Shipping company blames faulty bridge lights for collision

The owners of the cargo ship that took out part the Eggner’s Ferry Bridge say they're not responsible for the collision.                  

In a federal lawsuit, Foss Maritime, owner of the Delta Mariner, claims some of the bridge's lights were not working. The suit says the ship went toward the wrong span because it was the only section that had working lights. The five-story tall ship struck the bridge, tearing away the span. 

The Coast Guard says it's still investigating the cause of the collision. 

The Transportation Department sent out a news release hours before the collision happened saying they would be closing a lane of the bridge the following day to repair lights which had malfunctioned on the bridge, but no one has given a clear picture of just how many lights were out at the time and what part of the bridge the faulty lights were.

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02/15/2012/

Christian County men accused of stealing wiring

Two Christian County men were arrested yesterday morning for allegedly stealing electric wiring and attempting to burn off the coating.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to Otis Circle just after 11 yesterday to the report of the smell of wire burning. When officers arrived, they found 41-year old Tony Oatts and 22-year old Eric Ballard—both of Otis Circle—burning wiring on a grill.

The men were at 151 Otis, which is directly behind a residence where wiring matching the description was stolen from. The suspects are also accused of cutting down the meter socket and removing wiring from inside and outside of the home.

They were arrested and charged with felony theft and criminal trespassing.

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02/15/2012/am

Superintendent's contract item on Thursday school board agenda

Thursday night’s Christian County School Board meeting will feature discussion of several notable items, not the least of which is the contract of Superintendent Brady Link.

Superintendent Link is completing the final year of a four-year contract and told the Kentucky New Era he only wants his next contract to be for one year. He reportedly said he is seriously considering retirement after next year, but that he could change his mind.

Link replaced Doctor Bob Lovingood in 2008 and it is common practice for superintendents to sign four-year contracts, though it is not extremely uncommon for one to resign his position mid-term.

Superintendent Link received a favorable evaluation last year, though board member Betsy Glover would say she intended to vote “no” at the special called meeting.

Other items on the agenda include the rental of Christian County High School’s baseball field for use by the proposed Hoptown Hoppers minor league baseball team at a cost of 30 dollars per hour or a minimum of 150 dollars per usage.

The board will meet Thursday evening at 6pm at the district office on Glass Avenue.

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02/15/2012/am

Governor coming to Eggner's Ferry Bridge

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear will be in Trigg County this morning to announce plans for the partially collapsed Eggner’s Ferry Bridge.

A news release from the Transportation Cabinet says the governor will address the media and others at 11:30 on the east approach in Trigg County. He is expected to announce plans to repair the old bridge, though that could take several months.

It isn’t clear if a ferry is still an option in the meantime, as the outage is causing significant travel problems for thousands of motorists on a daily basis.

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02/15/2012/am

Unidentified Clarksville pedestrian critical after wreck

A man who walked into traffic on Riverside Drive yesterday is in extremely critical condition at a Nashville hospital and police don’t know who he is.

Clarksville Police say the man walked out of McGregor Park and onto Riverside just before 6pm and walked into the path of 26-year old Justin Norton of Clarksville, who could not avoid the collision.

The pedestrian was taken by Lifeflight to Vanderbilt University Medical Center and remains in extremely critical condition. He was wearing no identification and police need assistance to know his name.

He is a white male, between the ages of 16 and 25 and possibly wore glasses. He was wearing gray jeans, a gray and black hoodie, a blue and red shirt and gray and blue Nike hightop tennis shoes.

Anyone who may be able to help identify the man should call Clarksville Police at 931-645-8477.

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02/15/2012/am