The Kentucky State Police has just released this update:

**UPDATE**  Today at approx. 12:42 pm Hannah Schutt was located at a family member's residence in Greenfield, IN by the Greenfield Police Department, where she is now back in the custody of her mother.
 
The Kentucky State Police Post 3 Bowling Green would like to thank everyone who assisted in locating or helped spread the information that led to locating Ms. Schutt.

Edmonson District Court was held on Tuesday, September 29, 2015. The Honorable Judge John M. McCarty, presiding.

Cory M Winchester, Violation of Ky EPO/DVO. Pleaded not guilty. Pretrial Conference 10-27-15. Public attorney appointed.

Jeremy L Cole, Operating ATV on roadway. Amend to all other, failed to appear. Notice sent to dept. of transportation.

Robert Owen Haynes, No/expired registration plates. No/expired KY registration receipt. Proof shown on both counts, both dismissed.

James Constant, License to be in possession. Proof shown, dismissed as per County Attorney.

Lonnie Brandon Jenkins, Improper registration plate. Operating on suspended/revoked operator's license. Proof shown on both counts. Both counts dismissed.

Kristi M Evans, No/expired registration plates. No/expired KY registration receipt. Failure to produce insurance card. Proof shown on all counts, all counts dismissed.

Amanda Joann Garrison, Failure of owner to maintain required insurance/security 1st. Pleaded not guilty. Pretrial conference 10-27-15.

David O Napper, No/expired registration plates. No/expired KY registration receipt. Proof shown on both counts, both counts dismissed.

Scotty Lee Thompson, Operating vehicle with expired operator's license. Proof shown, dismissed. Open alcohol container in a motor vehicle. Continued to 10-27-15.

Bryan S Clark, Alcohol intoxication in a public place, 1st and 2nd offense. Failed to appear. $250 Bench warrant issued.

Darren Doyle, story
Tough. Dependable. Brother. Friend. These are just a few of the words that local officers used when talking about Brownsville Police Chief Ricky Sanders. His six year fight with cancer came to an end as he passed away Sunday evening, September 27, 2015, and those that knew him will all tell you he fought it everyday with all he had.

We spoke with several officers from the Brownsville Police Department and Edmonson County Sheriff's Office about what Chief Sanders meant to each one. Although the Chief influenced each one a bit differently, each conversation was incredibly similar. 

"I think back over the 22 years that I've know him...with Ricky, there's just so many things," said Assistant Chief Jeff Jewell. "I think about all his experience that we as officers can no longer tap into. The abilities he had as an officer? I mean, he was one of the best accident reconstructionists there was, period. Those abilities are now gone, and it hurts the community. We lost a valuable asset to the community...but most importantly, I lost a good friend. I going to miss him."

Judge Executive Wil Cannon spoke about Sanders when they both worked as Kentucky State Troopers. "Probably the best accident reconstructionist I ever worked with," he said. "He could read an accident like a book." Cannon spoke highly of his work ethic. "He always worked, that's for sure. He wasn't perfect, he made mistakes just like we all do, but Ricky always owned his. He didn't make excuses. You could depend on him to come to work everyday, even when he was sick. A lot of times, he probably shouldn't have been at work because of how he felt, but he did. That's what he wanted to do. He liked to help people."

"I had the opportunity to meet Ricky when he started working for the Sheriffs office in 2008," said Sheriff Shane Doyle. "He had a reputation of being the best accident reconstructionist in the state, and of being a tough, tough man. Although his gruff exterior showed a man who was as hard as nails, I knew Ricky as a devoted father, knowledgeable and professional lawman, and a fierce friend. Very few people were allowed in his inner circle, and those of us who were, know how hard it was to get there."

Deputy Sheriff Stoney Phillips said the first call he ever had with Sanders was an intense domestic call where a subject had a knife. The situation was eventually resolved with no one harmed and Phillips said they became brothers that night. "Ricky's been really good to me," Phillips said. "We worked a lot together, we were really close. You're at peace now...you'll be greatly missed, my brother."

Officer Nathan Dennis said "It's hard to put it in words, really. I learned so much from him. Outside of the academy, Ricky's the one that trained me and taught me everything I know how to do. He was always there for me, day or night. I've called many times at midnight, and he was right there beside me. There probably won't ever be another one like him. As far as friendship goes, he was the fairest and kindest guy I ever met. As far as work, or anything thrown in front of him, he wasn't scared. At one point, he had cancer and a detached retina, but we made entry into a house once, and he was right there with me. He put everyone else's life in front of his."

"The thing about Ricky was, you never had to look behind to see if he was there," said Deputy Wally Ritter. "He was the bravest guy I ever met. The way he fought this cancer proved he was one of the toughest human beings alive. Working with Ricky, he was the one that wanted to be the first one through the door, but when Ricky said he had your back, you never checked back there, because you knew he had it."

Brownsville Officer Garth Avery called him a friend, mentor, and an inspiration to everyone. "He was one of the best bosses and co-workers a person could ask for." He also said his humor, kindness, and passion for serving Edmonson County will be greatly missed.

"Ricky Sanders was the toughest man I ever knew, and from his first diagnosis of cancer to the last conversation I had with him, he never failed to see the good side of things," added Sheriff Doyle. "After his diagnosis, he spoke of how green the trees were, and how before his diagnosis, he never noticed. He saw his cancer as a blessing that forced him to see the goodness of things, rather than a burden. I am a better man because I knew him, and Edmonson county is a better place because he served us."

Rest in piece, Chief. Edmonson County salutes you. You will be missed.

​Darren Doyle, story
The first discussions of county-wide zoning took top priority at Monday's fiscal court meeting, which we reported yesterday, but several other items were discussed as well. 

• County Road Foreman Ray Page reported that the county mowing crew was on their last week of work and that the seasonal workers would be temporarily laid off soon. He also said he has gotten approval on the architectural plans from the EPA on the proposed salt bin project and is now waiting for Anderson Engineering to complete the plot plan drawings.
• Mag. Joe Durbin reported that the entrance of Lauren Way has now been widened and is now ready to be adopted into the county road system. Durbin reported that the improvements made by developer Ken Byrd exceeded the county's requirements to accommodate school buses. A resolution to accept the road will be read at the next meeting.
• Sheriff Shane Doyle reported that Deputy Jordan Jones was still completing his training at the Kentucky police training academy in Richmond, and that he had been named a squad leader for his team. He also reported that Brownsville City Police Chief passed away on Sunday after a lengthy battle with cancer. We will report the arrangements once they have been made.
• Jeanne Munsee, with the EC Public Library announced that the Library Board kept the library tax rates the same as last year.
• The court reported that Jeff Jaggers inspected the courthouse roof and his opinion was the entire roof needed to be replaced due to previous wind and hail damage. He advised the county to seek help from their insurance company. No bids had been received on installing a new roof.
• Richie Jones, long time county rescue volunteer, has been sworn in as deputy coroner.
• County Clerk Kevin Alexander reported that his office will be closed on Saturday, Oct 10th, and Monday, Oct 12th in observance of Columbus Day.

​
The next Fiscal Court meeting has been changed to Thursday, Oct 15th at 8am due to Columbus Day.

via KSP
(Morgantown, KY) - The Kentucky State Police Post 3 Bowling Green is currently on the scene of a fatal on KY 70 Rochester Road in Butler County involving a school bus and a 5 year old child.
 
The preliminary investigation indicated that at approx. 3:22 pm a Butler County school bus driven by Janine Dockery (54) of Morgantown, was stopped on KY 70 approx. 4 miles west of Morgantown in the process of unloading a child at a residence.  During this process, 5 year old Jayden Hawkins of Morgantown was struck by the bus and killed.  He was pronounced dead at the scene by the Butler County Coroner.
 
This investigation is still ongoing and being led by Trooper Michael Wathen, where he was assisted by Troopers and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officers of the Kentucky State Police, the Butler County Sheriff’s Department, Morgantown Police Department, Morgantown Fire Department, Butler Rescue Squad, Butler County EMS, Butler County Coroner’s Office, and the Kentucky Highway Department.

Darren Doyle, story
Today’s fiscal court heard from two representatives of the Barren River Area District Development Office as they discussed the very basics of setting up zoning in a Kentucky county. This comes in the wake of unhappy residents in Rocky Hill that are now fighting potential buyers of the existing gas plant in their community that they feel was built without their concern.

While it may be too late to do anything about the gas plant, Judge Cannon has expressed his interest in protecting Edmonson County residents from other large businesses and industries from building factories and other entities that could be a nuisance to neighborhoods and farms. 

Gene Becker, Associate Director of BRADD, said his organization helps local governments with a multitude of issues, one being to help set up zoning ordinances and plans that are custom-fit for each county. Brittany Fisher, also with BRADD and a certified planner who has recently worked with the Elizabethtown Planning Commission, addressed the court as well. 

“You’d have to zone your entire area of jurisdiction,” she said. “You can’t just zone one intersection, or one corridor around a road. You’d have to look at zoning your entire county.” She went on to explain that from the surface, it would appear that Edmonson County could be zoned in three parts: Agricultural, Residential, and Industrial/Commercial. In theory, that does seem like the easiest option, but it also raises many other questions. What about the family who wants to build on the back side of someone’s farm? How do you distinguish the difference between agricultural and residential in such a rural county where farms take up the majority of property?

She also noted that if Edmonson County was zoned, it could not affect existing homes and establishments, no matter how portions were zoned. These would be considered “grandfathered.”

Judge Cannon brought up the gas plant and how it had negatively affected the people of Rocky Hill. He asked the representatives, “We started thinking about things we could do to keep this from ever happening again, and it seems zoning would be the only way to do that, is that correct?”

“Zoning is the best mechanism, and it’s more universal,” answered Fisher.  She also noted that some places use noise and pollution ordinances, but those are very difficult to enforce. “It’s easier to do it through zoning.”

Mr. Becker discussed the first issue that BRADD would begin with. “We’d do a survey of the county, look at existing land uses, meet with the Planning Commission and guide you through our recommendations for how areas could be zoned.” He said there could be a fee involved, but there would also be programs available that might be able to fund the service. “We would recommend following the advice of legal counsel of course, but yes, we can help guide you through this process."

Several more questions were asked during the discussion, but the bottom line was this: BRADD only wants to make recommendations of what they feel would work best, based on similar counties, and is able to guide the county government through the process, but it’s ultimately up to the fiscal court as to if, how, and when, zoning would happen in Edmonson County. It's also important to note that once zoning is put in place, it can be changed or amended at any time with planning commission and county government approval. 

“I want this to be as user-friendly to our citizens as possible,” said Cannon. “We don’t want to waste our time and money coming up with something that’s not going to be usable, but we do want to protect our people from things like a garbage dump being put into a residential area.”

(Bowling Green, KY)-  The Kentucky State Police Post 3 Bowling Green is looking for a 15 year old female, Hannah Schutt, that was last seen Wednesday afternoon leaving her residence and walking on Bristow Road heading towards the rail road tracks.

Schutt is 5’5” tall, 135 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.  She was last seen wearing a green hooded sweatshirt and always wears a yellow bracelet on her right wrist.

If you have any information pertaining to this case or the whereabouts of Hannah Schutt please call KSP Post 3 at (270)782-2010.  The investigation is still ongoing and being led by Trooper Jason Adkison. 

The Edmonson County Conservation District will be accepting requests for cost share funding under the Kentucky Soil Erosion and Water Quality Cost Share Program. All applications received between October 30th 2014 and October 30th 2015 will be considered for approval.

The Kentucky Soil Erosion and Water Quality Cost Share Program was created to help agricultural operations protect the soil and water resources of Kentucky. This program is a result of House Bill 377 that was passed in the 1994 General Assembly. This bill established annual cost share funds to be administered by conservation districts with priority given to animal waste related problems, and agricultural district participants where pollution problems have been identified. Initial funding for the program will be provided by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.

Funding for practices will be approved by the Soil and Water Conservation Commission at the Kentucky Division of Conservation, located in Frankfort, as funds become available.

For more information drop by the conservation district office located at 100 Washington Street, in Brownsville KY Monday through Friday from 8am-4pm Wednesday from 8am-1pm.

Edmonson Voice Staff
It's not uncommon for students at South Edmonson Elementary to be surprised during their morning meetings, held in the gym before classes begin. Students receive awards, recognition, and are allowed to participate in all sorts of fun activities that change regularly. However, it's very uncommon to surprise a teacher, especially when that teacher does all she can to hold back tears of joy.

Principal Jamie Woosley invited Superintendent Patrick Waddell to the morning meeting at SEES today to recognize Mrs. Jeannie Basil, P.E. teacher at South Edmonson Elementary. South Edmonson, led by Basil, has been named a Bronze Award Winner for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

This program is designed to encourage schools to help students become more aware of nutrition and physical activity. In order to be nominated, schools must meet certain nutritional requirements and must promote physical activity.

Jacy Wooley, Healthy Schools Program Manager, contacted Mrs. Basil about the application and thought South Edmonson Elementary should apply.  "We have been doing great things at SEES," said Mrs. Basil. " We encourage our students to be physically active with our Bulldog Walking Club, we teach our students about taking care their bodies and eating nutritious foods, and our cafeteria staff try to offer a variety of fruits and vegetables that the students will eat."

Principal Woosley said in order to win the award, the teacher must lead a school's cause for promoting certain minutes of PE, recess, brain breaks, walking club, and use of pedometers. All in which Mrs. Basil has excelled.

Mr. Woosley said that only 12 schools in the state of Kentucky received this award, and that the Alliance for a Healthier Generation is flying Ms. Jeanie to Washington DC to meet with Brett Guthrie, Mitch McConnell, and Rand Paul (a presidential candidate) to discuss nutrition and physical activities in schools.

As Mr. Waddell called Mrs. Basil to the front, she was obviously shocked and even held back tears. "Mr. Woosley and the staff did a great job of keeping this morning a secret, it was a wonderful surprise!" said Basil. "I am proud to work at South Edmonson Elementary.  We have an amazing dedicated staff who strive for excellence in the academic world and beyond.  I get emotional about it."

Mrs. Basil will travel to Washington D.C. next week to accept her award on behalf of South Edmonson Elementary.

Darren Doyle, story and photos
Sunny skies and a large crowd surrounded the brand new Bank of Edmonson County branch in Smiths Grove today as they held a ribbon cutting and grand opening for their new facility. The groundbreaking ceremony was held just 5 months ago and construction was finished on schedule, thanks to local contractor, Harlin Tarter.

Lisa Booth said she's excited to be the branch manager of the new bank.  "Everyone has welcomed us and we are so happy to be here," she said.  "We opened at 1:00 today and have been very busy.  I know my staff and I are going to love it.  We're a full service bank and we look forward to being part of the Smiths Grove area." 

Lisa has been with the bank since 1997 and the rest of her staff are familiar faces as well. Mandee McDougle (since 2006), Megan Saling (since 2008), and Beth Hayes (since 2012), will be taking care of the day-to-day operations within the branch.

"We are very excited to have had such a large crowd for our ribbon cutting," said Bank President Alex Ulm. "It shows the welcoming nature of the people of Smiths Grove."  

Although Bank of Edmonson County has expanded with branches in Bowling Green and now Smiths Grove, Ulm says they'll continue to operate in the same hometown manner as always. "I think what makes a bank "feel" small is how you feel when you leave.  We stress to our entire bank family that we want each person to feel important to us each time they stop in."

Bank CEO Michelle Coleman added much of the same sentiment. "We are extremely happy to see the community as excited as we are about this new branch location," she said. 

So what can you expect at the new branch? Both Ulm and Coleman said customers can fully expect to have every banking need met no matter which Bank of EC branch they visit. 

 "Just like all of our locations, customers can expect friendly faces and full service banking, including lending, deposit accounts, safe deposit boxes and great customer service," Coleman said. 

Edmonson District Court was held on Tuesday, September 22, 2015. The Honorable Judge Renona Carol Browning presiding.

Aaron R Miller, No operator's/moped license. Pleaded not guilty, pretrial conference 12-1-15.

Calvin E Watt, Operating motor vehicle under influence of drugs/alcohol, 1st offense. Failure to notify address change to dept of transportation. Pleaded not guilty to both. Pretrial conference 2-9-16.

Stephen R Roberts Jr, Possession of marijuana, drug paraphernalia-buy/possess, operating on suspended/revoked operator's license. Failure to produce insurance card, violation of Kentucky EPO/DVO. Pleaded not guilty to all. Pretrial conference 3-8-16.

Elizabeth J Perry, Failure to produce insurance card. Proof shown, dismissed. Failure to register transfer of motor vehicle. Proof shown, dismissed. 

Christina A Vinson, No/expired registration plates, proof shown, dismissed. No/expired KY registration receipt, proof shown, dismissed.

Zackery T Ramsey, No/expired registration plates, proof shown, dismissed. No/expired KY registration receipt, proof shown, dismissed. 

Neil W Duncan, No/expired registration plates. Court notice sent to defendant to either file proof or appear. No/expired KY registration receipt. Continued for 10-6-15.

Richard J Drechney, No operator's/moped license, pleaded not guilty. Pretrial conference 10-20-15. No/expired registration plates, proof shown, dismissed. No/expired registration receipt, proof shown, dismissed.

Amy Shives, No/expired registration plates,  No/expired KY registration receipt, Failure to produce insurance card. Proof shown on all three counts, all dismissed.

Amanda Jane Denison, Possession of open alcohol beverage container in a motor vehicle. Pleaded guilty, fined $25. Total fines and costs, $168.

Clayton Townsend, No/expired registration plates, no/expired KY registration receipt, Failure to produce insurance card, rear license not illuminated. Proof shown for all counts, all dismissed.

Laura B Pannella, Operating vehicle under influence of alcohol/drugs, aggravator, 1st offense. Possession of open alcohol container in motor vehicle. Failure of owner to maintain required insurance/security 1st. Failure to register transfer of motor vehicle. Pleaded not guilty to all. Public attorney appointed. Pretrial conference 1/26/16.

Heather Cook, Reckless driving. Defendant was not notified of court date. Continued for 10-20-15.

Stephen Rhyne Roberts Jr, Operating on suspended/revoked operator's license. Failure to produce insurance card. Pleaded not guilty to both. Pretrial conference for 3-8-16.

Bill Seagrave, No operator's/moped license. Continued for 11-3-15.

Rodger D Cook, No/expired registration plates. No/expired KY registration receipt. Proof shown for both counts, both dismissed. 

Roger M Sullivan, Operating vehicle with expired operator's license. Proof shown, dismissed.

Tamara A Sanders, No/expired registration plates. No/expired KY registration receipt. Proof shown for both counts, both dismissed.

Richard J Drechney, No operator's/moped license. Pleaded not guilty. Pretrial conference 10-20-15.

Wendy L Browning, Operating on suspended/revoked operator's license. Failed to appear, $500 bench warrant issued.

Wesley D Moyer, Operating vehicle with expired operator's license. Proof shown, dismissed.

Bobby Allen House, possession of synthetic cannabinoid agonists/piperazines. Defendant currently at Western State Hospital, continued for 10-6-15.

Brian Keith Green Jr, Fleeing or evading police, 2nd degree (on foot). Operating on suspended/revoked operator's license. Failure to register transfer of motor vehicle. Pleaded not guilty to all. Pretrial conference 10/20/15.

Jonathan A London, Operating motor vehicle under influence of alcohol/drugs, aggravator, 1st offense. Pleaded guilty. Sentenced to 30 days in jail, credit of 2 days served, balance suspended for 2 years on no similar offense, operator's license suspended for 30 days, dismissed aggravator charge. Leaving scene of accident/failure to render aid or assistance. Pleaded guilty. Sentenced to 30 days in jail, credit of 2 days served, balance suspended for 2 years on no similar offense. Criminal mischief, 3rd degree. Pleaded guilty. Sentenced to 30 days in jail, credit of 2 days served, balance suspended for 2 years on no similar offense. Possession of open alcohol beverage container in a motor vehicle. Pleaded guilty. Fined $25, concurrent to count one.

Amy L Garrison, Possession of marijuana, pleaded guilty. Sentenced to 30 days in jail, suspend all but one day (12hrs) for 1 year. Drug paraphernalia-buy/possess, dismissed. Failure to notify address change to dept of transportation, dismissed.

Due to public demand, we've compiled another edition of "Crazy Emails and Messages." When we posted our first round of them a few weeks ago, we had no idea that our readers would love them so much. Turns out, it was clicked on thousands of times, and has been one of the most popular posts we've had in several months. 

We're not sure why we get asked so many questions. Even though we are Edmonson County's most popular news source, we didn't realize we had so much clout...We are apparently booking agents, parking attendants, fish and wildlife officers, lawyers, electricity linemen, and a host of other things. It seems as though we've somehow become EC's Google. So, let's get right to it! Remember, these are REAL....

"How much are ya'll's deer tags?"

"I need you to mail me 5 copies of the Edmonson Voice. I love the pictures."

Woman: "Ya'll have all them pictures on there and didn't put my daughter in your parade pictures." Us: "We're very sorry, we'll issue you a refund."

"What time does my daughter sing at the contest?" 

Woman: "I can't find the link to (whatever) on Facebook." Us: "It's on our homepage with all the other recent stories." Woman: "I don't see a homepage on your Facebook." Us. "It's not on Facebook, go to our site's homepage." Woman: "Oh, I don't use the internet, theres too many viruses."

"My cousin said you could buy weed at the drug store. Which one sells it?"

"Where's the best place to park at the fair?"

"Are they gonna have the cages at the fair this year?"

"How do they pick the winners of the baby show?"

"When are ya'll gonna have the electricity back on?"

"Did ya'll hear about (so-and-so) cheating on her husband? You should put that (explitive)'s picture on the Voice!"

"My son is going home with (so-and-so) after school tomorrow. What bus is he supposed to ride?"

"How much does (a particular auto garage) charge for an oil change?"

And lastly, we got this one in one form or another several times... "Do ya'll know where that ambulance was going?"

Edmonson Voice Staff
Representatives of the Edmonson County Tourism Commission, Cindy Rich, Chairperson, and her husband, Jeff Rich and J.B. Hines, Edmonson County Attorney, and his wife, Shaska Hines traveled to Olive Hill, Kentucky on September 18, 2015, to meet with Debbie Baker Harmon, a representative of the Trail Town Program of the Office of Adventure Tourism.  The Trial Town designation creates great economic development potential for Edmonson County.   By marketing Edmonson County as a camping, hiking, horseback riding, boating, cycling, and touring destination, an environment for job creation and business opportunities is created.    Restaurants and other services benefit by being identified for visitors.  

Olive Hill, Kentucky is a community of a similar characteristic of Brownsville.    Debbie stated that her town has had the designation for about a year and has seen a positive effect for local merchants as well as new business opportunities. “The challenge of economic development is not looking at the community with the view of what it does not have, but looking at the strengths of the community and finding opportunities,” said Cindy Rich.  

The Trail Town designation would include Brownsville in a statewide and nationwide campaign to bring tourism dollars into rural communities like Brownsville. 

Edmonson County Parks and Recreation will hold elections for the little league Baseball/Softball board on Thursday 24 September at 6:00pmat the community center. To be elected to the board you must be a certified Babe Ruth coach or umpire. If you want more information contact Parks & Rec Coordinator Greg Hudson @ [email protected]. 

Enjoy some photos of the 2015 Edmonson County Lions Club Fair Demolition Derby. Unfortunately, some mud in our camera kept us from posting the video, but there's still plenty of carnage in the slideshow.

We've spent hours going through our photos from Friday's annual Fair Day in Edmonson County. It was a beautiful day and the Lions Club reported over 800 arm bands were sold that day. There are too many great pics for us to name our favorite, so enjoy. Did you or someone you know make the news? Tell your friends, and check out the recap below.

It was filthy, disgusting, slimy, loud, and even dangerous, and we loved every minute of it. Check out the pics and awesome video reel from the 2015 EC Fair Mud Bog!

Edmonson Voice Staff
Emergency personnel responded to the 100 block of Oak Grove Church Road just before 6AM this morning to an accident involving an overturned pick up near the Oak Hill Road intersection. Police said when they arrived, they found a white pick up on its side, taking up both sides of the road. There was no driver, passengers, or witnesses at the scene, however, rescue workers found several open beer cans in and around the truck.

Police said there were bloody hand prints on the door and the roof of the truck, but not enough to analyze for identification. Police did not release the full name of the registered owner, but said the truck came back to a Powell family from Smiths Grove. 

Officials said it appears to be a drunk driving incident where the driver fled, hoping not to be caught. Police tried multiple times contacting the registered owner, but were not able to reach them at press time. The investigation is ongoing.

Responding at the scene were the Chalybeate Fire Dept, EC Jaws of Life, and Edmonson County Sheriff's Office.

We tried hard to grab photos of all the parade participants, but what about all the folks that watched the parade? Enjoy this slideshow from pics we took from around town yesterday. Did you make the news? Check out below:
photos by Darren Doyle

There were simply too many photos to choose from, so we darn near used them all. Here's a slideshow from all the parade participants. Be sure to watch for our other slideshow from around town as onlookers enjoyed today's parade. You just might be on the news!

Edmonson Voice Staff, photos
Check out some highlights from the go cart races on Thursday night from the Edmonson County Fair.

Edmonson Voice Staff, story and photos
If you were on 31W in Edmonson County today, chances are you saw about 50 bicyclists from Bluegrass Rendezvous, a group of veteran riders on their way from Fort Knox to Fort Campbell. About half of the cyclists are wounded or ill, but are making the near 170 trip in conjunction with the Wounded Warrior Project, which helps empower and honor wounded veterans.

The main purpose of the annual ride is to raise awareness for wounded veterans, but the program says it helps challenge the veterans and give purpose to many who have been down and out. 

The riders we saw seemed to be enjoying the difficult uphill trek, laughing and smiling as they pedaled and encouraged each other. We tip our cap to the group as we see yet another way that veterans are being honored in south central Kentucky. Yes, many of them had been injured, but they were also more fit than anyone on our staff...

Jeff Jewel, acting Brownsville City Police Chief, has announced that the 2015 Fair Parade route will see a change this year with hopes of avoiding more traffic problems with the current bridge construction. "The plan right now is for the traffic light at the bridge to be gone before the parade starts," he said. "But in case it's not, we're reversing the direction of this year's parade in order to better accommodate regular Main Street traffic."

He explained that reversing the route will get the parade on and off Main Street much quicker and will allow for the street to be opened up immediately after the route passes. This can be done while the parade goes on through the rest of town.

The route is scheduled to begin at 9AM at ECHS and will travel on Houchin Ferry Road first, then turning right on Main just past the Minit Mart. From there, the route will turn right again on Main Cross St (past the Community Center), then right again on Washington Street. Then, the parade will continue on Old North Main (behind Cee Bee) then over to Ferguson (in front of the Public Library), then back to Houchins Ferry Rd into the school parking lot. 

Upon returning, parade participants are asked to leave from Wildcat Way, NOT Houchins Ferry Rd, as it will take a little while for the entire parade to return. Leaving out Houchins Ferry Rd will cause a traffic hazard.

The route will travel on the same roads, only backwards from the normal route. If you plan on watching the parade, you can line up or sit from any of the same places you always have. One thing that hopefully won't ever change? Candy. And lots of it...