County officials passed the new occupational tax rate of 3/4 of one percent during a special called session of Russell County Fiscal Court on Friday, March 1.

The tax sets the occupational tax for the next two years at 3/4 of one percent and will sunset in two years, meaning the tax rate will once again be brought up for discussion and either a continuation of the rate or a new rate will have to be voted on by the counties magistrates.

Additionally, a new cap was set at $2,500. Previously the cap had been set at $800. The new cap of $2,500 means everyone earning less than $333,333 will pay the same 3/4 of a present rate. Previously the $800 cap and one percent rate meant that any earnings over $80,000 were not affected.

The new rate is 1/4 percent lower than the one percent rate that employees working within the county boundaries had been paying since 2011, but 1/2 percent higher than the 1/4 percent rate that workers had been paying from 1994 through 2011.

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A Russell Springs man, who was formerly convicted of acquiring child pornography, was sentenced in United States District Court two weeks ago by Senior Judge Thomas B. Russell, to 327 months in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release, according to David J. Hale, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky.

Morris E. Hall, Jr., 64, was charged with a single count indictment by a federal grand jury on July 17, 2012 and pleaded guilty to the charge on December 6, 2012.

Hall was indicted while completing a 78-month sentence for receipt of child pornography.

Between October 5, 2005 and May 18, 2006, Hall was receiving and viewing images of child pornography, via the internet, on a United States Postal Service computer while working in the post office in Jamestown. The abuse of a minor occurred on multiple occasions between May and August 2005 at the same United States Post Office.

“One of the highest priorities of my office is to protect children from sexual predators and prosecute those who prey on our most vulnerable citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Hale.

“This is a just sentence and will send a message to those who contemplate victimizing our children: you will go to prison.”

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jo E. Lawless and was investigated by Kentucky State Police.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals, federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdog.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”

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Two Russell County natives have partnered together and purchased a radio station in neighboring Casey County that has a reach of 35 counties in central and south-central Kentucky, including the Lake Cumberland area.

Joey Hoover, a longtime local law enforcement officer who was most recently head of the Kentucky State Park Rangers, and Russell County Circuit Clerk Tony Kerr recently purchased WKDO 98.7 FM and WKDO 1560 AM after an offer presented itself that the duo just couldn’t refuse.

Hoover recently retired from his position with the park rangers in February and was in full-time law enforcement for 24 years. He started on February 2, 1989 as a police officer recruit for the Jamestown Police Department, and went to the police academy that fall where he graduated in October 1989.

In January of 1990 he returned to the academy for two weeks of additional training in Project DARE and taught DARE at local elementary schools for 10 years.

In all, he was with the JPD for 16 years and was promoted to chief in March 1995. In February 2005, Hoover went to work in the state park system as director of park rangers across the state. His retirement from the park rangers came as his shift ended on February 28.

“I had really not given much thought to retirement,” Hoover said. “I have no desire to retire and not work. As long as I’m healthy and able I’m going to work every day of my life. To not be working when able is a waste of precious life.”

Kerr said his first obligation was being circuit clerk and that was not going to change, even as the new endeavor unfolds.

“(Hoover) will be the manager; I’m more of a silent partner,” Kerr said. “I want to be clear on this; my first duties and obligation are to the people of Russell County as their circuit clerk. Joey’s going to be running the station.”

Most of Kerr’s involvement will be during nights or weekends, as time allows.

Kerr said the opportunity at WKDO was a great opportunity because it is one of the largest radio stations in this part of the state.

Back in November of last year Hoover heard that WKDO was for sale and he made initial contact with the station’s owner, Beverly Wesley. Wesley’s late husband, Carlos, had owned the station for more than 40 years before passing away three years ago.

Discussions grew from there as Hoover, Kerr, and Hoover’s brother, Jeff, the owner of Laker Country WJRS 104.9 FM, tossed around ideas for several weeks. Joey also manages WJRS here in Russell County.

“A week before Christmas, Tony and I decided to make an offer and the offer was accepted on the day after Christmas,” Hoover said. “Basically, at that point, I knew I was going to have to retire from my law enforcement career and devote 100 percent of work time to radio to continue managing WJRS as well as the day to day operations of WKDO.”

On Friday, March 1, Hoover and Kerr assumed control over the Liberty station after the deal was finalized and soon WKDO 98.7 FM will become “Classic Country” and will feature past country hits.

“Fifty percent of the music play list will be all the top country songs from the 1980s, 30 percent will be all the top country songs from the 1970s and there will be a 10 percent mix for each of the 1960s and early to mid-1990s,” Hoover said. He said the really unique thing about the FM station is that it is 25,000 watts, unrestricted.

“The range is incredible,” Hoover said, saying the signal reaches into 35 counties in central and south-central Kentucky. “Literally from Liberty to the south of Lawrenceburg into the edge of Frankfort to Nicholasville to Richmond to Williamsburg to Bardstown to Russell Springs and the entire Lake Cumberland area.”

Hoover said Jeff St. John will be the station’s primary on-air person who will be doing the morning show from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. ET and 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. CT on Monday through Friday.

“Jeff brings more than 25 years of experience from all aspects of radio to the station,” he said, saying St. John would also be helping with advertising and sales.

The station will also do live broadcasts from different communities it serves, with the first on-site broadcast being the Liberty Relay For Life in May.

“We’re going to strive at WKDO to have direct involvement in Liberty and Casey County but also other counties throughout the entire region because of the range the signal has,” he said.

Hoover also mentioned that Russell County native Kennedy Coffey will be on the sales staff at WKDO and that before the end of the month several other folks will be on board as well.

“We are building a brand new showcase studio in a different part of the building here,” Hoover said. “I would love for anyone who wants to, to drop by at 988 Dry Ridge Road, which is a mile off Ky. 70 from the main bypass of Wilkinson Blvd. in Liberty.”

He said that WKDO AM, which has the same call letters as FM, has been silent for several years and is at 1560 and will be known as “The Vault.”

“It will soon be back on the air in early April as we have a new transmitter and equipment ordered for it and that format will be “Classic Hits,” Hoover said.

Hoover said for the AM station, which will be on air during daytime hours only, the focus will be on light rock and pop hits from the late 1960s through the mid 1980s.

Hoover said with his retirement he would also have more time to devote to WJRS here in Russell County as well as the Lake Cumberland News Network.

“Not many people can go to work and enjoy their job but I have. I’ve been so blessed to be able to do two jobs that I love and I have never dreaded going to work.”

He said the Kentucky State Park system features beautiful places for family and friends to gather and enjoy the company of each other.

“They really need to be better known and better supported because they really are Kentucky’s treasures and I’m going to miss working for parks,” he said.

“Through life’s experiences and working for parks I’ve been in every county in Kentucky, several of them on multiple occasions, but this opportunity came up for a reason.”

He said radio, to him and his colleagues, is all about community service and it would continue to be the cornerstone of their new endeavor.

“We’re very excited,” he said. “I do believe this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we’re ready for the challenges ahead.”

Hoover said additional information on the station would be announced at a later date.