See BANK, A3 See COP, A2 See E-911, A2 See Trash, A3 —MARK BENNETT, 911 CENTER DIRECTOR By Betsy Simon [email protected] By Laura Saylor [email protected] By Charles L. Westmoreland and Laura Saylor By Charles L. Westmoreland and Laura Saylor First Federal Bank’s Brandenburg Station branch was robbed Mon- day morning. Authorities are looking for tips that will help capture the suspect. No employees were injured during the robbery. THE NEWS STANDARD/LAURA SAYLOR
The News Standard Straightforward • Steadfast • Solid Meade County, Kentucky Friday, October 12, 2007 Volume 2. No. 1 U.S. Postal Customer Standard Mail Permit No. 5 Postage Paid at Battletown, KY Delivered to Meade County FREE E-911 NOW ONLINE By Betsy Simon [email protected]The wireline phase of the new E-911 service went live yesterday afternoon for customers of Bran- denburg Telephone Company, the major telephone service provider in the area. With the new service, dispatchers can view more de- tailed information when an emer- gency call is made, which could save lives. Until now, dispatchers could only view the phone number of the incoming call when an emer- gency call was made. Now that phase one — the wireline service — has been implemented, vital in- formation will be instantaneously visible by dispatchers, such as the name and address of the caller. Eventually, phase two — the wireless service — will use a Global Positioning System (GPS) to pinpoint the exact location of cell phone users. “Now (that phase one is opera- tional), we can start building the digital mapping and preparing for the wireless phase of E-911,” said Bill Lacey, who is managing the re-addressing aspect of the E-911 transition. “The wireline phase is a springboard for what’s to come.” The wireline service does come with a price. A fee of $1 will be added to Brandenburg Telephone Company’s customers’ monthly phone bills for the new service, Lacey said. Brandenburg Telephone Com- pany customers will have to break old habits and should now dial 9-1-1 in an emergency, instead of the old emergency phone num- ber. “We really have to wean people off of using 422-4911 because that phone number will only provide dispatchers with telephone num- bers and should not be used,” said Mark Bennett, director of the local 911 center and an E-911 commit- tee member. “Cell phone callers should continue to dial 9-1-1 or just press ’9.’ They’ll get the state police or Indiana, depending on what cell phone tower the call bounces off of, but they’ll dispatch the call to Meade County.” Although it took longer than an- ticipated for the wireline service to go live, Lacey said the technology will prove to be worth the wait. “You don’t think about it until you need it,” he said. “But this technology will help to save lives by speeding up response times.” Muldraugh residents will have to wait for the wireline service to be operational in their area since they use BellSouth instead of Brandenburg Telephone Compa- ny. The city also is struggling with “We really have to wean people off of using 422-4911.” —MARK BENNETT, 911 CENTER DIRECTOR THE NEWS STANDARD/BETSY SIMON Hardin County dispatcher Martha Goodman uses the phase two wireless E-911 technology to find the location of distress callers with a GPS system. Meade County’s 911 center will now work toward wire- less E-911 service. The Hardin County 911 Center became phase two compliant in July 2006. Fiscal Court delays selecting trash contractor Muldraugh searches for new top cop By Charles L. Westmoreland and Laura Saylor It was anticipated that a contractor would finally be selected at Tuesday’s Fiscal Court meeting, however, efforts to outsource trash collection in Meade County were again put on hold. An 11-month effort to select a company to take over the county’s trash col- lection will resume after a public hearing is held in two weeks, so residents can voice concerns before a final decision is made. In front of a jam-packed courthouse — whose audience included contractors vying for the county’s trash collection, Solid Waste Advisory Board members and current Solid Waste employees — one magistrate introduced the notion that Meade County should continue trash col- lection internally. Magistrate Herbie Chism, who serves as liaison to the Solid Waste Advisory Board, said he’s concerned the bid prices are too high and that selecting a contractor with- out looking at every option would be a disservice to residents. “There will be a substan- tial increase, about 35 per- cent for residential and 70 percent for businesses,” he said. “I feel like we owe it to residents to let them know what is taking place. Maybe we can stay in business.” Chism said the company that first sold Solid Waste its garbage trucks is willing to inspect its current fleet at no charge. He also thinks the county can continue trash collection at a cheaper cost. Next Up Fiscal Court will hold a public hearing Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. in the courthouse. Police still searching for bank robber By Charles L. Westmoreland and Laura Saylor Authorities are still searching for a suspect responsible for robbing First Federal Bank earlier this week. The suspect entered the Bran- denburg Station branch at the in- tersection of state route 1638 and 448 around 10:18 a.m. on Monday, according to Kentucky State Police. The suspect then began emptying cash registers before fleeing the scene minutes later. “He did flee on foot. Whether he had a vehicle nearby, we’re unsure of,” said Kentucky State Police De- tective Matt Johnson, who is leading the investigation. Two employees were working at the bank when the robbery occurred but no one was physically harmed. “The subject came in and began taking money himself,” Johnson said, adding that no one saw a weapon on the suspect. “He didn’t demand or threaten the women.” A bank alarm was tripped and au- thorities from KSP, Meade County Sheriff’s Department and Branden- burg Police responded. A K-9 unit attempted to track down the sus- pect but with no luck. The suspect is described as a white male with a dark complexion, around 40-years-old, and wearing dark sunglasses and a red jacket with the word “Budweiser” printed THE NEWS STANDARD/LAURA SAYLOR First Federal Bank’s Brandenburg Station branch was robbed Mon- day morning. Authorities are looking for tips that will help capture the suspect. No employees were injured during the robbery. Staples trial begins Man dies in two-car accident By Laura Saylor [email protected]Muldraugh Mayor Danny Tate made a recommendation for the position of police chief at Tuesday’s city council meet- ing. The position has been open since police chief Bill Wood an- nounced his resignation last month. Four applicants are vying for the position, all of which were interviewed by Tate and city council members at the end of September. Two Muldraugh police officers, James Miller and Bill West, applied for the position, as well as two other officers, one of Vine Grove and one of West Point. “I would like to recom- mend Jimmy Miller on a one year probation for the posi- tion of chief of police,” Tate announced at the conclusion of Tuesday’s meeting. “I feel he’s done a fine job working… in the department and he will be a qualified person to the fill (the position).” Miller has served with the Muldraugh police department since 1999. He left in 2003 and was chief at the Irvington Po- lice Department for two years before returning as an officer to the Muldraugh police depart- ment in 2005. West has seven years of law Staff Report A local man died less than a mile outside of Brandenburg following a two-car collision last week. According to Kentucky State Police, Harold Brockman, Jr., 29, of Brandenburg, was travel- ing west on state Route 1638 on Oct. 4 when his car crossed over the center lines for unknown reasons. His vehicle stuck an on-coming vehicle driven by Jerrica Allen, 20, of Ekron, who was traveling east. Brockman, who reportedly was not wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at the scene. Allen was transported to Hardin Memorial Hospital with minor injuries. The accident was Meade County’s second vehicular fa- tality last week and eighth fa- tality so far this year. Units from Kentucky State Police, Meade County Sheriff’s Department, Meade County Fire Department, Meade Coun- ty EMS and Brandenburg Po- lice Department all responded to the accident. See COP, A2 See E-911, A2 See BANK, A3 Charles L. Westmoreland [email protected]The marijuana cultivation trial against former magis- trate Jamie Staples and his family began Monday and is expected to last until ear- ly next week. Staples, along with his parents; James “Ralph” and Barbara “Tonkie” Staples; son, Justin Staples; and nephew, Brandon Vowels, were charged with mari- juana cultivation after more than $600,000 worth of marijuana was found on the family’s farm located on Highway 1919 on Sept. 7, 2006. A 14-panel jury, com- prised of seven men and seven women, were se- lected during panel screen- ings Monday and Tuesday. Attorneys for the defense and prosecution made their opening statements late Tuesday evening. On Wednesday, authori- ties involved in the discov- ery and eradication of the plants were called to the stand. Kentucky State Police Sgt. Gerald Wilkins, who spotted the marijuana plots via helicopter, was the first to testify. He was followed by former Sher- iff Cliff Wise, state trooper Jason Woodside, who led a ground team onto the farm, and KSP Detective Ezra Stout, who transported and assisted in the investigation immediately following the discovery. Jurors heard testimo- nies from each witness and also viewed photos of evi- dence taken at the scene on Wednesday. Check out next week’s is- sue for full coverage of the trial. Rubber Match The Greenwave have a score to settle against Owensboro tonight in front of a home coming crowd. See B1. Happy Birthday to us! Your “new” newspaper is a year older and a year wiser. Soon we’ll be known as the “old” new newspaper. See A4. See Trash, A3
Transcript
The News Standard Straightforward • Steadfast • Sol id
Meade County, KentuckyFriday, October 12, 2007 Volume 2. No. 1
The wireline phase of the new E-911 service went live yesterday afternoon for customers of Bran-denburg Telephone Company, the major telephone service provider in the area. With the new service, dispatchers can view more de-tailed information when an emer-gency call is made, which could save lives.
Until now, dispatchers could only view the phone number of the incoming call when an emer-gency call was made. Now that phase one — the wireline service — has been implemented, vital in-formation will be instantaneously visible by dispatchers, such as the name and address of the caller.
Eventually, phase two — the wireless service — will use a Global Positioning System (GPS) to pinpoint the exact location of
cell phone users. “Now (that phase one is opera-
tional), we can start building the digital mapping and preparing for the wireless phase of E-911,” said Bill Lacey, who is managing the re-addressing aspect of the E-911 transition. “The wireline phase is a springboard for what’s to come.”
The wireline service does come with a price. A fee of $1 will be added to Brandenburg Telephone Company’s customers’ monthly phone bills for the new service, Lacey said.
Brandenburg Telephone Com-pany customers will have to break old habits and should now dial 9-1-1 in an emergency, instead of the old emergency phone num-ber.
“We really have to wean people off of using 422-4911 because that phone number will only provide dispatchers with telephone num-
bers and should not be used,” said Mark Bennett, director of the local 911 center and an E-911 commit-tee member. “Cell phone callers should continue to dial 9-1-1 or just press ’9.’ They’ll get the state police or Indiana, depending on what cell phone tower the call bounces off of, but they’ll dispatch the call to Meade County.”
Although it took longer than an-ticipated for the wireline service to go live, Lacey said the technology will prove to be worth the wait.
“You don’t think about it until you need it,” he said. “But this technology will help to save lives by speeding up response times.”
Muldraugh residents will have to wait for the wireline service to be operational in their area since they use BellSouth instead of Brandenburg Telephone Compa-ny. The city also is struggling with
“We really have to wean people off of using 422-4911.”—MARK BENNETT, 911 CENTER DIRECTOR
THE NEWS STANDARD/BETSY SIMON
Hardin County dispatcher Martha Goodman uses the phase two wireless E-911 technology to fi nd the location of distress callers with a GPS system. Meade County’s 911 center will now work toward wire-less E-911 service. The Hardin County 911 Center became phase two compliant in July 2006.
Fiscal Court delays selecting trash contractor
Muldraugh searches for new top cop
By Charles L. Westmoreland
and Laura Saylor
It was anticipated that a contractor would fi nally be selected at Tuesday’s Fiscal Court meeting, however, efforts to outsource trash collection in Meade County
were again put on hold.An 11-month effort to
select a company to take over the county’s trash col-lection will resume after a public hearing is held in two weeks, so residents can voice concerns before a fi nal decision is made. In front of a jam-packed courthouse —
whose audience included contractors vying for the county’s trash collection, Solid Waste Advisory Board members and current Solid Waste employees — one
magistrate introduced the notion that Meade County should continue trash col-lection internally.
Magistrate Herbie Chism, who serves as liaison to the Solid Waste Advisory Board, said he’s concerned the bid prices are too high and that selecting a contractor with-
out looking at every option would be a disservice to residents.
“There will be a substan-tial increase, about 35 per-cent for residential and 70 percent for businesses,” he said. “I feel like we owe it to residents to let them know what is taking place. Maybe
we can stay in business.”Chism said the company
that fi rst sold Solid Waste its garbage trucks is willing to inspect its current fl eet at no charge. He also thinks the county can continue trash collection at a cheaper cost.
Next UpFiscal Court will hold a public hearing Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. in the courthouse.
Police still searching for bank robberBy Charles L. Westmoreland
and Laura Saylor
Authorities are still searching for a suspect responsible for robbing First Federal Bank earlier this week.
The suspect entered the Bran-denburg Station branch at the in-tersection of state route 1638 and 448 around 10:18 a.m. on Monday, according to Kentucky State Police. The suspect then began emptying cash registers before fl eeing the scene minutes later.
“He did fl ee on foot. Whether he had a vehicle nearby, we’re unsure of,” said Kentucky State Police De-tective Matt Johnson, who is leading the investigation.
Two employees were working at
the bank when the robbery occurred but no one was physically harmed.
“The subject came in and began taking money himself,” Johnson said, adding that no one saw a weapon on the suspect. “He didn’t demand or threaten the women.”
A bank alarm was tripped and au-thorities from KSP, Meade County Sheriff’s Department and Branden-burg Police responded. A K-9 unit attempted to track down the sus-pect but with no luck.
The suspect is described as a white male with a dark complexion, around 40-years-old, and wearing dark sunglasses and a red jacket with the word “Budweiser” printed
THE NEWS STANDARD/LAURA SAYLOR
First Federal Bank’s Brandenburg Station branch was robbed Mon-day morning. Authorities are looking for tips that will help capture the suspect. No employees were injured during the robbery.
Muldraugh Mayor Danny Tate made a recommendation for the position of police chief at Tuesday’s city council meet-ing. The position has been open since police chief Bill Wood an-nounced his resignation last month.
Four applicants are vying for the position, all of which were interviewed by Tate and city council members at the end of September. Two Muldraugh police offi cers, James Miller and Bill West, applied for the position, as well as two other offi cers, one of Vine Grove and one of West Point.
“I would like to recom-mend Jimmy Miller on a one year probation for the posi-tion of chief of police,” Tate announced at the conclusion of Tuesday’s meeting. “I feel he’s done a fi ne job working… in the department and he will be a qualifi ed person to the fi ll (the position).”
Miller has served with the Muldraugh police department since 1999. He left in 2003 and was chief at the Irvington Po-lice Department for two years before returning as an offi cer to the Muldraugh police depart-ment in 2005.
West has seven years of law
Staff Report
A local man died less than a mile outside of Brandenburg following a two-car collision last week.
According to Kentucky State Police, Harold Brockman, Jr., 29, of Brandenburg, was travel-ing west on state Route 1638 on Oct. 4 when his car crossed over the center lines for unknown reasons. His vehicle stuck an on-coming vehicle driven by Jerrica Allen, 20, of Ekron, who was traveling east.
Brockman, who reportedly was not wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at the scene. Allen was transported to Hardin Memorial Hospital with minor injuries.
The accident was Meade County’s second vehicular fa-tality last week and eighth fa-tality so far this year.
Units from Kentucky State Police, Meade County Sheriff’s Department, Meade County Fire Department, Meade Coun-ty EMS and Brandenburg Po-lice Department all responded to the accident.
The marijuana cultivation trial against former magis-trate Jamie Staples and his family began Monday and is expected to last until ear-ly next week.
Staples, along with his parents; James “Ralph” and Barbara “Tonkie” Staples; son, Justin Staples; and nephew, Brandon Vowels, were charged with mari-juana cultivation after more than $600,000 worth of marijuana was found on the family’s farm located on Highway 1919 on Sept. 7, 2006.
A 14-panel jury, com-prised of seven men and seven women, were se-lected during panel screen-ings Monday and Tuesday. Attorneys for the defense and prosecution made their opening statements late Tuesday evening.
On Wednesday, authori-ties involved in the discov-ery and eradication of the plants were called to the stand.
Kentucky State Police Sgt. Gerald Wilkins, who spotted the marijuana plots via helicopter, was the fi rst to testify. He was followed by former Sher-iff Cliff Wise, state trooper Jason Woodside, who led a ground team onto the farm, and KSP Detective Ezra Stout, who transported and assisted in the investigation immediately following the discovery.
Jurors heard testimo-nies from each witness and also viewed photos of evi-dence taken at the scene on Wednesday.
Check out next week’s is-sue for full coverage of the trial.
Rubber MatchThe Greenwave have a score to settle against Owensborotonight in front of a home coming crowd. See B1.
Happy Birthday to us!Your “new” newspaper is a year older and a year wiser. Soon we’ll be known as the “old” new newspaper. See A4.
See Trash, A3
street address issues, such as duplicate road names, and is not quite ready to send a complete master street ad-dress guide to BellSouth.
At Muldraugh’s city coun-cil meeting on Monday, the matter was addressed and council members said they will hold a special meeting to discuss the city’s E-911 confl ictions.
Hardin County’s 911 Center, in Elizabethtown, became phase two wireless compliant in July 2006. Bob Hornback, director of the 911 Center, said the wireless phase is pivotal in locating cell phone callers. They can be pinpointed to within 30 to 60 feet of where the call is made.
“The second phase has
been really helpful in locat-ing cell phone callers because response times are faster if you can get to the right area in the fi rst place,” he said.
Hornback said Hardin County’s 911 Center is work-ing to attain the technology that will provide dispatchers with an aerial view of the ex-act position the caller is at.
“More than half of our in-coming calls come from cell phones, but technology will only work if the caller’s cell phone is equipped with the technology, too,” he said.
In 2006, there were 291,000 distress calls made from cell phones to public safety an-swer points every day, ac-cording to the International Association for Wireless Telecommunications. With the number of cell phone us-ers growing daily, the phase two wireless service is con-sidered a necessity.
The Federal Communi-cations Commission (FCC)
gave all mobile phone car-riers the deadline of Decem-ber 31, 2005 to ensure that 95 percent of their subscribers’ phones had the technology to allow responders to pin-point a caller’s location — as long as the nearest 911 cen-ter also had that capability. Three cellular phone compa-nies — Sprint Nextel, Alltel Corporation and U.S. Cel-lular Corporation — were fi ned in August 2007 for not meeting the deadline.
Whether or not the wire-less technology is available, Martha Goodman, chief dis-patcher at Hardin County, said there is something mo-bile phone callers can do to help speed up response times.
“No matter if your cell phone has the technology or not, pay attention and know your surroundings,” she said. “If you don’t know where you are, a dispatcher won’t know either.”
Page A2 Friday, October 12, 2007The News Standard
E-911From page A1
Watch LIVE local high school football and the MCHS Home Football replays on Thursday evenings only on
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Today's WeatherLocal 5-Day Forecast
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68/43Mainly sunny. Highsin the upper 60s andlows in the low 40s.
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enforcement experience working at the University of Louisville and City of Lin-colnshire. He has been a ser-geant at the Muldraugh po-lice department since 2005.
Donald Jesse has served with the Bullitt County, City of Hillview and City of West Point police departments since 1994. He is a former deputy sheriff and police chief, and is a current lieuten-ant in West Point.
Victor Williams has ex-perience at the Hardin County Sheriff’s Offi ce and Vine Grove Police Depart-ment since he retired from the Army in 2003. He was a Reserve Component Transi-tion Sergeant Major with the Army and is presently a K-9 patrol offi cer at Vine Grove.
Tate said hiring from with-
in the local police department shows faith in an offi cer’s work and abilities.
“Once you’ve been on the job and done a good job for so long, you should be in line for a promotion,” he said. “I thought Jimmy was just as qualifi ed as any other … and he already knows the area and other offi cers and the community.”
City council’s offi cial deci-sion for police chief will be made at an undetermined date. Council members re-serve the right to choose any applicant they deem most suitable for the position.
Wood has been Mul-draugh’s chief of police for four-and-a-half years. He will wait to offi cially resign until the position has been fi lled.
“I’ll stick around until they fi nd someone to fi ll the spot,” Wood said. “There’s no defi -nite date set when I’m out the door.”
Wood will be moving to
Elizabethtown to partake in a family business.
“It was a surprise,” Tate said about Wood’s resigna-tion. “We thought he would be a long-time fi xture.”
In other news: •Councilman Ron He-
schke said the city profi ted $1,052.85 from this year’s City Fest. $200 will be donated to the elementary school’s Mul-draughpolis — a school proj-ect that simulates the people and businesses in the city.
•Tate will organize a spe-cial meeting between council members and county offi cials concerning the transition to E-911 service. Muldraugh has had street address confl ic-tions that are slowing its abil-ity to establish the service.
•Public Works Director Anthony Lee said the city’s new water meters are being installed. He hopes to have all of the city’s 500 meters in-stalled and operating by mid-December.
BRANDENBURG — A happy couple walks quietly along the riverbank in down-town Brandenburg during a casual early morning stroll. The pats of their footsteps compete only with the rhyth-mic, tranquil waves of the Ohio River beating against rocks on the shoreline.
Although it appears to be a picture-perfect moment from a distance, a closer inspection reveals something entirely different. When glancing over the rock ledge near the old boat dock, the serene wa-terfront leads to eyesores of negligent littering with fast food wrappers and empty alcohol containers in abun-dance.
City offi cials have grown weary of the trash-infested appearance of Brandenburg’s waterfront and will look for some help from high school students to clean up the park — the same individuals they say are littering the area.
Council members and police discussed the park’s appearance during Mon-day’s city council meeting. Offi cials agreed that youths have few “hang out” options within city limits but said a compromise must be made if teenagers hope to continue congregating along the wa-terfront.
“They’ve got to give a little bit and work with us,” Councilwoman Patsy Lusk said. “We want them to have a place to hang out, … but they need to police the area themselves.”
Lusk said groups of teens hang out by the river on any given night, whether it is a school night or weekend. She hopes someone will ap-proach the youths to have an adult discussion about taking responsibility for the park.
Police Chief Jeff Cox said
one option is to see if Sher-iff’s Deputy Mike Cum-mings, who works as a re-source offi cer for the school, can address students in an assembly.
Cox said there has been “increased activity” along the waterfront and Mayor David Pace said juveniles have been run off from the area three nights in a row.
Council members’ con-cerns are about more than just littering, though. One complaint was of loud, vulgar music being played from car stereos that can be
heard from Jailhouse Pizza. Council members agreed
that families trying to en-joy a quiet dinner shouldn’t have to compete with car stereos.
An employee of Jailhouse Pizza, who will remain nameless, said loud music and squealing tires is a com-mon occurrence each night. She said patrons haven’t complained much about the commotion but some, who prefer to sit in the outside patio, have commented on the boisterous activity just down the hill.
THE NEWS STANDARD/STAFF PHOTOS
TOP: Litter, such as fast food wrappers, cups and alco-hol boxes are strewn about the river banks of the Ohio.ABOVE: Students gather at the river after school. Com-plaints of loud music and foul language were addressed at this month’s city council meeting.
BRANDENBURG — If at fi rst you don’t succeed, try, try again. And then, try one more time.
Brandenburg City Coun-cil’s fi rst two attempts of having a traffi c light in-stalled at the intersection of By-Pass road and state Route 228 have failed but city offi cials aren’t giving up the fi ght just yet.
Mayor David Pace told council members at Mon-day’s city council meeting the Department of Trans-portation (DOT) District 4 in Elizabethtown again de-nied a request for the stop light despite urging from State Representative Jeff Greer and State Senator Carroll Gibson. Pace said he was told no funding was available at this time.
What the DOT suggest-ed instead isn’t enough, he said.
“(DOT’s) latest proposal is to do a study when By-Pass construction is com-pleted to see if it warrants a light,” he said. “I don’t
know if we can get them to budge.”
Pace said he is con-cerned about the possibil-ity of more accidents in the meantime, especially after By-Pass widening to fi ve lanes is completed.
A letter campaign was started but Councilman Ronnie Joyner offered an-other suggestion: Take the request straight to Frank-fort.
He said another city took its traffi c light request to the DOT headquarters in Frankfort and had a stop-light in place two weeks later.
“I don’t know if it would be worth a visit to Frank-fort, but we can try,” Pace responded.
About 8,000 vehicles travel through the intersec-tion daily and 26 accidents have been reported during the last four years includ-ing one fatality, according to city records.
The DOT denied the fi rst request in August af-ter using inaccurate acci-dent fi gures to process the request.
Many residents are con-cerned about the number of school buses that trav-el through the intersec-tion each day. In March, a school bus was hit crossing By-Pass road by an oncom-ing SUV heading south-bound from the Matthew Welch Bridge. No students on the bus were injured, but worries about a similar accident still exist.
In other news:•The world cares twice
as much about Branden-burg than it did last year, according to the city’s web site. Unique user hits dou-bled from nearly 10,000 hits in 2005 to more than 20,000 hits last year. The increased interest is likely due to the Army’s Base Realignment and Closures that will bring an estimat-ed 5,000 soldiers and De-partment of Defense civil-ians to Fort Knox and the Lincoln Trails region dur-ing the next few years.
•Brandenburg’s Trick-or-Treat hours were set for 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 31.
City gets red-lighted on new traffi c signal
Even though the inspec-tion will be free, Judge/Ex-ecutive Harry Craycroft said staying in the Solid Waste business will be a costly op-tion, with an estimated $1 million to $1.5 million price tag since newer equipment would be needed.
Other magistrates agreed that public input is needed but none interviewed were in favor of retaining trash collection.
“I don’t think we need to stay in the business,” Mag-istrate Randall Hardesty said after the meeting. “I do feel the public needs to voice its opinion, though.”
At an advisory meet-ing held Oct. 4, members of the Solid Waste Advi-sory Board met one-on-one with Fiscal Court members and discussed the bids that were made by the four pro-spective contractors. Only two contractors made bids for option one, which is col-lection and billing of the county’s trash. All four bid on option two, which is for collection only, leaving the county to handle the bill-ing.
After board members discussed the bids open-ly, the contractors were evaluated using a scoring matrix. Some of the fac-tors considered during the evaluation were cost of col-lection, whether the com-panies would hire county workers, if the businesses were proprietorships, if the companies demonstrated an interest in community involvement and educa-tion, and what kind of local or national resources were available for the different companies.
“After comparing the scores … we feel we have a recommendation to make to Fiscal Court that will best suit the needs of the coun-ty,” said Solid Waste Advi-sory Board member Gerry Lynn. “We recommend Waste Transport for bid op-tion two.”
Waste Transport, based in Hardin County, bid a rate of $17.25 per month for cus-tomers. Though their rec-ommendation was made, Fiscal Court reserves the right to choose any contrac-tor they deem most suitable. Their decision was expected to be made Tuesday.
Early predictions to have the county’s trash collection service contracted by Janu-ary 1 have been scrapped.
According to Craycroft, it may now take until April, due to the fact the county has to pass a franchise ordi-nance before the fi nal deci-sion can take effect.
There is a 45-day waiting period attached to the fran-chise ordinance. Because of the delay in selecting a contractor, the 45-day pe-riod will now fall half-way through the fi scal quarter, which will delay the deci-sion until the start of the following fi scal quarter in April.
Craycroft also said Meade County Solid Waste and Recycling owes $450,000 in long-term loans, and $270,000 to Fiscal Court. If trash collection stays inter-nal, it could take 12 years to pay off the debt. Whereas if collection is contracted, it could take only fi ve years to pay back the borrowed monies.
Fiscal Court members ap-peared surprised by Chism’s notion after so much effort has been focused on hiring a contractor, though they voted unanimously to hold a public meeting in order to give residents the opportu-nity to discuss their opin-ions openly.
The public hearing will be held Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. at the courthouse.
TrashFrom page A1
Friday, October 12, 2007 Page A3The News Standard
McGehee Insurance
Meade422-2600
Breck756-5500
Hardin351-3500
Serving the Tri-County Area
Falling Leaves...gFalling Prices
on the back.Gary Chapman, district
manager with First Federal Savings Bank, declined to say how much money was stolen, however, he did say employ-ees are trained to keep small amounts of money in their drawers.
Chapman instead empha-sized the safety of employees as the bank’s top concern.
“I’m glad everyone was safe,” he said. “That is the main goal.”
Chapman said bank em-ployees acted according to protocol just as they were trained.
“We have security training several times during the year and (the employees) respond-ed as they were taught,” he said. “We tell them not to of-fer resistance.”
Anyone with a tip should contact State Police at 270-766-5078 or the Meade Coun-ty Sheriff’s Department at 422-4911 or its anonymous tip line at 422-HOPE.
Staff report
A search and rescue call led to the discovery of an injured female bicyclist at Otter Creek Park.
The Meade County Fire Protection District and Muldraugh City Fire De-partment were dispatched to Otter Creek Park at 5:24 p.m. Oct. 3 to assist with the search and rescue.
According to a bystand-er, the woman fell of a cliff while riding her bike on one of the park’s many bike trails. She had been riding with a small group of peo-ple, one of which made the call for emergency assis-tance, according to Larry Naser, Meade County Fire Protection District chief.
Several search teams scoured the park before fi -nally locating her.
“She was along the creek, about a mile to a quarter-
mile from the swim area near 1638,” Naser said.
The woman was located at 6:16 p.m. and was sta-bilized by Meade County EMS and carried to a small island in the middle of Ot-ter Creek by fi refi ghters. A Life-Net helicopter landed on the island and the pa-tient was fl own to the Uni-versity of Louisville hospi-tal for further treatment.
“This is the second bike accident like this we’ve had at the park this year,” Naser said. He said the previous biking accident happened near the same area as this incident.
“The helicopter pilot knew where to land from the last time,” he said.
The Meade County Sher-iff’s department, Meade County EMS, Meade Coun-ty District 1 Constable and nearly 40 fi refi ghters re-sponded to the call.
Staff report
All outdoor burning across the Commonwealth has been banned by an ex-ecutive order recently signed by Governor Ernie Fletcher. Extreme drought conditions that have crippled the state have created wildfi re haz-ards, according to a press re-lease issued Oct. 4.
“These conditions place our citizens and the fi refi ght-ers battling these blazes in great danger,” Fletcher stat-ed in the press release. “This
order is one step that can pre-vent some of the accidental wildfi res and place law en-forcement agencies on alert for deliberately set fi res.”
The order prohibits all open burning unless fi rst approved by the Environ-mental and Public Protection Cabinet. Any person in vio-lation of the burn ban is pun-ishable under Kentucky Re-vised Statutes 39A.990. The penalty stated in the KRS is a Class A misdemeanor.
The order also gives the Di-vision of Forestry authoriza-
tion to request state and fed-eral assistance to “minimize human suffering, restore public services and to allevi-ate unanticipated fi nancial obligations on state and local governments resulting from the emergency.”
More than 12,000 acres of forests have burned state-wide since August, accord-ing to the Division of For-estry.
The executive order burn ban is in effect until further notice from the governor’s offi ce.
BankFrom page A1
Hurt cyclist fl own from Otter Creek
Staff report
The Otter Creek Park campground will be bustling with zombies and monsters of all shapes and sizes this month, as the annual Halloween Family Fest begins this weekend.
Various games, contests and activities will fi ll this weekend’s agenda for camp-ers at Otter Creek Park, all with a festive Halloween theme. The Family Fest is held Oct. 12, 13, 19, 20, 26 and 27 — every weekend of the month.
Some activities are the same each weekend, while others vary from day to day.
“The haunted hay rides are very popu-lar,” said Jack West, director of adventure programs for Otter Creek Park. “All of the activities are popular.”
This weekends’ festivities include a scavenger hunt, a best camp out dessert contest, a campsite decorating contest, carnival games, crafts and a “goblins yard sale.”
The Family Fest events are available for anyone. Campers, who have paid
their campsite fees, are encouraged to participate in events all weekend long. Non-campers have to pay a campsite fee, as well, in order to participate in the fes-tivities.
“Some people come and camp out all three weekends … all month long,” West said.
Campsites are quickly fi lled, West said, and reservations cannot be accepted.
“It’s a fi rst come, fi rst serve basis,” he said.
The cost for water and electric camp-sites is $20 per night, non-utility sites are $16.
Campground Olympics, a series of games and events for children, will be held Oct. 19 and 20. It includes events such as Frisbee, ring toss and archery. A Transylvania Chili Contest and Lun-cheon will be held Oct. 26 and 27, as well as a dog costume contest.
Trick-or-treating, haunted hay rides and “creepy crawly creatures hikes” will be held all three weekends of the month.
For more information, contact Otter Creek Park at 502-942-3211.
Halloween Family Fest kicks off at Otter Creek
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Children enjoy a ride on a barrel train during last year’s Otter Creek Family Fest. The festivities include costume contests, cookouts and games.
State of emergency declared
ViewpointsPage A4 Friday, October 12, 2007
The ultimate goal of The News Standard’s Viewpoints page is to encourage frank and livelydiscussion on topics of interest to Meade County.
Editorials are the opinion of newspaper management. Columns represent the view of the writer and do not necessarily represent the view of the management.
The News Standard welcomes and encourages letters to the editor. All letters must be no more
than 500 words and must include a signature, town of residence and phone number for confi rmation. Letters may be edited for grammar, space and clarity. Letters may be handwritten, typed or e-mailed. Letters on redundant topics will not be published. Letters will appear as space permits.
Letters are due by 5 p.m. Tuesday before publication. Letters may be faxed, mailed or sent by e-mail to [email protected].
Advertising — [email protected] Lora Beth Mattingly or Angelika Gilley Advertising Design — [email protected] Ronnie Craig Billing, Obits, Announcements & Classifi eds — [email protected] Charlotte Fackler; Shelby Snider or Sandy Payne, clerksNews — [email protected] Charles L. Westmoreland, editor, Laura Saylor, asst. editor, or Betsy Simon, staff writerSports — [email protected] Shaun T. Cox, sports editorYouth — [email protected] Felicia Thompson, youth columnist
Meade County: FreeAdjoining counties: $30.75 per yearElsewhere in Kentucky: $41.35 per yearOutside Kentucky: $53 per year
Postmaster: Send address corrections to: 1065 Old Ekron Road, Brandenburg, Kentucky 40108.
FRANKFORT – Not too many jobs require a stop at the gym before being con-sidered, but if you want to become a law enforcement offi cer, plan on working up a sweat.
And that’s only the fi rst hurdle, so to speak. Candi-dates must also not be barred from possessing a fi rearm or from being a police offi cer in another state; they must not have been convicted of a fel-ony; they must pass a drug test, a background check and a polygraph exam; they need a valid driver’s license; and they must be at least 21 years of age. They also must have a high school diploma or its equivalent and not have been dishonorably discharged from the military. Last but not least, they must review the code of conduct they are expected to uphold.
These requirements – 17 in all – are a far cry from a de-cade ago, before the General Assembly modernized stan-dards. Prior to then, the law only required a law enforce-ment offi cer be 21, not con-victed of a felony and have a valid driver’s license.
In many ways, the birth of the criminal justice train-ing in Kentucky began in the mid-1960s, when East-ern Kentucky University received federal money to establish a limited program and gauge interest from local police offi cers.
Thirty-fi ve years ago, the General Assembly took the next step when it created the
Kentucky Law Enforcement Foundation Program Fund. This program, which is still in use today, gives offi cers a fi nancial incentive to meet certain re-quirements, which now includes 750 hours of basic train-ing within the fi rst year of employment and 40 hours of in-service training an-nually. In return, the offi cers – which now number about 7,500 and include city offi cers, sheriff’s departments, Ken-tucky State Police, university police and several other law enforcement groups – get $3,100 a year.
According to the state’s Dept. of Criminal Justice Training, Kentucky is the only state that has an es-tablished and substantial revenue stream dedicated exclusively to public safety training. Kentucky also was the fi rst state to have a na-tionally accredited law en-forcement training program. It’s located on Eastern’s cam-pus in a $40 million complex run by the department.
Last month, the depart-ment hosted two forums that not only marked the last decade of progress in police training, but also looked for-ward to the next decade to see what the future might hold.
There is no doubt that offi -cers are facing an ever-great-er amount of responsibility
in their work. In addition to their traditional duties, they are also having to become more involved in such things
as computer crime, immigration and homeland security. That makes training more crucial than ever.
It has certainly paid off, when you consider our low crime rate when compared to other states. Much of the credit for that can go to our law enforce-ment offi cials. Their
willingness to serve, to put their life on the line if neces-sary, is something none of us can ever take for granted.
A few weeks ago, we paid tribute to those who gave the ultimate sacrifi ce when 35 names were added to the Kentucky Law Enforcement Memorial Monument. Most of those recognized were killed while on duty decades ago, but three were from the past year. When you add the two offi cers who have died this year – their names will be added in 2008 – the total number memorialized will be 384.
The memorial was dedi-cated in 2000, but this year was moved to a newer, larg-er location because, sadly, the older one had run out of room. Other than those add-ed for historical reasons, it is all of our hope that no other name will ever need to be in-cluded.
For now, there are a lot of new policemen set to the pa-trol the streets soon. Early last month, the Kentucky State Police welcomed 92 ca-dets to its fi rst training class in nearly two years. This group will replenish the 63 troopers who have retired since the last training class, in December 2005.
The Dept. of Criminal Jus-tice Training, meanwhile, is fi nishing its work with a class of 25 other offi cers. The department provides the training to all new offi cers except those employed in Louisville, Lexington or with the Kentucky State Police, all of which do their basic train-ing in-house.
Paul Harvey once wrote that a police offi cer “must be a minister, a social worker, a diplomat, a tough guy and a gentleman.” It’s a lot of work for one person, but thankful-ly there are many men and women willing to step up and take that challenge. Our way of life wouldn’t be pos-sible without them.
If you would like to let me know your views on this subject, or anything else in-volving state government, please let me know. My ad-dress is Room 351E, Capitol Annex, 702 Capitol Avenue, Frankfort, KY 40601.
You can also leave a mes-sage for me or for any legisla-tor at 800-372-7181. For the deaf or hard of hearing, the number is 800-896-0305.
I hope to hear from you soon.
One year old and counting ....
Jeff Greer
LegislativeUpdate
Police training still progressing
EDITORIAL
CORRECTION
Solid Waste progress
delayed againThere are bad ideas and there are worse
ideas, but Meade County staying in the Solid Waste business takes the cake.
More than 10 months of preparation to contract out Meade County’s trash collection to a contractor was unexpectedly postponed this week ... again.
One magistrate motioned to delay privatizing Solid Waste for the sake of community input, which sounds noble enough. But the delay will cause more harm than good.
Meade County attempting to stay in the trash col-lection business is like touching a hot stove twice just to see if you get burned again.
Solid Waste Coordinator Mark Gossett and the three-person advisory panel have met numerous times to discuss the franchise agreement and a mul-titude of other details necessary for privatized collec-tion to begin.
To entertain ideas of continuing trash collection, a venture Meade County failed miserably at during the last seven years, is a slap in the face to those who worked so hard for privatization to happen.
Due to the postponement, the soonest trash collec-tion can now be contracted out will be April, three months longer than anticipated. Hopefully the gar-bage trucks can last that long.
No one ever mentioned holding a public hearing or staying in the trash collection business at any of the Solid Waste Advisory Board meetings during the last few months, nor was it ever mentioned during a Fiscal Court meeting.
After watching Solid Waste near bankruptcy, why would anyone, let alone a member of Fiscal Court who saw money fl ushed away fi rst-hand as liaison to the former 109 Board, want to continue throwing money into an endless pit?
Collection fees will be cheaper if Meade County continues collection, one person said. But that’s not entirely accurate.
The 109 Board, Solid Waste’s former board of di-rectors, estimated at least a $2 increase to keep Solid Waste profi table, and that was before the $250,000 bail out from Fiscal Court last year. The rate should have been raised long, long ago. $17 isn’t unreason-able when you consider residents should be paying more than $15 right now.
It was mentioned Tuesday that Solid Waste was profi table last quarter, which is accurate. But what wasn’t said at Tuesday’s meeting is that Fiscal Court assumed paying the salaries of more than a half doz-en Solid Waste employees, including their benefi ts.
If you calculate those salaries back into Solid Waste’s budget the overall profi t is much slimmer.
Judge/Executive Harry Craycroft estimated it would cost more than $1 million for Meade County to retain trash collection. To spend that kind of mon-ey on trash collection when there are affordable pri-vate contractors competing for the bid would be the second worse mistake Fiscal Court ever made. The fi rst biggest mistake was going into the trash collec-tion business to begin with.
After nearly a year of talking about outsourcing trash collection it is fi nally time to act. As for pub-lic awareness, residents have been informed of trash collection through four media outlets during the past few months, giving ample opportunity for residents to voice concerns. At this point, anyone who isn’t in-formed about Solid Waste simply doesn’t care.
Fiscal Court: Stop talking and show some results. Your fi rst year in offi ce is nearly over and Solid Waste’s future is still lingering in limbo. We’ve yet to see any real change, just side-stepping in a different direction.
It’s a little past 4 a.m. and I’m back in the editor’s chair. I left this place just seven hours ago. My-oh-
my how time fl ies when you don’t sleep ... or eat ... or go home.
We’re offi cially one year old. Some of you probably didn’t think we’d last this long. Other newspapers in Meade County have come and gone during the years but none had any real last-ing power — until we came along, that is.
There’s one aspect that sep-arates the staff at The News Standard from other news-papers I’ve worked at: The dedication of the staff. The people who work here care far too much about the state
of affairs in Meade County and the quality of journalism expected of them to let this venture fail.
Betsy Simon, the fi rst staff writer I hired after taking over as editor, usu-ally comes into the offi ce around 6 a.m. (but she doesn’t clock in until two hours lat-er when her shift be-gins). I usually have to force her out of the offi ce each night too, which takes constant nagging.
Shaun Cox will sometimes spend 10 hours on the road in a week driving to away games to ensure our sports coverage is never lacking and
no key games go uncovered. And then there’s our GM,
Charlotte Fackler, who in one year has taken to photography, design, editing and sales — fi lling in wherever she is needed at the time.
And I can’t forget our lovely sales reps who keep the busi-ness fl ourishing and ensure I get paid each week.
Last, but not least, I have to commend our publisher, Sue
Cummings. I always refer to Sue as an “editor’s publish-er” because she gives me the freedom to do the job right. I’ve never once been asked to
skew or slant a story for per-sonal or political motives (a fi rst in my career).
I’ve used up about all the space allotted to me and all I’ve accomplished is stroking the staff’s ego, but they never get the credit or praise they deserve (except Shaun, who gets praised all the time), so now seems like the oppor-tune time.
It’s through their work and dedication that all this has been possible.
I also want to thank you, the readers, for your support. Our ultimate goal is to pro-vide you with the best paper possible.
I’ll get sappy and sentimen-tal next year on our second birthday. We’ll still be here.
News to Me
Charles L. Westmoreland
The Commonwealth Attorney’s Offi ce was not the prosecuting offi ce that dropped the DUI charge against Roy Townsend in 1998. We apologize for the error.
Sgt. 1st Class JohnnieWilliam WeiserSergeant First Class Johnnie William Weiser, 38, of Fort
Knox, Ky., died Monday, Oct. 1 in Louisville, Ky. SFC Weiser has been serving in the United States Army
for 15 years including two tours in Bosnia and one in Kosovo.
He was preceded in death by his fa-ther, Jim Weiser; and his grandfather, Andy Johnson.
He is survived by his wife, Tonya L. Weiser of Fort Knox, Ky.; two children, Joey Weiser and Victoria Weiser both of Fort Knox, Ky.; a sister, Karen Span-gler of Huntsville, Ark.; his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Vicki and Bill Sears of Harrison, Ark.; and many nieces, nephews and great nephews.
The funeral service with full military honors was held Saturday, Oct. 6 at Nelson-Edelen-Bennett Funeral Home in Radcliff, Ky. with Chaplain Captain Timothy Staggs offi ciat-ing. The guest register may be signed at www.nebfh.com.
ObituariesPage A5 Friday, October 12, 2007
Harold Brockman, Jr.Harold Brockman, Jr., 29, of Brandenburg, passed away
Thursday Oct. 4.He was born in Louisville, Ky. on March 18, 1978 to Dar-
lene White and Harold Ray Brockman, Sr. He attended and graduated from Southern High School where he was a dis-tinguished and award-winning musician. He was also a tat-too artist at Fantasy in Flesh Tattoo in Louisville, Ky.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents and fellow Diamonds; George Bess IV (Big Wax) and Joseph Kid Harrod.
He is survived by his loyal and de-voted wife, Georgette, and daughter Alexis Brockman of Brandenburg; sister, Christina Harper of Louisville, Ky.; in-laws, Sue and Jim Robinson; brother-in-law, James (Stephanie) Robinson; nieces and nephews, Iana Jayde, Mark Jr., Elizabeth and Char-lotte; Mama E.J. Hays and a host of aunts, uncles and cous-ins. He is also survived by fellow Diamonds, Tim Mac, Play-boy, Hard Knoccs, Jon Jin, G-Money, Lady D, Momma D and all Diamonds, past, present and future.
Funeral services were held Monday, Oct. 8 at 10 a.m. from the chapel of Bruington-Jenkins-Sturgeon Funeral Home followed by burial in Evergreen Cemetery in Louisville, Ky. Pallbearers were Jason Mills, James Gray, James Rob-inson, Tim McGarren, Tony Brinley, Celsa Cook, Caylong Wilcoxson and Jon Jon. Visitation was held Sunday, Oct. 7 and Monday, Oct. 8.
Lucille F. JonesLucille F. Jones, 89, of Ekron, passed away at Hardin Me-
morial Hospital Monday, Oct. 1, 2007.She was a retired postal clerk from the Ekron Post Offi ce, a
member of the Brandenburg United Methodist Church and a member of the Ekron Homemakers for many years.
She was born on Nov. 3, 1917, the daughter of the late John Charles and Frances Miles McMenama. She was preceded in death by her husband, Frank W. Jones.
She is survived by her son, John H. Jones, of Seabrook, Texas, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were held Thursday, Oct. 4 at 2 p.m. from the Chapel of Bruington-Jenkins-Sturgeon Funeral Home. Visitation was Wednesday, Oct. 3 from 7 to 9 p.m. and after 9 a.m. on Thursday.
Expressions of sympathy may be made to The Branden-burg United Methodist Church. Online condolences may be made at www.bjsfunerals.com.
Vera Ann TroutmanVera Ann Troutman, 99, of Brandenburg, passed away
Wednesday, Oct. 3 at her residence.She was a member of Cedar Grove Bible Methodist
Church and a Lifetime member of the Brandenburg Chapter of NARFE.
She was preceded in death by her husbands, John William Trent, Sr. and Walter Troutman; also, her son, John William Trent, Jr.; and one granddaughter, Shirley Givans Wiseman.
She is survived by two daughters, Virginia Givans and Alma (Wayne) Worley, both of Brandenburg; four grandchil-dren, Brenda (Jerry) Berry, Gwendolyn Mills, Terri (Billy) Price and Gregory (Allison) Trent; two step-grandsons, Gary (Joyce) Troutman and Larry Troutman; six great-grandchil-dren and two great-great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were held Friday, Oct. 5 from the Cha-pel of the Bruington-Jenkins-Sturgeon Funeral Home with Rev. Ben Watts offi ciating. Burial followed in Bethel United Methodist Church Cemetery. Online condolences may be made at www.bjsfunerals.com.
Michael David RamseyMichael David Ramsey, 57, of Louisville, Ky., passed away
Monday, Oct. 8 at Norton Hospital in Louisville, Ky.He was the owner/operator of Ramsey & Associates In-
surance Agency in Louisville, Ky., and he also worked with H & R Block Tax Service in Louisville, Ky. He was also a member of Crescent Hill Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky.
He was born July 10, 1950 to Chris-tine H. Ramsey and the late Egbert Ramsey of Brandenburg. His sister Rachel Alderman also preceded him in death.
He is survived by his brother, Joel Ramsey, of Lexington Park, Md., two nieces, one nephew and special friend, Betty Pease.
Funeral services will be held today at 1:30 p.m. at the cha-pel of Bruington-Jenkins-Sturgeon Funeral Home. Visita-tion was Thursday Oct. 11, 2007 from 5 to 8 p.m. and will be held today after 8:30 a.m.
Expressions of sympathy may be made to The American Cancer Society or to Hospice and Palliative Care of Louis-ville, Ky. Online condolences mat be made at www.bjsfuner-als.com.
Freeman E. GrayFreeman E. Gray, 67, of Cecilia, Ky. died Thursday, Oct.
4, at Hardin Memorial Hospital in Elizabethtown, Ky. He was a native of Hardin County, Ky. and was a member of Stephensburg Missionary Baptist Church.
He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Estelle Ly-ons Gray; a daughter, Diana Gray; and a brother, Eugene Gray.
Survivors include his wife, Leona Greer Gray; a son, Duane and Cynthia Gray of Nashville, Tenn; a daughter, Donna and Bill Thurman of Cecilia, Ky.; a sister, Ruby Harp-er of Cecilia, Ky.; a brother, Melvin Jones of Louisville; and three grandchildren, Chase Gray, Kayla Thurman and Car-son Thurman.
The funeral is at 2 p.m. Saturday at Stephensburg Mis-sionary Baptist Church in Stephensburg, Ky. with the Rev. Elbert Peters offi ciating. Burial will be in Elizabethtown Me-morial Gardens. Visitation was from noon to 10 p.m. Thurs-day, Oct. 4 and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6 at his church.Manakee Funeral Home in Elizabethtown was in charge of arrangements.
Harold K. McCartyHarold K McCarty, 82, died Monday, Oct. 8 at Hardin Me-
morial Hospital after battling a lengthy illness. He is proceeded in death by his father and mother, three
brothers, and two sisters. He left behind four children, Susie (Ernie) Embry, Barry McCarty, Linda (Rick) Williams and Iris (Rick) Mattingly.
He had seven grandchildren, Michael (Rae Ane) Embry, Melissa Embry, Shannon (Don)McMahan, Holly Williams, Amanda (Milton) Santos, Rachel (Bruce) Wardrip and Kyle Mattingly. He also left behind two great-grandchildren, Lydia Colleen Santos and Allie McMahan.
Our family will truly miss him. A private graveside ser-vice will be held. “We love you, Daddy.”
Shirley Ann GoodwinShirley Ann Goodwin, 65, passed away Tuesday, Oct. 9 at
Medco Center of Brandenburg. She was a Home Interiors Displayer for more than 20 years and a member of Glad Tid-ings Christian Center. She was born Feb. 27,1942 to Lorena Bell Haycraft, of Brandenburg, and the late Virgil Douglas. Her sister, Roberta Jean Wallace, preceded her in death.
She is survived by her husband Ralph Goodwin; daugh-ter, Donna Sanders, son, Oliver Goodwin, all from Bran-denburg; grandchildren, Christopher Goodwin, Cassandra Goodwin, Andrew Goodwin, Craig Wright, Deanna Dages and Chase Sanders; and great-grandson, Connor Goodwin.
Funeral service will be held today at 4 p.m. from the cha-pel of Bruington-Jenkins-Sturgeon Funeral Home. Visitation was Thursday, Oct. 11 from noon until 8 p.m. and will be held today after 8:30 a.m. Expressions of sympathy may be made to The American Cancer Society. Online condolences may be made at www.bjsfunerals.com.
By David Uffi ngtonDollars and Sense
You’re likely to get more potential buyers through your house if you have an agent because your prop-erty will be listed in MLS, the Multiple Listing Ser-vice. That’s your widest exposure, but often it’s not enough.
If you’re to the point where you’re desperate for a buyer, it’s time to do a little work of your own in-stead of leaving it all to the agent.
If your agent has put black and white sales bro-chures in the box out front, insist that color fl yers be provided. Gather competi-tor brochures and notice which ones stand out and which ones don’t. If your brochure looks average, and the agent is using a stock template for your brochure, make your own.
You want an attractive color photo of your house’s exterior and one of some-thing special inside. Let the text be enthusiastic as well as informative. Dry recital of facts isn’t enough. Put your agent’s contact infor-mation on the brochure, too.
Create a Web site and put the Web site address on your brochure. The Web site doesn’t have to be fancy, but it needs to make your home look inviting. This is your opportunity to show more photos of your home.
Take your brochure to lo-cal real estate brokers. (Yes, I know that your own agent won’t like it. But you only have one house to sell, and your agent has many.) This face time with the broker could make your house more memorable, and ide-ally the broker will encour-age his agents to bring cli-ents to your house.
Give out your brochures everywhere you go. Ask to leave them on the counter of stores or bulletin boards. Give a few to everyone you meet. You never know whom other people know.
Call mortgage brokers. They often work with peo-ple who want to be pre-approved so they can move on a deal immediately. If the brokers know about the house (out of a sea of so
Business/AgriculturePage A6 Friday, October 12, 2007
Indiana’s country Music Capitol
“The Best in Country/Gospel Music”Show Time: 7:30 Every Saturday
The Corydon Jamboree offers family entertainment for the young to the young-at-heart. From country legends to new artists, gospel music to comedy, the
jamboree has it all and much more. You’re sure to have a grand ol’ time in this smoke and alcohol free venue!
Appearing October 13:
www.corydonjamboree.com
Providing coverage for all your
Insurance Needs!
Auto • Home • Life • Farm • CommercialRita Moore, Agent • Kristin Barger, CSR
270.422.7200Please visit us in our new location!745 High Street • Brandenburg
(down the street from Brandenburg City Hall)
Now Has New31’ Bunkhouse TrailersFor Only $8,995.00
Were $17,000. Limited supply while they last.
Financing Available!Derek 502.639.4971 Steve 502.439.8940
TINKER S TOYS’RV
LOUISVILLE, KY
Mr. and Mrs. Bob Hester
ABSOLUTE AUCTIONSaturday, Oct. 13 - 10 a.m. fast time
LOCATION: Meade County, From Brandenburg, go 9 miles east on Hwy 448 to Garrett, Ky. Turn left on Hwy. 1238 and go 1/2 mile to Walnut Grove Road. Turn right and go 2/10 mile to auction site. Auction signs posted.Roy Butler Auction has been selected to sell the following described person property.
HOME FURNISHINGS & POOL TABLE2-pc. living room suite consisting of matching couch and chair, Harvest wood drining table and 6 matching chairs, wood dining hutch, Singer sewing machine in cabinet, small deacon bench, quilt rack, Sears Coldspot upright freezer, Sears Kenmore chest-type freezer, G.E. frost-guard com-bination refrigerator and freezer, 2 bars stools, Silver Rail Express electric Christmas train, large Christmas tree, patio swing in frame, patio set including patio table and umbrella and 4 matching chairs, 2 chairs recline, stone crock, iron wash kettle, deck chairs, pool table, large record collection, sizes 33 1/3 and 45s, coffee table, wall pictures, wall book-case, rocker recliner, lamps, table with magazine rack, small appliances, Power Jet hockey table, electric scooter.
GUN COLLECTIONBolt action 20-ga. Mossburg shotgun, automatic 22-cal. Ru-ger rifl e with scope and clip, model 60 Glen Field 22-cal. au-tomatic rifl e, several other funs not available for description.
WOODWORKING TOOLS & LAWN EQUIP.Craftsman router, 1-hp with table, Sears jointer, 10 -inch Craftman tablesaw, 10-inch Craftsman bandsaw with table, Delta beltsander, Dremel 16-inch scrollsaw, 2 speed, North-wood industrial drill press, woodworking table, electric sand-er, electric skillsaw, picture framing equipment, kerosene heater, wall shelving, aluminum 6-ft. folding table, 16-hp, 46-inch cut, automatic drive Murray riding lawn mower, Brinkman pitmaster smoker, 4x8 rubber tire utility trailer, fl oor model metal toolchest, All American 22-ft. aluminum extension lad-der, 5 stepladders, Red Devil load hog lawn wagon, 38-inch Agric-Fab lawn sweep, 5-hp Garden King rotary tiller, 2 lawn weedeaters, 16-inch electric chain saw, garden seeder.Terms: Cash or proper check with ID. A 10% buyer’s pre-mium will apply. A 6% Kentucky sales tax will apply on all above items.
Home is being marketed by
RUBYE REALTYA 4-BR, 2-BA brick ranch home, full basement, on ap-proximately 4 acres. Agent on grounds, day of auction, Saturday, Oct. 13 Additional information, phone 422-2552.Auctioneer Statement - All of the above described per-sonal property is in good condition. Buying “as is, where is.” No warranties or guarantees expressed or implied.Possession: At the drop of the gavel.
ROY BUTLER AUCTIONEERS
SOUTH WESTERN AUCTIONEERSJim and Dusty Clater
(817) 925-9322
If planningan auction,
regardless oflocation, give
us a call!
Selling America at auction since 1965.We sell from east to west, north to south,
and all points in between.Roy Butler, CAI Auction/Real Estate Broker
(270) 422-4601
Rain or ShineSELLING
Rain or ShineeSELLING
Rain or Shinee
Miguel’s melds south-of-the-border cuisine with world-class hospitality
Miguel’s Mexican Restau-rant has been pleasing pal-ettes with fl avorful south-of-the-border cuisine for years. The ethnic entrees, friendly service and laid back atmosphere provide a special place to wine and dine in Meade County.
The restaurant has been serving customers for near-ly four-and-a-half years. It offers an array of selec-tions on its adult and child menus, along with some American classics like burg-ers and fries.
Miguel’s success has been simple, according to Carlos Carrillo, one of the restau-rant’s waiters.
“The quality and taste of our food is the secret to why the business is still here years after its grand opening. We offer a little bit of something for everyone to enjoy,” he said. “Thanks to our customers, there’s also a nice atmosphere at the restaurant that makes everyone feel welcome. It’s a lot like a big family re-union here.”
Carrillo said coming to work is enjoyable because of the hospitable customers and hardworking staff.
“Next to the food that’s offered, the best reason for people to come and eat has to be the customers that walk in here,” he said. “We also offer such good ser-
vice because of the people who come in here. They are some of the friendliest people around and we en-joy serving them.”
Customers reciprocate nothing but praise for the service and hospitality they receive at Miguel’s.
“We’ve been here for lunch many times before,” said customer Donna Moore, after fi nishing lunch with coworkers. “The food and the prices are good and you get free chips and salsa before the meal, so I can’t
complain.”For most lunch-goers,
there’s always a time crunch since it’s essential to return to the offi ce on time. The speedy service at Miguel’s makes it possible to enjoy a hardy, fl avorful meal — in-stead of zipping through a drive-thru — and still beat the clock back to work.
Christy Burnstine said she hasn’t been late yet since she started going to Miguel’s on her lunch hour.
“The service here is quick
but still good and it’s easy to get in, eat lunch and still be out in time to make it back to work and not be late,” she said.
To experience a taste of Mexican-style cuisine north of the border visit Miguel’s Mexican Restaurant Sun-days through Thursdays from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. until 10:30 p.m.
For more information call 422-3353 or stop in at 634 By-Pass Road.
THE NEWS STANDARD/BETSY SIMON
Waiter Carlos Carrillo chats with customers as they pay their bill following a relaxing afternoon lunch at Miguel’s Mexican Restaurant in Brandenburg.
Pull out all the stops if selling property during a bad market
Kentuckianna Livestock Market - Owensboro, KYMarket Report per CWT for Monday, October 8, 2007
Receipts: 414 headCompared to last week: Slaughter cows mostly steady. Slaughter bulls 1.00 lower. Feeder steers and heifers5.00 to 7.00 lower due to lower quality.
Slaughter cows: % Lean Weight Price High DressingBreaker 75-80 1000-1655 46.00-54.50 55.00-55.00Boner 80-85 925-1405 40.50-48.50 Lean 85-90 855-1170 34.00-41.00Slaughter Bulls:Y.G. Weights Carcass Boning % Price1 1745-2060 79-80 61.00-63.002 1340-1875 76-77 51.00-55.50 Feeder Steers: Medium and Large 1-2Wt Range Price Range 200-300 108.00-114.50 300-400 97.00-105.00 400-500 94.00-102.50500-600 90.00-101.50600-700 87.50800-900 82.00
Medium and Large 2200-300 95.00300-400 88.50-91.00400-500 84.00-90.50500-600 87.00-92.00
Small and Medium 1No report
Feeder Heifers:Medium and Large 1-2200-300 92.00-95.50300-400 92.00-99.50400-500 87.00-97.00 500-600 86.00-93.50600-700 85.50-91.50700-800 86.00-89.50Medium and Large 2200-300 78.00300-400 78.00-89.50 400-500 74.50-87.00500-600 75.00-85.00600-700 80.00Small and Medium 1300-400 72.00-80.00400-500 85.00600-700 81.00
Feeder Bulls: Medium and Large 1-2300-400 93.50-101.50 400-500 84.00-98.00500-600 85.00-96.00600-700 76.00-82.00 700-800 84.00800-900 66.00
Medium and Large 2 400-500 81.00-87.50500-600 75.00-90.00600-700 80.00
Small and Medium 1300-400 83.50400-500 83.00
Commodities
Stock Cows: Medium and Large 1-2:Heifers 2 years old and 4-8 months bred 450.00-546.00 per head Cows 5-10 years old and 4-7 months bred 520.00-815.00 per headStock Cows and Calves: No report
Baby Calves: Beef bred: 200.00 per headWeaned: No test.
Owensboro Grains-OwensboroMarket Report per bushel forWednesday, October 10, 2007Soybeans 9.33 Corn 3.30
Deere & Co. ................................DE ............. 151.51Caterpillar Inc. ...........................CAT ............... 82.51Ford Motor Co. .............................. F ................. 8.32General Motors ......................... GM ............... 38.33Harley-Davidson .....................HOG ............... 51.12CSX Corp ...................................CSX ............... 43.64General Electric Co. ....................GE ............... 42.02Peabody Energy ........................ BTU ............... 50.96Marathon Oil ...........................MRO ............... 58.38Chevron ................................... CVX ............... 92.80Arch Chemicals ..........................ARJ ............... 46.49Brown Forman B .......................BF B ............... 75.08Lowes Companies ...................LOW ............... 29.01Home Depot Inc .........................HD ............... 33.80McDonalds Corp .....................MCD ............... 57.38Papa Johns .............................. PZZA ............... 26.45Yum! Brands Inc ......................YUM ............... 38.11Coca-Cola Co ............................. KO ............... 57.88Pepsico Inc ................................ PEP ............... 73.21
STOCKS OF LOCAL INTERESTQuotes effective as of close of market Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Earl F. WrightFinancial Advisor
425 BroadwayBrandenburg, KY 40108
270-422-1922
many others), they can steer clients your way. Af-ter all, the brokers don’t make money until there’s a closing.
You really do have to pull out all the stops if you want to get your house sold. Rule of thumb: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket and assume that your agent
will get your house sold. David Uffi ngton regrets
that he cannot personally an-swer reader questions, but will incorporate them into his column whenever possible. Write to him in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475, or send e-mail to [email protected].
We offer some of thebest deals around.
Advertise with
The News Standardand reach every home
in Meade County... every week!
Place your ad today!
Call 422-4542
Friday, October 12, 2007 Page A7The News Standard
In scenes of crackled photographyStands a building, white and strongA church, a home with memories aboundBuilt by human hands, but refi ned by God.
The doors swung open for all to come, The windows were as eyesEarnestly seeking those who were lost,As if saying, “Come all those who are lost and heavy laden!”For within my walls, fi nd rest, fi nd peace, fi nd love.
Allow my people to welcome you in And embrace you within the rock, the haven of GodHear the teaching, the preaching, the praises of ChristAs songs are lifted upward toward heavenSongs of old, songs of new, songs of a grace that is still Amazing!
But now hallow halls fi ll the strong, old churchIts walls speak of memories of God’s saving graceOf loving, caring people, of people who now know the truth!The TruthIs that the house that God builtWas built within the hearts of allWho have come, who have walked thru its swung open doors C.W. Rucker, Dec. 2002
HeritagePage A8 Friday, October 12, 2007
Koehn Jackson AllenAmy (Golladay) Allen and Kasey
Allen would like to announce the birth of their son, Koehn Jackson Al-len. Koehn was born on Thursday, Oct. 4, at 5:45 p.m. He was born at Har-din Memorial Hospital. He weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz. and was 20 inches long.
Kasey Allen, from Portland, Tenn., shared the experience with his parents, Dianna Gresham, of Portland, Tenn., and Kenneth and Aleashia Allen, of Murfreesboro, Tenn., and brother Aus-tin Allen. Amy (Golladay) Allen shared the experience with her parents, Tony and Arlene Golladay, and brother, Aar-on Golladay, of Brandenburg.
Thomas Waylon SchmidtJonathan and Janette (Pike) Schmidt
are proud to announce the birth of their son, Thomas Waylon Schmidt .
Waylon was born Sept. 10 at 1:53 p.m. at Norton Suburban Hospital.
He weighed 8lb. 10oz. and was 20 and one-half inches long.
Proud grandparents are Tom and Cindy Schmidt, of Concordia, Ky., and Martin and Janet Pike, of Flaherty.
Dean ParsonsAs the new service offi cer of the
Veterans of Foreign Wars, I would like to take this opportunity to intro-duce myself.
I am Dean Parsons and I’m here to help all the veterans and widows that might be eligible for disability.
My hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at Post 10281, 299 Briggs Lane, Vine Grove, Ky, 40175.
I will be at the Vine Grove City Hall on Thursdays for claims.
Please call 877-2138 or 877-0555 in case I have a doctor appointment. No appointments necessary.
I am here to help all veterans.
f kl d h h
The House That God Built
Adkins — BarrJoseph Barr of Rhodelia and Kathy
Shacklett, of Wolf Creek, Ky., would like to announce the forthcoming marriage of their son Joseph Matthew Barr. Matt will be marrying Jennifer Renae Adkins from Hardinsburg, Ky. Her parents are David and Elaine Ad-kins of Hardinsburg, Ky.
Jennifer and Matt will be marry-ing at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Rhodelia, Ky. on Oct. 19 at 7:30 p.m. The reception will be held at the Meade/Breck Center immediately fol-lowing the ceremony. All friends and family are welcome to attend.
Jennifer currently works with the Recruitment and Certifi cation for Protection and Permanency located in Leitchfi eld, Ky. Matt works at Han-cock Mechanical in Lousiville, Ky. The couple will reside in Hardinsburg, Ky.
Meade Co. High School Reunion Class of 1967
The Meade County High School Class of 1967 pose at the Doe Valley Swim and Tennis Club during their 40th class reunion held on Sept.15.
Pictured (not in exact order) Patricia Shacklette Wolper, Diana Dowden Harris, Theresa Thornhill, Sharon Adkisson Mc-Cubbin, James Durbin, Carolyn Sipes, Annetta Whelan Waters, Shirley Morgan Coffey, Eunice McGlinn Goodman, Grace Davis Atcher, Vernon Bruner, Lorine Kiper Durbin, Alton Worley, Alice Ditto Willis, Marlene Chism Medley, Norman Sipes, Bradley Johnston, Brenda Benham Zerkow, Pat Kullman, Joyce Roberts Harnar, Dave Mitcham, Tony Lusk, Pat King, Cheryl Darnall Gibson, Beverly Gaines Lawson, Ron Joyner, Leana Lee Smith, Janet Myers Hobbs, Patsy Lucas Avery, Patty Lawson Mitcham, Allen Flaherty, Betty Haynes Kormick, Diana Jayne Melvin, Ed Stull, Cindy Brown Henning, Jerome Skees, Sam Lawson, George Troutman, Randy Cain, Irene Stepp Beeler, Fred Dewitt, Ann Scott Dolman, Robert Lucas, Bill Herbaugh and Allen Cole.
Home of Mr. and Mrs. James F. Miller• Three bedroom, two full bath brick
residence located on 17.4 scenic acres within three minutes of By-Pass Road.
• Two-car garage with barn in rear• Finished basement
• Two fireplaces• Updated throughout
• One owner home built in 1974• Twelve acres suitable for development, resale,
planting, livestock or horses• $15,000.00 due in non-refundable funds
day of sale, thirty days to close, 10% Buyer’s Premium, suggested minimum opening bid of
$180,000Open house-style inspections:
Saturday, October 6, 2007 and Saturday, October 13, 2007 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.Auction on Saturday, October 20, 2007 at 10:00 a.m.
with registration beginning at 9:00 a.m.
Jeffrey M. Farmer, Kentucky Liscensed Principal Auctioneer
EQUITY Realty Development, Inc.Bryan Robinson,
Kentucky Liscensed Real Estate Broker502-376-7271
Saturday, October 20, 200710:00 a.m.
Registration to begin at 9:00 a.m.
Psalm 139: 16 – 17 says, “Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being un-perfect and in thy book all my members were writ-ten, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! “
So many times it is the little things that drive us crazy. Big problems we can handle, but the minor inconveniences of day-to-day life can get under our skin!
It’s easy to get angry or frustrated when things go wrong: when we lose our
car keys or hit every red light on the way to work. But sometimes, God uses the little things of our lives to place us right where He wants us to be.
A few weeks ago we re-membered Sept. 11, after that tragedy, the head of security of the Twin Tow-ers related amazing stories about those who should have been there that fateful day but weren’t.
All of their stories had to do with the “little things“ of life. I would like to share just a few of them with you.
One man was late because it was his turn to bring doughnuts. One woman’s
alarm clock didn’t go off. One man missed the bus. One spilled food on her clothes at the last minute and had to take time to change. Another’s car wouldn’t start. And one person couldn’t get a taxi.
Perhaps the most amazing was the man who put on a new pair of shoes that morning and headed to work, only to develop a blister on his foot on the way. Because he stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid for his foot, he is alive today.
God is concerned about every detail of your life even the little things! So
the next time you get stuck in traffi c or even get a blister on your toe remember that God continues to look out for you.
Be thankful ev-ery day for the gift of life you have been given and for the wonderful, lov-ing God who cares for you and guides your steps through-out the day.
Article submitted by Rev. Dan Newton, Pastor of Grace Baptist Church.
“How inscrutable are your judgments and how unsearch-able his ways!”
—Romans 11:33
I have always marched to a different drummer, just a little out of step with the majority.
Seldom do the political candidates I vote for ever get elected. Priesthood is certainly not at the top of the list of the most sought-out professions.
I am different in another important ways. I don’t sit around asking the big ques-tions, like “why does God allow so much suffering?” or “why do some people fi nd it easy to believe and others fi nd it impossible?” What I want to know is much more immediate and mundane.
I want to know why any sane man would wear a “pork-pie” hat, buy half-
glasses for the end of his nose and hang them on a chain around his neck, or why any grown man would wear a Disney “Goofy” sweatshirt in public.
I want to know why some women in a check-out line will not begin to dig though their huge purses for their checkbooks, much less begin to fi ll them out, until after the cashier has an-nounced the total.
I want to know why some people in the left lane at a stoplight in an inter-section will not turn on their turn signals until after the light changes. I want to know why golf is so obnoxiously addictive.
I want to know what peo-ple have to talk about that requires all that talking on
cell phones. I want to know why anybody would buy a Scion, Aztec or PT Cruiser? I want to know why people park their grocery carts in the middle of the isle and
then go off and leave them there until you track them down and frown menac-ingly at them?
I want to know why stores that cover several city blocks never seem to have more than two check-out lanes open. I want to know why service personnel say “I’ll be right back” but never are.
I want to know why one famous hamburger place seems to have a dozen people behind the coun-ter while nobody seems to be concerned that lines of people are waiting to be
waited on by two very con-fused counter people.
I want to know where parents get their patience to raise children. I want to know how teachers do it, standing in front of that much energy all day while trying to get it to go in a positive direction. I want to know how long-term health givers for elderly parents or sick children keep going.
I want to know why church people who haven’t darkened the doors of a church for years are the most demanding when it comes to weddings? I want to know why 90 percent of all the funerals I do fall on my day off no matter what day I pick?
I don’t ask the big ques-tions because it is not the mountain ahead of me that wears me out, it is the small rocks in my shoe!
QUESTION: You have suggested that women should seek to meet their emotional needs outside of their marriage. What do you mean?
DR. DOBSON: This principle is particu-larly important with regard to an emotion-ally vulnerable wom-an who is married to a stoic, unromantic man. If she looks to him as the provider of all adult conversa-tion and the satisfi er of every emotional need, their marriage can quickly run aground. He has no clue about how to deal with her “soul hunger” or how to make her happy. When she begins to realize that he will never be what she wants, discontent begins to brew in the relationship.
What can be done, then? A woman with a normal range of emotional needs cannot simply ignore them. Something deep within her yearns for fulfi llment. One answer is for women in this situation to supplement what their husbands can give by cultivating mean-ingful female relationships. Having lady-friends with
whom they can talk heart-to-heart, laugh and cry, and raise their children can be vital to mental health.
That is precisely how women dealt with social
needs in centuries past. Men worked 60 or 70 hours per week and had little time or energy for what might be called “ro-mantic activities.” But a well-integrated society of women fi lled the void. They worked together, had babies together, cooked and canned together, and went to church together. And
somehow, it was enough.Why does feminine society
not exist in the same way to-day? Because many women are employed (the neighbor-hoods are empty), and be-cause the world has become so mobile. The extended family has disintegrated and the culture has moved on. Thus, female companion-ship is often diffi cult to fi nd, and many younger women, especially those with two or more preschoolers, abandon the search for friendship. It is simply too much trouble.
To the young wives who are reading these words,
I urge you to invest some time in your female friends -- even though you are all busy. Resist the temptation to pull into the walls of your home and wish for some-one to talk to. Stay involved as a family in a church or a club that meets social needs. Remember that you are sur-rounded by many other women with similar feel-ings. Find them. Care for them. Give to them. And in the process, your own self-esteem will rise. Then when you are content, your mar-riage will also fl ourish.
It sounds simplistic, but that’s the way we are made. We are designed as social creatures who don’t do well in isolation. Don’t let that happen to you.
QUESTION: In the inter-est of keeping peace in the household, you have sug-gested leniency with rebel-lious teens on issues that don’t really matter. What does this mean in practical terms? Give me some exam-ples of demands that would rock my daughter’s boat un-necessarily.
DR. DOBSON: Well, you will have to decide what the non-negotiables are to you and your husband. Defend
those demands, but lighten up on lesser matters. That may indicate a willingness to let her room look like a junk yard for awhile. Close the door and pretend not to notice. Does that surprise you? I don’t like lazy, slop-py, undisciplined kids any more than you do, but given the possibilities for chaos that this girl might precipi-tate, spit-shined rooms may not be all that important.
You have to ask yourself this question: Is the behavior to which I object bad enough to risk turning the canoe up-side down? If the issue is that important, then brace yourself and make your stand. But think through those intractable matters in advance and plan your de-fense of them thoroughly.
Someday, when the cur-rents have smoothed out again, you may look back with satisfaction that you didn’t add to the turbulence when your daughter was bobbing like a cork on a stormy sea.
Dr. Dobson is founder and chairman of the board of the nonprofi t organization Focus on the Family, P.O. Box 444, Colorado Springs, CO. 80903; or www.family.org.
Focus on the family
James Dobson
Encouraging Words
Ronald Knott
Women can fi nd emotional helpthrough the comfort of friends
Some things I would like to know
The little things that kill can save you
Divine Guidance
DanNewton
Many times I have visited hospitals, nursing homes or the homes of friends where a loved one lay dying. It’s never easy to face the death of a loved one.
The days at the fu-neral home following that death aren’t easy either. But after the burial, all the family goes back home and sometimes there is a grieving one who goes to an empty house to grieve alone.
Here is a story I hope will bring encourage-ment to those who face a darkened night alone after losing loved ones.
A young man had a wife
who was seriously ill and suddenly passed away leav-ing this man and his fi ve-year-old daughter alone.
After the funeral, several friends in-vited the young man and his daughter to stay with them a few days but he declined, thanking them for their kindness but re-alizing that he and his daughter must even-tually face a night alone. He brought his daughter’s little bed into his bedroom so they could face the
fi rst night together. As the hours ticked away
his daughter was having a diffi cult time going to sleep. This little girl sobbing for a
mother who was not going to come back was almost more than the young man could stand. After a while she stopped crying and the young man, thinking she had gone to sleep, began to pray.
“Father, I trust you but it’s dark as midnight,” he began.
Hearing his prayer, the little girl again began to cry.
“I thought you were asleep,” he said.
“I tried,” she said. “I even stopped crying because I didn’t want you to cry but I just couldn’t go to sleep. I know it’s dark and I can’t see you, Daddy, but you love me even though I can’t see you, don’t you?”
He answered her by
reaching into her bed, lifting her up and cradled her in his arms until she fell asleep. When she was fi nally quite the young man looked up through the darkness and again began to pray.
He said “Father, it’s dark as midnight, I can’t see you, but you love me even though it’s dark, don’t you?”
Sometimes life can be as dark as midnight. But even when we can’t see God he can see us and he knows what we are going through. Reach up to God through the darkness and allow Him to cradle you in his arm un-til the darkness passes.
Psalms 30:5 says, “Weep-ing may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morn-ing.”
Pastor’s Spotlight
Randy Johnson
God loves you in the darkness of midnight
Riverfront Park re-ceived a blast from the past on Monday when a Lewis and Clark expe-dition group re-enacted the travels of the famous explorers.
Actors from “The Discovery Expedition of St. Charles, Mo.” re-lived Lewis and Clark’s maiden voyage down the Ohio River, passing by Brandenburg in the early afternoon Mon-day.
“(Lewis and Clark) would have passed by this very stretch, past Brandenburg, probably
around Oct. 18, 1804,” said group member Walter Gosch.
The company was sailing on hand-crafted pirogue boats.
Page A10 Friday, October 12, 2007The News Standard
Hank Schaffner will get to keep his job — at least for a few more weeks.
A vote to remove Schaffner from his position as Meade County’s Planning and Zon-ing code enforcement offi cer failed 3-4 during Tuesday’s Fiscal Court meeting. An-other vote will likely be on Fiscal Court’s agenda at its next meeting.
Judge/Executive Harry Craycroft suggested Schaff-ner be “relieved of his du-ties” and someone else appointed to the position. Craycroft’s reasoning was Schaffner’s unwillingness to hold the position without being able to carry a hand-gun.
Planning and Zoning and Fiscal Court have been in a back-and-forth struggle over zoning enforcement for more than a year now. Plan-ning and Zoning offi cials and committee members criticized Fiscal Court at a special meeting last month for not appointing an aban-doned property enforce-ment offi cer or enforcing Meade County’s abandoned property laws.
But fi ring Schaffner won’t be an easy task. He has the support of several Fiscal Court members who say his experience is irreplaceable, especially for a job paying $11 an hour.
Schaffner is serving his second term as constable and has 26 years law en-forcement experience and six years military experi-ence. He has worked for the Planning and Zoning Offi ce for seven years.
“Once we do away with this person we don’t have an enforcer,” Magistrate Herbie Chism said during Tues-
day’s meeting. “We’ve got a person who’s done it for years. I can’t see fi ring him for someone less qualifi ed. That’s a step backward.”
Magistrate Mark Hub-bard agreed that Schaffner had too much experience to just be let go without an ad-equate replacement.
“I challenge you to fi nd someone of equal or greater experience,” he told Cray-croft.
Hubbard and Chism, along with Magistrates Randall Hardesty and Tony Staples voted against fi ring Schaffner.
The handgun issue re-mains a sore spot with many magistrates, though.
“Most people don’t need a gun,” Magistrate Tom God-dard said. “Not that I’m against guns, I’ve got plenty of them.”
Goddard, along with Magistrates Steve Wardrip, Hardesty and Staples, said last month that Schaffner’s handgun would likely cause more harm than good.
Craycroft said he has a replacement in mind but would not disclose who that person is just yet.
During last month’s meet-ing, Schaffner was nomi-nated by the Planning and Zoning Committee to fi ll the abandoned property en-forcement offi cer position, a title he once held until being stripped of those duties by the last administration. The position has since remained vacant, which confl icts the Meade County’s abandoned property ordinance, he said.
Ordinance 2005-05, Sec-tion 500.102, requires “The Meade County Judge/Exec-utive (to) … appoint a Code Enforcement Offi cer to in-vestigate violations and en-force the provisions of this Ordinance.”
During an interview last week, Schaffner said he knew some members of Fis-cal Court were gunning for his job but said not even that will keep him from doing things by the book.
“Meade County hasn’t en-forced abandoned properties for two years,” he said. “Fis-cal Court just turns the laws on and off as they please.”
The Planning and Zoning offi ce has photos of more than 20 residences that are abandoned and waiting for someone to initiate a clean-up effort, one of which is at the intersection of state Routes 448 and 1638 and has been abandoned for 25 years, Schaffner said.
He believes the efforts to oust him from the court-house is more about him not playing politics than it is about his handgun, which he says he can legally carry according to state law.
Craycroft said he doesn’t believe he, or Fiscal Court, is breaking the law. He does believe, however, that Schaffner isn’t playing well with others and doesn’t fol-low the rule book when by-passing the County Attor-ney’s Offi ce and taking cases straight to Circuit Court.
“I don’t feel we’ve done anything wrong,” Craycroft said. “(Hank) was asked to not carry a gun and by his own admission said he won’t work with the county attorney.”
Schaffner said taking cases to Circuit Court is the quick-est and most effective way to handle ordinance viola-tions. County Attorney Mar-garet Matney said her offi ce should handle the cases in District Court, where defen-dants can be appointed an attorney.
Craycroft said the key is-sue is safety and maintain-
ing a positive relationship with residents and he be-lieves carrying a fi rearm sends the wrong message. He also said Schaffner is too quick to send people to court.
“Abandoned property does need to be enforced and we are looking into it ... and we may need to change the ordinance,” he said. “But more communi-cation is needed. We need to be willing to work with people.”
Craycroft said he settled an abandoned property dispute two weeks ago re-garding a junk trailer by discussing the issue with the property owner. The re-sult, he said, was the trailer being removed within a set time frame.
Craycroft added that most of the abandoned proper-ties in Meade County are owned by banks and mort-gage companies, making a fi rearm unnecessary.
“The worse that will hap-pen is someone tells you to leave their property,” he said.
In other news:•Trick-or-treat hours in
Meade County will be from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 31.
•Former Meade County Sheriff Cliff Wise completed his tax settlement, which was approved unanimously.
•County Clerk Katrina Fitzgerald’s November elec-tion fees were approved unanimously.
•Sandra Stone was once again appointed to the Li-brary Committee by unani-mous vote.
•Crowsnest lane will be changed to Alex Willis Ln.
•Meade County received a $300,000 state grant to as-sist with resurfacing roads.
Fate of code enforcement offi cer decided at meeting
Lewis and Clark group re-visits Meade County
THE NEWS STANDARD/LAURA SAYLOR
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Jeff Gordon led the NA-SCAR Nextel Cup Series points race nearly all season until The Chase for the champion-ship began and he sur-rendered the lead to teammate Jimmie Johnson.
Johnson inherited the lead from Gor-don based on the fact that Johnson claimed more wins than Gordon through the fi rst 26 races — even though Gordon had been the more consistent of the two.
Last Sunday, the restric-tor-plate specialist promptly took that lead back four rac-es into The Chase by beating Johnson to the line to win the UAW-Ford 500 at Talla-dega Superspeedway.
“I really thought Jimmie (Johnson) was going to win the race,” Gordon said. “I was riding there in second and I really wasn’t getting the momentum I felt like I needed to even make a pass on him if I wanted to. But when everything shuffl ed coming to the white fl ag, it changed everything. To me, I love coming here. I love
Friday,OCTOBER 12, 2007SportsShaun T. Cox, Sports Editor
Lady Waves volleyballRegion tournament @Grayson County TBAGreenwave/Lady Waves Basketball tryoutsJV Football @Bullitt Central 6 p.m.
October 16
Lady Waves volleyballRegion tournament @Grayson County TBA
October 17
Lady Waves volleyballRegion tournament @Grayson County TBA
October 18
Lady Waves volleyballRegion tournament @Grayson County TBA
STANDINGS
Football
GreenwoodMeadeN. HardinNelson Co.C. Hardin
Volleyball
MeadeGraysonHancockBreckinridge
Boys Soccer
E-townJ. HardinC. HardinMeadeN. Hardin Fort Knox
Girls Soccer
E-townC. HardinN. HardinJ. HardinMeadeFort Knox
District OverallW L W L2 1 4 32 1 3 3 2 1 2 52 2 3 40 3 3 3
District OverallW L W L8 0 24 55 3 14 171 6 12 101 6 6 13
District OverallW L T W L T6 0 0 10 7 24 1 2 14 2 52 2 2 5 7 62 3 2 8 8 42 4 0 4 13 10 6 0 4 12 1
District OverallW L T W L T6 0 0 16 3 15 2 1 15 3 33 2 1 10 7 42 4 2 6 11 32 5 1 5 10 20 5 1 5 9 3
SPORTS BRIEFS
Meade Co. def. Grayson Co. 2-0 (25-18, 25-16)
Individual Stats:Morgan Filburn — 4 kills, 3 aces, 1 block and 7 digs.Megan McGehee — 4 kills, 1 ace and 2 digs.Brittini Schmidt —7 kills and 1 dig.Melinda Hurt —10 digs.Lydia Curran — 2 kills and 7 digs.Shelby Chism —20 assists and 2 digs.Claire Cannady —1 kill and 4 digs.Tiffany Filburn —3 kills, 3 blocks and 1 dig.Chelsea Stinnett —2 digs.
NASCAR
Buddy Shacklette
How Sweep it is: Lady Waves run the table in 9th District after stopping Cougars
Meade def. Grayson 2-0 for district crown
THE NEWS STANDARD/SHAUN T. COX
LEFT: Junior setter Shelby Chism sets up right side senior Brittini Schmidt for a kill. TOP RIGHT: Senior outside hitter Lydia Curran goes up for a kill. BOTTOM RIGHT: Senior middle hitter Megan McGehee and Schmidt block a shot.
Gordon’s drive for fi ve alive
Boys top North, fall to E-town in district
THE NEWS STANDARD/SHAUN T. COX
Senior midfi elder Chris Parker fakes sophomore striker Andrew Cran-mer off his feet in the second half Monday of Meade’s 3-2 win. Meade rallied from a 2-0 hole and took the lead with 20 minutes left.
Good things come to those who wait, or so the saying goes. Reserve Meade County (8-8-4) sophomore forward Zack Brown is a living testament to that after coming in to score the game-winning goal in Tuesday’s fi rst-round 10th District game against North Hardin (4-13-1).
After falling into a 2-nil fi rst-half hole, Meade County battled back to tie behind goals from se-nior midfi elders Eric Padgett and Rob Williams. In the 14th minute of the second half, Williams, the 12th-leading scorer in the state,
Last year, Meade County waltzed into the district tour-nament on an eight game winning streak after not losing to a district foe all season.
This year was much of the same with one exception — the Lady Waves took care of business, winning 2-0 (25-18, 25-16) over rival Grayson County, and brought home the tournament championship.
“We didn’t want to do what we did last year,” senior outside hitter Morgan Fillburn said. “We just went into it thinking we were going to win last year, and this year we were more focused.”
Senior middle hitter Megan McGehee said the girls have
been thinking about that loss for the past year.“We did so well and went so far, and then we lost to
Grayson in the championship game,” she said. “We defi -nitely wanted to win and I don’t think we played as well as we wanted because we’ve beaten them twice already this year and we didn’t come out the way we should have. We thought it would be easier than what it was and we didn’t play to our full potential.”
In the fi rst game, both teams traded punches after Gray-son jumped out to a 2-0 lead.
Tied 6-6, McGehee killed two straight points and Meade never relinquished the lead.
Up 10-7, McGehee took over service and ripped off sev-en straight points. Over a series of four points, Fillburn put
Waves’ run ends in fi nal 21 seconds of gameBy Shaun T. Cox
On a day where the temperature reached into the mid-90s on the fi eld, the Lady Waves dropped an equally hotly contested game in the fi nal 20 seconds of play.
Last Sunday, the Waves (5-10-2, 2-5-1) fell to rival John Hardin (6-10-3, 2-3-2) in the fi rst round of the 10th Dis-trict tournament 1-0. The two teams split the regular season series with each winning on the road 1-0. After two games and 79:39 of another, the two teams were still neck-and-neck. Coach Dan Shook said he had never lost a game in the last minute.
“When it gets down to the last 30 seconds, you never expect to give up that last goal with just 20 seconds left,” he said. “We just let one get by us.”
Junior goal keeper Stephanie Menser said John Hardin freshman striker Hanna Alcock took advantage of a tired group of Meade County defend-ers.
“She just got past our defense and we thought we had backup,” she said. “But she ended up being one-on-one with the keeper and she had an open
shot. All of the girls worked hard the entire game and what happens, hap-pens. But, we’re pretty disappointed and it’s pretty rough considering our seniors are now leaving today and it’s our last game together as a team.”
Shook said Menser played an excel-lent game.
“Our defense just didn’t react quick-ly enough to the girl with the ball,” he said. “It had been up in the air, she won it and started working toward the goal. Our reaction time was a little slow and we didn’t get back on it quickly enough. She dribbled on in and one-on-one with the keep — as a keeper, if you’ve got a striker who’s comfort-able in her skill and confi dent without rushing the shot, more than likely she’s going to score.
“Stephanie did about all she could do. She spread out and got big in the goal, but it was just unfortunate that we didn’t have more time to respond. Sometimes, a few seconds is all it takes.”
The unseasonably warm tempera-tures affected players from both teams, especially in the second half of play. In the fi rst half, Meade County had
THE NEWS STANDARD/SHAUN T. COX
Sophomore Caroline Wilson col-lides with John Hardin’s goalie during Sunday’s 1-0 loss in the fi rst round of the district tournament. The Waves gave up a goal to fresh-man Hanna Alcock with just 21 seconds remaining in the game.See ends, B
The Greenwave will have another tough matchup to-night with undefeated Ow-ensboro making the trip to Hamilton Field in the rub-ber-match of a series that is tied 2-2 after beginning fi ve years ago.
Owensboro (6-0) has looked impressive and holds the No. 8 ranking in the state in the latest Lexington Her-ald-Leader poll.
Perhaps most impres-sively, Owensboro has been able to beat 6A state power Boone County 14-3, and 6A Daviess County 31-7 — on the road. Both No. 12 Boone and Daviess are (4-2).
“The Boone County game was a very impressive win because, No. 1, that’s a team with a lot of tradition,” coach Larry Mofi eld said. “And No. 2, (Owensboro) beat a big, physical football team after going more than three hours on the road.”
Owensboro, currently No. 3 in 5A, has the No. 1 scor-ing defense in 5A (and No. 5 in the state), giving up just 6.8 points per game behind
See Tests, B
See Drive, B
See Sweep, B
See Fall, B
Meade take E-town to brink
Wednesday in the semi-fi nals, Meade County gave No. 25 Eliza-bethtown all they could handle and then some, but in the end it wasn’t enough.
The Panthers (10-7-2) advanced into the 10th District fi nals after holding on to beat the Greenwave (8-8-4) 2-1.
Senior keeper/midfi elder Greg Barnes said Meade County left it all out on the fi eld.
“We came out here and gave 100 percent,” he said. “We see every game as our last (in the playoffs), and now we know how it feels to have played our last game. We all left our hearts out there.”
In the fi rst half, neither team
VOLLEYBALL STATS
The Meade County cross country teams traveled to Gatlinburg, Tenn. last weekend to compete in the Smoky Mountain Invi-tational. The girls’ team fi nished in third place overall with 61 points behind Oak Ridge and Maryville high schools. The boys were unable to compete due to a thunder-storm that rolled in after the girls fi nished.
Girls standings:Name FinishShelby Jenkins 3rdKim Dukes 6thTiffany Brown 14thCynthia Smith 15thStephanie Dukes 26thNatasha Kelch 46thTara Monchilovich 59thStormy Estep 70th
Next up, the teams will compete in the Nelson County Invitational tomor-row, and the North Hardin Invitational next weekend before hosting the confer-ence meet here in Meade County.
