Clarksville Police released the name of a local teen who is fighting for his life after he was hit by a vehicle on Valentines Day.

Police say 17-year old James Patrick Powers II of Clarksville is listed in critical, but stable condition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

According to police, 26-year old Justin Norton of Clarksville was driving on Riverside Drive in the left lane and then switched to the right lane, at which time Powers exited McGregor Park and was subsequently hit by Norton’s vehicle.
Powers was reportedly taken by lifeflight to Vanderbilt with head injuries and police say the investigation into the wreck remains open, and no charges are pending against the driver at this time.
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Governor Steve Beshear was at the Eggner’s Ferry Bridge this morning and announced plans to replace the 322 foot long missing span which was knocked out by a cargo vessel in a collision on January 26^th.

There will still eventually be a new bridge to take motorists across Kentucky Lake at the Trigg-Marshall County line, but traffic can resume quicker by repairing the current structure.

The Governor says the safety of the remaining structure has to be determined and some new temporary support piers may have to be drilled in, but that a temporary span is the best solution to get traffic across as soon as possible.

In the meantime, the Governor says the state is working on getting a ferry service across Kentucky Lake.

The ferry would only be able to carry a fraction of the 2,600 cars that normally went across the bridge on a normal day. Motorists are now taking detours of over a half hour to cross the largest manmade lake in North America. There is no timetable on how long it may take to install the temporary span.

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02/15/2012/am

Several state legislators from the area were among those presenting a check to the Pennyroyal Arts Council earlier this month.

The check amounted to $7,452 and was part of a celebration of the arts in Frankfort. Reprsentatives John Tilley, Myron Dossett and Brent Yonts and State Senator Joey Pendleton were among those on hand to present the check.

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02/15/2012/am

The Republican candidate for 3^rd district State Senator says he’s resigning from his position at the Commonwealth’s Attorney office to focus on his campaign and private practice.

A news release from Whitney Westerfield says he will no longer serve as a prosecutor for Commonwealth’s Attorney Lynn Pryor after February 29^th. He says he’s been slowly transitioning from prosecutor work into private practice over the last two years and that now is the right time to make the change.

Westerfield has worked with the Commonwealth’s Attorney office since 2007 and is looking to unseat Democrat incumbent Senator Joey Pendleton in the general election.

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02/15/2012/am