Second Democrat files for 1st Congressional seat
There is now a Democratic primary to face Republican Congressman Ed Whitfield in November.
Benton Democrat Charles Kendall Hatchett filed his papers with the Secretary of State’s office and will face Doctor James Buckmaster of Henderson in the primary.
Hatchett ran for Congress multiple times in the 1980’s and lost in a landslide to Congressman Whitfield two years ago. He has an Associate’s Degree from the University of Kentucky in banking and has worked in a variety of fields—including being a part-time auctioneer since 1976.
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01/31/2012/am
More candidates file for State Rep. in districts 9 and 16
There are now three candidates in two area State Representative elections.
There will be a Republican primary in Christian and Hopkins County for District 9, where incumbent Myron Dossett of Pembroke will face current District 10 Representative Ben Waide of Madisonville. Waide was re-districted out of the 10th and placed in the 9th, leaving he and Dossett little choice other than running against each other.
Awaiting the winner of that race is Democrat Scotty Parsons of Collins Bridge Road, Dawson Springs. Parsons graduated from Christian County High School with the class of 1955, before getting his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in agriculture and education from the University of Kentucky.
Parsons taught in the Montgomery and Dawson Springs school systems before serving as Assistant Superintendent for the Hopkins County School system from 1974 until 1997.
Meanwhile, the 16th District now has two republicans and one Democrat running to replace Representative Martha Jane King.
Republican Kent Wilson of Olmstead has filed against Logan County Magistrate Jo Orange for the primary, with the winner to face retired Logan County Attorney Tom Noe in the November general election.
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01/31/2012/am
Police still searching for robbery suspects
Local police agencies continue to look for the three suspects accused of robbing A.C. Automotive at gunpoint and then fleeing the scene to the Tennessee State line.
An Oak Grove Police unit pulled over a vehicle driven by 23-year old Joseph Marshall Brown of Hopkinsville on I-24 near the state line around 5:15. Brown and the other three occupants got out of the vehicle and ran. At least one of the suspects shot at the officer and the officer returned fire, though no one was hit in the shootout.
Police were able to apprehend Brown, who is charged with 1st degree robbery. The other three men remain at large. The chain of events began just before 5pm at A.C. Automotive on E. 9th St. just across from Haddock’s Grocery, when the four black males wearing hoodies and masks over their face allegedly demanded cash and the cell phones from two male victims.
The perpetrators also allegedly “pistol whipped” the victims before fleeing the scene in a red car.
The manhunt extended into Clarksville and into the late evening hours, with several agencies involved. Hopkinsvlle Police Chief Guy Howie praised all of those agencies and said the cooperation was better than he could have ever hoped for.
Chief Howie says an extra ingredient of danger to the public enters the situation when a suspect is willing to fire at police officers.
Anyone with information on the incident or on the suspects’ whereabouts is asked to call the Crime Stoppers tips line at 887-TIPS. Clarksville Police are also on the lookout for the men and urge the public to call police if they see any suspicious activity.
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01/31/2012/AM
Divers look for pier stablity at collapsed bridge
Divers went to the bottom of Kentucky Lake early this morning to investigate how stable the piers holding up the remaineder of the Eggner’s Ferry Bridge are.
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet spokesman Keith Todd says the divers will issue a formal report to the state as early as Friday regarding the stability of the two piers that supported the 322 foot collapsed section of the bridge and another pier just east of those two.
Todd says if the report comes back that one of the piers is unstable, that is bad news for the prospects of repairing the current bridge while a new one is built.
Sight-seers have also become less of a problem due to a larger police presence, according to Todd, who also says the Coast Guard is making preparations for removing the collapsed section off of the cargo vessel that remains parked where it has been since Thursday night.
Todd says a crane arrived Sunday and it will be used for the removal process in some capacity.
If repair of the old bridge isn’t possible, then the use of a ferry remains possible until expedited construction on a new bridge can be completed—though that would still take years to finish.
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01/31/2012/am
Trigg Republican files for state senate
A prominent southern Pennyrile Republican has thrown his hat into a state senate race.
Filing his papers for the first district seat yesterday was Trigg County Judge-Executive Stan Humphries, who will face Mayfield Democrat and former congressman Carrol Hubbard.
Neither candidate has any opposition in the May primary and the deadline to file is this afternoon at 4.
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01/31/2012/am
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