In retrospect: 2006

By JOSHUA COFFMAN
Landmark News Service

The concept of the New Year is often deemed as symbolic — seen as a time to usher in a new era or new ideas. Perhaps it’s a time for one to implement new resolutions or move forward toward a goal in life.
However, The News-Herald — like many newspapers — is in the business of writing the rough drafts of history, recording events as they happen. So before we can look ahead to 2007, we look back at the past year and what it brought to Owen County.
In addition to annual fares such as Sweet Owen Days and the Christmas Parade, the year of 2006 brought the stories of many unique events and people in Owen County. It marked a year of democracy, as voters went to polling places and elected new leaders or reaffirmed incumbents.
It also marked a year of planning, as projects like the Owen 20/20, Growth Management Committee and the Owen Vision Plan moved ahead. The year of 2006 brought progress, as state leaders awarded the county a $5 million gas line project, and local leaders pushed for more accessible broadband service.
Sometimes it’s helpful to look backward before moving forward, as we do in this week’s edition of The News-Herald— offering another glance at 2006 before we begin writing the rough drafts of 2007.

January
The beginning of the year marked an end of an era for one local farm.
After three generations and 68 years, the Davis farm in New Liberty sold off its dairy cattle.
Greg Davis said there was not enough profit to merit staying in business.
“We’re going to enjoy some freedom,” he said, after the last of the farm’s 66 dairy cows were hauled away. “We’re wore out. We’ve been doing this 30 hours a day at no profit. It’s time to quit.”
Also in January, the North Key mental health organization announced that Owen County had been selected from a four-county group to be awarded an $11.5 million federal grant divided among six states to assist in combating underage drinking. Owen County was chosen after a number of surveys indicated the prevalence of underage drinking.
The grant led to the creation of the Owen County Teen Alcohol Prevention Program (TAPP).
Another challenge for Owen County and other Kentucky communities involved motorist safety, and legislators acted by passing a stricter law on seatbelt usage.
The News-Herald reported near the first of the year that a survey by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet indicated 46 percent of drivers in Owen County wear their seatbelts, an 8-percent increase over 2004 figures, but well below the state average of 66.7 percent. It was the lowest score in this part of the state. Overall, Kentucky’s figures ranked 47th nationwide, prompting state lawmakers to pass a measure later in the year allowing police officers to stop motorists solely for not wearing seatbelts.
“If we don’t do that we are neglecting our duties as a government,” said state Rep. Charlie Hoffman, D-Georgetown, a sponsor of the bill.

February
In February the field was set for primary races, and the county was set to see its first Republican primary in 60 years.
The e-Community Leadership team began taking steps to forward their ideas of improving technology in the area.
After spending several months discussing ways to use technology to better serve Owen County, the Community Leadership team began putting their ideas into action. Included in those plans were steps to bring more access to broadband Internet in Owen County.
The News-Herald interviewed a group of local church members who visited the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast, who found out there was still work to do while there.
Eight congregation members of Long Ridge Baptist Church headed south to Waveland, Miss.
“The devastation, I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Trent Holbrook, pastor of Long Ridge.
Judge-Executive Billy O’Banion promoted the U.S. Highway 22 gas line project to Gov. Ernie Fletcher when the Kentucky’s chief executive visited Grant County in February.
The third Leadership Owen County class formed and began meeting.
A Kentucky State Police drug sting netted 13 drug arrests in Owen and Carroll counties. Of the arrests, 12 were charged with felony trafficking.
Owen County residents gathered at the high school auditorium in February to hear the results of the Owen 20/20 survey.
In the surveys, residents said they want to see more service industries but don’t want big retail chains that have a tendency to change the atmosphere of the community. They also said they want to preserve the rural landscape while building on economic opportunities.
“You should be proud of yourselves as a community,” said Kim Strohmeier, one of the co-chairs of the project.

March
Postal worker Wanda New, “of Kays Branch in Monterey,” as she said on national TV, appeared on the Today Show and Inside Edition for segments on the charity Locks of Love.
New was one of more than 100 people to participate in a televised hair cutting for charity.
The Owen County woman bested all other participants, having more than four feet of hair cut off.
“I really hadn’t planned on having that much cut,” she said. “But all the hairdressers who were there insisted that it be cut short to blend in with the front. I intended to give 30 inches, maybe 40 inches, but not 53 inches.”
New was not the only Owen Countian to receive national attention in March.
Farm Edition magazine featured a 1967 Farmall 1206 Turbo tractor, restored by Craigmyle Farm Equipment, on its cover.
“Four guys worked on it for a month,” said Monty Craigmyle.
“It’s pretty good advertisement,” Craigmyle said. “At the (National Farm Machinery) show everybody came up to congratulate us for being on the cover. It was kind of unique.”
A proposed state budget included $5 million for a gas line project and $11.5 million in the judicial budget for the courthouse project.
Spring got a late start in Owen County in 2006.
Forecasts for the second day of the season called for as much as four inches of snow, but those forecasts dwindled somewhat after only about two inches of slush had fallen on March 21 with another inch of snow expected.

April
April came in like a lion, packing powerful storms.
As much as an inch of rain fell in under an hour on April 2, as a screaming squall line tore through the community, pummeling barns, roofs and trees. Outbuildings were left in disarray and homes were left without power.
The storms silenced emergency sirens outside of Owenton when power was lost. However, the area was fortunate, reporting no tornado touchdowns and no injuries.
The same system left nearly 30 people dead in Tennessee. And in Christian County, located in far Western Kentucky, a state of emergency was declared.
Not long after that day of destruction came a day of construction.
Building began on the Elk Creek winery. The four-floor complex was designed to bring in tourism and produce wine from the vineyard on the property. Co-owner Curtis Sigretto said at the time that he and his partners have invested nearly $3 million in the Elk Creek complex.
Judge-Executive O’Banion announced, in keeping with the ideas presented by citizens in the Owen 20/20 plan, that he would push for an ordinance to ban adult-oriented businesses.
“Owen County citizens are strong in their faith, heritage and their opinion in what they want to see for our future,” he said in April.
Near the end of the month, lobbying by Owen County citizens and businesses urged Gov. Fletcher to keep the $5 million gas line project in the state budget. At one time, it was feared the project would be axed from the state’s spending bill.
“I’m thrilled,” said state Sen. Damon Thayer of the news that the project wasn’t cut. Thayer, along with state Rep. Royce Adams, worked hard to get and keep the funding in the state budget. “I saw the governor Thursday night and he told me then that the project was under consideration for a veto. I immediately reminded him of the job creation aspect of the project and the fact that Owen County is the only county in the state that does not have natural gas.”


May
The Owen County High School baseball team fell just short of a state bid in the 2006 high school tournament.
The Rebels rallied to tie Owensboro Catholic, only to see the Aces score a pair of runs in the eighth inning to beat the Rebels 6-4 during the quarterfinals of the All A Classic at Applebee’s Park in Lexington.
“I’m disappointed we lost the game, but I’m not disappointed in the effort,” Owen County coach Bob Osborne said. “They worked hard and came out and played a good game against a good team.”
Also in May, Shannon Rudd became only the third manager of the University of Kentucky Eden Shale farm since its inception in the 1950s. He now follows in the footsteps of former managers Joe Wyles and O.D. Hawkins.
Although he moved into a new position, Rudd said he could rely on his veteran workers.
“They’re an extremely experienced staff,” he said. “These guys have been dedicated to this farm for many years. They really know what’s going on and how to handle research and farm work. They’re an outstanding group across the board.”
O’Banion said he was pleased with the result, as he won the Democratic primary nod for the judge-executive’s race, but he said he was disappointed in the turnout.
In all, 47 percent of voters cast ballots in the May primary, as election fields were set for fall in some races and officials were selected in others.
Magistrate Bobby Gaines advanced to face no opposition in the fall elections. But he was slated to become the only returning magistrate.
Magistrate Gary Minch advanced in the Republican judge-executive primary to square off against O’Banion.
The e-Community Leadership team applied for a grant to provide broadband Internet access to Monterey residents through the Community Connect Broadband Grant program.
The Monterey Baptist Church agreed to house a community computer lab on its property. The grant was approved in September.
Owen County High School held its graduation ceremonies for 116 seniors. It marked the first class to spend all four years in the new building. Despite the protests drawn in other communities, leading to courtroom contests, ceremonies included a prayer without protest.

June
Marcus Carey, an Owen attorney and candidate running for the 6th District Kentucky Supreme Court seat, filed a lawsuit contending that the state’s judicial ethics canons violate the right to free speech as guaranteed by the First Amendment for him, as well as for the other candidates for the 263 judicial races on the fall ballot.
He said in the suit he wanted to be able to state his views on political issues, share his political party affiliation, seek endorsements and directly solicit contributions for his campaign.
The suit was later struck down.
The New Horizons Hospital Board and supporters of the New Horizons Medical Foundation were rewarded in June for the time and dollars they had spent to improve the health care services provided to the community by the hospital.
They received news that New Horizons Medical Center had been given a three-year accreditation by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) under its Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP).
The Owen County School Board announced it is considering seeking a vocational school for the county’s students.
Currently, more than 70 Owen County High School juniors and seniors travel 45 minutes one way to attend one class at the Carroll County Vocational-Technical School.
“The bone of contention has always been that bus ride,” Superintendent Mark Cleveland said. “They’re losing a whole instructional unit in transportation.”
The school board also discussed the shrinking amount of space in the schools. In the elementary school, teachers and administrators are being squeezed into faculty break rooms and under stairwells, The News-Herald reported in June.
Later in the year the school board discussed possible plans to build a new middle school, freeing up space at all grade levels. Cleveland said it is the additional teachers and new programs that have created the space issues in the schools.
“There aren’t really any more students, but we get new programs and have to make room for them,” he said.

July
The Owen County school system announced before the start of the 2006-07 school year that it would put more emphasis on absenteeism, stating it would crack down on truancy and that teachers would be more involved in dealing with students when they miss class.
The county’s nuisance ordinance received criticism from some who said the county would be better off with planning and zoning, while others defended the law by saying that if laws like it were strictly enforced, planning and zoning would not have as much of a presence in other counties.
A citizen group set up meetings and discussed the state of the nuisance ordinance with fiscal court.
Traffic got delayed and rerouted, frustrating motorists, as a resurfacing project in downtown Owenton took longer than expected to finish.
Rain showers in the beginning and end of the week delayed the project.
“It couldn’t have come at a worse time,” said Joyce Lathrem, an Owen County citizen, who was delayed entering and exiting the city several times last week.
Maurice Bowling Middle School got a new assistant principal as Sheri Faulkner brought her more than 21 years of combined teaching and administrative experience to the school.
An untrue rumor spread throughout the community about a “fatal” ATV accident at the Owen County Fair.
Tyler Pence, 17, of Mt. Sterling broke his spine in three places. But he was expected to make a full recovery
“He’s home, he’s healing nicely, and he’ll be out riding as soon as he can,” his father Shannon Pence said.
“I don’t know who started that rumor, but the boy’s going to be okay,” said Jackie Burden, director of B&M Motorsports, which hosted the arena-cross racing July 13 at the fair.

August
August brought a new grocery store to the area, as Save-A-Lot opened in Owenton.
After two drug overdoses in the community, one of which proved fatal, local law enforcement expressed concern about the growing number of types of drugs being discovered by police.
“We never heard much about heroin three year ago,” Owen County Sheriff Zemer Hammond said. “Then we started hearing about prescription drugs and methamphetamine in the last year or so. Now we’re seeing more heroin. It’s a real expensive drug, which keeps it from being more prevalent.”
Fiscal court members heard recommendations from the Growth Management Committee. They include more strictly enforcing the nuisance ordinance, creating a right-to-farm ordinance and drafting an ordinance to prevent businesses that would negatively affect residents’ health or safety.
The elementary and high schools missed targets in the No Child Left Behind Act.
A rabid bat was found near the Timber Lake area on Aug. 10. It marked Owen County’s first confirmed rabies case in 16 years.
Horror writer Dennis Latham featured Owen County, though mainly by name, in his novel “Bad Season.”
“Owenton is actually just a small part of the book,” he said, noting much of it takes place in Harlan County.”
He visited Owen County a few years back and looked at a piece of land that included an old house.
“It was on 65 acres of property and was priced real low,” he remembered. “We walked through the kitchen to the back door. When we opened the back door, the steps were gone. I asked why and the real estate agent said something had happened to a family member.“
Sue Ellen Johns Wagers was sentenced Aug. 22 after she pleaded guilty to manslaughter and assault in connection with the death of her mother.
Wagers was charged with second-degree manslaughter and second-degree assault in connection with the Aug. 20, 2005, death of her mother, Nancy Johns, 39, and injury to her father, Virgil Johns, 40.
She received a 10-year sentence on each charge, but Circuit Judge Stephen Bates ordered that she serve them concurrently.

September
The drug policy rolled out in Owen County schools last year was a success and was again implemented at the middle and high schools for the 2006-2007 school year.
Last year, there were seven test dates — three in the fall semester and four in the spring — resulting in a total of approximately 300 random drug tests administered at OCHS, slightly more than half the enrollment of the school. Only four students returned positive drug tests, Superintendent Cleveland said.
“We didn’t catch many, but that’s not the intent,” he said. “This policy is set up to be non-punitive in nature and we don’t really want things to get to that point.”
Reporter Laura Hagan joined The News-Herald staff. She is a May 2006 graduate of Western Kentucky University.
The community showed compassion for 3-year-old Briana Perkins, who is battling Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. A Web site set up through carepages.com has brought support from around the globe.
“Everyone can’t get in one room,” said her great-uncle Tim Craigmyle. “So the Web site gives everyone a common area and helps them share their experiences.”
Stores pulled spinach from shelves after a nationwide E. coli outbreak.
A crash on Kentucky Highway 22 killed a Grant County teen and injured the quarterback of the Owen County football team.
A 2001 Dodge Intrepid driven by Dustin Curtis of Owenton collided with a 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier driven by Steven Dodson, 18, of Owenton, when Curtis swerved to miss a deer in the roadway near Dry Ridge.
Amberlynn Wyatt Krzeminski, Curtis’ fiancée, died in the crash.
Police said rain earlier in the day might have contributed to the crash.

October
The race for a District Judge seat became heated when a supporter of candidate John Threlkeld signed an affidavit stating that his opponent, Elizabeth Chandler Lester, had said she was against gun use.
Lester strongly denied ever saying such.
Owen County resident Colleen Stiver signed an affidavit prepared by a Tennessee attorney affirming a conversation between her and Lester in which Lester allegedly said, “I think we should get them (guns) off the streets and out of the hands of people.”
Lester, who was elected to the bench in November, replied to Stiver in a statement:
“Allow me to clearly and emphatically state that I have never made these statements. Not to you. Not to anyone. Additionally, the positions stated in this affidavit do not reflect my opinions or beliefs.”
Owen County residents gathered to mourn the loss of longtime farmer, philanthropist and community pillar O.D. Hawkins.
Hawkins, longtime manager of the University of Kentucky’s Eden Shale Research Farm, died Oct. 9 at the age of 92.
During his life, Hawkins made significant contributions to Campbellsville University, where he served as a trustee. He also served on the boards of numerous local farming and civic organizations.
“He loved agriculture and farming,” said Joe Wyles, a longtime friend and coworker who took over as manager at the Eden Shale farm after Hawkins’ retirement. “He basically dedicated his life to making things better for people in this area.”
Patti Clark, longtime editor of The News-Herald, stepped down to become the grant coordinator for the Owen County TAPP project.
The Owen County Fiscal Court discussed adding more wireless Internet access points in the county, in addition to three existing spots.
Judge-Executive O’Banion said he wanted to determine the number of potential customers in the county through a petition before taking any further steps sometime next year.
The Fiscal Court also in October adopted a roadside litter program that will allow nonprofit organizations to clean up county roads for $100 a mile.
Dan Logan, road supervisor and solid waste coordinator for Owen County, originally brought the idea to the court.
The program “helps put ownership on the roads,” Logan said. “And hopefully it will deter people from littering.”
Also in October, county leaders discussed goals of implementing an advanced-life-support (ALS) system.
Owen County is one of six Kentucky counties to not have a single paramedic working within its borders.
The New Horizons Medical Foundation plans to sponsor four people through a paramedic training course beginning in Frankfort in January.
Judge-Executive O’Banion said a cost analysis will be prepared for the county, and ALS could be brought to the county by 2008.
It wasn’t a Halloween prank when Tim Cammack called Owen County Coroner Lannis Garnnett.
Cammack had found partial human remains when cleaning the crawlspace under his Owenton house near Halloween.
The bones apparently ended up there after a former deputy sheriff, who lived in the house, stored them there in the 1970s while the county determined what to do with them.
It’s believed the bones, possibly the remains of a slave, washed up during a flood.
“I saw the skull and thought, ‘Well, they must be fakes,’” Cammack said, when he first saw the bones from about five feet away.
“We decided we needed to stop and make some phone calls.”

November
Democrats swept local elections as Owen County voters elected two new magistrates and a new PVA. They voted in incumbents in races for sheriff and judge-executive. Republican incumbent Geoff Davis was re-elected to Congress.
A string of street-sign thefts off U.S. Highway 127 near Monterey led local officials to promise to get tough on the problem. Judge-Executive O’Banion said the rash of sign thefts subsided after an article highlighting the problem appeared in The News-Herald.
The Lady Rebel cross-country team finished 15th in the class-A state meet. Runner Danielle Hoop, who had placed second the year before, finished in 15th place, shortly after returning from injury.
Head coach Jeff Sutton remained cautious but hopeful discussing next year’s chances.
“I’d like to say yes, without a doubt,” he said when asked if the Lady Rebels could be a top-10 team next season. “We obviously have the potential to be there, but you can’t guarantee it.”
The Elk Creek Winery opened on Thanksgiving weekend, bringing in visitors from as far away as Mississippi and Illinois.
The $2.5 million winery, adjacent to the Elk Creek Hunt Club and a bed-and-breakfast, hopes to serve as a tourist draw for Owen County.
“Everybody loves the wines,” said Curtis Sigretto, who owns the facility along with his wife Debbie. “Even if you don’t like wine, there’s something here you’d like.”

December
High winds ushered in an early taste of winter as temperatures dropped into the 20s in early December, just a day after topping out near 70 degrees.
Strong gusts toppled trees and power lines, and an Owen Electric spokesman said about 68 people were affected by short-term power outages.
The cold temperatures that arrived along with those winds left many heating their homes. But the use of woodstoves proved tragic for several Owen County households. Firefighters fought three blazes thought to have been ignited by woodstoves overnight on Dec. 1 and Dec. 2.
Another fire on Dec. 8 that destroyed a home is believed to have been started by a woodstove.
No injuries were reported in any of the fires, but three of the four homes were considered total losses.
New Liberty Fire Chief Greg Davis said the three consecutive fires during the first weekend of the month was the first real test of a mutual-aid agreement between the county’s fire departments.
“Normally we have enough water to do our job” under the mutual aid system, he said. “Hopefully the outcome’s always good.”
Owen Electric president and CEO Bob Marshall announced he was stepping down to take a similar post at East Kentucky Power Cooperative.
Bob Hood, senior vice president of engineering and operations at the company and Marshall’s longtime friend, was chosen to replace him.
Marshall said he believed he was leaving the power company in good hands.
“He’s committed to continue to move Owen Electric forward,” he said of Hood.
The Owenton Police Department announced it would start citing people hanging out in business parking lots after hours.
Police decided to crack down on the issue, saying one-fourth of their night shifts are devoted to responding to calls about people hanging out in the parking lots.
“The city business owners are tired of it and we are too,” said Officer Tony Stigers.
He said officers plan to start writing criminal-trespass citations to violators, and repeat offenders would be arrested. Third-degree criminal trespass is a class-B misdemeanor punishable by up to 12 months in prison and a fine up to $500.
“If they’re within city limits, they’re going to be cited,” he said.
Owen County’s history got a little richer in December, as the county’s Historical Society held an open house for a new museum that had long been in the planning stages.
Peggy Trinkle was one of many who did a lot of work to help get the museum up and running.
“I’ve worked up here every Monday since January,” she said. Many things from her attic and the attics of many others are now on display at the museum.
“I’m proud as punch,” Trinkle said of the opening. “There were times it didn’t look like it was going to happen.”

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