Due to continued icy roads making travel hazardous, Crittenden County Schools will be closed Wednesday, Feb. 1.
This will be another NTI day, with elementary and middle school students completing Day 4 of their packets. High school students should complete work assigned by their teachers or on Google classroom.
Teachers at all schools are available by email for assistance.
Alben Barkley II, namesake of former United States Vice President Alben Barkley, died Monday, Jan. 30 at the Western Kentucky Veterans Center at Hanson, Ky.
Barkley, 78, served as Commissioner of Agriculture in Kentucky during the early 1980s and ran an unsuccessful campaign for lieutenant governor of Kentucky in 1983. A sexual harassment scandal ended his political aspirations and he spent the latter years of his life on a farm near Sheridan in rural northwest Crittenden County, tending to livestock and a handful of rental properties he owned and managed.
Barkley's grandfather, who was from Paducah, was a longtime United States Senator, and also served as vice president to Harry S. Truman from 1949 to 1953. The elder Barkley died in 1956 and is buried at Mount Kenton Cemetery in Paducah.
Gilbert Funeral Home in Marion is in charge of arrangements, which are incomplete at this time.
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A number of public offices are closed today, including the Circuit Clerk, County Clerk and PVA in the Crittenden County Courthouse.
Marion City Hall is closed today.
The Crittenden County Convenience Center and Animal Shelter are closed, along with the Crittenden County Public Library.
At the courthouse, doors will open at 10 a.m.,. once ice and snow are removed from the sidewalks and steps. However, most offices remain closed.
Reports are that roads are slick, particularly where plows have already wiped down to ice. The county road department is going to begin salting now to fight the ice.
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) District 1 Snow and Ice Team reports accumulations of ice across Kentucky's 12 westernmost counties have created hazardous driving conditions in the region. KYTC engineers continue to urge drivers to limit their travel.
A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect until 9 a.m. Several rounds of a wintry mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain and freezing drizzle overnight have made walking and driving difficult on untreated surfaces.
Students will need to refer to their Non-Traditional Instruction plan for assignments on Tuesday.
Awards were presented Jan. 28 during the annual Kentucky Press Association convention in Lexington.
Press publisher Chris Evans was a presenter at the convention, sharing information about The Press’ strong online presence and ideas for other newspapers to increase their digital presence.
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| Crittenden road crews were out today spraying pre-treatment brine. |
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a winter weather advisory from 3 p.m., today, through 9 a.m., Tuesday.
A wintry mix of sleet and snow is expected to move across the region with up to 2/10ths of an inch of ice accumulation. While not on a scale of the ice storm of 2009, this system has the potential to impact traffic.
KYTC District 1 Crews plan to pre-treat highways starting this morning. The storm timeline will not allow all roadways to be treated. Crews will mainly concentrate on "A" Snow Priority Routes which include Interstates, parkways, and other 4-lane highways, as well as some 2-lane U.S. Highways. An effort will be made to pre-treat bridges and overpasses on "B" and "C" Snow Priority Routes if time allows.
Motorists should be alert for slow moving tanker trucks spraying brine on roadways. The District 1 Supertanker will be on Interstate 24 and Interstate 69. While it moves at regular traffic speed, motorists should still use appropriate caution.
Some KYTC District 1 personnel will be sent home this morning with plans to return as needed during the late afternoon hours. This will make a maximum number of trucks available to spread salt as the winter mix moves through during the evening and overnight hours.
KYTC engineers urge motorists to evaluate their plans for Monday night and Tuesday morning to avoid unnecessary travel.
As they accumulate, freezing rain and sleet will likely reduce the effectiveness of salt and other ice-fighting chemicals.
Crittenden County Fiscal Court will meet in special session at 8:30 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 2 at the courthouse.
Magistrates will be convening in order to hear a report from the Crittenden County Solid Waste Committee on a recommendation for the community's franchise agreement with one of two garbage collection services that are bidding for the county's business for the next five years.
For the first time, commercial waste collection will be part of the franchise. This agreement will set the fee for residential and commercial trash pick up.
The role of the steamboat in the Underground Railroad will be the topic of discussion during a presentation Feb. 4 at the Crittenden County Public Library.
Richard Parker, author of Wicked Western Kentucky, will present the program at 10 a.m. Parker is a speaker with the Kentucky Humanities Council.
The program will be held in the library meeting room. Coffee and donuts will be provided.
Check out our story in this week's newspaper, plus many other articles and information about this community. The newspaper has some new information on the city's water crisis and historian Brenda Underdown's column goes to Nunn Switch and beyond.
The Crittenden Press is your primary source of news and information for this community. We’re proud to serve our community and we take great pride in bringing you real news, sports reporting and other information that helps you know what’s going on in town and across the county. Help ensure that real reporting continues in this community by subscribing today. You can subscribe online to the full version of the newspaper for only $2.95 a month. Try our new e-Edition newspaper emailed straight to your inbox every Wednesday. Click here to SUBSCRIBE.
Copyright 2023
The Crittenden Press
Crittenden County Republican Party will meet tonight 6 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 26 at the Lions Club building at the fairgrounds.
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GFL, the current provider of trash collection services, is one of the bidders.
In this week's full edition of The Crittenden Press, get the whole story and see how much your bill might go up. Also, see what state law says can and cannot be burned.
The Crittenden Press is your primary source of news and information for this community. We’re proud to serve our community and we take great pride in bringing you real news, sports reporting and other information that helps you know what’s going on in town and across the county. Help ensure that real reporting continues in this community by subscribing today. You can subscribe online to the full version of the newspaper for only $2.95 a month. Try our new e-Edition newspaper emailed straight to your inbox every Wednesday. Click here to SUBSCRIBE.
Copyright 2023
The Crittenden Press
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Space is limited. Advanced registration is required and online registration for this event will open on Jan. 25.
There will be another mobile driver’s licensing opportunity this summer on Aug. 8.
The address to the local site is 200 Industrial Drive, Marion, KY. Go online to register at Drive.Ky.Gov/Driver-Licensing/Pages/Pop-up-Locations-Map.aspx
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| Watch Live |
A bus carrying the team with a police escort will make a loop through town before heading eastward for its eighth appearance in the small-school state tournament where they will open at 8:30pm (CST) Wednesday against Bethlehem.
Tickets for the game are available from Go Fan. A live audio stream of the game is available online for free at this GAME LINK. A webcast can also be viewed online for $14.95 at PrepSpin.
Multiple bus drivers have connections to the basketball program and will be going to Eastern Kentucky University with the team, thereby creating a shortage of drivers here. That has prompted school officials to go ahead cancel school on Wednesday. Plans had already been established to close schools on Thursday.
The Lady Rockets play Bethlehem at 8:30 pm (CST) in Wednesday's opening round of the All A Classic Basketball Tournament. If they win the first-round game, the girls will play at noon on Friday, which could prompt further decisions about wether school will be in session on that day.
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Crittenden County Public Library will be celebrating its 70th anniversary this spring.
A committee planning a program to mark the anniversary has been established by Friends of the Library support group. Monica Wessel will serve as chairperson for the group. Librarian Brandie Ledford will serve as director liaison, and Nancy Lapp and Barb Steele will be committee members.
Stop by the library to learn how to become active in the Friends organization.
Marion-Crittenden County 911 Board will meet at 9 a.m., Jan. 30 at City Hall.
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| Lake George on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023 |
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| Lean what those abbreviations and figures mean on your monthly water/sewer bill. |
With water on everyone's mind in Marion, this week's full edition of The Crittenden Press has broken down some of the numbers that will be professionally examined in the coming days in a formal water study by an outside organization.
Get this week's full edition of The Press for an early look at what the study will be considering and learn how to read your water bill from top to bottom.
The Crittenden Press is your primary source of news and information for this community. We’re proud to serve our community and we take great pride in bringing you real news, sports reporting and other information that helps you know what’s going on in town and across the county. Help ensure that real reporting continues in this community by subscribing today. You can subscribe online to the full version of the newspaper for only $2.95 a month. Try our new e-Edition newspaper emailed straight to your inbox every Wednesday. Click here to subscribe.
Copyright 2023
The Crittenden Press
The Internal Revenue Service’s Free File Guided Tax Preparation service is live and ready for taxpayers to use. Free File went live Jan. 13, 10 days prior to the 2023 filing season start date. The IRS starts accepting individual tax returns on Jan. 23.
IRS Free File marks its 21st filing season this year and is one of many free options available to taxpayers for filing their taxes either online or in person. IRS Free File is offered via a public-private partnership between the IRS and the Free File Inc., formerly the Free File Alliance. Through this partnership, leading tax software providers make their online products available in both English and Spanish for free.
IRS Free File is for any taxpayer or family who earned $73,000 or less in 2022.
Those who make over $73,000 can use the IRS’s Free File Fillable Forms (FFFF), the electronic version of IRS paper forms beginning Jan. 23. This product is best for people comfortable preparing their own taxes.
To find the right IRS Free File product, taxpayers can go to IRS.gov/FreeFile and click on Free Guided Tax Preparation. Then select IRS Free File Online Lookup Tool for help in finding the right product.
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Girls from the team, coaches and supporters will be cooking about 800 pork chops, which will be on sale at the Farmers Market on Main Street in Marion.
There will be no pre-sales, only walk-up purchases.
Additional contributions in support of the trip are being accepted by the booster club.
Crittenden County's girls beat Livingston Central on Saturday to claim their record eighth All A Classic Second Region championship. They will play No. 17 Bethlehem in the first round of the state tournament next Wednesday at Richmond.
At around 3:15 p.m. Richard Louis Harper, 45, escaped from the jail wearing a tan jacket emblazoned with the words, "Webster Co Jail" on the back. He was also wearing blue jeans and white shoes.
Harper's direction of travel is unknown at this time.
He is described as a white male with blue eyes and gray hair. He is approximately 6’1" and weighs approximately 185 pounds.
State police are asking the public to be on the lookout for him, and if located, contact KSP Post 2 at 270-676-3313.
Crittenden County Conservation District is seeking persons interested in filling a vacancy on the Board of Supervisors.
Candidates must reside in Crittenden County and a background in agriculture or conservation is preferred.
Call 270-965-3921, ext. 3, or drop by the Conservation District office at 118 E. Bellville St., Marion for more information. Deadline to respond is Jan. 31.
The come-and-go event celebrated Agent’s long career in law enforcement. Agent got his start as a lawman for the City of Marion before he was elected sheriff in 1988. Agent, who retired on Dec. 31, was the longest serving sheriff in county history.
Memorabilia from Agent’s life and career was on display at Saturday's event. Pictured with Agent is former law enforcement colleague Greg Rushing as they looked over photos and items on display.
The tournament was hosted by Marion's Inside Out Archers and attracted 176 shooters and their supporters.
This is the second year for the regional event to be held in Marion. Last year's shoot brought in about 100 archers and turnout was decided lower than normal due to wintry weather in January 2022.
On Feb. 4, the local archery club will host another statewide shoot.
A group of school and community leaders is developing a plan to bring a Veterans Wall to Rocket Arena.
Former U.S. Army Ranger Denis Hodge, who is a longtime teacher and coach at Crittenden County High School, is heading up the committee.
Plans are to create a lasting tribute for veterans who went to school here, grew up in the county or currently reside in the community.
Hodge hopes hundreds of photographs and profiles of local veterans will be submitted once the project is ready to accept entries for the wall.
“The school doesn’t have any type of permanent display to salute our veterans,” Hodge said. “We think this is an appropriate means and location to recognize their service.”
The meeting room in Rocket Arena will have one wall dedicated to the project. Eventually, the committee will solicit donations to fund the program.
Hodge hopes to hang the first photos on the wall by May 1.
Three Crittenden County roads are affected by rising rivers, creeks and streams. Those with water over the road are all in the eastern part of the county and affected by the Tradewater River or its tributaries.
Enon Church Road, Cool Springs Road and Providence Road each have water over them, according to the Crittenden County Road Department.
Ryan McDaniel and Eric LaRue took the oath. Both were unopposed in the November General Election and were re-elected to serve on the school board.
The board of education meets monthly in regular session and also has at least one working session each month.
Other members of the five-person board are Chairman Chris Cook, Bill Asbridge and Tim Grau. Their seats were not open for election in 2022.
Find out what's happening in the school district by reading your local newspaper. We will have coverage from this week's meeting in the upcoming issue.
Police received a call from a Livingston County resident on Dec. 27 reporting that his motorcycle had been stolen. The motorcycle was reportedly stolen from the area of Nelms Lane in Salem between Nov. 27 and Dec. 25.
The motorcycle is described as a 2018 black Harley Davidson Road Glide Special. There was damage to the front faring, front forks, and engine of the motorcycle from a previous collision. The motorcycle has black 12″ Lucky Daves T-Bars, a Screamin’ Eagle heavy breather, a black Saddlemen Step-Up seat with red stitching, and Thunderheader exhaust.
Anyone with information about the theft or whereabouts of this motorcycle is asked to contact KSP Post 1 by calling (270)856-3721. The investigation is ongoing by Trooper Bloodworth
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| Marion City Council filled a vacancy Monday. See this week's newspaper for details. |
From city council to fiscal court, and what's happening with plans for the new courthouse, this week's newspaper will get you caught up on issues the community is facing in the new year.
In sports, the basketball teams opened play in the All A Classic, and there's a big archery event this weekend.
Our county's new senator has a column in The Press, some Dean's lists are out for the fall semester and the school district is working on a remarkable plan to celebrate veterans.
Stay informed by reading the full edition of your community newspaper.
The Crittenden Press is your primary source of news and information for this community. We’re proud to serve our community and we take great pride in bringing you real news, sports reporting and other information that helps you know what’s going on in town and across the county. Help ensure that real reporting continues in this community by subscribing today. You can subscribe online to the full version of the newspaper for only $2.95 a month. Try our new e-Edition newspaper emailed straight to your inbox every Wednesday. Click here to subscribe.
Copyright 2023
The Crittenden Press
This resulted in a manhunt for Luetke that involved multiple law enforcement agencies and lasted several days in and near the Hampton community with Luetke evading capture.
In October of 2022, Warren Luetke was arrested in Clarksville, Tenn., for burglary after shoplifting at a local Walmart. Luetke was then extradited back to Kentucky by the Livingston County Sheriff’s office and initially charged with the theft of the survey equipment and drug charges.
Deputy Beeler continued this investigation which has recently led to several other charges which include the theft of a dump truck, backhoe and pintle hitch trailer from the Livingston County Road Department in 2021. Luetke was also charged with the theft of a side-by-side UTV from an electrical substation in Burna in 2022. Luetke was recently indicted by the Livingston County Grand Jury for these thefts as well as other charges listed below.
The Livingston County Sheriff’s Department is currently working with other agencies in an attempt to recover this property.
Luetke’s charges are as follows: Once count of Receiving Stolen Property $10,000 or more. One count of Trafficking in a controlled substance first degree 1st offense. One count of Possession of Burglary Tools. One count of Theft By Unlawful Taking Over $10,000 or more/ One count of Theft By Unlawful Taking Auto Over $10,000 or more. One county of Criminal Mischief 2nd Degree.
Luetke is lodged in the McCracken County Jail.
“Our best player (Ian Jackson) is getting recruited by coach (John) Calipari. We thought it was an opportunity to play a game and then watch a (Kentucky) game because they are playing that night (against Florida),” said Lods.
“Kids like to travel. Adults do not want to travel but we have gone to Texas, Arizona and Massachusetts to play. Now we’ll be coming to Kentucky. What can I do when your best players want to travel.”
Cardinal Hayes is part of the Grind Session Thoroughbred Classic at Mercer County High School Feb. 3-5 in Harrodsburg. Cardinal Hayes will play Louisville Moore at 3 p.m. Feb. 4.
Jackson is the No. 2 overall player in the class of 2024 according to the 247Sports Composite and has scholarship offers from Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, Oregon, Arkansas, Connecticut, UCLA, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Pittsburgh, LSU Kansas State, Nebraska, Oklahoma State and others.
He was at UK’s Big Blue Madness in October and has also taken official visits to Oregon, LSU and North
Local law enforcement and school personnel launched a security operation today after a .22-caliber bullet was found on the Crittenden County Elementary School campus.
Below is a statement issued by the school district.
Earlier today, a Crittenden County Elementary School teacher discovered a bullet on the gym floor between class transitions, near a stack of student coats. While no danger or threat was suspected at any time, our School Resource Officer John Shofner, along with Crittenden County Sheriff Evan Head and district and school administrators, immediately launched a search of involved classrooms out of an abundance of caution and safety.
Additionally, dogs trained in sniffing for ammunition searched the entire school for an extra layer of security. After these measures were taken, and after speaking with students in the involved classrooms, it was determined that no danger or threat was evident and the finding appears to be accidental from a weekend sporting activity.
We are very proud of our students for their behavior and cooperation. As always, our student and staff safety remains our top priority, and we always will take swift action to ensure that. Transparent and accurate communication also is a priority for us, and we appreciate your understanding of the time it takes to correctly and effectively complete safety checks prior to information being shared.
Trained K-9 service dogs will periodically visit all Crittenden County Schools during unannounced visits to further ensure safety in our district.
We wish to thank not only Crittenden County Sheriff Evan Head and SRO John Shofner, but also the Lyon County Sheriff Department for assisting today.
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The county, which in 2021 suffered through its worst whitetail season in more than a decade, is on pace to do much worse this go round.
Next Monday will be the final chance for hunters to bag a deer. Archery season – the last of the whitetail opportunities – ends Jan. 16 along with bowhunting turkey season and deer crossbow.
So far, Crittenden hunters have checked 2,649 deer, lower than last year’s lackluster harvest of 2,747.
A year ago, Crittenden did not finish among the top three deer harvest counties in Kentucky for the first time in memory, perhaps ever. The county currently ranks seventh in the state in total harvest.
Hunters here have bagged 1,282 bucks and 1,367 antlerless deer this season. The annual 16-day rifle season was in November. Archery season is the longest. It lasts from September through mid January.
Crittenden County's 2021 harvest was 8.5% below the previous season and 6% lower than the yearly average this century. It looks like the numbers will be even worse this time.
One seventh-grader, Caleb Mahns, was catalyst for a remarkable showing in a recent stock market contest sponsored by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA).
In this week's full edition of the newspaper, read about his attractive returns and how he solved the market's riddle.
The Crittenden Press is your primary source of news and information for this community. We’re proud to serve our community and we take great pride in bringing you real news, sports reporting and other information that helps you know what’s going on in town and across the county. Help ensure that real reporting continues in this community by subscribing today. You can subscribe online to the full version of the newspaper for only $2.95 a month. Try our new e-Edition newspaper emailed straight to your inbox every Wednesday. Click here to subscribe.
In addition to the routine news and information in our first edition of the New Year, readers will find the annual memorial list of obituaries from the entire previous year.
Making big news this week is our front page article that will leave you spellbound by Marion's connection to perhaps America's hottest television series.
Don't miss an issue of The Crittenden Press in 2023. We work hard to keep you informed on community news, information and sports. Over the past two weeks, four weekly newspapers in Kentucky have closed. Help us continue our community work here by subscribing to the online edition or our eEdition that's emailed directly to your inbox. You can subscribe online to the full version of the newspaper for only $2.95 a month. Click here to subscribe.
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet crews plans a mobile work zone for pothole patching along US 60 today and tomorrow in Livingston County from Ledbetter to Salem. Motorists should be alert for one-lane traffic with alternating flow controlled by flaggers. Some delays are possible during the movement and placement of equipment to facilitate the work.
Additional area highway crews will be mounting pothole patching efforts as weather allows over the next week or two.
Vicki Lee Kirk, 59, of Marion passed away Monday, January 2, 2023 at the Ray and Kay Eckstein Hospice Care Center in Paducah.
She was retired from Crittenden Health Systems where she worked as a Registered Respiratory Therapist for 20 years.
Kirk was a member of Life in Christ Church in Marion and enjoyed crafting and vacationing with her daughter who is a travel nurse. She loved spending time with her family and helping others.
Surviving are her husband of 37 years, Robert Paris Kirk; children, Megan E. Kirk of Marion, Melissa N. Kirk of Marion, Michael P. Kirk of Marion; grandchildren, Anderson Tucker Hardin and Rowan Dale O’Brien both of Marion; and a brother, Jeffrey Blackburn of Marion.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Wanda Blackburn and a brother, James Randall Blackburn
Services will be held at Gilbert Funeral Home in Marion. Visitation will be held Thursday, January 5, 2023 from 5pm until 8pm and Friday, January 6, 2023 from 9am until service time at 11am. Interment will be at Maple View Cemetery in Marion. A webcast of the funeral services will be available at www.Gilbertfunerals.com.
Crittenden County officials say there are currently no roads covered by water this morning after about three inches of rain fell overnight. Precipitation will continue until around noon today, so conditions could change.
Erosion, culvert washouts and some fallen trees met county road crews this morning.
UPDATE: All Livingston County roads previously reported as under water are now clear.