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MONROE UNEMPLOYMENT SECOND HIGHEST IN STATE

Monroe County’s unemployment rate dropped slightly during December
1999, but the county still has the second-highest unemployment rate in the state at 13.3%. Monroe’s 16.2% unemployment for November placed the county first in the state in unemployment for that month. For December, Lewis County had the highest unemployment, with 18.3%
unemployed. Following Monroe were: Elliott (11.8%), Letcher (11.5%), Magoffin (10.7%) and Russell (10.6%).

SEN. BUNNING’S STAFF MEETS WITH LOCALS

Members of local government, civic and community organizations met
here Tuesday morning, Feb. 8, with representatives of U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning to discuss the needs of the area in general and the local economic crisis in particular. Rachel McCubbin, Bunning’s field representative, and Greg Talbott,  economic development coordinator for the Senator, met with the local group for nearly two hours. Tompkinsville Mayor Michael McPherson told the visitors there are
over  2,600 people out of work within a 25-mile radius of Tompkinsville.
When asked about prospects for industry locating in Monroe County,
McPherson and Judge-executive Russell Young, along with Industrial
Board members Charles Strode and Kenneth Bartley, told the senator’s
representatives of several meetings with a couple of potential new  industries willing to locate in the area, which could hire several  hundred
people. The local people doing the negotiating emphasized that discussions are in the very early stages and nothing at all has been finalized. One of the holdups in getting industry into this area, according to McPherson, is waiting for grant paperwork to make its way through
channels, thus allowing work to begin at the new industrial park. Monroe County’s high unemployment rate for an extended period has qualified the area for the KREDA (Kentucky Rural Economic Development  Authority) program, said Young. The group talked at length about the road situation in Monroe County, as well as neighboring counties. Talbott mentioned the possibility of working with Tennessee officials in trying to get a federal road corridor from I-40 (near Cookeville) all the way to the Cumberland Parkway (in Edmonton) with the road coming through  Monroe County. It was pointed out that Monroe is one of the few counties in Kentucky that has no federal highways. Talbott mentioned the importance of having a strong local Chamber of Commerce (and Chamber road committee) when dealing with state and federal officials. Talbott also stated that a strong local Chamber can help officials achieve goals. When asked if there was a local internet site, pertaining to Monroe
County, James Spear, a board member of the Tompkinsville/Monroe County Chamber of Commerce, told of the local Chamber’s efforts in getting a site up and running. McCubbin and Talbott each strongly emphasized how important a good internet site can be in helping attract new industry and visitors to this area. The local airport was discussed at length with Talbott saying the facility is a good drawing card for Monroe County. When asked the length of the runway, Bartley replied it is 4,000 feet in length and, when asked if there was enough room to extend the runway, Bartley replied that 1,500 more feet were available. Talbott said the ability to extend the runway would also be beneficial and there could be federal money to do this, if needed. Among the other topics discussed were: types of possible industries for this area, such as houseboat construction and cabinet building; the possibility of another round of Empowerment Zone monies and benefits; the proposed air trans-park near Bowling Green and its potential benefit to Monroe County; and the availability of job re-training programs. McCubbin told the group she and Talbott, along with the Senator and others, would do what they could to make contacts and help bring jobs to this area.

PUBLIC MEETING HELD TO DISCUSS ROUTE FOR
HWY. 163 RECONSTRUCTION

Three proposed routes for the reconstruction of Hwy. 163, from Carter
Elementary north to the “Crossroads,” were presented to the public during an open-house-type meeting on Thursday, Feb. 3, at the Carter Elementary cafeteria.Citizens were able to view aerial maps of the land in question and discuss the project with officials from Presnell Associates, who are working on the design work for the project.This road project, which begins where the most recent Hwy. 163 reconstruction project ended, will extend over 8.5 miles north into Metcalfe County and end just past the Crossroads (junction of Hwys. 163 and 90). According to Kenneth Cox, with the Highway Department, the first allotment for this project is for the right-a-way purchases, will begin sometime around the fiscal year 2003. Funding for the actual construction has not been allocated but is expected in the next highway plan, which will be  released sometime in mid-2000. The estimated $34-35 million for this project will probably involve federal funds and therefore must have federal Highway Administration approval, he said.

CIRCUIT COURT ACTION REPORTED

Charles William Howard, age 49, who was found guilty following a jury
trial in December of trafficking in a Schedule II controlled substance,
second offense, has been sentenced to 15 years in the State Reformatory. The sentence was imposed on Jan. 26 by Circuit Judge James Weddle, as he presided at his first session of Monroe Circuit Court since he took office the first of the year. Howard’s attorney had entered a motion that the jury verdict be set aside and the defendant either acquitted or a new trial scheduled. This motion was overruled and the defendant sentenced. The offense on which he was tried  took place Jan. 30, 1997. Rodney Neal Whiteside, 31, who had earlier pled guilty to an charge of possession of a controlled substance (cocaine) in the first degree, amended from trafficking in a controlled substance in the first degree, was sentenced to five years in the state reformatory. Probation was denied. Mary Teresa Tooley, age 33, received a four-year sentence, probated five years with standard conditions. She had been indicted on charges of robbery in the first degree, charged with using physical force with the intent to accomplish a theft and causing physical injury to Sandra Dyer on Nov. 22, 1998, and in October, pled guilty to an amended charge of theft by unlawful taking over $300. Michael Ray Keith, age 35, who pled guilty in December to charges of flagrant non-support, was given a two-year sentence, probated five years. Also during the January session of court, eight persons were indicted by the grand jury. These were: Steven Bray, age 29, and Robert Harris, 33,  each indicted on charges of criminal mischief in the first degree and theft by unlawful taking or disposition; Steve Evans, age 53, two counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree; Ervin Tooley, age 54, theft by unlawful taking or disposition; Robert Pruitt, age 43, operating a motor vehicle with
alcohol concentration of or above 0.10 or while under the influence of
alcohol or other substance; operating a motor vehicle while license in
revoked or suspended for driving under the influence; possession of
controlled substances not in original container; no insurance; failure
to wear seat belt; driving on the wrong side or the road; and no  registration plates; B.J. Walden, age 18, unlawful transaction with a minor in the second degree, Melissa Shofner, age 30, theft by deception; Bobby Walker, age 31, five counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree.
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Announcements
JAYCEES ELECT OFFICERS

Recently elected as 2000-2001 officers of the Tompkinsville Jaycees
were:  president, David Payne; individual development vice president, Scotty Turner; community development vice president, Dorothy Pare; secretary, Susan Guffey; treasurer, Dana Hammer; chairman of the Board, Suzane Spear; and directors, Angie Payne and Rosetta Emmert.

BIRTHDAYS

Helen Geralds (1000 Magnolia Ave., Tompkinsville, Ky. 42167, who will celebrate her 96th birthday, with a party at 1 p.m. on Feb. 12, at the
Tompkinsville Elementary School.

CARD SHOWERS

A card shower is planned for Dewey Dubree (2726 Kessler Ridge Rd.,
Tompkinsville, Ky. 42167), who will celebrate his 80th birthday on Feb.
15.

A card shower is planned for Mr. and Mrs. Newman Clarkson, who will
celebrate their 66th wedding anniversary on Feb. 11. Cards may be addressed to them at: 1011 Old Mulkey Rd., Tompkinsville, Ky. 42167.
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Girls Basketball
LADY FALCONS TAKE SIXTH STRAIGHT WIN

The Lady Falcons have matched their longest winning streak of the
season by defeating Greenwood on Feb. 4 and Glasgow Feb. 8. Monroe is riding a six-game winning streak and have won nine of their
last 10 games. Currently the Lady Falcons are rated #3 in the Fourth Region, just behind #2, district rival Clinton County, and first-place Barren County, who is ranked #11 in the state. There are no slackers in the Fourth Region, as top to bottom it is the strongest region in the state.
Greenwood
The Greenwood Gators are ranked just a few points behind Monroe, in
the latest Courier-Journal Litkenhous ratings — and it showed when Monroe visited the Greenwood gym last Friday night. It looked, early on, as if it might be a fairly easy game, but by the end of the third, things were beginning to swing towards the Lady Gators as Monroe was getting into foul trouble. In the fourth quarter, Monroe was on the free-throw line 17 times and only hit 5 of those, and the team managed just one field goal (a 3-pointer) in the final period, while the Lady Gators were mounting a furious comeback attempt. Monroe just barely managed to hold on for a 50-49 win.
Scoring by quarters: 1st - Monroe 15, Greenwood 11; 2nd - Monroe 16,  Greenwood 10; 3rd - Monroe 12, Greeenwood 9; 4th - Monroe 8, Greenwood 19.
Individual stats: Kari Brown, 11 points; Brittney Geralds, 11; Tracey
Hays, 8(6 of 6 from the free throw line); Lindsey Berry, 7 (six rebounds);
Leslie McAlpin, 6; Renea Proffitt, 3; and Becky Pedigo, 2.
Glasgow
At Glasgow Tuesday night, again things looked great for Monroe — at
first. The Lady Falcons jumped out to a huge 16-point lead at the end of the first period, but then let Glasgow back in the game in the second
quarter. As in the Greenwood game, Monroe spent most of the fourth quarter at the free-throw line, hitting only 9 of 20 attempts, but held on to win 45-34. Coach Harlan wasn’t very pleased with his team’s efforts, saying : “We got out to a big lead early and then acted as if we were asleep for the rest of the game. He did point to a positive in the game, saying the team had only 14 turnovers.
Scoring by quarters: 1st - Monroe - 20, Glasgow 4; 2nd - Monroe 3,
Glasgow 13; 3rd - Monroe 9, Glasgow 9; 4th - Monroe 13, Glasgow 8.
Individual stats: Brittney Geralds, 14 points (eight steals); Leslie McAlpin, 8; Renea Proffitt, 7; Kari Brown, 6; Lindsey Berry, 5(8 rebounds);  and Tracey Hays, 5.
Upcoming
Next Tuesday night, Feb. 15, the Lady Falcons host Barren County (#11 in the state) in what could be a preview of Fourth Region tournament play. This year’s 16th District Tournament will be held at Monroe County High School, starting Feb. 28.
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Boys Basketball
FALCONS LOSE TO HIGH-RANKED TEAMS

The Monroe County Falcons were on the road for two of three games
this past week, going up against some of the state’s top teams, and the
results were not too favorable.
Greenwood
Early on, Monroe stayed pretty close to the #20 ranked Greenwood
Gators on Feb. 4, but in the third quarter, the roof fell in on Monroe and the home-standing Gators took a 96-57 win. “The score may not show it in this game,” said head coach Brian Carter, “but we are starting to do things better. We played a real good first half but weren’t able to take advantage of it in the second half,” said Carter.
Scoring by quarters: 1st - Monroe 18, Greenwood 23; 2nd - Monroe 9,
Greenwood 16; 3rd - Monroe 16, Greenwood 31; 4th - Monroe 14, Greenwood 26.
Individual stats :Zack Grace, 18 points; Jessie England, 11; Radford
Graves, 9; Casey Kirk, 9; Josh Turner, 8; and Jonathan Hamilton, 2.
Bowling Green
The Falcons returned home on Feb. 7 to host the very strong Bowling
Green Purples, ranked #4 in the state, in a game that was expected to be a mismatch for the young Falcons. However, Monroe managed to stay within striking distance during the first half, but once again, the third period was the Falcons’ undoing as Bowling Green outscored them by 15 points. The Purples kept pouring it on in the final period, with the starters staying in the game long enough to score 18 points on their way to a 96-54 victory.  “Again, I thought we played pretty well in the beginning,” said Carter. “However, Bowling Green’s pressure just wore us down both physically and mentally in the second half.”
Scoring by quarters: 1st - Monroe 18, BG 25; 2nd - Monroe 14, BG 20; 3rd - Monroe 9, BG 26; 4th - Monroe 13, BG 25.
Individual stats: Jessie England, 11 points; Josh Turner, 10; Radford
Graves, 8; Cory Netherton, 7; Zack grace, 6; Casey Kirk, 4; Chase
Moore, 4; Chris Pitcock, 2; and Jonathan Hamilton, 2.
Glasgow
Three tough games in five days took their toll on the Falcons as Monroe
hit the road to Glasgow on Tuesday night. While not currently in the
Courier-Journal Top 20 ratings, the Scotties have been there and are
still not far out of it. And once again, the Falcons were competitive early in the game, but this time, the second period was Monroe’s undoing as the Scotties started to pull away and never looked back, winning 78-57.
“This was a tough game for our kids,” said Carter. “It is hard to play a
tough team on Monday night and then get ready to play another good team Tuesday.”
Scoring by quarters: Monroe - 14, Glasgow 17; 2nd - Monroe 10,
Glasgow 21; 3rd - Monroe 17, Glasgow 20; 4th - Monroe 16, Glasgow 20.
Individual stats : Radford Graves, 23 points; Chase Moore, 8; Cory
Netherton, 7; Chris Pitcock, 5; Jessie England, 5; Josh Turner, 3; Eric
Davis, 3; Jonathan Hamilton, 2; and Casey Kirk, 1.
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Deaths
Eight deaths were reported to the Tompkinsville News this past week. The only local death was that of Michael Lynn Proffitt, 49, Ray
Gearlds Rd., Tompkinsville, who died Feb. 2.
Deaths reported from other areas were:
— Gracie Oleta Effi (Bowman) Hunley, 80, Hiseville, a Monroe County
native who died Feb. 4 (she was the widow of Joseph Leo Hunley);
— Arlie C. Deckard, 86, Indianapolis, Ind., who died Feb. 3 (she was
the widow of Lawrence J. Deckard);
— Ellen Coe (Wilson) Blankenship, 70, Whitleyville, Tenn., who also
died Feb. 3 (she was the wife of Frank Junior Blankenship);
— Abert Kendall, 88, Hender-sonville, Tenn., who died Feb. 1 (he was
preceded in death by three wives, Dovie Lee [Reecer] Kendall, Lucy
[Reecer] Kendall, and Lola [Yates] Kendall);
— Ella Mae (Emberton) Hays, 84, Glasgow, a Monroe County native who died Jan. 31 (she was the widow of Ned Hays);
— Janet (Turner) Linde, 50, Indianapolis, a Monroe County native who
died also Jan. 31; and
— E. Margie (Dyer) Winger, 56, Savoy, Ill., who died Jan. 31 and was
also a native of Monroe County.
Details about their backgrounds, survivors and funeral arrangements can be found by clicking here.
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