Area death

Benjamin Ray Lynch Sr., 63, of Marion died Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011 at his home. The funeral is Wednesday at Gilbert Funeral Home in Marion.

Power line down near Mattoon

A utility crew is working on a downed power pole and lines along U.S. East 60 near Mattoon.

Traffic is restricted to one lane with alternating flow controlled by flaggers at the site. Caution is advise in the area. The work could take until about 9 a.m., to complete.

Area death

William Thomas "Skee" Kinnis, 90, of Marion died Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011 at Crittenden Hospital. The funeral is Tuesday at Gilbert Funeral Home.

Lady Rockets draw Caldwell in region

Crittenden County will play Caldwell County at 7:30 pm Tuesday in the opening round of the Second Region Tournament at Smithland.

If it wins, Crittenden would face Hopkinsville or Union County in the semifinals.

Area death

Ophelia Johnson, 86, of Marion died Thursday, Feb. 24, 2011 at Parkview Nursing and Rehab in Lone Oak. The funeral is Sunday, Feb. 27 at Gilbert Funeral Home in Marion.

Courthouse basement flooded overnight

Crittenden County officials are working this morning to dry the basement of the Crittenden County Courthouse, which is home to the property valuation and child support offices and storage space for countless official records and voting machines.

Crittenden County Clerk Carolyn Byford and PVA Ronnie Heady (pictured here wading the hallway) say there is damage to records, equipment and computers. The extent is not yet known.

Local insurance agent Joe Yarbrough, who represents the Kentucky Association of Counties All Lines Insurance Fund, has been on site, Judge-Executive Perry Newcom said. The insurance company has contracted an agency from Nashville to come dry the basement and try to salvage records, computers and other items.

"They specialize in this kind of thing and after the big Nashville flood last year, I'm sure they have plenty of experience," Newcom said.

The offices on the upper floors of the courthouse remain open for business today.

There is between 2 and 3 inches of water in the basement. Crittenden County received about 3.4 inches of rainfall yesterday and last night. Newcom thinks the water backed up into the courthouse through a drain in the basement floor.

Lady Rockets win first district title in 27 years

Laken Tabor and Summer Courtney combined for three foul shots in the final 1.4 seconds of triple overtime to lift Crittenden County's Lady Rockets over Lyon County 62-59 for the Fifth District Tournament championship Thursday at Smithland.

It was the first district title for the Crittenden girls since 1984 when coach Shannon Hodge was a junior in high school.

Crittenden had played in the district championship game the last two years, but lost.

Jessi Hodge scored 23 points to lead the Lady Rockets and Tabor got 15 points, nine during the overtimes.

Hodge, Tabor and Courtney were each named to the All Fifth District Team.

Crittenden and Lyon both advance to next week's Second Region Tournament, which will also be held at Smithland.

Area death

Carroll “Smitty” Smith, 73, of Newburgh, Ind., died Tuesday at Deaconess Gateway Hospital in Evansville, Ind. He was born in Livingston County. There will be visitation Saturday at Gilbert Funeral Home in Marion. A graveside service will be held at Mapleview Cemetery.

Rural heritage survey set for this spring

Crittenden County ranks next to last in the number of places documented on the state’s historic registry. But that’s about to change.

Twenty-two local residents attended a public meeting Monday night at the local library to discuss what they could do to improve the community’s chronicled heritage.

“You have great resources here,” said Rachel Kennedy, executive director of Preservation Kentucky, the organization that recently received a small grant to study historic places, mostly farm-related, in Crittenden and Livingston counties.

Kennedy said the reason Crittenden County ranks 119th out of 120 counties with its 22 documented historic sites is because there are greater networks pushing other communities. It isn’t for the lack of interesting landmarks.

“The Crittenden Springs Hotel is a fascinating story,” Kennedy said. “I can’t wait for our group to get out there.”

A team from the Kentucky Archaeological Survey will be visiting several locations in the two counties starting next month. Janie-Rice Brother, senior architectural historian for Kentucky Archaeological Survey and project leader, said a group will be moving around the countryside for week-long information gathering exercises starting March 14 and April 4. If necessary, the team will be back in May. Once information and photographs are collected, professionals will catalog selected sites and save their stories for posterity. In some cases, those places could quality for the National Registry of Historic Places, which opens the door for benefits such as tax credits and tourism.

Mary Tabor, whose family owns the property where the Crittenden Springs Hotel was located, was excited to know that the site has potential for getting on the state registry of historic places. The only problem, she said, is that most of it is gone. The hotel was booming in the late 1800s, but a nearby mining operation inadvertently sapped its greatest resource – the allegedly healing sulphur water. When they pumped the mines dry, it sucked the hotel’s water supply and destroyed the appeal of the immaculate destination for many wealthy tourists. By the early 1900s, the hotel was closed.

“The only thing left is part of the old house, which they say was the lobby of the hotel,” she said. “There’s an old cabin on the farm next to us, too.”

Bill McIntyre, field surveyor for the Kentucky Heritage Council, was interested in a couple of old barns brought to his attention. Jesse and Dorothy Hughes had a scale model of their barn, which was built more than 100 years ago. Donne Tedford and her son, James, brought a movie camera with some video of their double-crib, log barn.

“It was a grainy video, but you tell it was pegged and dovetailed,” said McIntyre, who specializes in dating old barns and cabins “It’s hard to say how old it is until I got look at it.”

Pat Carter and Donna Haire brought photographs of old cabins to the meeting.

“This was very interesting,” Carter said. “I’d like for the man who dates cabins to come see ours.”

Four people from state organizations hosted meetings here and at Smithland early this week. With information gleaned from local residents, they will develop a plan for surveying local sites. Brother said the effort must be as efficient as possible. That’s why they want help identifying sites of interest.

“This isn’t a large grant. It’s just $8,800.”

In comparison, Brother said her group had $30,000 to study Bath, a much smaller county.

The group has been consulting with local historian Brenda Underdown, who took them on a brief tour of the county Monday despite periodic rainfall.

“People like Brenda know so much about the people, places, sites and history. That’s something you don’t find too often,” said Kennedy. “And she’s so willing to help.”

Pictured above is Marion resident Lisa Beard (left) showing photographs of a Civil War-era home to Rachel Kennedy and Janie-Rice Brother.

Lake George closed; city looking for water

Lake George is closed to the public in order to protect its shores and the integrity of the water, City Administrator Mark Bryant said Friday.

Lake George is where the City of Marion generally gets the water is uses to treat to make drinking water for local residents. It stopped pulling water from the lake three weeks ago because it has dropped to a record low level due to lack of adequate rainfall over the past several months. The city had been pulling 500,000 gallons of water a day from the lake.

Bryant said police have learned that a four-wheel drive truck became stuck while “mudding”  along the shoreline recently. Bryant said the city does not allow motorized boats to use the lake because that’s where drinking water comes from.

“We certainly don’t want motorized vehicles in it either,” Bryant said. “Gas or other substances could spill into the lake.”

The access road to the lake is now gated and locked. Bryant said city officials are asking residents to refrain from fishing from the shore, too, until adequate rainfall replenishes the lake.

The city is currently drawing raw water from old City Lake behind the water treatment plant on Chapel Hill Road. The city could run alarmingly low of raw water if spring rains don’t refill Lake George.

Meantime, officials are looking at other options for raw water, including the old mine works behind the city maintenance garage. A geological survey earlier this winter found that an adequate volume of raw water potentially exists in the former fluorspar mine. An engineering firm from Paducah is also helping the city look for water there. Bryant said crews have found a shaft to the old Lucile Mine off East Gum Street. Now, they’re trying to get a pump in it and check the water.

Trafficking charges dropped against Eddyville men

District Judge Daniel Heady has found probable cause to send the cases of four individuals – each facing various charges of robbery and assault from an incident at Marion-Crittenden County Park on Feb. 9 – to the Crittenden County Grand Jury.

The judge dismissed charges of trafficking in marijuana by complicity against each of the four Eddyville men cited in the incident because no pot was found by police.

Charged are Aaron Cannon, 18; David R. Catallo, 33; Anthony G. Williams, 19; and Chase A. Bull, 18.

A 17-year-old juvenile is also charged in the alleged crime, but his case is being heard in juvenile court, which is not open to the public.

Based on the court's findings during a preliminary hearing today, charges that will be considered by the grand jury during its April session are as follows:

•Cannon, 18, of Eddyville, first-degree robbery by complicity, first-degree assault by complicity and first-degree fleeing or evading police. He is out of jail on $10,000 cash bond.

•Catallo, 33, of Eddyville, first-degree robbery and first-degree assault. He remains jailed on a $25,000 cash bond.

•Williams, 19, of Eddyville, first-degree robbery by complicity. He remains jailed on a $10,000 cash bond.

•Bull, 18, of Eddyville, first-degree robbery and first-degree assault. He remains jailed on a $25,000 cash bond.

To read one of the original postings regarding this incident, click here.

Area deaths

Edna May “Ninnie” Fondaw, 65, of Marion died Monday, Feb. 21 at Livingston Hospital. Services are at 1 p.m., Friday at Gilbert Funeral Home.

Ruth M. Todd, 92, of Marion died Tuesday, Feb. 22 at Crittenden Hospital. Services are at 11 a.m., Thursday at Gilbert Funeral Home in Marion.

Forestry agent dies of injuries

Funeral services are at 1 p.m., today at Princeton's Morgan's Funeral Home for a local forest ranger injured while fighting a wildfire in September. Don Lam, 58, of Princeton died Thursday morning at his home as a result of injuries sustained in the incident, which occurred Sept. 7 in Livingston County. Lam was forest ranger for Crittenden and several surrounding counties. See this week's printed edition of The Press for details.

Heavy community agenda tonight

Several important things are going on tonight. Here's a quick look:

• At 6 p.m., Marion City Council meets in regular session.
• At 6 p.m., Crittenden County's girls' basketball team opens the Fifth District Tournament against Trigg County. The game is at Livingston Central in Smithland.
• At 6:30 p.m., representatives from Lourdes Hospital's Hospice and Palliative Care program will be at Marion United Methodist Church to discuss its services. This is open to the public. The group is also wanting area volunteers.
• At 7 p.m., a group from Preservation Kentucky and the Kentucky Archaeological Survey is meeting the public to discuss a heritage survey of farms and rural landscape that will be conducted later this summer. The meeting is at the Crittenden County Public Library.

Historic farms sought during heritage survey

Preservation Kentucky and the Kentucky Archaeological Survey wants to meet with residents of Crittenden and Livingston counties Monday and Tuesday.

The groups are beginning a process to identify and catalog historic farm sites in the two counties, including old buildings, barns, fences, silos, landmarks and other structures.

There will be public meetings Monday in Marion and Tuesday in Smithland.

Public input is being sought before the survey begins. The project is being funded through a grant. There will be a meeting at 7 p.m., Monday at the Crittenden County Public Library and at 7 p.m., Tuesday at the Livingston County Courthouse.

Marion ball player featured on Nashville news

Marion resident Brian Farmer will be featured on a Nashville newscast tonight along with wheelchair basketball teammates from the Music City Lightning.

The show will air at 9 p.m., on WZTV Fox 17. People with smartphones can watch the newscast via live streaming video at www.fox17.com. A video file of the show will also posted on the station's Web site.

Crittenden County native Jamie Vaughan is assignment manager for the Nashville station doing the segment. Former WPSD anchor Dan Phillips is the sports reporter producing the piece.

Father of suspect now in jail, too

The father of one of the men allegedly involved in the armed robbery at Marion-Crittenden County Park last week is now in jail along with his son.

Deputy Greg Rushing served an arrest warrant on Charles E. Williams, 46, of Eddyville Thursday when he showed up at the Crittenden County Detention Center to visit his son, Anthony Williams.

The father is charged with intimidating a participant in the legal process. He allegedly threatened a confidential informant at the Crittenden County Courthouse Wednesday when his son and three other suspects were in District Court for arraignment. The confidential informant – who had been involved in the park incident – was also in the courtroom. Witnesses told authorities about the incident and a warrant was issued for the father. He was arrested the following day at 1:30 p.m.

Charles Williams was lodged in the Crittenden jail on a 10% $5,000 bond.

Students will have to make up four days

Students have missed more than two full weeks of school due to snow this winter, but right now the academic year will be extended just two extra days in late May. Two more days will made up in March and April.

School has been cancelled 12 days for hazardous conditions, but eight days were already built into the school calendar. That was figured based on instructional hours for the entire year. There are some legislative measures currently before the Kentucky General Assembly that could retroactively affect this year’s calendar and how Crittenden County School District has calculated its number of days. It’s not very likely, however, that anything will change.

That means students will have to make up two days before the end of the year and two at the end. Students were scheduled to be out of school for teacher planning days on March 7 and April 11. Now, they will go to school on those days to make up a couple of the days missed for snow.

School officials have posted two more make-up days at the end of the calendar, which means the final day for students will be May 24 and the final day for teachers will be May 27.

Spring break April 4-8 will not be affected by the school system’s plan to make up snow days. However, it will be shortened a bit because the Monday following spring break was supposed to be one of those teacher planning days when students would have been out of school. Now, they will be required to attend.

If more days are missed for snow, the extra days would more than likely be tacked onto the end of the school calendar.

Armed robbery suspects plead not guilty

Four of the five individuals charged in last week's alleged armed robbery at Marion-Crittenden County Park were arraigned Wednesday in Crittenden District Court. The fifth suspect is a 17-year-old male juvenile who will have a separate arraignment in juvenile court. He was released to his parents on Wednesday, Feb. 9, the day of his detainment following the incident at the park.

The following charges were read by District Judge Daniel Heady on Wednesday:

•Aaron Cannon, 18, of Eddyville is charged with first-degree robbery by complicity, first-degree assault by complicity, trafficking in marijuana by complicity; and first-degree fleeing or evading police. Bond: $10,000 cash.

•David R. Catallo, 33, of Grand Rapids, Mich., charged with trafficking in marijuana by complicity; first-degree robbery and first-degree assault. Bond: $25,000 cash.

•Anthony G. Williams, 19, of Eddyville is charged with trafficking in marijuana by complicity; and first-degree robbery by complicity. Bond: $10,000 cash.

•Chase A. Bull, 18, of Eddyville is charged with trafficking in marijuana by complicity; first-degree robbery and first-degree assault. Bond: $25,000 cash.

Each was represented by their attorneys. Williams was appointed a public defender, but the other three were in court with their private attorneys. Billy McGee of Smithland is representing Catallo, Will Kautz of Paducah is represesnting Cannon and Jeremy Ian Smith of Paducah is representing Bull.

There was no bond reduction for either of the suspects. They all remain jailed in Crittenden County.

No driver's licensing on Monday

Due to a temporary, nationwide system shutdown, the driver's license division of the Crittenden County Circuit Clerk's office will be unable to issue Kentucky driver's licenses or personal identification cards on Monday, Feb. 21.

Clerk Madeline Henderson said she was notified yesterday of the situation by the Division of Drivers Licensing in the Transportation Cabinet.

"I know this will pose an inconvenience to some, and I regret it, but it is out of my control," Henderson said.

All systems should be up and running by 8 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 22, when the clerk's office opens for business.