PDB cancels Tuesday meeting

The Crittenden County Project Development Board, which is planning for construction of the new judicial center in Marion, has cancelled its meeting set for Tuesday, Feb. 1.

The next meeting scheduled for March 1.

COVID striking courthouse employees

COVID-19 is making its rounds through the Crittenden County Courthouse. 

Judge-Executive Perry Newcom issued a notice today to various community leaders and the media, pointing out that there have been four COVID positives among courthouse staff.

"Those testing positive have been vaccinated," the judge said. "As a precaution, if  you have been in or around the courthouse over the past several days for any length of time you may wish to monitor your health a bit closer regarding possible symptoms which could include headache, fever, cough, congestion and possibly more."

Newcom said the public notice was made to help ensure everyone is as safe as possible.

Coyote contest is Feb. 4-5

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The annual coyote contest sponsored by Marion Tourism Commission 

and Hodge's Sports & Apparel is Feb. 4-5.

The two-man team that kills the most coyotes in the 24-hour period wins 90 percent of the jackpot. Hunts must be conducted between 5 p.m., Friday, Feb. 4 and 5 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 5.

Legal firearms must be used and nigh hunting is allowed, including the use of spotlights and night vision equipment.

Check in at Hodge's on Sturgis Rd.

Marion native seeks McCracken judgeship

Crittenden County native James “Jamey” Mills is running for the office of McCracken County District Judge, Division II.

Mills is a 1998 graduate of Crittenden County High School, a 17-year trial attorney and is currently First Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney for McCracken County. In 2005, he was admitted to the Kentucky Bar and has been a former assistant public advocate focusing on juvenile representation.

Marion home damaged by fire

Marion Fire Department and Crittenden County Volunteer Fire Department responded a house fire early this morning in Marion.

Firemen found a home at 306 North Weldon Street on fire about 5:30am.

The two departments were at the scene until about 8am. The home was badly damaged.

Occupants at the home when the fire broke out were able to get out safely. 

Firemen are not sure of the cause, but it could have been some type of electrical issue.

Custom frames, heirloom recipe boards at Superior

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Impress your loved one this Valentine's Day with 

unique gifts from Superior Trophies.

Customized cutting boards featuring favorite family recipes, custom t-shirts or sweatshirts and other personalized gifts will make this Valentine's Day the best!

Superior Trophies designs custom photo frames and 

other one-of-a-kind gifts that are sure to impress.

Stop by Superior Trophies to see samples of frames, customized cutting boards and more.

Tornado delaying soil samples

Farmers who would like to know more about financial and business planning and government reporting can attend a Small Farms Series hosted by the Cooperative Extension Service.

The program will feature information about establishing a farm business beginning at 6 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 27 at the Grand Rivers Community Center.

Speakers include representatives from Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation, Kentucky Center for Ag and Rural Development and Kentucky Office of Ag Policy.

To register, contact Dee Heimgartner at (270) 965-5236.

Nutrient Pricing of Feedstuffs will be the topic of conversation at a Jan. 31 meeting hosted by Dee Heimgartner, Crittenden County’s Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent.

Heimgartner will provide management tips for decision making, including how to compare feedstuffs based on the price of specific nutrients. Call to register.

The soil lab at the UK Research EduFarmers who would like to know more about financial and business planning and government reporting can attend a Small Farms Series hosted by the Cooperative Extension Service.

The program will feature information about establishing a farm business beginning at 6 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 27 at the Grand Rivers Community Center.

Speakers include representatives from Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation, Kentucky Center for Ag and Rural Development and Kentucky Office of Ag Policy.

To register, contact Dee Heimgartner at (270) 965-5236.

Nutrient Pricing of Feedstuffs will be the topic of conversation at a Jan. 31 meeting hosted by Dee Heimgartner, Crittenden County’s Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent.

Heimgartner will provide management tips for decision making, including how to compare feedstuffs based on the price of specific nutrients. Call to register.

The soil lab at the UK Research Education Center in Princeton was destroyed by the Dec.10 tornado. Soil samples are still being collected by the Crittenden County Extension Service; however, agents ask that ample time be given since samples must temporarily be sent to UK’s Lexington lab.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

  February ag and natural resources programming for February includes the following:

• Feb. 7 - Managing Forage and Fertility, 6 p.m., Lions Club
• Feb. 10 - Pesticide Private Applicator training, 8 a.m., Extension annex
• Feb. 22 Master Finisher, 6 p.m., Grand Rivers Community Center
• Feb. 24 - Paraquat Specific Training, 11 a.m., Extension annex
• Feb. 24 - Forage Fertilizer Economics, 6 p.m., Extension annex
• Feb. 28 - Pesticide Private Applicator training, 6 p.m., Extension annex

"Pop-up" Driver's Licensing Center full

Crittenden County has been selected as a site for a pop-up licensing center on Feb. 8; however, the popularity of the opportunity has filled up the program. All 32 reservations are full and no more will be taken.

Judge-Executive Perry Newcom said there will be another portable, or so-called “pop-up” licensing unit here in about six months.

Meantime, you may GO HERE to conduct licensing renewals or take advantage of other services at the website. 

Courthouse chair lift is again operational

 The chairlift at Crittenden County Courthouse is once again operable.

The device, which provides accessibility to the basement and main and upper floors of the courthouse, had been on the blink for a few days.

Sheriff looking for missing UTV, ATV

Stolen Honda ATV

Crittenden County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a burglary that is believed to have taken place sometime last week on Travis Road off Copperas Springs Road in the rural eastern section of the county.

Discovered missing on Friday from a box trailer that was parked on a farm is equipment valued at more than $20,000.

Among items stolen were a camouflaged electric Polaris side-by-side with a fully enclosed cab, a green 500 Honda Rubicon four-wheeler, generator, winch and more.

Crittenden County TipLine is offering a reward for information leading to a conviction. The individual providing information shall remain anonymous. Contact the sheriff’s office at 270-965-3400 or central dispatching at 70-965-3500.

What's Happening Today in Marion

Here are some things you might want to know as your day begins:

• Crittenden County Schools are sending Chromebooks and chargers home with middle schoolers due to the uncertainty of in-person attendance because of COVID-19. Infections continue to be high among staff and students. 
• Crittenden County Board of Education will meet at 5:30pm tonight at Rocket Arena. On the agenda is election of school board officers for 2022, the superintendent's evaluation for the past year and plans for responding to Supt. Vince Clark's eminent retirement at the end of this academic year.
• Crittenden County Courthouse's chair lift continues to be on the blink. It is inoperable due to some type of electronic malfunction and it's not clear when it will be working again. That will create big problems for anyone in a wheelchair or unable to climb or descend stairs. The lift provides accessibility to the downstairs, upstairs and main floors of the courthouse.
• Marion Tourism, Convention and Recreation Bureau's Board of Directors meets this morning at 8:30am at the Welcome Center with a full agenda. 
• Food Giant has some new weekend hours. See the note posted on the front door of the town's only grocer. 
• There is basketball tonight at Rocket Arena. CCHS boys host Caldwell County while the girls' team is at Princeton to face the Lady Tigers. Tipoff for the varsity girls' game is 6pm. The JV will follow. The boys' schedule is normal with JV at 6pm with the varsity game to follow.
• Today is the last day to file for candidacy in Kentucky if you must run in the spring primary election. 
• In Frankfort, there's legislation on the table to ban the use of cell phones and other electronic devices by drivers. Hands-free usage would continue to be allowed. 

For more on these matters and other news of the town, see your local newspaper. The Crittenden Press is your primary source of news and information for this community. We’re proud to serve our community and we take great pride in bringing you real news, sports reporting and other information that helps you know what’s going on in town and across the county. Help ensure that real reporting continues in this community by subscribing today. You can subscribe online to the full version of the newspaper for only $2.95 a month. Try out new e-Edition newspaper emailed straight to your inbox every Wednesday. Click here to subscribe.

Consider the Lions Club building for your event

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The Lions Club building at the fairgrounds in Marion is available for a variety of rentals.

The building has hosted community dinners, parties, meetings, pageants and wedding receptions since it was constructed, and is available for rent for those and other purposes.

The building contains a spacious commercial kitchen.

If you are planning a special event this year, consider the Lions Club building. Rates vary. 

For more information, contact Natalie Parish. 

Chair lift is down at courthouse

 The chair lift at Crittenden County Courthouse is temporarily out of order.

A service technician was on site shortly after noontime attempting to make repairs.

The chair lift makes accessible the basement, main floor and top floor of the courthouse to wheel chairs or others who have difficulty ascending or descending stairs. 

School releases message for student families

Crittenden County Schools are back in session today after an extended break last week. The layoff was necessitated by a high number of COVID infections among students and staff.

The school district is calling attention to some new quarantine guidance. Following is a message prepared and released by the district for sharing with the community.

Exceptions to quarantine include those who are fully vaccinated and those who have been positive for Covid-19 within the last 90 days. In both cases, however, the student must not be symptomatic. For a student to be fully vaccinated, he or she must have both doses, with at least 14 days from the second dose if under 16. If 16 or over, students must have both doses and the booster to be considered fully vaccinated. 

Students identified as school or household contacts will be quarantined for 5 days and should mask for the remainder of the 10 days following exposure. The student does not have to have a negative test to return, as long as no symptoms have developed. If a student identified as a contact develops symptoms, he or she should not return to school and is encouraged to test. If not testing, the contact should quarantine for up to an additional 5 days. Our Test To Stay program for students identified as school contacts is temporarily suspended. 

Students who are positive will be quarantined for 5 days from the onset of symptoms or the date of the positive test (if asymptomatic). A mask should be worn at school until after 10 days from the positive test. The student can return to school on Day 6 if symptoms are resolving AND the student is fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication. A test is not required to return to school for a student who has recently tested positive. 

If your child is symptomatic, please do not send him or her to school. Drive up testing at Crittenden Community Hospital is not available at this time. To have your child tested, you may consider contacting a healthcare provider or making an appointment at the Crittenden County Health Department. 

Temperature checks return on Monday, Jan. 24, for all staff and students as they enter the building. Anyone with a temperature greater than 100.4 will not be permitted to stay. 

If you have questions regarding COVID, quarantines, or Heathy At School procedures, please contact Diana Lusby at diana.lusby@crittenden.kyschools.us or Tiffany Blazina at tiffany.blazina@crittenden.kyschools.us. We know you may have questions and some of the information can be confusing. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us, and thank you for all you are doing to help us keep our Rockets and their families healthy!

Fohs moves ahead, short on fundraising

Hodgenville, Ky. contractors prepare to install
new lighting at Fohs Hall in Marion.

Fohs Hall is getting a big upgrade to its sound system and theater lighting. Work has begun even though a fundraising effort to pay for the project has not reached its goal. 

The project will cost $50,000, but the community center’s board of directors has raised only $31,000. Contributions are still being accepted. You can make a donation on Go Fund Me or mailed directly to Fohs Hall at PO Box 1, Marion,  KY  42064.

The upgrade has started despite being short on fundraising in order to have the project completed by the next Old Kentucky Hayride variety show, which is scheduled for Feb. 12 at Fohs Hall.

The improvements will include removal of the existing, fragmented, outdated and undersized audio system and installing a new audio system in the auditorium. It will be specifically designed for the venue to ensure the entire audience will receive a high quality, balanced listening and visual experience. Audio hardware, microphones, wiring, amplifiers, lights, dimmers and fixtures will all be overhauled. 

Fohs Hall, Inc., was incorporated in 1981 to manage the building, which was given to the community in 1926. It was formerly a school, but has been a community center for years.

River level dropping, county roads surfacing

 As the Ohio River and its tributaries have dropped over the last few days, water is beginning to trickle out of the low-lying areas of the county.

As of today, water is off of all Crittenden County roads, except Enon Church Road and Cool Springs Road, which remain impassable. 

Salem man suspected in burglaries

A Salem man was arrested Thursday during what authorities say was a burglary in progress. They had been investigating a number of burglaries in the eastern section of Livingston County in recent days.

Jonathan Hoover, 32, was charged with two counts of second-degree burglary, a Class C felony; and possession of a firearm by a convicted felony. 

Livingston County authorities believe Hoover had committed two burglaries Thursday at locations on Carrsville Road near Burna. Deputies arrested him a the site of the second burglary.

Numerous items of suspected stolen property were recovered during the subsequent investigation Thursday. A number of previous burglaries remain under investigation. 

Hoover was lodged in the McCracken County Jail. 

Deputy Jeremy Hillyard is leading the investigation.

The sheriff’s department is reminding residents the importance of recording serial numbers of valuable items such as firearms, tools and large appliances. 

"It is important to photograph jewelry and similar items,” the sheriff’s department said in a news release. “Doing this will help law enforcement identify recovered items with certainty."

Bill would move primary election to August

Jan. 20, 12:28pm Updates with further details

Republican Jerry Miller of Louisville on Wednesday filed House Bill 323 proposing to change the primary election from May to August. Miller is chairman of the House Standing Committee on State Government and one of the chief architects of the redistricting plan. The bill was given emergency status. 

Miller told the Louisville Courier-Journal today that his billed was filed as a preparatory measure in case legal action threatens redistricting plans that have already passed the Senate and House, yet were voted yesterday by Gov. Andy Beshear.

Beshear vetoed two Republican-led bills to redraw maps for U.S. Congressional and Kentucky House districts. 

The Democrat governor accused the GOP of political gerrymandering in his veto message. Both measures overwhelmingly cleared the legislature earlier this month.

Republicans hold a majority in both chambers of the General Assembly and say they have plenty of support to overrider the governor's veto. That move is anticipated to come very soon since the election filing deadline, extended earlier this month, is now set for Tuesday, Jan. 25.

The redistricting map has created a great deal of interest in Crittenden County, which will go from District 4 to District 12, potentially pitting two GOP incumbents – Lynn Bechler and Jim Gooch – against one another in the May primary. 

Gov. Beshear has not vetoed the Kentucky Senate redistricting plan, SB 2, but has until midnight to do so.

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COVID cancels classes remainder of week

Due to the surge of COVID-19 cases in Crittenden County, Crittenden County Schools will be closed for the remainder of this week. These will be non-school days and not NTI days. They will not need to be made up at the end of the year, however, because of extra time built into current school days. 

Families in need of food should contact their child's school. Families of children enrolled in more than one Crittenden County school, should only call one of them. Crittenden County Elementary may be reached at (270) 965-2243; Crittenden County Middle at (270) 965-5221; and Crittenden County High at (270) 965-2248. 

Freedom Church Road closed Thursday

Freedom Church Road off KY 91 North will be closed Thursday so Crittenden County Road Department crews can make repairs.

The closure will begin at 7 a.m., and last through 4 p.m. A failed cross drain will be replaced and the road work will be done near 447 Freedom Church Road.

This is a dead end road, which means addresses beyond USPS box number 447 will be unaccessible until the work is complete.

Judge-Executive Perry Newcom said crews are aware of the inconvenience and will be working in earnest to complete repairs in one day to get the road back open.

“All citizens living on this road have been notified or a note left at their residence,” Newcom said.