Past 12 months brought progress, triumphs, harsh weather, sorrow and celebrations

It seems as if we put together our annual look back at the past 12 months quicker and quicker each time, but in reality it’s only our own perspective of time that seems to be spnning at a faster and faster pace each year.

Covering the events that filled the pages of the Clinton County News during the past 12 months, has once again been a challenging but rewarding experience as we reported to you, our loyal readers, then events that shaped our county during 2011.

There were reports of progress, tragedies, celebrations and as is always the case in southern Kentucky – extreme weather.

We hoped you have enjoyed reading our take on the events that shaped our lives during 2011, and we want you to rest assured, that as we enter this new year, the staff at the Clinton County News will once again strive to keep you informed of happenings in Albany and Clinton County for the next 12 months.

Before we close the books on 2011, we offer up one final look at the headlines and news that shaped these pages in our annual look back …
The Year In Review.

2011 Year In Review

January News…

Clinton County Fiscal Court has set in place its county employees, but not without some controversy involving the manner in which the slate of employees were presented, then approved.

When the Kentucky General Assembly convened last week, Clinton County’s two legislators in Frankfort continued to be two of the most influential in the two chambers. Jeff Hoover, a Clinton County native who represents the 83rd District, was elected to an unprecedented sixth term as the House of Representatives Minority Leader. David Williams of Burkesville, who represents the Senate’s 16th District, which includes Clinton County, was once again affirmed to hold down the highest position in that legislative body, that of Senate President.

Clinton County students will benefit in a host of ways in the next few years, thanks to a pair of grants that were announced to implement new programs within the local school system. The funding will involve an elementary and secondary school counseling grant in the amount of $1,002,547, as well as a smaller grant, the Carol A. White Physical Education Program, worth $360,364.

Customers of South Kentucky RECC, which serves all of Clinton County, will soon notice a rise in the cost of flipping the switch “on” following the Kentucky Public Service Commission’s approval of a rate increase for the supplier of electricity to East Kentucky Power. The increase will mean that the average residential customer electricity bill will see an increase of about $4.25 per month.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s website, the local population in Clinton County decreased by some 2.4 percent over a nine-year period. The county’s population on July 1, 2009 was 9,403 residents, compared to 9,634 on April 1 of 2000.

In an attempt to generate much needed additional revenue to a financially strapped EMS and at the same time, cease free ambulance runs to those who receive medical related services, Clinton Fiscal Court has adopted a “Refusal of Services” resolution that puts a $150 per run fee on individuals who receive medical care without being transported to a medical facility.

After 22 years in the classroom, Tina Langford has taken on an entirely new set of duties as principal of the Clinton County Early Childhood Center. Meanwhile, Judy Tallent, a long-time Clinton County High School teacher and guidance counselor, has been named the new director of the Somerset Community College-Clinton Center.

January Birth…

Rylee Grace Boland, daughter of Ben and Jessica Boland, Jamestown, Tennessee.

January Deaths…

Leah “Lizzie” Smith, 84, Spiceland, IN; Rev. Donald Lee Creekmore, 66, Albany; Mary E. Ferrill, 77, Columbus, IN; Ray Kendrick Lovelace, 79, Albany; James Anthony Agee, 56, Albany; Rosia Brewington Martin, 64, Albany; Christine Farmer, Glasgow, KY; Delmer Duane Ferrill, 45, New Castle, IN; James D. Ferguson, 94, Tampa, FL; Peggy Ann Riddle, 56, Albany; Cathy Jo Smith, 49, Albany; Lela “Cue” Mathews, 79, Albany; Faye (Woodrum) Miller, 89, Louisville, KY; Marshall Harlan Farmer, Albany; Thomas Anthony Creek, 58, Albany; Daisy Aline Smith, 88, Albany; Donald A. Warinner, 79, Markleville, Indiana.

February News…The Clinton County News has something new to offer its loyal readers and advertisers. Beginning this Friday, February 4, the online edition will have a new look. The new site will feature many more aspects of the print edition, including obituaries, classified ads, a “What’s Happening” box that will post up-to-date tidbits of news, weather and sports information pertaining to Clinton County.

A prisoner at Clinton County Jail fled on foot from authorities at about mid-day Monday and was still at large as of press time Tuesday. Jessie W. Pittman, who was previously charged with manufacturing methamphetamine, left the jail around 10:50 a.m.

For the first time in 2010, Clinton County’s unemployment rate hit double-digits in December at 10.1 percent. This was still among the lowest in the state and second lowest in the 10-county Lake Cumberland area.

Clinton County Bulldogs point guard Keifer Dalton, an 8th grader, broke a single game assist record at CCHS with 15 in a game against Jenkins High School on Tuesday, February 1 in the Riverside Prep Showcase.

Clinton County Board of Education voted to amend the 2010-11 calendar to add 16 1/2 missed snow days, but school for students, barring any more missed days, will still end before Memorial Day. The board added 10 days to the end of the school year, one day on President’s Day and three days of Spring Break, plus an extended 34 minute class day from March 21 through April. Tentatively, the last day for students as well as CCHS graduation will be Friday, May 27.

The Clinton County Extension Office held its annual Truth or Consequences event last Friday at the Clinton County Fairgrounds with a host of high school freshmen learning the cold hard truth about certain aspects of life. The program is designed to especially target substance abuse.

Another edition of the ever-popular Clinton County High School Basketball Booster Club/WANY Auction was closed out Friday night and according to Booster Club President Lisa Beard, the program enjoyed yet another successful run, netting about $8,000 for the varsity basketball programs.

February Births…Crista Shae Thacker, daughter of Lucas and Gina Thacker, Albany; Emily Jo Cravens, daughter of Joanna and the late Eric Cravens, Albany.

February Deaths…Harold Edward Decker, 66, Albany; Lucille Evans Griffin, 86, Albany; Opal Jean Poor Stockton, 68, Albany; Berel Nation, 78, Burkesville, KY; Mary Dot Dennis, 75, Bloomfield, KY; Kathleen Stearns Conner, 78, New Castle, IN; Charlie Wayne Matthews, 69, Albany; Harold Russell, 73, Pall Mall, TN; Vivian Shipley Riddle, 91, Mandeville, LA; Wendell Edward Guinn, 77, Burkesville, KY; Ineeda Means Vance, 87, Crossville, TN; Millard S. Groce, 82, Albany; James Howard Stockton, 74, Albany; Robert Edsel Beaty, 62, MI; Leah Rector Tower, 73, Cape Coral, FL; Larry Michael Thomason I, 54, Albany; Mary Grider Watson, 73, Ft. Wayne, IN; Bertha “Bitty” Garrett, 49, Albany; Uthal Polston Graham, 69, Albany; Ira Joe Pittman, 59, Albany; Zola J. Huddleston, 78, Albany; Storm Dawson Garret, 5 1/2 months, Albany; Melba Lee Coop Beaty, 86, New Castle, IN; James W. “Jimmy” Gibson, 65, Albany; Bro. Bob Chaplin, 72, Monticello, KY; Judy Ann Amox McClintock, 64, Albany.

March News…A large storm pounded Clinton County late Thursday night and early Friday morning, producing what weather experts refer to as a “micro-burst” that left a path of damage in parts of the county, especially around Beaty Creek near Beech Bottom. That same storm is also being blamed for likely producing a lightning strike at Grider Hill Dock early Friday morning that resulted in a fire at the marina that destroyed a section of the dock and six vessels that were moored in the area.

Kenneth Joe Neal, 32, who had been found guilty in January by a Clinton Circuit Jury on three drug related charges, was sentenced February 21 to 18 years imprisonment by Circuit Judge Eddie C. Lovelace. Among the guilty verdicts that led to the 18 years was a conviction on manufacturing methamphetamine.

Central Daylight Savings Time officially ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 13 and will roll in about seven months of Daylight Savings Time, meaning an extra hour of daylight until November.

A six-week period of 34-minute extended class hours will begin Monday, March 21 and run through Friday, April 29 in the Clinton County school system. This will save two and-a-half days due to school missed this past winter because of snow.

After several years of planning, fundraising and thousands of hours of volunteer work from a lot of people in Clinton and surrounding counties, the Twin Lakes Family Wellness Center officially opened its doors on Wednesday, March 16.

Clinton County’s Todd Messer was confirmed last week as being named the 4th Region Boys’ Basketball Coach of the Year by the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches.

Clinton County Fiscal Court began dealing with the harsh reality of a strained budget at its monthly meeting March 17. The court voted to cut $6,000 (about half) of each the park board and library budgets for the current fiscal year.

Attorney General Jack Conway recently announced that his office has completed implementation of an electronic warrant management system (eWarrants) in the 40th Judicial Circuit, which consists of Clinton, Russell and Monroe counties and the 57th Circuit of Russell and Wayne counties.

Clinton County’s unemployment rate in January was 12.5 percent, up from just over 10 percent in December 2010 and well above the single-digit rates recorded during most of last year.

March Births…Kinsley Beth Rogers, daughter of Chris and Sarah Rogers, Albany; Waylon Michael Warinner, son of Michael and Robyn Warinner, Albany; Konlee Grace Gibson, daughter of Philip and Sherri Gibson, Albany.

March Deaths…Virginia Blanch Brown, 71, Albany; Beverly Jane Burchett, 50, Albany; Gertie Young Smith, 73, Albany; Freddie R. Wilson, 42, Albany; Garnet T. (Lester) Wallen, 86, Knoxville, TN; Larry R. May, 61, Lexington, KY; Lt. Col. John S. Williams, 75, Pall Mall, TN; Ina Nell Wray, 73, Byrdstown, TN; Beatrice Birmingham, 85, Albany; Leslie Forest Burchett, 76, Albany; Mary Jo Sexton, 71, Byrdstown, TN; Bessie Jewell Byrd Groce, 93, Albany; Reba Brown, 93, Albany; Anise P. Buford, 91, Albany; Hessie Gay Clark, 88, Cincinnati, OH; Jerry Donald Talbott, 68, Harlinger, TX; Lyndall Vitatoe, 92, Albany; Emma Jewell Chaffin, 84, Albany; Agnal Slone, 55, Albany; Bruce Carrender, 63, Monticello, KY; Kenneth Earl Thrasher, 69, Albany; Patty Willis Groce, 44, Burkesville, Kentucky.

April News…Backhoes, bulldozers, trucks, tractors and especially chain saws along with able bodies to operate that equipment were in tremendous demand Monday evening, April 4, throughout the night Monday and into the day Tuesday, as residents and crews across Clinton County worked to clean up the aftermath of a storm system that caused considerable damage here around 3 p.m. Monday afternoon.

A Clinton County man who escaped custody from the Clinton County Jail on February 7 has been apprehended in Wisconsin. Jesse W. Pittman was taken into custody early last week in Barron County, Wisconsin where he was charged in that state with methamphetamine possession.

The severe weather that pelted Clinton County Monday, April 4, causing minor damage to trees and structures across the entire county, included at least two tornadoes. According to the National Weather Service, the storms that moved into and cross Clinton County produced two short-lived tornadoes, the first one striking at 3:14 p.m. in the Lee’s Chapel Community and the second at 3:16 p.m. in Seventy-Six.

An accident that occurred Sunday morning, April 17, took the life of an Albany woman and seriously injured two others. The fatal collision occurred at 9:50 a.m. on U.S. 127, three miles north of Albany near Mountain View Nursery. Ina Edwards, 79, of Albany, was pronounced dead at the scene of the two-vehicle wreck by Clinton County Coroner Steve Talbott.

April Births…Breannah Kisha Dawn Huckaby, daughter of Barry and Angela Huckaby, Albany; Caleb Rayburn Kempton, son of Larry Dale and Sandra-Pierce Kempton, Albany; Aubree Taylor Reeves, daughter of Brent and Cortney Reeves, Albany.

April Deaths…Dewey Clyde Abbott, 79, Byrdstown, TN; William O. “Neal” Guffey, 60, Albany; Bernice Reagan, 87, Glasgow, KY; Theda Riddle, 81, Albany; Helen G. Robinson, 84, Albany; Bill Pierce, 73, Albany; Ina Lou Edwards, 79, Albany; Bro. Buster Stearns, 75, Albany; Billy Charles Wilborn Sr., 80, Byrdstown, TN; Everette Lacey Bishop, 84, Albany; Patricia Wallen, 66, Albany; Ray Appleby, 81, Albany; Joe W. Guffey, 65, Albany; James Robert Mabry, 68, Pasco, WA; Everette E. Neal, 88, Albany; James H. Owens, 84, New Castle, IN; Imojean Shelton, 82, Albany; John B. Smith, 65, Albany.

May News…Lake Cumberland is full, Dale Hollow brimming. One group of businesses that are certainly feeling the brunt of the recent heavy and extended rainfalls are the area marinas, especially the two Clinton County docks on Dale Hollow Lake. Dale Hollow is nearing record levels. On the north side of the county, Lake Cumberland, which has been held at lower than normal levels during a $500 million repair project to Wolf Creek Dam, was actually higher than what would have been considered “normal” for this point in the year before the repair project was started over five years ago.

On April 27, 2011, tornadoes tore through the southeast part of the United States, including Birmingham, Alabama. More than 250 touched down in 16 states. Local pastor Bobby Grant is working to collect items to take south and help those who have lost everything in the violent storms. And, two weeks after efforts began, Clinton County residents had donated between 45 and 50 thousand pounds of grocery and personal items, plus monetary donations totaling $7,098.75, to give to residents in the town of Hackelburg, Alabama.

Tragedy struck the Clinton County Community last week when what is being investigated as an apparent accidental shooting took the life of a young man who was due to graduate from CCHS next Friday. Michael L. Grunden, 18, was killed Thursday evening, May 12, near his home on McFall Road in northern Clinton County.

As was expected, it was Burkesville Attorney David L. Williams, the Republican candidate seeking that party’s nomination for governor, along with his running mate, Richie Farmer, who garnered the largest number of votes in Clinton County Tuesday with 1,050. Only 17 percent, about 1,200 of Clinton County registered voters, went to the polls in the primary and only nine percent of voters statewide cast ballots in a handful of races.

As graduation approaches and the school year comes to a close, Clinton County will once again be looking for a new Lady Bulldogs basketball head coach. Coach Carter Adams received word Thursday, May 12, in a letter, that his contract would not be renewed for the upcoming year.

Clinton County held its annual Relay for Life event Saturday night and Sunday morning, May 14 and 15 and had a huge turnout by raising a total of $70,721.83 for the year.

Clinton County High School will hold its ninety-fourth Commencement Program Friday, May 27 at the high school gym. The graduation ceremonies will mark the end of secondary education for 96 Class of 2011 seniors. Brandon Shepherd is this year’s Valedictorian; Salutatorian for the Class of 2011 is Danielle Brown and Odessa Gross is class Historian.

May Births…Hunter Dallas Garrett, son of Angela and Dallas Garrett, Albany; Destiny Elizabeth Glidewell, daughter of Eddie and Elizabeth Glidewell, Albany.

May Deaths…Genevivie Guinn, 65, Albany; Barbara Pearl Guffey, 66, Albany; Ruth Gibson Matthews, 80, Livingston, TN; Emma Hardin Peddicord, 80, Lexington, KY; Benton Bryan Martin, 85, Albany; Joanne Warinner Sawyer, 81, Lexington, KY; Nannie P. Hall, 70, Albany; Betty Piercey Sutton, 71, Albany; Vena Dean Stinson, 77, Monticello, KY; Paxton C. Madison, 39, South Pasadena, FL; Grace Duvall Little, 68, Cookeville, TN; A.B. Pharis, 83, Burkesville, KY; Theda Polston Baker, 78, Anderson, IN; Michael Lee “Mikey G.” Grunden, 18, Albany; Willie D. Stockton, 69, Albany; Delmer A. Hurst, 68, Albany; Lena Woodrum Bell, 66, Lawrenceburg, KY; Sallie Burchett Copeland, 78, Byrdstown, Tennessee.

June News…Clinton County’s unemployment rate for April was just below the double-digit mark at 9.8 percent. That rate represents a significant drop from the 11 percent recorded in March, but was still a full percent higher than the 8.8 percent in the county in April of 2010.

Bill Johnson of Elkton will apparently remain the Republican nominee for Kentucky Secretary of State, following a recanvass of votes that took place May 26. Johnson lost six votes statewide in the recanvass but remained the winner by 1,114 votes over Hilda Legg of Somerset, who had sought the recanvass.

A young Clinton County man was killed last Saturday afternoon, June 4, in a two-vehicle accident that occurred about two miles east of Albany. The wreck claimed the life of Ozzie Z. Lee, 20, of Albany.

Clinton County Fiscal Court has a 2011-12 fiscal year budget in place, however, it wasn’t before disagreement and a narrow split vote on second and final reading of fiscal court. By a 4-3 vote, with Judge/Executive Lyle Huff again having to cast a tie-breaking vote, the $4.7 million budget passed at a special meeting June 3.

Baylee Shofner of Green County, daughter of Adam Shofner and Amy Shofner, was crowned Miss Clinton County Fair Monday night, June 13.

Dillon Crawford, son of Rhonda and Darrell Young and Chris Crawford, was named Historian of the Clinton County High School Class of 2011 after final grades were turned in just before graduation.

The Albany Fire Department was called to the scene of an explosion from a lightning strike Thursday, June 9 at PORCO Fertilizer in west Albany, that resulted in two fuel tanks being destroyed as well as a 30-foot by 20-foot crater in the parking lot.

The 2011-12 Clinton County government budget has been finalized and initially approved by the Department of Local Government. However, where the revenue will come from to meet the budget total is now unsure after fiscal court failed to approve a measure to begin withholding $200 per month–as opposed to $80 per month–from county employees for health insurance coverage.

The City of Albany has an official 2011-12 fiscal year budget to go by. The council, meeting in special session June 16, unanimously approved the $3,704,783 fiscal year budget.

Bro. Bobby Grant announced last week to his congregation that he would be stepping down after 21 years as pastor at Highway Nazarene Church, the church’s only pastor up to this point. Grant served a total of 40 years in the ministry.

For more than a month, Clinton County High School’s Site Based Decision Making Council has been in search of a new Lady Bulldog head basketball coach. That search is now over as Darrell Thompson, former boys’ varsity basketball coach and current Lady Bat Dawgs softball coach, was hired on Friday, June 17.

A new bill passed by the Kentucky legislature and signed into law, HB 333, will allow the sale and display of fireworks that were previously illegal in this state–fireworks that explode or shoot into the air. Page’s Grocery is the first Kentucky location in this area to be able to sell the “real” fireworks.

June Birth…Ellarose Nolze, daughter of Randy and Robyn Nolze.

June Deaths…Anna “Faye” Burton, 60, Kokomo, IN; William Edward Cornell, Sr., 72, Albany; Robert Dean Parrigin, 41, S.C.; Shirley Avery Bowman, 66, Shepherdsville, KY; Harrison Charles Farthing, 85, Harrodsburg, KY; Glenda Elise England, 71, Glasgow, KY; Ozzie Z. Lee, 20, Albany; Willie Hugh Collins, 85, Allons, TN; Pauline Duvall Delk, 82, Albany; Cordelia Brown Hartman, 91, Louisville, KY; Sue J. Foster, 67, New Castle, IN; Velma Lee Smith Shelley, 83, Albany; Charlie Edd Smith, 77, Alpha, KY; Georgie M. Guffey, 87, New Castle, IN; Marie Conner, 77, Glasgow, KY; Flossie Dyer, 79, Wartburg, TN; Elizabeth Means, 76, Newman, OH; Ricky G. Stockton, 55, Albany; Clayton Guffey, 81, Albany; Shirley Joanne Lovelace, 59, Albany; Porter Vitatoe, Jr., 61, Albany.

July News…Police officers from at least three separate agencies surrounded the house of June Upchurch Sunday afternoon, July 3, after a man with a high powered rifle was cornered in a nearby barn. The standoff lasted nearly four hours and ended with the surrender of Daniel T. McCarren of Asheville, North Carolina. McCarren was later indicted on five felony charges July 18 by a Clinton County Grand Jury.

This year’s fifth annual fireworks got underway Monday night, July 4 and according to Albany/Clinton County Chamber of Commerce President Mike Davis, it was one of the biggest crowds on hand for the event to date.

The space shuttle Atlantis lifted off for the last time Friday, July 8, 2011 with more than a million people on hand to see its final voyage, while millions more paused from their daily schedules to view the televised launch. Of those one million plus people, a 10-year old boy from Clinton County was on hand to view history in the making. James Allen Winningham, the son of Anthony and Katresa Winningham, left Clinton County almost a week before the shuttle’s lift-off.

A tragic accident involving a single boat has resulted in the death of an Indiana man and injury to several others. According to officer Matt Majors with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Bryon Hartman, 24, of Yorkville, Indiana, was airlifted to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville after the accident early Monday morning, July 11. He died at the hospital the following day.

Clinton County’s newest sport to add to the lineup this season is not really new to most of the country, but it will be new to the students attending Clinton County High School. Soccer was approved by the Clinton County Board of Education with a boys’ and girls’ varsity team to begin its first season this fall.

Clinton Fiscal Court took action pertaining to its County Road Ordinance, amending the document to clear the way for an access road in the Wells Bottom area requested by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. That agency has received funding to open a third access area to the Cumberland River from Clinton County.

Funeral services were held last week for Kay Riddle, a long time elected public official and well-known law enforcement officer from Clinton County. Riddle, 65, died July 19 at Cookeville Regional Hospital. He served 13 years as Clinton County Sheriff and four years on the Albany Police Department. He was also a long-time Methodist minister.

July Births…Levi Phoenix Antle, son of Stacy and Rachel Antle, Bowling Green, KY; Ethan William Daniels, son of Adam and Janilee Daniels, Albany; Tayten Allen Bell, son of Allen Bell and Caitlin (Hensley) Bell, Albany.

July Deaths…Dorothy B. Polston, 92, Campbellsville, KY; Leta Mae Gibson, 86, Albany; Charles D. Branham, 60, Albany; Dorothy M. Sloan, 77, Albany; Louisa Aaron Rettko, 78, Tacoma, WA; Marion L. Buster, 83, Albany; Grace Gibson Mims, 98, Versailles, KY; Vera H. Honeycutt, 89, Piqua, OH; Mary Combest Montgomery, 79, Shepherdsville, KY; Hazel Marie Guffey, 70, Albany; Kenneth Earl Cash, 55, Blue Mound, IL; Kay Riddle, 65, Albany; Willie Lee McGill, 67, Albany; Doris Ann Edwards, 51, Albany.

August News…The Clinton County Sheriff’s Department was first to arrive on scene Saturday night, July 30, after a call of a shooting disturbance came into dispatch around 10:30 p.m. that resulted in the death of James Thomas Dyer, II, 31, of Albany. Anthony Troxel, 35, also of Albany, was charged with murder in connection with the incident that occurred on Seventy Six Falls Road. Troxel was later indicted on August 15 by a Clinton County Grand Jury, charging him with murder and five other offenses, including wanton endangerment and persistent felony offender. His bond was set at $100,000 cash only.

What probably seemed to be a short summer vacation to students and parents alike will come to a close in less than a week, as students in the Clinton County school system will return to class Tuesday, August 9. The official opening day is August 8 for faculty only.

For the 24th year, the “World’s Longest Yard Sale” is officially underway and runs through Clinton County. The U.S. 127 Corridor Sale’s official dates for this first weekend of August was Thursday through Sunday, August 4-7. However, many vendors were set up and selling wares up to a couple of days ahead of that official start date.

Albany City Council voted to keep the city tax rates unchanged at .18 cents per $100 assessed value on property and .20 cents on tangibles. They also voted to close Fire Station Alley in anticipation of a new business prospect that may locate in north Albany.

The new school year is just underway and one of the more significant staffing changes with the 2011-12 school year will involve administration, as Charlotte Bernard, a 19-year veteran with the Clinton County school district, was hired as Director of Pupil Personnel, replacing Joe Summers, who had held the position for the past nine years prior to retiring at the end of the past school term.

Demolition work got underway last week on Cross Street near the intersection of U.S. 127 and Ky. 1590 where four houses will be torn down and removed to make room for a new retail outlet. This area of Albany has likely undergone the most changes in the past decade, with the arrival of McDonald’s, Advanced Auto, Fred’s Super Dollar and now the new retail outlet which is reported to be a new Dollar General Store Market.

The Albany/Clinton County Wellness Center has been in full operation since the end of March and now is more than 900 members strong. With its success, there has also been some changes, but the most noticeable is the person in charge of the facility. Pam Ostertag was hired as director of the Wellness Center earlier this month.

For the first time in several years, local and area cattle producers will have a place to buy and sell their livestock, as a Lexington-based marketing group has acquired land and plans to construct a total 55,000 square foot stockyards/office-arena in Clinton County. The Blue Grass Livestock Marketing Group purchased property at the intersections of Hwys. 90 and U.S. 127 near the SCC-Clinton Center and plans to open the facility by early 2012.

August Births…Shyanna Renee Beaty, daughter of Justin and Katie Beaty, Albany; Kadin Lee Watson, son of William and Sandy Watson, Ocala, FL; Madelyn Sawyer Martino, daughter of Tylor and Amanda (Polston) Martino, Albany.

August Deaths…Robert Lee “Bob” DeForest, 77, Albany; Jean E. Stockton, 87, Monticello, KY; Walter Glenn Horner, 68, Albany; James Thomas Dyer, II, 31, Albany; Irene Conner, 84, Albany; Morris “Goatie” Littrell, 69, Somerset, KY; Nathan “Peanut” Guthrie, 35, Eubank, KY; Patrick J. Luckenbill, 55, Albany; Dolly Sue Davis, 55, Monticello, KY; Mark Dewayne Rigney, 42, Albany; Makenzie Dannah Glee Dalton, 13, Albany; Vicki Sharon Harper, 56, Burkesville, KY; Ernest Guffey, 67, Monticello, KY; Rosa Ellen Conner, 99, Albany; Bobby Kay Simpson, 62, Monticello, Kentucky.

September News…Law enforcement and other officials are investigating the death of a Clinton County Jail inmate. Clinton County Coroner Steve Talbott pronounced Christina York, 25, of Albany, dead at Clinton County Hospital at 8 a.m. Saturday, August 27 after she had been found “unresponsive” while an inmate at the jail.

Clinton County Board of Education voted unanimously to keep the 2011-12 year tax rates unchanged at 38.4 cents per $100 assessed value on real estate and personal property, .53 cents on motor vehicle and water craft and 3 percent utility tax following a public hearing on August 26.

Preliminary figures of student attendance for the 2011-12 school year indicate overall enrollment across the district to be up slightly the first 10 days of school compared to a year ago. Enrollment stood at 1,808 students compared to 1,776 the same period last year.

Not many people get to accomplish a feat of great importance at a young age, but William Cox has accomplished something that only very few in the United States can put on their resume. Over the summer, Cox, son of Jennifer Dyer of Albany and Paul Cox of Nashville, Tennessee, completed his Eagle Scout rank, something only two percent of Boy Scouts obtain.

The Clinton County Bulldogs football squad is now 0-6 after a 16-0 loss at Metcalfe County Friday night, September 23.

An era in Clinton County that began 70 years ago when Leonard Little started carrying the mail on Rural Route Two ended Wednesday, August 31, 2011 when Harold Little pulled into the Albany Post Office lot for the last time in his official capacity of rural mail carrier. No more does a Little carry the mail in Clinton County.

A Clinton County Grand Jury has indicted Ira Boles “Bo” Dyer, III, 33, of Albany, on a charge of murder by use of a motor vehicle, among other charges, stemming from an April 17 head-on collision that claimed the life of Ina Edwards, 79, also of Albany.

The Clinton County Industrial Development Authority has officially taken action in support of a major business venture for the area. The IDA voted to approve a $200,000 loan to Blue Grass Stockyards of Albany, part of a $1.8 million overall project.

Albany Police Department headed an investigation last week that led to the arrest of two Clinton County residents. Carolyn J. Davidson, 27, and Jimmy D. Smith, Jr., 23, were arrested and charged with receiving stolen property under $100,000 in connection with a stolen safe from a residence in neighboring Pickett County, Tennessee.

Meeting in special session September 14 and 16, Albany City Council approved a .52 cents per month base rate increase for the first 2,000 gallons of water consumed for both city and county water customers. There will also be a slight increase for each 1,000 addition gallons consumed.

Clinton County High School’s varsity golf program experienced its best day ever during the regional tournament, when two Golf Dawgs finished the tournament in position to qualify for the KHSAA State Golf Tournament next week in Bowling Green. Sawyer Stalcup placed second overall as an individual with a one under par 71 and Evan Shelley finished third overall with a four over par 76. Out of 20 total teams in the region, CCHS as a squad finished fifth in the tournament.

With the Foothills Festival being the single-most draw of a large crowd to downtown Albany and its outskirts from the courthouse square, the City of Albany, in cooperation with other officials and businesses, are launching something new this year–the first annual “City of Albany Cleanup Day,” which is scheduled for Saturday, October 1.

September Births…Emma Sue Thrasher, daughter of Rodney and Christy Thrasher, Albany; Henlee Faith Self, daughter of Taylor Batey, Midland, Texas.

September Deaths…Ronald “Chicken” Lloyd, 67, Glasgow, KY; Christina Robin Nicole York, 25, Albany; Delmer A. Braswell, 80, New Albany, IN; Larry E. “Hoggie” Jones, 64, Albany; Donald A. Ferrell, 75, Albany; William Keith Brown, 51, Albany; Arnold Bradley Denney, 48, Jacksonville, FL; Robert Lee Hancock, 74, Monticello, KY; Frank R. “Bob” Sheryak, 72, Louisville, KY; Randy L. Massengale, 60, Burkesville, KY; Martha Groce, 74, Albany; Juanita Abston Neal, 88, Shepherdstown, W.V.; Frances Melton Purvis, 61, Byrdstown, TN; Jim York, 69, New Castle, IN; Nelda Sue Matthews, 70, Albany; Carol Hurt, 68, Albany; Ruth Ellen Troxell, 77, Monticello, KY; Kathy Marie Thomas, 51, Albany; Mary L. Harris Holleran, 80, Albany; Mary Helen Brown Armstrong, 68, Albany; Margaret Guthrie Little, 63, Byrdstown, TN; Emmanuel Corbin, 59, Albany.

October News…October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the Volley Dawgs hosted Glasgow on September 15 in a game that did more than add a win to the win/loss column for Clinton County…it pro vided an atmosphere to honor those who have fought and survived as well as those who have lost their life to cancer and the game raised more than $800 for the cause.

Test results from the federal student testing system known as NCLB (No Child Left Behind) are once again in, and as in years past, the local school district as a whole had some “mixed” results. However, despite only two schools meeting the full AYP (Average Yearly Progress) under the testing system, overall students for the most part continue to show some improvement in most core subject areas.

The rains ended late Thursday and by Friday morning the sky was clear and blue and the crisp air was clearly that of a fall day. Never in it’s entire 32 year history had the Foothills Festival enjoyed a more perfect weekend of autumn weather. Destiny Guffey, daughter of Jimmie and the late Shirley Guffey, of Albany, was crowned the 2011 Miss Foothills Festival.

The Clinton County Magisterial Reapportionment Plan and Mapping has officially been approved, following second reading on the ordinance by fiscal court last week. However, the tough work of actually implementing and redrawing the lines–not to mention changing voter locations for many residents–is yet to come.

With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it seems fitting that the announcement has come down that Clinton County Hospital has been approved for a $312,000 ARC (Appalachian Region Commission) grant for a new, state-of-the art mammography system that will be in operation by the end of the year.

The Clinton County Area Technology Center has a new face in the administrative office. Stesha Flowers was recently hired as principal of ATC. Flowers replaces Alfredda Stearns, who recently retired after having served five years as ATC principal.

Robert Williams, General Manger of Keystone Foods, LLC, was on hand Tuesday, October 18, to help pass out more than 600 pounds of chicken from the local processing plant to benefit a program called Feeding America.

October Births…Clayton Ray Owens, son of Bobby and Shonda Owens, Albany; Haleigh Jo Thrasher, daughter of Staci and Nick Thrasher, Owenton, KY; MaKenna Ivory Neal, daughter of Jennifer and Kenny R. Neal, Albany.

October Deaths…Donald W. Denney, 74, Louisville, KY; Marsha Kay Brumley, 45, Albany; Linda Gail Butler Hunt, 49, Albany; Bro. Farris Pierce, 67, Albany; Dora Leana Guinn Braswell, 92, Albany; Judy Wood, 71, Albany; Farley Stinson, 61, Albany; Donnie G. McKinley, 79, Bowling Green, KY; Tena Huddleston Wray, 53, Burkesville, KY; Heather Nicole Cummings, 20, Winchester, KY; Betty J. Roberts, 61, Fresno, CA; Robert Merlin Kinzie, 87, Crossville, TN; Bonnie Upchurch Britt, 86, Albany.

November News…Halloween turned tragic Monday night as five-year old Aleigha Duvall, daughter of Lonnie Duvall and Misty Hickman, was hit by a vehicle on Haddix Road, eight miles east of Albany, while she was trick-or-treating. The child, a kindergarten student at the Early Childhood Center, died from her injuries the following day, Tuesday, November 1 at UK Medical Center in Lexington.

Clinton Countians went to the polls on general election day Tuesday, November 8 and voted for all six Republicans on the ticket. David Williams and Richie Farmer, the GOP candidates for Governor and Lt. Governor, easily carried Clinton County but incumbent Democrat Steve Beshear and his running mate, Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson, was re-elected statewide. The only Republican who won statewide was James Comer of Tompkinsville, who was easily elected Commissioner of Agriculture.

Three persons were inducted to the CCHS Basketball Wall of Fame on November 11. They included Bulldog player Jason Gibson; Lady Bulldog and all-time leading scorer, Paige Guffey and former head coach for both the Lady Bulldogs and Bulldogs, Ronnie Guffey.

The 8th annual Christmas at Home toy and food drive is now well underway in Albany and Clinton County as food and new toys will be collected through mid-December. Also, plans are in the works for the annual Treasure Hunt which will begin in early December.

Saluting the Marines, Navy, Air Force, Army and the United States Coast Guard, Veterans Day was celebrated at Clinton County High School as the JROTC presented “A Day to Remember” on Friday, November 11.

Once again, customers who receive cable television service in Albany and Clinton County from Mediacom will see a ‘rate adjustment’ before the end of the year. Effective December 15, broadcast basic will increase from $26.50 to $28.50 and family cable from $64.95 to $67.95. Rates for digital service and premium movie channels will also go up.

Even though the 2011 general election is just weeks past, filing for offices to be filled in 2012 has already begun. Clinton Circuit Clerk Jake Staton became the first local candidate to file on November 9 to seek a third term in that office.

Lt. Col. James A. DeLapp, Commander and District Engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District, told members of the media last week that the Wolf Creek Dam rehabilitation project was still on schedule for completion by December 2013 with lake levels on Lake Cumberland expected to return to normal by the summer of 2014.

Cancer effects us all in one way or another, but for Clinton County residents, it seems that the rate of cancer patients is unusually higher than other nearby communities. Concerns about these apparent high cancer rates was one of the in-depth subjects addressed during a meeting of Clinton County Fiscal Court in which local and area health figures addressed the governing body with their concerns. Amanda England, with the Lake Cumberland District Health Department, was on hand to give the court members information on recent statistics and those numbers were very surprising to the magistrates and others on hand for the meeting.

November Deaths…Doris Davis Clinger, 90, Falmouth, KY; Jonathan Michael Zeitz, 30, Burkesville, KY; Ila Mae Moreland, 90, Frankfort, KY; Roxie D. Mavis, 91, New Castle, IN; John Preston Harlan, 77, Byrdstown, TN; Peggy Lou Guffey, 52, Alpha, KY; Aleigha Kristian Duvall, 5, Albany; Virginia Lee Huddleston, 73, Albany; Inez Parrish, 70, Jamestown, KY; Lucille Burgess, 90, Albany; Martha Marcum Johnson, 96, Springport, IN; James E. Cooper, 77, Albany; James “Cook” Parrigin, 87, Byrdstown, TN; Sharon Lynn Birdwell, 59, Albany; Earl Warinner McKay, 72, New Castle, IN; Charles Riley Cooper, 63, Albany; Chestalean Anderson Abbott, 79, Byrdstown, TN; Martha L. Lawrence, 75, Albany; James Ira Davis, 71, Albany; Frank Lawson, 75, Pall Mall, TN; Lena Mae Cooper, 91, Albany; Lane Huddleston, 74, Louisville, KY; Vernetta Ann Hart, 70, Richmond, IN; Amanda Faye Burchett Owens, 39, Albany; Dudley Alvis Gibbons, 91, Albany.

December News…Christmas from Clinton County, 2011! Hoping to once again promote shopping at home this holiday season, the Clinton County News is offering our resources to local crafters and manufacturers, big and small, to get the message out to local and area shoppers about possible Christmas gifts made by residents from Clinton County.

Clinton County’s hopes of playing at Rupp Arena this season may have recently been flushed down the drain, according to an article published in the Lexington Herald-Leader. According to the article, the NCAA put a stop to the “Rumble in Rupp,” a series of pre-season scrimmages noting it was not a “scholastic event.”

A Clinton County man, Ira Boles Dyer, III, who is facing a murder charge in relation to a vehicle accident last spring, will apparently undergo a psychiatric evaluation regarding his competency to stand trial. And, in an unrelated case, another Clinton County man, Anthony Troxel, who is charged with murder in connection with a shooting death this past summer, has had a trial date set for August 7-10, 2012.

Clinton County Schools Superintendent Mickey McFall, who has served as schools’ chief for the past 10 years, since the early 2000s, has announced that he will be retiring after 27 total years in the school district, effective June 30, 2012.

Blue Grass Stockyards LLC, which announced this past summer it will be constructing a stockyards facility in Albany, was awarded a total of $35,000 from the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board (KADB). The grant funds will be used to aid in the construction of the 50,000 square foot facility.

The Clinton County Bulldogs won the Twin Lakes Holiday Classic Wednesday, December 21 by going undefeated in the tournament. The Bulldogs took on Pulaski County in the final game, defeating the Maroons, 62-56. Clinton County also defeated Somerset, PA, 64-48, Ballard Memorial, 60-48, and Louisville Iroquois, 73-57. The championship run sent the Bulldogs into the Christmas break at 10-0.

A $1,000 reward has been offered by the Clinton County Fiscal Court for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators involved in stealing the Christmas decorations that adorned the Clinton County Courthouse lawn. The decorations were noticed missing on Monday, December 19 at 5:45 a.m. by courthouse custodians.

December Births…Kaylee Danielle Duvall, daughter of Christina Shelton and Daniel Duvall, Albany; Sydney Leigh Simmons, daughter of Jade and Jimmy Lee Simmons, Albany; Evelyn “Evie” Dell Widau, daughter of Marty and Sonya Widau, Albany.

December Deaths…Virginia Ann Jones, 57, Albany; Robert Lee Sells, 70, Byrdstown, TN; Bobby Howard Pryor, 72, Byrdstown, TN; Van Alfred Creselious, 74, Bow, KY; Johnnie Bess Savage, 84, Albany; Kathleen Brummett Claborn, 87, Albany; Agnes Thrasher Craft, 72, Somerset, KY; Margaret Cooper Arnold, 89, Albany; Carolann Brumley, 22, Albany; Sallie R. Thrasher, 86, Albany; Billy Conatser, 78, Pall Mall, TN; Robert Wells Flowers, 88, Albany; Rex E. Madison, 62, New Castle, IN; Donald Clay Davis, 75, Albany; Maina G. Wray, 74, Albany; Roxie H. Thrasher, 72, Louisville, KY; Virginia Conner Copeland, 78, Sylacouga, AL; James Z. Huff, 85, Lawrence, KS; Ray Deaton, 81, Alpha, KY; Helen Emberton Goodman, 80, Albany; Mildred Evans, 83, Albany.