The Edmonson County Judge/Executive's Office has announced that Willie Webb Road is closed until further notice.

"In the interest of safety, the county is closing Willie Webb Rd for repairs until further notice," said Judge/Executive Scott Lindsey. "Access will be available from the intersection with Mohawk Rd. The closing is in effect for the intersection of Willie Webb Rd and Washington Street near Emo Meredith Park under the bridge in Brownsville. We will update the community with details as we progress with the repairs."

Darren Doyle, story:
A Mammoth Cave man faces multiple felony charges after being served a warrant for failure to appear in court, according to the Edmonson County Sheriff's Office.

Kenton Webb (39), of Mammoth Cave was served a bench warrant for failure to appear in court, according to Sheriff James Vincent, on March 16, 2023. Vincent said that Webb was in possession of 30 fentanyl pills when his bench warrant was issued.

Webb was arrested and charged with Trafficking in controlled substance-first offense (fentanyl), Possession of controlled substance-first degree-first offense, and Persistent felony offender 1.

He was transported and lodged in the Hart County Jail.

Darren Doyle, story:
Two individuals were arrested after a traffic stop on Saturday night in Brownsville and face felony charges, according to the Brownsville Police Department.

A BPD officer reportedly initiated a traffic stop on a black Chevy Impala with only one headlight around 11PM on March 10, 2023, that was headed north on South Main Street.

Police said the driver was identified as Dana York (40), of Wingfield, and the strong odor of marijuana was detected from the vehicle. A bag of meth was found on York's person, along with three bags of marijuana, according to police.

A passenger in the vehicle, identified as Zackery Johnson (22), of Glasgow, was found to have two outstanding warrants from Barren County.

York was charged with:

• Possession of controlled substance, first degree, second offense (meth)
• Possession of marijuana
• Tampering with physical evidence
• One headlight
• Failure to notify dept. of transportation of address change

Johnson's outstanding warrants were for probation violation (felony offense) and failure to appear.

They were both transported and lodged in the Hart County Jail.

Madison Doyle, story and photo:
Edmonson County Fiscal Court met today, March 13, 2023. Judge Executive Scott Lindsey called the meeting by leading the court in the pledge of allegiance. Per usual, county department heads gave updated reports since the last fiscal court meeting. Emergency Management Director Terry Massey reported that there have been several field fires since the last meeting, February 27, 2023, which he stated should not be happening due to a statewide burn ban.

'There has been a statewide burn ban since February 15," Massey said. "On the day of our last fiscal court meeting two weeks ago, there were five field fires in just that one day. There's been several more since then. I want to remind everyone of this ban, because the last thing we want is for a fire to be spread to the woods, or even someone's house. It's my job to keep the people of Edmonson County safe, so please everyone follow this burn ban."

Judge Lindsey stated the burn ban is in effect from 6 am to 6 pm until April 30, 2023. The ban applies to any outdoor burning within 150ft of woodland or brush land.

After the court moved through most of the agenda, the magistrates voted to go into a closed session. Judge Lindsey asked all those in attendance who were not a part of the fiscal court to please step outside for a few moments. Upon leaving, the door was shut and locked. After approximately 20 minutes, District 4 Magistrate Mickey Johnson stepped outside and requested for Joe Joe Montgomery to step back into the courtroom. Around 10 minutes after this, the magistrates voted to end the closed session and re-open to the public.

When the meeting was re-opened, Judge Executive Scott Lindsey stated that the court offered Montgomery a job to be the full time Road Supervisor for the rest of the 2023 year term. Montgomery was appointed the Interim Road Supervisor on January 9, 2023. The magistrates voted to set the pay of this role on a salary based off of $25 per hour.

The court also voted to:

• Acknowledge Edmonson County Conservation District FY24 Budget.
• Acknowledge Edmonson County Conservation District FY24 Plan of Operations.
• Approve Leitchfield Exterminating Termite Service Agreement for Extension Office
• Building.
• Approve Leitchfield Exterminating Termite Service Agreement for Courthouse.
• Approve Finance Officer Bond #2123881.
• Acknowledge County Clerk’s February Clerk Storage Fees Report.
• Approve County Clerk’s 2023 Revenue Supplement Fund Report, pending final audit.
• Approve County Clerk’s February MVAV Collection Report, pending final audit.
• Approve County Clerk’s February Deed Transfer Tax Report, pending final audit.
• Approve County Clerk’s February Excess Fees Report, pending final audit.
• Approve County Clerk’s February Delinquent Tax Collection Report, pending final audit.
• Approve Treasurer’s February Monthly Settlement Report.
• Acknowledge Dog Control’s February CAD Incident Report.
• Approve Sheriff’s February Excess Fees Report, pending final audit.
• Approve Sheriff’s February County Property Tax Report, pending final audit.
• Approve Sheriff’s February Fire Protection Report, pending final audit.
• Approve Sheriff’s February Franchise Tax Report, pending final audit.
• Approve Resolution EC23-07, HB1 County Clerk Election Equipment Grant.
• Approve Resolution EC23-08, Vehicle Purchase Agreement-2022 Dodge Durango.
• Approve Allergen Participation Form-Additional Opioid Settlement Funds.
• Approve TEVA Participation Form-Additional Opioid Settlement Funds.
• Approve Walgreens Participation Form-Additional Opioid Settlement Funds.
• Approve Walmart Participation Form-Additional Opioid Settlement Funds.
• Approve Paver Repairs-Additional $21,000.
• Approve EC23-09, Tri-County Search and Rescue Affiliation Agreement.

The next fiscal court meeting will be March 27, 2023 at 9 am.

Crews Worked Day and Night For Entire Week

Darren Doyle, story:
WRECC has reported that all power outages have been restored as of this afternoon after storms damaged the entire region last Friday, breaking nearly 400 utility poles with hundreds of trees and branches damaging power lines everywhere.

The Nolin Lake area in Edmonson County was without power the longest, with many having to wait until today for restoration.

More than 50 additional crews came to help with the huge undertaking of restoring more than 45,000 addresses with power over the past 7 days. Work has been going day and night since the storm.

"Warren RECC is pleased to report that as of 4:00 p.m., our crews have completed restoration efforts," said WRECC Director of Communications Kim Phelps in a press release. "All known outages that can be restored related to this past weekend’s storm have been restored. If you are still without power at this time, please report it to one of our outage lines: In Warren County call 270-843-9710. Outside Warren County, call 1-888-604-4321."
 
She also said that with storm outages restored, the focus is now on clean-up efforts. According to WRECC, if you have debris from the restoration (such as poles or wires) left on your property, they will be back to clear that area.
 
"We would like to remind all our members that spring is right-of-way clearing time. As we have just seen, trees and power lines are not a good mix. Please be patient in the coming months as right of way crews work in your area."
 
For the most up to date information on Warren RECC including outages, community notifications, and general information, follow WRECC on social media or visit at www.wrecc.com. 

Edmonson Voice Report:
A Brownsville man received a hefty payout after his Pick 4 numbers were drawn during Sunday’s midday drawing, netting him $115,600.  
 
James Payton Jr. said he plays the Kentucky Lottery’s Pick 4 game daily, usually playing the month and day he was born (0-9-1-2) as his numbers.
 
Just minutes after purchasing the ticket from BP Fastrac on Nashville Road in Bowling Green, he found out there’s was a big win coming his way.

Payton Jr. was with his girlfriend when he pulled the Pick 4 numbers up on his phone. 
 
“I saw my numbers and told her, ‘I think I just won $140,000,’” he said. “I had just been saying to her, you have to play to win.”
 
While he may have miscalculated his winnings at first, he still won $115,600. Payton Jr. went on to mention his girlfriend doesn’t play the lottery but decided to purchase a Scratch-off ticket and won $60.  
 
“She was excited about winning and wasn’t too happy with me stealing her thunder,” Payton Jr. said jokingly. 
 
The Edmonson County man drove to lottery headquarters Monday where he received $82,654 after taxes.  He told lottery officials the money will go towards purchasing a van for his general contracting business. 
 
BP Fastrac will receive $1,156 for selling the winning ticket.

Darren Doyle, story:
The Edmonson County Judge/Executive's Office has announced that disaster relief may be available to residents of Edmonson County.

Judge/Executive Scott Lindsey said there is a possibility that FEMA could help county residents with expenses related to damage as a result of last Friday's storms.

"The county has already met our damage threshold cost for FEMA assistance, so we are trying to assist our community members with any help that we can help them get," he said.

The following information must be submitted to Edmonson County Emergency Management Director Terry "Moose" Massey:

For those with other questions, they can call the Judge/Executive's office at 270-597-2819.

Darren Doyle, story:
Most of the remaining customers without power in the WRECC service area are in Edmonson County, near the Nolin Lake area. Crews restored power to approximately 1,000 customers around the lake yesterday and are working continuously to complete the restoration.

WRECC released the following update at 9:30 this morning:

Darren Doyle, story:
Edmonson County Schools will operate on a one-hour delay Tuesday, March 7th, according to Supt. of Schools Brian Alexander.

He said that while there are still some power outages throughout the county, the delay gives those who catch the bus in very early hours a chance for full daylight to be out, allowing better sight for safety.

The school system has a list of roads where buses cannot travel, but Alexander said schools will make every provision possible to accommodate them.

"We know this is inconvenient for some families and we want to try our best to better those inconveniences if at all possible," he said. "If you can't make it to school tomorrow, we're going to be very lenient on our excuse policy tomorrow. We also encourage you to call your school if you have specific needs with which we can help you; we want to utilize our Family Resource and Youth Services Centers to help with anything they can."

Alexander said the current list of roads where buses cannot travel includes:

• Nolin Church Road
• Laurel Ridge Road
• Buzzard Roost Road
• F.D. Meredith Road
• Matt Minton Road

"We feel like going back to school is the best for the majority of students tomorrow, even with a one-hour delay," he said. "Again, we understand there will be some that need assistance or simply can't make it and we will do our best to help you."

As of this afternoon, WRECC reported that there approximately 8,000 customers still without power. According to the outage map, there are still about 2,000 customers in Edmonson County without.

WRECC released the following update at 9:43AM on Monday, March 6th:

Warren RECC staff and crews continue to work alongside visiting crews to fully restore power to our members. As of 9:30 a.m., we have approximately 8,700 members still without power.
 
At this time, our goal is to complete the vast majority of the restoration by the end of the week. In the most severely damaged areas, some restoration efforts may last through the weekend. We have restored transmission outages and the largest distribution outages. We now move to restoring single lines, roads, neighborhoods, and individual houses. This restoration work will be slower, and we ask for your patience. Be assured we are working around the clock to get power restored as soon as possible. We have continued to receive additional crews throughout the weekend. We currently have over 50 additional crews aiding us in our effort.
 
Once again, we would like to remind everyone to avoid work areas and downed power lines. We want to keep everyone as safe as possible during our restoration efforts. 
 
We will continue to provide updates as information becomes available. Please remember to stay away from downed power lines. If you see a downed power line, please report it to one of our outage lines: In Warren County call 270-843-9710. Outside Warren County, call 1-888-604-4321.
 
To see current outages, visit www.wrecc.com and click the “Current Outages” icon.

Darren Doyle, story:
The man killed when a tree fell on his residence on Friday has been identified, according to a family member.

Dakota Davis, age 23, was killed Friday when a tree fell on his apartment behind the home of his grandmother on Rocky Hill Road, Penny Mills Huddleston.

Ms. Huddelston gave a statement to the Edmonson Voice with information concerning the incident.

"(Friday), the winds had somewhat calmed down, then out of nowhere a loud roar and a huge boom happened, my mobile home shook my pictures fell off the wall," she said. "I made it to my laundry room and seen the tree was down, I couldn’t open my door because the tree was on my deck and on Dakota's building. We jumped out the front and ran around but the tree was so large we couldn’t do anything."

Officials said the tree crushed the small apartment and Davis was killed inside. The coroner's report on Friday night stated that Davis was 24 years old, however, Ms. Huddleston corrected that and stated he was 23.

She said that while she is his biological grandmother, she had raised him since he was 3 weeks old.

"He would give anyone the shirt off his back," she stated. "Always wanting a hug, and man could he talk, he never met a stranger. He was autistic and an  avid gamer, I was by blood his grandmother but I have had Dakota since he was 3 weeks old. I am going to miss him so much."

Darren Doyle, story:
Edmonson County Schools will be closed Monday, March 6, 2023 as a result of power outages and storm damage throughout the county.

"In addition to the many trees down and other damage the county has seen, our latest reports show that more than 3,000 Edmonson County residents are still without power," said Brian Alexander, Superintendent of Edmonson County Schools. "Not only that, there are several low-hanging power lines along our bus routes that we don't feel comfortable for the safety of our students for transportation. There are also several hazards remaining at many bus stop locations."

WRECC has been joined by crews from as far as Florida to help restore power to the region and have been working nonstop since Friday’s storms. Kim Phelps, Senior Communications Director for WRECC, released an update early today.

The statement read as follows:

"Warren RECC staff and crews continue to work alongside visiting crews to fully restore power to our members. As of 3:30 p.m., we have approximately 14,700 members still without power.  

With the assistance of additional crews on the ground today, we have been able to make good progress on our restoration plan. At this point, we have 541 outages. We continue to ask for patience as we restore the remaining areas. We are working around the clock to get power restored as soon as possible.
 
Once again, we would like to remind everyone to avoid work areas. We want to keep everyone as safe as possible during our restoration efforts. 
 
We will continue to provide updates as information becomes available. Please remember to stay away from downed power lines. If you see a downed power line, please report it to one of our outage lines: In Warren County call 270-843-9710. Outside Warren County, call 1-888-604-4321."

The day off from school will NOT be an NTI day. Supt. Alexander said without power and internet service, student's ability to do school work tomorrow would be severely hindered.

"Safety is always our main concern and the school board and I believe the safe thing is to close on Monday," said Alexander.

Darren Doyle, story:
Edmonson County Coroner Brentley Esters has confirmed that an Edmonson County man has died as a result of a fallen tree during severe storms today.

The man's name has not been released pending family notification but Esters said the man was 24* years old. He also said a large tree fell on the man's residence this afternoon and he died from injuries sustained in the incident.

Rocky Hill Road remains closed as a large tree has fallen over the roadway and is entwined in a fallen power line. Rescue crews cannot remove the tree until WRECC is able to deal with the power lines. WRECC is working at full capacity with over 30,000 of their customers currently without power. According to the KY Electric Cooperatives, about 278,000 Kentuckians are without power tonight. Around 2,000 Edmonson County residents are still without power, with the Windyville/Segal and Wingfield Communities having the most outages reported.

"Crews are working to assess damage and will continue to work until all outages are restored," said WRECC Communications Director Kim Phelps. "We have requested additional assistance from contract crews and other electric utilities. Based on our early assessment, we expect this to be a multi-day restoration event."

*CORRECTION: The man killed in the incident was reported as 24 years-old by the Edmonson County Coroner; however, the man's grandmother released his name and correct age to the Edmonson Voice, She stated he was 23 years old.

Roads remain closed all over the county as all county fire departments work to clear trees and debris from roadways.

We have received messages and reports of trees down and other damages in virtually every portion of the county today.

Fire Departments, local law enforcement, EMS, state and county road crews, and volunteers are still working to clear debris all over the county. Officials are asking everyone to stay home if possible as several power and communication lines are down on or near roadways. Local dispatch is also working at full capacity, trying to sort through the tons of emergency calls coming in. 

High winds are expected to continue until about 9PM tonight, according to the latest forecast.

Mammoth Cave National Park and Green River Ferry closed today due to wind damage. The park also announced they will be closed tomorrow. 

The Cabin Fever Bass Tournament on Nolin Lake that was scheduled for tomorrow has also been canceled. The Princess Tea Party event at Edmonson County High School is still scheduled to take place.

Edmonson County Schools will be closed today, March 3, 2023 due to potential severe weather.

“With the predicted winds that are predicted today we do not feel safe putting buses on the road,” said Supt. Alexander.

It be an NTI day.

An Edmonson County Grand Jury recently returned the following indictments.

Tina Jo Firestein-Decker: Theft by unlawful taking of property valued at $1,000 but less than $10,000.

Dustin Joshua Hunt: Fraudulent use of credit/debit card valued at $1,000 or more but less than $10,000.

Christopher James Jarvis JR.: Bail jumping - first degree.

John Christopher Mounce: Failure to comply with sex offender registration- first offense.

Verlon Dale Harder: Strangulation - first degree, Fleeing or evading police - first degree, Operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicants second offense within 10 years (aggravated), Assault - fourth degree, Reckless driving, Speeding.

Leslie Nicole Keuvelarr: Possession of a controlled substance - first degree, Possession of drug paraphernalia, Possession of marijuana.

Keaton Allen Webb: Trafficking of a controlled substance - first degree (fentynal), Possession of a controlled substance - first degree, Persistent felony offender - 1st degree.

Jeremy Thomas Anthony: Possession of a controlled substance - first degree, Possession of drug paraphernalia, Possession of marijuana, Operating on a suspended or revoked operator's license, Failure of owner to maintain required insurance first offense, No or expired registration plate.

Rebecca Diana Meredith: Possession of a controlled substance - first degree, Possession of drug paraphernalia.

Michael David Johnson: Criminal mischief - first degree, Operating on a suspended or revoked operator's license, Failure to produce insurance card, No or expired registration plate, No or expired registration receipt, Improper equipment, Failure to wear seatbelt.

Cody William Johnson: Criminal mischief - first degree.

Kristen Lynise Matthews: Criminal mischief - first degree, Resisting arrest.

Note: An indictment is only a formal charge and is not an admission of guilt. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. ​