Cave in Rock Ferry goes to shorter hours

FERRY HOURS 6am to 6pm

Reminder to motorists that Cave In Rock Ferry will shorten its operating hours starting tomorrow, Sunday, July 1.

Area leaders are hopeful this is a temporary adjustment while funding issues are hashed out between the ferry owner and the states of Kentucky and Illinois.

While the ferry will continue to operate seven days a week, hours will be cut in the evenings. Service will begin at 6 a.m., from the Illinois shore and the final departure from the Illinois landing will be 5:40 p.m. The last run from the Kentucky shore will be at 5:50 p.m. This is a reduction of four hours. The service had been running until 10 p.m.

Area Deaths

Former county fire chief Gary Benton Armstrong, 82, of Marion, died Friday. Gilbert Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Patsy Franklin, 83, of Princeton died Wednesday. Morgan's Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Johnna Vic Butler, 56, of Salem died Wednesday. Boyd Funeral Directors is in charge of arrangements.

Holiday Specials at A Cut Above

Sale Starts July 2

SEE OUR NEW EXTENDED

SATURDAY HOURS

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Press closed on 4th, but paper on stands

The Crittenden Press will be closed next Wednesday in observance of our nation’s 242nd birthday, but the newspaper will still be available at newsstands that day as usual. Subscribers should also receive their news in the mail on the same schedule.

Due to the holiday, next week’s issue will be printed 24 hours early; therefore, the deadline for editorial and advertising submissions will be before noon Monday.

New taxes, ferry issues highlight this week's news

This week's printed edition of The Crittenden Press has pounds of information you will not find anywhere else.

You can get a copy at the newspaper office or at any of our local vendors, including grocers, pharmacies and convince centers. You may also subscribe to the full version online for just $2.95. Cick here to get started.

The Cave In Rock Ferry is changing its hours to deal with what the owner says is a finical struggle to keep it open. The Press has all of the latest details on what you can expect over the coming months with regard to the ferry service.

Also on the front page of this week's Press is a detailed article about new Kentucky State Sales Taxes that our citizens will pay at fitness centers, when they hire landscaping, take the dog to the vet and much more. This will affect you starting this weekend.

Plus, a local magistrate is upset about Illegal Roadside Dumping. See what's in store for those who trash Crittenden County.

Look all over the web, or listen to broadcast media, and you still will not find the facts, details and community information loaded in each edition of The Crittenden Press. We've been covering news and sports in this community since the 1800s and over the last three decades we haven't missed a local government meeting or a football game. There's only one way to find out what's really going on, and that's read your Press.

Law firm has position open

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Ferry hours cut, will remain open through September

It looks like operating hours will be shorter; but the Cave In Rock Ferry will remain open beyond July 1.

Ferry owner Lonnie Lewis had cited financial losses last week when he told The Crittenden Press the ferry would be idled, at least temporarily, on July 1 without additional funding.

More stringent government regulations are also complicating matters for the ferry service that operates across the Ohio River between Marion and Cave In Rock, Ill.

Talks over the past few days between state, local and ferry officials appear to have made some progress. Although nothing is in writing, it appears the ferry will continue to operate, but there will be some changes.

Crittenden County Judge-Executive Perry Newcom said late Tuesday afternoon that a short-term agreement should keep the ferry running through September while state transportation officials consider a long-term solution to the owner’s revenue shortfalls. The only problem is that hours will be cut.

See this week's printed edition of The Crittenden Press for details. It will be on sale at newsstands Wednesday.

Princeton, Ky.

Patriotic service is Wednesday

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State offering 3 months to ferry operator

Just ahead of a scheduled meeting Monday with Cave In Rock Ferry officials, Kentucky Department of Transportation announced that it is willing to provide additional funding to keep the ferry going beyond owner Lonnie Lewis’s deadline for closing it without what he calls adequate funding from Kentucky and Illinois.

Lewis has said the ferry will close July 1, at least temporarily, unless additional funding is provided to meet greater costs and government regulations that go into effect next month.

A news release was issued by Kentucky Department of Transportation about an hour and half before a 1pm meeting was to take place in Paducah between area leaders, transportation department officials and the ferry operator. It remains to be seen whether Lewis will accept this offer, which provides more funding for three months – during the busy summer travel season. Lewis was en route to the meeting in Paducah and unavailable for comment. It was not clear whether he was immediately aware of the three-month offer.

Keith Todd, spokesperson for the Kentucky Department of Transportation, said the ferry owner has not agreed to the terms at this time.

Here is the news release issued by Kentucky Department of Transportation: The ferry operator’s self-imposed July 1 deadline does not allow adequate time for necessary funding justifications to be made to the Ohio River Authority and supporting transportation agencies. To ensure the mobility of residents in the area while a further evaluation of expenses is conducted, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and Illinois Department of Transportation have offered additional funds to the Ohio River Authority to maintain Cave-In-Rock Ferry operations for the next three months. This allows a more reasonable timeframe to appropriately review the expenses needed to maintain the ferry operations of LRL Inc. (Cave-in-Rock Ferry) while limiting the immediate impact to travelers during the busy summer season.

Area death

Naona Ordway 84, of Calvert City died Friday. Gilbert Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

No movement in ferry impasse

The future of Cave In Rock Ferry remains uncertain after a meeting today via teleconference between the main parties involved negotiations to keep the ferry service open.

The Cave In Rock Ferry operates across the Ohio River between Crittenden County, Ky., and Hardin County, Ill.

The Crittenden Press was not allowed to attend Friday's teleconference despite being told a day earlier by local leaders that our reporter could listen in.

Those who were part of the meeting say nothing has changed. However, another meeting is scheduled for Monday between Coast Guard officials, Kentucky Transportation officials and the ferry operator. Monday's meeting was originally going to be in Paducah, but now it’s going to be held in Cave In Rock at the ferry office.

Some close the negotiations process say a deal to keep the ferry running like it has been for more than 20 years – as a 16-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week service – does not appear likely.

The ferry owner said earlier this week that without additional funding he will close the ferry on July 1 and it will remain closed until he can make changes to meet new U.S. Coast Guard requirements that go into effect next month. Lonnie Lewis, who has owned and operated the ferry since 1994, said on Thursday that rising costs and new federal regulations are driving costs beyond revenue. He's asking for more money from Illinois and Kentucky. The two states have shared the cost of operating the ferry since it reopened as a free service in 1994 after being closed for about a year.

There is little or no chance the ferry can return to a fee-based service because of laws that regulate how Illinois supplements the ferry.

Ferry facing uncertain future amid funding crisis

Unless there’s an increase in funding, some changes are inevitable for the Cave in Rock Ferry.

Ferry franchise owner Lonnie Lewis of Cave in Rock says that after almost 24 years of operating the service across the Ohio River, he’s losing money and cannot continue under the current contract, which he is trying to renegotiate.

Lewis is meeting via teleconference with Kentucky Department of Transportation officials and area leaders Friday afternoon. There will be another meeting with transportation officials and the U.S. Coast Guard on Monday in Paducah.

Lewis said the agreement that keeps the ferry going was renewed recently without an opportunity for him to discuss the financial climate that is currently making his ferry business a losing proposition. Kentucky and Illinois share the expense of operating the ferry, but Kentucky administers the financial records and payments. Each state kicks in about $400,000 a year to keep the ferry going 16 hours a day, 365 days a year, barring high water, wind or other issues that prompt its occasional, temporary closing.

Lewis said new federal mandates coming in July and higher operating expenses are pushing his costs beyond revenue. One new federal regulation will require two deckhands on the rig at all times. Only one has been required since the ferry began operating. But that changes next month.

Hours ahead of Friday’s teleconference, Lewis told The Crittenden Press that the ferry will shut down July 1 if additional funding is not made available. He said closing it, at least temporarily, is necessary to make changes and adapt the way it’s operated. Lewis said it would reopen, but didn’t say exactly when. He did say it would not operate under the same hours. Most likely, the service will be limited to just 10 hours a day, and it might be closed on holidays.

Lewis said Illinois is on board with additional funding, but he’s not sure what Kentucky plans to do.

Keith Todd, spokesman for the Kentucky Department of Highways, said the state does not have an emergency fund per se to increase the ferry’s annual revenue. He said money would have to be diverted from other state sources until next year when the legislature could consider bumping up the ferry’s budget appropriation.

There is very little or no chance that a fee will be charged for riding the ferry, although a toll was required for decades until Lewis purchased the ferry company in 1994 from former operator Tom Patton. Lewis said Illinois has a provision in its agreement that prohibits fees for service because Illinois provides other free ferries across the state. Allowing Cave in Rock Ferry to charge would be discriminatory against citizens of southern Illinois, Lewis explains.

Lewis owns legal rights to operate the service. The franchise was originally issued by the Commonwealth of Virginia, well before Kentucky became a state, Lewis said. Lewis also owns the real estate surrounding the ferry landing on the Kentucky side of the river and the property at the end of Ky. 91 which stops at the river bank.

U.S. 60 milling in Union County starts Monday

A contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will begin milling and paving along a section of U.S. 60 in Union County Monday.

Milling and paving planned along U.S. 60 runs from just north of Union County High School extending eastward through the U.S. 60-Bypass intersection and through downtown Morganfield to the Ky. 359 intersection, a distance of about 3.7 miles.

The contractor has completed upgrade work on sidewalk ramps, as well as other prep work at intersections along the route in Morganfield.

The contractor plans to start milling and paving at the western end of the project area and work eastward along U.S. 60 to Morganfield. Milling is anticipated on Monday and Tuesday, with asphalt paving to follow starting about Wednesday or Thursday, weather permitting. 

The contractor hopes to complete paving by the July 4 holiday. The contractor will then return to the work zone after the holiday to complete should work and other finish activities.

Appropriate caution is required where equipment, flaggers and other personnel are along the roadway in close proximity to traffic flow.

Paving along this section was planned last year, but delayed until major utility work through downtown Morganfield could be completed and the roadway base allowed to settle.

Rogers Group Inc. is the prime contractor on this $748,358 highway improvement project.

Lots happening in summer football workouts

Want to keep up with what's going on in Rocket Sports?

There is only one place to get it all.

From preseason to postseason, on the field and behind the scenes, The Crittenden Press is always there... and always has been.

Our coverage starts with newspaper articles and includes online links to audio, video and photographs. Our popular Podcasts are the place to hear exactly what's on the coach's mind and to hear the players describe Rocket football in their own words.

Click here for a taste of what you will get this football season. To be a sponsor, contact us at (270) 965-3191. Nobody covers Rocket athletes like The Crittenden Press.

Let's listen to what QB Hunter Boone and receiver Ethan Dossett have to say about summer workouts.

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Teen missing from Livingston County

Authorities in Livingston County are asking for the public's assistance in locating a teen who is believed to have run away from home.

Livingston Sheriff's Department says Eric Cloutier, 17, ran away from his foster home near Smithland three weeks ago, on Thursday, June 7, 2018.  

Investigators believe that he may be en route to Michigan where he has relatives.  

Should you have contact with Cloutier or know of his whereabouts, please contact the Livingston County Sheriff's Office at (270) 928-2122.

Patriotic service is Wednesday

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Area deaths

Loretta Lynn Glover, 45, of Marion died June 8 at her home. Gilbert Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Smithland bridge restriction scheduled

A contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans a lane and load width restriction on the U.S. 60 Cumberland River Bridge at Smithland in Livingston County starting Tuesday, June 26, 2018.

The U.S. 60 Cumberland River Bridge at Smithland will be restricted to one lane traffic with an 8-foot maximum load width to allow a detailed inspection of the bridge structure. The load width restriction is required due to the use of an Under Bridge Inspection Vehicle, or UBIV, placed on the bridge deck to allow inspectors to reach all elements of the bridge structure.

This lane and 8-foot load width restriction is expected to be in place on the bridge from approximately 7 a.m. to about 3 p.m. each day through Thursday, June 28.

Appropriate caution is required where equipment, flaggers and inspection personnel are along the roadway in close proximity to traffic flow. Some minor delays are possible during the movement and placement of equipment to facilitate the work.

All Kentucky bridges get a detailed inspection every two years, with long-span lake and river bridges getting an extra walk-through inspection annually.

The U.S. 60 Cumberland River bridge at Smithland, also known as the Lucy Jefferson Lewis Memorial Bridge and the Smithland Bridge, is a 1,817-foot through-truss structure that opened to traffic in 1931. About 5,100 vehicles cross the bridge in an average day.

The 87-year-old U.S. 60 Cumberland River Bridge at Smithland is scheduled to be replaced.  The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is purchasing right-of-way for the site of a new bridge immediately downstream from the existing structure. Plans call for final design of the new bridge to be completed next year with letting of a contract for construction of the new bridge tentatively scheduled in February of 2020. Construction of the new $40 million bridge is expected to take about two years to complete.

Are you ready for some football?

Crittenden County's Rockets are ready for a stellar football season in 2018 and already plans are being made to improve technology and teaching on the sideline during games.

It is surprising what's next for Rocket football in the way of in-game diagnostics and strategy.

You can read about this and get other information, stories and previews about the Rocket football team only in The Crittenden Press, which is available on newsstands now.

What's news this week in Crittenden County...

Don’t report for jury duty and you could face contempt of court charges. Simply ignoring a juror summons is not an appropriate response, Circuit Judge Rene Williams told six local citizens who didn’t show up the last time they were notified for jury duty...

For the full story and the following headlines, pick up a copy of this week's issue of The Crittenden Press:

• Local boys’ musical talents featured on NBC’s ‘Little Big Shots’ next week
• Judge revokes probation of several
• Burglary suspect enters plea of guilty
• Grand jury indicts 1
• Group wants to name PO for James
• PSC: Kenergy’s digital metering accurate
• 2 Illinois escapees have ties to Marion
• Tolu fireworks July 7; Marion restricts use
• Victory Gardens ready to produce
• Council seeks revenue, savings to address needs
• Near record heat continuing
• Bechler on child welfare council
• West’s non-traditional path to teaching equally as rewarding
• Local school district sees abnormally high number retiring
• School district seeking substitutes
• New special education director named
• Rogers Group donates 300 tons of rock to Lions
• Kirby assigned to ministry in Tolu
• SPORTS: Rocket football installing technology adding in-game playback to sideline
• VAUGHT'S VIEWS: UK recruit will not reclassify in Texas
• FORGOTTEN PASSAGES: Marion Post Office celebrates centennial birthday
• Marion native writes about hometown
• Program promotes literacy for youth, teens and adults

Illinois prison escapees have local connections

From left, Justin Bray, Johnny Tipton and Zachery Shock  recently escaped from an Illinois prison. Bray has been apprehended, but the other two remain at large. One possibly has ties to Marion. (WEVV-TV image)

Local authorities say perhaps both of two escapees still on the loose from an Illinois prison have a connection to Crittenden County. It's unclear at this time exactly what type of ties, but police here say they've been notified to be on the lookout.

They say both men should be considered dangerous.

Law enforcement officials here had been searching land and on the Ohio River Tuesday evening.

Click here for more.

Ky. 506 closed Wednesday at 5-mile marker

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans to close a section of Ky. 506 in Crittenden County on Wednesday.

Ky. 506/Piney Fork Road will be closed at mile-point 5.2 to allow a cross drain to be replaced. This is along Ky. 506/Piney Fork Road between the Pleasant Hill Road/Hunt Road intersection and the Weldon Road intersection.

Ky. 506/Piney Fork Road will close at this site at approximately 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday. It is expected to reopen to traffic about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

There will be no marked detour.

Area Deaths

Dorothy Binkley, 89, of Marion died today at her home. Gilbert Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Randel Lee Ramage, 80, of Burna died Sunday at Baptist Health in Paducah. Boyd Funeral Directors and Cremations Services is in charge of arrangements.

No driver testing Friday

There will be no written or road test for perspective drivers in Crittenden County Friday, according to Crittenden Circuit Clerk Melissa Guill.

Area Death

Pauline Brown, 95, of Marion died Sunday. Gilbert Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Call Hometown Chiropractic Today

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Blackburn Church Road closed til tomorrow

Crittenden County Road Department has closed Blackburn Church Road in the rural eastern part of Crittenden County while it makes road repairs.

The road will be closed until 3pm Tuesday near the Piney Creek Bridge.

Savings start early at Hometown Foods

Area Death

Kenneth C. Drennan, 101, of Marion died Saturday. Gilbert Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Hunter Education Course June 30

There will be a KDFWR Hunter Education Course from 8:30 a.m., until 4:30 p.m., on Saturday, June 30 at the Crittenden County Gun Club on Ky. 91 North.

Those who complete this course will receive a Kentucky “Orange” Card, which is required of all hunters born after Jan. 1, 1975.

This is a free class and will be taught by local instructor John Robertson.

Teenage girl missing from Ledbetter

UPDATE: The girl has been found and is reunited with her family.

Kentucky State Police are asking for the public's help in locating a missing juvenile from Livingston County.

Police say Hannah Shafer, 15, was last seen on Wednesday, June 13, 2018 around noon. She was wearing a blue and white tank top, blue jean shorts and flip flops. Shafer had a camo bag packed full of clothes and is possibly traveling in a red Dodge Neon.

Investigators believes she may by in the Madisonville area

The missing girl is described as a white female, 5’6” and 130 lbs., with long brown hair and brown eyes.

KSP Trooper Derek Scott is leading the investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to contact your local law enforcement agency or the Kentucky State Police Post 1 at 270-856-3721 or anonymously at 1-800-222-5555.  Citizens may also report tips anonymously through the KSP app. The app is available for iPhone, iPad and Android applications and can be easily downloaded free of charge through Apple and Google Play stores.

Firemen battling hay fire on Ky. 506

Firefighters from two counties are battling a hay fire on Ky. 506 in the eastern portion of Crittenden County.

With the hot, humid weather and several firemen on the scene, an ambulance has been dispatched to be on standby in case any of them overheat. 

The blaze started about dark Friday night.

Consignment Farm Equipment Auction Tomorrow

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Rocket Youth Football Camp next week

Area Death

Jack Russell Richardson, 77, of Marion, formerly of Albany, Ga., died Wednesday. Gilbert Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Gospel Gathering is Saturday

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What's news this week in Crittenden County...

Diversity, marketing and a new approach to sales will spearhead Par 4 Plastics’ move into the future. Much of that model is already in place, and there’s a series of laundry baskets now being molded at the 28-year-old Marion manufacturing facility. The plastic laundry baskets are being shipped to Walmarts across the country, plus Target, Dollar General, Lowes and other department stores and distribution companies.

For the full story and the following headlines, as well as our five-page care car and summer travel guide, pick up a copy of this week's issue of The Crittenden Press:

• Belize teaching trip invaluable for Collins
• CCHS student seriously injured in crash
• Livingston teen charged with killing Boaz girl, 15
• 3 free summer lunch sites for kids shifted
• Quertermous named new CCHS assistant principal
• Townsend offering reward in case of truck vandalism
• Magistrates appoint Kirby to county tax appeal board
• KyTC disburses money to fix Axel Creek Road
• Arena video boards benefit CCHS curriculum
• SPORTS: Rockets have weapons to fulfill the preseason hype
• FORGOTTEN PASSAGES: Church steeped in tradition on Hurricane grounds
• Woman’s Club art projects bound for international competition

 
Plus our Summer Road Trip Guide

• Ky.’s best just a day trip away
• Gas prices curbing travel
• Safety key to summer road trip success
• Weekend getaways offer family bonding
• Nothing deflates road trips quite like flat tire
• Performance better with clean air filters
• Numerous factors may impact insurance rates

Complete Lady Rocket Softball Statistics

This spring's Lady Rocket softball team finished the season with a 23-8 record and a district championship.

The club also advanced farther in post-season play than any other fast-pitch team in school history.

See the team's complete season-ending statistics only in this week's printed edition of The Crittenden Press.

The Press is available on newsstands this afternoon.

You may also subscribe to the printed or complete digital version here.

LHHS has job openings

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Area death

James E. Robertson, 90, of Marion died Monday. Gilbert Funeral Home is in charge of arrangement.

All Area Track and Field Team

Here are Crittenden County selections to the Kentucky Track and Cross Country Coaches Association All Area teams: 

Copyright ©
ALL CLASSES - ALL AREA TEAM
CCHS Boys Relay, Second Team, 4x800 Meters
Gavin Davidson, Sawyer Towery, Preston Moregeson, Aaron Lucas

CLASS A ALL AREA TEAM
Kenlee Perryman, First Team, Triple Jump
Kate Keller, First Team, 3200 Meters
Kate Keller, Second Team, 1600 Meters
Jessie Potter, Second Team, 100 Hurdles

CLASS A ALL AREA TEAM
Aaron Lucas, First Team, 1600 Meters
Devon Nesbitt, Second Team, 100 Meters

CLASS A ALL AREA RELAY TEAMS
CCHS Relay, First Team, Boys 4x100 Meters
Eli Moss, Gavin Davidson, Branen Lamey, Devon Nesbitt
CCHS Relay, First Team, Boys 4x800 Relay
Gavin Davidson, Sawyer Towery, Preston Moregeson, Aaron Lucas
CCHS Relay, Second Team, Girls 4x200 Meters
Cortne Curnel, Adyson Faughn, Rhyleigh Tabor, Kenlee Perryman
CCHS Relay, Second Team, Girls 4x100 Meters
Cortne Curnel, Adyson Faughn, Grace Driskill, Jessie Potter
CCHS Relay, Second Team, Girls 4x400 Meters
Cortne Curnel, Jaelyn Duncan, Kenlee Perryman, Grace Driskill

LHHS posts job opening

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Rocket Youth Football Camp

The annual Rocket Youth Football Camp will be June 20-22 from 9 a.m., until 11:30 each day at Rocket Arena.

Cost is $30 and there is a discount for multiple participants from one family.

Registration will be open at 8:30 a.m., before the camp’s first session.

All participants will receive a T shirt and there will be an awards ceremony on the final day.

Farm Equipment Auction Next Saturday

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Area deaths

Billy Joe Rushing, 83, died Thursday. Gilbert Funeral Home in Marion is in charge of arrangements.

Virginia Kirk, 91, of Marion died Wednesday. Myers Funeral Home in Marion is in charge of arrangements.

Ohio River Sweep is tomorrow

The 29th annual Ohio River Sweep cleanup along the river bordering Crittenden County is scheduled for Saturday, June 16 and will reach the entire length of Kentucky.

Communities along the Ohio River unite for a giant cleanup each spring in an effort to improve the condition of the riverbank and overall water quality. Trash and debris will be cleaned up. There are organized efforts in various communities. The closest one is Paducah.

Volunteers can meet at the riverfront at 8 a.m., in Paducah on Saturday to join. A T-shirt and lunch will be provided.

Although unorganized here, Crittenden Countians can do their part along any portion of the riverbank.

Hurricane Camp is next week

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Firemen fighting hay fire near Marion

A barn full of hay caught fire about 8am this morning and local firefighters from multiple agencies were busy trying to save nearby equipment and deal with a power line that burned in two and fell on the ground.

The fire was on Bridwell Loop just past Veteran's Park.

A large plume of smoke could be seen rising above town, which is just blocks away.

Emergency responders were having trouble with curiosity seekers driving by and getting in the way of firemen responding to the scene. They ask that everyone please avoid the area.

According to county records, the barn belongs to Jarrod and Jason Singleton.

What's news this week in Crittenden County...

For Dayton Simpkins, the Boy Scouts of America has been more than a motto, a sash dotted by merit badges or a weekly meeting with other young men dressed similarly in brown uniforms taut with the organization’s signature neckerchief. For this just-graduated, college-bound 18-year-old, Scouting has whisked his spirit and saved his soul. Over the past six years, it has provided him with an emotional lift...

For the full story you cannot find anywhere else and the stories behind the following headlines, pick up a copy of this week's issue of The Crittenden Press:

• Early summer: 2018 hottest May on record in Ky.
• City sewer fee bump starts with July billing
• ‘Guy at the park’ spends mail delivery layovers in Marion
• Local copperhead strike typical of species
• Diversion road for U.S. 641 work ready
• Road work may disrupt traffic flow
• Economic development group hires 1st director
• Marion’s first butcher shop in decades open six days
• Auxiliary, chaplains honored at Crittenden Hospital
• Park vandals charged
• Summers latest Governor’s Scholar
• SPORTS: Softball proud despite loss in region semifinals vs. Caldwell
• PASTOR'S PEN: School shootings may be rooted in spiritual void
• FORGOTTEN PASSAGES: Hurricane Camp’s tradition dates back to 1888

Area death

James T. "Bud" Allen, 85, of the Mexico community died Tuesday. Gilbert Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Fishtrap Road will be closed rest of week

Fishtrap Road in northern Crittenden County will be closed to through traffic the rest of this week while the Crittenden County Road Department makes repairs.

Road Supervisor Audi Meraman said crews will be doing a major base repair on a section of the road near where it intersects with White Road.

Traffic will need to self detour around the work area.

Copperhead snakes are on the crawl

You won't hear about this one on the airwaves, but you will have to wait until The Press comes out this week to read about it.

A local woman ran afoul of this copperhead snake on her lawn a few days ago in rural Crittenden County.

Read about it in this week's Crittenden Press printed edition, your reliable and consistent source of information in Marion and Crittenden County since before your grandparents were born.

You can get The Press at local retail stores such as groceries, convenience centers or pharmacies. Or, just subscribe here. By subscribing, you can help make sure stories like this keep getting published.

No driver's license testing this week

Due to a shortage of licensed testing agents, there will be no written or on-the-road driver's license testing at Crittenden County Courthouses on Friday.

Area death

Helen Ruth Clark Hughes, 88, of Carrsville died Sunday. Boyd Funeral Directors and Cremation Service in Salem is in charge of arrangements.

Benefit yard sale this weekend

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Special city council meeting Monday

Marion City Council will convene for a special meeting at 5 p.m. Monday. On the agenda is a final vote on a 70 percent increase in the environmental assessment on city water/sewer bills and authorization for the city to pursue a grant from the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security for potential upgrades to the E-911 dispatch system.

Area Death

Georgia Voncille Hoover, 73, of Marion died Tuesday at her daughter’s home in Kennesaw, Ga. Myers Funeral Home in Marion is in charge of arrangements.

Hospital has job openings

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PODCAST: Lady Rockets fall in 2nd Region Semifinal

Crittenden County jumped out 2-0 early before falling 7-2 Friday to Caldwell County in the Second Region Girls' Softball Tournament at Hopkins Central.

The Lady Rockets earned their first ever regional victory on Monday, beating Hopkinsville, and was one win away from the regional championship game before falling Friday.

Liston here to Post-Game Podcast with Coach Stephen Smith. 

REGIONAL TOURNAMENT COVERAGE

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Relay tonight at Marion-Crittenden County Park

Crittenden County Relay for Life kicks off at 6 p.m. tonight at Marion-Crittenden County Park.

The annual fundraising event for the American Cancer Society will take place at the competition oval and run until midnight.

Cancer survivors are asked to arrive at 5:30 p.m. for registration for introduction and activities like the Survivor's Lap at 6 p.m., which is part of the opening ceremonies. Following shortly after will be the caregiver and team laps.

A live auction begins at 7 p.m., and the lip sync battle starts at 7:30 p.m.

The luminary ceremony is at 9 p.m.

There will be a variety of foods for concessions, including lemon shake-ups and desserts.

Natalie Parish, one of the organizers, said rain will not cancel Relay or move it inside. Only severe weather would force a change in plans, she added. There will, however, be a tent set up for survivors.

This year's fundraising goal is $37,000.

Hurricane Camp Meeting starts June 11

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Gem, Minerals, Fossil, Jewelry Show this Weekend

The 13th annual Ben E. Clement Gem, Mineral, Fossil and Jewelry Show will be Saturday and Sunday at Fohs Hall in Marion.

The event starts at 9 a.m. each day, running until 5 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday.

There will be children’s activities, and a jewelry beading class will take place at 2 p.m. each day.

There will also be hourly door prizes, a silent auction, museum tours and lots of vendor tables.

Crosswalk Learning Center summer fun on way

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