A local man has been arrested in connection with an arson investigation, according to information released by Kentucky State Police.

Danny R. Denny, 45, of Monticello, was arrested on Tuesday, April 24, after an investigation determined that an outbuilding fire on Hillard Avenue was arson.

Denny was charged with third degree arson and lodged in Wayne County Detention Center.

Kentucky State Police was contacted at 4:46 a.m. on Tuesday about a residential fire on Hillard Avenue, that had resulted in one person being injured.

KSP Post 11 Arson Investigator Detective Brian Lewis responded to the scene of the residence and determined that the fire was accidental in nature.

He was then advised of an outbuilding fire that occurred across the street at approximately 1 a.m., and Lewis began an investigation into that scene. That resulted in Denny’s arrest.

Those two fires were among several that the Monticello Fire Department responded to during a busy 24 hour period.

Fire Chief Steve Ferrell said that a barn fire on Hwy. 833 that occurred about 12 midnight on Tuesday, April 24 was also suspicious in nature and remains under investigation.

Later in the day, the fire department also responded to a mobile home fire at Bugwood and that evening they responded to an electrical fire on Kentucky Avenue.

Anyone with any information on a suspicious fire can call the arson hotline at 1-800-272-7766.

Lewis is heading up the local arson investigation and he was assisted by the Monticello Police Department and the Monticello Fire Department.

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Local emergency management officials spent a lot of time a week ago Thursday surveying damage across the county, after an early morning storm resulted in downed trees, power lines and roof damage.

Wayne County Emergency Management Director Buddy Corder said that many residents were without power as strong straight line winds and large hail caused damage in several areas Thursday, April 26.

Corder said the storm hit at around 6 a.m. and there were reports of golf ball sized hail in some areas.

A large tree fell on a mobile home in the county and two homes in the Green Acres area sustained tree damage as well, according to Corder.

There was also an incident on West KY 92 where a tree fell on a vehicle. One woman was treated for minor injuries in that incident.

Several buildings sustained roof damage, including the Wright and Wright building located on Whiteway Inn Road.

South Kentucky RECC reported wide spread power outages early on Thursday morning, with about 8,000 members without electricity.

Power outages were experienced system-wide, including Western Pulaski, Clinton, Wayne, McCreary and Russell counties.

Crews worked throughout the day to make sure that power was restored to all customers.

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Music will fill downtown Monticello on the third Thursday of each month throughout the summer, with the launch of a new concert series. The series, which is being called Third Thursday Downtown, will showcase local area musicians.

The concert series is being organized by the new Events Committee, appointed by city and county government. The series of concerts will lead to a festival in October, similar to SpringFest which has been held locally for several years.

Shannon Hutchinson, who chairs the Events Committee, noted that South Kentucky RECC has signed on as the title sponsor for the Third Thursday series.

“We have been meeting for just about a month and I’m extremely pleased with the progress we’ve made in putting together a great lineup of entertainment. We want a vibrant downtown and think we have an idea that can help reach the goal, while providing quality free entertainment. The summer concert series is one of several different projects we’re working on, to provide big time events that are fun for the whole family,” said Hutchinson.

The first concert in the series is set for Thursday, May 17 at 8 p.m. and will feature Rapid Transit.

“Rapid Transit is opening our series and we think they have a great following. We are going to have some different genres of music that hopefully should be fun for just about everyone in the family. This wouldn’t be possible without some great businesses that signed on to sponsor our series. We already have four or five concert artists set and think we have a very talented group of bands. Rapid Transit, Borrowed Blue, Klassyc Tymes and Jim Dishman all have great followings and the early response from the community has been extremely positive,” said Hutchinson.

Concessions will be available during the concerts and the committee hopes to generate some other downtown activities as well.

“We want to have other first rate events. We are in the early stages, but we’ve had discussions on everything from the Harlem Wizards, to forming a local theater group, to possibly seeking a large circus in the future. Everyone on the committee has our community at heart, so I think we’ll see some nice things happen,” he said.

There will be some limited bleacher seating available, but everyone is encouraged to bring a chair and enjoy the fun and entertainment.