Edmonson Voice Staff

Food Service Director Amy Bullock reached out to the Edmonson Voice and has invited any parent to come try out a lunch for themselves. She said that the photos posted in our earlier story are isolated incidents and that Edmonson County Schools serve many nutritious and good-tasting meals. Contact your local schools for lunch scheduling information.

Edmonson Voice Staff

Thankfully no one was injured just moments ago when an IGA Semi Truck crashed into Larry Smith, 66, of Big Reedy. The accident happened one mile north of The Corner Market in Roundhill. Drivers may want to remain clear of the area until the roadway is cleared. Police and other authorities are currently on-scene. 

Darren Doyle, Edmonson Voice

Remember back in the day when you could count on the ol' square pizza on Fridays? Pizza, tossed salad, corn and a pudding pop made for a tasty treat back then. Greasy crinkled french fries? What about the baked ham, mashed potatoes and gravy along with those awesome yeast rolls? Man, that was good stuff. Well, that was then, this is now, and things are different. 

The Edmonson Voice has had several comments and suggestions from parents of Edmonson County students regarding school lunches, so we first reached out to Patrick Waddell, Superintendent of Edmonson County Schools. He pointed us to Amy Bullock, School Food Service Director, and she said there's much more to serving lunches today than there was twenty years ago. In 2010, the "Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act" was signed into effect by President Barack Obama, and according to Bullock, it's the reason that lunches are now so different. "Are meals better now than 20 years ago? I think it's a matter of perspective," she said. "Children are more sedentary now than when we were kids, they're burning a lot less calories than we did. Some of the changes that are being made to school meals are positive changes...but sometimes sudden changes aren't accepted very well."

She also said that each school's menus are created and approved by each cafeteria manager and herself, however, those decisions are governed with very strict federal guidelines. According to the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program, there are certain components that must be included in each meal. As Bullock explained some of the basic requirements, I quickly began to see how difficult it would be to keep track of the required components in one meal alone, much less an entire menu. When asked if the current system is too complicated, she said: "It's not that it's too complicated, but when something becomes government regulated, it can be overdone, and here, the restrictions and guidelines are not at their best."  Bullock pointed out that the intent of the regulations is to see that every child is fed with a nutritious meal everyday. However, intent is one thing and results are another. It would seem that in EC schools, the majority of students would prefer a meal of fried chicken and french fries over one featuring a baked meat "product" with assorted vegetables, but the schools are not allowed to serve anything fried. In the end, you have lots of hungry students when they arrive home because they simply don't like the choices they are given, and the schools don't control that. Bullock said that she feels like the government simply has too much control in our system.

I asked my daughters what they thought about their options. Alyssa Doyle, 9, a fourth grader at South Edmonson said "We should get to choose, not government people. We don't get to use forks, either. Everything is baked, and most of it's gross." Madison Doyle, 13, an 8th grader at ECMS says she's not a fan of baked items either. "Our chicken patties look like liquid that's been cooked and stuck into a solid. The chicken nuggets? I mean, come on...they're baked and they're soggy one day, then really hard the next. Just fry something for once." Both girls weren't aware that they had the option of asking a staff member for something else. They both felt like there wasn't enough time allowed during lunch for that.

One parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said his problem is the cost of the food for what his children actually eat. "My kids can't make substitutions. They get the lunch I pay for, won't eat 75% of what's on the tray, so they add extras of the things they'll actually eat, which I have to pay extra for, and end up paying double for a lunch that still won't fill them up."

I asked Mrs. Bullock about the photos above. She told me that the "turkey meat product" is delivered fully cooked and only needs to be reheated before serving. The above example is what happens when you try to keep the food warm for too long. She agreed that it should not have been served and has since been removed from the menu. The banana? She said bananas arrive at the schools green because they ripen quickly, sometimes too much, which causes them to be thrown away. She agreed that this particular banana should have been stored another day or two, but also noted that the student had several other fruit options and could have easily chosen something else. The photo on the right, however, was submitted by a different parent after the interview, so if this is a different food item than the one on the left, it's eerily similar to the "turkey meat product."

So what happens if a child tries to eat their meal, but won't because they just don't like how it tastes? 
Bullock said that there was no actual policy on the matter but said, "I know we have great staff members and plenty of times I've seen them just try to make kids happy. I honestly believe if a student didn't like something, our staff would try to get them something else."  She also discussed another regulation from the Health Act, which is a calorie limit placed on each meal. Those limits are supposed to reflect the needs of students on a national average, which obviously may not work for Edmonson County.  Bullock said, "Those limits are what they are, they're nothing we can change."

We asked Mrs. Bullock point blank if she felt like the system was working in our schools. After a lengthy pause, she replied: "The federal guidelines are working to an extent, but changes need to be made. We're now being given some options as members of the Kentucky Schools Nutrition Association. The group goes to Washington and lobbies for our cause.  This allows us the option to give feedback on all regulations and say what's working and what's not.  Some of those things are working for us, but all in all, our control over the situation is very limited."

So, who is to blame? Who came up with this? Many seem to think that it's Michelle Obama because of her focus of the new law in her "Let's Move!" initiative. However, if you want to blame someone, you'd have to mention former Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln (D), who introduced the bill when she was Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. However, It was approved unanimously by the Senate, then passed in the House by a vote of 247 Democrats and 17 Republicans voting for it,  with 4 Democrats and 153 Republicans voting against it. If you want things changed, contact Congressman Brett Guthrie, Senator Rand Paul, or Senator Mitch McConnell. You can also contact your local schools and voice your concerns to the administration. Some people are satisfied with the current menu and system. They are apparently big fans of "turkey meat product."

Edmonson Voice Staff

On August 17th, around 3am, a car was stolen from the residence of Linda and Rickey Hogan and was later found wrecked at the junction of Moutardier Rd and Hwy 259N.

After a search of the vehicle, evidence was found from a burglary in the Bee Spring area that same morning.

Craig Troutman, age 20, of Chalybeate was charged with theft by unlawful taking of an automobile, theft by unlawful taking under $500, and Burglary 2nd Degree. Troutman had warrants signed on him 8-25-2014 by Deputy Sheriff Wally Ritter. He was picked up by Louisville Metro Police several weeks later. Troutman is scheduled for a preliminary hearing 9-30-2014.

Edmonson Voice Staff

All eyes were on the queen and her court during halftime last night at the ECHS Football Homecoming game. As always, there were many lovely ladies with their escorts hoping to be crowned with the coveted honors.

Senior Julie Sullivan was crowned by last year's queen, Madison Rich, as the 2014 Football Homecoming Queen. She was escorted by Drew Meredith. The Junior Princess was Ms. Carsan Logsdon, escorted by Eli LaMastus. Taking home the honor for Sophomore Princess was Madison Alexander, escorted by Dylan Bullock, and Abby Alexander was named the Freshman Princess, escorted by Logan Lindsey.

In case you missed it, or if you want to re-live the awesomeness...check out this short video reel of some of best action from last night's derby!

It was hold on to your bumpers and kiss your (whatever you've got left) goodbye as the Demolition Derby rocked and socked Saturday night. Competitors from all across the state vied for huge cash prizes. Some highlights below: 

Enjoy a few photos from Saturday night. Tonight was our first experience with a Power Wheels Derby, but it certainly won't be our last...We'll have much more demolition derby action in some video highlights to come. 

Darren Doyle, Edmonson Voice
The Edmonson Health Care Facility, managed by Genesis Health Care Corporation, was rocked last Wednesday with abuse allegations from three employees. Jerry Snyder, Kayla Kinser, and Kelly Duvall were arrested and now face a total of 69 criminal charges between them. The reaction from the public has stirred up a surplus of charged emotion from just about everyone in Edmonson County. 

The Edmonson Voice reached out to the facility in order to hear their side of the story, unfortunately, in the midst of the controversy, they have had very little to say. We spoke with two different employees but they were not allowed to comment on the pending case. On Monday, we were directed to a public relations spokesperson, Jeanne Moore, in Pennsylvania who returned our call this morning. She did not comment on the allegations, nor gave any insight to the case, however, emailed us this formal statement:

Edmonson Voice Staff
The Edmonson County Anti-Drug Coalition and EC ASAP Organization met last week in Brownsville to discuss continuing the fight on drugs and furthering other youth programs for EC. In case you're not familiar with the organization, it's made up of local law enforcement, State Police, Education Administrators, Youth Service Center reps, Lifeskills reps, as well as other county officials and employees. 
The group gave reports on the various events they had recently sponsored, the largest being the annual "Cram the Cruiser." The event is a partnership with Commonwealth Broadcasting's "Stuff The Bus," hosted by the Tony Rose, of the Tony Rose Morning Show. The group, headed up by the State Police, holds a school supply drive for Edmonson County where donations are placed inside a KSP police cruiser. Supplies are then donated to Stuff the Bus, while keeping enough to last EC schools all year.

There was also a report given on the annual "Back To School Bash," which was the biggest success yet, drawing over 200 students at the event. The group also discussed upcoming programs and events for the fall. Some include an anti-texting and driving program, an event to discard expired prescription drugs, and several school related events that aid in anti-bullying, peer pressures, and youth driver safety programs.