Authorities looking for hit-and-run suspect

Crittenden County law enforcement is looking for Curtis Smith, 33, a local man who fled the scene of an automobile crash on U.S. 60 West last week near Moore Hill.

Deputy Ray Agent says Smith was involved in a three-vehicle crash near the intersection of KY 2132 and KY 297. Smith was driving westbound in a Dodge Stratus and attempting to pass a vehicle when he encountered stalled traffic ahead due to farm equipment being moved along the highway. Smith tried to re-enter his lane of travel but hit a car in the rear, then crossed into the oncoming lane and hit another head on.

Agent said individuals in the other vehicles involved in the crash sought medical treatment. None of them were serious enough to require a hospital stay.

The deputy believes Smith was also injured in the crash. Witnesses told investigators that Smith got something out his vehicle, wrapped it in a garment and fled into the forest south of the highway. Agent said tracking dogs were brought to the scene, but Smith was never located. He believes the suspect may have been picked up somewhere nearby.

A warrant for misdemeanor of leaving the scene of an accident has been issued for Smith. Anyone with information about his whereabouts should contact the sheriff’s department at (270) 965-3400. You may remain anonymous.

Hot Diggity Dog, Frazer Law to honor veterans

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Hot Diggity Dog and Frazer Law Office are honoring U.S. military veterans Thursday Nov. 11.

Between 3-5 p.m., the two Marion businesses welcome community members stop by Frazer Law on Main Street in Marion and show their support for veterans. 

A hot dog and drink will be served to all while tokens of appreciation will be given to service members.

Vaccine for ages 5-11 available at health department

Pediatric vaccine is now available at the Crittenden County Health Department and the four other health departments operated by Pennyrile Health District in Livingston, Caldwell and Trigg counties.

These are first-dose shots of Pfizer vaccine for ages 5-11. A followup dose will be due in three weeks once the first shot is administered. 

Appointments are available weekdays other than Wednesdays at the clinic in Marion. To make an appointment, call 270-965-5215. Walk-ins are not prohibited, but appointments are highly encouraged to avoid wait times. The health department is open 8 a.m., to 5 p.m., Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 8 a.m., to 11:30 a.m., on Fridays.

The health department in Marion, which is located in Industrial Park South behind Siemens, will be open extended hours on Thursday, Nov. 18 specifically to accommodate children. The clinic will be open from 7 a.m., until 6 p.m., on that day so parents or guardians can bring their children before or after school or work. An appointment should be made ahead of time.

Pediatric shots contain a smaller dose of the vaccine than what adults receive, but the same ingredients. 

“We also use a smaller needle to help make the children as comfortable as possible,” said Grace Donaldson of the Pennyrile Health Department.

There is no charge for the vaccine and Donaldson said there are virtually no health conditions that would prevent a child from receiving a shot. A fact sheet is available at the clinic.

Cecil Croft road temporarily closed today

UPDATE 2: The road was reopened Wednesday afternoon.

UPDATE: Due to circumstances at the work site, the job will take longer than anticipated. The road will remain to through traffic overnight and into tomorrow until the project can be completed.

ORIGINAL POST Cecil Croft Road in the western part of Crittenden County will be closed today until approximately 4 p.m.  

This closure will affect through-traffic only and will occur at near the 0.9 to the 1.10 mile point just west of SR 723 S. The work to be done is a base failure repair in preparations for received new asphalt to this area.

Veterans program at school Thursday

Crittenden County School District’s Heart to Heart Center is hosting its annual Veterans Day program at 9 a.m., Thursday at Rocket Arena. 

Masking is not required as long as individuals are seated at least 3 feet apart.  

The event is open to the public and veterans are encouraged to attend and participate. For more information, call 270-965-3525.

Bowtanicals open house is Nov. 12-13

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It's time for Bowtanicals' annual Christmas open house.

The flower and gift shop with locations in Marion and Salem will celebrate the start of the Christmas season from 5-7 p.m., Nov. 12 and from 8 a.m.-2 p.m., Nov. 13.

Discounts on in-store purchases will be honored at both stores.

Stop by and shop at either location as Bowtanicals ushers in the Christmas season.

H&R Block franchisees earn national recognition

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A Marion business has been recognized as a top 25 performer. 

Jennifer and Travis Reckinger, owners of the H&R Block franchise in Marion, were named as a top 25 franchise during a recent evaluation of H&R Block offices.

The Reckingers own offices in Marion, Providence and Morganfield in Kentucky and Rosiclare, Illinois.

They say their employees helped them achieve this milestone 

and thank them for their commitment to the company.

Mask policy eases at schools starting Monday

Crittenden County schools will modify their masking policy starting Monday due to a drop in the number of COVID-19 cases in the community. According to policy developed earlier this year, students will not have to wear masks throughout the day because the county is no longer in the state's so-called Red Zone. There are periods, however, when masks will be required such as while students are moving between classes. They are also required on buses per federal guidelines. 

The following is a message sent to parents and guardians by the school district:

Rocket Families, our seven day rolling average incidence rate yesterday was 22.7 (Orange). Therefore, by BOE order, we will mask while moving inside our buildings next week. Masks are encouraged and recommended inside our buildings next week; however, they will be optional when seated at least 3 feet apart. Per federal order, masks are required on school buses.

We will continue our Healthy At School practices, including contact tracing, quarantining, test to stay, extra cleaning/sanitizing, and social distancing. We also encourage parents to keep their children home when they are symptomatic. We appreciate everyone's cooperation while we protect our in-person learning option for all students.

Marion EV charging station gets steady use

This electric vehicle with a McCracken County

 license plate was juicing up last week at 

the Marion EV charging station 

behind the Farmers Market, next to 

McDonald’s Restaurant.

Kentucky ranks among the worst places in the country to own an electric vehicle, according to a new study by  Jerry Services Inc., an American company that operates the Jerry mobile app offering vehicle and home insurance comparisons, among other services. 

Kentucky ranked as the second worst state for EV owners. The company based its research on three factors: EV charging port density, gas savings and government incentives. 

Marion is one of a handful of area towns that has a charging station for battery-driven automobiles. It’s behind the Farmers Market and there is no cost to use it. The station gets steady use. Kuttawa, Princeton and Grand Rivers also have charging stations. 

In Kentucky, there are only nine charging ports for every 100,000 people, and the state doesn’t offer incentives for EV drivers like others do, Jerry’s news release said.

The top three states to own an EV are Massachusetts, Vermont and California, where drivers can save up to $8,000 by switching to EVs with financial incentives offered by their local governments.

Among other worst EV owning states are Louisiana at No. 1 and Idaho at No. 3.

Cook, longtime magistrate, dies

Longtime community leader Percy Cook, 90, died Friday afternoon in an Evansville hospital.

Cook served for 21 years as a county magistrate from the Fourth District, a northern section of Crittenden County, where he had lived on the family farm for decades. 

First elected to the Crittenden County Fiscal Court in 1993, Cook completed his final term as magistrate in 2014.

He suffered a broken hip in a fall at the courthouse a couple of weeks ago. Friends said he developed pneumonia after hip surgery and passed away late Friday afternoon.

The Press will have a complete obituary in next week's newspaper. 

Rosebud congregants fundraising to buy church

A small congregation at Rosebud Church hopes that a gospel singing and fundraiser this weekend will help it generate money they need to buy the church building.

Formerly a Methodist congregation, the church has been shuttered a couple of times over the last several decades, but was re-opened in 2018 as a non-denominational church. Since then, services have been held there regularly. 

A singing and bake sale featuring The Hatfield Family and other gospel groups from the Calvert City area will be held Friday and Saturday, Nov. 5-6. The congregation is also cooking whole hams and Boston butts for $45 each. Love offerings will be taken each day.

To make a donation, contact pastor Jeff Brasher at (270) 210-2301.

See The Crittenden Press full edition this week for a more detailed article on Rosebud Church.

KB Pharmacy celebrates 10 years in business

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KB Pharmacy in Marion is celebrating 10 years in business.

Owners Mike Keller and Bradley Boone thank members of the community for their support of the Main Street pharmacy during its first decade in operation.

KB is a full-service pharmacy located on South Main Street in 

Marion and features Marion's only drive-up window for 

prescription access. 

Eight candidates out of the chute early

Candidate registration is open through Jan. 7

On the first day to formalize candidacy for local public office, eight individuals filed today to run in the 2022 elections. 

Everyone who filed today did so as a member of the Republican party.

Three will seek to return to the office they currently hold. Those are marked with an asterisk. The others are challengers in their respective races.

The 2022 primary election is set for May 17 and the general election will be on Nov. 8.

Filing were the following:

• Daryl Tabor for County Clerk*
• Robbie Kirk for 4th District Magistrate
• Dave Belt for 1st District Magistrate*
• Chuck Hoover for Sheriff
• Heath Martin for Sheriff
• Bart Frazer for county attorney
• Perry Newcom for Judge-Executive*
• Dale Willingham for 5th District Magistrate 

 

A few spots left for Outlaw Tours

Maps of the Outlaw Trail are available at
Crittenden County Public Library.

Excitement is building for this weekend’s highly-anticipated climax to the Ferry Tales history series as two driving tours on Friday and Saturday may help answer questions and perhaps shed newfound light on some of the heralded river pirate stories from a bygone era.

A number of books and a History Channel documentary have been among the envoys of stories from pioneer western Kentucky and southern Illinois that paint a dark and dangerous passage from the developed Eastern Seaboard to the frontier of early America. Grants from Kentucky and Illinois humanities councils and local efforts by historical societies, tourism agencies and the Crittenden County Public Library have made possible a three-month program aimed at revisiting tales of outlaws, murderous Harps and the fundamental role of our Ohio River in Manifest Destiny’s western expansion and industry.

The tour will leave Marion mid morning both days and will wind its way through rural Crittenden County and southern Illinois well into the evening hours. There will be various stops at places of historic interest, some typically not open to the public. Tours require registration as space is limited. As of early this week there were four spots open for Friday's tour and one for Saturday. Contact the Crittenden County Public Library to register. Call 270-965-3354. There is no charge for this tour. Funding has been provided by the Kentucky Local History Trust and Illinois Humanities for all Ferry Tales programming. The Ohio River Outlaw Trail map has been generously funded by the Marion, Ky., Tourism, Convention and Recreation Bureau and the Hardin County, Ill., Tourism Board

“We are really excited about the interest that Ferry Tales has generated,” said Librarian Brandie Ledford, who has been instrumental in getting the project going along with other local organizers such as historians Brenda Underdown and Brennan Cruce of Marion and Todd Carr of Hardin County, Ill.

Ledford says that much of legendary history is folklore, some of it solid myth and part of it true. 

“A lot of people just didn’t know ... for the rest of this article, see this week's full edition of The Crittenden Press, which is available in print form or electronically online. Go Here to Subscribe.

Healing service Friday night in Salem

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A service in Salem Friday night is designed to relieve attendees from all that ails them.

Healing Words Ministries is hosting a healing service at 6:30 p.m., Friday.

Organizers say the service will deliver individuals from the suffering caused by heart disease, cancer, anxiety and other health diagnoses.

For more information, contact Healing Word Ministries.

Clerk adjusts office hours in November

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The Crittenden County Clerk's office will have changes to its hours of operation this month.

County Clerk Daryl Tabor said the office will be open Saturday, Nov. 6 from 8 a.m.-noon to accommodate members of the public, since the office will be closed a couple of days next week.

The office will be closed Nov. 10-11 and again Nov. 25-26.

Library seeks public input for library plan

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An event to gather input from the public about programming at the Crittenden County Public Library will be held at 2 p.m., Nov. 9.

The board of trustees overseeing the library is hosting a Walk & Talk at Marion City-County Park, inviting members of the public to help develop a strategic plan.

The Nov. 9 Walk & Talk Community Conversation is the second in a series of two events to assist the library board in developing its programming for the coming years.

Community Christmas registration opens Friday

Registration for the 2021 Community Christmas charitable event begins late this week.

Registration is from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Friday, Nov. 5 at the Crittenden County Extension Annex on U.S. 60 East. 

Eligibility rules require participants to attend three community education classes. The Crittenden County Interagency Council, which coordinates the event, plans to add additional classes and voted Oct. 21 to allow attendance at a rehabilitation or similar community-based program to count for credit. 

Classes must be completed by 5 p.m., Nov. 19. 

Some upcoming class opportunities include the following: 

•Nov. 4, 10 a.m. Germ Prevention presented by Anthem Medicaid at the Crittenden County Public Library.

•Nov. 9, 10 a.m. Oral Health presented by Anthem Medicaid at the library

•Nov. 9, 5:30 p.m. CPR Training hosted by the after-school program at the Crittenden County High School Library.

•Money Habitudes Online Program. Login information is available from the Crittenden County Extension Office. Proof of completion must be submitted to the Extension Office for a signature. 

Volunteers are being scheduled between 9 a.m.-4 p.m., an organizational day Dec. 16 at Marion Baptist Church and for distribution between 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 16 and 9 a.m.-noon, Friday, Dec. 17. 

Teen volunteers are not being utilized this year.

Where's Lunch Today?

PODCAST: Outlaw Tour and Library Walk and Talk

Listen Now - Click Here

Join us on this visit to the meeting room at Crittenden County Public Library with Librarian Brandie Ledford, who talks about this weekend's River Outlaw Tour, which is the final program and perhaps the climax of a three-month-long Ferry Tales series. Listen Here.

Ledford also explains how the library is seeking public input to help it develop a strategic plan for long- and short-term planning. You can join the Walk and Talk at the park or other information-gathering events coming up at your library. 

Read more about these programs, and a get the official River Outlaw Tour Map in this week's full edition of The Crittenden Press. 

Junior Pro Jamboree this weekend at Sturgis

West Kentucky Junior Pro Football League will hold its annual post-season playoffs Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 6-7, at Sturgis. The cheerleading showcase will be hled at 3:30pm on Sunday. Here are brackets for the football jamboree:

3-4 Grade Division
Saturday, 9am
4) Webster Co. vs 5) Crittenden Co.
Saturday 3pm
1) Caldwell Co. vs Crittenden/Webster
Saturday, noon
3) Union County vs 2) Trigg County
Sunday, 2pm
3-4 Championship

5-6 Grade Division
Saturday, 10:30am
4) Trigg County vs 5) Caldwell County
Saturday, 1:30pm
3) Crittenden Co. vs Webster County
Saturday, 4:30pm
1) Union County vs Trigg/Caldwell
Sunday 5pm
5-6 Championship