Officials: Power May Be Out Seven to 10 Days

The current ice storm that slammed Kentucky has become the second worst in the state's history. Some officials are saying power could be out as long as 7-10 days.

Chris Evans, editor of The Crittenden Press, reported that not only are power lines down, but poles have also fallen under the sheer weight of the ice.

Although more lost power in the wake of Hurricane Ike (an approximate 600,000 compared with the 525,000 impacted by this storm), Gov. Steve Beshear said this ice storm is “more dire and potentially life threatening” because so many people could be without power in temperatures that are expected to stay below freezing until Sunday.

More than 500 members of the Kentucky National Guard have been activated in support of relief efforts in the wake of the current winter storm emergency.

Soldiers are currently in 27 counties across the commonwealth, supporting Kentucky Department of Transportation personnel and utility companies in clearing debris from roadways and powerlines.

In addition, troops are helping transport critical personnel, equipment and supplies (such as bottled water) where travel conditions are hazardous. This mission includes transporting kidney dialysis patients to treatment centers.

Posted by Matthew T. Patton

State of Emergency: Historic Power Outage in Wake of Ice Storm

No Phones, No Electricity, No Internet Means Western Kentucky Essentially "Off the Grid"

PHOTO: Ice-encrusted tree limbs like this these near Dycusburg will hamper the efforts of power companies trying to restore electricity. Crittenden County residents report that cracking limbs pierce the air like popping gunfire as they snap. Photo courtesy of Michelle Henderson.

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear is asking President Obama for a federal emergency disaster declaration to deal with widespread power outages and cleanup from a powerful winter storm that hammered Kentucky.

An approximate 525,000 residents remain without electricity in Kentucky. More than 68 counties of Kentucky's 120 are operating under a state of emergency.

What does this mean for you? If you have tried to call Western Kentucky from out of state, you might get a busy signal or hear a message saying: "Due to technical difficulties, we are unable to complete your call at this time. Please try your call again later." All incoming and outgoing phone, including cell, and Internet communication has come to a halt.

If you have loved ones in Crittenden County, the National Guard is assisting those who need help. Several who sought warm shelter slept at the Crittenden County courthouse.

The printed version of The Crittenden Press was delivered today from the Crittenden Press offices from the printers. Of course, there's no way to deliver the newspaper and all retail locations are closed during this catastrophic emergency.

Please continue to monitor this blog for further updates.

Posted by Matthew T. Patton

Power outages continue to rise

Precipitation continues to fall as nightfall sets in on Crittenden County and more and more homes are losing power. At 4 p.m., the power company Kenergy reported that 13,000 customers were without power in its service area, including 2,222 in Crittenden County.

We have no report from the power company Kentucky Utilities which serves a portion of Crittenden County and much of the City of Marion. However, their crews were seen out working today in the area and we know of their customers who are without power.

The Crittenden County outage number has continued to climb all day long as lines have been damaged by falling trees and the weight of ice. The outages are expected to climb higher overnight.

Customers can expect a long period without power.

Here is a breakdown of Kenergy power outages per county:

Caldwell 282
Crittenden 2,222
Daviess 1,815
Hancock 1
Henderson 150
Hopkins 2,414
Livingston 18
Lyon 1,644
McLean 711
Ohio 2,563
Union 129
Webster 1,051

Marion Baptist Church cancellations

MARION BAPTIST CHURCH
Tuesday, January 27, 2009 – NO UPWARD Practice

Wednesday, January 28, 2009 – NO Mission Possible
NO Children’s Musical at 6:00 pm
NO Prayer/Devotional Service at 6:30 pm
NO Adult Choir Practice at 7:00 pm

Judge Brown declares state of emergency

Crittenden County Judge-Executive Fred Brown has declared a state of emergency in Crittenden County due to the ice storm that started early Tuesday and continues to fall into the afternoon.

Brown said the Red Cross, National Guard and other state agencies will be the county's disposal due to the declaration.

Gov Steve Beshear announced at 1:30 p.m., that he was declaring a state of emergency statewide in Kentucky.

Judge Brown opened the county courthouse to anyone needing a warm shelter overnight Tuesday and said it would stay open as long as current conditions necessitate. He said anyone seeking refuge in the courthouse should bring blankets, sleeping bags, cots and/or chairs. No items of that sort will be available he said.

Update on Kenergy power outages

Approximately 6,700 Kenergy customers are without power due to ice damage as of 1 p.m., Tuesday.

Breakdown by counties:
Caldwell 901
Crittenden 315
Daviess 636
Henderson 2
Hopkins 1,661
Lyon 1,339
McLean 651
Muhlenburg 7
Ohio 1,224
Webster 15

ICE STORM 2009: Here we go again

An mix of snow, freezing rain and sleet hammered Crittenden County starting at about 2 a.m., Tuesday morning. Local power outages were already in the hundreds by 8 a.m., in the rural parts of the county. Lines were down in the Mexico community and power company Kenergy was reporting 3,008 homes without electricity in its service area, including 248 in Crittenden. Farther west, thousands are without power in Graves, Marshall and other counties. 

Here is a list of Kenergy power outages in the area as of 7:40 a.m.:

Caldwell 10

Crittenden 248
Daviess 2
Hopkins 1330
Lyon 10
McLean 875
Muhlenburg 7
Ohio 523
Webster 3

Crittenden County schools were out Tuesday and there will likely be no classes Wednesday and perhaps longer. The high school basketball games scheduled for Tuesday were postponed.

Fit Camp with Serena Dickerson was cancelled Tuesday and the circuit clerk's office was not open in the courthouse. Most of the other county offices were open and skeleton crews were manning most businesses in town.

Here's a video of downtown Marion Tuesday morning:

Crittenden schools closed Tuesday

School for Tuesday is cancelled in Crittenden County.

KYEM says winter storm could be deadly

State and local officials continue preparing as a major winter storm approaches the Commonwealth.

Representatives from the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management (KYEM), and other state and local officials participated in conference calls with National Weather Service offices in Paducah and Louisville today, discussing the impending winter weather system. 

Weather predictions range from the possibility of up to one half inch of ice in the far western part of the state, and one inch along the Kentucky Tennessee border, up to five to 10 inches of snow and ice in the Bluegrass and northern portions of the state. The winter weather is expected to enter Kentucky after dark and continue through Tuesday and much of Wednesday morning before tapering off.

"This is a very dangerous storm," said Buddy Rogers, public information officer for KYEM. "According to reports from the National Weather Service, it has the potential to be a deadly storm. The best advice I can give you, is stay home with your family, don't travel and be aware - be prepared."

Road conditions throughout the state can be found on the Kentucky Department of Transportation's Web site at www.511.ky.gov, or by calling 511 in Kentucky or 1-866-737-3767 for out-of-state callers.

Stay tuned to the Breaking News Blog for school closing information and other community news when the winter weather hits.

Weather Service issues warning for KY

Forecasters have issued weather warnings for all of Kentucky as frozen precipitation moves into the state.

Although school was open in Crittenden County, classes were dismissed Monday across a broad area from east of Louisville through the Bluegrass region and the coal fields of eastern Kentucky.

The National Weather Service posted an ice storm warning for southern counties from the Mississippi River to just west of Somerset. Forecasters expect two found of freezing rain, the first beginning Monday evening. Total accumulations of ice could range from a half-inch to 2 inches. Crittenden County is expected to be on the fringe of the worst weather, but frozen precipitation of some sort is virtually guaranteed.

A winter storm warning was issued for the rest of the state, with a mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain.

The Weather Service said the heaviest accumulations are expected north of a line from Cape Girardeau, Mo., to Owensboro. Between 5 and 10 inches of frozen precipitation are likely.

Area deaths

Donnie Lee Ramage, 67, of Salem, died Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009 at his home. Boyd Funeral Directors in Salem is in charge of arrangements.

Whitfield votes to hold bailout funds

Ed Whitfield was one of the five Kentucky Congressmen to vote for a measure that would keep the remaining half of the $700 billion bailout in the government's hands.

Whitfield, who represents western Kentucky, voted "yes" this week on a resolution that would deny the Department of Treasury the authority to spend the remaining $350 billion of the Troubled Asset Relief Program approved in October by both houses. Whitfield also voted against the measure then. John Yarmuth, a Democrat, was the only Kentucky congressman to oppose the resolution this week.

The resolution passed 270-155 with bipartisan support. House members from both sides of the aisle have been under pressure from constituents to oppose releasing the money. Whitfield, a Hopkinsville Republican, argued, among other things, that the initial package did not hold financial institutions accountable enough to the American people.

“While I believe that the government must do what it can to create new jobs and revitalize our economy, we must have proper oversight measures in place before moving forward with any new spending,” he said in a news release. “The careless manner in which the first half of these TARP funds was spent demonstrates that we simply cannot hand the Treasury Department a blank check at taxpayers’ expense."

Despite passage of the resolution, the money is effectively made available to President Barack Obama's administration because the Senate last week shot down the resolution.

Road treatments precautionary

If you're wondering why highways crews are pretreating roads with brine despite springlike weather conditions Friday, it's because of what's looming.

There is a chance of some icy or snowy weather early next week and highway departments don't commonly work on weekends. So, they're getting a jumpstart on the potential bad weather which may prevent overtime work on Saturday or Sunday.

Temperatures are predicted to start falling Saturday. Click her for forecast.

Lady Rockets lose in All A semifinal

Crittenden County's Lady Rocket basketball team lost in overtime 67-59 to University Heights in the semifinal round of the All A Classic Tournament Thursday at Eddyville.

UHA advances to the championship against favored Caldwell County.

Crittenden's boys were eliminated earlier in the week by tournament favorite Lyon County.

Lady Rocket newcomer Laken Tabor, a transfer from Marshall County, made her debut in the contest. She scored two 3-pointers.

State police solve Deer Creek break-in

Kentucky State Police have solved the Deer Creek Church burglary that occurred Dec. 12.

Two individuals have been arrested in connection with the case after officers discovered some of the items allegedly stolen from the church in an Evansville pawn shop.

Arrested were Gary J. Tabor, 23, of Burna and a juvenile.

The Crittenden Press printed edition will have more details next week.

Free help offered with college financial aid

Prospective and current college students can get free help with their college financial aid application at College Goal Sunday at 2 p.m., in the Byrnes Auditorium at Madisonville Community College Health Campus, 750 N. Laffoon St.

Professionals from Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA) and MCC Financial Aid office will provide free assistance to students and families completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Students must complete the FAFSA to be considered for any type of financial aid—including student loans, work-study, grants, or scholarships.

Students should bring a completed copy of their 2008 IRS 1040 tax return and any other 2008 income and benefits information, including their parents’ tax returns. If families haven’t completed their taxes, financial aid professionals will be able to help fill out the rest of the FAFSA form and give instructions on the financial portion. Students who attend College Goal Sunday can enter a drawing for a scholarship to be used at any Kentucky institution.

For more information on applying for financial aid, contact the MCC Financial Aid Office at 821-2250.

News stories for this week's edition

The Crittenden Press printed edition will be on newsstands Wednesday afternoon. The Press is following several stories that have developed over the past week, including the arrest of a former western Kentucky police officer who fled the scene of a traffic stop over the weekend and a series of field and grass fires that kept emergency personnel busy Saturday.

In other news, there are some changes in store at the Crittenden County Courthouse now that the Extension service is moving across the street. The PVA, sheriff's Department and PACS will each benefit from more space in the courthouse.

Stay tuned for more on these and other stories in this week's Crittenden Press.

Area deaths

Laura Andrews, 59, of Marion died Sunday at Western Baptist Hospital in Paducah. Gilbert Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Carolyn Ann Peek, 60, died at Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009 at her residence. Boyd Funeral Directors in Salem are in charge of arrangements.

High winds stoke flames in Marion & beyond

UPDATE: Cold, dry weather mixed with high winds created a tinderbox in western Kentucky this weekend. 

Firemen were busy all day Saturday fighting field fires in Marion, near Smithland, between Tolu and Salem and near Eddyville. 

Firemen from Crittenden County and Tolu were dispatched to the brush fire on Ky. 838 at midday.

Later, four fire departments (Mattoon, Marion, Shady Grove and Crittenden County) battled a grass fire that threatened several homes and destroyed an outbuilding and other property in the city limits of Marion between U.S. 641 and Hillcrest Subdivision above it. Pictures above right is a barn that was destroyed by the blaze. The photo was taken by a neighbor, Dennis Walker, and submitted online.

After frigid temperatures that reached zero in some places late last week, the warmup has begun in Crittenden County. Despite warmer temps, in the high 30s Saturday, brisk winds continued gusting between 25-30 mph on Saturday, creating fire hazards.

Weekend lows were predicted in the mid 20s and next week highs will be in the upper 40s.

Pilgrim on journey of faith

Traveling along the highway in the last few days, many drivers may have noticed a bearded man bundled in a bright yellow coat with a staff in his hand and ram's horn and scarf around his neck. Some no doubt, have wondered who this man may be and what he is doing.

Mark Mills expects the question, but in walking nearly 1,000 miles from Frankfort west to Louisville and then around the state's edge in clockwise direction, he found Marion this week to be one of the most hospitable areas. He's not a vagrant or transient, but a pilgrim for Christianity.

Mills arrived in Marion mid-week in his four-month trek around Kentucky, blowing the shofar around his neck every 30 minutes and when he reaches a county seat. And that scarf around his neck is actually a prayer shawl.

He says he was called by God to travel around Kentucky on a mission to generate awareness of the Christian faith and pray for the city, county and state leaders along the way. A "prayer walk" he calls it. It's also a mission to continue his evangelism and further his faith in the Spirit.

While next week will find Mills near Owensboro on his journey, the next edition of The Crittenden Press will bring you the full story of one man's effort to bring a state together in difficult times. Meantime, find more about the trip at www.kyprayerwalk.com.