FSA’s CRP sign-up extended to Friday

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced late last week that the sign-up deadline for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has been extended to Friday.

After the CRP general sign-up ends Friday, FSA will evaluate offers based on cost and the Environmental Benefits Index (EBI). The EBI takes into consideration variables such as wildlife habitat, water quality protection, soil erosion reduction, air quality protection and other enduring benefits. Accepted offers will become effective Oct. 1.

Producers with expiring contracts and producers with environmentally sensitive land are encouraged to evaluate their options under CRP.

Producers are urged to contact their local FSA service center in Salem at 988-2180 or visit FSA’s website at fsa.usda.gov for additional information regarding CRP.

Craft and gift open house Saturday

April 14, 2012 • 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Marion Country Club
650 Blackburn St.

More than 15 vendors including: Needful Things at Honeysuckle Cottage, D’s Stitch and Stuff, Megan Hunt Pampered Chef, Jessi’s Personalized Gifts and More, Bristen’s Flip Flop Frenzy, Scentsy, Hand Crocheted Afghans by Lori Holeman, Decorative Lighted Glass Figurines by Agnes Armstrong Brown, Jerritt Brown Photography, Handmade Doll Furniture by Charlie Martin, Cookie Lee Jewelry, Cheyenne Bodie Photography, Handcrafted Baskets by Beth Todd, Scent with Love, Mary Kay, and Donna’s Stitches.

Lots and lots of door prizes will be given away!

There is sure to be something for everyone!

For more, call 704-0473

Backroads quilt show scheduled for April 28

Marion City Hall Council Chambers will be decked out with quilts for the Backroads Quilt Show for April 28. Quilts can be displayed by anyone and do not have to be made by the exhibitor. This is not a sewing competition but the opportunity to view works of art.

The featured quilt display in the City Hall lobby is called “Unfinished Dreams” and will include all the steps in making a quilt. 

Quilts can be entered from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Each quilt needs an information card listing the owner and maker, date made and pattern, if known, and other information which may be of interest to viewers. Information cards will be available at the show or can be picked up in advance at the County Extension office located at 1534 U.S. 60 East.

 The Quilt Show is free and will be open for viewing by the public from 10 a.m., to 3 p.m. Spectators will vote for the show favorite called "The People's Choice Award." The winner will be announced at 3 p.m., and will receive a plaque and a gift certificate to a local restaurant. Quilts can be checked out from 3 to 3:30 p.m.

Previous Back Roads Quilt Show award winning quilts are not eligible for show favorite, but can be displayed.

The show is free to the public and is sponsored by the Crittenden County Extension Homemaker Association. For further information contact Cindy Davidson at 969-8223 or the Extension Office at 965-5236.

Area deaths

Dorothy N. Guill, 66, of Marion died Monday, April 9, 2012 at Crittenden Health Systems. Funeral services will be Friday in the chapel of Boyd Funeral Directors.

Ricky Joe Adams, 32, of Marion died Sunday, April 8, 2012 in Welliston, N.D.  Funeral services are scheduled for Friday at Gilbert Funeral Home.

Class on damage assessment set

There will be a damage assessment class from 9 a.m., to 3 p.m., Tuesday at the Ed-Tech Center in Marion, according to former Judge-Executive Fred Brown. Police, fire, rescue and any other personnel who may be involved in disaster relief are encouraged to attend.

GED classes offered free at Marion center

Crittenden County Adult Education Center is facilitating two important education and workforce-credential tests for free to eligible Kentuckians on a first-come, first-served basis through June 30 or until funds are expended.

The GED tests and assessments to earn a National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) are sponsored by Kentucky Adult Education, a unit of the Council on Postsecondary Education, and the Department of Workforce Investment, an agency of the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet.

"We currently are at 26 GEDs for the year," reports Missy Myers at the Crittenden County Adult Education Center. "We are planning to send 10 students in April for their GED. We would love to get 50 again by the end of June."

The GED tests provide adults who did not finish high school with the opportunity to certify their attainment of high school-level academic knowledge and skills. Free GED classes are available through local adult education programs in all 120 Kentucky counties.

"For many Kentuckians, earning a GED is a necessary first step toward college and a career with a family-sustaining wage,” said Council on Postsecondary Education President Bob King.

The NCRC is a national certification that indicates work readiness by administering three WorkKeys assessments: applied mathematics, locating information and reading for information. These specific workplace skills are needed in 77 percent of all jobs profiled for WorkKeys testing.

Kentuckians interested in taking advantage of free classes and the time-limited free GED testing should contact the adult education center at 124 E. Bellville St., in Marion to discuss how to get started. The office can be reached at 965-9435.

The center will be closed Monday, Wednesday and Friday of next week, however, while staff attend an Adult Education Conference.

Area deaths

Christy Lee Curry, 27, of Marion, died Saturday, April 7, 2012 at Crittenden Health Systems. Funeral services are scheduled for Wednesday at Whites Chapel Church. Gilbert Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Verna Belle Walker, 64, of Henderson died Sunday, April 8, 2012 at Lucy Smith King Care Center in Henderson. Services are scheduled for Thursday at Gilbert Funeral Home.

Passion Play set to start Friday

Marion Baptist Church’s annual Passion Play about the trial, sufferings and death of Jesus Christ begins next week. The first showing at the church begins at 7 p.m., Friday and runs the following two nights starting at the same time. Doors open at 6 p.m., and admission is free.

Area death

William Carlton “Bill” Stallion, 84, of Marion died Saturday, April 7, 2012 at Livingston Hospital and Healthcare Services in Salem. He was a Purple Heart recipient as a member of the U.S. Army. Funeral services are at 2 p.m., Monday at Freedom General Baptist Church. Boyd Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Press seeking photos of men killed in war

The Crittenden Press, in recognizing the county's native military personnel killed in action, is seeking photos of the following World War II and Korean War soldiers, sailors and airmen to include in our annual Memorial Day tribute to those who gave their lives for this country. We have already acquired photos of all men killed in Vietnam and most during World War II.

If you have any photos of the men, please contact The Press at thepress@the-press.net.

World War II
SGT. FORREST E. BRANTLEY
U.S. Army
Born: 1913
KIA: Jan. 13, 1945 in Belgium

PFC. JOHN W. FREEMAN
Born: 1918
KIA: 1943 in the U.S.

PFC. J.D. HODGE
Born: 1915
KIA: 1944 in Italy

SGT. HERBERT A. HOOVER
Born: Aug. 29, 1904
KIA: Oct. 14, 1944 in Germany

S/SGT. DENVER L. MARVEL
Born: 1920
KIA: 1943 at Luzon

SGT. VIVIAN McDONALD
Born: 1917
KIA: 1945 at Luzon

SGT. THOMAS PERKINS
Born: 1921
KIA: 1945 in the U.S.

PFC. CARTER SHOECRAFT
Born: 1925
KIA: 1945 in Austria

PVT. MAURICE STALION
Born: May 14, 1916
KIA: Aug. 15, 1942 in the U.S.

PFC. JAMES B. TRUITT
Born: 1910
KIA: July 11, 1944 in France

SGT. JACK L. WOODY
U.S. Army Air Corps
Born: 1910
MIA: Dec. 14, 1945 in the Pacific Theatre

PFC. JAMES C. YANDELL
Born: 1919
KIA: 1944 in Belgium

Korean War
SGT. JAMES R. BISSELL
U.S. Army
Born: April 30, 1928
KIA: June 2, 1951 as POW taken from Dec. 6, 1950 fighting near Hagaru, North Korea

Free dump days slated for next week

Crittenden County won’t officially be participating in this week’s 14th annual Commonwealth Cleanup Week, but as usual, the county will offer free dumping days at its convenience center on U.S. 60 just east of Marion behind the county road department. The free dumping will be allowed Thursday, Friday and Saturday during regular business hours.

Items not accepted at the trash center include:

• Batteries;
• Wet paint, though cans dried up from age or use of an absorbent like cat litter can be taken;
• Anything with freon; and
• Anything with mercury.

Household trash in garbage sacks is not included in the trash amnesty days.

Traffic restricted along I-69 Monday

A contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KyTC) is stepping up the level of work along Interstate 69/Western Kentucky Parkway between Eddyville and the Pennyrile Parkway interchange as part of ongoing improvements required to meet interstate highway standards.

In addition to installation of new Interstate 69 signage, the contractor will be restricting traffic to one lane at two locations in Caldwell County starting Monday.

Traffic will be restricted to one lane in both directions along the corridor between the 4- and 7-mile marker in Caldwell County to allow drainage work in the median. All traffic will be moved to the right-hand or driving lane in this work zone.

Westbound traffic will be restricted to one lane between the 10- and 9-mile marker along the roadway in Caldwell County to allow drainage work along the right of way. All westbound traffic in this work zone will move to the left-hand or passing lane.

Work at these sites is expected to take just over a week, weather permitting.

These work zones are among several that will be required through the summer construction season as part of a $9.9 million project to bring the section of former parkway up to federal standards for interstate highways. Other improvements include upgrading ramp tapers and raising bridges to meet clearance requirements.

Timely traffic advisories for the 11 counties of KYTC Highway District 2 are available by going to www.facebook.com/kytcdistrict2. You do not have to be a Facebook member to access this page.

CRP sign-up extended to April 12

Friday will not be the final day to enroll in the Conservation Reserve Program, or CRP. The deadline has been extended to April 12 according to Tammy Epley at the Salem Farm Service Agency office.

The new deadline includes participants with contracts expiring this fall.

Contracts awarded during this general signup period will become effective Oct. 1.

For information about general Conservation Reserve Program sign-up, contact the Salem Farm Service Agency at 965 2180 or visit www.fsa.usda.gov/crp.

Ledbetter bridge down to one lane

Already restricted to a three-ton weight limit and 35 mph speed limit on the approaches and crossing, the U.S. 60 Tennessee River Bridge is about to be even less friendly to the traffic flow.

Starting Saturday, the bridge at Ledbetter will be restricted to one-lane traffic around the clock to allow for the replacement of a deck expansion joint, according to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KyTC). During this phase of work, the bridge will be restricted to a maximum 7.5-foot load width. All other restrictions remain in place.

The lane closure was slated to begin today.

The alternating flow of traffic will be controlled by an automated signal, but delays should be less than five minutes, reports Keith Todd, KyTC spokesman. The one-lane traffic should remain in place through April 13.

The deteriorating 81-year-old bridge should be replaced in the middle of 2014. The strictly-enforced load limit essentially limits traffic on the current bridge to passenger vehicles and unloaded standard pick-up trucks. An enhanced police presence continues to be maintained to enforce the load limit and 35 mph speed limit on the bridge.

Area death

Karla Jo Curnel, 50, of Marion died Tuesday, April 3, 2012 at her residence. Graveside funeral services were Friday at Mapleview Cemetery. Myers Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Prevention focus of health seminar

An encore performance of a health seminar will take place Monday at Marion Baptist Family Life Center. The program will be held from 6 to 8 p.m., with Jill Croft, APRN; Tracye Newcom, RD, LD; Rex C. Manayan, MD; and Dr. John Newcom, DC, the featured speakers.

The fast pace of modern life leads to high stress, ill health, fatigue and obesity, and the speakers' goal is to teach and encourage participants to make changes to their diet and lifestyle in order to reduce risk of illness and chronic disease.

Area death

Patsie Virginia Lasher, 85, of Hampton, died Tuesday, April 3, 2012 at Salem Springlake Health and Rehabilitation Center. Funeral services are at 2 p.m., Friday in the chapel of Boyd Funeral Directors.

History museum commemorates Civil War

Crittenden County is taking part in statewide commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War (1861-65) at the history museum in Marion. A special display, courtesy of Crittenden County Historical Society in partnership with Marion Tourism Commission, will pay homage to Kentucky's role in what is the most significant conflict in American history.

"It is scarcely an exaggeration to say that the Confederacy would have won the war if it could have gained Kentucky," wrote Pulitzer-Prize winning historian Dr. James M. McPherson, "and, conversely, that the Union's success in retaining Kentucky as a base for invasions of the Confederate heartland brought eventual Union victory."

A brief history and images from the divisive five-year war will be on display all month at Crittenden County Historical Museum. “Civil War Kentucky,” a new Kentucky Historical Society Museums-to-Go exhibit, is a stand-alone, six-panel display that will provide visitors with a general overview of the Civil War in the Bluegrass State. Each panel is dedicated to a different theme:

• Kentucky’s Turning Point: The Civil War
• 1861: Should Kentucky Stay or Go?
• 1862: The Confederate Invasion of Kentucky
• 1863: Struggling with Slavery
• 1864: The Slow End of Slavery
• 1865: Rubble and Racism

The museum is located at 124. W. Bellville St., and is open 10 a.m., to 3 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday. Admission is free.

Inside this week's issue of The Press

In February, Crittenden Fiscal Court introduced an occupational license and one-percent occupational and net profits tax ordinance as a possible means to raise revenue for the county’s general fund. A primary reason for the need to increase revenue is a request by Crittenden Health Systems (CHS) to help subsidize its ambulance service, which lost $204,000 in 2011. The county also says it has other ongoing expenses without a sure source of revenue for meeting those needs.

Crittenden County Judge-Executive Perry Newcom has held public forums in various parts of the county to discuss the county’s proposed tax. However, the combined attendance has been fewer than 200 people, not counting those affiliated with county government or CHS who attended the meetings. The Crittenden Press has also devoted much space and time over the past few weeks with regard to this issue.

In an effort to further inform and answer some questions about the tax, The Press has submitted a series of questions to Newcom, who has agreed to have his answers published in their entirety. The answers appear in Newcom’s own words in this week's print edition of the newspaper.

The full length tax proposal is available online by following this link.

Also inside this week's issue, find out when Five Star Food Mart is slated to re-open and discover what Crittenden and Livingston County school systems are doing to combat bullying.

Area deaths

Betty Ruth Martin, 75, of Madisonville, originally from Crittenden County, died Saturday, March 31, 2012 at NHC Health Care in Madisonville. Funeral services are Wednesday at the Barnett-Strother Funeral Home in Madisonville.

Raymond L. Winters, 81, of Evansville, originally of Marion, died Saturday, March 31, 2012, at his home. Funeral services are Wednesday at Boone Funeral Home in Evansville.

James O. Kirk, 69, of Waterloo, Ill., formerly of Marion, died Sunday, April 1, 2012 in Waterloo. He was a U.S. Army veteran of Vietnam. Funeral services are Wednesday at Quernheim Funeral Home in Waterloo.

John J. Ruschmeyer, 89, of Pekin, Ill., died Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at Autumn Accolade in rural Green Valley, Ill. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. A graveside service was Saturday at Glendale Memorial Gardens in Pekin. Preston-Hanley Funeral Homes and Crematory was in charge of arrangements.