Wayne County Fiscal Court has agreed to draft an interlocal agreement to present to the McCreary Central Fiscal Court regarding sharing the cost of the repair of two historic swinging bridges that connect the two counties.

District Three Magistrate Dale Vaughn discussed the condition of the bridges at Freedom and Ritner during a meeting of the court held on Thursday, December 12.

He also voiced concern about the bridge at Green Ford, which is located only in Wayne County.

Vaughn noted that these swinging bridges are of value to their community, and are still used by residents.

He said the bridge at Freedom is in the worst need of repair and is unsafe for use right now.

“They are important to their communities, and they are historical bridges,” stated Vaughn. “I think we need to try to do something to save them. These repairs need to take place while the water is down.”

Vaughn said he talked with a number of officials regarding how the county could approach repairing the bridges.

He was advised that no road funds will be used for any of these practices, only general fund money.

He was also advised that since two of the bridges joined Wayne County and McCreary County an interlocal agreement was necessary to begin the process.

The motion requested that the agreement be completed and presented to McCreary County Fiscal Court at its next meeting which will be on January 3.

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A pedestrian was injured in a hit and run collision that occurred on Highway 200 on Thursday, December 12 at 1 p.m., according to the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department.

The woman, whose name has not been released, suffered severe injuries and was transported by helicopter to the University of Kentucky Medical Center.

The Wayne County Sheriff’s Department began an investigation and asked the public for information regarding the collision.

After receiving several tips, the driver and the vehicle involved were identified.

The driver was identified as Herbert Piercy, who passed away on Friday, December 13 from natural causes not related to the accident, according to the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office.

Officials indicated that the pedestrian who was injured remained at the University of Kentucky Medical Center earlier last week. Her condition was not known.

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Kwik Script Pharmacy, located on Columbia Avenue, was damaged in a fire that occurred on Thursday, December 12.

According to Monticello Fire Chief Steve Ferrell, the rear office area and a closet were damaged by the blaze.

The remainder of the building received light smoke damage.

The Monticello Fire Department was notified of the fire at approximately 5:15 p.m. on Thursday. The business had been closed for about 15 minutes and was not occupied when the smoke was discovered.

Firefighters were on the scene for more than an hour, according to Ferrell.

He said the cause of the fire was still being investigated, but noted that it originated at a closet where phone lines were located and where electronic transactions were processed.

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Cable customers will see an increase in rates in February, following action taken by the Telecommunications Board during a meeting on Wednesday, December 18.

Board members reviewed current rates and approved an increase for both the basic package and the expanded package after a lengthy discussion regarding the financial situation of the Community Telecom Services.

Customers who have both the basic and expanded package will see a monthly increase of $8.55 per month. The board set the rate for basic cable at $25 a month, up from the current $20.72. The expanded package will increase from $25,73 to $30. Total for both packages will be $55 per month.

Board members noted that this increase will basically allow the cable system to break even each month and meet its expenses without having to go to Monticello City Council or Wayne County Fiscal Court to ask for money. Board chairman Greg Latham noted that prior to approving the rate increase the system was experiencing a cash shortfall each month of approximately $12,000.

In addition, Latham told board members that programming costs to the board will increase by $3 a month per subscriber effective January 1, 2014. Without a rate hike, CTS would actually be paying more for programming than it charges customers. That does not include the daily costs to run the cable system employees, equipment, etc.

The cable company has cut the number of employees to only three at this time in an effort to reduce expenses.

Latham noted that since the cable system was purchased by the city and county government in 2003, rates have only been raised once. Latham cautioned board members that this is an issue they may have to revisit again soon if costs for programming continue to increase.

Also during the meeting, the board heard an update regarding digital cable service, which should be available soon. The cable system has added The Learning Channel and will add Animal Planet soon.

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The Wayne County Coroner’s office is investigating the death of a local man found Tuesday, December 17 in a field near his pickup truck in the Meadow Creek community.

Wayne County Coroner Forrest Hicks said that David East, 48, was pronounced dead at approximately 10 a.m.

Hicks indicated that East had been found at approximately 9:35 a.m. in a field just off Highway 1619, suffering from a gunshot wound.

Wayne County EMS was called to the scene, but the man died prior to their arrival.

Hicks indicated that evidence and documents at the scene, along with actions the victim had taken on Monday, indicate at this time that the injuries suffered are consistent with being self-inflicted.

Other agencies participating at the scene included the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department, Wayne County EMS, Operation UNITE, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife and Constable Robert Riddle.

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The investigation is continuing into an incident that began on Kentucky 90 and continued as a pursuit into the county on Thursday, December 19.

According to Monticello Police Detective Derek Lester, the incident began when officers received a report of shots fired on KY 90. Two vehicles were involved in the initial report.

Officers were attempting to locate the two vehicles when a third vehicle nearly struck a police car.

As officers attempted to stop the third vehicle, a lengthy pursuit began involving the police department and the sheriff’s department.

Lester said that no arrests have been made so far, but the investigation is continuing.

A vehicle and a weapon were recovered by police.

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Wayne County coach Shawn Thompson has been selected as the Louisville Courier-Journal’s statewide Coach of the Year. Thompson was featured in an article published in the Louisville newspaper on Friday, December 20.

The 2013 season for the Cardinals was the most successful of Thompson’s 10-year career at the helm of the football program. The Cards went undefeated in the regular season, won its first regional title and played in the program’s first-ever state championship contest. Wayne County lost to Belfry 3-0 and finished the season at 14-1 and were state runners-up in Class 3A.

Thompson received 14 votes from coaches around the state, according to the Courier-Journal. Belfry’s Phillip Haywood was second in this year’s voting with 13.

“I’m a simple guy, so this is a great honor with so many great high school football coaches in the state of Kentucky,” Thompson told the Courier-Journal. “I accept it on behalf of Wayne County. Without the kids and the support of the community, I wouldn’t be anywhere.”

Thompson was also voted Class 3A Coach of the Year.