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| A brand new fawn crossed the road this morning in Crittenden County. |
This is why the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources recommends leaving young animals undisturbed.
"This time of year, anyone spending time outdoors has the chance of accidentally stumbling upon baby animals," said Ben Robinson, assistant director of the department's Wildlife Division. "The parents will often leave their young unattended, but they usually aren't too far away."
Late spring, the peak of deer fawning season, also brings an influx of calls to Kentucky Fish and Wildlife from well-intentioned people concerned about seemingly abandoned young wildlife.
"The best thing to do is leave them alone, even if they look abandoned. Chances are, they're just fine," Robinson said. "The mother will be watching and listening from a distance."
Deer fawns are carefully groomed by their mothers to minimize their scent and therefore reduce vulnerability to predators. They survive by spending much of their time motionless and bedded down
Meals will be provided each Monday in June, starting on June 6.
The packages will include five breakfasts and five lunches.
Pickup points are behind Crittenden County Elementary School from 10:30 a.m., to noon; Farmers Market 10:30 to 10:50 a.m., Shady Grove Fire Department 11:20 to 11:40 a.m., Williams’ Mobile Home Park 10:30 to 10:50 a.m., Mattoon Fire Department 11:20 to 11:40 a.m., Tolu Fire Department 10:30 a.m., to 10:50 a.m., and Caldwell Springs Fire Departmetn 11:20 to 11:40 a.m., each Monday in June.
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A near capacity crowd at Rocket Arena watched commencement for nearly 80 graduates.
Eleven valedictorians spoke as did Principal Dr. Melissa Quertermous and Superintendent Vince Clark.
See The Crittenden Press's comprehensive coverage of the Class of 2022's graduation ceremonies in next week's full edition.
Pictured are graduates enjoying the customary "cap toss" at the end of Friday's ceremony.
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| Rep. James Comer talks with WPSD-TV and local leaders during his visit Thursday. |
Lake George, Marion’s source of raw water which is treated at the nearby plant before being piped to customers, has been drained because of a fault in the levee. While Marion has another smaller source of raw water at Old City Lake, and an option to buy some of its drinking water from the county water district, the city must find a longterm solution for raw water.
Comer said he will personally assist Marion’s appeal to the Delta Regional Authority for funding to cover an initial engineering study to see which of more than one dozen options is most viable. That cost could reach around $1 million.
Marion City Administration Adam Ledford was among local leaders that met today with Comer. Ledford told the Republican congressman that Marion residents are looking for answers right now and the city needs financial help to develop a plan.
Ledford said no matter what course of action is taken, a solution is years away.
Meantime, the city has issued a conserve water order.
Staring next month, Marion will not have any guarantees of assistance from the Crittenden-Livingston Water District as a backup water source. The county system typically uses all of its 2-million-gallons-per-day capacity to serve roughly 10,000 customers three counties during summer months.
Marion has less than one month's supply of raw water on hand at Old City Lake. An unseasonably dry summer could create a more immediate crisis for the townspeople.
Until Marion comes up with a $1 million to develop a plan that will meet Division of Water standards, the ball is in Mother Nature's court.
Marion has multiple options on the table for a lon
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| Lake George is almost empty. |
The congressman will meet with local leaders at the courthouse at 2 p.m., then drive out to the lake, which is now virtually dry.
The lake was emptied recently due to a leak in the levee. It is a source of Marion’s raw water, which is treated at the nearby plant and distributed as potable water to customers.
A contractor will begin the installation of a new turn lane Tuesday, May 31 for the Caldwell County Primary School in Caldwell County on KY 91. This work area is between the high school and parkway.
The project is expected to be complete in October.
Motorists are encouraged to reduce their speed and be aware of the work zone.
Each May since 1931, colleges and universities from Kentucky select one representative to participate in the Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival which is held Memorial Day weekend. The winner gets a $5,000 scholarship.
During the coronation ceremony, each candidate is expected to perform an original, elaborate 15-second curtsey to the current Kentucky governor, who later crowns the queen.
Keller is a Crittenden County High School graduate and a distance runner on her college track team.
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has reduced the load limit on a bridge along KY 654 in Crittenden County.
The bridge is one-tenth of a mile southeast of Mattoon new the River Region office. It is now restricted to a 13-ton maximum load limit. The bridge crosses Mattoon Creek.
The restricted load limit came after an inspection of the bridge found deterioration of the bridge substructure.
Truckers and farmers are asked to take note of this 13-ton load limit and avoid crossing the restricted structure with loads that exceed that limit. The load limit is posted on signage at each end of the bridge.
KYTC District 1 engineers will evaluate the bridge to determine if it can be repaired or should be replaced.
All Kentucky bridges get a detailed safety inspection every two years with long-span river and lake bridges getting an extra walk-through safety check annually. Bridges that have reduced load limits posted are also subject to more frequent inspections.
Livingston is one of the Kentucky counties selected randomly for a post-primary election audit, according to Attorney General Daniel Cameron.
Consistent with state law, 12 randomly-selected Kentucky counties will undergo a 2022 post-primary audit. The audits will be conducted by the Attorney General’s Department of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Nicholas, Monroe, Graves, Metcalfe, Jackson, Hopkins, Pendleton, Boyd, Madison, Powell, Rockcastle, and Grayson Counties to determine if any irregularities took place during the 2022 primary election.
“Post-election audits are an important part of our efforts to protect the integrity of Kentucky’s elections and to ensure our elections remain free and fair,” said Attorney General Cameron. “Our Department of Criminal Investigations works closely with county clerks and their staff to conduct the audit in each county, and we appreciate their partnership in this process.”
During the 2022 legislative session, the General Assembly passed Senate Bill 216, which amended KRS 15.243 to expand the Attorney General's independent inquiry of potential election irregularities from not fewer than five percent of Kentucky counties to not fewer than 12 counties. Today, these twelve counties were randomly selected in a public forum within twenty days of the 2022 primary election, as the statute requires.
State law prohibits counties from being audited in two consecutive elections. Counties audited following the 2020 General Election were not eligible for today's drawing and include: Fleming, Hickman, Lawrence, Livingston, Anderson, and Boone. The post-election audits conducted by DCI in each of these counties did not uncover any criminal conduct.
After completing independent investigations in each of the 12 counties drawn today, DCI and the Attorney General’s Office of Special Prosecutions will present their findings to the grand jury and chief circuit judge of each audited county.
Today’s public drawing was live-streamed and can be viewed on the Attorney General’s YouTube Channel.
The Attorney General’s office monitors potential election law violations throughout the year through the Election Fraud Hotline. Hotline complaints related to the May 2022 primary election can be viewed by visiting ag.ky.gov/Election-Hotline-Updates. If you suspect election fraud, report the incident to the hotline by calling 1-800-328-VOTE.
Kentucky Utilities was at the scene.
KU's website indicates that the power line problem in Marion is one of six issues it's working on right now due to the storm. About 1,000 KU customers in the area are without power and that the outages could last until about 7:30pm.
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A Kite Flying Contest will be held Saturday at Marion-Crittenden County Airport.
Free kites will be provided to the first 20 participants.
The event begins at 8 a.m., and is designed for youth ages 7-17.
There will are prizes offered.
Find More Details in the May 19, 2022 edition of The Crittenden Press
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| Some sights from the courthouse Tuesday as results from the county's primary election were read by Judge Newcom   |
FINAL TOTALS FROM TUESDAY, MAY 17 PRIMARY ELECTION
CRITTENDEN COUNTY, KY
United States Senator - Republican
Arnold Blankenship 57
Dr. Valerie Fredrick 49
Paul V. Hamilton 46
Rand Paul 1,464
John Schiess 18
Tami L. Stainfield 40
State House of Representatives Dist. 12 - Republican
Lynn Bechler 1,198
Jim Gooch Jr. 489
Crittenden County PVA - Republican
Todd Perryman 952
Jason Champion 194
Misty Dalton Hicks 596
Crittenden County Clerk - Republican
Daryl K. Tabor 1,024
Ashley Guess Smith 222
Belinda Williams 492
Crittenden County Sheriff - Republican
George Foster 71
Ray Agent 416
Evan Head 570
Heath Martin 310
Chuck Hoover 387
Crittenden County Jailer - Republican
Athena Perry-Hayes 1,130
Tony Harper 262
Michael A. Puckett 262
Crittenden County Magistrate District 2 - Republican
Daniel Kemper 102
Matt Watson 94
Matt Grimes 184
Crittenden County Constable District 2 - Republican
Jamie Davis 156
Jimbo Dalton 183
Crittenden County Magistrate District 3 - Republican
Willard Guill 119
Robert Kirby 142
Crittenden County Magistrate District 5 - Republican
Dale Willingham 97
Greg Rushing 108
Travis Perryman 146
Crittenden County Magistrate District 6 - Republican
Van Hunt 80
Jeff James 30
Scott L. Belt 110
Bob Rowley 76
United States Senator - Democrat
Joshua W. Blanton Sr. 64
Charles Booker 200
Ruth Gao 29
John Merrill 47
We are planning live coverage on our electronic platforms, including YouTube and Facebook, as well as followup coverage on our website and in this week’s full edition of The Crittenden Press. Tonight’s election coverage is presented by H&H Home and Hardware in Marion.
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel below to be notified when we go live. It's free!
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The Woodlands Nature Station is home to the only captive breeding pair in Kentucky and has been involved with the Red Wolf Recovery Program since 1991.
Jasper, the 75-pound male, defied the odds as he was widely considered too old to successfully breed at 13 years of age. However, Jasper’s genes are considered the seventh most valuable of all male red wolves alive, making this litter an especially welcome surprise for red wolf recovery efforts. Ember, the four-year-old female and first-time mother, gave birth to five pups: three males and two females. One male did not survive. The remaining four pups, dubbed the “Fantastic Four” by the Nature Station
Kentucky State Police will participate in the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s annual International Roadcheck enforcement program from May 17-19. This 72-hour enforcement blitz occurs in the U.S., Canada and Mexico to ensure commercial motor vehicles and drivers comply with regulations.
“We want every vehicle on our roadways to be in proper working order for the safety of the driver operating that vehicle and everyone traveling on our roadways,” said CVSA President Capt. John Broers with the South Dakota Highway Patrol.
Inspectors will be looking for critical vehicle inspection item violations outlined in the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria. If a violation is found, the vehicle will be placed out of service and will not be able to operate on the road until the identified issue is corrected.
Each year, CVSA focuses on a specific aspect of roadside inspection during International Roadcheck. This year, the focus is on wheel ends. Wheel end components support the heavy loads carried by commercial motor vehicles, maintain stability and control, and are critical for braking. According to CVSA, wheel end components account for about one vehicle out-of-service violations during International Roadcheck, and past data consistently shows wheel ends as a top 10 violation.
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| Daniel Newcom of the Salem Fire Department pulled a large- mouth bass from Lake George. |
Adam Martin, sport fish biologist with KDFWR, has been monitoring the situation and staying in touch with local leaders about the affects the draw-down of the lake will have on aquatic creatures.
Because the water that’s leaving Lake George is flowing into Old City Lake, many of the fish are being somewhat naturally relocated. Martin said some will certainly go through Old City Lake at its spillway and be farther relocated via Crooked Creek to the Ohio River. There will be some die off of fish in Lake George, however, even if pockets of water exist once the draw-down is complete.
There has been discussion of relocating fish that might get trapped in pockets of water, particularly mature bass, which stand no chance of surviving a prolonged stay in such quarters. If fish are transplanted to another location it would likely be to ... Read the rest of this article in the May 12, 2022 full edition of The Crittenden Press.
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A contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) plans a work zone lane restriction on KY 135 (Tolu Road) in northern Livingston County starting Monday, May 23.
This work zone is near the 12 mile marker is to allow deck restoration and maintenance work on the Buck Creek Bridgein the Carrsville community about a mile west of the Livingston-Crittenden County Line. The bridge is immediately west of the KY 137 (Bethel Hill Road) intersection.
Motorists should be prepared to encounter one-lane traffic with alternating flow controlled by an automated signal. Some delays are possible during the movement and placement of equipment to facilitate the work. Caution is required where equipment, flaggers, and construction personnel are along the roadway in close proximity to traffic flow.
Approximately 100 vehicles travel this section of KY 13 in a average day.
Harper Construction, LLC, is the prime contractor on this $252,629 bridge deck and maintenance project. The target completion date is June 24.
Technically, some voting started in April with mail-in absentee balloting and last week early voting was held at the courthouse. Through early voting and absentee voting, there have already been 440 ballots completed for the primary election.
Now, traditional voting will be held at local polls from 6 a.m., until 6 p.m., tomorrow, which is Primary Election Day in Kentucky. Some of the poll locations have changed, which will we discuss further into this article.
The state’s primaries are closed, meaning voters from the two major parties can vote for only their own party’s candidates. Independents and third-party voters cannot vote in Kentucky primaries.
Three long-serving office holders are retiring this year – Sheriff Wayne Agent and PVA Ronnie Heady, each with 24 years; County Attorney Rebecca Johnson with 16 years; and Jailer Robbie Kirk, with eight years. Additionally, former County Clerk Carolyn Byford retired mid-term in late 2020 after more than two decades in that office.
“Turnout for primaries is typically low,” said County Clerk Daryl Tabor, “but with familiar names not on the ballot for the first time in more than two decades, our election team is expecting a busy four days of voting … at least from Republicans.”
That’s because Democrats in Crittenden County have little to vote for in this election, with only U.S. Senator on the ballot. Only three Democrats are running for the 20 partisan local offices that will be filled by voting this year, and each are unopposed in their primary, so they do not appear on the May ballot.
Republicans, though, will essentially pick the next county clerk, PVA, and jailer, all of whom will face no Democratic opposition in the November general election in November, though write-ins and third-party
Crittenden County High School Site-Based, Decision-Making Council will meet at 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 17 in the school library
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Copyright 2022 The Crittenden Press
A home invasion call to police Wednesday night led to a candidate for local public office being cited for misdemeanor possession of marijuana.
Ashley Smith, a candidate for county clerk, told officers who went to her home to answer a 911 call that two pipes containing burnt marijuana residue found in the garage were not hers. Police charged Smith with possession of marijuana.
Smith told investigators the pipes belonged to her husband, who was at work out of town.
Her husband, Kyle Smith, told The Press Thursday in a phone call that the drug paraphernalia was indeed his and that he plans to speak with the county prosecutor to take responsibility for the items.
Marion Assistant Police Chief Bobby West and County Deputy George Foster responded to the home late Wednesday night on Depot Street in Marion after Smith’s teenage daughter feared someone was breaking into the house and phoned for help. A residential alarm system had indicated that someone had tried to enter the home. However, police found no evidence of a break in.
Smith, 37, was not home at time, but she arrived soon after police had gotten there and determined that the intrusion was a false alarm.
Investigators told Smith that during their search of the home they smelled burned marijuana in the garage. Smith denied being responsible for it. She told police that she had not smoked marijuana.
Other than denying ownership of the pipes containing marijuana residue, Smith told The Press that she could not speak further about the incident without an attorney’s advice.
The election for county clerk is Tuesday.
Simple possession of marijuana is not an arrestable offense in Kentucky. It is a Class B misdemeanor. Smith was cited to district court and she is scheduled to appear on June 1.
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A contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans a 30-minute closure today followed by one-lane traffic on KY 91 at the northwest edge of Marion in Crittenden County starting around 10:30 a.m.
This temporary closure followed by several hours of one-lane traffic at KY 91 is to allow prep work for opening the New Crooked Creek Bridge. This work zone is at the Marion City Limits just over a half mile north of town.
The contractor anticipates closing the roadway for about a half hour to allow a paint truck to stripe the new pavement while the construction crew finishes out connecting points and guardrail. Motorists are likely to encounter one-lane traffic for several hours while some of the work is completed.
Traffic has been running on a diversion to allow demolition of the old bridge and construction of a new bridge over Crooked Creek. Following the half-hour closure, motorists should be alert for one-lane traffic on the new bridge with alternating flow controlled by flaggers to allow additional finish work and removal of beams from the diversion crossing.
The contractor anticipates having traffic fully moved to the new bridge and returned to near-normal flow by mid-afternoon.
Appropriate caution is required where equipment, flaggers, and construction personnel are along the roadway in close proximity to traffic flow.
This section of KY 91 carries traffic to and from the Cave In Rock Ferry. Approximately 850 vehicles travel this section of KY 91 in an average day.
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There will be a Community Christmas Financial Literacy drive-through event on the Crittenden County High School campus from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., Thursday, May 12.
Resource materials may be picked up in front of the high school / middle school during that one-hour period. This adult skill-building drive-through class counts toward Community Christmas credits.
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Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Crittenden County highway maintenance crew is stockpiling aggregate for channel lining to complete erosion control on some of the slopes along the new U.S. 641 between Marion and Fredonia.
Once sufficient stockpiles of rock are hauled up from Kentucky’s concrete recycling site on I-24, crews will work on the erosion control project as weather allows and when they don't have other projects in need of immediate attention. The large piles of rock can be seen alongside U.S. 641.
First responders were summoned to the scene and AirEvac transported the individual to a regional hospital.
The woman was the only passenger in the car. She is not from Kentucky, according to her driver's license.
No other information was immediately available.
This week we take a look at the magisterial races on the ballot May 17. Absentee voting is underway now, so stay up on who's running and where to vote by reading your local newspaper.
There is much more in this week's Press, including articles on local students recognized for their work, a farmer who's dedicated his life to land conservation, a lawman who's getting a real treat, local sports details and our 10under40 series features a homegrown teacher with a passion for children.
Stay in tune with the real story and get all the facts in The Crittenden Press.
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