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Monroe Unemployment
Relay for Life `99
Youth Killed
Gamaliel Commission  
Monroe unemployment highest in state
Monroe County had the highest unemployment rate — 16.2% — for the Commonwealth of Kentucky as of November 1999. Figures released this past week by the Department for Employment Services, an agency of the Cabinet for Workforce Development, showed Monroe’s unemployment percentage well above any other county in the state. Letcher County, in Eastern Kentucky, was second with 13.1%, followed by Harlan, Green, Taylor, Russell and Cumberland Counties. Woodford County’s 1.1% unemployment was the state’s lowest, followed by Fayette, Jessamine, Bourbon and Scott Counties. Monroe’s current rate is the only one in double digits in the 10-countyBarren River Area Development District. Next hghest is Barren County with 4.9%. For October 1999, Monroe County had the fourth highest unemployement rate in the state at 10.5%. Leslie (14.2%) was highest, followed by Harlan and Taylor Counties. Statewide, the unemployment rate was 3.7% in November, nearly the same as the 3.8% national rate. The Department for Employment Services also reports on the industries when unemployed people had worked. In the Barren River aream 54% had worked in manufacturing, 17.4% in services and 15% in trade. Source of this information is a monthly summary of Kentuckians drawing unemployment benefits. Reportedly, the majority of those without jobs in Monroe County formerly worked in the garment industry.The unemployment statistics provided by the Department of Employment Services are based on estimates “and are compiled to measure trends rather than actually to count people working,” the report stated. Civilian labor force statistics include non-military workers and unemployed Kentuckians who are actively seeking work. They do not include unemployed Kentuckians who have not looked for employment within the past four weeks.
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Monroe’s Relay for Life 1999 receives national recognition

Monroe County’s Relay for Life has again received national recognition. At the American Cancer Society’s Mid-South awards ceremony recently, it was announced that Monroe County ranked third in the nation, in the 10,000 to 14,000 population category, for funds raised per capita with a Relay for Life. Monroe’s 1999 Relay also ranked sixth overall, among all population categories, in the American Cancer Society’s Mid-South Division, for most funds raised per capita. The Mid-South Division includes six states. Kentucky Apparel also was recognized as one of the top corporate teams in the Mid-South for fund-raising. Monroe’s 1999 Relay for Life, held May 14-15, raised $72,642 for the fight against cancer. This was an average of $6.08 per person in the county. Funds raised in 1999 were only slightly less than the 1998 total, when Monroe’s first-ever Relay raised $90,223.25 and was the top-fund raiser in its population category nationwide. Relay for Life is a fund-raiser for the fight against cancer, explained Sheila Cropper, chairperson, and Shelley Polston, co-chair, of this year’s Relay, which will be held May 19-20. The kick-off meeting for the 2000 Relay for Life is scheduled for next Thursday night, Jan. 13, at Tompkinsville Elementary School. Everyone interested in helping with this year’s Relay is urged to attend the kick-off session, especially those who plan to form a team for this year’s event. Those who want to learn more about Relay activities should also attend. Everyone attending is asked to bring a candle for a luminary ceremony which will be held honoring cancer victims.  A second kick-off session will be held at Gamaliel Elementary School on Thursday night, Jan. 20, also starting at 6 p.m.
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Monroe youth killed in four-wheeler accident

A Monroe County Middle School student was killed on Friday, Dec. 31, in a four-wheeler accident on Sammy Carter Road, approximately seven miles north of Tompkinsville off Hwy. 163N. Dustin Tyler White Ford, 13, of 1215 Sammy Carter Rd., Tompkinsville, was riding near his home when the ATV he was operating apparently struck a dead sapling on a small slanted portion in the woods, flipped over to the left and was thrown into a gulley that was approximately 3 feet wide and 2 feet deep, according to Monroe County Coroner Billy Paul Smith. The coroner stated that the youth apparently was knocked unconcious, and the four-wheeler fell on top of him in the gulley. Smith noted that Dustin’s head was forced forward and his airway blocked. Cause of death was suffocation, Smith said, adding that the youth suffered no broken bones or other injuries from the accident. It was also noted that the youth was not wearing a helmet. According to reports, Dustin's family began to search for him when he did not return home as expected from riding his ATV. He was found about 100 yards from his home around 4:50 p.m. by Mark Smith and Dennis White.
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New Commissioner sworn in at Gamaliel meeting

Bill Brown was sworn in as the new Gamaliel City Commissioner by City Attorney Wes Stephens at the regular monthly meeting on Tues., Jan. 4.
Brown was chosen by the Commission to fill the position left vacant when Paul Turner resigned recently. Representatives Terry Henry and Mike Callahan, from C & E Designers, were at the meeting to present an introductory session for the Commission. Callahan spoke to the group and thanked them for choosing their group as engineers for the city.  “We’re not here to tell you what to do, but how to do what you would like to see done in the city,” Callahan noted.  “Tonight is basically an introduction,” Callahan continued, “We deal with the grant and loan programs and know what things are possible. We make no guarantees — it may get funded, it may not, but you need to take your chances.” During the Fire Department report Thomas Copass, fire chief, reported that the new fire hall building has been started and that the walls are up and “ready for the rock to go in.” Mayor Jerry Comer noted that natural gas has been installed in two places and that there are a couple other places “wanting it bad.” Comer also noted that “one thing that is getting thrown at me a whole lot is that the city of Gamaliel should put in their own gas system ... it’s a money-making thing.” Comer continued that, if the city should put in their own system, they would only have to buy gas [from Sentra] for the line that had already been installed.
The mayor also reported that a letter had been received from Kent McElroy, developer for the nursing home project. McElroy’s letter stated that they had “run into trouble and wished they could say they’d be here within 90 days, but they just didn’t know,” Comer added, “but they still say they’re coming.”
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Boys Basketball
The Monroe County Falcons finally broke the ice and put a check in the win column over the holiday break. They came away with their first victory of the season by defeating the host team in the Hopkinsville Tournament, which took place Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 28-29. The game began with Hopkinsville pushing out to an early lead, which stood at 18-13 after the first period. The Falcons had one of their better offensive quarters in the second period as they tossed in 25 points, spread out over five players, and took a halftime lead of 38-36, and then took a 48-43 lead into the final period. Things got tight in the last quarter of the game, and Monroe was put on the free-throw line 11 times making 9 of those attempts. Hopkinsville outscored Monroe 27-24 in the final period, but the free throws kept Monroe ahead, and the Falcons claimed their first victory, 72-70. Monroe earned the win by putting three players in double-digit scoring. Chris Pitcock stepped up with 20 points as did Zack Grace, and Radford Graves was close behind with 19 points in the victory. Graves and Grace also had seven steals each in this win. “This was a big win because the players worked so hard over Christmas to get better,” said head coach Brian Carter. “They needed this victory. “This was a team effort, with everyone contributing to the game,” said Carter. “As a team, we had 13 assists and 17 big steals.” Also scoring for Monroe were: Casey Kirk, 7; Cory Netherton, 4; and Josh Turner, 2. Tournament final
The victory over Hopkinsville put the Falcons in the championship game against Madison Southern on Wednesday. Things didn’t go as well for   the Falcons in their second game as they fell behind early, 11-4, after the first quarter. It didn’t get any better in the second as Southern took a 25-14 halftime lead into the locker room. Monroe picked up the offense in the third, scoring 18 points, but Madison kept pulling away by tossing in 26 points and built a commanding 52-32 lead going into the fourth quarter. Southern outscored Monroe once again in the final period, 20-14, and took the championship game 71-46. “We just weren’t ready to play,” said Carter. “When you play in a championship game, no matter which tournament you’re in, you must turn up your intensity level and we didn’t do it.” Carter even went as far as getting himself tossed out of the game as he urged his troops to play harder. He said he was just trying to encourage the team to block out better, but the referee didn’t see it that way. Scoring against Southern were: Casey Kirk, 11 points; Zack Grace, 10; Chris Pitcock, 9; Radford Graves, 6; Eric Davis, 4; Cory Netherton, 2; Chase Moore, 2; and Jordan Hale, 2.
Other games
The Falcons headed into the middle third of their schedule by traveling to Warren Central this past Tuesday night (details next week) knowing they have broken the ice and believing they can notch more wins before the season draws to an end. The Monroe boys host Casey County Saturday night, with the JV game beginning at 5 p.m., followed by Basketball Homecoming activities (starting about 6 o’clock), and then the varsity game.
District powerhouse Clinton County will visit Monroe on Tuesday night, Jan. 11, before the Falcons go on the road to Green County next Friday night.
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Girls Basketball
The Lady Falcons defended their Domino’s Classic championship by taking their second tourney title in a row at Franklin-Simpson last week, defeating four very good teams (two in overtime). The round-robin tournament was held last Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 29-30. The eight participating team were split into two pools, with each team playing every other team in their pool. The two teams with the best records in their pool then met in the finals.
Russellville
The Lady Falcons got off to a good start, jumping out to a 17-10 lead after one period of play, and continued to do so by outscoring Russellville 19-16 in the second to take a 36-26 lead into halftime.  Eight different players scored for Monroe in the first half but Russellville’s Benton was getting hot, scoring 10 in the second period. MCHS head coach Tony Harlan considers Benton as good a point guard the Lady Falcons will see, and she began to show it after a slow first period. Monroe clamped down on her scoring after halftime, but she still had 28 points for the game. Benton helped pull Russellville back in the game as the Lady Falcons lead was cut to 52-45 going into the fourth quarter. That 7-point lead disappeared in the final period as Monroe was outscored 24-17 — and the game went into overtime knotted at 69-69. Twelve trips to the free-throw line, connecting on nine, in the extra period gave Monroe an 86-73 victory. “We turned up the intensity in OT and pulled out to a 13-point win,” said Harlan, “a good effort, with five players in double figures.”
Scoring were: Lindsey Berry, 16 points; Kari Brown, 15; Brittany Geralds, 15; Tracy Hays, 14; Kelli Baxter, 10; Leslie McAlpin, 8; Renea Proffitt, 6; and Samantha Graves, 2.
Meade County
Monroe’s second-round opponent was Meade County, a team Harlan called “underrated”. “They were aggressive on defense and good offensively,” said Harlan. The Lady Falcons led 12-10 at the end of the first period and took a 24-19 lead into halftime. Monroe was leading 36-27 going into the final period, where both teams tossed in 19 points and Monroe continued their march to another tourney title by taking this game, 55-46. Eleven Lady Falcons scored as Coach Harlan was using a lot of players in this two-day tournament.
Scoring for Monroe were: Tracy Hays, 12 points; Kari Brown, 10; Lindsey Berry, 7; Brittany Geralds, 7; Renea Proffitt, 4; Samantha Graves, 4; Kelli Baxter, 3; Leslie McAlpin, 2; Kelli Emberton, 2; Becky Pedigo, 2; and Jill Stinson,2.
Henderson County
The Lady Falcons were on a roll and, on Thursday, had to face Second Region powerhouse Henderson County, which has bee pickedas high as No. 2 in that region. The game was close in the first period as Monroe posted 12 points, compared to Henderson’s 11. The Lady Falcons went to the free-throw line five times in the first, hitting three, and that trend continued throughout the game as Monroe toed the charity stripe 36 times altogether. The second period saw the Lady Falcons go to the free-throw line 10 more times (hitting six) on their way to a 14-point quarter. The Lady Falcons went to the locker room at halftime with a 26-17 lead, but that lead shrank to 30-27 by the end of the third period. Henderson put Monroe on the foul line 20 times in the final quarter. Monroe hit 12 of those shots and pulled away to a 46-34 victory. “Our girls learned a lot from this game,” said coach Harlan. “Our good post defense made Henderson switch their defense — a great win for us.”
Lady Falcons who scored in this game were: Lindsey Berry, 15 points; Leslie McAlpin, 7; Renea Proffitt, 7; Brittany Geralds, 6; Kari Brown, 4; Tracey Hays, 4; Amanda Shaw, 2; and Samantha Graves, 1.
Louisville Mercy
In the championship game of the Domino’s Classic, Monroe faced one of the top teams in the state, Louisville Mercy, which was rated as a pre-season top-20 team. In the first period, Mercy gave the Monroe girls all they wanted and took a 15-11 lead, but the Lady Falcon defense then put the clamps on Mercy, allowing just 4 points in the second quarter, giving Monroe a 22-19 halftime lead. The Lady Falcons extended their lead to 35-24 going into the fourth period. However, Louisville Mercy didn’t quit and staged a big comeback, putting 23 points on the board in the final period while Monroe managed 12, resulting in a tied score at the end of regulation, 47-47.
In the OT period, Monroe was put on the free throw line 12 times, hitting 7, and scoring a total of 11 points while the Lady Falcon defense held Mercy to just 3 points, earning Monroe the 58-50 victory and the tourney title for the second year in a row. “Mercy was a very aggressive team,” said Harlan. “Our half court defense was the difference in the game.”
The Lady Falcons had their best rebounding game of the season, according to Harlan, with 49 total. Brittany Geralds snagged 11 and Berry grabbed nine to lead the way. “This was a big tournament for our team,” said Harlan. “Many individual players stepped up at different times to help in the wins.”
Lady Falcon Brown, who scored 31 against Mercy, was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament, and Monroe placed two other players on the All-Tournament team, Renea Proffitt (8 against Mercy) and Lindsey Berry (12 in the final game).
Also scoring for Monroe were: Leslie McAlpin, Tracey Hays and Samantha Graves, 2 each; and Geralds, 1.
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Announcements
MCHS Homecoming
Police activity reports
New arrivals
Card Showers
Jackson Anniversary

MCHS Basketball Homecoming
Basketball Homecoming at Monroe County High School is set for this Saturday night, Jan. 8, when the Falcons host Casey County. The boys’ JV game starts at 5 p.m., with the Homecoming Queen and her court recognized about 6 p.m. The boys’ varsity game follows the Homecoming festivities.
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Sheriff’s Department and Tompkinsville Police release year-end activity reports
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department and the Tompkinsville Police Department have released year-end activity summaries for 1999.
During the past year, the Sheriff’s office reported 508 arrests and 101 auto accidents investigated. They executed 13 drug-and-alcohol-related search warrants during 1999, with 494 marijuna plants being confiscated.
Officers investigated one child abuse case, nine thefts, one suicide, one murder and seven burgularies during the past year. One arson case was investigated, with an arrest made. They answered 3,219 calls, inspected 1,111 vehicles, served 1,208 court documents and escorted 164 funerals.
The officers reported 439 hours of court duty, both District and Circuit Court and logged 82 prisoner transports.  Gee also reported seven stolen vehicles recovered, along with three stolen guns. For the year of 1999, officials with the Tompkinsville Police Department reported 513 arrests and 185 auto accidents investigated. The officers answered 2,159 complaints and made 1,767 traffic stops, with 566 citations issued. They served 87 arrest warrants during 1999 and answered 131 alarms.
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New arrivals
Caleb Zachary Anderson, son of Jack and Amy Anderson, Bowling Green, arrived on Dec. 2, 1999, at the Medical Center in Bowling Green. Grandparents are Wendell and Barbara Shaw, Edmonton, and Joe and Wilma Anderson, Tompkinsville.
Kenzie Jade Davis, the daughter of Kristy Davis and Jimmy Simmons, both of Tompkinsville, arrived Dec. 28, 1999. She is the granddaughter of Nedra (Davis) Armour, Red Boiling Springs, Tenn., and the late Earl Davis, and of Katherine Simmons, Fountain Run, and the late Willie Simmons.
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Birthday card showers announced
Birthday card showers are planned for the following persons (addresses given in parentheses for those who wish to send cards):
Gladys Turner, who will celebrate her 97th birthday on Jan. 17 (2798 Mudlick-Flippin Rd.);
Ruby Tooley, who will celebrate her 90th birthday on Jan. 8 (398 Cap Harlan Rd.); and
Enna Rasner, whose birthday is Jan. 20 (Monroe Health and Rehabilitation Center, P.O. Box 367) — all three Tompkinsville, Ky. 42167 addresses;
Lina Lee, formerly of Tompkinsville, whose 87th birthday is Jan. 12 (310 W. Rogersville Rd., Radcliff, Ky. 40160);
Ethel Bartley, whose birthday is Jan. 10 (10003 Edmonton Rd., Summer Shade, Ky. 42166); and
Grace Yates, who lived in this area for many years and who will celebrate her 80th birthday on Jan. 10 (Box 221, Ridge Farm, Ill. 61870).
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Jacksons celebrate 43rd anniversary
Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell Jackson, Fountain Run, celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary on Dec. 29.Mitchell Leon Jackson and Ella Mae Russell were married Dec. 29, 1956 at Celina, Tenn. They are the parents of Brenda Bandy and Kenneth Jackson, both of Fountain Run, and have three grandchildren and a step-grandson.
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Deaths
Fifteen deaths were reported to the Tompkinsville News during the past two weeks. Local deaths were: Dustin Tyler White Ford, 13, Sammy Carter Rd., Tompkinsville (four-wheeler accident victim, see story elsewhere); James Lester Gentry, 72, White Oak Ridge Rd., Fountain Run; Harlie B. Geralds, 76, Temple Hill; Motie E. (Turner) Strickler, 87, Sunset Ave., Tompkinsville; Arthur Bryant, 55, Bill Butler Rd., Tompkinsville; and Cleatus Wiley Gearlds, 51, Sixth St., Tompkinsville. Deaths reported from other areas were: Teresa Jan (Crabtree) Duffer, 40, Hartsville, Tenn., a Gamaliel native (car accident victim); Billy B. Wood, 62, and Glenn Dell Witcher, 84, both of Red Boiling Springs, Tenn.; Hazel (Gentle) Huffer, 87, Alvaton, formerly of Gamaliel; James Ottis Caruthers, 87, Lafayette, Tenn.; Anna Catherine (Jones) Lucas, 77, Lebanon, Ind.; Jim Tom Turner, 74, a Monroe County native, and Thermon D. Gosnell, 84, both of Scottsville; and Edward Thomas Goad, 76, Bowling Green.Details about their backgrounds, survivors and funeral arrangements can be found by clicking here.
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