The public is ask for their assistance in locating a stolen vehicle that was taken from a local business early Thursday morning.
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According to the business owner, around 4:15 am the morning of Dec 29th a truck was stolen from Woody Restorations on Lakeway Drive in Russell Springs. The truck is a 2009 Dodge 3500 and the plate number is 08 300923. If anyone has any information regarding the theft please call 270-866-2628 or local dispatch at 270-343-6600.

​Story courtesy of lakercountry.com

There's been some confusion as to when students return to school for the spring semester.  Students are back MONDAY, Jan. 2.  Please help spread the word. 

Wes Feese

December 30th, 2016

A three-story Sleep Inn & Suites hotel, located at 350 Dohoney Trace, Columbia, KY, near the Cumberland Parkway, is open for business.

The Sleep Inn & Suites hotel features 66 rooms including 13 suites. Room amenities including  king- or queen-size beds, free high-speed Internet access, microwave, refrigerator, coffee maker, work desk, telephone, and  flat screen high definition digital television.

The Sleep Inn & Suites hotel features a heated indoor pool, fitness center, business center, large breakfast area and guest laundry services.

Guests of the Sleep Inn & Suites hotel enjoy a  complimentary full hot breakfast consisting of eggs, sausage/ bacon/ham, waffles, biscuits and gravy,  hot and cold cereals, pastries, breads, muffins, bagels,  fruit, coffee, tea and juices.

Children, ages 18 and under, stay free when accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Discounts are available when booked in advance on a space-available basis for seniors, American Automobile Association members, government and military personnel, business travelers and various groups.

The hotel participates in Choice Privileges, Choice's frequent-traveler program that allows frequent travelers an opportunity to earn points toward free night stays and gift certificates when staying at any U.S. Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Sleep Inn, Cambria, Quality, Clarion, and MainStay Suites hotels.

The Sleep Inn & Suites hotel is franchised by Choice Hotels International (NYSE: CHH), one of the world's largest lodging franchisors. Choice franchises more than 5,000 hotels under the Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Clarion, Sleep Inn, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn and MainStay Suites brands in 46 countries.
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For reservations visit online www.choicehotels.com, contact Choice's toll-free reservation service at (800)-4CHOICE or the hotel directly at (270) 380-1200.

The Franklin Circuit Court has approved an agreed judgment to return funds from the defunct Kentucky School Board Insurance Trust (KSBIT) to nearly 200 Kentucky schools, colleges and education groups and to the Kentucky League of Cities Insurance Services Association (KLCIS).

Under the terms of the settlement negotiated by Department of Insurance Commissioner Brian Maynard, who serves as court-appointed rehabilitator, $1 million will be returned immediately to schools and another $1 million will be returned immediately to KLCIS.

“We are pleased to reach an agreement that will return money to where it belongs, Kentucky’s schools and KLCIS,” said Commissioner Maynard.  “These important institutions have been left with uncertainty while this case was litigated, and today’s settlement is a significant step toward final resolution.  I applaud everyone’s efforts to reach this compromise.”

KSBIT’s member schools and KLCIS were severely impacted by KSBIT’s failure in 2013.  Member schools were assessed nearly $50 million to make up for KSBIT’s shortfall, while KLCIS lost millions of dollars it had infused into KSBIT after taking over administration of the struggling insurer in 2009.

Each of the 193 schools that were assessed as part of KSBIT’s failure will receive an amount proportional to the assessment each paid as KSBIT members.  Schools and KLCIS stand to receive additional payments in the future if funds are available.

“Our co-op and member schools were heavily impacted by the deterioration of KSBIT, and this settlement is an important compromise that allows all parties, from large universities to small independent school districts, to receive crucial funds,” said Executive Director of the Green River Regional Educational Cooperative, Tim Murley.

The agreed judgment concerns surplus notes provided to KSBIT in 2009.  KLCIS provided the backing for the notes, infusing $8 million into the insurance trust that provided workers’ compensation and property and liability insurance to KSBIT’s member schools.  KSBIT’s failure kept the trust from repaying KLCIS on the notes.

“We are pleased to finally move past this long-standing issue that has been ongoing since I joined the Kentucky League of Cities in 2010,” said Executive Director of the KLC, Jonathan Steiner.  “This agreement returns surplus to our member programs and allows us to focus our efforts on moving forward for our member cities and to manage their risks safely and effectively.”

Schools and KLCIS can expect to receive payments from the agreement within the next few weeks.
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For more information on the Kentucky Department of Insurance, visit http://insurance.ky.gov/.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Dec. 29, 2016) – Tolling on the Louisville – Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project is scheduled to begin tomorrow. Tolling is scheduled to begin at 4 a.m. Friday, December 30 on the new SR 265 Lewis and Clark Bridge, the new I-65 Abraham Lincoln Bridge and the improved I-65 Kennedy Bridge.

The Kennedy and Lincoln bridges provide 12 lanes of I-65 traffic connecting Downtown Louisville and Southern Indiana. The Lincoln Bridge carries six lanes of I-65 North traffic, and the Kennedy carries six lanes of I-65 South traffic. The Lewis and Clark Bridge, which opened to traffic Dec. 18, connects the Gene Snyder Freeway in Prospect, Ky. with State Road 265 in Utica, Ind. 

RiverLink is all-electronic tolling, with no toll booths, no coin machines, no lines and no stopping.

Information for Drivers 

It’s important for drivers to remember that tolling will not change their commute. They should not slow or stop while approaching the tolled bridges. All-electronic tolling means all drivers are able to move at the speed of traffic, with no slowing and no delays.

Drivers with transponders will pay the lowest rates. Sensors read transponders, and the appropriate toll is deducted from prepaid accounts. Cameras will capture the license plates of drivers without transponders, and bills will be sent in the mail. 

Toll rates range from $2-12, depending on the size of the vehicle and whether the driver has a RiverLink account and transponder. A driver in a passenger vehicle with a transponder will pay $2 to cross a tolled bridge. A driver in a passenger vehicle without a transponder will pay $4.

Drivers have the option of selecting a RiverLink local transponder or a RiverLink E-ZPass transponder. A RiverLink local transponder is free, one per registered vehicle. The small sticker adheres to the inside of the windshield, is non-transferable and works only on the Lewis and Clark, Lincoln and Kennedy bridges.

A RiverLink E-ZPass transponder is $15. It’s portable from vehicle to vehicle registered to a single account and works in all 16 E-ZPass states. All E-ZPass transponders are accepted by the RiverLink system. 

Drivers can register additional license plates to their RiverLink E-ZPass transponders online at www.riverlink.com, by phone or in person at a customer service center.

Mounting Transponders 

Drivers need to have their transponders properly mounted before the start of tolling. Transponders are placed on the inside of the windshield near the rearview mirror, as high and as central as possible. It may be placed on the driver side or passenger side.

Transponders should be mounted three inches away from any metal, tint, antenna or defroster. 

Drivers should avoid extreme temperatures when mounting their transponders. During cold weather, drivers can warm their car for a few minutes before mounting their transponder. 

Drivers Waiting for Transponders

Thousands of drivers have opened RiverLink accounts over the past several days. Not all drivers have received their transponders. If accounts have been processed and transponders have been assigned to licenses plates, drivers will receive the lowest rates until they receive their transponders. 

License plates will be scanned and the transponder rate applied until transponders are delivered. Drivers must receive and properly mount their transponders before crossings count toward the frequent-user discount.

Drivers Who Need to Open Accounts 

It’s not too late for drivers to open their RiverLink accounts. They will begin paying the lowest rates as soon as an account is processed, and a transponder is assigned to the license plate. The sooner accounts are opened, the faster savings will begin.

Drivers can open accounts online at www.RiverLink.com, by phone at 855-RIV-LINK or in person at one of two customer service centers. The website is the fastest option to open an account. It’s open 24 hours a day/7 days a week with no wait. Customers opening accounts online or by phone will have their transponders mailed to them. 

More than 150,000 RiverLink transponders have been requested to date, including more than 125,000 RiverLink local transponders and nearly 28,000 RiverLink E-ZPass transponders. Nearly 67,000 families and more than 2,200 businesses have opened RiverLink accounts.

Just over 110,000 drivers are expected to use the tolled bridges each day. 

Customer service centers are located at 400 E. Main St. in Louisville and 103 Quartermaster Ct. in Jeffersonville. The centers are open 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday – Friday. They are also open 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday.
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With tolling starting on December 30, customer service centers and the RiverLink call center will be open, as normal, on Saturday, December 31 (8 a.m. – 2 p.m.) and Monday, January 2 (7 a.m. – 7 p.m.).

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Dec. 28, 2016) – A gift of teddy bears is helping to make winter a bit warmer for some children in need. The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services’ (CHFS) Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) has 2,000 handmade teddy bears that social services staff can use to help comfort children during crisis situations.   

“These cuddly teddy bears are such a comfort to children who are facing trauma because they have been removed from their birth family,” CHFS Secretary Vickie Yates Brown Glisson said. “Our DCBS case managers are so appreciative of efforts like this that help our children cope during a difficult time.”

The bears were sewn by male inmates at the Luther Luckett Correctional Complex in LaGrange and were offered to DCBS through a partnership with the Kentucky Department of Corrections. Luther Luckett started the program in 2014, providing inmates with a way to give back to the community, and seven inmates are currently participating.

“This program serves the dual purpose of helping children in need while teaching our inmates about empathy, kindness and the importance of community,” said Kentucky Justice Secretary John Tilley. “Many of these inmates endured similar experiences as children, and I want to commend the Department of Corrections and DCBS on this innovative partnership.”

Each of the state’s nine DCBS regions received 222 bears and regional leadership distributed them to county offices. Staff is using the bears where they will make the most difference – by giving to all children in care, having available in family visitation rooms, sending to families having financial struggles during the holidays or providing to children just coming into care because of abuse or neglect that is no fault of their own.

Two Rivers Service Region Administrator (SRA) Joey Minor, whose region includes Daviess and Warren counties, said the bears will make a great impact on many grateful children, though the success may be hard to immediately see. “Sometimes seeds of kindness sown today may not produce fruit for years. We are hoping for smiles and hugs all around with these bears.”

April Davis, SRA for the 10-county Southern Bluegrass Region, which includes Fayette, said that her staff hopes the children receiving the bears will see them as something special and intended just for them when they are experiencing the emotional impact of neglect or abuse.

“Very often when children come into foster care, they have limited items to call their own,” Davis said. “We hope that the bears will offer comfort in times of need and be a treasure they can keep. Projects like this one offer a resource for workers to help children in potential times of crisis. It is our mission to provide children with a safe and caring environment that includes the comforts of childhood, such as these little bears.”   

Secretary Glisson said that the state is not able to purchase items like the bears with state funds, and that makes them even more appreciated.

“This time of year, we see community organizations and the general public giving gifts to our children in foster care, and we greatly appreciate that generosity” she said. “One of the greatest gifts we can give Kentucky’s children is permanency through a loving, safe home – they all deserve that. We hope that more families will choose to open their hearts and homes to our children in foster care.”

Secretary Glisson said there are about 8,100 children in out of home care, which is meant to be transitional until children can safely return home or be adopted.

Northern Bluegrass Region SRA Kathleen Mullins said that some of her region’s bears are going in “Angel Bags” that staff pack for children who move from one foster home to another. The bags may include necessities like personal hygiene items, diapers, blankets, rattles, and now a soft bear.

Mullins said children of all ages come into foster care, and they are often scared and confused by the transition.

“I hope these bears bring comfort to these kids as a way of helping them adjust to their new home environment,” Mullins said. “This project may also highlight our need for more foster parents – not only for young kids, but also our teenage population, sibling groups and medically complex children.”

Mullins said that the need for loving foster families is continual, and that families who do not want to be full-time foster parents can consider becoming a respite provider.

Families interested in fostering can log on to http://adopt.ky.gov/Pages/index.aspx for more information or call 800-232-KIDS to request an information packet.

Watch Secretary Glisson describe the project giving 2,000 teddy bears to foster children at https://youtu.be/9G582eGFkgI

The Adair County Indians will travel to Campbellsville this evening to begin playing in the Campbellsville High School Holiday Classic tournament.  The indians will face off against Mercer County at 7:30 p.m. (CST).  Tournament begins tonight and runs till Friday Night.  The Indians have a record of 10-1 at this point in the season.

The Lady Indians travel to Carroll County i the NAS Christmas Tournament and will begin playing at 5:30 p.m. against Western Hills this tournament from tonight till Frisday night.  Lasy indians record is 4-6 at this point in the season.