PDF Full Version Subscriptions

The Crittenden Press Online will start charging for PDF versions of The Crittenden Press on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2008. The entire newspaper will be available in PDF format for a fee of $2.50 per month or $20 per year. 

The Press Online will continue offering a portion of the local news for free. Those free html files will include the top three or four stories of the week, obituaries, community calendar, classified ads from The Press and Early Bird, plus web exclusives such as breaking news, podcasts and video.

For a PDF subscription, go to the subscribe link at The Press Online and follow the prompts. Subscriptions to the PDF version will be available only online. Subscribers will need a Paypal account which they will be prompted to create when they subscribe. Once a Paypal account is created, the customer may pay with a variety of methods, including credit card or bank draft.

Subscribers will be given a unique user name and password so that they can view or download weekly PDF updates of The Crittenden Press in its entirety.

Many of the things available online are never printed in the regular issue of The Press. News and sports video at The Press Online's You Tube channel is one of the most popular features. Thousands of viewers have watched sports clips, features about a local wood working shop, Dam 50 renovations and storm coverage.

Rockets upset Mayfield

Crittenden County's football team beat Mayfield for the first time ever Friday.

The Rockets won the game 27-14 and will continue their quest for a district championship in two weeks with a home game against Ballard Memorial.

Get the latest scores, stats, photos and video at the Rocket Blog. Click here.

Pictured are Crittenden players dumping the water cooler on head coach Al Starnes following Friday's victory at Mayfield. Photo by Reese Baker.

Ky 295 accident

A Dycusburg man was seriously injured when his car went off the road on Ky. 295 near the Lyon-Crittenden line south of Dycusburg about noon Friday.

The man, Teddy Davenport, 56, was flown by helicopter to a Paducah hospital then later transferred to Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville. He was in critical condition Saturday morning.

Pictured is a Crittenden County rescue squad member directing the air ambulance to its landing site in a field just above the accident scene.

Crittenden gets EOC funding

U.S. Congressman Ed Whitfield is working to secure funding for an Emergency Operations Center in Marion. The U.S. House approved the funds as part of its passage of the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance and Continuing Appropriations Act of 2009. The bill will fund the federal government through March of 2009 and provide funding for defense, military and homeland security operations as well as various other spending measures. 

Among projects approved was $750,000 for the Crittenden County Emergency Operations Center. Judge-Executive Fred Brown said Thursday morning that it appears the legislation will be received favorably in the U.S. Senate, too.

"We've been trying to get money for this for the last two or three years," said Brown. "I'm just elated."

Brown said the EOC will likely be built in the industrial park on the south end of town near the Marion Ed-Tech Center. It could be located downtown near the current rescue squad building at what's commonly called the jockey lot. That and other decisions about the scope and size of the center will be made later, the judge said.

Brown envisions a metal building capable of handling a variety of emergency response activities and equipment.

"I think the rescue squad, HAZ-MAT response team, emergency management and even the fire departments, if they wanted to, could be in there," Brown said.

Brown said a consolidated emergency center is critical for the long-range well-being of the community. He said weaknesses in the local system have been identified recently during natural disasters, including the major ice storm last winter.

Brown said he will be watching the bill very closely in the next day or so as it makes its way through the Senate.

River level stresses water officials

Officials at the Crittenden-Livingston Water District are stressed over falling levels of the Cumberland River. The river is dropping to gravely low marks, below intakes used to suck raw water from the river at the district's water plant at Pinckneyville in Livingston County.

By Thursday evening, the river will be too low for the intakes to draw water, according to Crittenden-Livingston superintendent Donnie Beavers.

"We've been in contact with the Corps of Engineers all day," Beavers said Wednesday night as his crews continued to monitor the situation. "They think this could create a problem for us into the weekend."

The water shortage in the river is due to several factors, including a two-year drought, the drawing down of Lake Cumberland to repair Wolf Creek Dam and the rising Mississippi River.

Beavers said that a Henderson, Ky., company has been contracted to bring in a large mobile pump that will be able to draw 2,000 gallons per minute from the river and pour it into the intakes. While that should avert any serious problems, Beavers says he remains cautious because river levels could stay low for some time, as there is no rain in the immediate forecast.

"Lake Barkley is at about winter pool now, so they can't let any more water out of there," Beavers said.

The Corps of Engineers, which manages the flow of water on inland reservoirs, will be raising the wickets on Dam 52 near Paducah later this week. That should help stave off a more serious situation, Beavers.

This week's news

The Crittenden Press printed edition will be on the streets by 3 p.m., today.

Some of the things you can expect are:

1.  An article about a couple of Alabama deer hunters busted in rural Crittenden County with whiskey, Xanax, loaded rifles and a spotlight.
   
2. Chris Ordway, formerly of Marion, is elected to a statewide board.
3. That World War II pilot from Marion has been buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
4. The county judge has issued an outdoor burn ban until it rains.
5. An SEC football player was in Marion this week and visited with local flag football players.

Farm Bureau closed Wednesday

Crittenden County's office of the Kentucky Farm Bureau will be closed Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008 due to mandatory training.

Larry Davidson, the local Farm Bureau Insurance agent, said anyone with claim information or other needs can contact the office Thursday morning. He apologizes for the inconvenience.

Countywide burn ban enacted

Judge-Executive Fred Brown has instituted a countywide ban on all outdoor burning for Crittenden County until further notice due to the continued hot and dry conditions. The ban is similar to the one enacted during last year's prolonged drought, with fines and jail time possible for violators. Three rural brush fires on Monday helped to prompt the action, Brown said.

Heritage Days Success Stories

Heritage Days in Marion was a big success. From the cow chip throwing contest to the street play, 'A New Gang in Town,' the entire festival was a big hit, according to organizers.

Judge-Executive Fred Brown said a huge crowd enjoyed events and vendors all weekend long. Pictured is a scene from the street play, Saturday evening's featured event.

All Pro Dad's Breakfast

Hey Dads and Kids…
Join us for Crittenden County's All-Pro Dad's Breakfast

In the multi-purpose room of the
Crittenden County High School
Saturday, September 27th
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
For questions e-mail Denis Hodge at:

denis.hodge@crittenden.kyschools.us
or call 270-704-0643

All Pro Dad’s Day is a monthly gathering of fathers and their kids with the simple purpose of growing closer to each other while enjoying breakfast and participating in meaningful activities.

All Pro Dad is a national charity that features NFL players, coaches, and alumni, including Tony Dungy, who speaks out on the importance of fatherhood. For more information, log on to allprodads.com

Blood supplies dangerously low

NASHVILLE, TN, Sept. 22, 2008 – The physical devastation of Hurricanes Gustav, Hanna, and Ike is matched by another consequence that is more subtle though no less important - the impact on our nation’s blood supply.

In many communities around the country, with blood supplies already low, the American Red Cross has seen its efforts hindered, halted or re-routed by the recent storms and subsequent flooding and power outages. Storm damage, flooding, and power outages have caused the cancellation of blood drives in affected areas, and many blood donors have been unable to keep their donation appointments. Prolonged power issues could mean thousands of units of lifesaving blood might not be collected.

Meanwhile, the Red Cross has activated its national network to move blood from other communities to assist hospitals in communities affected by the storms and other emergencies. The Red Cross has provided hundreds of blood products to hospitals in Texas in the wake of Hurricane Ike and to trauma hospitals in Los Angeles for the train crash survivors. Many of these blood units were type O, the type most often used in emergencies.

The result is a shortfall between supply and demand that must be made up so patients who need blood will not be placed at risk. To this week’s cancer patients and accident victims, who may require anywhere from one to 40 units of blood, that loss is significant.

A stable blood supply is important throughout the year, but during times like these your blood donation is especially important. Type O blood donors are especially needed because type O blood can be given to any patient in an emergency when there may no time to test for and match the patient’s blood type.

Please call the American Red Cross today at 1-800-GIVE-LIFE or visit givelife.org to schedule a blood donation appointment or to learn about other ways you can help the hurricane relief efforts.

Farm Bureau closed Wednesday

Crittenden County's office of the Kentucky Farm Bureau will be closed Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008 due to mandatory training.

Larry Davidson, the local Farm Bureau Insurance agent, said anyone with claim information or other needs can contact the office Thursday morning. He apologizes for the inconvenience.

All Crittenden lights are on

As of 3:40 p.m. Saturday, Kenergy had 1,166 customers without power in the region. All Crittenden County Kenergy customers have been reconnected, according to the poer company.

The number of outages by county:

Breckinridge 3
Caldwell 1
Daviess 575
Hancock 275
Henderson 12
Hopkins 9
McLean 65
Ohio 167
Union 45
Webster 14

Heritage Days Schedule

Lots going on in Marion this morning. Here's a schedule of the Heritage Days Festival.

Street play starts at 6 p.m.

Cumberland Bridge at Lake City close Sunday

A contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans to close the US 62 Cumberland River Bridge at Lake City starting at 6 a.m., Sunday, September 21, 2008. The bridge is expected to remain closed until approximately 8:00 p.m., Sunday evening.

The closure is to allow the contractor to continue repairs to the bridge deck. Some of the work can be done more safely without a traffic load on the bridge, so the structure will be closed to all traffic on Sunday. Motorists may use the marked detour for oversized vehicles along I-24 via Exit 40 at Eddyville and Exit 31 at Grand Rivers.

The US 62 Cumberland River Bridge, also known at The Blue Bridge, crosses the Cumberland River below Barkley Dam at theLivingston-Lyon County line. The bridge carries about 5,900 vehicles in an average day.

Heritage Days

Heritage Days is this weekend on the courthouse square in Marion, Ky.

Click here for a schedule of events.

Listen below to a podcast with event organizer Ron Padget.

Learn about the "cow chip" throwing contest !

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PSC advisory

AREA EMERGENCY RESPONDERS AND UTILITIES HAVE REQUESTED THAT THE PSC REISSUE THIS NEWS RELEASE.

THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL FIRES ASSOCIATED WITH RESTORATION OF POWER TO RESIDENCES WITH DAMAGED SERVICE CONNECTIONS WHICH HAD NOT BEEN REPORTED TO THE UTILITY OR REPAIRED.

SEVERAL INSTANCES OF CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING CAUSED BY IMPROPER USE OF GENERATORS ALSO HAVE BEEN REPORTED.

THE PSC IS AWARE OF AN INSTANCE IN WHICH IMPROPER USE OF A GENERATOR HAS RESULTED IN BACKFEEDING OF ELECTRIC CURRENT INTO THE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM, POSING A POTENTIAL THREAT TO RESTORATION WORKERS AND THE PUBLIC.


PREPARE FOR POWER RESTORATION, PSC SAYS
Check electric connections, meters – be careful with generators

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 15, 2008) - The Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) is urging residents affected by Sunday’s wind storm to check electric connections and meters for damage. Damaged connections or meters must be repaired before power can be restored to a home or business.
Falling or sagging power lines may have damaged the connections between the utility company’s overhead line and a customer’s electric system. The connections are usually in the form of a masthead – a conduit connected to the service line – or, in older homes, an eyebolt which holds the line in place and an insulated line leading to the meter. In some cases, the meter or meter base may also be damaged.
Once power is restored, damaged connections or meters could pose an electrical or fire hazard if not repaired or if repaired improperly.
“It is critical that damaged connections be repaired by a qualified professional and inspected before power is restored,” PSC Chairman David Armstrong said. “In past outages, fires and severe damage have been caused by damaged or improperly repaired service connections.”
Repairing a service connection or meter base is the responsibility of the individual customer.
The meter base is the square or rectangular box on which the meter itself is mounted. It belongs to the property owner. The meter itself – the circular, glass-enclosed portion that attaches to the meter base - is the property of the utility company.
Customers with damaged connections or meters should take the following steps:
· Notify the utility company that the service connection, meter base and/or meter is damaged. The utility can then make sure that the line is not energized until repairs are completed.
· In the event that only the meter itself is damaged, contact the utility to have it repaired or replaced and your service restored.
· Contact an electrician to repair the meter base or service connection. The repair work can be done prior to power being restored in an area, thus eliminating any additional delays.
· The electrician will obtain the proper meter base from the utility. Some utilities impose no charge for the meter base, but the customer will bear the installation cost.
· Have the repairs inspected by a state-certified inspector working for your local government. The electrician should be able to help arrange the inspection.
· Notify the utility when the repairs are complete and have been approved. A utility technician will install a new meter and restore the power.
· Keep all repair records and contact your property insurer.
Residents SHOULD NOT attempt to remove any branches, limbs or trees that have fallen across service connections or other utility lines. Notify the utility to arrange for the debris to be removed.
The PSC also reminds customers using a generator for temporary electrical power to do so in a manner that insures the their safety and the safety of those working to restore power. Keys to safe operation of generators include:
· To avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, generators should only be operated outside in well-ventilated areas. Do not operate generators in your garage.
· Make sure a generator is properly sized for the load you will place on it. Remember that starting an electric motor, such a refrigerator compressor, requires more electricity than the amount needed to keep it running. DO NOT OVERLOAD YOUR GENERATOR.
· Use only three-prong, grounded extension cords, properly rated for the load, to connect appliances to generators.
· DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FEED POWER INTO YOUR HOME BY ADAPTING AN EXTENSION CORD TO CONNECT A GENERATOR TO A WALL OUTLET. THIS CAN CAUSE A FIRE.
· DO NOT CONNECT A GENERATOR TO INSIDE WIRING IN ANY WAY UNLESS YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS IS EQUIPPED WITH A TRANSFER SWITCH THAT PREVENTS POWER FROM FLOWING BACK INTO (BACKFEEDING) THE WIRES THAT SUPPLY YOUR ELECTRICITY.
Backfeeding poses a severe danger to workers attempting to restore electrical service. They can be severely injured or killed by power flowing back into lines which they assume are not carrying electricity. Also, if the line to your home or business becomes grounded, backfeeding can permanently damage your generator.
“Getting everybody’s power restored after a storm of this magnitude is going to take some time,” Armstrong said. “People need to be patient and, above all, remain safe.”
The PSC is an independent agency attached for administrative purposes to the Energy and Environment Cabinet. It regulates more than 1,500 gas, water, sewer, electric and telecommunication utilities operating in Kentucky and has approximately 100 employees.

U.S. 62 bridge closed Sunday

A contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans to close the U.S. 62 Cumberland River Bridge at Lake City starting at 6 a.m., Sunday. The bridge is expected to remain closed until approximately 8 p.m., Sunday evening.

The closure is to allow the contractor to continue repairs to the bridge deck. Some of the work can be done more safely without a traffic load on the bridge, so the structure will be closed to all traffic on Sunday. Motorists may use the marked detour for oversized vehicles along Interstate 24 via Exit 40 at Eddyville and Exit 31 at Grand Rivers.

The U.S. 62 Cumberland River Bridge, also known at The Blue Bridge, crosses the Cumberland River below Barkley Dam at the Livingston-Lyon County line. The bridge carries about 5,900 vehicles in an average day.

Governor orders flags to half staff

Gov. Steve Beshear has directed that flags at all state office buildings be lowered to half-staff on Monday in honor of a Marion soldier who died during World War II.

After 63 years, the remains of 2nd Lt. Howard C. Enoch Jr., U.S. Army Air Forces, of Marion, were identified this summer. His remains will be buried on Monday in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. Gov. Beshear has directed that flags at all state office buildings be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset on that day.

On March 19, 1945, Lt. Enoch was the pilot of a P-51D Mustang that crashed while engaging enemy aircraft about 20 miles east of Leipzig, near the village of Doberschütz, Germany. His remains were not recovered at the time, and Soviet occupation of eastern Germany precluded his recovery immediately after the war.

In 2004, a team from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) surveyed a possible P-51 crash site near Doberschütz. The team found aircraft wreckage. In 2006, another JPAC team excavated the site and recovered human remains and aircraft wreckage.

Last month, the Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) identified Lt. Enoch's remains and returned them to his family for burial with full military honors.

Governor requests federal aid for Ike recovery

Good news for areas recovering from Sunday's destructive winds courtesy of Hurricane Ike. 

Gov. Steve Beshear on Friday morning sent a request to Washington, D.C., to declare portions of Kentucky a federal disaster area. If granted, the declaration would help recover costs for public damage in 70 or so cities and counties in Kentucky where states of emergency have been declared.

“This declaration is necessary to clear the way for federal reimbursement for work done by the state and local governments across the Commonwealth to clean up and make repairs in the aftermath of this horrific storm,” Gov. Beshear said

Crittenden County is one of those counties where a state of emergency was declared in the wake of the high winds that created widespread damages and power outages.