Edmonson Voice Staff, submitted photos:
The Annual Edmonson County School District Spelling Bee was held on Thursday, January 12th, in the ECHS Auditorium, sponsored by the Edmonson County Board of Education and the Edmonson County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee.

The champion was Mr. Noah Smith, a fourth grader at South Edmonson Elementary, who won a trophy, a cash prize of $50, and expenses paid to the state competition in Louisville. Runner-up was 5th grader Kennedy Stice, who also received a trophy, a cash prize of $25, and will be the alternate for the competition in Louisville in the event that Noah Smith would not be able to attend.

Other participants included: Carson Sowders from Kyrock Elementary (4th grade), Brody Johnson (6th grade) from the Edmonson 5th/6th Center, as well as Morgan Vincent (7th grade) and Sarah Stewart (8th grade) from the Edmonson County Middle School.

Six students from grades 4 through 8 competed for the opportunity to represent Edmonson County at the Kentucky Derby Festival/Ford Motor Company Spelling Bee in Louisville, Kentucky. The Spelling Bee will be held at the Bomhard Theater, Kentucky Center for the Arts on Saturday, March 11, 2017 at 11:00 AM.

Edmonson Voice Staff:
​The Hart County Grand Jury returned an Indictment for murder on a male subject in reference to a death investigation that occurred at 120 Margaret Street in Horse Cave on August 7, 2016.
 
According to KY State Police, an indictment warrant was issued for 54 year old Mardy Jones of Horse Cave for the shooting death of his brother, 39 year old Ronald D. West.

Jones is described as being 6’3” tall, 180 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes, with a “scorpion” tattoo on his left forearm.
 
Anyone with information to the whereabouts of Mardy Jones is asked to call KSP Post 3 Bowling Green at (270)782-2010.  The investigation is still ongoing and being led by Detective Jeremy Hodges.  No other details are available for release at this time.

submitted article:
Amanda Morton, EC Board of Education Treasurer, administers the oath of office on January 9, 2017 to EC Board of Education members that were re-elected in November.   Taking the oath are, left to right, Alex Ulm, Mickey Johnson, and Tonya Jones.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
Members of the Edmonson County Sheriff's Office loaded up thousands of dollars worth of illegal firearms today that have been confiscated from criminal cases over the course of 15 years or more.

"All of these guns were used during the commission of a crime, present during the commission of a crime, or they were possessed by someone who wasn't legally allowed to have them," said Sheriff Shane Doyle. "Some were confiscated from drug dealers; others were used in assaults and attempted assaults. The crimes and reasons vary, but all the confiscations were results of convictions."

The guns varied in shapes and sizes like homemade handguns, 19th century shotguns, and modern hunting rifles and pistols, all of which were taken to the Kentucky State Police Forfeited Weapons Division in Frankfort where they will be sold at auction. Doyle said some would simply be destroyed while others would bring premium prices. Only licensed gun dealers are allowed to attend the auctions that are held at different times and locations throughout the state. 

Proceeds from the auctions benefit the Law Enforcement Protection Program, which provides bullet-proof vests, pistols, rifles, tasers, body cameras, and other similar police equipment to law enforcement agencies across the state through the help of grants. Doyle said Edmonson County has been a beneficiary of the grant.

"We've received grants from this program multiple times. We've received vests, rifles, pistols, and tasers," he said. "It would be nice if we could simply sell these firearms ourselves to responsible citizens, but the law doesn't allow us to do that; however, it's still a very good program.  When its all said and done, we're still getting illegal guns away from people that can't have them and supporting a program that helps law enforcement agencies all across the state, including ours."

submitted article
At the January 9th meeting of the Edmonson County School Board, Superintendent Patrick Waddell presented certificates to board members in recognition of January's School Board Recognition Month.

In a statement from the superintendent's office, the Edmonson County Board of Education said:

"Our community is blessed. We have a successful public school system with incredibly engaged students in grades Preschool through 12 and a team of professional teachers and administrators who strive daily to provide an excellent education to benefit this community for generations to come.

A vital component of the progress of our district - and thus our community - is the leadership provided by the members who make up the Edmonson County Board of Education.

Please take the opportunity this month in thanking the school board members of Edmonson County and let them know that while events around them change, you appreciate their unwavering stand for the children of the community."

The statement also said that Gary Bagshaw, Lorri Keith, Mickey Johnson, Tonya Jones, and Alex Ulm are among the 850-plus school board members in the state’s 173 local school districts who will be singled out for their service in doing a job that has become increasingly complex.

​"Academic standards, achievement gaps, college and career readiness, school safety, athletics and extracurriculars, policies of all kinds, plus, the budgeting that undergirds it all," The office said. "These are just some of the areas local school board members must understand because of their responsibilities.  It’s obvious from this list of examples that the job can’t be confined to the hours of a school board meeting.  Local
school board members may spend hours of study before casting a vote, and spend time talking to theirconstituents while at home or work.
   
The BOE office also said that in addition, members of the Edmonson County Board of Education must keep up with changes in education laws and regulations, and devote time to their own annual professional development and training.

Edmonson District Court was held on Tuesday, January 10, 2017. The Honorable Judge John M. McCarty presiding.

Joseph A. Rigsby, Operating on suspended/revoked operator's license. No/expired KY registration receipt. No/expired registration plates. Failure of owner to maintain required insurance/security-first. Unauthorized parking in a handicapped zone. Theft by unlawful taking or disposition/shoplifting under $500. Pleaded not guilty to all charges. Pretrial conference 2/21/17.

Renea Stevenson, Operating on suspended/revoked operator's license. Failure of non-owner operator to maintain required insurance-first. Continue on 2/10/17.

Theresa Ann Mills, Failure of owner to maintain required insurance/security-first. Pleaded guilty. Fined $500 plus 30 days in jail, $450 of which, plus jail time probated. Total fines and costs $193.

Janice Rodgers, Theft of services. Continue 1/24/17.

Elvis Lindsey, Violation of KY EPO/DVO. Pleaded not guilty. Pretrial conference 1/24/17.

Brittany Dawn Payton, Failure of owner to maintain required insurance/security-first. No/expired registration plates. No/expired KY registration receipt. Pleaded not guilty to all. Continued on 2/7/17.

Lisa McGrew Mills, Failure of owner to maintain requried insurance/security-first. Proof shown, dismissed.

Darren Doyle, story and photo
State Senator Steve Meredith attended today's fiscal court meeting and addressed those in attendance. "We haven't wasted any time," Senator Meredith said. "We're already busy working to gets bills passed to make positive changes in Kentucky."

Meredith has been named to the Human Resources, Economic Development, Tourism, and Labor, Education, and Health & Welfare committees. "I'm very proud to serve on those," he added. This county is very near and dear to me and I look forward to serving."

Meredith, who is a first-time senator, was sworn-in last week in Frankfort. You can contact him through the Kentucky State Legislation page by clicking here.

Edmonson Voice Staff
Mammoth Cave National Park has released information regarding the reopening of the Green River Ferry, which has been shut down since December 15 due to mechanical problems. The ferry is scheduled to reopen on Tuesday, January 10, 2017 at 6am.
 
A statement from MCNP said that ferry repairs are now complete.

Darren Doyle, story 
Today, Edmonson County Attorney J.B. Hines updated the fiscal court on a couple issues on which his office has been working, although he has been nominated to serve as the District Judge in the 38th Judicial District, serving Butler, Edmonson, Hancock and Ohio counties.

"I'm humbled by the fact that I've been nominated," he said. "I'll certainly be honored to serve Edmonson County and the 38th District in that capacity."

Governor Bevin has 60 days to make the appointment from the time of the nominations, which will be two weeks from tomorrow (Tuesday, Jan 10).

"At this point, there's nothing to report on that matter, but in the meantime, we will work with the same commitment as always for what this job requires."

He reported on the ongoing litigation involving former Edmonson County Clerk Butch Carroll and said the county has made a request with the insurance company that held Carroll's official bond. He said the request has been forwarded on to the claims adjuster and the county is waiting on a response from them.

He also discussed foreclosure actions on deliquent county property taxes. "Those are cases that take quite a bit of work to get set up. We're slowly but surely getting there," he said.

Finally, he said the litigation involving the county and the former animal shelter is still ongoing. Its still a matter of a back-and-forth process.

Darren Doyle, story
The Edmonson County Fiscal Court unanimously approved and signed a resolution in support of an infrastructure investment from the federal government that will support national parks all across the U.S., including MCNP at the local level.

The resolution was sent to the fiscal court from a group out of Philidelphia who is currently lobbying the federal government to invest 82 million dollars for the infrastructure in national parks. According to the resolution, the funding is already available, it's simply not designated for its requested use.

According to the resolution, national parks haven’t had any real infrastructure improvements since the late 60’s. The funding would go to improve roads, bridges, and utilities in national parks and the resolution encourages congress to make this happen.

With the need for improvements to the ferries in Edmonson County or possibly bridges built instead, the resolution was quickly approved by magistrates.

Judge Wil Cannon said that several local tourism and chamber offices have already signed the resolution. The court signed the paperwork in support of the effort today.

Darren Doyle, story and photo
The Edmonson County Fiscal Court met Monday, January 9, 2017 at 9am for the first meeting of the month. Various reports were heard and approved from county offices.

County Road Foreman Ray Page reported that road crews went out to plow roadways countywide during the recent winter weather, around 6pm last Thursday evening and stayed out until 6:30am the next morning. He reported that some of the northern areas of the county received up to three inches of snow, while southern areas received two inches or less.

He said the new country trucks allowed crews to complete the work much more efficiently, although one of the trucks was being checked out as it could be having some diagnostic issues. He also said over 100 tons of salt was used during their work.

Sheriff Shane Doyle reported that there were only a couple of minor accidents called in during the winter weather but nothing major. He credited common sense driving to the lack of incidents reported here.

He also mentioned that back up firearms for all county officers would be in use soon, once each officer is able to qualify at the shooting range with the pistols. All funding for the project was made possible by drug forfeiture money. 

Deputy Jailer Todd Vincent reported that the county was currently responsible for  17 inmates which are incarcerated at Hart County Jail, plus three more on home incarceration. He also reported that one inmate had recently taken a trip to ER, which required a 10 hr stay with a deputy jailer, as well as another ER visit for an additional inmate this morning.

Parks and Rec Program Administrator Greg Hudson reported on the recent "thank you" dinner sponsored by Parks and Rec, which was organized as a token of gratitude for all the volunteers who helped support the mission of the program in any way during 2016. He said it was a great success with over 50 in attendance.

"We needed to do that for folks," he said. "we believe that just saying 'thank you' every now and then will help continue the support we’ve received."

In other fiscal court news, the court also:

• Approved the court's 2017 bronze membership to the Edmonson County Chamber of Commerce for $500
• Approved EC resolution 16-36 for the official BG/WC animal shelter contract for 2017
• Appointed Ann Bullock to the Extension Board
• Approved treasurer's December '16 financial report
• Approved Judge's quarterly statement
• Approved Resolution EC 17-01

The next fiscal court meeting will be one of the two annual night meetings, which will be held on Monday evening, January 23, 2017 at 6pm in the upstairs courtroom at the courthouse.

Edmonson Voice Staff Report
Mammoth Cave National Park saw 468,784 cave visitors in 2016, which is up from 2015 by around 10%, an increase of approx. 42,000 additional visitors according to a recent report from MCNP.

The hotel will be busy making improvements in 2017 including dining changes and a new name. It will now operate under the name "Mammoth Cave Lodge."

Improvements to the dining room are planned to be underway beginning as early next week.

"A new limited menu with several hot food items started last week with food being served from 9:00am - 3:00pm," the statement said. "Currently, food service will be offered in the main dining room as major renovations will be taking place in the areas formerly know as the Crystal Lake Snack Bar and the Snowball Grab and Go.  These two areas will be combined into one service area with a theme of an old-fashion ice cream shop, that will also serve as a grab & go.  Once work is complete, this area will open and the main dining room and kitchen will be closed for their own renovation and will become a family casual restaurant with a new menu that will offer many traditional favorites, along with several new, healthy choice options." 

The park also said that a commitment has also been made to offer world-class retail shops that will redefine the customer experience.  They said that they intend to make the look and feel of their retail shops that of a "Discovery Store" to excite guests about the park, natural eco-systems, and local thematic artists.

The new Mammoth Cave Lodge is located inMammoth Cave National Park, 1 Mammoth Cave Pkwy, Mammoth Cave, KY 42259. Call (877) 386-4383

We've added a new feature to the EdmonsonVoice that will be highlighted on the weekends, called "Your Edmonson Voice Weekly Recap."

Many of our readers have asked for something that would help them keep up with anything that they might've missed during the week. While all of our articles are still available (by using our homepage search bar) we think your suggestion is a great idea and we welcome this as we continue working hard to remain as Edmonson County's number one source for local news and information. 

Click on any of the below items that were published in the EdmonsonVoice for this week (in no particular order):

• Local Family Loses Home In Overnight Blaze, Fire Dept. Starts Relief Fund--Needs Your Help
• County Attorney J.B. Hines Nominated For District Judge
• Roundhill Man Facing More Drug Charges As Law Enforcement Attempts To Serve Warrant
• Edmonson County Cattlemen Association Making A Difference, Invites Public To See What It's About
• Special Message From Sheriff's Office Regarding Winter Weather: Driving Tips and More
• Edmonson County Residents Receive Fall Semester Academic Honors From Lindsey Wilson College
• Friday, January 6th ECHS Basketball Games Cancelled
• Basketball Homecoming Postponed Due To Weather: Game Decision To Be Made Sometime Friday
• Schools Implement New Program To Make Up Snow Days At Home With NTI: "Non-Traditional Instruction"
• Local Winter Emergency Information: Be Ready This Season
• Update For CodeRed Alert System: Different Databases For Different Alerts May Prevent You From Receiving Alerts​
• Recent Obituaries
• Advice Column: It's An All New "Ask Mongoose"
• 2017 Basketball Homecoming Candidates Announced
• Wildcats Even Record With District Win Over Butler County
• Lady Cats Grab First District Win Over Butler County​

Roads within Mammoth Cave National Park are open but icy in spots, according to a spokesperson from the park. Crews are working on the roads and assessing their condition.  
​
All park operations and tours will operate on at least a two-hour delay.

In addition to the park delay, Cedar Sink, Flint Ridge and Houchin Ferry roads are closed in the park.

If you choose to travel through the park please use caution; roads are icy in spots.

For further updates please call 270-758-2165.

Superintendent of Schools Patrick Waddell has announced that Edmonson County schools will be closed on Friday, January 6, 2017. 

It will also be day number one of the new "NTI" program, where school work will be done at home, which allows the school calendar to remain unchanged with regards to makeup days.

Click here for all the information on the brand new program.

Darren Doyle, story and photo:
If you're like most students and parents, you enjoy the occasional snow day away from school, and with all of the back roads in Edmonson County, it doesn't take much of it for schools to be cancelled; however, the majority of folks don't enjoy having to make up those school days, a process which extends the school year into the summer break.

For the first time ever, the Edmonson County Board of Education has implemented a program that is designed to cut down on the extension of the calendar due to make up days that will allow students to complete their work at home. The new program is called "NTI," or "Non-Traditional Instruction."

Here's how it works: the program is for all Edmonson County students in grades K-12 and will be put into action on the second day that school is cancelled in 2017, (which will likely be Friday, January 6, 2017, according to local forecasts). Today, which is actually the first cancelled day of the school year for inclement weather, will not apply.

According to Carol Stice, who is Instructional Supervisor for Edmonson County Schools, the board surveyed teachers, administrators, staff, and parents on their overall thoughts of this proposed program last year, which resulted in 91% of those surveyed in favor of the program.

For those of you wondering how your students are going to learn new material at home, Mrs. Stice said that's one thing you shouldn't worry about.

"We know we'll have to tweak the program and make adjustments, but we're going to use common sense with this. These assignments will not be new material that our students haven't previously discussed in class; rather, they'll consist of material that's relevant to their subjects. Only what's needed or what we feel is necessary."

​Stice also said it is imperative to follow school social media and one-call messages to stay informed of NTI happenings. Your feedback is always welcomed by emailing:
​non-traditional.instruction@edmonson.kyschools.us.

You can also get a rundown on how the whole system works by visiting the school board website and accessing all the NTI information, including contact and assignment info from all teachers by clicking here.

If you can't find a particular teacher's email address, all teachers have a school email address that's listed like this:   firstname.lastname@edmonson.kyschools.us, so you can simply insert the first and last name at the beginning.

It's also important to note that the site contains an easy form for all grades K-8, where you simply click on the day and the student's grade to get assignment info, but for grades 9-12, you'll need to click on each individual teacher for that particular assignment.

"Our teachers and curriculum coordinators have worked really hard to make this possible and we're excited to implement NTI this year," said Stice.

Alexander used a thirteen-day example of how the calendar will work in the event of snowdays. 

"We could have ten days of NTI and another three days of regular snow days with no assignments and still be out of school by May 19th," he said. "And that's something we see as very positive."

Submitted by the Edmonson County Sheriff's Office:
The road crews have already been hard at work preparing for the expected snow by spraying the roads with the de-icing brine spray, and when the snow comes they'll be out with new snow plows to make sure our roads are as clear as possible.  However, we have a lot of miles in our county, and our crews can only do so much.  So with that being said, please take this into consideration:

• When we have snow-covered roads, DON'T DRIVE.
• If you must drive, use a 4x4 or all-wheel drive vehicle with plenty of ground clearance.
• If you don't have access to an all-wheel drive vehicle, a front-wheel drive car is next-best.
• Allow plenty of time to reach your destination.
• Allow plenty of space if you need to brake or turn.
• Don't make sudden, jerky movements (hard on the gas or brake, quick turn of the wheel)
• When meeting a car, slow down and get over gradually.
• If the back of your vehicle begins to slide, turn your steering wheel in the direction the rear wheels are going (i.e. if the back wheels break to the left, turn the wheel to the left to straighten the vehicle).
• If you are trying to turn and your vehicle continues to slide forward, quickly straighten and turn the steering wheel several times in the direction you want to go until the vehicle begins turning.

Again, it's always best if you can stay home and not drive during inclement weather, but sometimes you can't.  Your Sheriff's Office is equipped with a few 4x4 vehicles so we can help even when bad weather hits.  Keep in mind when heavy snows come, sometimes there are multiple vehicle accidents that we can't respond to at once, and we must prioritize the calls that require the most attention. 

Non-injury accidents and fender-benders will be placed on the bottom of the list while injured persons and those involving serious property damage will receive top priority. 

We at the Edmonson County Sheriff's Office want everyone to be safe, and be smart!

Darren Doyle, story
Earlier today, we received a letter to the editor from a county resident who respectfully shared his thoughts on the need for improvement to the Edmonson County Water District's process in alerting the public on boil water advisories.

The letter said that there was a recent advisory in the Cave Hollow Bay/Nolin Dam area, but not all residents received alert calls, even those who were certain they had signed up for the free service of alerts.

We spoke with Edmonson County Water today and they advised us that when a boil water advisory is in effect, they notify the CodeRed "one call" system immediately and then CodeRed issues the alerts. 

We received a call from Edmonson County Emergency Management Pat Prunty who wished to clarify how the system works. One of the main public misconceptions is that if you sign up for weather alerts through CodeRed, you will also receive water advisories and local school announcements; however, this is incorrect.

"We have three different types of CodeRed alerts in Edmonson County, with each one having its own unique database," Prunty said. "We have boil water alerts, school closings and announcements from Edmonson County schools, and we also have severe weather alerts, but each one has its own database and you must sign up separately for all three if you choose to get all the alerts. Just because you're signed up for one doesn't automatically sign you up for another one."

Prunty also said that Edmonson County Dispatch does not have information on boil water advisories unless it's a severe county-wide emergency.

The Water Department said in order to assure that you will receive the alerts in the event of a boil water advisory in your area, make sure your contact information is up-to-date by calling their office at 270-597-2165. This applies to water advisories only.

If you wish to receive weather and emergency alerts, you can sign up by clicking here for the county's CodeRed emergency alert system.

Finally, if you wish to recieve calls pertaining to school information, make sure your contact info is updated with the individual schools for which you're requesting. ECHS: 270-597-2151, ECMS: 270-597-2932, EC 5/6 Center: 270-597-3900, South Edmonson: 270-597-2379, and Kyrock Elementary: 270-286-4013.

Edmonson Voice Staff Report
A total of four residents have earned academic honors at Lindsey Wilson College for the 2016 fall semester. A total of one area resident has been named to the 2016 fall semester President’s List, and three area residents have been named to the 2016 fall semester Dean’s List.

Named to the President’s List are: Thomas Alvey of Brownsville
 
Named to the Dean’s List are: Nicholas Bedwell of Brownsville, Marisa Bishop of Leitchfield, and Ashley Hill of Brownsville.

Students named to the President’s List earned a 4.0 grade point average on a 4.0 and attempted at least 12 credit hours during the semester.

Students named to Dean’s List earned at least a 3.50 graduate point average on a 4.0 scale and attempted at least 12 credit hours during the semester.

Edmonson Voice Staff
Mammoth Cave National Park has released information regarding the temporary closing of the Green River Ferry, which has been shut down since December 15 due to mechanical problems. The ferry remains closed while maintenance staff await delivery and installation of a hydraulic motor used to power the paddlewheel.  
 
“We were able to find a replacement motor in Oregon,” said Superintendent Sarah Craighead.  “It is being shipped to the park this week.  Park staff will install it and get the ferry up and running as quickly as possible.”
 
The ferry is important to park operations and to local residents who commute through the park.

​Edmonson County Emergency personnel have temporarily closed the Cedar Grove Bridge at Bear Creek due to high water levels that are currently over the bridge. 

Drivers are cautioned to use another route. Even though the water may look okay to cross, a vehicle could lose traction and a tragedy could occur. Remember to "Turn Around, Don't Drown."

​Along with the arrest warrant, McNutt was charged with fleeing or evading police on foot 2nd degree; resisting arrest; possession of controlled substance 1st degree - drug unspecified; possession of controlled substance 3rd degree; and prescription controlled substance not in proper container.

The warrant was served to McNutt for an arrest back in October which stemmed from a complaint that he was living in someone's vacant home. During that incident, officials claimed that McNutt told them he was an undercover agent for the Department of Defense, and that he didn't have to follow "their laws" because he was a freewill mason of the 33rd and a half degree.

McNutt was lodged in the Hart County Jail.