The two men charged in connection with the November armed robbery at Reed’s Grocery appeared in Wayne Circuit Court on Monday, December 12 for a preliminary hearing.

District Judge Mike Lawson found probable cause against Alphonso Duncan, Jr., 30, and Patrick Ray Stewart, 32, and waived it to the grand jury.

Duncan and Stewart are both charged with first degree robbery.

Public defenders have been appointed to represent both Duncan and Stewart.

The charges stem from an armed robbery that occurred on November 19 at the business located on Main Street in Monticello. Officers indicated that a man entered the store, produced a handgun and demanded money from Reed Simpson, who was closing the store.

The man left the store with a bag containing cash. A short time later, law enforcement officers in Cumberland County located a vehicle matching the description of the one that left the scene of the robbery. It was traveling at a high rate of speed.

Kentucky State Police with the Columbia Post conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and found Duncan and Stewart in the vehicle. Found inside the vehicle were several items including cash and a handgun.

The vehicle that the two men were in had been reported stolen from Pulaski County several days earlier.

Both men are now lodged in Wayne County Detention Center and bond has been set at $100,000 cash only for Duncan and Stewart.

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Wayne County Lady Cardinal Coach Tim Pyles resigned from the position effective Tuesday, December 14, according to information released by the school district last week.

The Lady Cardinals were six games into the 2011-12 campaign when the announcement was made.

“I just felt like it was the best decision for me, my family and for the team,” said Pyles. “I wish the team nothing but the best moving forward.”

Pyles had built a strong girls’ basketball program at Wayne county since he succeeded Wayne Ryan in January 2002. He helped earn the Lady Cardinals an opportunity to participate in the state tournament on three occasions, in 2002, 2004, and 2007.

During his tenure, the Lady Cardinals won eight district titles and three regional championships. His head coaching record is 202-95.

Pyles’ 12th Region Tournament record is 118-41 and his district record is 61-14 over a 10-year period.

Pyles will continue to serve students, overseeing attendance at the high school.

Wayne County Schools’ Athletic Director Rodney Woods said Pyles’ colleagues will respect his decision to step down, even though it’s a sad day for them after the remarkable job he has done with the program.

Allen Burchett has been named interim coach for the team, effective December 14.

Burchett has served as the Wayne County High School Junior Varsity Boys’ Coach and Assistant Varsity Coach since the 1998-99 season.

In addition, the last two years he has coached the seventh and eighth grade girls’ basketball teams combined with a successful record of 51-28.

Burchett has also worked as the Gear-Up Assistant Director for Wayne County Schools since January 2000. That academic program has provided rural students with an introduction to college through ACT work, field trips, and evening parent meetings.

“I’m excited about this opportunity and I appreciate Coach Pyles and the staff for everything they have done for the girls,” stated Burchett. “I will do my best to help the girls reach their full potential in the future, based on the ground work set by Coach Pyles.”

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As of Wednesday, December 14, 110 Wayne County children had been removed from their homes this year by protective services because of drugs. Of that number, 78 children were removed because of methamphetamine.

Priceless information like that was shared with approximately 150 concerned citizens over the past week at two information “Meth Awareness” presentations conducted by UNITE Detective Chris Lyon and Commonwealth’s Attorney Matthew Leveridge.

During the educational meetings on meth, meth labs and pseudoephedrine, lots of statistics were made public.

This year, UNITE detectives who serve Wayne and 39 other counties have already found 100 meth labs in Wayne County alone, that number is thought to represent only about 10 percent of meth labs in the community.

Officials believe the statewide projection for meth lab incidents in 2011 of 1,458 has already been surpassed, with the official count to be released in March of 2012.

So far this year, cleanup of meth labs has cost the state $2 million, not to mention incarceration costs. As of November, there was a total of 1,247 persons incarcerated on meth-related charges; 885 Class B felons and 362 Class C felons account for expenses totaling $74,184 per day.

The unknown long term effects from contamination led to discussions during last Sunday night’s meeting about the implementation of detectors at schools to identify contaminates.

Leveridge discussed the issue, saying if a bill pre-filed by Senator Tom Jenson on December 16, making pseudoephedrine a prescription drug becomes law, there would be no need for detectors, because the meth lab issue would in turn take care of itself.

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The Monticello City Council has approved the second reading of an ordinance that translates into joint city and county management of the ASPIRE Center. The measure was approved by a 4-2 vote during a special meeting held last Monday night.

The facility has been operated for the past several years through the EZ Community, but funding to keep the doors open has dried up. Monticello Mayor Jeffrey Edwards noted that without action by the council and the fiscal court, the doors to the ASPIRE Center would not open in 2012.

“This is an opportunity we have to step up and do something for this community,” Edwards stated Monday night, as he talked to the council about the issue.

Edwards noted that last year more than 40,000 people used the center for a variety of activities. By working with county government, the mayor said he hoped to see the center grow and expand, providing even more opportunities for the people in the community.

He laid out the financial picture for the council, noting that the center operated now on a $110,000 a year budget. Of that, the council and fiscal court contribute $35,000 annually for the swimming program. Another $29,000 is generated through rental fees, according to Edwards.

That would leave a budget shortfall of about $40,000 to $45,000, which the city and county would be responsible for jointly. Both governments will look at ways to save money and for other revenue sources, as they begin to manage the facility, Edwards stated.

The fiscal court has heard the first reading of the same ordinance and is expected to address it during an upcoming special meeting.