Headline News

Few spaces are still available for businesses to set up. Call The Judge’s office at 270-384-4703.

Coy Morrison, 45, of Columbia was arrested March 27 on drug charges after a traffic stop just south of town.

The Adair County Sheriff’s office had been working on multiple complaints of possible drug activity around Toria and Rowetown roads in the Breeding area.

Around 9:08 p.m., Deputy Joey Keith initiated a traffic stop along with K9 Deputy Chandler Staten on Toria Road, about 11 miles south of Columbia. During the stop, a search of Morrison’s 2003 Ford Ranger was conducted and as a result he was arrested.

He was lodged in the Adair County Regional Jail and is being charged with disregarding/failure to stop at a traffic control device; possession of a controlled substance first degree, methamphetamine, third offense; and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The investigation is ongoing.

Columbia, KY (March 30, 2021) Kentucky State Police Post 15 was contacted by Adair County 911 on March 29^th, 2021 at approximately 5:18am in reference to a structure fire that occurred on Slick Rock West Road resulting in one fatality.

Upon arrival Detective B.J. Burton determined that there were three people inside of the building when it caught fire. 61 year old Ruby Stotts was able to make it out of the building and was airlifted to the University of Louisville Hospital. An 11 year old female received severe burns and was airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. A 20 month old male child was found inside the residence and pronounced deceased by the Adair County Coroner. At this time, the exact cause of this fire is unknown however foul play is not suspected.

Det. Burton was assisted at the scene by Trooper Mike Woodrum, Adair County Sheriff’s Department, Columbia Police Department, Adair County Fire Department,  Adair County EMS, and The State Fire Marshall’s Office.

More details will be available in Thursday’s edition of the Adair County Community Voice.

The city of Columbia will receive $113,900 toward construction of a splash pad. The project proposal also includes adding fencing, landscaping, rock, a sidewalk, lighting and the renovation of an existing restroom at the city park on Fairground Street.

The grant was part of more than $3.4 million for 41 projects announced by Gov. Andy Beshear on Monday. Funding comes from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

LWCF is a federal program designed to protect important natural areas, help local communities acquire land for outdoor recreation spaces and to develop or renovate public, outdoor recreation spaces such as campgrounds, picnic areas, sports and playfields, swimming, boating or fishing facilities, trails, natural areas and passive parks.

More information will be available in this week’s edition of the Adair County Community Voice.

Stay up-to-date daily at https://adairvoice.com.

FRANKFORT – On Friday, Gov. Andy Beshear announced the state’s COVID-19 positivity rate has declined to 2.8% and he continued to encourage eligible Kentuckians to get vaccinated.

On Monday, all Kentuckians 40 and older will become eligible for three highly effective COVID-19 vaccines, in addition to all individuals in Phase 1A, 1B and 1C. By April 12, all Kentuckians 16 and older will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

“More than one in three Kentucky adults have been vaccinated so far, which is a huge milestone,” said Gov. Beshear. “If you haven’t been vaccinated, see where you can sign up. If you’ve got a family member or friend who wants their shot of hope, help them get registered and call our vaccine hotline, 855-598-2246 or TTY 855-326-4654 (for deaf or hard-of-hearing Kentuckians), if you need help. Together, we can defeat COVID-19 this year, but we have to keep up our momentum.”

Case Information
As of 4 p.m. Friday, March 26, Gov. Beshear reported the following COVID-19 numbers:

New cases today: 646
New deaths today: 27
New audit deaths: 11
Positivity rate: 2.8%
Total deaths: 6,008
Currently hospitalized: 383
Currently in ICU: 88
Currently on ventilator: 46

Top counties with the most positive cases today are: Jefferson, Fayette, Warren and Scott. Each county reported at least 24 new cases.

Debra Remmer, 65 of Adair County, has been charged with 141 counts of cruelty to animals, second degree.

Following a tip of a possible puppy mill in the county, Adair County Sheriff Josh Brockman launched an investigation on March 24. District Judge Mike Loy granted an eventual search warrant.

Sheriff’s deputies executed the warrant at a residence off Johnny Harvey Road in the Breeding community. Once the sheriff’s office took control of the scene, Guardians of Rescue, a non-profit organization to assist with animals, was called in to help.

Probable cause was found to seize 141 animals, including nine cats. Triage on the animals took until after 4 a.m. the following morning. They were then sent to rescue facilities. The animals were surrendered to Guardians of Rescue, who will oversee their care. When healthy, they will be adopted out to new homes to loving families and individuals.

The investigation is ongoing by the sheriff’s office.

As of 8:29 a.m. today (March 25), the boil water advisory starting at 7130-9950 Russell Springs Rd., and all side roads in between, has been lifted by the Division of Water Columbia Office.

This means water is safe for human consumption. There is no longer a need to boil water.

Lottie Baker, 42, of Burkesville, died Tuesday from injuries sustained in a two-vehicle collision Monday in Cumberland County.

Troopers from Kentucky State Police Post 15 responded to an injury accident on Kentucky Highway 704, at approximately 9:30 a.m.

Preliminary investigations indicate Jonathan Neathery, 30 of Columbia, was operating a 2002 Toyota Tundra, westbound on KY 704. Neathery’s vehicle apparently crossed the center line and into the path of a 2013 Chevrolet Impala driven by Baker, causing the vehicles to hit head-on.

Neathery was transported to Cumberland County Hospital where he was treated and released. Baker was airlifted to Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville.

Trooper Allen Shirley is leading the investigation. Additional KSP personnel, deputies from the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, Cumberland County Fire and EMS, and Cumberland County EMA assisted Shirley at the scene.

FRANKFORT – On Wednesday, Gov. Andy Beshear, a proud graduate of Kentucky public schools, vetoed two bills that hurt educators and undermine public education.

He also signed five bills that put public education first in Kentucky.

“Education is how we provide better lives for all Kentuckians. It is how we build up a highly skilled workforce so we can quit chasing the jobs of the past and attract the investments and companies that are creating the well-paying jobs of the future,” said Gov. Beshear.

The Governor vetoed two bills that harm public education:

“These measures represent a direct attack that would significantly weaken our public education system in Kentucky,” said Gov. Beshear.

House Bill 258
The Governor does not support House Bill 258, because it would cut retirement benefits for new teachers, harming the commonwealth’s ability to attract and retain educators.

This measure comes at the same time the General Assembly has cut more than $70 million the Governor’s proposed budget would provide to help support health insurance benefits for educators’ families. The General Assembly also cut raises for school employees that were included in the Governor’s budget.

House Bill 563
The Governor does not support House Bill 563 (HB 563), which would greatly harm public education in Kentucky by taking money away from public schools and sending it to unaccountable private organizations with little oversight. HB 563 would also drain as much as $25 million from public education.

This measure would establish private educational institutions that would decide how to spend public money and could use up to 10% of these public funds on their own employee salaries, benefits and expenses.

“This measure is a handout to wealthy donors. They would receive tax benefits even larger than charitable donation deductions and could even profit by transferring securities to the private educational institutions to avoid capital gains taxes,” said Gov. Beshear. “HB 563 would lead to the same kinds of funding disparities that the Kentucky Supreme Court held was unconstitutional in Rose v. Council for Better Education in 1989.

The Governor signed the following bills today that protect Kentucky students’ health and secure more pathways for them to pursue their goals:

House Bill 158
House Bill 158 (HB 158) invests in Kentucky students by supporting the state’s only four-year aviation professional pilot degree program. It increases cooperation between the Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) and local air board, giving students more opportunities to learn.

Senate Bill 101
Senate Bill 101 will make career and technical education more responsive to stakeholders, with the enhanced ability to work with local industry to produce the kind of workers their community needs.

“Many local school districts and their communities want the flexibility that comes with managing their own career and technical education centers — but they are deterred by the potential funding loss,” said Gov. Beshear. “This legislation ensures a reliable funding stream for those districts that choose to convert their state-operated center to local control.”

Senate Bill 127
Having a rescue inhaler on site for students suffering from an asthma attack can mean the difference between life and death. Senate Bill 127 encourages schools to keep at least two rescue inhalers on hand.

Senate Bill 128
The Supplemental School Year Program outlined in Senate Bill 128 will allow students the chance to enjoy the same high school experience they expected a year ago.

“The past year has been uniquely challenging, and while educators have done their best in these trying circumstances, the pandemic has deprived some students of priceless opportunities and memories,” said Gov. Beshear. “School districts who choose this Supplemental School Year option for their students also will have access to federal funds to remedy learning loss in creative ways and to help all students get back on track academically.”

Senate Bill 135
The Governor supports Senate Bill 135 (SB 135), which provides common-sense updates to ensure that state funding for higher education is distributed to campuses on a more sustainable basis.

It also supports efforts by colleges and universities to enroll and graduate more Kentuckians with a certificate or degree by 2030.

Lindsey Wilson College announced the addition of the doctor of nursing practice in executive leadership degree to its academic programs. The college currently offers a nationally accredited CCNE bachelor of science in nursing degree and a fully-online RN to BSN program. The first DNP cohort will begin in August 2021. It is the second doctoral-level program offered by LWC.

“Lindsey Wilson is excited to announce the launch of a doctor of nursing practice (DNP) program with a focus on executive leadership,” said LWC Vice President of Academic Affairs Trish Parrish. “The college is well prepared to offer the DNP based on its other successful master’s and doctoral programs. We are excited to bring advanced nursing study to southcentral Kentucky.”

The BSN to DNP track is a 68 credit-hour course of study and the MSN to DNP track is a 36-hour course of study. Both tracks are offered through fully-online courses. The program is designed for nurses seeking a terminal degree in nursing practice who are interested in executive, professional, clinical or academic leadership. Courses will engage students in advanced leadership content through asynchronous learning culminating with a clinical practice capstone project. On average, students can complete the program in 2-5 years.

LWC Director of Nursing Emiley Button encourages anyone that is interested in the DNP program to apply as soon as possible.

“We’re excited to share that we have one of the most competitive tuition rates in the state of Kentucky,” says Button. “The cost of the program is $730 per credit hour and students can apply for student loans. I also encourage students to please complete their FAFSA.”

Lindsey Wilson launched its first nursing program in the fall of 2009. For two consecutive years, LWC nursing graduates posted a 100 percent pass rate on the NCLEX-RN national licensure examination for the academic years 2018-19 and 2019-20, marking a milestone for the College’s baccalaureate nursing program.

“This accomplishment demonstrates that our nursing program has faculty and administration dedicated to enhancing the nursing profession and who are willing to do what is needed to prepare the next generation of nurses for Kentucky,” said Button.

Parrish says she is excited to welcome new nursing students, as well as, LWC nursing alumni to be a part of the DNP program.

“We are excited to be a part of the state’s ever-expanding and dynamic healthcare initiatives,” says Parrish. “LWC is dedicated to preparing nurses who are highly competent and skilled at addressing patient and industry needs. We hope students will take the skills they learn in our programs and apply them in their communities and leadership roles.”

For more information about the DNP or nursing programs at Lindsey Wilson College, go to www.lindsey.edu, email lindseyonline@lindsey.edu or call 1-800-264-0138. Apply today at www.lindsey.edu/apply. There is no GRE requirement.

Adair County in conjunction with Cumberland Workforce Development Board will host a Job Fair, Thursday, April 1, 2021 from 11:00-1:00 p.m. CST  at the Jim Blair Recreation Center, 901 Hudson Street, Columbia.

***Registration is required as we will be limited to the first 20-25 businesses (for social distancing)

If your business is interested in participating, please register with the Adair County Judge’s Office by emailing adairjudge@duo-county.com.

**Each participant will be responsible for bringing your own table/chair and
have applications and pens.

**WiFi will be available if needed**Please provide a single sheet with description of positions
available and minimum requirements.

**Social Distancing and mask requirements will be enforced

**Hand Sanitizer will be available on site.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call or email Adair County Judge Executive Gale Cowan

adairjudge@duo-county.com or 270-384-4703.

job-fair-columbia

Franklin, Woodford County services relocated this week; others to be completed by June 2022

FRANKFORT, Ky – Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Jim Gray announced nearly all driver licensing services for residents of Franklin and Woodford counties were being transferred from the circuit court clerks in the Judicial Branch to the KYTC as of Monday, March 22.

It is the next step in a phased, county-by-county transition of the process by which Kentuckians obtain operator licenses, learner permits and state identification cards. Services historically performed by the office of Circuit Court Clerk in every Kentucky county will shift to a network of KYTC driver licensing regional offices across the commonwealth.

When the transition occurs locally, Adair County residents will find the services at the regional REAL ID office located 363 Office Park Drive, Suite 200, Columbia (lower level of Family First Health Care).

Applicants are encouraged to make an appointment online at drive.ky.gov. Walk-in customers are also welcome.

“Over the years our circuit court clerks have done great work to get Kentuckians properly licensed,” Gov. Andy Beshear said. “The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is ushering in a new model to obtain a Kentucky driving or state identification card through a network of offices exclusively dedicated to licensing services.”

One exception temporarily remains: Until June 30, 2021, circuit clerks in every county but Fayette will continue to process remotely submitted applications for renewal or replacement of standard-issue credentials, provided the card expires by that date and the applicant has not had a change of address or change of name and does not require testing performed by the Kentucky State Police. Remote renewal was a temporary, emergency measure directed by Gov. Beshear to safeguard public health by limiting person-to-person contact during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To date, KYTC has driver licensing regional offices around the state. They are located in Paducah, Madisonville, Bowling Green, Owensboro, Louisville/Hurstbourne, Elizabethtown, Frankfort, Lexington, Burlington, Richmond, Columbia, Somerset, Jackson, Morehead and Prestonsburg. There also are smaller, temporary field offices at Louisville/Bowman Field and Catlettsburg.

Kentucky State Police will continue to oversee all permit and license testing.

Transition of licensing services was officially launched with passage of House Bill 453 during the 2020 Kentucky General Assembly. Last July, the Fayette County Office of Circuit Court Clerk became the first to hand off in-person and mail-in driver license issuance, renewal and replacement to a new KYTC regional office in Lexington.

“Customer service is our highest priority and circuit court clerks will continue to help the Transportation Cabinet make this transition go as smoothly as possible,” said Douglas Ray Hall, Floyd County circuit court clerk and president of the Kentucky Association of Circuit Court Clerks. “It has been our pleasure to provide driver’s license services to Kentuckians for many years, and we appreciate Secretary Gray and his staff for their hard work in moving to this new model.”

Next Level Licensing

Through a phased transition ending June 30, 2022, all Kentuckians will eventually visit Driver Licensing Regional Offices in targeted zones across the state to apply for or renew an operator  license, permit or ID card instead of visiting the Office of Circuit Court Clerk in their county of residence. The gradual shift is more than a change in locations. It represents a new licensing model that provides Kentuckians with modern services that offer more choices in how they want to be served.

“It’s a new era for licensing as more and more counties will be making the same transition in the months ahead,” KYTC Secretary Jim Gray said. “When the transition is completed, license issuance will be entirely within the Transportation Cabinet. With a single agency at the helm of processing credential requests, we’ll be able to offer consistent, innovative advancements that take licensing to the next level in Kentucky.”

– Residents can visit ANY regional office, regardless of where they live in Kentucky.

REAL ID

While Kentucky will continue offering the option of a standard driver’s license, a REAL ID or other form of federally approved identification, such as a passport or military ID, will be needed as of Oct. 1, 2021, for passing through airport security checkpoints to board a U.S. commercial flight, visiting a military base or accessing a federal building or facility that requires identification. More information is available at realidky.com. Obtaining a REAL ID for the first time requires applicants to apply in-person at a Driver Licensing Regional office and present specific, required documentation. A list of acceptable documentation and a link to take an interactive quiz that populates a personalized list of documents is available here.

By Shawn Crabtree, Lake Cumberland District Health Department Executive Director

On March 19th of 2020, Lake Cumberland had its first documented COVID-19 case. Over the ensuing year, the disease has left its mark on all of us, in one way or another. Businesses, churches, schools, and every single citizen have suffered and sacrificed, in a wide variety of ways.

At the peak of its spread, in early January of 2021, we were experiencing over 100 new COVID-19 cases per day per 100,000 citizens. In late last December, we topped out at 301 new cases in a single day. Area hospitals were at their COVID-19 and ICU limits. Things looked dire as our public health and hospital capacity were near their breaking points. By the grace of God, and with the efforts of the health department and other health and medical providers, with citizen compliance with prevention guidance, and with vaccination efforts ramping up, though, it would seem we have turned the corner on this disease since the number of new cases per day have been on a steady decline since January. While we are not out of the woods yet (at the world level, cases are beginning again to increase since there are significant surges in several countries), we are thankful for the local decrease in cases, for continued public caution, and for the aggressive vaccination efforts.

While nothing about this disease has been easy on society, and while there are always areas where things could have been improved, I am proud of how our communities have responded. Again, we have all sacrificed but, hopefully, the end is in sight.

At this one-year anniversary, I take an account of the efforts of your local health departments in responding to this pandemic. With a small group of dedicated employees who were willing to work long hours and weekends for the last year straight, we have completed nearly 21,000 case investigations and provided contact tracing for approximately 125,000 individuals. While isolation and quarantine procedures have not been easy on anyone, our public has been largely cooperative and, together, we have slowed the spread of the disease, and, in the process, saved numerous lives, and prevented many hospitalizations.

But case investigations and contact tracing only scratch the surface of the health department’s efforts. Among other things, we worked with every single long-term care facility in our region, every public school district, and many churches and businesses to develop prevention and/or post-exposure plans. We hand-delivered information on multiple occasions to medical providers and many businesses. We developed a vast email network of medical providers, schools, businesses, and other community partners and pushed out frequent guidance and other updates. We worked with many long-term care and medical facilities to assess and secure personal protective equipment.

When it comes to testing, we became a testing kit distribution site and worked with area health providers to secure several thousand testing kits. We worked with multiple community health partners to coordinate and administer mass-testing sites.

We have consistently kept the public informed as to case statistics, testing locations, and vaccination information via our daily briefs posted on our social media sites and website. We have conducted weekly and then bi-weekly live media and public updates. And, we have participated in numerous radio, newspaper, and television interviews. We set up a call center and have answered tens of thousands of questions. We responded to more social media requests than can almost be fathomed.

Not including the nursing and personal care home vaccination efforts via the federal contract with Walgreens and CVS, nearly 30,000 first dose COVID-19 vaccines have been administered so far by Lake Cumberland area providers. The health department alone has administered around 16,000 1st and 2nd dose vaccines (nearly half of the vaccine that has been allocated to our district), consistently moving over 90% of our inventory per week, while giving priority to those who are the most likely to experience negative health outcomes.

While all of this has been disruptive and challenging (not to mention, controversial), I am proud of how the health department, all our community partners, and our citizens have responded and endured. Here’s to the hope that the virus doesn’t kick back up and that everyone will heal from the financial, and emotional pain this disease has caused.

Shawn Crabtree, LCDHD Executive Director

Statewide Testing Positivity Rate: 3.4%.

Deaths: We are pleased to report no new deaths today. We have experienced a total of 377 deaths resulting in a 1.8% mortality rate (about 1 in 56) among known cases. This compares with a 1.36% mortality rate at the state level and a 1.36% mortality rate at the national level.

Hospitalizations: We presently have 21 cases in the hospital. This is equal to what we reported yesterday. We have had a total of 1,157 hospitalizations resulting in a 5.52% hospitalization rate (about 1 in 18) among known cases. The state hospitalization rate is 4.79%. The latest data shows that 77.78% of Lake Cumberland’s ICU beds are filled, and 19.35% of ventilator capacity is being utilized.

Total (Cumulative) Cases: The Lake Cumberland District has experienced a total of 20,963 cases since the onset of the outbreak. This means that 10.04% of our total population has 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 59 cases today from isolation. Released cases include: Adair: 6; Casey: 1; Clinton: 1; Green: 2; McCreary: 4; Pulaski: 26; Russell: 2; Taylor: 12; and, Wayne: 5. In all, we have released 97.3% of our total cases.

Active (Current) Cases: Taking into account deaths and releases, our active cases decreased by 23 more than the new cases we added today. This leaves us with 179 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, 1,343.

Where Did Cases Visit Prior to Isolation: The most common places cases visited prior to isolation are (in descending order): Businesses, Family, Schools, and Medical Facilities. Of our active cases, 3% can not be tied back to another known case (community-spread cases).

New Cases: We report that our total case count has increased by 36 today: Adair: 6; Casey: 3; Clinton: 1; Green: 1; McCreary: 2; Pulaski: 13; Russell: 5; Taylor: 3; and, Wayne: 2. Our current new case growth rate is: 1.001. This means our total case count is projected to double every 556.28 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 46-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Adair: A 58-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Adair: A 50-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Adair: A 37-year-old male who is self-isolated, Asymptomatic;
Adair: A 21-year-old male who is released, Resolved;
Casey: A 5-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Casey: A 3-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Casey: A 67-year-old male who is self-isolated, Asymptomatic;
Clinton: A 57-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Clinton: A 31-year-old male who is released, Asymptomatic;
Green: A 85-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Green: A 70-year-old female who is self-isolated, Asymptomatic;
McCreary: A 53-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
McCreary: A 48-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
McCreary: A 30-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 45-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 61-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 50-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 57-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 57-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 45-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 63-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 66-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 18-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 14-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Pulaski: A 55-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Russell: A 72-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Russell: A 27-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Russell: A 39-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Russell: A 11-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Russell: A 19-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 65-year-old male who is released, Resolved;
Taylor: A 64-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 58-year-old male who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Taylor: A 51-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;
Wayne: A 17-year-old female who is self-isolated, still symptomatic;

A close look at today’s data may appear that several of our county’s numbers are off today. That is because we moved cases from Taylor to Pulaski, Taylor to Adair, McCreary to Pulaski, Green to Taylor, and from Clinton to Wayne. This is part of our routine review and sanitization of our data.

Our new cases went up compared to last Friday, so our 7-day average incidence rate went up as well. We now have 5 counties in the “yellow-community-spread” category, Casey, Clinton, Cumberland, Green, and Russell; and 5 counties in the “orange-accelerated” range of community-spread: Adair, McCreary, Pulaski, Taylor, and Wayne. None of our counties are presently in the “red-critical” range.

We added 182 new cases since last Friday. We also added 182 cases for the 7 matching days prior. So, our new case decline for this week did not continue the trend of dropping as it has the last several weeks. So, for today and last Friday, our 7-day average incidence rate is and was 12.41 new cases per day per 100,000. On the positive, we only experienced 1 death over the last 7 days, and we have 21 hospitalized cases today compared with 24 last Friday. Also, this is the first time in a long-time our area ICU capacity has been less than 80% full.

The fact that our new case rate decline stabilized this week is a concern. While cases are still dropping for the moment in the United States, it should be noted that on the global level, cases have started to rise again. Countries like Brazil, India, France, Italy, and Germany are seeing sharp increases. Therefore, please don’t assume that the pandemic is completely behind us and take the vaccine as soon as you can. Also, until the vaccine is widely available, and a significant percentage of the population has taken it, 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.

If you own a business and would be interested in participating in a job fair in Adair County, contact the Adair County Judge’s Office at 270-384-4703, email adairjudge@duo-county.com, or message Adair County Fiscal Court on Facebook and let them know.  Also, let them know what day/time would work best for you.

County Judge Executive Gale Cowan said Monday morning there appears to be enough interest in having a job fair to hold one in upcoming weeks.
Stay informed. Check adairvoice.com daily.

Jeffrey Newland of Russell County was arrested Monday on drug charges after Adair County Sheriff’s Deputy Derek Padgett responded to a call of a suspicious person south of Columbia, near the Adair County/Cumberland County line.

Newland, 34, appeared to be under the influence of an intoxicating subject upon Padgett’s arrival. He failed a series of sobriety tests and, when arrested, he was found to be in illegal possession of a controlled prescription narcotic.

Newland was arrested on possession of a controlled substance and public intoxication. He was lodged in the Adair County Regional Jail.

Read more of the latest headline news: https://adairvoice.com

The Adair County High School Lady Indians battled Campbellsville Wednesday in the first round of the Girls 20th District Basketball Tournament in Columbia. To get all the details, check out the March 25 issue of the Community Voice.

Read more of the latest headline news: https://adairvoice.com

FRANKFORT – On Wednesday, Gov. Andy Beshear announced the state’s positivity rate has declined to 3.73%.

“While our new cases have decreased dramatically since their peak in the commonwealth, these numbers are still too high,” said Gov. Beshear. “We are close to the finish line but we can’t let up yet. Keep masking up, keep social distancing and get vaccinated when it’s your turn. Let’s see this through to the end of the fight.”

Case Information
As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 17, Gov. Beshear reported the following COVID-19 numbers:

New cases today: 963
New deaths today: 27
Positivity rate: 3.73%
Total deaths: 5,056
Currently hospitalized: 441
Currently in ICU: 109
Currently on ventilator: 60

Top counties with the most positive cases today are: Jefferson, Fayette, Lyon and Hardin. Each county reported at least 35 new cases.

City of Columbia officials and employees visited Signature Healthcare at Summit Manor on Wednesday morning to provide 70 Easter baskets for residents. The baskets included: eggs, coloring pages/crayons, and bunny ears. Making the presentation to the residents were: Tiffany Collins, city hall; Junior Murphy, chief of police, Mayor Pamela Hoots, Brandy Burress, Summit Manor; Kortnei Kelsay, Summit Manor; Terry Johnson, parks and recreation; Tim Smith, city street department; Jackie Chapman, city street department; and Jordan Dean, city gas department.

William Loy of Columbia was arrested on drug charges March 10 after a traffic stop.

Adair County Sheriff’s Deputy Joey Keith initiated a traffic stop at 9:59 p.m. on a 1997 Jeep, driven by Loy. He was stopped on Baker Street.

Drugs were suspected to be in the vehicle and a search found what was believed to be methamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia, such as pipes and scales.

Loy, 27, was arrested for reckless driving, possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine, first degree; and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Loy was arrested and lodged in the Adair County Regional Jail.

Hannah Dabney of Russell County was arrested March 10 on felony drug charges.

Adair County K9 Deputy Chandler Staten received a complaint at 3:55 p.m. about a vehicle in the White Oak community that was parked on private property in an area commonly referred to as the Coffey Hole.

During the investigation, deputy Staten located a vehicle on the creek occupied by Dabney, 19. She appeared to be under the influence of an intoxicating substance. K9 Nitro had a positive hit on the vehicle and a search yielded drug paraphernalia and suspected methamphetamine.

Dabney was arrested on public intoxication charges, possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine, first degree; and possession of drug paraphernalia.

She is lodged in the Adair County Regional Jail.

The Adair County High School Lady Indians’ regular-season basketball finale, scheduled for tonight at home with Valley, has been cancelled. Adair County will now prepare to open the 20th District Tournament Wednesday, March 17, with Campbellsville. Tipoff is at 6 p.m.

The boys’ and girls’ district tournaments will be played at Adair County High School beginning Monday, March 15.

Read more of the latest headline news: https://adairvoice.com

Adair County School Superintendent Dr. Pam Stephens released the latest coronavirus numbers for the district on Friday. Two students are currently listed as positive.

Read more of the latest headline news: https://adairvoice.com

T.J. Regional Health is accepting appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine for individuals that fall into the categories of Phase 1A, 1B and 1C.

Phase 1C has just been expanded to include all persons ages 16 or older with any medical or behavioral health condition or conditions that the CDC reports ‘are’ or ‘might be’ at increased risk of severe COVID-19 illness.

The Moderna vaccine is approved for ages 18 and older.

If you would like to receive your first vaccine dose, please call the T.J. Regional Health vaccine hotline at 270-659-1010 to schedule your appointment.

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March 11, 2021

Adair County Sheriff Josh Brockman was contacted Thursday morning (March 11) by county clerk Lisa Greer concerning a phone call she had with a resident. She said the caller told her she was contacted by a male subject who stated they represented the clerk’s office and wanted her to pay a sum of cash immediately or her driver’s license would be revoked.

Greer wants to assure everyone the clerk’s office would never ask for bank information over the phone and doesn’t have the authority to cancel a driver’s license.

Brockman and Greer would like to remind everyone to be mindful of potential scams, and report them to the sheriff’s office at 270-384-2776.

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