Chevrolet truck eastbound on Bethel Road and Jordan Abren was driving a black Ford Fusion eastbound on Highway 80. Witnesses to the collision indicated Sills failed to stop at the stop sign and failed to yield the right of way to Abren’s vehicle.
Jordan S. Abren, age 23, of Murray, Kentucky was transported to Murray-Calloway Murray-Calloway County Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries she received during the collision.
James L. Sills, age 74, of Murray, Kentucky was pronounced dead at the scene by Calloway County Coroner Ricky Garland. Mr. Sills’ cause of death is believed to be related to injuries he received during the collision.
Calloway County Health Department Announces Two Deaths and 97 Cases of COVID19
for the Period of 12/21 to 12/27
The Calloway County Health Department has received notification of two deaths related to COVID19. Both patients were residents of Calloway County.
In addition, the Calloway County Health Department has received notification of 97 cases for the period 12/21 to 12/27 The case count is now at 6,007 with 5,843 recovered, 88 isolated at home, 5 hospitalized, and 71 deaths. Here is a breakdown of the total cases by age category: 13 cases under age 18, 37 cases age 18 to 39, 33 cases age 40-60, and 14 cases over 60.
Tornado Corridor Cell Service Restoration Update
The Regional Emergency Operations Center reports cell service providers have completed an initial round of temporary service restoration efforts along the tornado damage corridor in Kentucky.
The level of cell and data service available today is the best that it can be for the next three to six months. Communication crews from all the major carriers have restored what can be restored and filled in with portable cell towers where practical.
Key Highways and Streets Blocked in Downtown Mayfield Due to Ramped Up Debris Removal Activities
There are now many new road closures in Mayfield. The highway and street closures are to facilitate ramped-up debris removal work by insurance company contractors and by debris removal contractors for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The debris removal involves heavy equipment at numerous locations. The ramped-up recovery activity is generating a large volume of truck traffic hauling material out of the downtown area.
Motorists are asked to avoid sections of KY 58 and KY 80 along Broadway in downtown Mayfield, as well as U.S. 45 between downtown and the intersection with Macedonia Street.
Kentucky National Guard units are stationed at key locations to enforce the closed roadways.
Kentucky State News Brief
Hardin Co. Schools Asks Volunteers To Help With Tornado-Relief Work
(Hardin Co., KY) — Hardin County Schools needs help with tornado recovery work. HCS is asking for volunteers to help sort, pack and move items into boxes today. The old East Hardin Middle School is being used as a distribution site for donations for survivors of the December 10th tornadoes. Volunteers are asked to report at 9 o’clock this morning or 1 this afternoon at the old East Hardin Middle School cafeteria to get instructions.
Senator McConnell Fares Poorly In National Approval Poll
(Washington, DC) — Senator Mitch McConnell isn’t scoring well in a new approval poll. The Gallup poll ranks the job approval ratings of eleven U.S. leaders. Senator McConnell came in with the lowest approval rating at 34 percent.
Owensboro Church Raising Money For Tornado Relief
(Owensboro, KY) — An Owensboro church is collecting money for tornado relief. During a Bible lesson on Sunday, kids at Christ Community Church were given a mission. They received Tootsie Roll banks. They’re asked to collect change over the next month to donate to tornado relief efforts in Western Kentucky.
GRDHD To Update COVID-19 Numbers
(Owensboro, KY) — The Green River District Health Department is expected to update its COVID-19 numbers today. The GRDHD hasn’t updated its numbers since December 21st. There have been over 41-thousand-750 cases in the seven county district since the outbreak began. The GRDHD has also recorded nearly 700 COVID-19-related deaths.
Hopkins County Official Tornado Clean Up Underway
(Hopkins County, KY) — Official tornado clean-up efforts in Hopkins County are underway. Judge Executive Jack Whitfield says work has been ongoing since the tornado, but larger amounts of debris are starting to get cleared. Wreckage on individual properties is being sorted by occupants and set to the roadside for pickup and transportation to landfill sites using large trucks. Whitfield says the process will be lengthy because of the enormous amount of debris.
Dawson Springs Using High School As Hub For Tornado Relief Supplies
(Dawson Springs, KY) — Dawson Springs is using its junior/senior high school as a hub for distributing relief supplies. The building on Eli Street is the largest one left standing in the city. The school began triage efforts at the time of the storm, where many took refuge. Each room in the school is now filled with food, clothing, medical supplies, and other items to benefit survivors of the storms.
OPD Searching For Missing Teen
(Owensboro, KY) — Owensboro Police are searching for a missing teen. Police say 14-year-old Alina Bartolon was reported missing from Owensboro on Saturday. She is four-foot-eleven and weighs 90 pounds. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a black hoodie, and black boots.
Schnucks Donating 125K For Tornado Relief
(Evansville, IN) — Schnucks says it will be donating 125-thousand dollars to help with tornado relief. The donation is the result of a “round up at the register” campaign that ran through December 19th. Customers contributed more than 113-thousand dollars and a corporate donation brought the total to 125-thousand. The money will go to the American Red Cross to support relief efforts for those impacted by tornadoes on December 10th, including Western Kentuckians.
LMPD SUV Stolen With Police Equipment Inside
(Louisville, KY) — LMPD is searching for a stolen police SUV. The marked Ford Explorer was stolen yesterday somewhere in the first division. LMPD says the SUV has “police equipment” inside.
Hardin Co. Schools Asks Volunteers To Help With Tornado-Relief Work
(Hardin Co., KY) — Hardin County Schools is asking for help with tornado relief work. HCS is asking for volunteers to help sort, pack and move items into boxes today. The old East Hardin Middle School is being used as a distribution site for donations for survivors of the December 10th tornadoes. Volunteers are asked to report at 9 o’clock this morning or 1 this afternoon at the old East Hardin Middle School cafeteria to get instructions.
Tis The Season For Recycling Christmas Trees
(Louisville, KY) — Louisville Metro Department of Public Works will start accepting Christmas trees for recycling at three sites today. Louisvillians can drop off their trees at the East District Recycling Center on Hubbards Lane, the Public Works yard on Lower River Road and the Waste Reduction Center on Meriweather Avenue. The Metro Department of Public Works asks that trees are free of decorations. Trees are also being accepted at the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest.
Tennessee State News Brief
Shelby Co. Commissioner Tests Positive For COVID
(Memphis, TN) – A commissioner for the state’s largest county is recovering from COVID-19. Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer announced yesterday that she has tested positive. Sawyer said she has asthma and is thankful she’s been vaccinated and got the booster shot. As of Friday, there were over 47-hundred active cases in Shelby County.
World’s Fair Park To Host Knoxville’s NYE Celebration
(Knoxville, TN) – Knoxville will celebrate the new year at the Sunsphere on Friday night. Knoxville will host its 2021 New Year’s Eve celebration under the Sunsphere in a special tribute to the upcoming 40th anniversary of the 1982 World’s Fair. Partiers will gather on the World’s Fair Festival Lawn for DJ-mixed tunes, food trucks, fireworks, a laser show and a midnight ball-drop from the Sunsphere at midnight.
Nashville Monitoring COVID-19 Cases Ahead Of NYE Celebration
(Nashville, TN) — Nashville officials say they’re monitoring COVID-19 cases ahead of the city’s New Year’s Eve celebration. They say they’re also monitoring hospitalization rates. The New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash event will be held at Bicentennial Mall with the park opening at 4 o’clock Friday afternoon. Anyone planning to attend must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have proof of a negative test within 48 hours of the event.
TriStar Health Facilities Limiting Visitors Over Rising COVID Cases
(Nashville, TN) — TriStar Health is implementing a one visitor only policy at all of its facilities over surging COVID-19 cases. Some of TriStar’s facilities already had the policy in place. Children under 12-years-old won’t be allowed in TriStar facilities, while delivery patients will be allowed two visitors and end-of-life circumstances will be discussed on a case-by-case basis.
Gun Thefts From Vehicles Continue To Rise In Nashville
(Nashville, TN) — Guns stolen from vehicles in Nashville is an ongoing problem. As of December 18th, over 12-hundred guns had been stolen from vehicles this year. That’s up nearly 300 from last year. The Tennessean reports that’s the largest single-year increase in a decade.
This December One Of The Warmest In Nashville History
(Nashville, TN) — An unusually warm December in Nashville is coming to an end. Nashville has had 19 days above 60 degrees. Several of those days were 70 degrees or higher. It’s expected to be the third warmest December on record in Nashville with an average temperature of just under 52 degrees.
National/World News
CDC Shortens Recommended COVID-19 Quarantine Time Frame
(Washington, DC) — The CDC is recommending shorter times for those who test positive for COVID-19 to isolate. On Monday, the agency cut the timeframe from ten days to five, as long as they wear a mask around others for at least five more days. The time for people exposed to the virus to quarantine also was cut to five days if they’re vaccinated and often won’t have to quarantine if they’re boosted. The CDC said in a statement the move follows what’s known about the omicron [[ ahm-ih-cron ]] variant, that transmission is most likely to occur early in the course of the infection.
5 Dead, Including Suspect, In Colorado Shooting Spree
(Denver, CO) — Five people, including a suspect, are dead after a shooting spree in Denver and Lakewood, Colorado. A police officer and two others were also shot and injured. Police believe the suspect ultimately opened fire in at least seven different locations. It all started Monday evening, when two women and a man were shot and killed in Denver. The city’s police chief said, “To see this type of spree take place is not normal in our community.”
Record West Cold, Snow, Rain, Heat Wave Across South
(Undated) — Another big helping of extreme weather is on tap today, with massive snow and rain storms hammering the West and a heat wave broiling the South. Three more feet of snow could fall in the higher elevations of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains, where there’s no word when some roads will reopen. A high pressure system is expected to keep the Southern Plains and the Southeast roasting way above average today and Wednesday.
LAPD Releases Body Cam Footage of Shooting That Killed Suspect, 14-Year-Old Girl
(Los Angeles, CA) — The Los Angeles Police Department has released body camera video of last week’s shooting that left a suspect and a 14-year-old girl dead inside a department store in North Hollywood. The video shows an officer with a rifle standing near a bloodied woman in a store aisle and firing several shots at the suspect, who’s standing just a few feet behind her. The suspect was killed, and one of the bullets went through a dressing room wall, killing the girl who was hiding inside with her mother. Surveillance footage shows the suspect attacking two women inside the store, dragging one by her feet as she tried to escape.
U.S., Russia Set Talks Amid Ukraine Tensions
(Washington, DC) — U.S. and Russian officials are scheduled to hold security talks next month as tensions over Ukraine keep rising. A Biden administration official said late Monday the talks will begin January 10th. A Russia-NATO meeting is set for January 12th and a broader meeting involving the U.S., Russia, and several European nations is scheduled for the 13th. Moscow has sent a list of concessions it wants from Washington. The most contentious is a promise that NATO would give up any military activity in eastern Europe and Ukraine.
Red Cross Facing Nationwide Blood Shortage
(Portland, OR) — The Red Cross is running low on blood and needs donors, especially during the holidays. Everyone who gives blood between now and January 2nd will get a Red Cross long-sleeved T-shirt. During the month of January, donors will be entered for a chance to win a trip to the Super Bowl in Los Angeles. The Red Cross is also giving away a home theater package and a 500-dollar e-gift card.
Powerball Jackpot Balloons To $441 Million
(Phoenix, AZ) — Another Powerball drawing is in the books with no big winner. No player matched all six numbers last night, pushing the jackpot to a whopping 441-million dollars. Taken as a cash payment, that works out to more than 317-million bucks. Your next shot at striking it rich is tomorrow night, with the odds of winning the grand prize approximately one in 292-million.
