Relay for Life continues on

Linda and Virgil Cook were crowned 2013 Crittenden County Relay for Life Survivor King and Queen Friday night as the annual event got under way. Relay continues on until 5 a.m. Saturday morning and was moved indoors to Rocket Arena due to the threat of severe storms overnight.

LBL celebrates golden anniversary

Fifty years ago, President John F. Kennedy designated Land Between The Lakes as a national recreation area with the vision that LBL would “demonstrate how recreation, environmental education, resource management and restoration all work together for the benefit of the region.” Brian Beisel, customer service department manager, said in a press release, that LBL has been managed since then to fulfill President Kennedy’s vision.

For more, visit the Kentucky New Era online.

Area death

Roger Jonas Martin, 62, formerly of Princeton, died May 30, 2013, at Baptist Health of Paducah. Morgan’s Funeral Home in Princeton is handling arrangements.

3-car collision on U.S. 641 injures two

A three vehicle collision at Mott City at the intersection of U.S. 641 and Ky. 70 has traffic partially blocked.

At least two people appear to have suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

The accident occurred around 1:30 p.m.

Suspicious fire investigated in Livingston

Livingston County Sheriff's Department and the Kentucky Office of the State Fire Marshal are conducting an investigation into a residential fire that occurred Friday at 768 Kellum Road in rural Livingston County.  The residence is a mobile home and there was no one at home at the time of the fire. 

It has been determined that the fire was not accidental. Sheriff's deputies have identified at least two suspects, but no arrests have been made at this time. 

Livingston County sheriff's deputies are continuing the investigation with the fire marshal's office. Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers at (270) 443-TELL. You may be eligible for a cash reward.  

Shelter home tour takes place rain or shine

By CHRIS McGEE
STAFF WRITER
The Mary Hall-Ruddiman Canine Shelter will host its second Home and Garden Tour this weekend. The biennial tour and fundraiser helps to raise money for the no-kill shelter will take place, rain or shine. Proceeds from the event go toward caring for the animals at the facility and helping with some of the day-to-day costs of running the shelter, like food and veterinarian charges.

Melissa Guill, one of the coordinators who spearheading the event, said 85 people attended last year’s event. She hopes more will attend this year’s tour.

A luncheon will be held 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Saturday at The Woman’s Club of Marion building on East Carlisle Street, with self-guided tours of the homes beginning at 12:30 p.m. The sites featured this year are: Ethel Tucker, Jean Claude and Caroline Kieffer, Don and Diana Herrin, Samuel and Dee Patterson and the Victory Gardens.

A silent auction of gifts and autographed items from celebrities will be incorporated into this year’s fundraiser, as well.

Guill said trying to obtain items for the silent auction made coordinating this year’s event a little more difficult than last year’s.

More than 30 items will be sold at the silent auction. Some of the celebrity items include signed prints by the Dallas Cowboys, stars of “Duck Dynasty,” Hank Williams Jr., Bob Barker and others. In addition, there will be gift baskets with products from Avon, Mary Kay and John Deere. Also, there will be home and garden accessories and gift cards to dozens of area restaurants.

The items are listed on Crittenden County Animal Shelter’s Facebook page, as Bark & Bid. Bids will be taken online through Saturday.

“Pictures of the items are up on the Crittenden County Animal Shelter’s Facebook page so that people can go online and start bidding,” Guill said.

She hopes to pique a lot of interest and get some good bids with the items. She also said there has been a new item added to the list.

“Since I last spoke with The Crittenden Press, we have acquired a signed Duck Commander catalog,” Guill said, referring to the home of merchandise from the popular “Duck Dynasty” series on A&E.
In addition to the silent auction, a centerpiece design contest will be held. Entry for the contest will be $10 with the winner receiving $100.

Guill said there was no specific criteria for homes enlisted as a part of the tour.

“A lot of people just love gardening; Ethel Tucker’s home is part of the tour because it is a historic home.” Guill said.

Even though Guill has been the spearhead of the event, she is quick to deflect the credit away from herself.

“It is a group effort; people on the board (of the Mary Hall Shelter) have volunteered  their time and paid for their own postage to send the materials out,” she said.

Tickets for the tour are $15 and can be purchased at the following locations: Louise’s Flowers, The Daisy Patch, Bowtanicals, Marion Welcome Center and the Mary Hall shelter.

CAF annual meeting June 8, hosts Henry Clay

Fohs Hall Community Arts Foundation will host its annual dinner at 6 p.m. June 8 at Fohs Hall, with after-dinner entertainment provided by George McGee portraying famous Kentucky politician Henry Clay.

Above all, Clay wanted to be President of the United States. Despite never quite making it—he ran and lost three times between 1824 and 1844—Clay played a large role in the history of his country, which he served as a senator, speaker of the house and secretary of state. For more than 40 years he was a major player on the national political scene, renowned for his oratory and devotion to the Union. The performance is presented in part by a grant from the Kentucky Humanities Council.

Reservations for the $10 dinner can be made by calling 965-5983.

Mineral museum hosts show, digs

The Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum will host its annual Gem, Mineral, Fossil, Jewelry Show and Dig this weekend.

The eighth annual affair will be set up at Fohs Hall in Marion, running 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission to Fohs Hall will be free.

Activities will include a silent auction, hourly door prizes, museum tours, a wire-wrapping class, special events for children, discussions about geology with professionals from the Kentucky Geologic Survey and, of course, both day and night guided mineral digs. There is a charge for some of the activities.

For more information, visit the museum’s website at www.ClementMineralMuseum.org.

Relay moved indoors

Crittenden County Relay for Life has been moved indoors due to the threat of rain tonight and into Saturday. Relay will be held inside Rocket Arena instead of around the courthouse, as was originally scheduled.

Adopt-a-Highway groups ready to ‘summer scrub’ roadsides

KENTUCKY PRESS NEWS SERVICE
Volunteers will be out in force next week to summer scrub Kentucky highways. The Transportation Cabinet announced Monday that Adopt-a-Highway Summer Scrub Week is June 2-8.

“The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet appreciates the efforts of our Adopt-a-Highway volunteers who help keep our highways and communities beautiful and litter-free,” Transportation Secretary Mike Hancock said in a news release.

Nearly 750 groups participate in Kentucky’s Adopt-a-Highway program, which was established in 1988. Volunteers clean about 5,100 miles of roadside annually, setting an example of responsible environmental stewardship.

The Adopt-a-Highway program promotes public environmental awareness and supports tourism. The program also creates a partnership between citizens, community and government, the news release said.

Each year, the state Transportation Cabinet spends about $5 million and 200,000 worker hours to remove 96,000 bags of highway litter. Adopt-a-Highway volunteers help save thousands of taxpayer dollars and demonstrate that a clean environment is a shared responsibility, the news release said.

Any permanently established business, association, community or public organization, or government entity can adopt a stretch of highway. A wide range of groups throughout Kentucky now participate, including homemaker clubs, Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, high school organizations, service clubs, veterans, college fraternities and sororities, sports teams and church groups, among others.

Volunteers adopt two-mile sections of highway under a two-year, renewable contract with the Transportation Cabinet.

Adopt-a-Highway coordinators can explain the fundamentals of the program to volunteer groups, work with group members in locating an available highway, and keep them notified of news and upcoming events.

Litter pickups are held at least four times per year or as many times as necessary to keep adopted areas reasonably litter-free. The cabinet coordinates three annual clean-up efforts.

Groups interested in becoming members of the Adopt-a-Highway Program can find details and district coordinator information at http://adopt-a-highway.ky.gov/. Safety guidelines are provided to volunteers and should be reviewed prior to each cleanup.

The Adopt-a-Highway coordinators help volunteers get in touch with the county maintenance crew superintendent to arrange warning sign placement on the date of pickup. Trash bags and safety vests can be obtained at each state maintenance facility, and litter removal is provided by the state highway crews.

For more information, visit the project website at http://adopt-a-highway.ky.gov/. For questions or comments, contact Miranda Thacker, (502) 564-3419, or e-mail Miranda.Thacker@ky.gov.

Hundreds of abandoned military items waiting to be claimed at state treasury

KENTUCKY PRESS NEWS SERVICE
If you’re a veteran missing a medal or discharge papers or a relative looking to discover a military legacy, all you need to do is visit www.KYtreasury.com and click on Military Item Listing.

The Kentucky State Treasury is looking to reunite veterans and their families with hundreds of military items that sit unclaimed in the Treasury vault.

Kentucky Treasurer Todd Hollenbach said, “We owe it to our military service members and their families to go the extra mile to return these items. Their stories deserve to be told, and their memories need to be preserved."

Among the items in the vault are a bronze star, seven Navy medals, two purple hearts, numerous battle ribbons and campaign pins, dog tags and dozens of discharge papers including one from the Civil War.

The state treasurer serves as custodian of all property surrendered to the state that is presumed lost or abandoned. The military items are among the more than 50,000 unclaimed items stored in the Treasury vault that come from the contents of abandoned safe deposit boxes.

Each year the Kentucky Treasury returns millions of dollars in unclaimed property to Kentucky residents, most of the properties are in the form of cash from old insurance policies, stocks and bonds and leftover bank accounts. Under the proactive leadership of Treasurer Hollenbach and his Treasure Finder’s Program, the Treasury has returned a record $ 81 million in unclaimed property.

I-24 stretch near Christian next in line for cable barriers

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet announced plans Friday to add cable barriers in the medians of some hazardous stretches of Interstate 24 near Hopkinsville. Based on a priority list of roads where the most crossover crashes occurred versus the number expected there based on traffic flow and design, the section of I-24 from mile marker 70 to 85 ranks at the top, according to a Kentucky Transportation Research Center review. Also on that list is I-24 from mile marker 85 to 93 in Christian County.

For more, visit the Kentucky New Era online.

Relay organizers stick with outdoors despite rain chances

As of this afternoon, Relay for Life organizers plan to keep the event around Crittenden County Courthouse, despite a chance of rain Friday and Saturday.

"We will re-evaluate tomorrow if needed," said Relay chair Natalie Parish.  

The back-up plan will be Rocket Arena, if rain does force Relay indoors.

Ky. 983 in Webster closed

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans to close Ky. 983 in Webster County today.

The closure on Ky. 983 at about the 6 mile marker is to allow replacment of a cross drain that has collapsed.  There is a large void under the roadway that requires immediate repair.

There will be no marked detour.  However, motorists may self-detour via Ky. 56 and U.S. 41-Alternate.

Ky. 983 will be from approximately 8 a.m. to around 4 p.m.

UMW to rally in Henderson against Patriot, Peabody, Arch Coal

The United Mine Workers of America are planning a large rally in Henderson next week to protest actions by Patriot Coal Corp., Peabody Energy Corp. and Arch Coal that could affect retired miners’ health and pension benefits. More than 30 busloads of miners, retirees and family members are expected to arrive from around the Midwest, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio, according to UMW spokesman Phil Smith. The rally is planned for next Tuesday, June 4, at the Henderson County Courthouse. More details are expected to be released later this week.

For more on this story, visit The Gleaner online.

Circuit clerk's office closed Saturday

Crittenden County Circuit Clerk's office will be closed this Saturday. The office will also be closed June 15.

Child drowns at Kuttawa

At approximately 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, the body of Warren Patterson, 9, was recovered by the Dive Team from Marshall County Rescue Squad. Patterson was located around the beach area of Kuttawa Harbor and was pronounced deceased on scene by the Lyon County Coroner. 

The boy had been reported as missing earlier Wednesday.

Kentucky State Police were assisted by multiple agencies on scene.

Crop planting still far behind last year

USDA, NASS, Kentucky Field Office

According to the USDA's Kentucky Weekly Crop and Weather Report, planting progress across Kentucky was slowed due to heavy rainfall in the second half of the week. Precipitation amounts were higher in the western and southern regions of the state.

At Princeton, the nearest University of Kentucky Agricultural Weather Center data station, 1.07 inches of rain fell. The annual total is 22.62 inches, 0.97 above normal.

Temperature for the week averaged 66 degrees across the state, near normal. At Princeton, the average mercury for the week was 71 degrees, 1 degree higher than normal.

Crop progress, conditions
As of Sunday, corn planting was 74 percent complete, trailing both last year at 100 percent and the five year average of 86 percent, the weekly report reflects. The corn crop was 49 percent emerged compared to 95 percent last year and the five year average of 72 percent. Condition of the corn crop was rated as 1 percent very poor, 4 percent poor, 21 percent fair, 63 percent good, and 11 percent excellent.

Soybean planting reached 14 percent complete, according to the report. Planting progress trails last year at 68 percent and the five year average of 36 percent. The soybean crop is 3 percent emerged compared to 50 percent last year and the five year average of 21 percent.

Condition of the winter wheat crop was rated 1 percent very poor, 1 percent poor, 10 percent fair, 61 percent good, and 27 percent excellent. The expected date for the winter wheat harvest to begin is June 14.

Pasture condition was reported as 3 percent poor, 24 percent fair, 54 percent good, and 19 percent excellent.

Public urged to leave young wildlife alone

KENTUCKY DEPARTMENT
OF FISH AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES 
They are born in woods and brushy fields. From birth, they learn how to survive in a world where the daily challenge is to find enough to eat and try not to be eaten by other wild creatures.
   
For eons, wildlife have been born and raised without human surrogate parents. So the message is clear: leave wildlife babies alone.
   
Well-intentioned concern often does more harm than good.
   
Get too close to a bird's nest and the young may leave the nest prematurely and not survive. Bring home a deer fawn and you're taking it away from its mother. Feed a bear cub and the cub will become conditioned to humans and human food. All these scenarios are likely to compromise the animal's survival chances.
   
Only licensed wildlife rehabilitators may possess injured or orphaned wildlife. Only persons with a captive cervid permit may keep deer in captivity.
   
To locate a licensed rehabilitator, go to Kentucky Fish and Wildlife's website at fw.ky.gov and click on the "Hunting, Trapping & Wildlife" tab, then on "Injured and Orphaned Wildlife."
   
When someone finds a deer fawn it's often assumed that the fawn is abandoned.
   
But David Yancy, a deer biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, explained that mother deer rarely abandon their newborns. "The mother leaves the fawn often for hours at a time, between morning and evening nursing," said Yancy. "The doe stays away from the fawn because she doesn't want to attract attention to it. While she's away from her fawn she feeds and rests."
   
Fawns are scentless at birth. They hide in grass and weeds, their spots helping to camouflage them.
   
If the mother deer feels threatened by the approach of a human or a predator, she moves off, so the threatening presence will follow her and not endanger the fawn.
   
Newborn deer remain bedded for the first few weeks of life until they are strong enough to run at their mother's side to escape predators. The doe is never far from her fawn. "The mother is likely in some nearby woods. She's definitely within earshot and will usually come running if the fawn bleats," said Yancy.
   
Landowners are asked to leave a deer fawn alone if they encounter one. "If you find one while mowing your hay field, pick it up and put it somewhere nearby where you won't be mowing. The mother will return and find it in the evening," said Yancy.
   
The parents of songbirds are also attentive to the needs of their young.
   
"If you see a baby bird or a fledgling, you should leave it alone. Most likely the parents are nearby," said Shawchyi Vorisek, an avian biologist with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. "The parents stay with their young at least until they can find food on their own."
   
Most songbird species are protected by federal law. Nests with eggs or young should be left alone. "Observe nests from afar," added Vorisek. "Don't go up to a nest or touch it, as that can leave a trail for predators to follow or cause the parents to abandon the nest."

Kentucky State Police honor Post 2 officers

Last week, Kentucky State Police announced its slate of awards
for 2012. Earning recognition as a ceremony last Thursday in Frankfort
were Trooper Jonathan McGehee, KSP Post 2 Trooper of the Year; Lt.
Brenton Ford, recognized with a citation for bravery; Detective Daniel
Morck, Post 2 Detective of the Year; and Senior Trooper Timothy Sales,
who also received a citation for bravery.

On Thursday, the Kentucky State Police announced the 2012 Trooper of the Year, Detective of the Year, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officer of the Year and other awards for acts of bravery, life-saving, professionalism and dedication to duty at the Capital Plaza Hotel in Frankfort.  Four officers from Post 2 Madisonville were honored at the ceremony.

Lt. Brenton Ford and Senior Trooper Timothy Sales were presented with the KSP Citation for Bravery.  This honor is bestowed upon officers of the agency who perform acts of bravery, without regard for personal risk, of clear and obvious peril and clearly above and beyond the call or risk of ordinary duty.  Lt. Ford is a resident of Owensboro and a 14-year veteran of the KSP. Senior Trooper Timothy Sales is a resident of Murray and an 11-year veteran of the KSP.

Tpr. Jonathan McGehee was Post 2’s Trooper of the Year. During the calendar year of 2012, Trooper McGehee issued 1,063 citations, responded to 457 complaints, investigated 25 motor-vehicle collisions, arrested 47 impaired drivers, and made 251 criminal arrests. Trooper McGehee is a resident of Bremen and has been a trooper with the KSP for two-and-a-half years.

Det. Daniel Morck was Post 2’s Detective of the Year. During the calendar year of 2012, Det. Morck made 1,132 criminal arrests, the majority of which related to child exploitation. Detective Morck is a resident of Madisonville and an 11-year veteran of the KSP.

Post 2 covers Crittenden, Caldwell, Webster, Christian, Hopkins, Muhlenberg and Todd counties.