Get in it to Win it...

Rockets host playoff game tonight

For the first time ever, Fort Knox and Crittenden County will meet tonight on the football field. They will open the Class A playoffs at 7 p.m., at Rocket Stadium.

The Eagles (2-8) are the Second District third-seed and visit Marion for the first time led by a 30-year military veteran, Sgt. Maj. Samuel Wilson, who describes his team as athletic but young and inexperienced.

Crittenden County finished the regular season the second seed in the Class A First District with a 2-1 league mark – its only loss was to second-ranked Russellville – and 4-6 overall.

Fort Knox was a major force in Class 2A for several seasons in 1980s and 1990s winning three state championships and finishing runnerup twice. However, over the past decade or so, military draw downs have adversely affected the football program because the school enrollment has dropped to around 300 students in the top four grades.

Coach Wilson says student-athletes tend to play for only a couple of years at Knox before their military families are transferred to another base.

Neither Fort Knox nor Crittenden has a whole lot to brag about with regard to their respective seasons. Although the Rockets have won four games, those defeated opponents have a combined 3-35 record. The Eagles have won two games against teams that haven’t won at all this year – Caverna and Shawnee. Two of the teams Crittenden beat – Todd Central and Fulton County – were winless, too.

Winn Estate Sale: Day 2

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Chamber Ugly Sweater Contest

Do you have an ugly winter or holiday sweater?

If so, dig out of the closet, pull it on and snap a selfie. 

Then load your photo onto the Chamber of Commerce Ugly Sweater Facebook page.

The sweater that gets the most likes will be the lucky winner. 

Among prizes will be a chance to ride in the Christmas Parade in downtown Marion on Dec. 3.

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Election workers on front lines of keeping democracy working

FROM THE CRITTENDEN PRESS, OCT. 27
Spoiled ballots. Zero tapes. Provisional ballots. Tally bags. Overvotes. Signature rosters.

That's just some of the terminology the county's 48 poll workers and five alternates have to know like the back of their hand on any Election Day.

It's certainly not the pay or glory that has enticed Sonia Guess to work the polls the last 43 years in one of two Frances precincts near her home.

"It can be thankless," said the 75-year-old, who will make next month's election her last. "But I just enjoy working and seeing the people."

She believes the fellowship shared between election officers and the voters is what motivates most people to sign up for the job.

For the men and women who work the county's 12 precincts, the day is not as easy as it may seem. It goes far beyond checking in voters and sending them on their way with an "I voted" sticker. In fact, in America, it may be the most critical job on any given Election Day, for these men and women are the front lines of seeing that democracy is carried out fairly.

The day begins before the sun comes up and ends well after it has sunk below the horizon. Each of the two Democrats and two Republicans at every precinct has a 12-hour day overseeing balloting, but they are asked to arrive an hour before the polls open at 6 a.m. And shutting down and delivering votes can easily take another hour beyond closing time at 6 p.m. ... if all goes as planned.

"Getting up early doesn't bother me," Guess said. "I get up early anyway."

But because this year's presidential election has been so contentious with tempers flaring between political opposites, it could be a difficult day at the polls.

"This is the one election that's going to test you," Ross Roberson, a territory manager with Lexington-based election services company Harp Enterprises, warned poll workers at their election school at the Marion Ed-Tech Center recently. "You're going to have a lot of stuff thrown out at you."

Poll workers in Crittenden County earn $120 on Election Day and $20 for attending last week's class. But when the last vote is delivered to the clerk's office on Tuesday night, they have earned only about $9 an hour.

That's chicken feed for the awesome responsibility and burden they shoulder. Near the middle of a 70-page election guide they are given to study is a list of felonies and misdemeanors with which poll workers can be charged. Their work down to the most minute detail is subject to scrutiny if fraud is suggested or a recount requested.

"Everything you do has to be turned over to the grand jury," Roberson told his students.

And in a presidential election like this year, the white-hot spotlight can extend far beyond the county's borders, as witnessed in 2000 when Florida balloting was taken all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Workers must follow every tedious, meticulous instruction to a T or risk making headlines.

That's why the third Tuesday in May and the Tuesday after the first Monday in November can be so stressful for County Clerk Carolyn Byford. As the county's top election official, she is ultimately responsible for the work of the precinct officers.

"I get here at 4:45 in the morning," Byford said from her courthouse office of her Election Day routine. "I get here because I know I'm gonna get calls."

Those calls are from the poll workers, who sometimes run into problems like machines not powering up or even catching fire as one did a few years ago. Or maybe they have simply missed one of the many, many steps of instructions for the day and gotten out of sync.

Guess says there is a lot to remember and very strict rules to carry out.

The overwhelming majority of Byford's poll workers are women like Guess – either housewives, retirees or those who can otherwise alter their normal work schedule for the day. But some go well out of their way to oversee the ultimate practice of democracy.

"I have one that takes a vacation day every year," Byford said.

The men who work Election Day are mostly retired. There are couples, too.

Each poll worker carries a title that day. There is a bi-partisan pair of judges and the remaining Democrat and Republican are either a sheriff or clerk.

During the course of the day, the sheriff is in charge of policing the grounds, seeing there is no electioneering or an array of other possible violations. As sheriff of her precinct, Guess has had to tell people to take their political discussions outside and was even forced to expel a belligerent voter who had been hitting the bottle a little too hard.

So if an election official seems like a fuddy-duddy by asking you to do something like put away your smartphone, it's not because they resent the younger generation or technology. Pictures recording the identity of voters is prohibited.

That, Byford said, is to prevent vote buying, where a voter could be paid cash if they prove they cast a lot for a specific candidate or party.

There are also rules for write-ins and ballots spoiled by incorrect marks. There are directions for dealing with overvotes where two candidates for the same race are selected and for voters who need assistance. There are instructions and documentations required for  every possible flub, faux pax and fowl up at an election precinct, and poll workers must get it right.

"When in doubt, fill it out," Roberson urged his students, referring to the forms that could prevent someone from being charged with a crime.

Being a poll worker can be a bit boring, too.

Guess said the busiest election she has worked was when Ronald Reagan was first elected President in 1980. But she has worked primaries with as few as 20 voters all day long.

"That makes it a long day," she said.

Despite all the rancor associated with this year's presidential election, Guess is not overly concerned about what might transpire at her precinct on Nov. 8.

"I think we'll have a good election," she said, adding that her fellow poll workers at Grace Baptist Church will probably be asking everyone to identify themselves with a photo ID.

"In the past, we've been able to identify most people as a personal acquaintance," she explained, but to be safe, "I think we will be asking for a license."

And because being fair and just is part of the oath poll workers take, that goes for family, too.

Sykes seeks support for council

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Estate Tag Sale Starts Today

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Last Weekend at Gardner Farm

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Schools Want Bus Drivers

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What's news this week in Crittenden County...

Marion leaf collection schedule
Find it inside this week's issue. You can't find it anywhere else!

A forgotten man in a forgotten war, Junior Raymond “J.R.” McDowell is finally being recognized locally for making the ultimate sacrifice for his country during the Korean War. McDowell, a Crittenden County native, was killed early in the war that started when communist forces from North Korea invaded South Korea in the summer of 1950. Until just weeks ago, his name had not been among those engraved on granite crosses at the Mapleview Cemetery war memorial in Marion.


Find out the complete story and the following headlines inside this week's edition of The Crittenden Press:

• Each HS, MS student may get laptop
• 10,000-plus free meals served during first 2 months of school
• Ledford to be new city administrator
• Clerk expects long Election Day, about 50 percent turnout Tuesday
• Police asking parents to record serial numbers of kids’ bicycles
• Public meeting next step to replace Smithland Bridge
• Local youth show off Halloween costumes
• Students tour historic Marion sites
• Election, holiday closings slated
• Road closed at Caney Fork Creek
• OPINION: America at crossroads: Don't get fooled again
• OPINION: The Left hates Sarah Palin, Donald Trump
• Fire department hosts open house
• Livingston Hospital Foundation awards $40,000 grant to LHHS
• Bowtanicals tapped Chamber’s Business of Month for October
• SPORTS: Youth soccer team photos
• SPORTS: Fort Knox makes first ever visit to Rocket Stadium
• Veterans aid offered in western Ky.
• Lions Club has benefit breakfast
• Scouts host food drive
• Expired license a costly mistake
• 2 injured in 3-car crash on U.S. 60
• Farmers eligible to win $2,500 for charity
• Dry conditions persist
• USDA simplifying guaranteed loans for small-scale farmers
• State highway workers to get raise

Grimes predicts 60 percent turnout

Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes today projected approximately 60 percent of the 3.3 million people registered to vote in Kentucky will turn out for next week's general election.

"We hope this year will continue to be a record-breaking year in Kentucky," said Grimes. "Two weeks ago, we made history with the highest number of Kentuckians registered to vote. Now, we hope that will translate to great voter turnout on Election Day."

Grimes tracks absentee ballot totals as an indicator of final turnout on Election Day. According to current statistics, Grimes projects turnout for the Nov. 8 general election will be on par with the presidential elections of 2008 and 2012 when 64 percent and 60 percent of Kentuckians voted, respectively.

As of Monday, nearly 47,000 voters had voted in person on machines in county clerks’ offices and approximately 39,700 mail-in absentee ballots had been sent to voters who had requested them.

About 20 percent of Kentucky voters cast ballots in the May Primary Election.

Grimes encourages voters to prepare to vote on Nov. 8 by checking their polling places and viewing sample ballots through GoVoteKY.com, Kentucky’s one-stop portal for election resources.

Men's Program Friday and Saturday

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Big Grocery Deals this Week

Check the deals in this week's Conrad's Harvest Foods advertising circular in today's Early Bird Shoppers' Guide. Deals Galore!

Dry weather gives farmers edge

Farmers have had optimum weather recently for gathering fall hay like Ed Shuecraft, pictured here, or harvesting double-crop soybeans.

While the mild, dry weather has been great for getting farmers ahead of the game, it could wreak havoc soon if ponds get too low for livestock.

Most of the area, however, is simply enjoying the warmer than normal fall. According to one weather report, this was warmest halloween since 1950.

Area deaths

Judy Kay Stone, 65, of Marion died Monday. Myers Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Jesse E. Lawless, 74, of Salem died Sunday, Oct. 30, 2016 at Salem Springlake Nursing and Rehabilitation. Boyd Funeral Directors and Cremation Services is in charge of arrangements.

Connie R. Williams, 68, of Marion died Sunday. Gilbert Funeral Home in Marion is in charge of arrangements.

Tuesday last day to apply to vote absentee by mail

Tuesday is the last day that Kentucky voters may apply to vote absentee by mail in the Nov. 8 general election, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes said today.

"This is an important deadline for any person who is not able to vote in-person at the polls on Election Day or before," said Grimes. "I encourage any person who is eligible to contact their county clerk and submit an application as soon as possible before the deadline at close of business tomorrow."

Individuals who may be eligible to vote by mail-in absentee ballot include:

• Military personnel, their dependents, and overseas citizens
• Students who temporarily reside outside the county
• Voters who temporarily reside outside Kentucky (e.g., vacationers)
• Voters who are incarcerated but have not yet been convicted
• Voters whose employment takes them outside the county for all days and hours the polling place is open
• Voters of advanced age or who suffer from disability or illness
• Voters who are participants in the Secretary of State’s Address Confidentiality Program

Voters may request an absentee ballot application from their county clerk in person or via telephone, fax, or email. Qualified military and overseas voters may also use the Commonwealth's online portal to request and receive their blank absentee ballots.

Applications for mail-in absentee ballots must be received by the clerk’s office no later than Tuesday, Nov. 1. The completed absentee ballot must be returned by mail and received by the county clerk by 6 p.m. local time on Election Day.

Individuals who do not qualify to vote by mail-in absentee ballot may still be eligible to vote early in person prior to Nov. 8, Election Day. In-person absentee voting is open in all counties and is conducted during the county clerk’s regular business hours.

Area Deaths

Ralph Leonard Keeney, 78, of Eddyville died Saturday. Lakeland Funeral Home in Eddyville was in charge of arrangements.

Herbert Charles Bell, 79, of Marion died Thursday. Myers Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Gerald Ross Brantley, 89, of Marion died Thursday. Myers Funeral Home of Marion was in charge of arrangements.

Donald Eugene Cruce, 76, of Marion died Saturday, Oct. 22 at Crittenden Hospital. Myers Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Shelby Lucille Gipson, 77, of Marion died Sunday, Oct. 23 at Crittenden Hospital. Myers Funeral Home in Marion was in charge of arrangements.

Comer makes campaign stop

James Comer, the Republican nominee to fill former Congressman Ed Whitfield's seat, speaks with Fred Stubblefield Friday afternoon at the courthouse in Marion during a campaign stop on his tour of all 35 counties in the 1st Congressional District. Comer was heading to Princeton following his hour-long stop here, concluding his whirlwind swing through the district the last seven days. Comer will appear on the November ballot twice, facing Democrat Samuel L. Gaskins both times – once for a special election to fill Whitfield's unexpired term and once to fill the seat on Capitol Hill for a full two-year term starting January.

New Hunting Guide Now Available

Crittenden Outdoors 2016 Hunting Guide is available at a variety of area locations throughout Crittenden County.

The annual Hunting Guide is published by The Crittenden Press, but is not part of the regular newspaper.

You can find it at area restaurants, sporting goods shops and other participating sponsor locations. It is also available online by clicking here.

Monday in Downtown Marion!

Updated List of Participating Businesses