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Ferry open now, perhaps only temporarily

Cave In Rock Ferry will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., today, March 10, 2022.  

Ferry Operator Lonnie Lewis and Kentucky Transportation Cabinet personnel checked the Kentucky Landing at 5 a.m., and determined that service could resume at 6 a.m., with the ferry remaining in service until 6 p.m., today.  

However, the river forecast indicates the river will rise again overnight and likely keep the ferry closed Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

The drop in river levels today will allow the ferry to serve most of the regular commuters.

The ferry has been closed since 6 p.m. on February 25, when floodwaters covered KY 91 near the 15 mile marker in northern Crittenden County.

Telecommunications position available in Marion

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Marion-Crittenden County 911 Center is hiring.

Are you or someone you know qualified as a telecommunications professional? Are you willing to attend training?

Marion's E911 service has a full-time opening for a dispatcher. Resumes must be accompanied by a City of Marion job application from City Hall and submitted to the E911 coordinator.

Salary is $26,171.26 per year with a 10% raise after training. Position includes 100% employee health insurance premium.

What's on the horizon for school classes?

Students are beginning to schedule classes for the 2022-23 academic year.

Sophomores were up on Tuesday, working with counselors and instructors to determine their classroom courses for school starting in August. 

Spring break is April 4-8, then students will be winding down with the final weeks of classes. April 11 was originally scheduled as a day off for students at the end of spring break, but school will now be in session on that day, per a decision Tuesday at the Crittenden County Board of Education meeting.

The last day for students is for May 25. 

Three nights of graduation events are scheduled for May 25-27 including Baccaleaurate May 25, Class Night May 26 and graduation May 27.

FERRY UPDATE: River dropping slower than expected

Although the Cave In Rock Ferry was expected to open first thing Wednesday morning, an updated Ohio River forecast appears to dictate a later opening.

Ferry operator Lonnie Lewis said the dam at Smithland back off its discharged some today which means the river is dropping at a slower rate.

It is possible river levels at mid-morning Wednesday could allow a specific timeline to be set for service to resume - with service likely to be restored sometime in the afternoon on Wednesday.

However, Lewis said that too remains questionable at this time.

Clerk's office remains stalled by outage

UPDATE: Problem is resolved. Clerk's office is open for all services.

ORIGINAL POST
Crittenden County Clerk's office, which was unable to conduct many of its services on Monday, remains stalled this morning because the remote connection between the courthouse in Marion and state databases in Frankfort is broken. The problem apparently lies somewhere in the AT&T connection.

The issue prevented the clerk's office from processing tax payments and renewing vehicle tags all day Monday. 

Clerk Daryl Tabor said that due to the problem, the office will delay its opening today until 9am.

Tabor said this morning that AT&T has yet to respond to the Commonwealth Office of Technology, which is trying to resolve the matter. 

The clerk's office deed room remains open. Land records are on a different system and are fully accessible for searches. However, customers will have to pay for copies or printed pages with cash or check for the time being.

Cave In Rock Ferry to reopen Wednesday morning

Cave In Rock Ferry will restart its service Wednesday morning as the Ohio River continues to rapidly fall following several days of flooding.

Ferry operator Lonnie Lewis said the landing areas on both sides of the Ohio appear clear of any debris that is sometimes associated with flooding. 

So once the river drops to a safe level, which will be overnight Tuesday, the tug will begin operating at around dawn tomorrow morning. 

Kentucky Transportation officials are not confirming the precise timing of the re-opening. 

The ferry has been closed since Feb. 24 due to high water. 

KY 135 also known as the Carrsville-Tolu Road is now open at Barnett's Branch Bridge in Sawmill Hollow between KY 297 and KY 723.

Internet outage at courthouse cripples service

An internet outage at the Crittenden County Clerk's office inside the courthouse has crippled services offered there.

Clerk Daryl Tabor said the AT&T broadband service has been on the blink for a few hours, and there is no indication of how long it will take to get it back online. 

Without internet, the office cannot to renew vehicle tags, process tax payments or much of anything else because computers are tied electronically to state databases. 

The phones are still working at the clerk's office.

Outages are not affecting other services inside the courthouse. 

Poll workers needed for primary election

Spring is in the air and election-year politics are on the lips of folks from Tolu to Shady Grove and beyond.

The county is currently looking for poll workers to handle precinct responsibilities during the May 17 Primary Election. These are paid positions, earning $120 for the day. Contact the county clerk for more information. 

Last week's community forum to introduce candidates at Shady Grove Fire Department was well attended. This week's full edition of the newspaper will have a report from the event. If you missed last Thursday's Town Hall Meeting at Shady Grove, worry not, for more are more on tap. Below is a schedule of the other candidate forums planned in Crittenden County ahead of the May 17 Primary Election. Every event begins at 6 p.m., and will last about 2 hours.

• Thursday, March 17 at Mattoon Fire Department.
• Thursday, March 31 at Caldwell Springs Fire Department.
• Thursday, April 14 Tolu Community Center.
• Thursday, April 28 Crittenden County Lions Club’s Agriculture Building at the fairgrounds.

Several county roads remain under water

Several county roads remain closed due to floodwaters from area rivers and streams. The Cave In Rock Ferry remains closed, too.

Here are the county roads closed as of Friday:

•  Long Branch Road
• River Drive in Tolu
• Water Street in Tolu
• Elizabethtown Ferry Road
• Monroe Wesmoland Road
• Phin Croft Road
• Barnett Chapel Road
• Hebron Road
• Weston Road
• Providence Road
• Enon Church Road
• Blackford Church Road
• Cool Springs Road
• Bells Mine Road

Coach Hodge retires from basketball court

 MARION, Ky. - After 11 seasons as head coach of the Rocket basketball team, Crittenden County coach Denis Hodge has resigned.

Hodge, whose team finished 14-17 this season as district runner-up for the fifth straight year, held a meeting with his players Friday at school to make the announcement.

Although he’s been head coach for just over a decade, Hodge has spent many more years as an assistant basketball coach. He is also a former baseball coach at CCHS. 

Hodge's basketball team won the Fifth District championship in 2018, only the second league title since Crittenden and Marion consolidated high schools in 1957.

Hodge plans to continue his educational role as a health and physical education teacher at the school.

Rocket Results Under Coach Hodge
2011-12 11-20
2012-13 15-16
2013-14 9-21
2014-15 16-12
2015-16 5-24
2016-17 7-24
2017-18 7-20
2018-19 11-19
2019-20 16-17
2020-21 13-10
2021-22 14-17
Total       124-200

Youth leagues register Saturday for softball, baseball

Crittenden County Dugout Club will host its annual registration day and skills assessment for softball and baseball from 9:30 a.m., until 11:30 a.m., Saturday at Marion-Crittenden County Park.

The league includes softball, kickball and baseball for players from age 4 to 15.

Find a printable registration form and details HERE.

Open House today from 11 to 2

See More About Whitetail Properties and

Superior Whitetail Habitats in this week's Press

Town Hall Meeting Tonight Featuring Candidates

Shady Grove Fire Department will be the first stop in a series of local Town Hall Meetings being orchestrated by Crittenden County Judge-Executive Perry Newcom and community leaders. 

Starting at 6 p.m., Thursday, nearly 20 candidates for county offices will be introduced and have an opportunity to speak.

The event is open to everyone in the county. 

In the coming weeks, more Town Hall Meetings will be held at Mattoon Fire Department, Caldwell Springs Fire Department, Tolu Community Center and the Lions Club building at the fairgrounds in Marion.

What's News This Week in Crittenden County

It has been a tragic and difficult week in Crittenden County as murder and arson investigations were opened here.

This week’s printed edition of The Crittenden Press has details on those unfortunate matters plus much more, including a look at one of Marion’s newest businesses which will have its Open House this week – that’s Superior Whitetail Habitats, which shares space with Whitetail Properties. Owner Mark Williams and his partners will open the doors to their new digs on West Gum Street from 11 a.m., until 2 p.m., Friday. It’s one of the trendiest, outdoorsy places you will find the community.

Also in this week’s Press are articles about new old problems at the courthouse, what could be an odd mess for local magistrates when reapportionment finally happens next year, pickle ball on the horizon, basketball’s postseason and the Lady Rockets’ historic playoff run, plus our March feature on Women in Local History.

All of this and more is inside this week's full edition of The Crittenden Press.

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Copyright 2022

The Crittenden Press

County firemen battling field fire

Crittenden County firemen are on the scene and additional manpower has been requested for a field fire on Copperas Springs Road not far from the intersection of KY 506.  The field fire began near 4281 Copperas Springs Road and is approaching a wooded area.

Lady Rockets playing in regional semifinal tonight

Crittenden County’s Lady Rocket basketball team takes on Webster County in tonight’s nightcap at the Second Region Semifinals in Madisonville.

Crittenden (23-7) is playing in a regional semifinal for just the fifth time in school history. The girls split regular-season encounters with Webster County (18-11).

The Lady Rockets have played in two regional champion games in their history, winning the title in 2011. The girls finished runner-up in 1978 to West Hopkins. They also played in the semifinals in 1984 and 2010, losing to Webster and Henderson counties, respectively. 

Admission to tonight's game can be paid for with cash at the gate. Estimated start time is 7:30pm. Tickets are $10 each.

Henderson and Madisonville will open semifinal play in a 6pm tipoff. 

Sirens sound Wednesday for tornado drill

 

Crittenden County will be participating in the statewide tornado drill

at 9:07 a.m., Wednesday morning. The alarm sirens throughout the

county and in Marion will be sounded at that time.

This will be only a test.

Livingston crash involves out of state victims

Four people from out of state were injured in a one-vehicle accident on U.S. 60 near Salem Monday morning.

Livingston County deputy Bryan Martin said Anthony Gisclair, 19, of Mississippi, was headed to Pinckneyville to get on a river boat when he fell asleep behind the wheel, ran off the highway and hit a stand of trees.

Gisclair was treated at released from Livingston Hospital. Three passengers from Louisiana in the Infiniti SUV were flown to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville where they are in stable condition. 

Meet the candidates event Thursday night

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Crittenden County Judge-Executive Perry Newcom is hosting a series of events aimed at introducing candidates to the community.

Five events between March 3 and April 28 will be held at various locations throughout the county.

Candidates for all countywide offices have been invited to participate in each of the sessions.

The first meeting is Thursday, March 3 at Shady Grove Fire Department.