Darren Doyle, story:
Attorney General Russell Coleman is asking Kentuckians to report any suspected election law violations to the Attorney General’s Election Fraud Hotline at (800) 328-VOTE or online here.

“Every Kentuckian can be confident in the security and integrity of our elections. Our dedicated team of investigators, prosecutors and support staff is working tirelessly to protect every vote. We encourage anyone who suspects election law violations to contact the Attorney General’s Election Fraud Hotline,” said Attorney General Coleman. 

According to a statement from the AG's Office, the Election Fraud Hotline is always open to receive messages. On Election Day, the hotline is answered by members the Attorney General’s team from 6am to 7pm ET. Tips are reviewed and allegations of election fraud will be referred to the Attorney General’s Department of Criminal Investigations (DCI). The Election Fraud Hotline team is led by Penny Thompson of the Special Prosecutions Division and Tonjua Casey of DCI.

Multiple sources today shared social media video of an electronic voting machine that would not properly register one voter's choice for President in Laurel County. According to their County Clerk Tony Brown, the machine was taken out of service while waiting for a rep from the AG's Office. Brown stated that once the machine was identified, they could not duplicate the same problem as shown on the video.

Early voting is available through Saturday, Nov. 2. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. To find out when and where to cast your ballot, click here.

After Election Day, the Attorney General will randomly select 12 counties for an additional inquiry. In the selected counties, DCI detectives will speak with election officials, interview voters and review documents. Then, the Special Prosecutions Division will present a report to a grand jury.  

An Edmonson County Grand Jury recently returned the following indictments:

Jon Brandon Moss, Bail jumping, first degree.

Damien Worrell, Murder.

Nathan Allen Jaggers, Possession of controlled substance, first degree. Possession of drug paraphernalia.

Robert Joseph Jaggers, Possession of controlled substance, first degree. Possession of drug paraphernalia.

Sasha Marie Williams, Fleeing or evading police, first degree/motor vehicle. Wanton endangerment, first degree. Operating motor vehicle under the influence of intoxicants, first offense within 10 years.

Hennessy Richardson, Criminal abuse, first degree-child 12 or under.

Candace Nacole Patterson, Criminal abuse, first degree-child 12 or under.

Anna Marie Montgomery, Wanton endangerment, first degree (two counts). Menacing. Alcohol intoxication.

An indictment is only an official charge and is not an admission of guilt. All parties are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

County officials have announced that the annual Halloween on the Square, presented by Edmonson County Parks and Rec, will be held inside the Community Center tonight in case of rain.

​Rain chances are very likely between 4PM-6PM, however, the event will still be outside on the square in the event the forecast improves.

Regular trick-or-treating times are recommended between 4pm and 7pm countywide this evening.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
A staple of Edmonson County High School has now disappeared, thanks to Father Time and a need for upgrades in the ECHS gymnasium.

The school system just saw completion of a $340K project to replace all the original wooden bleachers in the ECHS gym, along with hardware, rails, and the opening/closing system of the bleachers.

The new seating is made of aluminum, steel, and commercial grade plastic and gives the gym a totally new look.

Superintendent of Schools Brian Alexander said there were several reasons the bleachers needed to be updated.

"The original bleachers were installed in 1981. While they still looked passable to the casual observer, the motors and drives controlling them opening and closing were broken and parts had become obsolete," he said.

He said the bleachers simply remained out throughout basketball season because of their issues, which also made P.E. classes much less effective.

ECHS Principal Jonathan Williams said the process to remove the old bleachers was a tedious one.

"Each board had to be carefully removed one-at-a-time by unbolting it and then stacking the board," he said. "It was a very slow and calculated process."

Edmonson County was one of the only public high schools in the state that still had wooden bleachers. Sports writers from all around KY would routinely mention the nostalgia of the gym because of them.

Many of the boards were cracked and the flooring was also past the point of repair.

Many folks will miss the memories of "STAY OFF BLEACHERS WHEN CLOSED," in blue letters (which students loved to defy) over the shiny varnished wood, but the new bleachers have more room, handrails, and are more comfortable.

Williams said the amount of gum on the back of the boards was impressive.

"I'm sure I put a few pieces on there when I was in school," he said.

The chair-backed seats on the home side underwent no change as they were replaced several years ago, along with the home student section.

The visitor student section underneath the state championship banner was recently badly broken by a visiting school.

Mr. Alexander said the project was approved last spring but lead time for manufacturing delayed installation until now.

"The new bleachers give our high school a more updated look," Alexander said. "With the age and other issues of the original bleachers, the school board felt it was a necessity to replace them. We hope our community and visitors enjoy them."

Darren Doyle, story:
With the November 5th General Election just over a week away, there are still various options for Edmonson County voters to cast their choice in a very notable 2024 contest.

Today and Monday, Oct. 28th will be the final two days of excused in-person voting. Voters were required to request a ballot by the official deadline of October 22nd and had to have an official excuse from the County Clerk's office in order to vote in-person on these two days, however, many are recommending the no-excuse, in-person voting options that expand the November 5th date.

This will give Edmonson County voters three additional days before Election Day to cast their votes, which is recommended by Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams.

"130,695 Kentucky voters requested an absentee ballot by last night's deadline," Adams posted to his X social media account on Thursday, October 24th. "As absentee ballots generally make up 2% - 4% of all ballots cast, this portends a massive overall turnout. For the love of God, vote early."

County Clerk Kevin Alexander also recommended early voting.

“We are strongly encouraging people to use the three days of no-excuse, in-person, early voting on October 31st, November 1st, and November 2nd “ Alexander added.  “Each of these days we will be open from 8:00 am to at least 4:00 pm, with Friday the 1st extended to 5:00 pm.”

The early voting will take place in-person at the County Clerk's Office in the Community Center.

In addition to the extra voting days, voters also have more voting location options on Election Day. Voters will obviously be able to vote in their normal polling location, but Edmonson County will now offer three other places to cast your in-person vote, including the Community Center, South Edmonson Elementary, and Kyrock Elementary.

You must provide a current photo ID to vote.

Click here for more information and the full 2024 ballot.

Darren Doyle, story:
Edmonson County is the beneficiary of state funding allocated for expanded high-speed internet that will be matched by local communication company South Central Rural Telecommunications, or SCRTC.

According to Edmonson County Judge/Executive Scott Lindsey, SCRTC was allocated $1.9M as a result in Kentucky's  Hi-Speed Internet initiative. Governor Andy Beshear's office invited Lindsey to Pikeville, KY on Friday, October 18th for the check presentation, which was held on the final day of the SOAR Summitt (Shaping Our Appalachian Region). 

Edmonson County is the westernmost county in the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). The funding will allow SCRTC to expand their projected service, and is expected to secure fiber optic internet for an additional 809 homes in Edmonson County, according to Judge Lindsey. 

Lindsey also said that SCRTC has agreed to match the amount given by the Governor, which will result in Edmonson County receiving $3.8 million in total funding for fiber optic internet expansion.

"We want to thank the Governor and our State Legislators for their generosity and support of our continued growth,  infrastructure development, and opportunities to better serve the people of Edmonson County," Lindsey said. "This award of over a $1.9 million investment in high-speed internet initiatives demonstrates a commitment to improving the infrastructure and the future of our community. We also want to thank SCRTC for matching the funds allocated by the Governor's initiative. This allows even more people in Edmonson County the opportunity to have fiber optic internet access."

Madison Doyle, story and photo:
Edmonson County Fiscal Court met today, October 15, 2024. The meeting started by county department heads giving updated reports; none of which were out of the ordinary. Cody Stewart, Parks and Rec Director, reported that youth league basketball sign ups are still ongoing and the deadline is this Saturday, October 19.

Judge/Executive Scott Lindsey signed a proclamation for this week to be Homemakers Week.

"Anybody that knows anything about the Homemakers here knows how much they do for our community," Judge Lindsey said. "They put in over 4,000 hours of volunteer hours last year. We couldn't make it as a community without them, and we want them all to know we appreciate them more than they know."

There were no other major discussions at today's meeting.

The court voted to:

• Approve Treasurer’s September Monthly Settlement Report.
• Approve Judge’s Quarterly Financial Report.
• Approve Sheriff’s September Monthly Fee Account Report, pending final audit.
• Acknowledge County Clerk’s September Document Storage Fee Report, pending final audit.
• Approve County Clerk’s September MVAV Tax Collection Report, pending final audit.
• Approve County Clerk’s September Deed Transfer Tax Report, pending final audit.
• Approve County Clerk’s September Excess Fee Report, pending final audit.
• Approve County Clerk’s September Delinquent Tax Collection Report, pending final audit.
• Approve Resolution EC24-31, FY25 FLEX Agreement.
• Acknowledge Jailer’s Quarterly Report.
• Acknowledge Dog Control September CAD Report.
• Acknowledge BGWC September Shelter Directors Report.
• Approve Community Center Exterior Paint Project-ARPA Project.
• Approve Bid Advertisement for Community Center Paint Project.
• Approve to purchase for Road Tractor using ARPA Funds.
• Approve Approve to purchase a Sheriff Vehicle using ARPA Funds.
• Approve September Cash Transfers.
• Approve to change November 11th meeting to November 8th at 2 pm due to holiday
• schedule.
• Approve to change December 23rd meeting to December 20th at 9:00 a.m. due to holiday schedule.

The next fiscal court meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 28, 2024 at 4 pm.

Edmonson Voice Report:
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) released assessment results for the 2024 Kentucky Summative Assessment on October 3, 2024. Carol Stice, District Assessment Coordinator for Edmonson County Schools, explained, “This year’s data release is based on the same accountability model we saw last year. We continue to see a color-coded rating system that ranges from red (very low) to blue (very high), and a “change” score that looks at each indicator score and whether it increased or decreased from the year before. That change number is either added to or subtracted from the current year’s score (status) to give the overall indicator score.”

Elementary and middle schools were scored in the areas of Reading and Math (grades 3-8), Science (grades 4, 7), Social Studies and Writing (grades 5, 8), and Quality of School Climate and Safety (grades 3-8). High schools were scored in the areas of Reading and Math (grade 10), Science, Social Studies, and Writing (grade 11), Quality of School Climate and Safety (grades 10 and 11), Post-Secondary Readiness (grade 12), and Graduation Rate. Schools and districts were also scored on English Language Proficiency, however, the ECSD does not have a high enough student population for public reporting.

The tables below show each school’s results for each indicator and their overall scores and rank. Scores are listed for all students that were accountable to the school.

Brian Alexander, Superintendent of Edmonson County Schools, said, “Overall we are pleased with the test scores we received from the state. Three of our five schools are High Performing Schools, with the other two in the Medium category. One of our schools in the medium category missed being a High Performing School by 0.3 points. Edmonson County School District had no school classified as low-performing. We are happy to report that we saw growth across our district and we will continue to work to improve instruction and learning in Edmonson County Schools. Our teachers and students worked very hard to see all of this come to pass and we are very happy with the performance of our students.”

Mr. Alexander also explained that while there were many positives to be found in the data, plans are already being developed to improve accountability across the district. “We have had these scores for a couple of weeks, and we have met with administrators across the district. Every school has a plan in place specific to their scores to improve instruction and learning. Although there is discussion concerning a new accountability system in the state of Kentucky, I think Edmonson County Schools will continue to perform well because we are focusing on the individual student’s needs. Our Board, our Central Office and school administration, and our teachers and staff are all committed to continuing to make Edmonson County Schools a great place to learn. While we have work ahead of us, Edmonson County has a lot to be proud of. We want to thank all of the community stakeholders that make an effort day in and day out to support our schools and make each of our schools a great place to learn. When kids and staff know they are valued on a daily basis it shows up in test results.”

For more detailed information on the release of state assessment results, you may access the Kentucky School Report Card. Individual student reports will now begin being sent home.

Darren Doyle, story:
Local law enforcement has described a Saturday morning incident as a "non-criminal death investigation," with a man found deceased near the Brownsville bridge.

According to the Brownsville Police Department, on Saturday, October 12, 2024, law enforcement responded to a call at the Green River bridge in Brownsville around 9:30AM, where a caller stated that an individual was pacing back and forth on the bridge.

BPD said when they and an Edmonson County Sheriff's Deputy arrived, they were flagged down by a witness who had pulled over at Mis Amigos Mexican Grill that stated he saw an individual jump from the bridge as the witness drove across.

The Edmonson County Coroner's Office confirmed an adult male was located on Lock Road, below the bridge, who was pronounced deceased.

Police did not release the identity of the deceased but did confirm the individual was not a resident of Edmonson County.

The incident is under investigation.

Also responding to the scene was Edmonson EMS and the Brownsville Fire Department.

Darren Doyle, story:
The 2024 November General Election is one month away and because of the high profile nature of the ballot, higher turnout is expected.

Edmonson County Clerk Kevin Alexander has provided information that can be helpful to registered county voters, which lays out four different ways to vote in Edmonson County for the big election.

Local voters will cast their vote for President of the United States, U.S. Congress, State Senator, Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisors, and Brownsville City residents will choose six city council members from seven candidates. The rest of the races on the ballot are unopposed.

There will also be two state constitutional amendments: one and two, with Amendment One prohibiting non-U.S. citizens from voting in a KY election. Amendment 2 would allow tax payer funding to be used for private schools.

There is also a local option that would allow the sale of medical marijuana at licensed dispensaries, as well as the operation of cannabis-based businesses in Edmonson County.

The Edmonson County Clerk’s Office has been accepting ballot requests since September 21st, which is one of the options.  The online absentee request portal, located at govote.ky.gov, will remain open through October 22nd until 11:59 pm. This is for absentee voters who must follow legal valid restrictions, only.

“We’ve had several requests from individuals, and we expect that to remain pretty steady until the portal closes” County Clerk Kevin Alexander said.  “There is a lot of interest in this election, naturally.”

For this option, voters can mail their ballots back to the office in the envelope provided at their expense, or they may drop off their absentee ballot in the ballot drop box in within the Edmonson County Clerk’s Office located at 108 Main Street in Brownsville. This is for those who must provide a valid, legal reason why they will not be able to vote on excused early voting days or on Election Day.

Clerk Alexander noted that voting on these days will require a person to fill out paperwork as to why they cannot vote in-person on the three days of no-excuse, in-person early voting or on Election Day.

The second option is excused, in-person voting.

After the portal closes (option one), the period for excused early voting begins.  There are six days when voters can vote, in-person, with a valid excuse at the Edmonson County Clerk’s Office.  Hours for these days run concurrent with the regular office hours of the Clerk’s office. 

Beginning Wednesday, October 23rd, excused early voting will run from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm.  On Thursday, October 24th, voting will be conducted from 8:00 am – Noon, while on Friday, October 25th, opportunity to vote will be offered from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm.  There will be no voting on Saturday, October 26th.  The following Monday through Wednesday, October 28-30, excused early voting will again be at the Clerk’s office from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm.

“We are strongly encouraging people to use the three days of no-excuse, in-person, early voting on October 31st, November 1st, and November 2nd “ Alexander added.  “Each of these days we will be open from 8:00 am to at least 4:00 pm, with Friday the 1st extended to 5:00 pm.” 

Election Day is Tuesday, November 5th, where all regular polling places will be open as it was with the spring Primary election.  Voters in Edmonson County can continue to use their regular polling place, or choose to use of one of the three “vote centers."

The added centers include the Edmonson County Community Center, South Edmonson Elementary School, and Kyrock Elementary.  Any voter can use these centers in addition to their regular polling place.

“We tested the Community Center in the Spring as our first vote center, and it went well” said Alexander.  “Offering a vote center in Brownsville, as well as each side of the river on or near the main road simply gives voters more options.” 

Alexander also reminded voters to bring identification.  He said a driver’s license is the best form, but an identification card will work as well. 

“While the poll worker may very well have known you for years, it’s just easier when you have the ID ready for them to scan so we can get people their correct ballot in a timely manner," he said. "It is our hope that people will get out and vote."

The final day to register to vote is October 7th. 

Darren Doyle, story:
Kentucky Amendment 2 is one of two constitutional amendments that will appear on the 2024 General Election ballot in Edmonson County. If passed, this amendment will allow the use of state funding for non-public education. The measure would add language to the Kentucky Constitution saying that "the General Assembly may provide financial support for the education of students outside the system of common schools." K-12 public schools are referred to as common schools in the KY Constitution.

We reached out to Brian Alexander and asked several questions regarding Amendment 2. He first told us that he could not comment as the Superintendent of Edmonson County Schools, nor the Edmonson County Board of Education, but he agreed to share his opinion as a citizen of Edmonson County, and that as a citizen, opposes Amendment 2.

"First, I was a child who had food on the table and a roof over my head because of teacher salaries.  I was raised by public school teachers. I was taught by public school teachers," he stated. "I know today’s public school teachers in Edmonson County, as well as other places. They are good, decent, hard-working professionals who care about children. They are compensated from public school funds. A yes vote on Amendment 2 can affect their compensation and would cripple public schools." 

He then explained how Amendment 2 would hurt private schools.

"Based on my research, the monetary amount associated with private school vouchers will not cover the cost of private schools, and there will be strings attached to the use of public school funds in a private school setting.  In my research as a citizen, private schools are a personal choice, religious doctrines being a very prevalent aspect of this choice.  Anyone who thinks that separation of church and state in the private school setting when public funds are used in the private setting is fooling themselves."

Alexander also stated that safety is another reason he is against the amendment.

"Without a doubt, public schools are exponentially safer than private schools and personal homes.  There are reports in Edmonson County periodically of persons walking around, and sometimes into, homes.  If an intruder attempts to enter a home they’ll get in in a matter of a minute or less.  That is not the case in a public school building.  If private schools are allotted public funds they should be subject to the same safety standards, and reaching those standards will be costly.  This raises private school tuition and devalues the previously mentioned vouchers." 

Alexander said that school choice is already an option. 

"A NO vote on Amendment 2 protects public school funding as well as the autonomy associated with school choice."

While several lawmakers have voiced support for Amendment 2, including U.S. KY Senator Rand Paul, many local and area educators are against it, including Warren County Superintendent Rob Clayton in multiple interviews.

The General Election is scheduled for November 5, 2024. In addition to Amendment 2, voters will cast their choice for support or opposition of Amendment 1, which if passed, would prohibit any person who is not a citizen of the United States from voting in any Kentucky election.

There will also be a local question asking county voters if they are in favor of medicinal cannabis at licensed dispensaries and the operation of other cannabis businesses in Edmonson County.