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🚘 Shine Up Those Rides, Marion!
The Marion Show & Shine Car Show is back this Thursday, July 24 from 5:30–7 p.m. at Marion Commons, 213 S. Main St. Come check out the hottest rides in town, enjoy a beautiful evening, and be part of the local tradition!
🏁 Next dates: Aug. 28 & Sept. 25
💵 Register at each show for a chance to WIN $500—the drawing is at the final show in September!
📸 Don't miss the sunset, the shine, and the roar of classic and modern cars downtown.
Sponsored by the City of Marion Tourism Commission. #MarionKY #CarShow #ShowAndShine #CruiseNight #SmallTownEvents #KentuckyCars
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Marion City Council will convene Monday, July 21 at 5 p.m. at City Hall for its regular monthly meeting, where members are expected to take up a number of agenda items including ordinance readings, council appointments, and project updates.
The business agenda includes a second reading of Ordinance No. 25-11, which amends the penalty section of the city’s animal control laws. Three additional ordinances will receive first readings, including changes to the city pay plan for employees and officials (Ordinance 25-12), regulations for street-legal special purpose vehicles (Ordinance 25-13), and an amendment to the city’s golf cart regulations (Ordinance 25-14).
Updates on the Waters Grant-funded water meter installation and road paving project will be provided, along with department reports from Maintenance Supervisor Greg Tabor and Code Enforcement/Planning and Zoning Officer Tanya Scholtz-Byers.
A city employee retirement will also be recognized before the meeting concludes with comments from the mayor, council,and staff. The meeting is open to the public.
🗓️ July 18 – August 17, 2025
📍 Save the dates and share with your friends!
🔹 Friday, July 18
🍦 Ice Cream Social – 1–2:30PM @ New Beginnings, Salem
👑 Miss KY USA Pageant Prelims – Evening @ Portsmouth, OH
🔹 Saturday, July 19
👗 Miss KY USA Pageant Finals – Evening @ Portsmouth, OH
🕊️ Celebration of Life for Joan Moore – 2PM @ Fredonia Presbyterian Church
🔹 Monday, July 21
🏛️ Marion City Council – Evening @ City Hall
🏛️ Fredonia City Council – 7PM @ Fredonia City Hall
🔹 Tuesday, July 22
🌇 Tourism Commission Meeting – 8:30AM @ Marion Welcome Center
🔹 Saturday, July 26
🏀 Meet Otega Oweh & Trent Noah – 1–3PM @ KY Oaks Mall (Paducah)
📸 Free photos + limited free autographs
🚜 Lions Club Truck & Tractor Pull – Evening @ Fairgrounds
🔹 Tuesday–Wednesday, July 30–31
👂 Free Hearing Screenings by KY HEARS – 9AM–2PM @ Marion Baptist Church
📞 Call 800-958-9610 or email hkyhears@thehearinginstitute.org to book!
🔹 Tuesday, July 29
🚧 Highway Dedication – US 641 (Marion–Fredonia) renamed for Rep. Mike Cherry
🔹 Friday, August 1
🎉 Family Fun Night – Free admission @ Fairgrounds
🎨 Face painting, dunk booth & more! Sponsored by the Chamber
🔹 Saturday, August 2
💥 Demolition Derby – @ Lions Club Fairgrounds
🔹 Monday, August 4
🏡 CRH Ribbon Cutting & Open House – 10AM–2PM @ 741 Chapel Hill Rd.
🎀 Chamber ceremony at 11AM
🔹 Wednesday, August 6
☕ Chamber of Commerce Meeting – 8AM @ Marion Welcome Center
📝 Got an event coming up? Message us or call 270-965-3191 to be included!
🔁 Please share this post to keep our community informed and connected!
#CrittendenCounty #MarionKY #CommunityCalendar #LocalEvents #SupportLocal
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While candidates for state and federal office often mention exploring a run for office, this differs from announcing your intent to run, even on social media… even if you have not raised any money or do not intend to spend money. The same rule applies from judge-executive down to conservation district supervisor. Violation of election finance laws can result in felony charges.
The first step is to register your campaign at KREF.ky.gov. A downloadable guide is available online. Questions about election finance should be directed to KREF at 502-573-2226.
- On Monday, July 7, 2025, at 5:10 p.m., Deputy Beeler responded to a Kuttawa business on Days Inn Drive and located a woman reported to be acting suspiciously. He determined she had outstanding warrants from multiple jurisdictions. Harley J. Collins, 30, of Marion, was detained and served with the following warrants:
- On Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at approximately 9:13 p.m., Deputy Beeler arrested Phillip E. Young, 50, of Eddyville. He was charged with contempt of court for failing to serve jail time and failing to report for jail as sentenced. Young was lodged in the Crittenden County Detention Center.
- On Thursday, July 10, 2025, at approximately 4:26 a.m., Chief Deputy Sam Adams responded to a two-vehicle collision at the Huck’s Travel Center in Kuttawa. His investigation revealed that a 2017 International truck and trailer, driven by Jalen B. Ore, 28, of Williamstown, N.C., was attempting to park when it collided with a parked 2018 Freightliner. No injuries were reported.
- On Thursday, July 10, 2025, at approximately 1:47 p.m., deputies served Stephanie N. Jones-Fleming, 38, of Bowling Green, with a Warren Circuit Court indictment warrant charging her with trafficking in a
📚 NEW LOCAL BOOK RELEASE!
“From 2 to 89” – A Life Well Lived by Gordon Blue Guess
From banking to baseball, from legal pads to published pages, this book is filled with wit, wisdom, and stories featuring everyone from Mitch McConnell to Muhammad Ali—and even a mention of Babe Ruth!
🖋️ Authored in his own words
📘 Nearly 150 pages of stories and snapshots
📍 Deep roots in Marion, Tolu & beyond
🏛️ Includes personal recollections of prominent local and national figures
Coming soon to Barnes & Noble, with a local copy placed at the Crittenden County Public Library.
✨ A must-read for anyone who loves hometown history, old-school storytelling, or wants a glimpse into a remarkable Kentucky life.
There will be a special meeting / working session of Crittenden County Board of Education on Tuesday, July 15th at 5:00 PM at Central Office.
In this week's full edition of The Crittenden Press, read more about the changeover and what's coming up in September.
The shop in located on Marion Street in Marion right across from the Five Star Convenience Center.
Effective July 1, the payroll and net profits tax rates for both the city and county rose to 1.5%. The county rate tripled from its previous 0.5% and the city’s rate doubled from 0.75%.
Employers are required to withhold the new rates from wages earned within either jurisdiction.
The riverport is a key part of the area’s infrastructure supporting agriculture, particularly for transporting grain and fertilizer.
Eddyville Riverport received $750,000 from the construction and maintenance fund for its ongoing Dolphin Project, which involves the installation of mooring dolphins, offshore structures used to secure barges. An additional $91,928 was awarded for a paving project totaling $183,876, aimed at improving traffic flow and safety within the port area.
According to project guidelines, eligible grants are reserved for new construction or major repairs to riverport infrastructure such as docks, wharves, loading equipment, roads, rail access, storage buildings and related facilities, not for routine maintenance.
Amanda Davenport, executive director of the Eddyville Riverport and Industrial Development Authority, said these investments come as the port prepares for a significant expansion, with work expected to begin next spring or summer on a new water inlet.
Groundwork for this expansion was laid in 2022 when the port received a federal Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) grant to construct the new inlet, approximately 300 feet long, 110 feet wide and 30 feet deep, on Lake Barkley at Cumberland River Mile 43. That addition will increase the available waterfront for loading and unloading.
State funds have also supported the installation of four new mooring dolphins, expanding the port’s current capabilities of three loading cells and eight fleeting cells.
“With this expansion, we’ll be able to double, or possibly even quadruple, the number of barges we can handle at one time,” said Davenport. “This is a game-changer for industry in western Kentucky.”
The funding announced last week is the final round of awards as part of a $2 million allocation announced in 2022.
Davenport hopes the paving project to improve land ingress and egress will be finished by harvest time this fall.
Kentucky State Police said Brad Jones, 59, was driving eastbound in a 2016 Kenworth when he exited the right shoulder of the highway around 5:20 p.m., lost control, and crossed both lanes before the vehicle overturned onto the driver’s side, blocking the road.
Jones was transported by ambulance to Baptist Health in Madisonville, where he was pronounced dead.
KY 56 was closed for about four hours as troopers investigated the wreck. The collision remains under investigation.
Responding agencies included KSP Post 16, the McLean County Sheriff’s Office, Beech Grove and Calhoun fire departments and McLean County EMS.
This is a newspaper column by publisher Chris Evans, published in The Press last week just ahead of the July 4 Holiday Weekend.
We told King George to shove off back in 1776 with ink, powder and prayer. Ironically, he was the only absentee ruler we’ve ever known. Imagine you at 18, home alone with mom and dad on vacation, and you decide to invite grandma over for the weekend. The noose just gets tighter.
Americans decided we’d chart our own course with a boss closer to home. Fast-forward to today, and here we are calling Uncle Sam like helpless children every time it floods, snows or we forget how a budget works. One hiccup from Mother Nature, and the FEMA hotline lights up like a Chick-fil-A drive through when the theater lets out.
Now I’m not suggesting government doesn’t have its place, it surely does. Roads don’t pave themselves and I do appreciate that man with the badge when things get squirrely. But we’ve become a people addicted to rescue. Got a crop failure? Call the USDA. Need broadband in the holler? Beg a grant from the FCC. Something’s in the air. Who has the number to EPA?
And I say this as a man who enjoys the AC in July and August, not as a doomsday prepper with a bunker full of beans. Although my Boy Scout motto does urge preparedness.
Truth is, we’ve mistaken convenience for freedom. Take that glorious moment when we first snatch the car keys at 18. Lord, we think we’re free as a bird. But within a week, we’re tied to a gas pump, haunted by insurance premiums and wondering why tires cost more than a month’s rent. We wanted independence and got a payment plan instead.
Our ancestors carved out a living with little more than grit, faith and a stubborn mule. Today, we panic if the Wi-Fi blinks. We’ve grown so cozy suckling at the warm teat of bureaucracy that we’ve forgotten how
Property insurance is increasing by 3.7%; however, most notably is an 185% increase in educators liability insurance and an 86% bump in automobile insurance.
The district’s policies are through Higgins Insurance of Hopkinsville.
“Our agent will be here in July to present information,” Superintendent Tonya Driver said. “He explained it was an anomaly that we were getting educators liability insurance as cheap as we were before.”
Driver said through conversations with other superintendents in the region, she has learned that some districts’ overall insurance costs have gone up 30%.
The funding supports programs that provide meals to children who might otherwise go without while school is out. Many students rely on school breakfasts and lunches during the academic year, but summer often brings increased grocery expenses for families — particularly in rural areas. A recent survey found that 94% of rural Kentucky families reported higher grocery bills during summer.
“Summer meals are a lifeline for kids and families who rely on school meals throughout the school year,” said John Cain, program director for Kentucky Kids Eat. “We’re excited to support the programs that are making dependable nutrition accessible to families in all corners of the state.”
Through non-congregate meal programs — which allow meals to be picked up or delivered for consumption off-site — more families in Caldwell and similar counties will have greater access to consistent, healthy food options for their children. These methods have proven especially effective in overcoming transportation and logistical barriers in rural communities.
Other recipients of this summer’s No Kid Hungry Kentucky grants include Frankfort Independent, Owen County and Warren County school districts, UMC Food Ministry, and Feeding America, Kentucky's Heartland.
On July 5, 2025, Deputy Copeland arrested Timothy Daniel, 33, of Princeton, Ky., on a warrant out of Caldwell District Court. Daniel was lodged in the Caldwell County Jail. Deputy Copeland was assisted by Deputy Lamb.
Also on July 5, Deputy Lamb arrested Michael Earley, 26, of Princeton, Ky., on a warrant out of Caldwell District Court. Earley was lodged in the Caldwell County Jail. Deputy Lamb was assisted on scene by Deputy Copeland.
On Monday, June 30, 2025, at 8:43 a.m., deputies served Dayyan S. Felder, 25, of Gaston, S.C., on a Lyon Circuit Court bench warrant for a probation violation after he was extradited back to Kentucky from South Carolina. Felder was lodged in the Crittenden County Detention Center.
Later that day, around 8:30 p.m., Deputy Bobby Beeler responded to the 100 block of Panther Creek Road after a parked and unoccupied vehicle rolled down a residential driveway and crashed on Panther Creek Road. No injuries were reported.
On Wednesday, July 2, 2025, at approximately 6:53 a.m., Sheriff Brent White conducted a traffic stop on a 2013 Chevrolet on U.S. 62. The investigation revealed the operator had a suspended license and did not have an ignition interlock device affixed to the vehicle. Meagan N. Edwards, 40, of Eddyville was charged with driving on a DUI suspended license, first offense.
At approximately 8:30 a.m. that same day, Captain Dennis Beckett served a criminal complaint summons on Clint A. Puckett, 30, of Benton, charging him with theft by unlawful taking–shoplifting related to an
Speakers praised Cunningham as a soldier, judge, author and Lyon County native and recognized him for his honesty, courage and commitment to justice. His son, Josh, shared personal reflections on his father’s daily discipline and compassion.
See next week’s full edition of The Crittenden Press for complete coverage and photos from the tribute event. Also, see video HERE on our social media site.
Crews will conduct a detailed inspection of the bridge using an under-bridge inspection vehicle starting at 8 a.m. daily for about three days. A team of climbers will also perform a hands-on inspection during this time.
Traffic will be restricted to one lane, alternating sides of the bridge as work progresses. Motorists should be alert for flaggers, signage and arrow boards directing traffic across the bridge, which connects McCracken and Livingston counties and carries about 6,500 vehicles per day.
The lane restriction is expected to end by 3 p.m. Thursday, July 10, weather permitting. Drivers are urged to use caution in the work zone.
Once this inspection is complete, crews will move to the U.S. 60 Cumberland River “Smithland” Bridge around Friday, July 11.
