Area News

A Mercer County native has been named Kentucky’s next Public Advocate. On Monday, Gov. Matt Bevin and Justice Secretary John Tilley announced that Damon Preston, originally of McAfee, will lead the Department of Public Advocacy, which represents defendants unable to afford legal counsel. Since joining the DPA in 1997, Preston has served as a staff…

Mercer County Sheriff Ernie Kelty and Representative Kim King testified on behalf of a law that would require pawnbrokers to record daily transactions on a database accessible to police. “A lot of pawnshops already do it,” said Kelty, who testified before the Senate Interim Joint Committee on Licensing, Occupations and Administrative Regulations on Sept. 8…

Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR), Kentucky’s most popular sports radio show, will return to Harrodsburg. KSR will be at Lemon’s Mill Brewery on Friday, Sept. 8, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. This will celebrate the one year anniversary for Lemon’s Mill. The live broadcast should provide local sports fans a great atmosphere to talk and…

At a special-called meeting last week, the Burgin Board of Education voted to increase the tax rate on personal property to 6.95 per $1,000 in assessed value. Officials note the four percent increase is not a four percent increase in the tax rate. Rather, the increase is designed to raise tax-based revenues by four-percent. Burgin…

Last week, the staff at Mercer County Public Library celebrated the 40 years Carolyn Sue Patterson has worked there. They had cupcakes and a few laughs and then everybody—including Patterson—went back to work. She’s not retiring. Carolyn Sue Patterson is not going anywhere. Patterson, who still works a full work week, said longevity—and long careers—runs…

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Salvisa Ruritan Club during Salvisa Ruritan Country Days, which will be held Sept. 15–16 on Main St. in Salvisa. The Ruritan Club will close Main and Sugar Streets at the town center for the festival, which starts Friday, Sept. 15, with the 11th Annual Car Cruise-In at 6 p.m.…

Jack Mattingly of Mercer County is being inducted into the Kentucky Veterans Hall of Fame. Two weeks ago Mattingly, a former sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, stood on the Capital Rotunda in Frankfort with the rest of the inductees while speeches were made and skydivers leapt from a plane. It was quite a…

Hurricane Harvey’s wrath has left people all around the globe wanting to help in anyway possible. Despite the willingness to help, it can be hard to truly understand the disaster without being there. Stephanie Sisk has seen the storm first hand. Sisk, a Mercer County resident with homes in Houston and Harrodsburg, was in Houston…

Motorists looking forward to the replacement of the 93-year-old Kennedy Mill Bridge have been looking around the lake for signs of construction work. However, the action is taking place over at the Kentucky Utilities boat dock near the E.W. Brown Generating Station. “We’re using this as the main access point,” said Kevin J. Buch, P.E.,…

The Mercer County Board of Education has agreed to a four-percent increase in the tax rate on real estate. The increase was approved unanimously by the school board, with board member Larry Yeager abstaining. It is the first increase in three years. Officials note the four-percent raise is not a four-percent increase on a homeowner’s…