Coffee with a Cop Wednesday

Want to visit with some of Marion and Crittenden County's finest?

Stop by McDonald's restaurant on Main Street in Marion between 6:30am and 7:30am Wednesday for a chance to talk with officers over coffee.

A Coffee with a Cop program is getting started here. It's an outreach program between area law enforcement and the public. This will be the first Coffee with a Cop opportunity, but look for more to come.

The effort is being headed up by school resource officer Deputy John Shofner.

Fall No Burning Season starts Monday

The Kentucky Division of Forestry has issued its fall No Burning Order.

State law restricts open burning within 150 feet of any woodland or brushland between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. during the fall wildfire hazard season, which run from Oct. 1 to Dec. 15.

By restricting burning until after 6 p.m., winds are typically lower and humidity higher, making outdoor fires more manageable and less likely to become wildfires.

Anyone considering doing outdoor burning should read the Kentucky Division for Air Quality’s web page on open burning here, or call the Division for Air Quality at (502) 782-6592 to learn about other specific regulations before burning

Senior Center facing new funding cuts

Crittenden County Senior Center and affiliated programs will be hit hard by state belt tightening at the end of this year. It will be the second big funding cut the programs have faced this year.

Seniors gather at the center for food, fellowship and many other activities such as billiards.

Read more about it in the Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018 issue of The Crittenden Press.

Subscribe today to never miss important news like this. Get the printed edition or read the entire paper online with a subscription to The Press, starting at just $2.95.

First United Bank Open House

Ferry funding is officially approved

The new funding agreement is now official between Kentucky, Illinois and the Ohio River Authority to restore the Cave In Rock Ferry to a 16-hour service and avoid a possible shutdown. 

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet made the official announcement this afternoon. The Crittenden Press Online reported Wednesday that a verbal agreement had been reached. The pact has now been signed by all parties. 

On Monday, the ferry will be back to a 16-hour operating schedule, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. 

A $2.15 million funding commitment between the Kentucky and Illinois will assure that the ferry operates on this schedule through June 30, 2020.

“This collaborative effort between the states and the Crittenden Fiscal Court fully restores a vital transportation link to travelers in the area and follows through on our commitment to present a solution based on funding assessments,” said KYTC Secretary Greg Thomas.

Flu Clinic Monday

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Week 6: Rocket PreGame and Coach's Show

Harris seeks Board of Ed position

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Ferry funding approved, back to 16 hours

Copyright 2018 - The Crittenden Press

The Cave In Rock Ferry could be back to full service starting Monday. That means running from 6am to 10pm daily.

A Wednesday afternoon conference call between Kentucky Transportation Cabinet officials, ferry operators and local officials netted positive results for those holding their breath with regard to a temporary ferry contract that was set to expire on Sunday.

The ferry is expected to be back to operating 16 hours a day, 365 days a year starting next week, according to Crittenden County Judge-Executive Perry Newcom. Although a final contract has not been signed, language has been agreed upon by the principal parties.

In this week's printed edition of The Crittenden Press, there are more details about negotiations that led up to Wednesday's tentative agreement. At press time for the printed newspaper on Tuesday evening, it was still unclear whether the ferry would continue operating after Sunday when a 90-day pact signed in July was to expire.

Newcom said it's great news for western Kentucky and southern Illinois.

The ferry had been operating for only 12 hours a day – 6am to 6pm – during the temporary contract period. Financial issues had been responsible for creating a situation that almost led to a shutdown of the ferry three months ago. The short-term agreement was initiated in order to allow the service to continue while Kentucky and Illinois negotiated another long-term deal.

If the new deal is confirmed, it promises to pay the ferry owner about $1.2 million annually.

There’s only one source of comprehensive news and sports coverage in Marion and Crittenden County. Never miss out on what’s going on in your community. We have our ear to the rail and always keep you posted on what’s happening. Subscribe today to ensure that real news reporting continues in your community. Get the printed edition or read the entire paper online with a subscription to The Press, starting at just $2.95.

Copyright 2018

The Crittenden Press

Read it now, or hear it later

What's News this Week in Crittenden County?

There's lots going on in Marion and Crittenden County this week and your one-stop spot for all of the local news is The Crittenden Press newspaper.

This week we have the latest on the Cave In Rock Ferry and whether or not it will shut down on Sunday when a temporary contract with Kentucky and Illinois expires.

Senior services in the community will see major changes because of budget issues. See what's in store for the Crittenden County Senior Center and Meals on Wheels Program in this week's printed edition.

Hospital officials are cautioning local government about delaying a decision on an offer by an outside firm to buy Crittenden Health Systems. See what's brewing on the local hospital front. It's our lead story this week.

Also on the front page of The Press is an announcement about the grand opening of a New Bank in Marion. 

Get the scoop on these stories plus much more, including sports, weddings, farm news and church notes in this week's printed edition of The Crittenden Press. It's on newsstands now but you can subscribe right here to the full online version or the printed mailed edition and never miss an issue.

There’s only one source of comprehensive news and sports coverage in Marion and Crittenden County. Never miss out on what’s going on in your community. We have our ear to the rail and always keep you posted on what’s happening. Subscribe today to ensure that real news reporting continues in your community. Get the printed edition or read the entire paper online with a subscription to The Press, starting at just $2.95.

Copyright 2018

The Crittenden Press

Read it today, or hear it next week

Pole prayer vigil at schools

A large crowd gathered for the See You at the Pole prayer session at Crittenden County high and middle schools this morning.

There was a similar opportunity for students at the elementary school.

Students led prayer at each location. 

First United opening Oct. 3

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Weekly meat specials

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Lauren Gilchrist 1st Region Golf Tournament

See this week's printed edition of The Crittenden Press for details.

Seven Springs Revival next week

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Area death

Jackie G. Williams, 80, of Marion died Sunday. Gilbert Funeral Home in Marion is in charge of arraignments.

Opening Soon: New Marion bank

First United Bank executives have been attending to final details at the new Marion branch which will open in a few days on Main Street.

First United is headquartered in Madisonville. It also has branches in Erlington and Beaver Dam.

Pictured is bank President and CEO Jason Hawkins, who was overseeing office equipment delivery late last week.

See this week's printed edition of The Crittenden Press for details about the bank's grand opening and who will be working at the branch.

LHHS has job openings

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Temporary ferry contract will end unless agreement reached by Sept. 30

Ferry owner Lonnie Lewis heads to his backhoe which
he has been using, trying to fend off a swollen
Ohio River at the Cave In Rock Ferry.

Copyright 2018

The Crittenden Press

Just moments before he was to meet Tuesday with Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KyTC) Deputy Secretary Paul Looney, Cave In Rock Ferry owner Lonnie Lewis was on the Kentucky shore operating a backhoe, trying to fend off the high waters of the Ohio River.

“People don’t see all of this part of it,” he said, referring to his work to keep the ferry going despite high water.

Lewis continues to negotiate with KyTC leaders with hopes of keeping the ferry open beyond the end of this month. The ferry was about to cease its service in July, but state officials reached a temporary agreement to keep it running for 90 days, yet at shorter hours.

For many years, the ferry had operated 16 hours a day, 365 days a year. But since July 1, it has operated on an abbreviated schedule, just 12 hours a day, 6 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Lewis says he needs about $150,000 more annually from both Kentucky and Illinois to get the ferry back to its previous service hours. The two states share in the annual cost of running the ferry. For almost 24 years, the states have paid $402,000 each.

Lewis met Tuesday with state transportation officials and local leaders, including Crittenden County Judge-Executive Perry Newcom, at the ferry office in Cave In Rock, Ill. Now, there's another meeting scheduled for next Tuesday between Lewis and Kentucky's highest official in the transportation department, Secretary Greg Thomas.

Most are hoping that a long-term solution can be found to get the ferry’s hours back to where they were, yet there is a greater problem looming as the temporary agreement keeping the ferry running on the abbreviated scheduled ends Sunday, Sept. 30. There had been talks about extending the temporary agreement another 90 days, but so far, no contract has been let. If nothing changes, the ferry could close in a couple of weeks.

There’s only one source of comprehensive news and sports coverage in Marion and Crittenden County. Never miss out on what’s going on in your community. We have our ear to the rail and always keep you posted on what’s happening. Subscribe today to ensure that real news reporting continues in your community. Get the printed edition or read the entire paper online with a subscription to The Press, starting at just $2.95.

Read it today, or hear it next week

Farm to Table Dinner: Perryman on Large-Scale Gardening

Crittenden County Chamber of Commerce held its annual Farm to Table Dinner last night on the lawn at Marion First Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

Local fruit and vegetable producer David Perryman was the keynote speaker. Perryman and his daughter, Mary, operate a vegetable and fruit stand on Ky. 1668 (Crittenden Springs Road).

Click the above image to hear Perryman tell about how his family got into large-scale gardening and how they make it work. Listen to our Podcast from last night's event.