Darren Doyle, story:
Multiple weapons were recently discovered at the Mouth of Bear Creek near the Green River on Sunday afternoon, August 25, 2024, according to Edmonson County Sheriff's Deputy Truman Waddell.

Dep. Waddell said the weapons were discovered by local residents and turned them in to the sheriff's office. Water levels in the Green River are considerably lower due to the dam removal project in Roundhill, in addition to hot, dry conditions.

Waddell said they are currently in process of obtaining the serial numbers of each weapon, which are in poor condition, and running them through databases to see if they are connected with any crimes.

He asked the public to contact law enforcement should anyone discover additional weapons in the waterways.

Darren Doyle, story:
Edmonson County Schools are taking extra precaution during this week's short run of high temperatures and humidity, according to Superintendent of Schools Brian Alexander.

"I know several parents have asked questions as to how we handle situations like this and we always put the safety of our students and staff first," he said."

Alexander said that afternoon activities outside are heavily monitored and postponed if needed. In addition, all bus riders are provided water during the stretch of heat.

"We have also invested in filtered, purified water filling stations in all schools so that our kids have access to clean drinking water at all times."

Several local sporting events have been rescheduled due to the heat, as per KHSAA regulations.

ECHS Athletic Director Kyle Pierce said temperature and humidity levels are monitored in real time and practice and game activities can be modified on the fly.

According to meteorologist Landon Hampton of WxorNotBG, the Edmonson Voice forecast this morning called for potentially the hottest temperatures of the year for the next two days, with highs being right at or even over 100*. High humidity levels will increase the heat index to well over 100* as well.

The following executive order was received from the Edmonson County Judge/Executive's Office today regarding an emergency burn ban:

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
The Edmonson County Public Library says their rapid growth over the past year is now requiring more space in order to properly administer the Library programs. It's space that they say they already own, but those volunteering at the Edmonson County Senior Center say otherwise. However, the Library says they have the documentation and a plan that explains it all.

The Library Board recently voted not to renew the lease agreement with Community Action of Southern Kentucky, (CASOKY), located in Bowling Green, which provides the funding for the local Senior Center. CASOKY serves a 10-county area that includes Edmonson, Butler, Hart, Logan, Simpson, Warren, Allen, Barren, Metcalfe, and Monroe Counties. The current lease will be complete at the end of this calendar year.

We reached out to local Senior Center director Marlene Webb about the situation but she directed us to her superior, Director of Community Action, Carla Brown. Calls to Ms. Brown were unanswered and a voicemail was not returned. Calls were also made to Kathy Fugate, listed as Senior Center Program Director for Community Action, which also went unanswered and un-returned.

We received a call yesterday from Rhonda Gipson, who said she had been a volunteer at the Edmonson County Senior Center for the last two years who wished to share her comments with us on the matter. She said the Senior Center was notified two months ago that the lease was being renegotiated. She said they later found out the lease was being terminated and they would have to be out by December 31st.

"We realized after we started talking about it, we realized (former) Judge (Executive) N.E. Reed had donated the building and dedicated it to the Senior Center and the Public Library," she said.

She said that Raymond Durbin, Chairman of the Library Board, told them that they needed Senior Center space for storage and even if they paid $1,000 per month, it wouldn't matter.

She spoke at today's public meeting at the library and said much of the same thing she told us on the phone yesterday.

In the documents we obtained, it is clear that the property and entire building were deeded to the Edmonson County Public Library Service Corporation of Brownsville, Kentucky on October 19, 2009 from Edmonson County government. Nowhere in the deed is the Senior Center or other entity listed. The deed was signed by then Judge Executive N.E. Reed and former Library Board Chairman Bob Kleire.

Current Edmonson County Judge Executive Scott Lindsey spoke at today's public meeting and said the Fiscal Court has no authority to act, since the Library owns the property and building, and can choose whether or not to renew the lease agreement made with Community Action of Southern Kentucky.

Lindsey confirmed in today's meeting that the building was dedicated in 2008 and the first lease was signed with Community Action in 2010, which was a three-year, renewable lease, and other than a few minor details, has gone unchanged up until now.

Community Action has only been required to pay 20% of the total utility bill each month for the use of the center. Rhonda Gipson said in today's meeting that the seniors should have never had to pay anything, since the building was dedicated to them when built. According to the Library's numbers, Community Action has paid an average of $225 per month for the use of the building dating back to 2016.

"In 2009, this entire building was signed over to the Edmonson County Public Library Board," Judge Lindsey said. "I wasn't here. I'll be honest with you, until I started doing research, I thought the Senior Center owned the senior part of it, I had no idea. But that's not the case, according to the deed."

Lindsey said he is trying to find the exact trail of the grant funding that went into the original project, which cost around $1.7M to build, but so far, none of the known grant language indicates anything other than funding earmarked for a library and tech center.

"I want what's best for everybody. I'm not pro-one or the other," Lindsey said. He said prior to becoming judge, he worked 14 years in senior care and that seniors are a big part of who he is.

Community Action faced a similar situation with the Head Start Program in Edmonson County in 2017. They had a similar agreement with the county for the use of the Community Center and Gym, also for a percentage of utilities. That equaled around $300/mo.

Then Judge/Executive Wil Cannon said the county needed the space for office use and storage, and the playground area was not a good fit with the courthouse being in close proximity. We also attempted contacting Community Action at that time about the lease agreement but got no response.

According to the property owners of the Main Street Center where Head Start relocated, Community Action of Southern KY now pays $2,225 per month for rent.

In an interview with Mr. Raymond Durbin yesterday, Durbin said neither he nor the library board were against seniors.

"I'm 77 years old. I am a senior and I'm probably older than most of the people that are in the senior programs, but I want them to have a permanent home so that they don't have to be moved around again," he said. "This isn't about getting rid of the seniors. Our library programs are growing so fast that we can't keep up, and that credit goes to our new director, Alicia Edwards and her staff. What they're doing is amazing."

Durbin then provided statistics on the programs facilitated at the library over the past year. In a written report, it showed that school-aged programs had a 400% increase in participation since the previous year, along with a 367% increase in adult programming, and a 100% increase in infant, toddler, and preschool programs.

"There's just some misinformation out there, unfortunately," he said. "We never told anyone we need the space used by the seniors for storage. We need it for children's programs. My heart leans towards children because they are the future, and so many of our programs are for children."

Durbin, a decorated Vietnam veteran, is a volunteer at South Edmonson Elementary. He has been the recipient of many awards and recognitions for his veteran and volunteer service, including Edmonson County Chamber of Commerce Volunteer of the Year in 2021.

"Again, we are not against seniors," he said. "At the time, N.E. Reed thought this was good spot for the seniors, but needs change and now it's time for the seniors to have a home of their own somewhere else. N.E. and I were very good friends. We were classmates and I ate breakfast with him on the morning he passed away. We were close."

He said the library has a 5-year expansion plan and they are currently working with an architect to explore all options.

One point where he wanted to be clear is that county taxpayers pay a specific library tax on each year's property tax bills. He says that money should only be used for library programs.

"Part of our federal and state taxes go to fund things like Community Action. Are they trying to find a home for the seniors? It isn't fair for taxpayers to pay a library tax and part of it go to other programs while they already pay taxes that are going to fund Community Action."

The current library tax rate for Edmonson County is 7.1 cents per every $100 in property value.

No one from Community Action attended today's meeting. Ms. Gipson also told us yesterday on the phone that we probably wouldn't be able to reach anyone from Community Action as several of them were in Seattle for a work trip.

Gipson said a petition has been circulated for those looking to keep the Senior Center at the Library building. At today's meeting, she said over 600 signatures had been obtained for the petition.

The center provides various programs and interaction with the seniors, including meals during the week. They also have a van offered for senior programs and food deliveries, as well as a commodity program for those over age 60. The center is run by mostly local volunteers. Ms. Gipson was very passionate in her remarks to the library board today on behalf of the seniors and received a round of applause at the conclusion of her time.

Questions still remain unanswered as to where Community Action stands on the matter. In their 2023 annual report, they showed a total revenue of nearly $21M, with approximately $15M of that coming from federal and state funding. That of course is for the entire 10-county area.

According to their 2022 tax return (form 990) CASOKY listed receipts of over $18M with over $10M being spent on salaries and benefits.

The largest portion of their received funding, according to their annual report, was at the federal level and appropriated for Head Start and Health and Human Services. No specific financial info was available for Senior Centers, but it showed $663K appropriated for senior citizens. The report did not break down how their funding is spent across the board.

About three dozen attended today's meeting. Durbin told everyone they could stay for the rest of the meeting after the Senior Center discussion ended, but most everyone left.

Durbin confirmed that the board voted to not renew the lease with CASOKY in May of this year after attempts to renegotiate the lease with them went ignored. He said they also voted that Community Action would not have to pay any more rent for the remainder of 2024 for the Senior Center while they search for a new home.

Durbin said that the Library building was a perfect place for the Senior Center when the facility was first built because it was huge in comparison with the original library, now the home of the Heritage Centre on Washington Street, and the new library didn't need all the available space at that time. He said the library's needs have changed drastically since then, which has prompted this action.

"We have no ill will against our seniors and wish them the very best," he said.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
It might be ugly, but the water supply for Edmonson County is safe for now, according to an update from Edmonson County Water District General Manager Kevin Shaw.

The dam removal of Lock number 5 in Roundhill resumed in July after being halted for two years, after the water supply for Edmonson County became endangered. The Water District pleaded with lawmakers to do something to stop or slow down the dam removal until emergency measures were put in place. 

According to local lawmakers, Congress approved the dam removal, along with Lock no. 6 in Brownsville, based on engineers' estimations that turned out to be grossly incorrect.

The experts bragged about the dam removals bringing the river back to its natural flow and better conservation to wildlife and plant life, while keeping the water supply safe for the Edmonson County Water District. That flow caused sediment build up on the bottom of the river, and as the level of the river has dropped, the sediment is caused the bottom of the river to come up, for a double danger of water depth for the Water District.

In July of this year, the Water District installed an industrial pump near the water treatment plant in Brownsville which would be used to pump water from a much shallower depth than the current intake system in to the plant.

Shaw said the pump has not been used yet, despite the shallowing waters in the Green.

"So far we are getting by just fine," Shaw told the Edmonson Voice. "The pump is ready if we need it.  Right now I feel like we may make it through this year without big troubles."

The boat ramp in Brownsville is currently useless as water trickles near the Brownsville Bridge where it was at a deep, comfortable depth just a few years ago. However, Edmonson County Tourism Director Vanessa Ulm said one local business owner had an interesting take on the current situation.

Ulm said that according to Joel Davis, owner of Green River Canoeing and Kayaking,  there are two small rapids between the old Lock no. 6 location and the Brownsville boat ramp.

"They are a lot of fun, if they could just fix a path through the old Lock 6 because we're still hitting rocks there. If we could get that fixed then we would be on the map," Davis said.

Ulm also said she had seen several social media posts regarding the current state of the river.

"I've seen the pictures circulating social media of the debris and how unattractive it makes the Green River look if you're padding through," she said. "My hope is that the Corp of Engineers has a plan to remove debris now that the water is low enough to expose it."

Darren Doyle, story:
​A Wingfield man found dead in connection with a shooting incident early this morning, according to Kentucky State Police.

​Troopers were requested to respond to 656 The Bridge Road by the Edmonson County Sheriff's Office to the report of a deceased elderly man at approximately 12:30AM.

Ernest Cline, (83) was found dead at his residence, KSP stated. Limited details were available by police in the incident, which is still under investigation. KSP did confirm to the Edmonson Voice that a shooting had taken place.

Damien Worrell (18) of Bowling Green was arrested in connection with the incident. According to the Hart County Jail, he was charged with Murder, and Robbery-first degree. He is being held without bond.

No further details were available.

Click the ad to email your resume:

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
A structure fire caused considerable damage on a Brownsville mobile home on Thursday afternoon, August 15, 2024.

Emergency personnel responded to the scene of the fire on B Street in Brownsville, located just off Vincent Street, near the ECHS baseball field around 3:30PM.

While no flames were showing outside of the structure, the fire seemed to have started somewhere in the crawlspace and caused heavy smoke damage throughout the home.

One man at the scene said no one lived in the structure at the time but he had been interested in purchasing the property.

It was unclear whether the structure would be salvageable or not.

Responding to the scene were the Brownsville, Chalybeate, Kyrock, and Wingfield Fire Departments, Edmonson County Emergency Management, and the Edmonson County Sheriff's Office.

Darren Doyle, story and photo:
Buses were out, drop off lines were steady, and many students were all smiles this morning as Edmonson County Schools resumed class today, marking the first day of school for the 2024-25 school year.

Both Kyrock Elementary and Edmonson County Middle School have new principals this year, Mrs. Brandy Meredith and Mr. Ben Gray, respectively.

Other principals include Jonathan Williams at Edmonson County High, Charla Caudill at the Edmonson County 5/6 Center, and Josh Long at South Edmonson Elementary.

Superintendent of Schools Brian Alexander said that the first day of school is always exciting for both the school system and students.

“Our schools have worked hard throughout the summer to provide a great experience for our students," he said. "We are striving for improvement in every area. If your child hasn’t joined us yet, please give us the opportunity to work with your family for a great educational experience.”

Click here for the full Edmonson County School calendar.

Darren Doyle, story:
Tax rates are going down in Edmonson County after magistrates voted to drop the current rate of 13.2 cents per $100K in assessed value down to 12.6 cents.

The vote came during Monday's regular Fiscal Court meeting.

For Edmonson County taxpayers, this rate is only one of eight categories on Edmonson property tax bills, which also include taxes for State, School, Library, Ambulance, the Extension Office, Health Dept., and the Conservation District, with some also having Big Reedy Watershed Conservancy. Property tax bills also contain local fire dues by default, which a taxpayer can choose to have removed.

All tax rates are set by their respective offices, and acknowledged by the Fiscal Court. For 2024, the only rate that changed was the county rate, with all other rates staying the same.

A public comment hearing was held prior to the start of yesterday's regular meeting, however, no one from the public attended.

County tax rates have either dropped or remained the same in Edmonson County for the past several years. The rate was 13.9 from 2016 - 2020, then dropped to 13.8 in 2021, dropped again in 2022 to 13.7, then again to 13.2 last year.

The only other item on the agenda with discussion was county ordinance EC 19-27, which lists the guidelines for a private road being adopted into the county road system. District 2 Magistrate T.J. Massey said the residents of Fairview Court, located off Brownsville Road near Fairview United Baptist Church, have inquired about their road, which is currently privately owned.

In addition, the original owner is deceased and the owner's spouse does not want ownership anymore. Massey said there are about 15 residents on the road now and he felt it was worthy to re-examine the ordinance, as the way it is currently written, the road does not qualify to be adopted into the county system.

A committee was formed to address the issue, which included Massey, District 3 Magistrate Anthony Hennion, District 4 Magistrate Mickey Johnson, County Attorney Adam Turner, and possibly a member of the Edmonson County Planning Commission.

Besides a few family members of meeting participants, no one attended last night's meeting besides the court itself, county employees, and media.

Darren Doyle, story:
A Morgantown man was killed in a two-vehicle collision last night in Butler County.

According to Kentucky State Police, troopers responded to Russellville Road in Butler County around 9PM on Monday, August 12th. KSP stated that a red 1995 Jeep Wrangler operated by Johnathon Williams, 37, of Morgantown was traveling southbound on Russellville Road. Williams was attempting to make a left turn on to Eric Young Road when his vehicle was struck by a black 2001 Harley Davidson motorcycle operated by Lincoln Schweizer, 49, of Morgatown, police said. Schweizer was pronounced deceased on the scene by the Butler County Coroner's Office. 

The investigation is being led by Detective Bo Hubbard.  He was assisted at the scene by Butler County Sheriff's Office, Butler County EMS, Butler County Coroner's Office and other KSP personnel. 

Darren Doyle, story:
Superintendent of Edmonson County Schools Brian Alexander has released information regarding the start of the 2024-25 school year.

"We're looking forward to having your children in our schools for the 2024-25 school year," he stated. "We are working hard in all facets of education to make your child's experience with our schools a positive one."

He provided the following page with central office and individual school information, as well as special programs and services offered throughout the district.

Bus Routes
Alexander said if parents have any questions concerning their child's bus route, please call the Bus Garage at (270) 597-2172. He also said that bus routes change with new stops from one school year to the next, but times in the morning will be approximately 5 minutes later than last year.

"This is an exciting time for Edmonson County Schools.  The next few years will have changes and improvements unlike any time in the history of our school district. We're looking forward to seeing our school district grow. Please come be a part of us and grow with us," he said.

Darren Doyle, story: Photo courtesy of VFW Post 6937
Brownsville Police Officer Austin Meredith was awarded VFW Kentucky Police Officer of the Year last night at a reception at Tayvin Gardens in Chalybeate.

The plaque was presented by Brownsville Police Chief Jeremy Hodges and the certificate was presented by recent past State VFW Commander Edwin Vincent. 

According to a press release from VFW Chapter 6937, Officer Meredith was involved with a criminal pursuit that ranged far and wide across the county on March 30, 2023. During the incident, he was directly engaged for 35 minutes where he was almost run over, shot at to the point of his cruiser becoming inoperable as a result of direct gunfire damage, with several bullets narrowly missing him.

Instead of giving up, he radioed a nearby county deputy to pick him up and together they continued the pursuit, under fire, until its conclusion.  Officer Meredith was noted for his bravery and tenacity in the face of sustained fire, the VFW stated. 

Officer Meredith said he first learned in April that he would be the recipient of the award and that he felt undeserving of the honor. 

"I just want to thank the VFW for their consideration," Meredith told the Edmonson Voice. "Those men have done more for our country and community than we could ever repay them for. I also want to thank Chief Jeremy Hodges and Officer Clay Deweese. During the event that occurred on March 30, 2023, those men were doing everything they could to get to me. It makes the job a lot easier knowing you have men you trust on their way to help you.  I want to thank my wife Hilary for the sacrifice she makes being a law enforcement officer's wife, a title that doesn’t get the credit it deserves. I also want to thank God for watching over all of us that night.”

Brownsville VFW Chapter 6937 said Meredith was originally nominated by Chief Hodges to receive the award at the local level, but notoriety of Meredith's work soon spread across the state. 

"It continued up to state headquarters where his package was chosen from among the other 120 VFW Post nominations, and from among the 5,000 law enforcement officers in Kentucky," the VFW said in a released statement. 

"Austin is credited with over 70 narcotics arrests, and is highly visible throughout his shifts, whether providing additional security for high school ball games or participating in traffic enforcement.  He is well known in the community and well respected, treating others the way he would like to be treated."

In 2021, then Deputy Meredith was decorated with the Medal Of Valor in a separate deadly force encounter."

Darren Doyle, story:
If you're an Edmonson County resident and haven't renewed your driver's license or attempted to get a Real ID since November 29, 2021, prepare for a possible long and frustrating day, according to nearly all the 20 different folks that shared their bad experiences with us.

The good ol' days of strolling into our Edmonson County Circuit Court Clerk's Office in the Brownsville Courthouse to renew driver's licenses are a thing of the past, thanks to the folks in Frankfort that decided regional offices were better suited to complete these tasks.

This decision was completely made at the state level with a majority of circuit court clerks agreeing, although our local clerk at the time said she was not in favor. The state claimed that this was so local court offices could focus strictly on court matters, not driver testing or licenses.

I have yet to have the privilege of renewing my license but will tackle the mission sometime next year, however, my wife Debbie was the first to share her experience with me when she had to attempt a walk-in session last Saturday. The reason she had to choose a walk-in was because she didn't realize her license was expiring in two days. She mistakenly thought she had another month.

Even if she'd had another month, she wouldn't have been able to make an appointment, as they are booked two months in advance. That's what happens when you have one office with about the same amount of staff as a local circuit clerk's office, except instead of serving a population of 12,000 in Edmonson County, now you are looking at catering to a population of nearly 250,000, as the Warren County Office now serves Allen, Barren Butler, Edmonson, Simpson, and Warren counties.

Her experience was this: she arrived on a Saturday morning right around 8AM (when the office opens) to see that the office is actually on the 7th Avenue side of Stadium Park Plaza, not 8th Avenue as the address is listed. She could see a line of people out the door. Most of them arriving nearly 30 minutes or more before opening, according to those in line.

She said there was no one to guide people in line, direct them where they needed to go, or answer any questions, and that there wasn't really a line, it was just a jumbled mess of confused people from all six counties.

She also said she witnessed several rude interactions between the office staff and patrons with one staff member yelling at an older lady to "step back please!" when she leaned over to hear her more clearly. While it's likely the staff member was frustrated with her situation, I've never heard of anyone getting yelled at, at the Edmonson County Circuit Court's Office. In fact, it has always been the opposite, with some sweet lady greeting me with "Hi, hun, how can we help today? How's your mom?"

Ah, the good ol' days.

It took Debbie 3.5 hours to get her Real ID and renewal. She said everyone there was either rude or very short with her and others, and she was part of the last five patrons who were accepted that day. All the others after her were turned away. While she was not happy with the entire experience, she assumed it was because she waited until the last minute, along with about 300 other folks.

She said one staff member was actually sitting behind the counter making paper clip necklaces.

Her ordeal is what prompted me to reach out to the public and ask for other experiences. We posted a request on our Facebook Page last week for anyone that wanted to share their experiences to please message us so we could conduct interviews. We did not indicate we were looking for neither bad nor good experiences, just for the public to share their thoughts on the new system.

Boy, did we quickly get responses. We had to disable comments on our FB Page because instead of direct messages, everyone was simply commenting on the post and several of them were profanity-laced. Karen King from Wingfield was one of the first to message us.

"I had to make an appointment online and had to make sure I went through the lists of all things necessary to get the ID and take with me," she said. "I get there, there’s a line of people that stretches out of the building and into the parking structure. Once I’m called, the woman working with me did not speak good English, so it was hard to understand what she was saying. Was not a great experience, but I thought about the many elderly that don’t have computer accessibility or know how to make an appointment, plus the drive into BG, plus the lines…just seems it has complicated things for many people."

When asked how it compared to being able to do it locally in Brownsville, her reply was simply "It was a disaster."

Kim Ray, from Segal, said it took three hours for her, despite the fact she actually had an appointment.

"I made an appointment 3 weeks before time for my license to expire, arrived 30 mins before with all the required documents, arrived to a line, they had a very nice man asking what each person was their for, he showed us where the appointment line was, we waited in that line for approximately 45 mins just to have your paper work verified, then you were put in a que to see an actual person that processed your license, 3 hours later even having an appointment!"

Elizabeth Miller, who lived in Brownsville at the time of her renewal, also said her appointment was not honored.

"My license expired in November. I made my appointment in October, and it was for the first week in November," she said. "When I arrived, there was already a line and when I tried to explain I had made an appointment in advance, I was still told to join the line anyway. I received a piece of paper that was essentially a receipt of my payment for the new ID. I thankfully was never pulled over. When I went to update Information at my child's school and my own doctors appointments, they said they couldn't accept the receipt. I ended up receiving my ID right after New Years."

She said she was not given a temporary license like others said they received, including Debbie, and her license expired before her new one arrived in the mail.

The worst experience we heard was from John Lindsey of Smiths Grove. He said he lost an entire Bahamas cruise as a result of an error with office.

"My wife, son and I had the real IDs made. Firstly the people aren’t friendly, secondly they messed up on the expiration date on my wife’s and prevented her/us from boarding a ship to the Bahamas, resulting in a complete loss of our money," John said.

He explained that the office printed the wrong expiration date on their new IDs, one that had already passed and they didn't catch it at the time. Upon BOARDING THE SHIP is when it was discovered, and the cruiseline simply would not allow her to board the ship!

While the office did not print the wrong date on purpose, there was nothing the family could do at that moment, despite calling the office and the local sheriff.

"They transferred the expiration date from her driver's license to her Real ID instead of a renewal date. My son's and mine were correct," he said. Lindsey said the office did not offer to help in any way, other than to fix the date on the ID, which would have to be done in person.

We called the Bowling Green office in an attempt to ask about these negative experiences and the botched vacation, but as you might expect, there was no one to answer the call. We received a recorded message that listed the website and email address to make appointments or ask questions, which was not easy to follow, even for a tech savvy person, or we could leave a voicemail and someone would return our call within two business days. Yes, two days.

We then emailed the address given and I listed most all the major complaints from those that shared with us and asked for their responses to those complaints. I also asked about the lost vacation. I received a response from Mrs. Naitore Djigbenou, who was listed as the Executive Director of the Office of Public Affairs for the KY Transportation Cabinet, who said she would be unable to meet the deadline I gave her, which was just shy of 48hrs. I told her I could possibly push the deadline back (noon today) and so she sent her comments late.

"Our goal is to efficiently serve Kentuckians' licensing needs while being committed to continuous improvement to offer all guests a quality experience at our offices," she said in an email. "While walk-in customers are always welcome, Kentuckians are encouraged to schedule appointments online or renew online or by mail whenever possible to save time.  Our staff does their best to honor appointments, but there are cases where the length of time may be extended to ensure we serve every customer's unique needs. Kentuckians may visit any of our 33 regional offices, and in some cases, they can skip a trip to an office altogether by choosing to renew online or by mail. We recently added additional seating at the Bowling Green location and are in the process of filling a vacant supervisor position."

She continued with some additional background.

"Kentucky's HB 453 passed in 2020, transferring licensing responsibilities to the Transportation Cabinet. This shift of licensing services from Circuit Court Clerks to the Transportation Cabinet allows the process to be modernized by offering online appointment scheduling, online and mail-in driver licensing renewal, and the option between a REAL ID or standard card version. For counties that don't have a regional office, pop-up driver licensing is offered periodically throughout the year for citizens to request a credential within their home county. Additionally, we've doubled the lifespan of cards so Kentuckians can now choose a card valid for four or eight years- reducing the number of visits needed to a regional office."

All that is of course, 100% true, but issues like those not able to travel during the work week outside of the county, those that have trouble using technology (elderly), and not having enough staff to regularly handle the number of people overshadow the positives that the Commonwealth is attempting to achieve.

She also clarified the issue with John Lindsey's cruise, but she gave information about John's specific license, not his wife's, who John said had the error on it. Full disclosure, I did not give her Mr. Lindsey's wife's name when I first asked, only John's.

Her email stated the following: "Kentuckians may upgrade their standard license to a REAL ID version anytime for $15 but if they are not within six months of their expiration date, the new card will maintain their expiration date. Regarding Mr. Lindsey who went on the cruise, he was not within his renewal window when he requested a REAL ID in 2022 which is why his new REAL ID license maintained its original expiration date of April 9, 2024. He did not renew his license until July 2024."

We provided this statement to Mr. Lindsey who disagreed. He replied to us with: "That’s incorrect, my wife, son and I all got the Real ID at the same time. Mine and my son were correct, the only expiration date that transferred was my wife’s."

There were two residents that shared comments with us about positive experiences they had. Both Amanda Eicher, from Brownsville, and Nikki McGrew from Rocky Hill said everything went well for them.

"Our family has been twice. Once for an ID and another for a Real Id. We took the needed papers listed on the site and made an appointment," said McGrew. "We were in and out within 20 minutes. I will say that the line for those that do not have an appointment has always been on the longer side but they seemed to move rather quickly while we were there."

Amanda Eicher said while she would prefer a different design of the license, and would rather have it done in Brownsville, she had no issues.

"I had a great experience when I went to get my new license they was all very nice and helpful," she said. "I didn't have an appointment and I didn't have to wait very long but I got there when they opened."

Everyone else we spoke with described their times as "chaos," "a pain," "a bad decision," and "super frustrating."

You will need very specific documentation if you attempt to obtain a Real ID, which is a federal ID. Those requirements include:

• one (1) valid proof of identity
• one (1) valid proof of social security number and
• two (2) valid proofs of residency (dated less than 61 days for most documents).
• Additional documentation may be required if an applicant’s name or gender doesn’t match on the four proof documents (like a marriage certificate or divorce decree if your names don’t match due to marriage or divorce). Applicants may need to reorder documents if they do not display legal names (like a nickname printed on a social security card). A detailed list of acceptable documents is available on the Confident Kentucky website. The online IDocument Guide quiz provides a customized list of documents an applicant will need to present. Some acceptable documents have strict requirements (i.e., no photocopies of birth certificates, unexpired documents, non-laminated social security cards).

Anytime you see the DMV on TV shows and movies, you see terrible long lines of frustrated customers, rude, insensitive, and even incompetent staff workers. I never understood that because growing up in EC, it was never like that in Brownsville. Today, since the forced changes have taken place all over Kentucky, the DMV on screen has now become real life for many rural counties, including several residents of Edmonson County.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
Workers at Mammoth Cave National Park had a scare today when a tree fell on a power line and onto a 500 gallon propane tank that ignited when a valve was breached and ignited from the live wire.

The Park City Fire Department was requested to respond to the scene on Maintenance Road off of Mammoth Cave Parkway this morning around 6AM. Firefighters said when they arrived they saw where a large maple tree had fallen onto a power line. Both the tree and the live wire had landed on a 500 gallon propane tank that was 70% full at the time. Firefighters said the temperature of the tank had already reached over 600 degrees when they arrived.

Edmonson County Emergency Management Director Terry Massey, who responded soon after, said the breaching point for these types of tanks can be as low as 300 degrees, which could explode and level an area of 500 feet in all directions.

"You're talking about a possible mass explosion," Massey said. "Thankfully that didn't happen as Park City got here and started putting water on it to keep the temp down."

While the flames were not very large, it was temperature of the tank that was the issue. Massey said there was no way to shut off the gas because of the damage to the top of the tank.

The operation was very touch-and-go as the scene first unfolded. The tree was also on fire just outside a patch of woods, which was a hazard by itself. In addition, the broken power line was still live. Anyone working in the nearby office space was evacuated, according to those on scene.

According to Park City firefighters, Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company were the ones in charge of power at the MCNP location. The nearest personnel came from Elizabethtown and shut off the power but water had to be put on the tank as soon as possible to get the temperature of the tank down.

Once power was cut, firefighters then had to cut the tree off of the tank.

At around 5:30PM, Anthony Huff, Assistant Fire Chief at Park City said they had already put 15,000 to 20,000 gallons of water on the tank, which had been going on for nearly 12 hours. Two fire trucks were on scene, one belonging to MCNP, which is housed at Park City and in their care. That truck holds only 1000 gallons of water. 

"Luckily, there was hydrant right over there or we don't know what we'd do," said Massey.

Firefighters said Park City Mayor Larry Poteet brought breakfast for everyone this morning nd Massey's wife was bringing supper this evening.

Firefighters were still on scene as this article was being written. When asked how long they would have to stay, Massey replied:

"Until the gas runs out. That might be soon, it might not. Back several hours ago, the flow stopped a time or two and we all got excited but it shot right back up and here we are."

A request for a statement from park officials has not yet been returned.

No injuries were reported.