Now that the ice has melted, the limbs piled up, we're growing use to our treetops' bur cut and the wind has died down, we at The Crittenden Press Online would like to salute one of the individuals who went above and beyond the call of duty – and goodness knows there were many – during this disaster.
Matthew T. Patton is a Crittenden County native who lives in Pennsylvania. He has maintained a great deal of contact with his homeland. Patton writes a regular column in The Press printed edition called Southern Crittenden News and he also publishes a blog about his hometown of Dycusburg. It can be viewed at http://dycusburg.blogspot.com/. His uncanny ability to stay digitally in touch with western Kentucky was especially useful during the storm-forced power outage.
During the initial phases of the disaster, Patton was our remote correspondent. He kept The Press Online, especially the daily blog, loaded with fresh, accurate information regarding the storm and the community's response. He gathered news and photographs on his own, collected data from various online sources, made phone calls to Crittenden County and answered several from us after we were able to call out and provide him with updated information.
While we in Marion were without Internet service and electricity, Patton kept the news flowing online. The information he provided in those earliest hours of the storm, was among the most detailed and indeed the only information flowing from Crittenden County. It was an invaluable service at a critical time.
So, here's to you Mr. Patton !
A big ole Crittenden County Saaaaalute !
