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HIGHWAY 91 REMAINS CLOSED

BETWEEN FREDONIA & PRINCETON

KY 91 in Caldwell County was closed Friday afternoon following a semi crash near Bright Hill Road.

The highway was blocked between KY 139 in Princeton and KY 70 in Fredonia. A marked detour was established using KY 139 and KY 70.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet estimated at 2:15 p.m. that cleanup would take an additional two to three hours.

POW/MIA RECOGNITION DAY

MARION, Ky. - Members of Virgil Jones VFW Post 12022 and its Auxiliary joined local officials Friday at Marion City Hall to observe National POW/MIA Recognition Day.

A wreath was presented at City Hall in remembrance of American prisoners of war and those who remain missing in action. National POW/MIA Recognition Day is observed annually on the third Friday in September.

Attending the ceremony in the group photo were, from left, Ron Ledford, Auxiliary trustee; Marion Mayor D’Anna Browning; Sue Ledford, Auxiliary vice president; Tina Jones, Auxiliary guard; Joe Lanham, senior vice commander; Gwen Melton, Auxiliary secretary; Mona Lozen, Auxiliary treasurer; Lynn Goodrich, post commander; Crittenden County Judge-Executive Perry Newcom; and Nancy Lanham, Auxiliary president. 

All property tax rates are now final

 

MARION, Ky. – All of Crittenden County’s 2026 property tax rates are now final.

Marion City Council gave final approval to the city’s rate Thursday night. Crittenden Fiscal Court took no action Thursday on the Lower Tradewater River Watershed District’s proposed rate, but the district’s rate will still be set at 37.097 cents per $100 of assessed value.

Some rates increased, some decreased and others remained unchanged. What does it all mean for your tax bill?

Check out your Crittenden Press for a complete explanation of the final rates and how they affect you.

Mountain lion sightings in sothern Illinois

 

Illinois wildlife officials have confirmed sightings of a mountain lion in southern Illinois following multiple sightings in Union and Jackson counties along the Mississippi River.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources said the sightings are believed to involve the same animal in each situation.

Mountain lions are rare visitors to Illinois. IDNR said this is the 12th confirmed mountain lion in the state since 2002. Previous confirmed animals have generally been 2- to 3-year-old males, with DNA analysis indicating they dispersed from western populations, likely in Nebraska and the Dakotas.

If the current animal followed a similar path, it would have traveled hundreds of miles before reaching southern Illinois.

IDNR advises anyone who encounters the mountain lion to leave it alone and not approach it. Sightings can be reported to wildlife biologists through the Wildlife Illinois website. 

Colorado woman injured in 641 crash

A Colorado woman was flown to a Nashville-area hospital with life-threatening injuries following a single-vehicle crash on U.S. 641 between Eddyville and Fredonia

Emergency personnel were called to the scene near Coleman-Doles Road around 8:52 p.m. Sept. 16. Deputies found an overturned, heavily damaged vehicle but no occupant inside. A search of a nearby cornfield located the unresponsive driver, who had been ejected a considerable distance from the vehicle.

A preliminary investigation found that a 2007 Jeep Commander driven south by Ashley M. Meads-Lemon, 38, of Greeley, Colorado, failed to negotiate a curve. The vehicle struck a mailbox, continued off the roadway and hit a concrete culvert headwall before overturning.

Investigators believe speed and alcohol contributed to the crash.

U.S. 641 was closed for about 90 minutes. The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office, Kentucky State Police, Lyon County EMS, Eddyville Fire Department and Air Evac responded.

Deputy Luke Fraley is leading the investigation.

Hayes resigns effective end of month

MARION, Ky. – Crittenden County Jailer Athena Hayes announced her resignation during Thursday night’s Crittenden County Fiscal Court meeting.

Hayes’ resignation will be effective Sept. 30, ending her tenure about three months before completion of the four-year term to which she was elected in 2022. 

Hayes was elected jailer in November 2022 and took office in January 2023.

She had sought a second term, but was defeated by former jailer Robbie Kirk in the May Republican primary. Hayes and Kirk were the two Republican candidates who filed for the office and there is no Democratic opposition in the Nov. 3 election. 

Her resignation will create a vacancy in the county office for the remainder of the current term. 

Hayes said she did not want to comment further.

Under Kentucky law, the county judge-executive appoints the person who fills a vacancy in the office of jailer. 

No announcement has been made about an appointment. 

 

Gov. Beshear's update singles out local water district

Crittenden-Livingston Water District was featured today during Gov. Andy Beshear’s Team Kentucky Update, which was produced live on YouTube and across other social media.

The district has received a grant to install a filtration system designed to remove PFAS – a group of long-lasting chemicals – from the public water supply.

District Superintendent Abby Adamson, who was interviewed for the segment, credited the Kentucky Division of Water with helping the district develop the project.

The Crittenden-Livingston segment begins about 23 minutes into the Sept. 17 update, which can be viewed at The Press Online. 

The filtration system is part of a more than $60 million expansion and improvement project at the water district. 

Free Dump Days in Livingston County

Livingston County will offer free dump days Oct. 15-17 at the county transfer station on Cutoff Road. The facility will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Tires will not be accepted.

THURSDAY | LOCAL newsCAST

 

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Chamber Lunch & Learn | Topic is Housing

Help lay the foundation for Crittenden County’s future!

Join the Chamber of Commerce for a Housing Lunch & Learn at noon Tuesday, Sept. 22, at Rocket Arena.

Housing affects more than where we live. It influences our workforce, supports local businesses and plays a critical role in our community’s ability to grow.

For just $15, you can join this important conversation, learn more about local housing needs and help shape the future of Crittenden County.

🎟️ Tickets are $15. Register here:
https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/crittencocofc/laying-the-foundation-lunch-and-learn

We hope to see a strong turnout from Chamber members and others invested in our community’s future!

CRH has plenty of vegetables remaining

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Cumberland River Homes'S VEGGETABLE STAND is open from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesdays and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays.

Delivery orders should be emailed to jwring@crh111.org. Orders should be placed early to help ensure same-day delivery. Customers may also email questions about products or delivery areas.

Donations to support Cumberland River Homes may be made at www.cumberlandriverhomes.org or mailed to Cumberland River Homes, 111 N. Hayden Ave., Salem, KY 42078. Supporters may also help by following the organization on Facebook and sharing its posts.

Lyon student charged in shooting threat

A 15-year-old student was detained Friday after allegedly threatening to bring a gun to Lyon County High School and shoot people indiscriminately, according to the Lyon County Sheriff’s Department.

School district personnel notified school resource officers of the reported threat around 12:30 p.m. Sept. 11 after a principal received information about statements allegedly made by a student.

SRO Deputy Jason Young interviewed multiple witnesses and identified the student believed to have made the threats. Following consultation with the Lyon County Attorney’s Office, the juvenile, who lives in Princeton, was charged with second-degree terroristic threatening, a Class D felony.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Sheriff Brent White praised students who immediately reported the statements to adults. He said communication among students, school administrators and resource officers was critical to gathering evidence before anyone was harmed.

C-PLANT | MONDAY NewsCAST

 

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The Sykes Reading Garden is

discussed on this morning's program

Could spar mining return to the area?

Spar and other rare minerals on display inside
the Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum in Marion

Could fluorspar mining return to the immediate area, bringing dozens of highly skilled, six-figure jobs with it?

CleanTech Vanadium Mining is moving ahead with plans to revive the region’s historic mining industry. Permitting is underway, construction could begin within a year and production may start as early as 2028 or 2029.

In an article published Sept. 10 in The Press full edition, correspondent David R. Drennan explains why CleanTech CEO John Lee says the company has “redoubled” its commitment to the Campbell Crotser project – and what renewed mining could mean for the area.

Read the full story from The Crittenden Press. Subscribe to today!

Crittenden is getting smaller slice of state road aid

In case you missed it... this article appeared in The Crittenden Press full edition the last week of August. It is still meaningful today. Subscribe to The Press and stay up to date on important articles like this one.

MARION, Ky. – Crittenden County is getting a smaller slice of state road money it can use on its own county roads, continuing a three-year decline that local officials say is making it increasingly difficult to keep up with paving needs. Other nearby counties are feeling the same pinch.

Crittenden County is slated to receive $138,087 in Rural Secondary Flex Funds for the 2026-27 fiscal year. That's down from about $180,000 last year and $226,000 two years ago – a decline of nearly $88,000, or 39%, in two years.

“So the trend is less and less and less and cut and cut and cut,” Judge-Executive Perry Newcom said. “I see a point where we get no flex fund money.”

Newcom's comments came during last month's fiscal court meeting when Kentucky Transportation Cabinet officials submitted the county's annual Rural Secondary Road Program recommendations.

The way the program works can be confusing because the money serves both state and county roads.

Kentucky sets aside a portion of state motor-fuels tax revenue for its Rural Secondary Road Program. That

money is divided among counties using a formula based on rural population, road mileage, land area and an equal share for each of Kentucky's 120 counties. However, the Rural Secondary allocation remains under the control of the Transportation Cabinet and is primarily used to maintain and improve state-maintained rural secondary highways, according to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s website.

That's where Flex Funds come in.

Each year, KYTC determines how much of a county's Rural Secondary allocation can be “flexed” away

THURSDAY C-PLANT NEWscast

 

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Today we visit with Leslea Barnes, Extension Agent

and get a full wrapup of a busy 4-H season

Boil water issued after contractor damages main

Crittenden-Livingston Water District has issued a boil water advisory for customers along Ky. 855 North from the intersection of Allie Brown Road to 3396 Ky. 855 North.

The advisory includes Allie Brown, Emmaus Church, Kirk Bluff South, Wring Grimes and Tyner roads.

A contractor struck a water main in the same area that was under an advisory last week. Customers should boil water used for drinking or cooking until the advisory is lifted.

Bridge open on 654 near Mattoon

MARION, Ky. – Highway KY 654 in Crittenden County reopened this morning following replacement of the bridge over Mattoon Creek.

The road had been closed since early June at mile point 4.18, southeast of U.S. 60 at Mattoon. Motorists should use caution because the new bridge deck and approaches remain compacted gravel.

Paving will be scheduled later and will require another temporary closure.

The $485,000 project serves a section of highway traveled by about 188 vehicles daily.

Railway crash being investigated

PRINCETON, Ky. – A Paducah and Louisville Railway train struck a trailer loaded with scrap metal that had been abandoned on the tracks east of Princeton late Tuesday, according to Caldwell County Sheriff Don Weedman.

The eastbound train was approaching the Jones Keeney Road crossing near Claxton about 10:32 p.m. when the engineer saw the obstruction and attempted to stop. No injuries were reported.

Railroad personnel and sheriff’s deputies cleared the tracks and roadway. Deputy Anthony Brown is investigating. Anyone with information may call the sheriff’s office at 270-365-2088 or Chief Deputy Stacey Blackburn at 270-963-0911.