Area Death

Paul Manker, 77, of Lola died Friday, Jan. 20, 2012 at Livingston Hospital and Healthcare Services in Salem. Services are Monday at St. William Catholic Church in Marion. Gilbert Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

U.S. 641 blasting to resume Monday

A contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KyTC) plans to start production blasting on the new U.S. 641 corridor in southern Crittenden County on Monday.

A test blast allowed engineers to calculate the optimum amount of explosives required for excavation at the site as work goes forward.

Completion of the test blast is expected to allow production blasting to begin about noon on Monday.  The contractor plans to set off explosives about every one or two days, with all blasting scheduled at approximately noon. Blasting on the project will be isolated to the area between Crayne Cemetery Road and Lloyd Road southeast of the Crayne community. An audible safety warning horn will provide an advance notice near the blasting site.

The blasting site will be in the knobs area east of existing U.S. 641 between mile point 2.565 and mile point 3.188.

Road Builders and Parkway Construction of Greenville is the prime contractor on this $18.6 million highway improvement project to build a four-lane section between Marion and Fredonia.

Timely traffic advisories for the 12 counties of KyTC Highway District 1 are available by going to www.facebook.com/kytcdistrict1.  You do not have to be a Facebook member to access this page.

Area deaths

Harold “Buddy” Rogers, 82, of Fredionia died Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012 at Princeton Health and Rehab Center. Services will be Saturday at Morgan's Funeral Home in Princeton.

Robert Louis Chittenden, 67, of Joy died Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012. Funeral and Masonic services will be Sunday at Myers Funeral Home.

PrayerGate up and running

PrayerGate, a Marion-based prayer request hotline, is now functioning with live answering eight hours a day. The rest of the time, an answering machine will take requests. Local certified public accountant Larry Orr, who was diagnosed with cancer last year, started the program. It currently has a list of 30 individuals seeking daily prayer. Last year, Orr said the program's prayer warriors provided intercessory prayer for 41 individuals. Calls are being answered at 965-4300.

State's jobless rate drops to 3-year low

KPA News Content Service
Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted preliminary unemployment rate dropped to a three-year low of 9.1 percent in December from 9.4 percent in November, according to the Kentucky Office of Employment and Training.

The preliminary December jobless rate was 1.2 percentage points below the 10.3 percent rate recorded for the state in the same month a year earlier. The state’s December 2011 jobless rate is the lowest since the December 2008, when it was 8.5 percent.

The U.S. seasonally adjusted jobless rate fell to 8.5 percent in December from 8.7 percent in November, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Labor force statistics, including the unemployment rate, are based on estimates and are compiled to measure trends rather than actually to count people working.

Princeton man to run for House seat

Giannini

A Princeton man has announced his intentions to seek the Kentucky House District 4 seat to be vacated by Rep. Mike Cherry at the end of his current term. Raymond Giannini, friends with his fellow Caldwell County Democrat, said he has always respected the work of politicians but never really considered a run for office until now.

“I’ve been giving this a lot of thought and prayer,” the former director of Pennyrile District Health Department said. “The support has been great, and if not for that, I wouldn’t have considered it.”
Giannini, 58, is a native and longtime resident of the House district. He is married with two children in college and one a senior in high school.

Thus far, only Lynn Bechler (R-Marion) has filed for Cherry’s seat. However, Giannini plans to make his run official by filing paperwork later this week. Each man would run unopposed in the May primary if no other candidates file.

The filing deadline is Jan. 31.

Fohs Hall Ball tickets now on sale

The first-ever Fohs Hall Ball in 2001 was a big success and helped
commemorate the 75th anniversary of the building's construction.

The ninth  Fohs Hall Charity Ball will be held Feb. 18 at historic Fohs Hall in Marion. The elegant, semi-formal event feature fine dining from the Main Street Italian Grill, dancing, and music by the legendary Temple Airs of Evansville, Ind.

Tickets are on sale now for $75 per person and can be reserved by contacting Allison Evans at (270) 704-0447.  Dance only tickets can also be reserved for $25 per person.

A fund-raising auction will be held during the event. Auction items include a weekend at Green Turtle Bay, fine jewelry from Michelson’s, lunch with well-known cookbook author and community icon Ethel Tucker, a hand-crafted tiger maple corner cupboard by renowned woodcrafter Michael Wheeler and many other items. Jody Selph of Selph Portraits is the official photographer for the evening.

Don’t miss the opportunity to be part of this very important event. Proceeds will be used to maintain Fohs Hall for all the citizens of Marion and surrounding areas to enjoy for many years to come. Tax deductible contributions are accepted by mail to P.O. Box 1, Marion KY 42064

For more information contact, Michele Edwards, Marion Tourism Commission director, at  (270) 965-5015 director@marionkentucky.us.

Lady Rockets play tonight in All A Classic semifinal

Crittenden County's Lady Rockets will play University Heights, one of the top teams in the region, at 7:30 p.m., tonight at Dawson Springs in the semifinal round of the All A Classic.

Livingston Central plays Webster County at 6 p.m., tonight in the other semifinal game at Dawson.

Police investigate park vandalism

Marion Police Department is investigating vandalism at Marion-Crittenden County Park over the weekend. Police say someone, probably juveniles, painted obscene remarks on the front the bathrooms, using spray paint. Police Chief Ray O'Neal said city employees report almost weekly damages of some sort at the park. Anyone with information can call Crittenden County TipLine and remain anonymous. There is a $100 reward for information leading to an arrest .

Senate plan drastically reshapes districts

UPDATE

Legislative restricting, which include the state Senate plan below, has now passed both chambers, clearing the House Thursday by 58-39 margin. Crittenden County's legislators, both Democrats, were left on different sides of the partisan-fueled redistricting plans. In the House, districts were redrawn to favor Democrats, who control the chamber. In the Senate, lines were reshaped to favor majority Republicans, leaving several of their Democratic counterparts scratching their heads at their new districts. 

Rep. Mike Cherry voted in favor of the final measure, which favors House Democrats, and Sen. Dorsey Ridley opposed the plan, which leaves him representing a portion of Lexington that includes the University of Kentucky, where he has a son attending college. Ridley, who lives in Henderson 200 miles west of Lexington, will represent his new District 4 until re-election in 2014.

Thursday's House passage now sends the bill to the governor for his signature, making it law until redistricting rolls around again in 2022.

Ridley responds to redistricting
From The (Lexington) Herald Leader: Under the bill, central Lexington would be represented by Sen. Dorsey Ridley, a Democrat from Henderson, in far Western Kentucky, through 2014.

Rep. Kelly Flood, D-Lexington, said the move was "a perversion of democracy" and urged her colleagues to vote against the measure. Rep. David Watkins (D-Henderson) was the only other Democrat in the House to follow her lead.

Stein said she would not move from Lexington and was keeping her options open.

One scenario discussed Thursday could have kept Stein in the Senate, but it was shot down quickly.
 

Under that scenario, Ridley would file to run for the state House seat held by Watkins in Henderson County. If he won the House seat in November, Ridley would resign from the new 4th Senate District in Lexington, setting up a vacancy. The governor would call a special election to fill the vacancy, and Stein would run.

But Ridley said Thursday that he had "no plans at all" to run this year for the state House.

Asked again whether he might run for the state House this year, Ridley said, "Not just 'no,' but capital 'N,' capital 'O.'"

A Kentucky Senate plan for its own redistricting required after every U.S. Census would drastically reshape the boundaries for all 38 districts, move Crittenden County from its current district alongside Livingston County and change its representation in Frankfort. 

House Bill 1 redraws Congressional and state House, Senate and Judicial districts. Congressional and state House plans have already been approved by both legislative chambers, but the Senate passed its own plan Tuesday with a 22-14 vote split almost entirely down party lines. The map is expected to be approved by the House today.

Sen. Dorsey Ridley (D-Henderson) who currently represents Crittenden, Livingston, Caldwell, Union, Webster and Henderson counties, would not even represent his home county in the redistricting plan. His District 4 has been shifted to Fayette County, leaving him to represent Lexington residents until his term ends in 2015.

LRC PUBLIC INFORMATION

Sen. Joey Pendleton (D-Hopkinsville) (center), discusses
legislation with Sen. Joe Bowen (R-Owensboro) (left) and
Sen. Jack Westwood, R-Erlanger, in the Kentucky Senate.

Crittenden County would be shifted to District 3 along with Union, Caldwell and Christian counties. Sen. Joey Pendleton (D-Hopkinsville), who represents District 3 and is running for re-election this year, said he would be happy to represent agrarian counties from the Tennessee border to Illinois, even though constituents he has represented for more than 20 years would be moved to another district.

"I plan on representing these people just as I have these others in the past," Pendleton said on the floor Tuesday in being the only minority Democrat breaking ranks to vote for the bill. "I cannot stand here today and tell these new counties I have gained that I'm voting against you."

Sen. Ridley voted along with other Democrats who declared the GOP remapping was politically charged in order to punish the opposing party by essentially adding as many as four more seats to the 22-15-1 majority Republicans already have in the chamber.

"I've been here through several redistrictings and I understand the process," Pendleton said of the highly controversial plan.

Area death

Harold Riley "Cotton" Tabor, 72, of Marion died Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012 at his home. He was an Army veteran of the Vietnam War. Services are Saturday at Gilbert Funeral Home with interment in Frances Cemetery.

KSP invites farmers to outreach program

The Kentucky State Police/Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division is partnering with the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service to provide a "Farmer Outreach" forum that will forge enhanced relationships between law enforcement and the agricultural community.

The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., Monday in the University of Kentucky Research and Education Center on Hopkinsville Road in Princeton. Topics of discussion will include safety regulations, licensing requirements and driver qualifications and new legislation in effect for Kentucky farm operations.

For more information about the program, contact Officer Chris Green at (270) 388-2979 or Shane Bogle at (270) 365-2787

Five arrested in Livingston County drug raid

Five people were arrested Saturday night and charged with numerous offenses as the result of an investigation conducted by the Livingston County Sheriff's Department.

The investigation began as an anonymous complaint about possible drug activity. The Livingston County Sheriff's Department raided a property used as a deer hunting cabin on Carrsville Road
in northeast Livingston County in the early morning hours of Sunday.

Individuals arrested include:

• Scott Ringstaff, 42, of Hampton — charged with criminal trespass, first degree; possession of controlled substance (meth); manufacturing methamphetamine and trafficking in a controlled substance (meth).
• Tony C. Williams, 26, of Hampton — charged with Criminal
  trespass, first degree; possession of controlled substance, first degree (meth); manufacturing methamphetamine, first offense; and trafficking in a controlled substance, first offense (meth).
• Jeremy See, 30, of Salem — charged with criminal trespass, first degree; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; possession of a controlled substance, first degree (meth) and; manufacturing methamphetamine, first offense.
• Jessica Myrick, 30, of Hampton charged with criminal trespass, first degree.
• Misty Alexander, 32, of Salem — charged with criminal trespass, first degree.

Two vehicles and several firearms were seized as a result of this investigation. The Livingston County Sheriff's Department encourages citizens to report suspicious activity and possible drug activity in their
community.

Welcome Longbeards and Whitetails

The Crittenden Press Online welcomes a new partner this week.

Dale Willingham and his outfitting company Whitetails and Longbeards have been operating in the community for several years.

Now, we are proud to have them as part of our online community.

Visit them online at http://www.longbeardsandwhitetails.com/

Or contact them today at
info@longbeardsandwhitetails.com

Clerk says phone scam pirated her number

Crittenden Circuit Clerk Madeline Henderson says someone pirated her office phone number and has called at least one local resident as part of what could be a scam.


Henderson has investigated the claim and found that it is feasible for someone to us a caller identification signature that give credibility to the scam.


"It appeared as coming from 1-1-965-4200," Henderson said.


The caller told a local woman he was from the clerk's office and that she owed for a long overdue parking ticket. The woman didn't fall for the scam and the caller became offensive.


Henderson said anyone who receives a suspicious phone call allegedly from her office should call police.

Enforcement of bridge weight limit stepped up

For more pictures of the deteriorating bridge, visit our Facebook
page at www.Facebook.com/TheCrittendenPress.

Area law enforcement agencies have stepped up enforcement of the three-ton weight limit on the U.S. 60 Tennessee River bridge between Paducah and Ledbetter. The bridge was reduced to a three-ton maximum load limit last week after a review of the structure’s most recent inspection report mandated the restriction.

Over the last few days enforcement agencies have received a number of reports of vehicles exceeding the weight limit crossing the bridge. Kentucky State Police, Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement, the Livingston County Sheriff’s Department and the McCracken County Sheriff’s Department have responded by stepping up enforcement at the bridge this week.

There are multiple signs on each side of the bridge, including message boards, that clearly communicate the three-ton limit to drivers as they approach the bridge from all directions. Officers say a basic citation for violation of the load limit carries a fine and court costs of $245.  Additional fines may be included for drivers of commercial vehicles that are cited for violating the load limit.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet engineers have placed the bridge on an accelerated inspection schedule. The bridge will now be examined by inspectors every 30 days. The three-ton load limit is to help maintain the safety of the 81-year old bridge while a new $93 million bridge is being constructed upstream. Construction of the new bridge is expected to be complete in mid-2014.

Also known as the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge, the existing US 60 Tennessee River bridge connects McCracken County to Livingston County between Paducah and Ledbetter. The bridge was opened to traffic in 1931 and carries approximately 7,700 vehicles across the Tennessee River in an average day.

Handheld devices banned in commercial vehicles

Kentucky authorities are reminding operators of commercial vehices to put away their smart phones and keep their eyes on the road.

On Jan. 3, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration banned the use of all handheld mobile communication devices while operating a commercial vehicle. The ban also prohibits the use of any such handheld device while stopped at a temporary traffic control device such as a traffic light or a stop sign.

The new regulation allows for a one button use for the purposes of initiating, answering or terminating a call and for full operation of a mobile device in an emergency situation in order to contact police or other emergency services.

The law is an attempt to lessen the number of collisions caused by inattentive drivers. Anyone having questions relating to the changes may contact the Kentucky State Police in Madisonville at (270) 676-3313.

Area death

Robert Wayne Coleman Millikan, 70, of Salem died Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012 at Salem Springlake Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Funeral services are Tuesday in the chapel of Boyd Funeral Directors.

Superintendents are skeptical of school bus ads bill

UPDATE: The bill passed the House Jan. 18 by a 69-27 vote with Rep. Mike Cherry (D-Princeton) voting against the measure.

Some area school superintendents are skeptical of the benefit of proposed legislation that would allow school districts to sell advertising on the exterior of school buses. House Bill 30 is currently awaiting a full vote in the state House scheduled for Tuesday.

For the full story, visit the Murray Ledger & Times online.

Area death

Timothy Allen Sparks, 55, died Thursday, Jan. 11, 2012 in Kansas City, Mo. Funeral services are Wednesday in the Chapel of Boyd Funeral Directors.