A Hopkinsville utility company recently received a national award.

Hopkinsville Electric System, including its telecommunications subsidiary EnergyNet Services, has earned the American Public Power Association’s Electric Utility Safety Award for safe operating practices in 2011.

The local utility company earned the third place award in the category for utilities with 60,000 to 109,999 worker-hours.

More than 275 utility companies entered the annual contest, which has been held annually for the past 52 years.
                                                           **

04/18/2012/MF

Police believe this man seen in surveillance footage from Monday night is the same guy who robbed Great Clips Tuesday evening.

Hopkinsville Police believe the man who robbed a North Main convenience store Monday night is the same guy who robbed a Fort Campbell Boulevard business last night.

Officers were called to Great Clips at 4154 Fort Campbell Boulevard around 8:54pm to the report of an armed robbery. The female victim told police the white male suspect was wearing an inside out gray hoodie, toboggan and gray sweatpants.

He also had shoulder length brown hair and a scruffy beard, just as the man who robbed the Kangaroo Mart Monday night. Also like Monday night, the suspect used a knife to rob the business and got away with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Crime Stoppers Tipsline at 887-TIPS.

                                    **

04/18/2012/am

Hopkinsville City Council tonight approved the second reading of an ordinance that will increase garbage collection rates starting next month.
Council members unanimously approved the ordinance and the increased garbage collection rates will take effect May 1st, with residents to see increased rates for garbage and trash collection by an average of 40 to 80 cents per month.
Hopkinsville Mayor Dan Kemp recognized retiring Hopkinsville Fire Lieutenants Eric Brown and Carl Long and recently promoted HFD Lieutenants Michael Henderson and Michael Pendleton and swore into office Hopkinsville Police Officer, Alan Vance.
Ward 1 Councilman Fred Atkins was absent from tonight’s meeting.
                                                           **

The Fort Campbell soldier accused of murdering his wife on post Friday night before leading police on a high speed chase into Georgia and then shooting himself has died.

Post officials say 22-year old Rico Rawls died from his self-inflicted injuries Monday afternoon.

Military police found his wife, Jessica Rawls, dead from a gunshot wound Friday night on post. Police in Hamilton County, Tennessee began a high speed chase that ended with Rico Rawls shooting himself on Interstate 75 in Georgia.

Rawls was with the 5^th Special Forces, had been at Fort Campbell since January of 2010 and was twice deployed to Iraq.
**
04/17/2012/am

Woods' home photo courtesy of Lowes contest page

A local man has won a Lowes 100-thousand dollar home makeover sweepstakes.

One of four winners of the Facebook contest is William Woods of Christian County. Woods is a Fort Campbell soldier and was among the top vote-getters in the country in a contest where entrants made their case as to why they should receive a home makeover from the home improvement store giant.

Woods wrote in his entry that he and his wife moved into a 175-year old “fixer-upper” home a few years ago and that necessary projects often go unfinished before he has to be deployed again.

Woods was selected as one of ten random finalists last month and the public put him over the top as a winner. Woods’ wife, Karri, says in a Facebook post that the couple will make the house their forever home when he retires.
**
04/18/2012/am