Area News

No news is good news is how the old saying goes. That may be how half a million state and local employees feel  about Gov. Matt Bevin’s proposed solution to the commonwealth’s pension crisis. The governor has said he wants to call a special session of the General Assembly to vote on his pension proposal…

Last Tuesday night’s meeting of the Burgin City Council was a marathon even by Burgin’s standards: three solid hours of arguments, countercharges and recriminations. Despite all the drama, the council acted on several issues that, in some cases, have been the subject of months of debate in the friendly little city. They agreed to advertise…

Police have put three people—including one visitor from Alaska—on ice after a drug bust last week. The three are cooling their heels after being caught in a hot car with drugs, money and drug paraphernalia. In the early morning hours of Wednesday, Nov. 15, Harrodsburg police stopped a car on  U.S. 127 after it was…

Dr. Vicky Reed, DHA, FACHE, is leaving the James B. Haggin Memorial Hospital effective Thursday, Nov. 30. The announcement was made Tuesday that Reed, who has been the chief executive officer at Haggin since 2011, has decided to step down in order to pursue another CEO opportunity. Officials at the Ephraim McDowell Health System say…

A contractor is scheduled to return to work on the Brooklyn Bridge, which carries U.S. 68 over the Kentucky River, on Monday, Nov. 20. However, there will be a temporary bridge closure in order to complete repairs, said the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Department of Highways. KYTC announced repair work on the bridge, which connects Mercer…

Meet the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future at the Old Fort Harrod State Park’s Holiday Open House, which runs from 6–8 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 18. Come experience a real frontier Christmas, with the fort decorated that way it was back in the pioneer days. Children of all ages will get to visit…

Pension reform may cost local governments an entire generation of employees—teachers, firefighters and police officers—and drastically impact recruiting new employees, officials say. Hardest hit would be local schools, said Dennis Davis, superintendent of Mercer County Schools. “The pension system is the issue, but the overall issue is saving our education system,” Davis said. Gov. Matt…

The Boyle-Mercer Joint Jail Committee is creating a criminal justice coordinating committee. The committee, which consists of representatives from law enforcement, jail staff, attorneys and local elected officials, will look at how to change not just how Boyle County Detention Center operates, but how the two counties administer justice. The committee is a suggestion from…

Burgin Independent Schools received a clean audit. That’s the verdict from the auditing firm, White and Company of Lebanon. Joseph A. Montgomery, a CPA from White and Company, presented the new audit to the Burgin Board of Education last Wednesday. The last several years, the school district has recorded a negative fiscal position because changes…

Small Business Saturday offers shoppers the opportunity to see what local businesses have to offer in communities all over the country. Jill Cutler, executive director of the Mercer County Chamber of Commerce, says Small Business Saturday puts the spotlight on the community. “It is really an opportunity to showcase all of our small business owners,”…