ACCV Editor

Ryan Pilling, 32, of Edmonton, was arrested Tuesday night in Columbia for assaulting a police officer, a Class D felony, among other charges.

Officers from the Columbia Police Department responded to a suspicious vehicle at Kentucky State Police Post 15. Since troopers were out of county on another call, the post dispatcher contacted Adair 911 stating a male subject was in a truck in the parking lot attempting to light an unknown object on fire.

Officers responded and upon arrival made contact with Pilling, who clearly had thick smoke coming from the interior of the truck cab. Officers advised him to exit the vehicle, but he refused. After another request for him to leave the vehicle, Pilling allegedly refused again and stated he was armed.

Officers then forcibly removed Pilling from the vehicle and he began to fight with them. They were able to locate a firearm in his possession.

Pilling is facing numerous charges including public intoxication, menacing, possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal mischief, resisting arrest and assault in the third degree.

Officer Adam Cravens was the arresting officer and he was assisted on scene by officer Drew Conn, Adair County Sheriff’s Deputy Justin Cross and deputy Chandler Staten.

FRANKFORT – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear said road crews are continuing to work around the clock to clear roads as the state prepares for its third winter storm in eight days, expected to start this evening.

“We have now made it through two winter storms, with a third on the way. I’m happy to be able to say we had a relatively quiet night, but let me stress that – even with a bit of a break in the weather – it’s still important to limit travel,” said Gov. Beshear. “If you must travel, it’s still important to be very careful. Slow down, watch out for snow plows, salt trucks and other emergency vehicles.”

The Governor said the State Emergency Operations Center is currently activated at Level 3, supporting the power outage response and the winter storm recovery. As of Wednesday morning, 44 counties and 24 cities have declared states of emergency.

The Governor said tomorrow, regional vaccination centers will stay open. If it’s too difficult or dangerous for Kentuckians to reach their appointments, Gov. Beshear encouraged them to reschedule using the link in their appointment confirmation email.

Weather Update

• Multiple rounds of wintry weather are likely to impact the region starting Wednesday afternoon through early Friday morning.
• Snow, sleet, freezing rain and a cold rain will be possible across the region.
• The best potential for snow accumulations is expected to be across Central and Eastern Kentucky. Ice accumulations under a quarter inch will be possible across Southern and Eastern Kentucky.
• Frostbite and hypothermia can occur if people are outdoors for extended periods of time, especially in single-digit temperatures.
• Winter storm warnings and advisories have been issued for Kentucky. To learn more, click here.
• Click here to view the National Weather Service forecast provided at 11 a.m. EST.

Power Outages

• There are widespread outages across Eastern and Southeastern Kentucky. As of 8 a.m. EST, there are approximately 96,000 Kentucky customers without power, with numerous counties reporting downed trees.
• Power has been restored to approximately 58,000 customers after outages peaked at more than 154,000.
• Work crews in Eastern Kentucky – especially the Jackson and Pikeville highway districts – are still dealing with falling trees and downed power lines.
• Department of Highways maintenance facilities are still without power in five counties – Boyd, Floyd, Lawrence, Magoffin and Martin.
• One consequence of power outages is that gas pumps can’t operate. Yesterday, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) began hauling motor fuel into the area so crews can refuel equipment, and those efforts will continue today.
• Power outages have also impacted traffic signals. Treat any dark signals as a four-way stop.
• Clearing downed trees will be a major task today in impacted areas. Division of Forestry crews are out in high impact areas. Kentucky National Guard teams are on standby to assist the Forestry crews to remove cut debris.
• Kentuckians experiencing a downed power line or power outage should contact their local utility company. If possible, use an alternate source of heat but be aware of the dangers of alternate heat sources and carbon monoxide poisoning. Generators, camp stoves or charcoal grills always should be used outdoors and at least 20 feet away from windows. Never use a gas stovetop or oven to heat your home. Visit http://www.cdc.gov/co/guidelines.htm for more information.

“During this event, the weather created physical damage to the infrastructure that transmits and delivers the electricity to households. Electric companies must respond safely, swiftly and efficiently to restore service to large numbers of affected customers,” said Kentucky Division of Emergency Management Director Michael Dossett.

Director Dossett said there are four steps necessary to restore power:

• Assess the extent, locations and severity of damage to the electricity system;
• Provide the physical and human resources required for repairs;
• Prioritize sites/components for repair based on factors including the criticality of the load and the availability of resources to complete the needed repairs;
• Implement the needed repairs and reassess system state.

“As such, households may experience times of intermittent or extended outages as the electric utilities create a safe environment for work to move through the phases of restoration,” said Director Dossett. “Electric utilities are implementing their mutual aid agreements to ensure everyone is working together to have the resources. Utilities are cooperating and some aid is coming from out of state.”

Road Conditions

• KYTC crews are treating and plowing statewide and report most highly traveled priority A routes are passable. Plows are making headway on secondary, lower-volume routes.
• Several areas are severely affected, especially eastern and northeastern counties.
• At this time, Kentucky State Police (KSP) reports no interstate closures. However, the situation is fluid and KSP may have to close an interstate in the event of a collision or additional winter weather that is expected to arrive later this evening.
• All 16 KSP posts located throughout the commonwealth continue to report slick and hazardous road conditions. Beginning Monday evening and into this morning, KSP has responded to multiple vehicle collisions throughout the state with several resulting in fatalities. The hazardous, icy roadway conditions are believed to be a contributing factor.
• Kentuckians should refrain from traveling if at all possible. Please stay home and allow emergency responders to do their work during this winter storm.
• Kentuckians are urged to tune in to local media for information on weather, and visit snowky.ky.gov for snow and ice resources and goky.ky.gov to check road conditions.

“Our front-line snow-fighters are still out there: from Lyon to Lawrence, Paducah to Pikeville, Hickman to Harlan, Clinton to Campbell and all parts in between. More than 2,000 employee team members plus contractors across the commonwealth are working hard to keep our people safe,” said KYTC Secretary Jim Gray. “I also want to commend the state Division of Forestry, which has provided chainsaw crews to help us clear downed trees in a number of eastern counties. They’ve been a tremendous help. Please limit your travel, drive very carefully and allow extra time to get where you’re going.”

Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021
From Lake Cumberland District Health Department:

Statewide Testing Positivity Rate: 6.58%.

Deaths: We are happy to report no new deaths today. We have experienced a total of 346 deaths resulting in a 1.76% mortality rate (about 1 in 57) among known cases. This compares with a 1.11% mortality rate at the state level, and a 1.76% mortality rate at the national level.

Hospitalizations: We presently have 56 cases in the hospital. This is 1 more than what we reported yesterday. We have had a total of 1,088 hospitalizations resulting in a 5.54% hospitalization rate (about 1 in 18) among known cases. The state hospitalization rate is 4.65%. The latest data shows that 91.11% of Lake Cumberland’s ICU beds are filled, and 27.42% of ventilator capacity is being utilized.

Total (Cumulative) Cases: The Lake Cumberland District has experienced a total of 19,636 cases since the onset of the outbreak. This means that 9.4% of our total population have been a confirmed case. However, we do not know how many additional people may have had COVID-19 and were either asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic and never tested.

Released (Not contagious) Cases: We released 94 cases today from isolation. Released cases include: Adair: 3; Casey: 6; Clinton: 4; Cumberland: 1; Green: 10; McCreary: 13; Pulaski: 22; Russell: 15; Taylor: 14; and, Wayne: 6. In all, we have released 95.2% of our total cases.

Active (Current) Cases: Taking into account deaths and releases, our active cases decreased by 40 more than the new cases we added today. This leaves us with 591 active cases in our district across all 10 of our district’s 10 counties. On 12/10/2020 we were at our peak number of active cases, 1,342.

Where Did Cases Visit Prior to Isolation: The most common places cases visited prior to isolation are (in descending order): Businesses, Family, Schools, and Jail/Prison Related. Of our active cases, 13% can not be tied back to another known case (community-spread cases).

New Cases: We report that our total case count has increased by 54 today: Adair: 2; Casey: 5; Green: 6; Pulaski: 9; Russell: 8; Taylor: 23; and, Wayne: 1. Our current new case growth rate is: 1.004. This means our total case count is projected to double every 157.86 days. The most new cases we ever added in a single day was on 12/30/2020 when we added 301 cases. Today’s new cases include:

Adair: A 25-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Adair: A 60-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Casey: A 10 Months-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Casey: A 75-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Casey: A 46-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Casey: A 21-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Casey: A 44-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Green: A 72-year-old female who is released, Resolved;
Green: A 31-year-old male who is released, Resolved;
Green: A 6-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Green: A 1-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Green: A 15-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Green: A 17-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 53-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 55-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 13-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 45-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 12-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 6-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 1-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 56-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 27-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Russell: A 35-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Russell: A 38-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Russell: A 41-year-old female who is self-isolated, Asymptomatic;
Russell: A 32-year-old female who is self-isolated, Asymptomatic;
Russell: A 43-year-old male who is self-isolated, Asymptomatic;
Russell: A 33-year-old female who is self-isolated, Asymptomatic;
Russell: A 24-year-old male who is self-isolated, Asymptomatic;
Russell: A 55-year-old male who is self-isolated, Asymptomatic;
Taylor: A 19-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 63-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 15-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 2-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 62-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 59-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 26-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 42-year-old female who is self-isolated, Asymptomatic;
Taylor: A 69-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 64-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 34-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 66-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 11-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 15-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 42-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 7-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 34-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 18-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 13-year-old male who is self-isolated, Asymptomatic;
Taylor: A 19-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 26-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 12-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 53-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Wayne: A 17-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;

We are happy that there are no new deaths today and that our new case rate is dropping.  Until the vaccine is widely available, let’s all do our part in slowing the spread of COVID-19 by wearing our face coverings, avoiding crowds (especially in confined spaces), social distancing when around others, increasing our hand hygiene, increasing our general sanitation, and by avoiding touching our faces.

The Lake Cumberland area has experienced 19,636 cumulative confirmed cases and there have been 391,455 confirmed COVID-19 cases across all 120 Kentucky Counties as of today (this includes 390,762 statewide plus 693 recently reported cases in Lake Cumberland not in the Governor’s/Department for Public Health’s daily report). Regardless of the confirmed case count for any Lake Cumberland County, we believe COVID-19 to be widespread. The LCDHD is working tirelessly, including nights and weekends, to identify and contact all those with whom any positive case may have come into close contact, and to follow-up with positive cases when ready to be released. Additionally, we are striving diligently to follow-up on business-related complaints regarding noncompliance with the COVID-19 guidance. We are also working with any community partner that requests assistance for prevention or post-exposure planning/response. Finally, we are working with all community partners regarding vaccination planning.

For more statistics and local data go to LCDHD COVID-19 Information.

https://www.lcdhd.org/info-tools/health-assessments-and-statistics/health_report_card/covid19-state-wide-outbreak-2/covid-19-media-public/daily-brief/

STORY UPDATED WITH DATE CHANGE

(FEB. 16, 2021, 8:30 P.M)

The Adair County Health Department will be rescheduling the COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic scheduled for
Wednesday, February 17 to Thursday, February 25, 2021.

“All patient appointments will be at the same time. For example, if your appointment was for 9:30 a.m. on the
16th, your new appointment will be for 9:30 on the 23rd. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may
cause,” the District stated in a release. Patients will receive notification by phone.

(The original release set the new appointment date for Wednesday, Feb. 24. That has now been change to Thursday, Feb. 25.)

Courts will close today, Feb. 15, at 2 p.m. EST and Tuesday, Feb. 16

FRANKFORT, Ky., Feb. 15, 2021 – Due to a major winter storm impacting Kentucky, all Judicial Branch facilities will close today, Feb. 15, at 2 p.m. EST and Tuesday, Feb. 16. These facilities are the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals and Administrative Office of the Courts in Frankfort and judicial centers and courthouses statewide.

Individuals who have court proceedings scheduled remotely during this time period should check with the court where their case is being handled or look for notices on social media to determine if remote proceedings will continue as planned. You can find contact information for courts in all 120 counties by clicking here and then scrolling down to Find a Court/Circuit Court Clerk by County.

Administrative Office of the Courts
The Administrative Office of the Courts in Frankfort is the operations arm of the state court system. The AOC supports the activities of nearly 3,400 court system employees and 406 elected justices, judges and circuit court clerks. As the fiscal agent for the state court system, the AOC executes the Judicial Branch budget.

The Columbia Police Department is always looking for candidates to join the ranks of Columbia’s finest. Monday, officials announced the department’s newest K9 officer, Cally.

After the department recently lost former K9 officer Gunner, due to illness, the Columbia Police Department was in need of a canine for road duty.

Last year, funds were secured for Cally and in September, handler officer Trevor Foster was sent to Milan, Tenn., for training from the United States Police Canine Association.

Cally is a 2-year-old yellow lab specifically trained in drug detection. She, along with Foster, have already aided in several arrests and investigations in Columbia. They have also been instrumental in aiding other agencies in Adair and surrounding counties, when a K9 Unit has been requested.

Adair County Sheriff Josh Brockman encourages all area citizens to use caution if they have to be on the local roadways over the next couple of days.

“If you don’t have to be on the roads, try to stay in,” Brockman wrote in a press release Monday. “If you do, make sure to allow yourself plenty of time for travel and (please) take your time.

“The State Highway Department, Adair County Road Department and the City of Columbia Street Department, are all out and have been since late last night,” he wrote. “They are doing an outstanding job, but with temperatures are so low it is refreezing pretty quick in places.

“We are expecting more snow and possible ice later today that could compound on what conditions we have already, so please be cautious and safe.”

Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021
From Lake Cumberland District Health Department:

Statewide Testing Positivity Rate: 6.87%.

Deaths: We are sad to report 1 new death today. We have experienced a total of 342 deaths resulting in a 1.75% mortality rate (about 1 in 57) among known cases. This compares with a 1.1% mortality rate at the state level, and a 1.75% mortality rate at the national level. Our hearts and prayers go out to all the families and friends who have lost loved ones.

Hospitalizations: We presently have 50 cases in the hospital. This is equal to what we reported yesterday. We have had a total of 1,078 hospitalizations resulting in a 5.53% hospitalization rate (about 1 in 18) among known cases. The state hospitalization rate is 4.64%. The latest data shows that 93.33% of Lake Cumberland’s ICU beds are filled, and 33.33% of ventilator capacity is being utilized.

Total (Cumulative) Cases: The Lake Cumberland District has experienced a total of 19,495 cases since the onset of the outbreak. This means that 9.33% of our total population have been a confirmed case. However, we do not know how many additional people may have had COVID-19 and were either asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic and never tested.

Released (Not contagious) Cases: We released 112 cases today from isolation. Released cases include: Adair: 5; Casey: 7; Clinton: 4; Green: 9; McCreary: 23; Pulaski: 30; Russell: 9; Taylor: 19; and, Wayne: 6. In all, we have released 94.6% of our total cases.

Active (Current) Cases: Taking into account deaths and releases, our active cases decreased by 21 more than the new cases we added today. This leaves us with 712 active cases in our district across all 10 of our district’s 10 counties. On 12/10/2020 we were at our peak number of active cases, 1,342.

Where Did Cases Visit Prior to Isolation: The most common places cases visited prior to isolation are (in descending order): Businesses, Family, Schools, and Jail/Prison Related. Of our active cases, 9% can not be tied back to another known case (community-spread cases).

New Cases: We report that our total case count has increased by 92 today: Adair: 7; Casey: 6; Clinton: 1; Cumberland: 1; Green: 7; McCreary: 7; Pulaski: 25; Russell: 18; Taylor: 12; and, Wayne: 8. Our current new case growth rate is: 1.005. This means our total case count is projected to double every 129.77 days. The most new cases we ever added in a single day was on 12/30/2020 when we added 301 cases. Today’s new cases include:

Adair: A 11-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Adair: A 3-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Adair: A 30-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Adair: A 13-year-old male who is self-isolated, Asymptomatic;
Adair: A 49-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Adair: A 11-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Adair: A 31-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Casey: A 40-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Casey: A 22-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Casey: A 55-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Casey: A 17-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Casey: A 71-year-old female who is self-isolated, Asymptomatic;
Casey: A 64-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Clinton: A 40-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Cumberland: A 57-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Green: A 32-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Green: A 38-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Green: A 7-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Green: A 49-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Green: A 4-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Green: A 39-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Green: A 71-year-old male who is hospitalized, still symptomatic;
McCreary: A 25-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
McCreary: A 3-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
McCreary: A 83-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
McCreary: A 38-year-old male who is self-isolated, Asymptomatic;
McCreary: A 4-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
McCreary: A 57-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
McCreary: A 44-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 28-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 24-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 28-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 14-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 5-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 14-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 21-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 29-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 41-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 34-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 9-year-old female who is self-isolated, Asymptomatic;
Pulaski: A 67-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 41-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 19-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 28-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 65-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 56-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 53-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 53-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 35-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 74-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 16-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 51-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 37-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 24-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Russell: A 63-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Russell: A 48-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Russell: A 76-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Russell: A 5-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Russell: A 7-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Russell: A 54-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Russell: A 51-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Russell: A 16-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Russell: A 61-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Russell: A 50-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Russell: A 23-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Russell: A 18-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Russell: A 45-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Russell: A 5-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Russell: A 36-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Russell: A 58-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Russell: A 56-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Russell: A 23-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 79-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 23-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 15-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 21-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 1-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 1-year-old female who is released, 2/12/21;
Taylor: A 18-year-old female who is released, 2/12/21;
Taylor: A 36-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 64-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 16-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 31-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 54-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Wayne: A 12-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Wayne: A 34-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Wayne: A 84-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Wayne: A 30-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Wayne: A 40-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Wayne: A 10-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Wayne: A 56-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Wayne: A 46-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;

There will be no Daily Brief on Sunday. The death we report today is a 78-year-old individual from Pulaski who had been hospitalized. We experienced 5 deaths this week.

Overall, it has been a pretty positive week as far as our COVID-19 numbers. We added 715 new cases this week compared to 829 last week. We have 712 active cases today compared to 812 last Saturday. We do have 50 listed hospitalized cases, however, compared to 43 last week. Our district’s 7-day average incidence rate (average new cases per day per 100,000) is 48.8 today compared to 56.6 last Saturday. We have 1 county in the “orange-accelerated” range of community-spread, Cumberland. Our other 9 counties are in the “red-critical” range. For the third week in a row, Lake Cumberland’s new case rate is higher than the new case rate for the state.

Please, let’s all do our part in slowing the spread of COVID-19 by wearing our face coverings, avoiding crowds (especially in confined spaces), social distancing when around others, increasing our hand hygiene, increasing our general sanitation, and by avoiding touching our faces.

The Lake Cumberland area has experienced 19,495 cumulative confirmed cases and there have been 387,843 confirmed COVID-19 cases across all 120 Kentucky Counties as of today (this includes 387,090 statewide plus 753 recently reported cases in Lake Cumberland not in the Governor’s/Department for Public Health’s daily report). Regardless of the confirmed case count for any Lake Cumberland County, we believe COVID-19 to be widespread. The LCDHD is working tirelessly, including nights and weekends, to identify and contact all those with whom any positive case may have come into close contact, and to follow-up with positive cases when ready to be released. Additionally, we are striving diligently to follow-up on business-related complaints regarding noncompliance with the COVID-19 guidance. We are also working with any community partner that requests assistance for prevention or post-exposure planning/response. Finally, we are working with all community partners regarding vaccination planning.

For more statistics and local data go to LCDHD COVID-19 Information.

https://www.lcdhd.org/info-tools/health-assessments-and-statistics/health_report_card/covid19-state-wide-outbreak-2/covid-19-media-public/daily-brief/

UPDATED SLIDES FROM 10:30 A.M. BRIEFING NOW INCLUDED

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Louisville KY
315 AM EST Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021

...MAJOR WINTER STORM EXPECTED TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...

.A winter storm system will bring two waves of wintry
precipitation to the region tonight through Tuesday. There could
be significant accumulations of snow, sleet and possibly freezing
rain. The heaviest precipitation is expected to occur Monday
afternoon into Monday night.

Woodford-Fayette-Bourbon-Nicholas-Washington-Mercer-Jessamine-
Clark-Larue-Marion-Boyle-Garrard-Madison-Edmonson-Hart-Green-
Taylor-Casey-Lincoln-Logan-Warren-Simpson-Allen-Barren-Monroe-
Metcalfe-Adair-Russell-Cumberland-Clinton-

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM EST /6 PM CST/ THIS
EVENING TO 1 PM EST /NOON CST/ TUESDAY...

* WHAT...Heavy mixed precipitation expected. Total snow and sleet
  accumulations of 3 to 7 inches and ice accumulations between a
  light glaze and a quarter of an inch.

* WHERE...Portions of central Kentucky south of the Bluegrass and
  Western Kentucky Parkways.

* WHEN...From 7 PM EST /6 PM CST/ this evening to 1 PM EST /noon
  CST/ Tuesday.

* IMPACTS...Travel could be very difficult to impossible. The
  hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening
  commute.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in
your vehicle in case of an emergency.

For Kentucky road conditions please visit https://goky.ky.gov
 

The Adair County Extension Service is taking registration for a 4-H Youth Photography contest titled “Winter Wonderland.”

Contestants have until March 1 at 4:30 p.m. to turn in your photos, said Tony Rose, Adair County Extension agent for 4-H Youth Development. Pictures can be taken with phones, cameras, Ipods, Ipads or any device you want to use, he said.

Divisions for the contest include: Cloverbud: Ages 8 and under, Juniors: Ages 9-13, Seniors: Ages 14-18; and Adults: 19 years old and older. Membership in 4-H is not required to participate.

The contest categories include: Forestry: Photograph of a large area dominated by trees; Water: photograph of still or moving water, or water activity; Plant Life: photograph of a plant or plants, that are the main subject; Natural Scene: photograph showing natural scene (not man-made object); and Wildlife: photograph showing unrestrained wildlife in natural habitat.

Email photos to trose@uky.edu

Contestants should include name, age and category with each submission. Prizes will be awarded in each category.

Feb. 12, 2021

Murder suspect Reuben Sebastian Paz has been in jail for three years awaiting trial after being accused of killing his wife while four of their five children were in their Adair County home.
A trial scheduled for this week has been postponed after a January Supreme Court administrative order that postpones all jury trials until at least April 1.
Christopher Cohron, the commonwealth’s attorney in Warren County who was appointed special prosecutor in December 2018, said he is ready to proceed with the trial once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

Paz, 34, was charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence after calling 911 at 3:53 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 13, 2017 and saying his wife, Linda Sebastian Paz, was dead.
Law enforcement arrived at their home at 2850 New Concord Rd. and found Linda Paz, 25, dead on the floor in the master bedroom. They also saw a .22 caliber long rifle bullet in the bathroom toilet.
Four of the couple’s five children were inside the home when the shooting occurred. Records obtained by the Community Voice indicate that Paz waited two hours before calling for help and then tried to convince police that his wife had committed suicide. Before the day was over, however, he waived his right to remain silent and confessed to murder.

Court records report that Paz first stated he heard a gunshot around two hours prior to calling 911. He said he did not make the call earlier because he is not a legal U.S. citizen and was afraid he would be deported.
The Adair County Sheriff’s Department obtained a search warrant of the residence and a vehicle outside of the residence. The driver’s side door was open when officers arrived on the scene and a cell phone was lying on the ground near the vehicle.
Paz was arrested on a murder charge the day of the shooting and held on a $1 million cash bond. On Dec. 12, 2017, he was indicted for murder and tampering with physical evidence.

A preliminary autopsy report indicated that Linda Paz died from a single gunshot wound in the back. No autopsy reports were available in court documents and at least two documents have been sealed, removing them from public record.
Since Paz was indicted, the case has moved slowly, with a new prosecuting attorney and defense attorney taking over the case since it was originally filed.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Brian Wright recused from the case after a request from the defense in November 2018. Wright’s office had hired an attorney who previously was employed by the Department of Public Advocacy in the Columbia trial office, from where

Paz is being represented.

Paz’s attorney, C. B. Bates, argued that rules applying to attorney relationships with former clients also applied to the commonwealth attorney’s office. Wright said the new assistant commonwealth’s attorney had some involvement in the Paz case during her employment at the Department of Public Advocacy and Wright agreed to have a special prosecutor represent the commonwealth and prosecute the case.

A pre-trial conference is now set for March 31.