Lane restrictions on I-24 this week

A Kentucky Transportation Cabinet survey crew is working along I-24 this week through McCracken and Marshall counties. 

 

This survey work will require lane restrictions for both eastbound and westbound traffic near bridges and overpasses along this section of I-24 from the 0.0 mile marker to about the 30 mile marker.

 

The crew is doing survey and engineering work to prepare for milling and paving of the bridge and overpass approaches along I-24 from the Ohio River Bridge to the Tennessee River Bridge. These lane restrictions include an enhanced police presence in the work zone.

 

Motorists should be alert for slowing and merging traffic at these work zones. Motorists should use appropriate caution where equipment, flaggers and survey personnel will be on the roadway in close proximity to traffic flow.

 

Once the survey and engineering work is complete, the milling and paving work at the bridge ends is likely to start sometime in mid-September. 

 

Area Deaths

Ava Ruth Belt, 93, of Marion, died Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009 at Crittenden Hospital. The funeral is Tuesday at Myers Funeral Home.

Johnny Lee Terry Sr., 72, of Henderson, Ky., died Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009, at his home.

Montgomery Vincent Tarter, 74, of Marion died Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009 at Crittenden Hospital.

See Myers Funeral Home Web site for more information on these obituaries.

Area Death: Brantley

Marlene Brantley, 78, of Marion died Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009 at Livingston Hospital in Salem. Funeral services are Saturday at Gilbert Funeral Home in Marion. 

Highway Delays on US 60 in Henderson

As part of ongoing construction along the US 60 Henderson South Y Highway Improvement Project, a contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is planning work that will create daytime delays on Tuesday, September 1, 2009. 

 

Placement of steel on the new Canoe Creek Bridge will require traffic to be restricted to one lane on US 60/South Green Street near the 10 mile marker. The work is being scheduled between approximately 8:30 a.m. and approximately 3:00 p.m., CDT, Tuesday.

 

Placement of a crane in the roadway required to off-load trucks and place 15 steel beams on the bridge will create a bottleneck.  All lanes will have to be closed about 10 to 15 minutes to allow the beams to be safely moved into position and set.

 

Again, this work near the 10 mile marker on US 60/South Green Street will restrict traffic to one lane at the site and force all traffic to halt.  This bottleneck will likely create extended delays of 10 minutes or longer.  Motorists are advised to avoid the area between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., Tuesday, if possible.  Through traffic should consider self-detouring around this work zone via the KY 425 Henderson Bypass and US 41-A during the day Tuesday.

 

Lane restrictions at the site should be removed in time for the afternoon commute.

 

Employees who work in the Henderson South Industrial Area and trucks making deliveries in the area should be aware of the potential for delays and consider accessing manufacturing facilities along the US 60/South Green Street corridor from the KY 425 end of the project.

Silent Auction: Cornhole boards

High school sports fans will have an opportunity to get their hands on specially designed cornhole (bag toss) boards this weekend during the first ever Kentucky National Guard Warrior Bowl.

The custom-made boards depict mascots from all four teams playing in the bowl: Crittenden County, Massac County, Ill., Glasgow and Herrin, Ill.

Boards will be used for open play starting at 4:30 p.m., before each game then will be sold at silent auction to the highest bidder. Sold will be a set of 2 boards and eight bags depicting each team's colors and logo.

Local woman hurt in wreck

A Crittenden County woman escaped serious injury in single-vehicle accident Wednesday afternoon. Heather Cozar, 40, was traveling eastbound on U.S. 60 West when she met an oncoming vehicle on the center line. Cozart told police that she swerved to avoid striking the other vehicle, causing her 1996 Chevrolet Blazer to run off the right shoulder of the highway. Cozart's SUV overturned, ejecting her from a window. She was not wearing a seat belt. The accident happened at 4:47 p.m.

Cozart was transported to Crittenden Hospital by ambulance. She was kept in the hospital overnight for observation, but did not appear to have any serious injuries.

Kentucky State Police Trooper Darron Holliman investigated the accident. The Crittenden County Sheriff's Department assisted at the scene.

Man injured in tractor accident

A Crittenden County man was injured Tuesday morning in a tractor accident at his home.

Ron Dally, 70, was operating a Ford 600 series tractor when it somehow ran over him.

Dally was conscious and alert when ambulance personnel arrived. He was taken to Crittenden Hospital by ambulance.

The tractor and ambulance (partially obscured by the oak tree) can be seen in this photo.

Hall is named for Hatfield

About 80 people attended a dedication ceremony honoring longtime fair chairman Jim Hatfield Monday night.

The Crittenden County Lions Club, which organizes the fair, renamed the exhibition hall after Hatfield, who helped bring back the county fair in the 1970s and was its greatest advocate for many years.

See this week's printed edition of The Crittenden Press for details. This week's issue will be on newsstands after 3 p.m., Wednesday.

 

Marion woman injured in auto accident

A Marion woman was injured in a single-vehicle accident Thursday afternoon on U.S. 60 East about 1.4 miles from town. Shelia K. Fulks, 46, was traveling east in 1997 Mercury Mountaineer at 4:10 p.m., when her vehicle ran off of the right shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle overturned and Fulks was ejected.

The driver was transported by EMS to Crittenden Hospital and later transferred to Deaconness Hospital by helicopter.

                     

Safetran California site announces closure

Safetran Systems, Inc., which has a plant in Marion that is currently expanding, has announced it will be closing a manufacturing facility in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. An article from a newspaper in California spells out details of the closure. Read it, click here. 

While compassionate about those west coast workers losing their employment, local officials are hopeful that some of the 130 jobs will end up in Marion. See this week's printed edition of The Crittenden Press for details.

The Press will be on newsstands today after 3 p.m.

Road closed due to Livingston accident

There is a report of a serious automobile accident on U.S. 60 in Livingston County

The road is closed near the former Ledbetter School. No other details were immediately available.

Photo of recent hail storm

Kathy Omer of Crayne took this photo during the hail and wind storm that did so much damage in the county on Tuesday, Aug. 4.

Local woman injured in wreck

A Crittenden County woman was taken by helicopter to Deaconess Hospital in Evansville Sunday afternoon following a single-vehicle accident on U.S. 60 East. Sara J. Wells, 69, of Marion was seriously injured when her 2002 Ford Station Wagon left the highway for unknown reasons. Wells was eastbound 5.5 miles from Marion when the accident occurred at 1:15 p.m. Her vehicle struck an earthen embankment that caused her vehicle to become airborne.  The Station Wagon came to rest off the roadway in a field.  Wells was transported to Crittenden Hospital by Crittenden County Ambulance and later life-flighted to Evansville.

Dollar General going up in Fredonia

The newest Dollar General store planned for the area is progressing in Fredonia.

The frame of the new store is now up on U.S. 641 just north of Fredonia. The new outlet is less than 10 miles from Marion, where a new store opened on Sturgis Road earlier this year.

The Goodlettsville, Tenn.-based chain has more than 8,400 stores in 35 states and did more than $10.5 billion in business last year.

Check out The Crittenden Press for more details on the Fredonia Dollar General store.

Sports teams scrimmage tonight

The CCHS soccer team has a Blue & White scrimmage game at 6 p.m., tonight at City-County Park. New head coach Andy Walker will introduce players and kick off the fall season.

The CCHS football team scrimmages at Muhlenberg County at 6 p.m., tonight. The game is at Muhlenberg South Middle School.

Unlocked vehicles targeted by burglars

Marion Police Chief Ray O'Neal has issued an advisory asking local residents to keep their vehicles locked and to remove valuables from their cars at night.

There have been a rash of burglaries, mainly from unlocked vehicles. There were five burglaries or attempted burglaries of vehicles in the Greenwood Heights area Tuesday night.

See next week's issue of The Crittenden Press for more details.

Area Death: Orr

Bernadine Orr, 92, died, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009. She was a charter member and oldest living member of Cave Springs General Baptist Church. The funeral is at the church Saturday. Gilbert Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

KDFWR seeks comments

Deer meeting in Paducah

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is holding a series of six public meetings to gather input from hunters, landowners and concerned citizens about deer management in the coming years. People can voice their opinion about season dates, hunting zones and bag limits, the primary ways Kentucky manages its deer herd. The only meeting in the immediate area will be at 6 p.m., Wednesday Aug. 19 at Paducah’s West Kentucky Wildlife Management Area clubhouse at 10535 Ogden Landing Road.

Ledbetter Bridge restrictions this week

TRAFFIC ADVISORY

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans to restrict traffic to one lane on the US 60 Tennessee River Bridge at Ledbetter Thursday and Friday, August 13 & 14, 2009.

This lane restriction is to allow inspectors to use a specialized bucket truck to complete a detailed inspection of the bridge approach spans.

Inspectors plan to be on the bridge deck from approximately 8:00 a.m. to approximately 4:00 p.m., Thursday and Friday.

The US 60 Tennessee River Bridge, also known as the Ledbetter Bridge and the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge, carries approximately 9,000 vehicles between Livingston County and McCracken County in an average day at US 60 mile point 19.718.

Motorists should be alert for equipment, flaggers, and inspection personnel on the bridge deck in close proximity to traffic flow. Delays should be less than 5 minutes.

This inspection work will restrict truck traffic to a maximum 10 ft. load width.

All Kentucky bridges get an arms-length detailed inspection every two years. The KYTC District One Inspection Team is responsible for about 1500 state and county bridges in Kentucky's 12 westernmost counties.

Lightning Strikes Too Close To Home

This home movie was taken by Jared Byford, who lives next door to Fohs Hall on North Walker Street in Marion. The video was taken during the thunderstorm on Tuesday evening Aug. 4, 2009. The segment is 15 seconds long and is repeated immediately following the first clip.

Unemployment rate dips for first time in more than year

U.S. employers throttled back on layoffs in July, cutting just 247,000 jobs, the fewest in a year, the Associated Press reported this morning.

And the unemployment rate dipped to 9.4 percent. It was a better than expected showing that offered a strong signal that the recession is finally ending, the AP said.

The Labor Department's report was better than many analysts were expecting. They were forecasting job losses to slow to around 320,000 and the unemployment rate to tick up to 9.6 percent, from 9.5 percent in June.

If laid-off workers who have given up looking for new jobs or have settled for part-time work are included, the unemployment rate would have been 16.3 percent.

Trick basketball show Aug. 22 at Rocket Arena

An enterataing basketball event featuring the Harlem Globe Travelers will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday Aug. 22 at Rocket Arena. Tickets are $8 in advance at The Crittenden Press or $10 at the door. Click here or more information about the Globe Travelers.

Juggalos arrested in Crittenden County

Three party goers headed for the "Gathering" of so-called Juggalos in Cave In Rock last weekend didn't make it through Crittenden County. The men, all from Pennsylvania, were stopped at 5:30 p.m., last Wednesday in Kentucky State Police road check on Ky. 91 North at the intersection of Ky. 135. Officers found two pounds of pot and other drug paraphernalia in the trunk. All three men were lodged in the Crittenden County Detention Center.

Juggalos are fans of the rap group Insane Clown Posse which is holding a three-day concert at Cave In Rock. This is the third year for the concert at Cave In Rock.

No other arrests of Juggalos have been reported in Crittenden County.

Church activities ramping up

Churches interested in participating in a church softball league on Monday nights, please contact Daniel Brady at Marion Baptist Church or Shawn Stinnett.

Also, Marion Baptist Church will  be having indoor soccer on Tuesday nights from 6:30-8:30 p.m. The walking track and weight room will also be open.

Storm photo from Mott City

Chad and Stephanie Mott, who live in Mott City just south of Crayne. Sent this photo. It is their son's batting cage. Tuesday's storm snaped the 4x4 poles in two and bent the four corner 2-inch metal posts at the bottom. "We had the pitching machine bolted on a piece of concrete slab," Stephanie said.

Storm ravages county, hits Crayne hard

There was widespread damaged and flash flooding reported from the severe thunderstorm that passed through Crittenden County Tuesday evening starting around 6 p.m., and lasting well into the night.

Crayne, in the southern part of the county, was hit especially hard. The Oliver family, that lives on Crayne Cemetery Road, had the roof blown off their home. Roselee Wallace, who lives in the mobile home at the entrance of Crayne Cemetery Road, had her picture window broken out by hale about the size of a baseball and her underpinning was all blown away, according to Brenda Underdown, the county's official weather watcher. Windows were broken out at other homes and vinyl siding ripped off by the strong winds estimated at around 70 mph.

The stop sign by Crayne Cemetery Road was almost bent to the ground by the strong wind.

Flash flooding and downed trees kept highway workers and local authorities busy well into the evening. No serious injuries were reported due to the storm.

Pictured is Roselee Wallace's moble home in Crayne. You can see the the holes in the siding with the pink insulation showing through. The second picture shows broken windows at the house next door.

Send your storm photos to us at thepress@the-press.com.

Chamber meets in special session

The Crittenden County Chamber of Commerce will meet in special session at 8 a.m., Friday at the Marion Tourism and Welcome Center to discuss its budget.

Area Deaths

Sarah H. Davenport, 83, of Marion died Saturday at Crittenden County Convalescent Center.  She was a member of Crooked Creek Baptist Church. The funeral is today at Gilbert Funeral Home.