The Adair County Fiscal Court met on Tuesday afternoon. Jim Lieb files this report... 

Josh Branscum will be the next representative of the 83rd district in the Kentucky House.

The district includes Clinton, Cumberland, Pulaski and Russell County. Branscum is employed by Branscum Construction Co. of Russell Springs. His wife, Kara, is a teacher in Russell County. The couple has 2 children.
 

Branscum won the Republican Primary with 5510 votes. His Pulaski Co. opponent, Mark Polston, received 4194 votes. There are no Democrat candidates seeking this office so Branscum will be our next State Representative.

The Russell County School Board met at Noon on Tuesday at the ANC. Here's Superintendent Michael Ford.... 

1. Travis Passmore, 25, Russell Springs, KY - Wanton Endangerment 1st Degree.
2. Michael Passmore, 36, Russell Springs, KY - Wanton Endangerment 1st Degree.
3. Anthony Corrado, 27, Nancy, KY - Trafficking in Methamphetamine; Trafficking in Marijuana; Possession of Marijuana; Possession of Drug Paraphernalia; Failure to Dim Headlights; No Brake Lights; and License to be in Possession.
4. William Wilson, 55, Russell Springs, KY - Trafficking in Methamphetamine; Possession of Drug Paraphernalia; and Persistent Felony Offender 2nd Degree.
5. Amber Huff, 33, Russell Springs, KY - Sale of Simulated Controlled Substance, 2nd or Greater Offense; Possession of Drug Paraphernalia; and Possession of Marijuana.
6. Charles Elkins, Jr., 61, Russell Springs, KY - DUI, 4th or Greater Offense; Driving on a DUI Suspended License, 3rd Offense; and Possession of Open Alcoholic Beverage Container in Motor Vehicle.
7. Vanna Williams, 31, Russell Springs, KY - Custodial Interference.
8. Leangela Graham, 24, Russell Springs, KY - Possession of Methamphetamine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
9. John Thompson, 40, Russell Springs, KY - Possession of Methamphetamine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
10. Christopher Bunch, 21, Russell Springs, KY - Possession of Methamphetamine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
11. William Chapman, 35, Russell Springs, KY - Possession of Methamphetamine; Possession of Hydrocodone; and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
12. Ryan Butrum, 38, Jamestown, KY - Possession of Methamphetamine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
13. Anthony Byers, 36, Jamestown, KY - Possession of Methamphetamine; Possession of Marijuana; and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
14. Jack Lusk, Jamestown, KY - Burglary, 3rd Degree (2 counts); Theft by Unlawful Taking under $500 (3 counts); Receiving Stolen Property; Persistent Felony Offender, 1st Degree.
15. Byron Marcum, Russell Springs, KY - Receiving Stolen Property and Persistent Felony Offender, 1st Degree.
16. Lee E. Stargle, Jr., 52, Russell Springs, KY - 2 counts of 1st Degree Rape and 2 counts of Incest. The victim is a child less than 12 years old.
17. Michael P. Foley, 27, Jamestown, KY - Burglary, 3rd Degree; Criminal Mischief, 3rd Degree; Theft by Unlawful Taking under $500; and Persistent Felony Offender.
18. Michael Ellison, 38, Jamestown, KY - Possession of Marijuana and Tampering with Physical Evidence.
19. Steven Hunter, 55, Richmond, KY - Possession of Methamphetamine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 30, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Tuesday updated Kentuckians on several state initiatives, including continuing efforts to address the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) as well as economic developments.

“Today we’re going to talk about not just the present, which we spend a lot of time talking about, but we’re going to start talking about the future. Last week when we were able to talk about AgriTech, an exciting area that we are going to lead in in the future, I think it was something people need to see, that we are not going to be battling this virus forever,” the Governor said. “There is a tomorrow, we are planning for the tomorrow and we have an opportunity in creating that tomorrow to change our economy, to make Kentucky a leader, to focus on areas that are going to lead for the next 30 years and give us a brighter future with better jobs.”

Gov. Beshear and administration officials also spoke about the challenges posed by surging coronavirus cases in some other states and the latest state budget projections. He also made a major announcement that will significantly reduce the number unemployment insurance claims brought on by the pandemic.

Economic Development
Gov. Beshear also spoke Tuesday about economic development in the commonwealth, including two major new investments.

“I want to start today with an economic development update because though COVID has slowed things, while it has taken a lot of attention and while it has caused significant unemployment, I am pleased to report that outside interest in this state is still very strong,” the Governor said. “While we haven’t talked about it a lot as we have been dealing with this current pandemic and emergency, we have been working behind the scenes at those next generation of jobs that have been coming to Kentucky.”

Since Dec. 10, Gov. Beshear and his administration have announced 135 new projects across the commonwealth. These projects are expected to secure nearly 4,700 new full-time jobs for Kentuckians and represent about $1.35 billion in new investments.

Among the new projects is a $9 million hemp processing facility being created by Shyne Labs in Simpson County. Shyne Labs relocated from California and already employs about 20 Kentuckians. The new facility is expected to bring 60 more full-time jobs in the commonwealth as the company expands its CBD oil-extraction business.

“We know there is going to be a continuing market, though it looks like it is smaller than people thought it was three or four years ago, for CBD products. And we know how many hemp farmers are out there right now that need a hemp processor, need someone who can buy that crop and we want to make sure that we support Shyne Labs,” Gov. Beshear said.

Another major project is a $2 million plan by Richmond-based Truck Equipment & Body Co. of Kentucky Inc. to build out a facility in Powell County. The new facility is expected to create 43 full-time jobs.

Case Information
As of 4 p.m. June 30, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 15,624 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 282 of which were newly reported Tuesday.

“While we are not seeing the type of very concerning spike like in so many other states, we are seeing ourselves continuing to be in that plateau area between about 150 and 300 cases,” the Governor said. “It’s something we’ve got to watch carefully.”

Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported 5 new deaths Tuesday, raising the total to 565 Kentuckians lost to the virus.

The deaths reported Tuesday include a 70-year-old man from Campbell County; a 71-year-old man from Hardin County; and two women, ages 77 and 86, and a 92-year-old man from Jefferson County.

“Again, let’s not forget that this virus is deadly, it preys on those that have preexisting conditions, and while we have lost some people in their 30s, just because the majority may be older, it doesn’t mean that the person who spread it to them isn’t younger,” the Governor said. “Let’s remember, it’s not just those who have died, but those who get the virus that can spread it to those who die. We are in this together. We’ve all got to take responsibility for our own actions and we have to make sure that we’re never the cause of spreading this to someone whose body ultimately cannot take it.”

As of Tuesday, there have been at least 404,781 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. At least 3,990 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.

For additional information, including up-to-date lists of positive cases and deaths, as well as breakdowns of coronavirus infections by county, race and ethnicity, click here.

Trends and Outlook
Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner for the Department for Public Health, spoke Tuesday about where Kentucky and the rest of the U.S. stand after months of efforts to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

“We have tried to be gradual and phased, so we didn’t get into trouble quickly and we could make adjustments if we needed to,” Dr. Stack said.

Early, decisive actions by Gov. Beshear and the compassion and sacrifices of all Kentuckians have led to declining case numbers and deaths, positioning the commonwealth to safely restart the economy here. As of Monday, all businesses in Kentucky are able to operate in some capacity.

“Ladies and gentleman, we have undeniably blunted the curve in the state of Kentucky,” Dr. Stack said. “Over the last 120 days or so, since we started this on March 6, we have undeniably kept that curve flat. This is a success in the middle of a very, very difficult situation.”

In contrast, Dr. Stack spoke about surging cases in the South and Southwest that followed an easing of restrictions. Coronavirus cases in Arizona, South Carolina and Florida have spiked sharply in recent days, leading officials in those states to pull back on reopening economic activities amid renewed fears of hospital capacity shortages.

Dr. Stack emphasized Team Kentucky’s mantra for a safe reopening: hands, face, space and testing. Frequent hand washing and sanitization, along with wearing cloth masks and maintaining six feet of distance from others are the frontline measures everyone can take to slow COVID-19. In addition, Kentuckians can fight the deadly pandemic by taking advantage of testing opportunities and cooperating with contact tracers if they call.

“So we talk about hands, face, space and, of course, we’ve added testing now. So please, you’ve got to keep your hands clean with soap and water or hand sanitizer. You have to use a mask. This is really simple. Please, please do it because I think folks don’t realize this is like a boomerang and it will come around.”

Gov. Beshear also asked Kentuckians to remain vigilant over the Fourth of July weekend.

“Because we will not have another one of these briefings unless something comes up before the Fourth of July, we need you to be safe. Safe not just for you, but your actions create safety for the people around you and that you may interact with 10 days after the Fourth of July,” the Governor said. “Remember, so many people can be asymptomatic. If you put yourself in a dangerous place, you get the virus, you could feel fine. It can be five, seven, 10 days after and you can spread it to someone who won’t be fine. So, ‘hands, face, space’ over the Fourth of July. Overall we did pretty good job over Memorial Day weekend. Let’s make sure we continue to protect one another.”

Benefits Extension
Eric Friedlander, secretary of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, provided information Tuesday about an extension of benefits aimed at keeping children healthy and properly fed.

The deadline to apply for Pandemic-Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) has been extended until the end of August. P-EBT provides equivalent funding for meals that students would have been provided in school this spring without the closures due to COVID-19. If people have questions about how to access these benefits, go to chfs.ky.gov and search for “PEBT,” email PEBT.info@ky.gov or call 855-306-8959.

“We’ve seen a recent upsurge in folks who are trying to get the P-EBT benefits, and there still remains some questions from folks who are trying to get through,” said Secretary Friedlander. “So with this big upsurge, we’ve signed up over 516,000 individuals. We know there are another 100,000 out there. So we want to give everybody the opportunity to sign up.”

Kentuckians who are uninsured can apply for short-term coverage through Medicaid Presumptive Eligibility. Families can apply online at chfs.ky.gov or benefind.ky.gov, by contacting an application assister at healthbenefitexchange.ky.gov or by calling 855-459-6328. Initial coverage ends two months after the application month, unless the person applies for regular Medicaid or Presumptive Eligibility is extended due to a continued COVID-19 state of emergency. The state is extending Presumptive Eligibility benefits for three months for anyone who already applied and whose coverage was previously set to end June 30.

Unemployment Insurance Update
Today, Gov. Beshear announced the state has hired a globally renowned firm, Ernst & Young, to help overcome years of funding and personnel cuts to the Office of Unemployment Insurance and begin immediately processing outstanding claims that resulted from the COVID-19 global pandemic.

“After years of cuts, we were left with a starved Office of Unemployment Insurance and an antiquated system that was not up to the task that COVID-19 dealt,” Gov. Beshear said. “Our Kentucky families cannot wait any longer – and this is the most affordable, quickest and efficient way to resolve remaining claims. We expect to have 200 E&Y staffers that will begin processing claims on Monday, with another 100 coming soon. Our goal is to process all unresolved claims between March 6 and May 31 in July.”

About 56,000 initial claims from March, April and May have not been processed.

Starved system

• The system created in 2000 was designed to tell Kentuckians filing a claim “no.”
• The state’s unemployment office budget went from $41 million in 2010 to $25 million in 2018.
• The former administration in 2017 cut 22 of 51 local unemployment offices and 95 employees.
• These changes either forced Kentuckians to drive longer distances to the few remaining regional offices or call the Frankfort office, which had 12 employees.

These financial, geographic and staffing challenges have made it impossible for the office and system to react to the demands of 900,000 to 1 million claims filed because of the COVID-19 economic shutdown, but the Governor said he was determined to find a path forward.

Actions taken by the Governor to improve the system

• Reorganized the unemployment office and moved it to the Labor Cabinet.
• Increased workforce that is processing claims from roughly 40 to 100.
• Appointed the Labor Cabinet secretary to oversee the Office of Unemployment Insurance.
• Announced in June that a contract would be needed with an outside vendor to process claims and answer more public questions.
• Asked the Labor Cabinet to add more in-person services, including out in the counties.
• Issued an RFP to secure a new unemployment system.

Why Ernst & Young

• Globally respected firm, with a large presence in the commonwealth.
• Recent experience processing unemployment claims in Colorado.
• While the commonwealth has processed 90% of claims, paying out more than $2.7 billion since March, the firm can provide 300 employees to resolve outstanding claims quickly. In comparison, the state would have to pull some existing employees from working claims to help train not nearly as many more adjudicators, which could take up to four to six months.
• The ready-to-go experts save more than $15 million in annual costs that would be associated with payroll, benefits, equipment and training.
• Additional assistance covered under federal CARES Act funding.

“We must fix this right, right now,” the Governor said. “I am taking decisive action because we must get this matter resolved for our Kentucky families.”

The state’s deal with Ernst & Young begins July 1 and runs for four weeks. Its workers will help process claims both in person and over the phone. Officials estimate the contract staffers will be able to process at least 50,000 claims. Ernst & Young also will review the state unemployment insurances processes, data and technology architecture.

To learn more about in-person services announced last week, click here.

Budget Update
Today, Gov. Beshear provided updated information about the state’s budget outlook as the economy continues to feel the shocks sparked by efforts to slow the coronavirus. As he has noted repeatedly, the Governor said again that the worsening budget outlook is going to require hard choices.

“I’ve told you before that this virus is decimating every state budget across the country and that if we do not have additional stimulus from the federal government, another CARES Act, that we would be facing devastating cuts,” the Governor said. “I believe I told you before that I think that they would be the largest cuts that we’ve seen in our history.”

According to the most recent estimates, the 2021 budget is likely to face a shortfall of $1.1 billion. Gov. Beshear said that will require cuts of 16% to 29% across state departments.

“This would be like letting Kentucky go bankrupt, which we cannot allow to happen. So let’s continue to push our federal delegation, we’ve had good communication with them, and say that we can’t let this happen in Kentucky because this hurts education, it hurts social services, it’s going to hurt our ability to provide UI, unemployment claims. It’s going to hurt every single thing we do and further starve the systems that people are relying on.”

Last Week in Review
Click here for last week’s updates including those on COVID-19 case information, long-term care visitation, AgriTech in Kentucky, unemployment insurance, rural hospital funding, school reopening guidance and new guidance for venues.

More Information
Read about other key updates, actions and information from Gov. Beshear and his administration at governor.ky.gov, kycovid19.ky.gov and the Governor’s official social media accounts Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Kentuckians can also access translated COVID-19 information and daily summaries of the Governor’s news conference at tinyurl.com/kygovespanol (Spanish) and tinyurl.com/kygovtranslations (more than 20 additional languages).

FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 30, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear has issued an executive order to ensure that all Kentuckians are treated fairly by the state when it comes to matters of employment, services and contracting in the commonwealth.

“When I ran for this office I pledged to be a Governor for all Kentuckians, and when I took my oath I swore to use my position to protect all of our citizens equally,” the Governor said. “This executive order ensures that no Kentuckian has to tolerate being discriminated against because of who they are when it comes to dealing with the state. I’m proud to sign this.”

The new executive order builds on previous protections by adding provisions to clearly cover gender expression; pregnancy or related medical conditions; and marital or familial status.

According to the executive order: “It shall be the policy of the Commonwealth of Kentucky to prohibit discrimination in employer-employee relations or in the provision of public services because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, ancestry, age, pregnancy or related medical condition, marital or familial status, disability or veteran status. Employer-employee relations shall include but not be limited to hiring, promotion, termination, tenure, recruitment and compensation.”

“The challenges Kentucky faces with a global health pandemic and the widespread financial fallout requires that we draw on the full spectrum of knowledge, skills and talent of our people,” Gov. Beshear said. “This executive order sends the right message about our compassion and our priorities. It establishes the expectation that everyone in Kentucky is treated fairly and ensures that our commonwealth welcomes and benefits from the contributions of all our citizens.”

• Before the festivities begin, plan a way to safely get home at the end of the night;
• If you’re impaired, use a ride-booking company, taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation to get home safely;
• If you see an impaired driver, safely pull over and contact law enforcement. You may dial the KSP toll-free line directly at 1-800-222-5555 or call 911.
• If you know people who are about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get them safely to where they are going.
• Wear a seatbelt! It is not only the law, it is the best defense against an impaired driving. Buckling up helps prevent injury and death if involved in a crash.

A Russell County woman was lodged into the detention center on drug charges last evening.

Just after 7, Andrea Fobbe age 38, of Jamestown was taken into custody by Deputy Corey Meyer with the Russell County Sheriff’s Office. Fobbe was charges with Trafficking in a Controlled Substance, 1^st Degree, 1^st Offense (More or equal to 2 Grams of Meth) and charged with being a Persistent Felony Offender 2^nd.

Armand Napier age 29, of Knifley was taken into custody by Deputy Hitch with the Adair County Sheriff’s Office just before 2 p.m. Monday. Napier is charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Possession of Marijuana and Drug Paraphernalia – Buy/Possession.

New Student Registration for families that are new to Russell County will be held next week

Cindy Damron Director of Pupil Personnel for the school systems tells 92.7 the WAVE details of the registration... 

On Sunday evening, June 28, 2020 CPD Officers responded to a welfare check in the Walmart parking lot. When officers arrived, they found a female identified as 30-year-old Rachel Gaskins of Knifley, KY inside a Ford Explorer passed out. After awaking it was determined Gaskins was under the influence. A search of the vehicle yielded suspected heroin that was located in a dollar bill and paper. 

Area Arrests 6-29-20

A Richmond man was taken into custody by the Sheriff’s Office on Rape Charges yesterday morning at 10:30 a.m. Jonathan Carnes, 34, of Richmond, KY was arrested by Deputy Meyer on charges of Sexual Misconduct, Rape 1^st Degree and Sexual Abuse, 2^nd.

Bennie Cowan, 55, of Burkesville was arrest by Officer Daniels with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Ooffice last night for Assault 4^th Degree (Domestic Violence) with Minor Injuries.

According to a press release from the Russell Springs Police Department, at approximately 3:00amCT on Sunday morning, Officer Lucas Justice initiated a traffic stop on Hwy 80 after a run of the registration plate revealed the registered owner had a non-licensed record. As the vehicle came to a stop, a clear bag was thrown from the passenger side of the auto. Officer Justice exited his vehicle and located the clear plastic bag containing a white crystal substance with an appearance consistent with Methamphetamine. There were two occupants in the vehicle and neither claimed ownership of the Methamphetamine, therefore both occupants were taken into custody.

Glenn Blankenship, 22, of Russell Springs, KY was charged with No Operators License, Possession of a Controlled Substance 1st Degree (Methamphetamine) and Tampering With Physical Evidence. The passenger, Fernando Lopez-Lucero, 33 of Bowling Green, KY was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance 1st Degree (Methamphetamine) and Tampering With Physical Evidence. Both subjects were lodged in the Russell County Detention Center.

Officer Justice was assisted on scene by RCSO Deputy Jared Pierce and JPD Officer Jeremy England.

Deaths: We are happy to report no new deaths today. We have experienced a total of 27 deaths resulting in a 7.5% mortality rate among known cases.

Hospitalizations: We presently have 6 cases in the hospital. We have had a total of 68 hospitalizations resulting in an 18.8% hospitalization rate among known cases.

Released (Recovered) Cases: We released 1 case today from isolation (recovered). Released cases include, Casey: 1. In all, we have released 71.5% of our total cases.

Total (Cumulative) Cases: The Lake Cumberland District has experienced a total of 361 cases since the onset of the outbreak. This has resulted in the health department reaching out to over 2402 individuals during our contact tracing.

Active (Current) Cases: Taking all things into account, this leaves us with 76 active cases in our district across 8 of our 10 counties. Of those active cases, 14 are asymptomatic.

New Cases: We report that our total case count has increased by 3 today: Adair: 1; Casey: 1; and, Taylor: 1.

The new cases include:

• Adair:  73-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic
• Casey:  23-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic
• Taylor:  21-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic

Studies are showing that wearing a cloth mask, bandana or surgical mask can reduce the spread of COVID-19 by up to 85%. Unless you have a fit-tested N-95 mask, the wearing of the mask does not protect you from catching COVID-19, it helps to prevent you from spreading it. Remember, you can have and be spreading COVID-19 without even knowing it. If most of the public is not wearing a mask, the few that are will not effectively prevent the spread.

Our best chance for slowing the spread is for everyone to wear a mask when out in public, to avoid crowds, to social distance (stay 6-feet from others), to wash their hands with soap and water often and thoroughly, to stay home if they have a fever or are coughing, to increase sanitation, and to avoid touching their faces.

The Lake Cumberland area has experienced 361 Cumulative Confirmed Cases and there have been 15,255 Confirmed COVID-19 cases across 119 Kentucky Counties as of 06/28/20 (this includes 15,232 statewide plus 23 recently reported cases in Lake Cumberland not in the Governor’s/Department for Public Health’s daily report). Regardless of the confirmed case count for any Lake Cumberland County, we believe COVID-19 to be widespread. The LCDHD is working to identify and contact all those with whom any positive case may have come into close contact.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 28, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Sunday updated Kentuckians on the state’s continued efforts to fight the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

“I remember the call on March 6 that told me we had our first case of the coronavirus. I remember my concerns about a worldwide health epidemic hitting in Kentucky. But I remember knowing and feeling that Kentuckians were up for it,” the Governor said. “We came together, we put aside our divisions and we not only flattened, we crushed that curve and protected other Kentuckians. In the coming weeks and months, we’re going to be tested again about whether we truly can be Together KY and Team Kentucky once again. I know we’re up for it."

Case Information
As of 4 p.m. June 28, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 15,232 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 67 of which were newly reported Sunday.

“We see states in the South like Florida and Texas with rising cases and know it could happen here in Kentucky,” the Governor said. “It wasn’t anything magic that lead us to our early success. It was us truly coming together as a people and showing that the lives of other Kentuckians is more important to us than anything.”

Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported 4 new deaths Sunday, raising the total to 558 Kentuckians lost to the virus.

“Let’s remember to light up our homes and businesses green and ring our bells each morning at 10 a.m. to let these families know we care about them,” the Governor said.

The deaths reported Sunday include two women, ages

30 and 84, from Fayette County; an 81-year-old man from Franklin County; and a 93-year-old man from Shelby County.

For additional information, including up-to-date lists of positive cases and deaths, as well as breakdowns of coronavirus infections by county, race and ethnicity, click here.

Week in Review
Click here for this week’s updates including those on COVID-19 case information, long-term care visitation, AgriTech in Kentucky, unemployment insurance, rural hospital funding, school reopening guidance and new guidance for venues.

The Russell Co. Ambulance Service Board of Directors will have a Special Called Meeting on Monday.....

• Approval of Minutes
• Payment of Bills
• School Activity Fund Reports
• Financial Report

• Adair: A 33-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic
• Adair: A 3-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic
• Adair: A 32-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic
• Adair: A 54-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic
• Adair: A 52-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic
• Casey: A 1-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic
• Casey: A 32-year-old female who is self-isolated, asymptomatic
• Casey: A 21-year-old female who is self-isolated, asymptomatic
• Clinton: A 56-year-old female who is self-isolated, asymptomatic
• McCreary: A 61-year-old female who is self-isolated, asymptomatic
• Russell: A 49-year-old male who is hospitalized, still symptomatic
• Taylor: A 28-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic

• June 9, 2020-Regular called meeting minutes
• June 15, 2020-Special called meeting minutes

• 2nd Reading of Budget Amendment                                                                       

• LINE TO LINE TRANSFERS
• FUND TO FUND TRANSFERS

• 2nd READING ADMINISTRATIVE CODE-TIME OFF TO VOTE
• 2ND READING OF PROPOSED BUDGET ORDINANCE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2021
• APPROVAL OF BID FOR ROAD SALT
• PERMISSION TO CLOSE DIVE & RESCUE BANK ACCOUNT
• 2020-2021 AMBULANCE BUDGET
• TVA FUNDS RESOLUTION 
• PERMISSION TO BORROW UP TO $100,000.00 FROM THE ROAD DEPT. IF NEEDED IN 2020-2021 FISCAL YEAR
• 1ST READING-AMENDMENT OF FIRE DUES ORDINANCE
• 2019 SHERIFF TAX SETTLEMENT 
• FREE TIPPING DISCUSSION

• Anthony Dean Cook, 30, of Russell Springs - arrested by RSPD early Sunday for Operating a vehicle with Expired Operators License; Failure to Maintain Required Insurance; Trafficking in Methamphetamine; Possession of a Controlled Substance, 2nd degree (Drug Unspecified); Perscription Controlled Substnace Not in Proper Container; and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

• Timothy Dick, 54, of Columbia - arrested by KSP early this morning (Sunday) for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Possession of a Handgun by a Convicted Felon, and served a Warrant for another Police Agency.
• Larin Stotts, 36, of Columbia - arrested early Saturday morning by ACSO for Receiving Stolen Property under $500 and was Served a Bench Warrant for Court.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 27, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Saturday updated Kentuckians on the commonwealth’s ongoing efforts to fight the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

“Since we first started fighting this virus nearly 4 months ago, Kentuckians have risen to the challenge,” said Gov. Beshear. “We still have a long way to go, but our progress shows the enormous strength and resilience of our people.”

He also reminded Kentuckians that on Friday, the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack warned Kentuckians that air quality in the state may be poor this weekend and into next week. An enormous cloud of dry and dusty air that originated over the Sahara Desert will move across the southern United States over the next three to seven days.

“We absolutely need to be cautious this weekend and next week, monitor the air quality index in our area, and if needed, limit our time outside,” said Gov. Beshear.

“We’ve already shown that we can come together to fight a global pandemic for months, so I know we can take the steps needed to protect ourselves and our loved ones over one week.”

Case Information
As of 4 p.m. June 27, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 15,167 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 316 of which were newly reported Saturday.

“This virus is not going away yet,” said Gov. Beshear.

“We see numbers spiking in states all across the country. We need to be vigilant so that doesn’t happen here in Kentucky.”

Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported 1 new death Saturday, raising the total to 554 Kentuckians lost to the virus. The death reported Saturday was a 78-year-old woman from Fayette County.

“Today, we are grieving with this woman’s family,” said Gov. Beshear. “This is another life gone too soon, after we’ve lost far too many already. We must continue to take the steps to protect each other.”

As of Saturday, there have been at least 391,765 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. At least 3,730 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.

For additional information, including up-to-date lists of positive cases and deaths, as well as breakdowns of coronavirus infections by county, race and ethnicity, click here.

Week in Review
Click here for this week’s updates including those on COVID-19 case information, long-term care visitation, AgriTech in Kentucky, unemployment insurance, rural hospital funding, school reopening guidance and new guidance for venues.

• Pay attention to local air quality reports at https://www.airnow.gov/ and watch for news or health warnings about dust particles in your area. Pay attention to public health messages and take extra safety measures such as avoiding spending time outdoors.
• Continue to wear the protective mask you are using to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The mask will also help prevent exposure to dust particles if worn correctly.
• Keep windows and doors closed unless it is very hot outside. Run an air conditioner if you have one, but keep the fresh-air intake closed and the filter clean to prevent dust from getting inside. Seek shelter elsewhere if you do not have an air conditioner and it is too warm to stay inside with the windows closed.
• Follow your doctor's advice about medicines and about your respiratory management plan if you have asthma or another lung disease. Call your doctor if your symptoms worsen.

Justin Woodall, 35, of Jamestown, KY was taken into custody just after 2:00 a.m. Thursday morning by Deputy Wine of the Russell County Sheriff’s Department. Woodall was charged with Criminal Trespassing 3^rd Degree.  

Columbia Mayor Pam Hoots tells WAVE NEWS about Wednesday's special called City Council meeting.... 

The Russell Springs City Council had a special called meeting Thursday night. Mayor Eddie Thomas tell's WAVE listeners what took place... 

FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 25, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Thursday updated Kentuckians on the commonwealth’s ongoing efforts to fight the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

“I’m proud of Kentuckians for the big sacrifices we’ve made to protect each other and also the small inconveniences that we’ve accepted to keep one another safe and to revive our economy,” said Gov. Beshear. “By wearing a mask, staying six feet apart, getting tested and cooperating with contact tracers, we make sure that the lives we’ve lost and the experiences we’ve missed were not in vain.”

Case Information
As of 4 p.m. June 25, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 14,617 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 280 of which were newly reported Thursday.

Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported 8 new deaths Thursday, raising the total to 546 Kentuckians lost to the virus.

“Each of these deaths is more than an age, a gender and a county,” said Gov. Beshear. “Each of these souls was a mother or father, or a sister or brother, or a friend, a daughter, a husband, the list goes on. They were each special to so many other people, whose names we may never know, but whose pain right now is extraordinary.”

The deaths reported Thursday were a 69-year-old man from Christian County; a 63-year-old man from Fayette County; an 89-year-old woman and an 86-year-old man from Jefferson County; 84-, 90- and 93-year-old women from Shelby County; and an 81-year-old woman from Warren.

As of Thursday, there have been at least 375,636 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. At least 3,719 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.

For additional information, including up-to-date lists of positive cases and deaths, as well as breakdowns of coronavirus infections by county, race and ethnicity, click here.

Long-Term Care Visitation Update
Today, Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander announced thatstarting Monday, June 29, the state will resume visitation at assisted living and personal care homes, group activities (10 or fewer) in facilities, communal dining and off-site appointments.

“Kentuckians have patiently awaited since March 6 for the opportunity to see loved ones in long-term care facilities again – in person. We are pleased to say that plans are in place to ease back into certain activities,” said Secretary Friedlander, adding that resuming visitation and certain other activities will proceed without taking an eye off the threat that remains with COVID-19.

Starting July 15, visitation will resume in nursing homes and in Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF-IIDs).

School Opening Guidance
Gov. Beshear, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and Kevin Brown, interim commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Education, on Wednesday released long-awaited initial guidance for Kentucky schools looking ahead to opening this coming autumn. For more information, click here.

Testing Expansion
Gov. Beshear reminded Kentuckians to take advantage of the state’s partnership with Kroger, which has brought free drive-through testing across the commonwealth. Information on how to register at more than 200 sites throughout the commonwealth can be found here.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved the expansion of the Lake Cumberland Marina 

J.D. Hamilton who runs the marina said he was excited that the approval finally came after a lot of hard work by the marina to make it happen. 

According to the Somerset Commonwealth Journal, approval came after a National Environmental Protection Act review concluded with a “Finding of No Significant Impact” regarding an evaluation of effects to the human environment associated with the proposed expansion.

The Nashville District's Real Estate Division OK'd Hamilton's lease expansion proposal which includes construction of a 1.26-mile-long floating moorage structure, and a public fishing pier in the Russell County public park with access to the marina.

This alternative develops 181.25 acres of water to include 227 boat slips and 26 floating cabins, configured in a parallel fashion. The structure will have two “slip through” bridges to allow boats to move through the walkway. Hamilton noted this is the first marina infrastructure approved under a new law that recognizes floating cabins.

The boat dock structure will extend north from the marina near the boundary of the existing water lease area of Russell County Park, and connect to a 530-foot by 16-foot floating courtesy dock. It will extend from the shoreline of Russell County Park and directly serve the park’s visitors. Hamilton said the expansion will join the former Alligator No. 1 and Alligator No. 2 marinas.

The marina is located on the shoreline of Lake Cumberland at 2108 State Highway 1383 in Russell Springs.

RUSSELL CO. PRIMARY ELECTION DAY RESULTS...

These are the unofficial results from the booth. The absentee votes will be counted beginning June 27th.

Republican Primary for President

Donald Trump  606

Democrat Primary for President

Joe Biden 38

Senate Republican Primary

Mitch McConnell 531

Senate Democrat Primary 

Charles Booker 39

State Representative

Josh Branscum  344

Mark Polston 311

Again, the official results with the absentee ballots will be released next week by both the Russell and Adair County Clerk's. 

FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 24, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Wednesday updated Kentuckians on the state’s actions to fight the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

“We are going to get through this because we have shown, even with a worldwide health pandemic, we can come together, unite, know what it takes, and manage something as aggressive and deadly as COVID-19,” the Governor said. “The only way we can reopen safely is if we continue to test and people work with our contact tracers.”

Gov. Beshear and administration officials offered new guidance for Kentucky schools looking to open safely in the fall, new sites for in-person unemployment insurance claims service and new drive-through testing locations as part of the commonwealth’s partnership with Kroger. Information was also provided about a major settlement that will provide millions of dollars to Kentucky’s rural hospitals and major announcements aimed at making Kentucky’s Appalachian region the AgriTech center of America.

Case Information
As of 4 p.m. June 24, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 14,363 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 229 of which were newly reported Wednesday.

Dr. Steven Stack, Kentucky’s commissioner for public health, warned that health officials have tied many cases to travel outside of the state.

“We have now identified here in Kentucky numerous people that have returned from Myrtle Beach with COVID-19,” Dr. Stack said. “I have to continue to urge and beg folks to be careful. It is not the time to be cavalier because we have a scenario where a place that was just starting the reopening process went from being fine to a state of emergency in three weeks.”

Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported one new death Wednesday, raising the total to 538 Kentuckians lost to the virus.

The death reported Wednesday was an 89-year-old man from Laurel County.

“It sounds when we say, ‘Only one death,’ like it is a good day, but it’s not a good day for that family. Let’s remember that and continue to light our homes up green. Compassion is needed more in this world than ever for so many reasons. Let’s make sure we keep showing it as Kentuckians,” the Governor said. “I hope that we learned that when we show compassion, when we talk to each other without initial judgement or anger, when we can put other people and their wellbeing ahead of ourselves, that’s a special place to be, and I think Kentucky is that place.”

As of Wednesday, there have been at least 368,152 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. At least 3,706 Kentuckians had recovered from the virus.

For additional information, including up-to-date lists of positive cases and deaths, as well as breakdowns of coronavirus infections by county, race and ethnicity, click here.

School Opening Guidance
Gov. Beshear, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and Kevin Brown, interim commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Education, on Wednesday released long-awaited initial guidance for Kentucky schools looking ahead to opening this coming autumn.

“One of my top priorities as we have fought against the coronavirus is ensuring our children can safely return to school in the fall,” said Gov. Beshear. “Our top health experts and our educators have worked together to craft this guidance to take the necessary steps to protect our children and our dedicated staff as they return to school.”

The interim “Guidance on Safety Expectations and Best Practices for Kentucky Schools” covers kindergarten through 12^th-grade instruction in the commonwealth.

“It is critical for everyone to do their part as good neighbors and good Americans to follow this guidance to protect our children, teachers and school personnel, and stop coronavirus outbreaks that would spread the disease, cost us more Kentuckians and further damage our economy," Gov. Beshear said. 

These safety expectations were written with input from the Education Continuation Task Force as well as the Governor’s Office, Department for Public Health, Kentucky Department of Education, the Cabinet of Education and Workforce Development and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Throughout this process, stakeholders from all areas of education have been engaged to provide input and expertise.

Commissioner Brown stressed the importance of wearing masks to keep schools open and students, teachers and staff members safe. He noted that we’ve already lost people key to our education community to COVID-19.

“I want to re-emphasize why it is important to have these expectations, why it is important that your child wears a mask at school. It’s important because we need to protect teachers like John Page,”

Commissioner Brown said, noting that Page – a welding instructor at Monroe County Area Technology Center – died recently of coronavirus at only 47 years old. “Our welding instructors, our teachers, our students, our staff deserve to work and learn in an environment with a reduced risk of a disease without a vaccine and without a treatment. That’s why the document we are releasing today is so important and that’s why I know our districts and our teachers are going to act in good faith to reopen our schools with these expectations.”

Dr. Stack said all of the guidance and rules require some sacrifice but are needed.

“We know some of these things will be difficult to do in schools, and we tried to minimize these difficulties as much as possible when we developed the guidance,” Dr. Stack said. “But these are the things we need to do to keep students, staff and communities safe.”

Lt. Gov. Coleman said the state was working to ensure waivers will be granted to schools needing to use Non-Traditional Instruction (NTI) days.

She also announced that through Expanded Care, schools can take advantage of federal funding that covers Medicaid-eligible students for services including nursing, audiology, occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, interpreters, mobility and mental health.

“It is our duty to protect every child, but it is also our duty to protect every adult and every family member of the folks in those school buildings,” said Lt. Gov. Coleman. “The Governor, the Commissioner and I have come together to help provide the flexibility that is needed by schools to meet these unique circumstances.”

Lt. Gov. Coleman also highlighted the essential work teachers and bus drivers are called upon to perform during the global pandemic. She noted that in April, Fayette County school bus driver Eugenia Weathers, 56, died of COVID-19 and 16 other employees were sickened with the virus. In addition, in Grant County two school workers – Garylin “Stoney” Stone, 71, and Jo Ann Banks, 56, – also succumbed to the novel coronavirus.

“We are so grateful that Governor Beshear has put the health and safety of our bus drivers and students first,” said John Stovall, president of Teamsters 783 in Louisville. “Our folks are excited to get back to work, but we have to make sure we’re taking the necessary steps to prevent the spread of the virus.”

Unemployment Claims
Gov. Beshear on Wednesday announced several in-person services to address those who have filed unemployment insurance claims. The Governor reiterated his pledge to address every claim that has been filed during this unprecedented time.

“We are working day in and day out to rebuild an unemployment office that through years of neglect, and then huge cuts in 2017, started this year with 12 individuals that could face-to-face communicate with the public,” the Governor noted.

Beginning next week, in-person services will be offered five days a week in Frankfort.

In addition, officials will begin taking the services on the road. In-person services will be provided Monday and Tuesday, June 29 and 30, in Ashland and Owensboro. On July 7 and 8, in-person services will be held in Somerset and Hopkinsville.

Testing Expansion
Gov. Beshear reminded Kentuckians to take advantage of the state’s partnership with Kroger, which has brought free drive-through testing across the commonwealth.

“So, our new testing sites for this week: We’re going to continue in Louisville and in Lexington, and we’re adding a site in Kenton County again – we are actually seeing some disturbing numbers in the Cincinnati area – and our last site for next week is going to be in Pikeville,” the Governor said. “We need to make sure we get people to these sites.”

Information on how to register at more than 200 sites throughout the commonwealth can be found here.

Settlement Benefits Rural Hospitals
Gov. Beshear and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday announced $383 million in state and federal dollars for 54 rural hospitals by settling a 13-year-old dispute regarding Medicaid funding rates.

“Health care is a basic human right, and our rural hospitals have been having significant difficulty, long before COVID-19, in our current health care system,” the Governor said. “The expansion of Medicaid in Kentucky has kept many of them open while other states have seen them shuddered, but it hasn’t eliminated the true hardships that are there.”

The settlement negotiated by Gov. Beshear, with support from Senate Majority Leader McConnell, successfully convinced the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to offer funding in combination with the state’s liability of $93.9 million.

The previous administration had budgeted an estimated $425 million in state funding to settle the case.

The Governor said the settlement saved the state more than $300 million and provides long-awaited funds immediately back to rural hospitals. For more information about the settlement, click here.

Building America’s AgriTech Capital
Gov. Beshear took several actions today to keep his administration’s promise to build America’s AgriTech capital in Kentucky’s Appalachian region.

“Our future is the reason that I ran for this office. I wanted to create a brighter, better future for all Kentuckians,” the Governor said. “AgriTech: It is where our past meets our future, where a rich tradition of farming turns into one of innovation – of intellectual property, of scaling ideas to help a small family farm into the next multibillion-dollar industry.”

Among the moves taken Wednesday, Gov. Beshear signed an international agreement with 16 partner organizations, including the Dutch government, that are committed to the same goal. The international agreement group was brought together by AppHarvest, an innovative, certified B corporation which is creating one of the largest controlled environment agriculture facilities in the world.

“Why has everybody gravitated to this effort? Because of our state. That willingness to work, from an area of the country that has been known for powering the United States: Eastern Kentucky,” said AppHarvest founder and CEO Jonathan Webb. “We don’t believe that the future of farming in America is going to be in Boston, New York City or San Francisco. We believe the future of farming is going to be somewhere in the middle of the United States, and now it just takes leadership to determine who wants to grab it and go.”

The Governor also established an AgriTech Advisory Council to guide the commonwealth’s increased focus on this industry that will expand the state’s economy and create jobs for Kentuckians. He announced the state has launched a new website highlighting AgriTech in Kentucky, agritech.ky.gov.

“This is a great day for Kentucky, but this is an especially unbelievable day for Eastern Kentucky: to see the diversification, rebuilding of an economy and a new economy we have never seen before,” said Rocky Adkins, Senior Advisor to the Governor. “This is especially rewarding for all of us who have worked so long and so hard to build up a region of Kentucky that needs to be competitive in every shape and form and fashion.”

Area Arrest…

Jeremy Feese, 28, of Columbia, KY was taken into custody by KSP Trooper Scott on Tuesday evening. Feese was charged with Wanton Endangerment 1^st Degree.

Results from the voting machines in Adair County were posted by Adair Clerk, Lisa Greer. 
 

The top results are as follows:

President

Donald Trump (R) - 649
Joe Biden (D) - 82

Senate

Mitch McConnell (R) - 565
Charles Booker (D) - 76
Amy McGrath (D) - 55

The final official results will be available after absentee ballots are  eceived by mail thru June 27th.

Deaths: We are happy to report no new deaths today. We have experienced a total of 27 deaths resulting in an 8.4% mortality rate among known cases.

Hospitalizations: We presently have 3 cases in the hospital. We have had a total of 65 hospitalizations resulting in an 20.2% hospitalization rate among known cases.

Released (Recovered) Cases: We released 4 cases today from isolation (recovered). Released cases include, Pulaski: 1; and, Taylor: 3. In all, we have released 76.7% of our total cases.

Total (Cumulative) Cases: The Lake Cumberland District has experienced a total of 322 cases since the onset of the outbreak. This has resulted in the health department reaching out to over 2311 individuals during our contact tracing.

Active (Current) Cases: Taking all things into account, this leaves us with 48 active cases in our district across 9 of our 10 counties. Of those, 8 are asymptomatic.

New Cases: We report that our total case count has increased by 2 today: McCreary: 1; and, Pulaski: 1. The new cases include:

• McCreary: A 34-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic
• Pulaski: A 20-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic

While it was a better day for Lake Cumberland, it was a tough day for the state, adding 315 cases (the largest jump in over two weeks), and 11 deaths. We urge everyone to remember the guidance: we strongly encourage everyone to wear a mask when out in public, to avoid crowds, to social distance (stay 6-feet from others), to wash their hands with soap and water often and thoroughly, to stay home if they have a fever or are coughing, to increase sanitation, and to avoid touching their faces.

Since we were asked to do a church-related update yesterday, we were further asked to do an all-around update today. We broadly categorize cases as related to (or tied to) businesses, churches, long-term care (LTC) facilities, medical facilities, or travel. Keep in mind that some cases are not tied to any of those, and some cases may be tied to more than one category. We have had:

• 49 cases, 488 contacts, 3 hospitalizations, and 0 deaths tied to businesses,
• 37 cases, 627 contacts, 7 hospitalizations and 1 death tied to churches,
• 123 cases, 578 contacts, 32 hospitalizations, and 23 deaths tied to LTC facilities,
• 18 cases, 179 contacts, 1 hospitalization, and 0 deaths tied to medical facilities,
• 12 cases, 61 contacts, 1 hospitalization, and 0 deaths tied to travel,
• all other cases weren’t tied to any of these categories.

We were asked to explain why churches pose a greater risk than some other locations. Inside a church (or a factory, for that matter), the 6-foot distance rule becomes less effective. Generally speaking, the 6-foot distancing rule is for normal breathing, for a short period of time while with few others, and in a well-ventilated or open space. Singing or praising enthusiastically makes the 6-foot distance increasingly risky due to ejecting more particles more forcefully into the air. Not wearing masks increases the risk further. The longer you are with a group, the more risk. The more people in the group you are with, the more risk. The longer you are with a group in an enclosed space, even more risk. The older the population (and church members tend to skew toward the high-risk age group) or the number of people with compromised immune systems or other health issues, the riskier the interaction. Shaking hands or hugging adds additional risk. Riskier places include daycares and bars. However, we have had no cases that I am aware of associated with those types of facilities yet, but they have been largely closed, at least until this point.

The Lake Cumberland area has experienced 322 Cumulative Confirmed Cases and there have been 14,144 Confirmed COVID-19 cases across 119 Kentucky Counties as of 06/23/20 (this includes 14,141 statewide plus 3 recently reported cases in Lake Cumberland not in the Governor’s daily report). Regardless of the confirmed case count for any Lake Cumberland County, we believe COVID-19 to be widespread. LCDHD is working to identify and contact all those with whom any positive case may have come into close contact.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 23, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Tuesday updated Kentuckians on the state’s actions to fight the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

“We have made the changes in our daily lives, all in order keep our fellow Kentuckians safe from this deadly disease,” Gov. Beshear said. “I see the sacrifices being made by so many and I’ve never been more proud to be your Governor. It’s not only the compassionate thing to do, it’s also letting us reopen our economy without the problems we’re seeing in other states that threaten to reverse such efforts.”

Case Information
As of 4 p.m. June 23, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 14,141 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 315 of which were newly reported Tuesday.

Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported 11 new deaths Tuesday, raising the total to 537 Kentuckians lost to the virus.

The deaths reported Tuesday include a 52-year-old woman from Allen County; three women, ages 77, 77 and 91, and a 90-year-old man from Clark County; a 78-year-old woman from Fayette County; an 84-year-old woman from Graves County; a 46-year-old woman from Harlan County; a 67-year-old man from Jefferson County; a 106-year-old man from Logan County; and a 77-year-old woman from Shelby County.

“These are 11 Kentuckians whose families are hurting and who need all of us to keep them in mind and in our prayers,” the Governor said. “Let’s remember to light our homes and businesses up green and to ring bells every morning at 10 a.m. to let everyone who has lost someone to the coronavirus know we care.”

As of Tuesday, there have been at least 363,027 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. At least 3,591 Kentuckians had recovered from the virus.

For additional information, including up-to-date lists of positive cases and deaths, as well as breakdowns of coronavirus infections by county, race and ethnicity, click here.

New Guidance for Venues
Gov. Beshear and Dr. Steven Stack, Kentucky’s commissioner of public health, are preparing Kentuckians for updated guidance beginning Monday, June 29, for many venues, including restaurants and bars. The new guidance also covers wedding venues and gatherings of 50 or fewer people.

Adherence to rules on social distancing, mask use and sanitation remains critically important, and people in more vulnerable categories should continue to avoid such gatherings.

Testing expansion
Gov. Beshear is reminding Kentuckians to take advantage of the state’s partnership with Kroger, which has brought free drive-through testing across the commonwealth.

This week, Kroger is providing testing in Fayette County at Bluegrass Community and Technical College (500 Newtown Pike, Lexington); in Jefferson County at Southern High School (8620 Preston Highway, Louisville); in Shelby County at Milestone Academics (1361 Frankfort Road, Shelbyville); and Warren County at Basil Griffin Park (2055 Three Springs Road, Bowling Green).

Information on how to register at more than 180 sites throughout the commonwealth can be found here.

Census Update
Gov. Beshear reminded Kentuckians of the critical importance of filling out their U.S. Census forms. Those who have not can fill out the Census at my2020census.gov or by phone at 844-330-2020 (English) or 844-468-2020 (Spanish).
 

Public Notice 

June 23, 2020

To property owners who own property in the Columbia-Adair County Volunteer Fire Department jurisdiction. The Columbia-Adair County Volunteer Fire Department will be accepting fire dues through property tax bills beginning October 1st, 2020. Please do not mail your fire dues directly to the fire department. Fire dues for residential and commercial properties are $25.00 per deed with a cap of 3 deeds ($75.00). Non-Membership fire runs are $500.00.  A letter from the Columbia-Adair County Fire Department will be mailed to all taxpayers who don’t receive a bill due to homestead or disability exemption.  

Today is Primary Election Day 2020.

Voters will have until 6 p.m. this evening to cast their ballots before the voting booth is closed. If you are mailing in your ballot today, it must be postmarked for today (June 23rd) in order for your vote to be counted…

Voters will be voting for their party’s representatives for the November General Election, except in the case of State Representative which the Republican Primary winner will go on to hold the office as there is no Democrat candidate seeking the office. Josh Branscum, Russell Springs, and Mark F. Polston, Somerset, both have filed in the 83rd House District.

Deaths: We are pleased to report no new deaths today. We have experienced a total of 27 deaths resulting in an 8.4% mortality rate among known cases.

Hospitalizations: We presently have 3 cases in the hospital. We have had a total of 65 hospitalizations resulting in an 20.3% hospitalization rate among known cases.

Released (Recovered) Cases: We released 5 cases today from isolation (recovered). Released cases include, Casey: 1; Green: 1; Pulaski: 2; and, Russell: 1. In all, we have released 75.9% of our total cases.

Total (Cumulative) Cases: The Lake Cumberland District has experienced a total of 320 cases since the onset of the outbreak.

Active (Current) Cases: Taking all things into account, this leaves us with 50 active cases in our district across 9 of our 10 c ounties. Of those, 8 are asymptomatic.

New Cases: We report that our total case count has increased by 7 today: Adair: 1; Casey: 1; McCreary: 1; Pulaski: 1; Taylor: 2; and, Wayne: 1.
 

The new cases include:

Adair: A 62-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic
Casey: A 37-year-old female who has been released
McCreary: A 59-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic
Pulaski: A 62-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic
Taylor: A 35-year-old male who is self-isolated, asymptomatic
Taylor: A 73-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic
Wayne: A 75-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic

We are off to a fast start this week. The best advice we have for the public is to take individual precautions to protect yourselves and those you love. Those precautions include, we strongly encourage everyone to wear a mask when out in public, to avoid crowds, to social distance (stay 6-feet from others), to wash their hands with soap and water often and thoroughly, to stay home if they have a fever or are coughing, to increase sanitation, and to avoid touching their faces.

We were asked to give an update on COVID-19 in area churches. Again, churches present a unique challenge since they encourage groups of people to stay inside a confined space for a significant period of time. So far we have experienced cases associated with seven area churches. These have resulted in thirty-seven positive cases, six-hundred and twenty-seven close contacts, two hospitalizations, and one death.

The Lake Cumberland area has experienced 320 Cumulative Confirmed Cases and there have been 13,854 Confirmed COVID-19 cases across 119 Kentucky Counties as of 06/22/20 (this includes 13,839 statewide plus 15 recently reported cases in Lake Cumberland not in the Governor’s daily report).
 

Regardless of the confirmed case count for any Lake Cumberland County, we believe COVID-19 to be widespread. LCDHD is working to identify and contact all those with whom any positive case may have come into close contact.

• APPROVE AGENDA
• READING AND APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM June 16, 2020

• Review of any new applications for two P-5 positions
• Interviews
• Return to Open Session for possible action

Columbia Police and Adair EMS responded to a 2-vehicle collision this (Monday) morning at the intersection of the Veterans Memorial (Columbia) Bypass and Greensburg Road. 

Deaths: We are happy to report no new deaths today. We have experienced a total of 27 deaths resulting in an 8.6% mortality rate among known cases.

Hospitalizations: We presently have 4 cases in the hospital. We have had a total of 65 hospitalizations resulting in an 20.8% hospitalization rate among known cases.

Released (Recovered) Cases: We released 0 cases today from isolation (recovered). In all, we have released 76% of our total cases.

Total (Cumulative) Cases: The Lake Cumberland District has experienced a total of 313 cases since the onset of the outbreak.

Active (Current) Cases: Taking all things into account, this leaves us with 48 active cases in our district across 9 of our 10 counties.

New Cases: We report that our total case count has increased by 7 today: Pulaski: 4; Russell: 1; and, Taylor: 2. The new cases include:

• Pulaski: A 3-year-old male who is self-isolated, asymptomatic
• Pulaski: A 33-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic
• Pulaski: A 48-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic
• Pulaski: A 44-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic
• Russell: A 39-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic
• Taylor: A 71-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic
• Taylor: A 77-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic

It is historically unusual to add so many new cases over the weekend. Hopefully, that isn’t an ill omen for the week ahead. There is considerable public complacency with following the COVID-19 prevention guidance. With the economy largely reopened, it now falls upon us as individuals to use good judgment. Therefore, we strongly encourage everyone to wear a mask when out in public, to avoid crowds, to social distance (stay 6-feet from others), to wash their hands with soap and water often and thoroughly, to stay home if they have a fever or are coughing, to increase sanitation, and to avoid touching their faces.

The Lake Cumberland area has experienced 313 Cumulative Confirmed Cases and there have been 13,758 Confirmed COVID-19 cases across 119 Kentucky Counties as of 06/21/20 (this includes 13,750 statewide plus 8 recently reported cases in Lake Cumberland not in the Governor’s daily report). Regardless of the confirmed case count for any Lake Cumberland County, we believe COVID-19 to be widespread. LCDHD is working to identify and contact all those with whom any positive case may have come into close contact.

Brandon Mosley age 35, of Columbia, was taken into custody by officer Staten with the Columbia Police Department just after midnight. Mosley was charged with Assault, 4^th Degree (Domestic Violence) Minor Injury.

Sandra Dyer age 50, of Burkesville, was arrested by deputy Daniels with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office around 10:30 last evening. Dyer was charged with Prescription Controlled Substance not in Proper Container, 1^st Offense, Possession of a Controlled Substance, 3^rd Degree – Drug Unspecified, Possession of a Controlled Substance 1^st Degree, 1^st Offense (Drug Unspecified), Possession of Marijuana, Possession of a Controlled Substance 1^st Degree, 1^st Offense (Methamphetamine), Operating Motor Vehicle Under Influence Alcohol/Drugs .08 – 1^st Offense, Careless Driving and One Headlight…

Dan Webb age 48, of Tompkinsville was taken into custody just before 3 a.m. on Sunday morning by Deputy Daniel with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office. Webb was charged with Operating on a Suspended or Revoked License, Operating Motor Vehicle Under the Influence Alcohol/Drug .08 Aggravated Circumstances 2^nd, Fleeing or Evading Police, 1^st Degree (Motor Vehicle), Speeding 26mph over the Speed Limit, Prescription Controlled Substance Not in Proper Container 1^st Offense, Reckless Driving, Failure to Register or Transfer Vehicle, and Failure of Owner to Maintain Required Insurance 1^st Degree.   

FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 21, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Sunday updated Kentuckians on the commonwealth’s ongoing efforts to defeat the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

“Team Kentucky, we can do this,” the Governor said.

“Keep getting tested, keep wearing masks, keep answering the call if our contact tracers reach out to you. We have the tools we need to slow the spread of COVID-19 significantly until we get a vaccine.”

The Governor also wished all Kentucky dads a happy Father’s Day.

“My dad worked tirelessly to show up for my brother and me, no matter what challenges he was facing,” said Gov. Beshear. “I always want to do the same for Will and Lila. They are my greatest joy. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads and father figures out there who are giving their kids their very best even during such a difficult year.”

Case information
As of 4 p.m. June 21, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 13,750 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 117 of which were newly reported Sunday.

“We’ve been in this fight for more than three months now and, unfortunately, we still have a long way to go,” said Gov. Beshear. “But I have total confidence that Kentuckians will rise to the challenge in order to do one of the things we do best: watch out for families, friends and neighbors.”

Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported two new deaths Sunday, raising the total to 526 Kentuckians lost to the virus.

“I know these families are in so much pain right now, and the reality is, there’s nothing anyone can do to fix it,” said Gov. Beshear. “We can’t fix it, but we can continue to support all families who are grieving during this time. You are not alone.”

The deaths reported Sunday include a 73-year-old man from Butler County and a 61-year-old man from Fayette County. 
 

As of yesterday, at least 3,530 Kentuckians had recovered from the virus.

Census Update
Gov. Beshear reminded Kentuckians of the critical importance of filling out their U.S. Census forms. Those who have not can fill out the Census at my2020census.gov or by phone at 844-330-2020 (English) or 844-468-2020 (Spanish).

• Skylor Neal Turner, 30, of Columbia - arrested on Saturday afternoon by the RCSO for Leaving the Scene of an Accident and DUI.
• Mark Williams, 27, Russell Springs - arrested by KSP on Saturday afternoon for Possession of a Controlled Substance 1st Degree (Methamphetamine).
• Fernando Lopez, 34, of Bowling Green and Perry Bryant Bishop, 25, of Russell Springs  were arrested by Deputy Kenny Perkins with the RCSO on Friday night for Trafficking in Methamphetamine; Trafficking in Heroin; Trafficking in a Controlled Substance, 1st Degree, 2nd or more offense (Drug Unspecified); and Possession of Marijuana. Additionally, Lopez was charged with Operating on a Suspended or Revoked Operators License and Mr. Bishop was also charged with Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument 2nd degree.

The Taylor County Sheriff's Office conducted an extensive investigation beginning in January 2020 involving several thousand dollars being taken from a bank account belonging to a local business in Taylor County. Through the investigation, it was determined that the suspect, Lura "Gail" Cox, 62, of Campbellsville, KY had obtained the bank account number to the business and unlawfully stole nearly $18,000 over a 2-year period. Cox was indicted by the Taylor County Grand Jury earlier this month. She was arrested on the indictment today (Friday, June 19th) and lodged in the Taylor County Detention Center.

The Jamestown City Council met in regular session last night. Mayor Nick Shearer spoke to WAVE NEWS following the meeting... 

The Adair County School Board meeting took place on Thursday evening via Teleconference. Jim Lieb covered the meeting for 92.7 the WAVE and files this report....

LCDHD Report 06/18/20

Deaths: We are happy to report no new deaths today. We have experienced a total of 27 deaths resulting in a 9.1% mortality rate among known cases.

Hospitalizations: We presently have 4 cases in the hospital. We have had a total of 64 hospitalizations resulting in a 21.6% hospitalization rate among known cases.

Released (Recovered) Cases: We released 5 cases today from isolation (recovered). In all, we have released 78% of our total cases.

Total (Cumulative) Cases: The Lake Cumberland District has experienced a total of 296 cases since the onset of the outbreak.

Active (Current) Cases: Taking all things into account, this leaves us with 38 active cases in our district across 7 of our 10 counties.

New Cases: We report that our total case count has increased by 6 today: Adair: 2; Casey: 2; Pulaski: 1; and, Wayne: 1. The new cases include:

Adair: A 83-year-old male who is hospitalized
Adair: A 79-year-old female who is self-isolated
Casey: A 49-year-old male who is self-isolated
Casey: A 65-year-old male who is self-isolated
Pulaski: A 33-year-old female who is self-isolated
Wayne: A 46-year-old female who is self-isolated

We continue to see new cases in our district. This should serve as a reminder that COVID-19 is still with us and spreading freely through our communities.

Therefore, we strongly encourage everyone to wear a mask when out in public, to avoid crowds, to social distance (stay 6-feet from others), to wash their hands with soap and water often and thoroughly, to stay home if they have a fever or are coughing, to increase sanitation, and to avoid touching their faces.

The Lake Cumberland area has experienced 296 Cumulative Confirmed Cases and there have been 13,206 Confirmed COVID-19 cases across 119 Kentucky Counties as of 06/18/20 (this includes 13,197 statewide plus 9 recently reported cases in Lake Cumberland not in the Governor’s daily report). 

Regardless of the confirmed case count for any Lake Cumberland County, we believe COVID-19 to be widespread.  LCDHD is working to identify and contact all those with whom any positive case may have come into close contact.

Jacob Demody age 21, of Columbia, was taken into custody by officer Foster with the Columbia Police Department just after 1 a.m. this morning.  Demody was charged with Operating a Motor Vehicle Under the Influence of Alcohol/Drugs/ETC .08 2^nd Offense, Possession of an Open Alcoholic Beverage Container in Motor Vehicle Prohibited, and Possession of a Controlled Substance, 2^nd Degree – Drug Unspecified.

Deaths: We are happy to report no new deaths today. We have experienced a total of 27 deaths resulting in a 9.6% mortality rate among known cases. We failed to mention that yesterday’s death was a 77-year-old female from Green. Our hearts and prayers go out to everyone who has lost a loved one.

Hospitalizations: We presently have 3 cases in the hospital. We have had a total of 63 hospitalizations resulting in a 22.4% hospitalization rate among known cases.

Released (Recovered) Cases: We released 1 case today from isolation (recovered). In all, we have released 79% of our total cases.

Total (Cumulative) Cases: The Lake Cumberland District has experienced a total of 281 cases since the onset of the outbreak.

Active (Current) Cases: Taking all things into account, this leaves us with 32 active cases in our district across 7 of our 10 counties.

New Cases: We report that our total case count has increased by 2 today: Pulaski: 1; and, Taylor: 1. The new cases include:

Pulaski: A 43-year-old male who is self-isolated

Taylor: A 59-year-old female who is self-isolated

COVID-19 is still spreading in our communities. A few states are experiencing significant spikes in COVID-19 cases sufficient to start worrying about hospital capacity. While Lake Cumberland is presently not in danger of running out of COVID-19 hospital beds, we hope to avoid the chances of such. Therefore, we strongly encourage everyone to wear a mask when out in public, to avoid crowds, to social distance (stay 6-feet from others), to wash their hands with soap and water often and thoroughly, to stay home if they have a fever or are coughing, to increase sanitation, and to avoid touching their faces.
 

While we realize we cannot stop the spread of COVID-19 completely, observing this guidance can help our area avoid too many new cases too quickly and thus, overwhelm our medical and public health infrastructure.

The Lake Cumberland area has experienced 281 Cumulative Confirmed Cases and there have been 12,833 Confirmed COVID-19 cases across 119 Kentucky Counties as of 06/16/20 (this includes 12,829 statewide plus 4 recently reported cases in Lake Cumberland not in the Governor’s daily report). Regardless of the confirmed case count for any Lake Cumberland County, we believe COVID-19 to be widespread.  LCDHD is working to identify and contact all those with whom any positive case may have come into close contact.

Infinite Campus Online Registration is coming to Adair County Schools....

Albany, KY. (June 16, 2020) – The Kentucky State Police investigated a single-vehicle injury collision on KY 90 near Albany today around 4:15 a.m. CT.

Preliminary investigation indicates a 2016 Kenworth being operated by 37 year-old Robert Albertson of Columbia, KY was traveling east on KY 90 approximately 6 miles northwest of Albany.  For an unknown reason, Albertson crossed the centerline into the westbound lane (off the westbound shoulder), and overcorrected causing the vehicle to overturn spilling the load of live chickens.  
 

Albertson was wearing his seat belt and was flown to the University of Kentucky Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.  
 

Sergeant Randall Honeycutt investigated the collision, and assisted by the Clinton Co Sheriff’s Office, Fire Department, EMS, Air Evac 43, and KYTC.

DEADLINES FOR JUNE 23, 2020 PRIMARY

Remember, you do not have to wait until Election Day to come in and vote in person if that is your choice.  You may come in at any of the times listed above.  

It is the same building that has the Adair County Clerk’s Office, PVA, County Judge, Sheriff, and County Attorney. When you enter the front doors, directly ahead you will see the elevator or the steps. Go directly downstairs and there will be precinct workers.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

If you have received a ballot by mail, please make sure to have it postmarked if mailing by June 23rd.

You may also drop the ballot off in the secure ballot drop-box located in the Clerks office, 424 Public Square, Ste 3, Columbia, KY Monday- Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Saturday from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m.

A Columbia man was taken into custody on several charges last evening in Cumberland County.

Adrian Stotts, 38, of Columbia was arrested by Deputy Walter with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office just after 10:30 p.m. Monday evening. Stotts was charged with Failure to Illuminate Head Lamps, Reckless Driving, Speeding 15 mph over the Limit, Operating on a Suspended or Revoked License, Failure to Produce Insurance Card, No Registration Plates and Operating a Motor Vehicle under the Influence of Alcohol Drugs .08 2^nd Offense.

The Russell County Board of Education met by Zoom meeting Monday night. 

Superintendent Michael Ford tells WAVE listeners what took place during the meeting... 

Russell Springs Mayor Eddie Thomas stopped by the WAVE Studios Monday morning and discussed NEW Businesses in the city…

While providing general patrol for the City Park at the former Adair County Fairgrounds, the Columbia Police Dept. arrested an Adair County man who is facing numerous charges.

On Sunday evening, June 14, 2020 CPD Officers initiated contact with Dustin Stone, 33, of Columbia. Upon encountering officers, Stone attempted to flee on foot before being apprehended. Stone was found to be in possession of narcotics and several forms of drug paraphernalia, including over 8 grams of suspected methamphetamine. He has been charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of Marijuana, Resisting Arrest, Fleeing and Evading Police (on foot), Terroristic Threatening 3rd degree, and Trafficking in a Controlled Substance 1st degree (methamphetamine over 2 grams), a class C felony. Stone was additionally served 2 outstanding warrants including a probation revocation for failure to enter drug treatment.

Officer Evan Burton made the arrest. He was assisted on scene by Officer Drew Conn.

Christopher Harrison, 49, of Cumberland County, KY was taken into custody by Deputy Daniels with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and lodged in the Adair County Regional Jail just before 4pm on Sunday afternoon on charges that included Possession of a Controlled Substance, 1^st Degree, 1^st Offense (Meth), Drug Paraphernalia Buy/Possess, Possession of Marijuana, and was served 2 warrants for other Police Agency.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 13, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Saturday updated Kentuckians on steps the state is taking to address the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

“We’ve been fighting this virus for months and I know every single Kentuckian has sacrificed for the greater good during that time,” said Gov. Andy Beshear. “Today, I especially want to thank our health care workers who continue to save lives on the front lines and who have never given up.”

Today, pursuant to the Governor's request and the Historic Properties Advisory Commission’s bipartisan vote, the statue of Jefferson Davis was removed from the Capitol Rotunda. To read Gov. Beshear’s full statement, click here.

Case information
As of 4 p.m. June 13, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 12,445 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 315 of which were newly confirmed Saturday.

“As we reopen, we must continue to follow precautions and protect each other,” said Gov. Beshear. “We’ve come a long way but the fight is not over.”

Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported two new deaths Saturday, raising the total to 499 Kentuckians lost to the virus.

“We will hold their families in our hearts and lift them up,” said Gov. Beshear. “While today we are reporting a relatively low number of deaths, the pain their loved ones are going through is exactly the same as all other 497 families.”

The deaths reported Saturday include a 68-year-old man from Grayson and a 78-year-old man from Oldham.

Fortunately, 3,409 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus. For additional information, including up-to-date lists of positive cases and deaths, as well as breakdowns of coronavirus infections by county, race and ethnicity, click here.

Absentee ballot request application online
Gov. Beshear is reminding all voters to use the absentee ballot request application now available online before the deadline to request a ballot on June 15. A link to the State Board of Elections’ portal can be found at govoteky.com.

Testing expansion
Gov. Beshear on Wednesday announced that the state’s ongoing partnership with Kroger will bring expanded COVID-19 drive-through testing next week in several locations across the commonwealth.

Information on how to register at more than 180 sites throughout the commonwealth can be found at kycovid19.ky.gov.

Census update
Gov. Beshear reminded Kentuckians of the critical importance of filling out their U.S. Census forms. Those who have not can fill out the Census at my2020census.gov or by phone at 844-330-2020 (English) or 844-468-2020 (Spanish).

An early morning traffic stop resulted in an Adair County man being arrested for possession of drugs and resisting arrest.

At 12:10amCT on Saturday morning, Adair County Chief Deputy Justin Cross initiated a traffic stop on a 2007 Mazda on Jamestown Street. The vehicle was operated by Jonathon Dickson, 24, of Columbia. During the stop, it was found that Dickson was operating on a suspended license. A roadside interview led Deputy Cross to believe their were illegal narcotics in the vehicle. At one point, Dickson grabbed a bag from the passenger side of the car and tried to swallow it. Deputies were able to pull him from the vehicle and retrieve the baggie (that contained methamphetamine) and a handgun.

The Adair County Sheriffs Office is continuing the investigation. Deputy Justin Cross was assisted by Deputy Chandler Staten and Columbia Police Department Officers.

The Columbia Police Department arrested a Georgia man after a pursuit on the Parkway early Saturday morning.

Russell County Sheriff Derek Polston reports 2 drug trafficking arrests after Deputies went to a residence in the Russell Springs area to serve probation violation warrants.

After receiving a consent to search for the suspect, 2 persons were arrested and charged. Trent W. Tieman, 55, of Russell Springs was charged with Trafficking in a Controlled Substance 1st degree 1st offense (Methamphetamine over 2 grams), Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and served with 2 Probation Violation warrants. Also arrested was Sarah E. Cox, 40, for Trafficking in a Controlled Substance 1st degree 1st offense (over 2 grams of Methamphetamine), Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Tampering with Physical Evidence.

Deputy Corey Meyer is heading the investigation. 

Sheriff Polston reminds all Russell County citizens that if you suspect drug trafficking in your neighborhood to contact the Russell County Sheriffs Office Drug-Wanted Persons Tipline at 270-343-8116. All callers will remain anonymous.

1. ROLL CALL
2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
3. APPROVAL OF RESOLUTION-APPROVING A RELEASE WITH KACO
4. PERMISSION TO SIGN PAPERWORK WITH LEASE KACO
5. DISCUSSION OF RECYCLING LABORERS

According to the Big Dawg's Larry Smith, police are investigating a possible fatal head-on collision on US 68, 2 miles from Campbellsville toward Greensburg, KY. No other details are available at this time.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 12, 2020) – “Today has been a historic day in the Commonwealth. Pursuant to my request, the Historic Properties Advisory Commission met and, in a bipartisan vote, voted to remove the Jefferson Davis statue from our Rotunda. It was past time for this vote and for this action. But what it will mean is that we get a little closer to truly being Team Kentucky – that every child who walks into this Capitol feels welcome, and none of them have to look at a symbol and a statue that stands for the enslavement of their ancestors. Today is a move toward showing that everybody is welcome in this building and that our government should work for the betterment of every single Kentuckian – that we have systematic issues that we must address, but that now is the time to truly move forward, to truly make progress and to show that Team Kentucky includes every single Kentuckian.”

Governor Andy Beshear

1. Pulaski:  75-year-old male who is self-isolated
2. Pulaski:  22-year-old female who is self-isolated
3. Pulaski:  69-year-old male who is self-isolated
4. Russell:  29-year-old male who is self-isolated

• Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).
• Respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
• Droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.
• While you are sick, wash your hands before and after you interact with pets and wear a face mask.
• Put on a face mask before you enter a healthcare facility or any time you may come into contact with others.

The Russell Springs City Council met last evening for their regular monthly meeting. Mayor Eddie Thomas spoke to WAVE NEWS following the meeting.....

Russell County native Kevin Williams does an annual gospel concert fundraiser to raise money for the Russell County Family Resource Centers. 100% of the money raised goes to help less fortunate kids in our community, known as "Kevin's Kids".  Kevin Williams presented a check to the Family Resource Centers on Thursday, June 11, 2020 even though this years concert was cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. He spoke with WAVE NEWS  about this year’s fundraiser…

Check Amounts:

Russell Springs/Salem - $9,953.23

Jamestown 6^th Grade Center - $6,879.17

R.C. Middle/High School (7^th & 8^th) - $11,977.60

• Online Bill Pay
• Request an Appointment by location
• Transfer a Prescription
• Find a Provider
• Login to the Patient Portal

An Adair County Grand Jury has returned indictments. 
 

Indictments are legal accusations and do not determine guilt or innocence.

Area Arrests…

Ethan Woolridge, 29, of Columbia was taken into custody by Columbia Police Officer Jordan Dean this morning just after 2 a.m. Woolridge was charged with Assault, 4^th Degree (Domestic Violence) Minor Injury.

Lakeshia Murrell, 18, of Columbia was arrested by officer Foster with the Columbia Police Department just after 1:30 this morning, also on a charge of Assault, 4^th Degree (Domestic Violence) Minor Injury.

A Russell Springs man was taken into custody this morning just after 1 a.m. on charges of Operating on a Suspended or Revoked Operators License and No Operators Moped License. Officer Lucas Justice with the Russell Springs Police Department lodged Thomas Elliot Andrew, 37, of Russell Springs in the Russell County Detention Center on those two charges.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 10, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Wednesday updated Kentuckians on the state’s efforts to fight the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

“Hopefully the Kentucky that we build as we come out of COVID-19 is one where we are more together,” the Governor said. “All of us, as one community, as one Team Kentucky, are ready to take on the challenges of the future, but knowing that if we are more united and more connected, there is so much more that we can get done.”

Gov. Beshear and other administration officials also spoke Wednesday about expanded testing that will launch next week.

Case Information

As of 4 p.m. June 10, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 11,883 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 191 of which were newly confirmed Wednesday.

“At this point, we have seen COVID cases in all but one Kentucky county. Robertson County is the only county that we don’t have a COVID case in,” the Governor said. “It means the virus has no geographic boundaries and any place can become a hotspot.”

Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported seven new deaths Wednesday, raising the total to 484 Kentuckians lost to the virus.

The deaths reported Wednesday include an 84-year-old woman from Hardin County; a 66-year-old man from LaRue County; two women, ages 78 and 79, and a 66-year-old man from Logan County; an 83-year-old woman from Jefferson County; and a 55-year-old woman from Simpson County.

At least 3,375 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus. For additional information, including up-to-date lists of positive cases and deaths, as well as breakdowns of coronavirus infections by county, race and ethnicity, click here.

Testing expansion
Gov. Beshear on Wednesday announced that the state’s ongoing partnership with Kroger will bring expanded COVID-19 drive-through testing next week in several locations across the commonwealth.

“Testing is absolutely critical if we want to reopen safely,” the Governor said.

Next week’s testing will include:

• Louisville (Jefferson County) from June 15 to June 19 at Louisville Southern High School, 8620 Preston Highway;
• Lexington (Fayette County) from June 15 to June 19 at Bluegrass Community & Technical College, 500 Newtown Pike; 
• Bowling Green (Warren County) from June 16 to June 19 at Basil Griffin Park, 2055 Three Springs Road; and
• Buckner (Oldham County) from June 16 to June 18 at Oldham County High School, 1150 KY-393

As of Wednesday, more than 302,000 coronavirus tests have been conducted on Kentuckians. Gov. Beshear said the state’s testing capacity is high and urged everyone to get tested.

On Monday, June 8, 2020 the Adair County Sheriffs Office initiated a traffic stop on a 2006 Cadillac on the Columbia Bypass for a traffic violation. The vehicle was operated by 51-year-old Donald Brockman of Mannsville, KY. During the stop, it was found that Brockman was in possession of a handgun and was a convicted felon and not allowed by law to possess firearms. 

Brockman was arrested and lodged in the Adair County Regional Jail by Deputy Chandler Staten for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon (a class D felony). 
 

In area arrest…

Trevor Dylan Cash age 27 of Burkesville, was taken into custody by officer Watson with the Burkesville Police Department last night just before 11:30. Cash was charged with Terroristic Threatening, 3^rd Degree, Criminal Mischief 3^rd Degree, Drug Paraphernalia – Buy/Possession and Possession of a Controlled Substance 1^st Degree, 1^st Offense (Meth).

The Adair County Fiscal Court met Tuesday evening by Zoom for their regular monthly meeting...

Jim Liebe spoke with County Judge Gayle Cowan about what took place...

• Coy A. Marcum, 43, Jamestown, KY - Trafficking in a Controlled Substance 1st Degree (Methamphetamine).
• Christopher Collins, 21, Jamestown, KY - Bail Jumping 1st Degree.
• Stephanie Bennett, 32, Jamestown, KY - Possession of a Controlled Substance 1st degree (Methamphetamine), Posession of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree (Alprazolam), and Possesssion of a Legend Drug (Gabapentin).
• Robert Grimsley, 42, Junction City, KY - Assault 4th Degree (3rd or greater offense) and Reckless Driving.
• Gary Badgley, 69, Russell Springs, KY - Trafficking in a Controlled Substance 1st Degree (Hydrocodone), Trafficking in a Controlled Substance (Oxycodone), Trafficking in a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree (Alprazolam), Trafficking in a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree (Clonazepam), Trafficking in a Legend Drug (Gabapentin), Possession of Marijuana and Drug Paraphernalia, Operating on a DUI Suspended License, and Failure to Produce Insurance Card.
• Stephanie Portman, 37, Russell Springs, KY and Lucas McFarland, 35, Jamestown, KY - Possession of a Controlled Substance 1st Degree (Methamphetamine), Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of Marijuana.
• Terry Ashley, 49, Nicholasville, KY - Wanton Endangerment 1st Degree (3 counts), Boating Under the Influence, and Motorboat to be Registered and Numbered.

Indictments are legal accusations and do not determine guilt or innocence.

The Columbia Police Department responded to an apartment complex on Carrie Bolin Drive on Monday evening, June 8, 2020 to assist with an individual who had possibly overdosed and who was being combative with family.

Monday night during the Russell County Fiscal Court meeting, Magistrates approved a new work release program for Russell County Inmates.

Jailer Bobby Dunbar explains to WAVE NEWS what this would mean for certain inmates... 

LCDHD COVID-19 REPORT MONDAY, JUNE 8TH:

We are happy to report no new deaths or hospitalizations today. There were 8 new cases added today, 2 in Adair: a 59-year-old female and a 6-month-old female; 5 in Russell: a 4-year-old female, a 31-year-old male, a 47-year-old female, a 34-year-old female, and a 12-year-old male. All of these are on home isolation. We also added 1 additional case to our “Total Cases”, but not to our “Current Cases” (they were added and released on the same day): a 47-year-old male from Taylor County who had the anti-body test, whose symptoms were several weeks ago.

We released 4 cases today (recovered), this includes the gentlemen mentioned above who was added and released on the same day. Taking everything into account, we now have 27 active cases across 6 counties in our district.

Clearly, cases are on the rise locally. We do believe, however, that COVID-19 can be contained in the general public without another economic shutdown if most people will observe the precautions. Avoiding crowds as much as possible remains your best way to reduce your risk. Washing your hands with soap and water often and thoroughly, wearing a mask when out in public, staying home if you have a fever or are coughing, increasing sanitation, and avoiding touching your face further reduces your risk.

The Lake Cumberland area has experienced 257 Cumulative Confirmed Cases and there have been 11,484 Confirmed COVID-19 cases across 119 Kentucky Counties as of 06/08/20 (this includes 11,476 statewide plus 8 recently reported cases in Lake Cumberland not in the Governor’s daily report). 

Regardless of the confirmed case count for any Lake Cumberland County, we believe COVID-19 to be widespread. LCDHD is working to identify and contact all those with whom any positive case may have come into close contact.

The Primary Election is on Tuesday, June 23, 2020. You can only vote your party in this election.  

FQ’S FOR VOTING IN PERSON 

Driver’s License (which is quickest); Personal Acquaintance with election officer; Social Security Card; Credit Card; Any ID card with picture and signature of voter; Any KY State Government issued ID card; and Any United State government –issued ID card. Please have one of these ready.

We ask that you follow the CDB’s guidelines!

IMPORTANT REMINDERS IF VOTING BY MAIL

• If calling our office to request a ballot by mail, the deadline to do so is June 15, 2020 at 4:00 p.m.
• If requesting a ballot by mail on the online secure portal GoVoteKy.com the deadline is June 15, 2020 at 11:59 p.m.
• If you have requested a ballot by mail please read carefully the enclosed instructions, make sure all highlighted areas are signed and all envelopes are sealed.
• Please make sure to return as soon as possible, either by mail or in our drop-off box located within the County Clerk’s office.

If you have any questions call 270-384-2801 or email Lisa.Greer@ky.gov.

The Russell County Fiscal Court held their regular monthly meeting last evening. 

Judge Executive Gary Robertson spoke with WAVE NEWS following the meeting... 

Russell County had a jump Monday in the number of positive Covid-19 cases. Judge Robertson asked that everyone please remain vigilant in taking the necessary steps to stay safe... 

Also at the meeting, Jailer Bobby Dunbar got approval for a program that will allow inmates to work while incarcerated. We'll have more details tomorrow on WAVE News.

1. Appoint a non-voting member to the board that is a current student
   “Gov. Beshear added a teacher as non-voting member for the first time,” said Lt. Gov. Coleman. “By adding a current student to the BOE, this ensures every group has a seat at the table as we lead Kentucky into the future.”
2. Mandate statewide implicit bias training for all school staff
   “The issue of bias that all of us harbor is something we must confront,” said Lt. Gov. Coleman. “Especially if bias is hindering a child’s education.”
3. Develop new strategies and programs to recruit more persons of color to be teachers
   “For many kids, the first leader they have outside of their home is their teacher. Kentucky’s kids of color deserve to see themselves reflected in their community leaders,” said Lt. Gov. Coleman. “All of our children are better prepared for their future when exposed to a diverse community of leaders and teachers.”

            May 26, 2020-Regular called meeting minutes   

          SHERIFF’S REPORT 

          ROAD DEPARTMENT REPORT 

          G.R.A.S. REPORT 

          COMMITTEE REPORTS 

          JAIL REPORT & MONTHLY CANTEEN FUND SUMMARY 
 

          TREASURER’S REPORT

          MONTHLY SETTLEMENT REPORT 

          OTHER TRANSFERS 
                             

          LINE TO LINE TRANSFERS

          FUND TO FUND TRANSFERS
                                

• COLUMBIA/ADAIR COUNTY WATER BOARD APPOINTMENT
• HIRING OF SEASONAL EMPLOYEES FOR RECYCLING 
• 911 2020 GEOCONEX HARDWARE REFRESH
• OPEN AND POSSIBLY AWARD YEARLY ROAD SERVICE BIDS
• PERMISSION TO GET QUOTES TO MOW COUNTY PROPERTY & BOAT RAMP ACCESSES
   

Lebanon, KY (June 8, 2020) - On Saturday, June 6th, 2020 at approximately 9:00amET, KSP Post 15 was notified of a 2-vehicle fatal collision involving a Taylor County Ambulance on U.S. 68 five miles west of Lebanon. Preliminary investigations indicate that 43 year old George Mars of Campbellsville, KY was operating a 2018 Chevy Ambulance westbound when he approached a 2011 Ford F150 that was slowing down attempting to make a left turn onto Elk Run Rd. The driver of the Ford pickup, 47 year old Justin Grace of Gravel Switch, KY turned left, crossing the eastbound lane at the same time the ambulance had entered that lane attempting to avoid the rear end collision. The Ford pickup was struck in the driver side by the ambulance.

Justin Grace was transported to Springview Hospital by EMS where he was airlifted to UK Medical Center. A 10 month old passenger in the truck was treated and released from Springview Hospital. Another passenger in the vehicle, Rose Grace, 41, of Gravel Switch was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Marion County Coroners office. Mars and a passenger, Sydney Smith, 27, of Greensburg, KY were transported to Taylor County Hospital where they were treated and released. All parties involved were wearing their seat belts.

The incident remains under investigation by Sergeant Adam Likins. Sgt. Likins was assisted at the scene by Marion County Sheriff’s Department, Lebanon PD, Marion County EMS, and Lebanon Fire Department.

Campbellsville, KY (June 8, 2020) Trooper Dexter Colvin is investigating a collision that occurred on Sunday, June 7th, 2020 at 9:28 AM on KY 210 4 miles north of Campbellsville. Kentucky State Police Post 15 received a complaint of a reckless driver on KY 210. Troopers were able to locate the vehicle matching the description on KY 210 and attempted to initiate a traffic stop. Thomas Hunt, 76, of Campbellsville, KY was operating a 2007 Chevy pickup westbound on KY 210 when he ran off the roadway multiple times, before leaving the left side of the roadway and striking a culvert.
 

Hunt was transported to Taylor Regional Hospital and later transported to University of Louisville Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased by the Jefferson County Coroners office. Hunt was not belted and is suspected to have had a medical emergency at the time of the collision.
 

KSP Trooper Colvin was assisted at the scene by Trooper Weston Sullivan, Taylor County Fire, EMS and Rescue.

The Russell County Library begins Phase 2 of opening today! 

Library Director Lindsey Westerfield, recently stopped by 92.7 the WAVE and told us exactly what this means... 

Westerfield discussed the importance of the computers at the library and how they will be available starting today! 

The 2 missing swimmers who went missing on Friday, June 5^th on Lake Cumberland were recovered early this morning (Monday).

According to reports, Russell County Search and Rescue along with Christian Ministries Search and Rescue (a private organization), made the recovery this morning around 2:30 a.m.

According to officials, 4 people were swimming in the lake (Friday) when their boat began drifting away. Two men were picked up by another boat, while two other men both age 23, were trying to catch the boat. Those two went went under and never came back up. The two are international students from China.

The incident happened between Jamestown Marina and Wolfe Creek Dam.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 6, 2020) – On Saturday, Gov. Andy Beshear provided an update on case information and reminded Kentuckians to follow public health guidance this weekend during the ongoing fight against the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

Yesterday, Gov. Beshear spoke at the March on Frankfort hosted by For the People Coalition.

“Today, you are leading and I am listening,” said Gov. Beshear. “I will earn your faith, and we will work together. Change is possible. You’re demanding it. And I’m going to work with you to make that happen.”

Case information
As of 4 p.m. June 6, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 11,287 coronavirus cases in Kentucky. There were 319 newly confirmed cases Saturday, 65% of which are from Jefferson County. There were 6,640 new tests today.

“The virus is still out there. I know we’re tired. I know we all just want to have a normal summer,” said Gov. Beshear. “But we’ve already saved so many lives as Team Kentucky and we can’t let up now.”

Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported four new deaths Saturday, raising the total to 470 Kentuckians lost to the virus.

The deaths reported Saturday include a 73-year-old man from Clay County, 73- and 90-year old men from Jefferson County and a 70-year-old woman from Logan County.

“These deaths are another tragic loss for all of Kentucky,” said Gov. Beshear. “Light your houses up green, ring your bells tomorrow, and most important, continue taking action to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect your neighbors.”

At least 3,344 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus. For additional information, including up-to-date lists of positive cases and deaths, as well as breakdowns of coronavirus infections by county, race and ethnicity, click here.

Stay safe this weekend
This week, the Governor consistently reminded Kentuckians that the novel coronavirus is still in our midst and we need to take precautions to prevent its spread. The Governor and state health officials are asking all Kentuckians to keep gatherings to 10 or fewer people.

Other guidance includes wearing masks, maintaining social distancing of six feet or more, gathering outside instead of inside, washing hands frequently, covering food and individually wrapping plates.

Healthy at Work
To see the state’s full reopening schedule and industry-specific guidance, including updates announced this week, visit healthyatwork.ky.gov.

Week in review
To review updates and case information from Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday visit https://governor.ky.gov/news.

More information
Read about other key updates, actions and information from Gov. Beshear and his administration at governor.ky.gov, kycovid19.ky.gov and the Governor’s official social media accounts Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Kentuckians can also access translated COVID-19 information and daily summaries of the Governor’s news conference at tinyurl.com/kygovespanol (Spanish) and tinyurl.com/kygovtranslations (more than 20 additional languages).

Greensburg, KY (June 6, 2020) On Friday, June 5th, 2020 at approximately 1:20pmCT, Kentucky State Police Post 15 was notified of a 2-vehicle fatal collision on Matney Rd. Preliminary investigations indicate that 40 year old Jamie Young of Greensburg, KY was operating a west bound Ford Explorer when he crossed into the east bound lane striking a Nissan Rogue head on, operated by 57 year old Geraldine Turner of Greensburg, KY.

Turner was belted and pronounced deceased at the scene by the Green County Coroner. Young was not wearing a seat belt and was air lifted to U of L hospital. This collision remains under investigation by Trooper Weston Sullivan.

Tpr. Sullivan was assisted at the scene by other KSP personnel, Green County Sheriff’s Department, Green County Fire/ EMS, Green County Rescue, Exie Fire Department and the Campbellsville Fire Department.

We are happy to report no new deaths or hospitalizations. One was released today from isolation, which translates now to 80% of our total cases having recovered. We do report three new cases today, all on home isolation. The new cases include a 41-year-old female from Russell, a 58-year-old female from Pulaski, and a 61-year-old female from Adair. Taking into account new cases and released cases, we now have twenty-five active cases across seven of our ten counties.

The Lake Cumberland area has experienced 249 Cumulative Confirmed Cases and there have been 10,979 Confirmed COVID-19 cases across 119 Kentucky Counties as of 06/05/20 (this includes 10,977 statewide plus 2 recently reported cases in Lake Cumberland not in the Governor’s daily report). Regardless of the confirmed case count for any Lake Cumberland County, we believe COVID-19 to be widespread.  LCDHD is working to identify and contact all those with whom any positive case may have come into close contact.

We strongly encourage the public to take precautions to protect themselves and those they love. Avoiding crowds as much as possible remains your best way to reduce your risk. Washing your hands with soap and water often and thoroughly, wearing a mask when out in public, staying home if you have a fever or are coughing, increasing sanitation, and avoiding touching your face further reduces your risk.

US 68 will be closed for an undetermined amount of time due to a 2-vehicle that occurred at approximately the 4-mile marker. The suggested detour for westbound traffic will be Hwy 218 to Liletown Road; eastbound traffic should use Liletown Road to Hwy 218. Please avoid this area if possible!

The Russell County Fiscal Court will meet on Monday, June 8th....

Weather permitting, Jamestown Utilities has a planned water outage on Monday, June 8, 2020 at 8:00amCT. Water will be off for approx. 2 to 4 hours for maintenance of a portion of main line on E. Hwy 619 from Stephens Ridge Rd. to the end of Hwy 1680 at Pleasant Hill Boat Ramp. This includes all side roads as well.

1. Thursday, July 9 – NASCAR Xfinity Series, Kentucky 300
2. Friday, July 10 – NASCAR Xfinity Series, Alsco 300
3. Saturday, July 11 – NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series, Buckle Up in Your Truck 225 (Sponsored by Transportation Cabinet, Department of Highway Safety to encourage seatbelt usage, especially in trucks)
4. Sunday, July 12 – NASCAR Cup Series, Quaker State 400 Presented by Walmart

1. Request to zone 3 lots located on Will Walker Road (PVA Map No. 041-00-00-037.17, 041-00-00-037.15 and 041-00-00-037.09) that has been annexed into the city limits. The owner is Green River Medical Holdings, LLC. Zone proposed for the area is to be C-2 Highway Oriented Commercial.
2. Request to zone 1 lot located on Will Walker Road (PVA Map No. 041-00-00-037.16) that has been annexed into the city limits. The owner is First and Farmers National Bank. Zone proposed for the area is to be C-2 Highway Oriented Commercial.
3. Request to zone 1 lot located on Will Walker Road (PVA Map No. 041-00-00-037.10) that has been annexed into the city limits. The owner is Loy Properties, Inc. Zone proposed for the area is to be C-2 Highway Oriented Commercial.
4. Request to zone 1 lot located on Will Walker Road (PVA Map No. 041-00-00-037.11) that has been annexed into the city limits. The owner is Cumberland Family Medical Center, Inc. Zone proposed for the area is to be C-2 Highway Oriented Commercial.
5. Request to zone 1 lot located on Will Walker Road (PVA Map No. 041-00-00-037.14) that has been annexed into the city limits. The owner is MP&P LLC. Zone proposed for the area is to be C-2 Highway Oriented Commercial.
6. Request to zone 1 lot located on Will Walker Road (PVA Map No. 041-00-00-037.13) that has been annexed into the city limits. The owner is Bozachs, LLC. Zone proposed for the area is to be C-2 Highway Oriented Commercial.

The Russell County Boil Water Advisory has been lifted. The Advisory was issued on Wednesday on Baldett Road due to a water main break.

• 1054 Citations written
• 191 Courtesy Notices written
• 470 Complaints answered
• 103 Motorists assisted
• 55 Criminal Cases opened
• 279 Criminal Arrests made

1. Darrell Underwood, 56, of Larue County was killed on 05/02/2020 in Marion County
2. Janson Sallee, 26, of Casey County was killed on 05/19/2020 in Russell County
3. Bruce Martin, 62, of Barren County was killed from a collision that occurred on 05/22/20 in Metcalfe County

According to Adair County Clerk Lisa Greer, the following candidates have filed to run in the November 2020 General Election…

Columbia City Council

• Ben Burris
• Ronald “Butch” Rogers
• Craig Dean
• Mark D. Harris
• Linda Waggener
• Sharon Payne
• Robert W. Flowers

Adair County School Board

• District 2 - Dana King
• District 4 - David Karnes
• District 5 - Troy H. Grider

Soil & Water Conservation

• Larry K. Burton
• James E. Bennett
• Brent Baker
• Mike McMinoway 

A public drawing for ballot position was held on Thursday afternoon in the office of Adair County Clerk Lisa Greer.

The Russell County School Board held a special called meeting Wednesday afternoon... 

Superintendent Michael Ford spoke to WAVE NEWS following the ZOOM meeting that was broadcast on the schools YouTube Channel

While we are happy to report no new deaths, it has still been a difficult day. We report 12 new or presumptively new cases today and five new hospitalizations. Other than outbreaks at specific facilities, this is one of our toughest days. The new cases are: one from Adair, a 66-year-old female, hospitalized; three from Casey, a 73-year-old female, hospitalized, a 53-year-old female and a 20-year-old female; one from Clinton, a 50-year-old male, hospitalized; one from Green, a 77-year-old female, hospitalized; one from Pulaski, a 45-year-old female; four from Russell, a 15-year-old female, a 33-year-old male, an 80-year-old female, and a 54-year-old male; and, one from Wayne, a 79-year-old male. We are now up to 22 active cases in our district across eight counties.

The Lake Cumberland area has experienced 243 Cumulative Confirmed Cases and there have been 10,421 Confirmed COVID-19 cases across 118 Kentucky Counties as of 06/03/20 (this includes 10,410 statewide plus 11 recently reported cases in Lake Cumberland not in the Governor’s daily report).
 

Regardless of the confirmed case count for any Lake Cumberland County, we believe COVID-19 to be widespread.  LCDHD is working to identify and contact all those with whom any positive case may have come into close contact.

We had earlier informed the public that yard sales could recommence on May 20th. However, following the Governor’s comments today, we must rescind that. We’re sorry for any confusion or frustration this may have caused.

From our COVID-19 page on our LCDHD website, we have added a way for the public to take and upload pictures of business non-compliance regarding employee social distancing or mask usage (employee, not public non-compliance). The scale of enforcement is very large, and this will help us with administering some remote enforcement.

With 22 current active cases in our district, our concern is growing that a second wave of COVID-19 is underway. The daily growth rate in the world today is 1.11 (meaning, however many current cases there are today, that will double in about 6.6 days). Please use good judgment to protect yourself and those you love.
 

Avoiding crowds as much as possible remains your best way to reduce your risk. Washing your hands with soap and water often and thoroughly, wearing a mask when out in public, staying home if you have a fever or are coughing, increasing sanitation, and avoiding touching your face further reduces your risk.

• Look before you lock. Make this a priority and a habit.
• Never leave a child in an unattended car, even with the windows down.
• Make it a habit of opening the rear door of the car every time you park to ensure no one is left inside.
• To enforce this habit, place an item that you can’t start your day without such as a purse, briefcase, employee badge, phone, etc.
• When at home, keep your vehicle locked at all times, even in the garage.
• Never leave keys within reach of children.
• If a child is missing, immediately check the inside, floorboards and trunk of all vehicles in the area.

**UPDATE ON YARD SALES**

LCDHD had sought guidance from the state and understood that yard sales could open on May 20th. We learned today that the Governor is not comfortable with allowing yard sales at this time. We will now rescind our earlier comments allowing yard sales so that we are in line with what the Governor issued during today's public briefing. We regret any inconvenience this has caused to the public

Questions & Answers from today's ZOOM meeting with media.....

Area Arrest…

Two people were arrested yesterday on Assault and other charges…

Landan Foster Kirk age 27, of Burkesville was taken into custody by Officer Wesly Long of the Burkesville Police Department around 10:30 last night. Kirk was charged with Assault, 4^th Degree (Domestic Violence) no visible injury.

Wilda Giles age 55 of Columbia, was taken into custody by Trooper Scott of the Kentucky State Police just before 10 last evening. She was charged with Assault, 4^th Degree (Domestic Violence) Minor Injury, Violation of Conditions of Release and Criminal Trespassing -3^rd Degree.

Both were lodged into the Adair County Regional Jail

With yesterday’s filling deadline, Russell County Clerk Sue Popplewell Brockman released the names of those that have filed for offices that will be on the November General Election in Russell County.

Jamestown City Council

Regina Hinton, Mitchell Marcum, Larry Joe Murray, Terry Robertson, Tony Huston Wright, Barry Coffey and Larry Appleby Sr.

Russell Springs City Council

Sherry Bottom Daniel, Larry D. Skaggs, David C. Blakey, Ricky Barnes, Milton Thomas Holt, Timmy Hudson, Brandon T. Wilson, Jeff Padilla and Ray Barrett.

School District #1 Candidates

Incumbent Brenda Higginbotham (only candidate to file)

School District #3 Candidates

Joy Wilson (Only Candidate to file)

School District #5 

Gerald Murray (Incumbent)

James Gray

LCDHD REPORT - 06/01/20

We report 2 new cases today, a 7-year-old female in Russell who is asymptomatic; and, a 78-year-old-male from Taylor who had an antibody test. The Taylor case was added to our Total Cases, but not to our Current

Cases as he was released (recovered) the day we added him to our numbers. Besides him, we released one other case, bringing our total released cases to 195 or 84% of our Cumulative Total Cases. We report no new hospitalizations or deaths. We have 10 active cases at present across five of our ten counties.

The Lake Cumberland area has experienced 231 Cumulative Confirmed Cases and there have been 10,189 Confirmed COVID-19 cases across 119 Kentucky Counties as of 06/02/20 (this includes 10,185 statewide plus 3 recently reported cases in Lake Cumberland not in the Governor’s daily report). Regardless of the confirmed case count for any Lake Cumberland County, we believe COVID-19 to be widespread.  LCDHD is working to identify and contact all those with whom any positive case may have come into close contact.

Please use good judgment to protect yourself and those you love. Avoiding crowds as much as possible remains your best way to reduce your risk. Washing your hands with soap and water often and thoroughly, wearing a mask when out in public, staying home if you have a fever or are coughing, increasing sanitation, and avoiding touching your face further reduces your risk.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 2, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Tuesday updated Kentuckians on demonstrations in Louisville and the state’s continuing measures to address the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

“As we move forward, we will be reducing our National Guard presence in Louisville,” the Governor said. “That is a recommendation by our adjutant general that we will be following.”

Gov. Beshear talked about the search for justice for Breonna Taylor, a Louisville woman whose death touched off the protests there.

“Yesterday, I met with Breonna Taylor’s mother before she came up here. I sat and I listened. What I heard was a mother in pain. She wants justice and the truth. She deserves both,” the Governor said. “Breonna’s death along with others across the country have led to thousands of people giving voice and a demand for truly equal treatment under the law and an end to injustices that permeate almost every part of our society.”

Gov. Beshear also spoke of the death of David McAtee. He noted that he authorized the Kentucky State Police’s Critical Incident Response Team to quickly investigate McAtee’s death.

J. Michael Brown, secretary for the Governor’s Executive Cabinet, spoke about the state of the investigation.

“I can tell you very preliminarily the first results of an autopsy seem to indicate that Mr. McAtee succumbed to a single – we believe – a single gunshot wound to the chest, but tests on bullet fragments will have to be conducted at the Kentucky State Police crime lab to see if we can determine what exactly type of bullet he was struck by,” Brown said. “At this time we do not know that. We do believe it was a single bullet.”

“It is our belief at this time that approximately 18 shots were fired between the Kentucky National Guard and the Louisville Metro Police that evening. Those weapons are also in our custody for further testing, and they will be tested for DNA and any other things we can get from them,” he added.

Brown said that the goal is to get all the facts, get them quickly and be able to present, as much as possible, a clear determination of what happened shortly after midnight on June 1.

The Governor said: “Our commitment is the truth, no matter what that truth is – good, bad, ugly – our commitment is the truth. That’s what the people of Kentucky deserve. That’s what the families involved in this deserve. And that’s what we’re going to ensure happens.”

Gov. Beshear pledged to continue to listen and to take action.

“I hope later this week we are going to announce some of our initial plans about trying to get with leaders in the African-American community and the actual providers – hospital systems, Medicaid, insurers, all in the same room together. Not to have a task force or a study but to see how we can actually get this done. How we can actually make change in the health of individuals,” the Governor said. “Just like in many ways it shouldn’t have had to take some terrible incidents around our country to wake people up or to get them to listen to the type of injustices that are occurring in our society, it shouldn’t take a one-in-every-100-year pandemic for us to see the same in health care.”

Case information
As of 4 p.m. June 2, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 10,185 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 155 of which were newly confirmed Tuesday.

Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported three new deaths Tuesday, raising the total to 442 Kentuckians lost to the virus.

The deaths reported Tuesday include a 69-year-old woman from Clay County, a 94-year-old man from Jefferson County and a 92-year-old man from Muhlenberg County.

“Let’s keep lighting our homes up green,” the Governor said. “Let’s continue to ring our bells at 10 a.m. Let’s do it for those that we’ve lost from this and from senseless violence. Everybody that we’ve lost should still be here and deserves that same level of compassion.”

At least 3,275 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus. For additional information, including up-to-date lists of positive cases and deaths, as well as breakdowns of coronavirus infections by county, race and ethnicity, click here.

U.S. Supreme Court decision
Gov. Beshear spoke Tuesday about a new decision from the U.S. Supreme Court that confirms that his actions to protect public health are consistent with the U.S. Constitution.

In four federal court cases, plaintiffs – including Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron – argued that Kentucky’s executive order on mass gatherings, which prohibited people from congregating in groups, was unconstitutional. Gov. Beshear and officials with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services insisted that the restrictions were both legal and necessary to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Late Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an order agreeing with Gov. Beshear and confirming that the order limiting mass gatherings did not violate the Constitution.

In an opinion rejecting a church’s challenge to California’s order against mass gatherings, Chief Justice John Roberts said state officials have broad latitude to protect public health and admonished federal courts not to “second-guess” states’ temporary emergency measures.

“Where those broad limits are not exceeded, they should not be subject to second-guessing by an ‘unelected federal judiciary,’ which lacks the background, competence, and expertise to assess public health and is not accountable to the people,” Roberts wrote in his opinion.

The Governor’s Office of General Counsel is making the various federal courts aware of the Supreme Court’s decisive opinion, which should resolve all current cases challenging the Governor’s orders.

Testing expansion
Gov. Beshear continues to urge Kentuckians to get tested for COVID-19. For information on how to register at sites throughout the commonwealth visit kycovid19.ky.gov.

“I know we are now in the upper half of states for the total number of tests that have been run, and that’s an incredible story, given where we started,” the Governor said about ongoing testing efforts.

Absentee Ballot Application Portal online
Gov. Beshear is encouraging all voters to use a new Absentee Ballot Application Portal now available online. A link to the State Board of Elections’ portal can be found at govoteky.com. He urged everyone who plans to vote in next month’s primary elections to go to the portal and request an absentee mail-in ballot.

Sheriff Derek Polston wants to announce some Great News to the Citizens of Russell County.

Russell County has been awarded $144,467.00 thru the COPS GRANT. Russell County was 1 of only 19 Counties to be awarded this amount. This Money will now allow us to Hire 2 additional Deputies and place them at the Salem Elementary School and Russell Springs Elementary. When we reapply next year I will put a grant in for Jamestown Elementary School as well. I want to Thank Susan Melton for all the hard work she did for writing the Grant, Superintendant Michael Ford and the Russell County School Board, my office Staff and Deputies for everything they do as well. When running for Sheriff this was one of my Objectives if I was elected as Russell County Sheriff.  Thank God and Russell County for putting me where I'm at. 

NOTE: Driver permit testing in Russell & Adair is 8am-4pm Mon.-Fri.

FRANKFORT, KY. (June 2, 2020) – The KSP Driver Testing Branch announced today that it will resume permit testing in select counties where the required CDC/Healthy at Work guidelines can be adhered to. In an effort to ensure the safety of permit applicants and staff, we have implemented a registration process where everyone will be required to schedule a specific date for their permit test. KSP will begin taking appointments, by phone, on Tuesday, June 2, 2020. 

For a listing of counties currently offering permit testing and the contact information, please click the link below.

http://kentuckystatepolice.org/drivers-testing/

There you will find a list of current open test locations and the phone number for the KSP Drivers Test Administrator or clerk at each location. Please be patient as phone lines are limited and we anticipate high call volumes.

More information will be distributed as additional counties are added to our list. Please visit the KSP website periodically to see when your county will begin permit testing. We anticipate an announcement at a later date regarding road tests to begin in July.

A Russell Springs woman was lodged in the detention center last evening on several charges…

Nicole Hicks age 35, of Russell Springs was taken into custody at 9 last evening by Deputy Corey Meyer.  Hicks was charged with No Registration Plates, No Brake Lights, Fleeing or Evading Police, 2^nd Degree (Motor Vehicle), Failure to Produce Insurance Card, Failure of Non-Owner Operator to Maintain Required Insurance, No Registration Receipt, Failure to Register Transfer of Motor Vehicle and Resisting Arrest.

TODAY IS THE DEADLINE FOR CANDIDATES NEEDING TO FILE FOR NOVEMBER ELECTION!

This afternoon at 4:00pmCT is the filing deadline for any candidates that will be appearing on the November General Election ballot.

Offices include:

• Soil Conservation positions
• School Board positions
• City Council 

If you have question call the county clerk… in Adair County 270-384-2801 for Russell County 270-343-2125

3 people lodged in the Adair County Regional Jail on various charges.....

• Leah Belcher, 34, of Columbia was arrested early this morning. KSP Trooper Lunz charged Belcher with Reckless Driving, No Rear View Mirror, No Registration Receipt, Failure to Produce Insurance Card, No License in Possession, Operating A Motor Vehicle Under Influence Alcohol/Drugs/ETC 3^rd Offense, and Prescription Controlled Substance Not in Proper Container 1^st Offense.

• Levi HausDorfer, 23, of Columbia, was taken into custody by CPD Officer Foster overnight. Hausdorfer was charged with Operating Motor Vehicle under Influence Alcohol/Drugs/ETC .08 2^nd Offense, Failure to Produce Insurance Card, Careless Driving and License Plate Not Legible.

• Betty Graves, 26, of Tompkinsville, KY was arrested by the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office last night and charged with Careless Driving, Possession of Open Alcoholic Beverage Container in Motor Vehicle, Possession of a Controlled Substance 1^st Degree, 1^st Offense (Meth) and Drug Paraphernalia – Buy/Possession.