KyN00Group
Bath County
P.O. Box 577,
March 1, 2012
.:.:
7°*,
SOME OF THE
STORIES
INSIDE THIS
WEEK'S ISSUE
Food Allergies
in Children
Up to 6 percent of children
in the United States under
age 3 have a food allergy,
and this percentage keeps
rising. It's importt to
be aware of food allergies
because they can be life
threatening.
Page 2
Obituaries
Jimmie N. Parker
Helen Hardin Maze
David Joshawa Stegall
Ida Mac Martin
Charles L Howard
Rufus William "Bill" Vance
Bethel McCleanhan
Mary Elizabeth Irvin Sutton
James Robert Thomas
Walter Irvin Karrick
Pages 3 & 4
Community
Calendar
Page 4
Heaven is
a lot like
Kentucky
THE HUNGER GAMES
Don't you dare look out
your window darling
Everything's on fire
The war outside our door
keeps raging on
Hold onto this lullaby
Even when music's gone
Gone
Page 6
District
Court News
Page 6
Spelling bee
winner, may
compete at
state
The winner of the Coun-
ty Spelling Bee is Makay-
la Jones, Bath County Mid-
die School 8th Grader.
Page 7
Academic
Team
Academic Team mem-
bers represented Bath
County at the recent Dis-
trict Competition at Cross-
roads Elementary.
Page 7
Junior Beta
Club competes
at national level
Bath County Middle School
Jr. Beta Club members attend-
eel the State Jr. Beta Conven-
tion recently under the direc-
tion of Ms. Rehee Fugate.
Page 7
This town's gone to the dogs! I Council hears
neighborhood
watch plan,
sewer update
By Cecil Lawson
News Editor cecil@kynewsgroup.com
Photo by Cecil Lawson
.The local stray dogs held a brief meeting in front of the Owingsville IGA
last week before heading out on their separate ways for the day.
Rescued Bath County dog gets a second chance
Now a celebrity in the World Spay Day Contest
Submitted by Susan Harris
A dog that was recently :'escued in Bath
County is holding her own in first place
in the World Spay Iay(mtest that is be-
ing sponsored by the United States Hu-
mane Society and the Humane Society In-
ternational. Penny was rescued by a lo-
cal Utility Service Tech, Anthony Horton,
who works for KU Electric on December
12, 2011. Anthony found Penny chained
and severely emaciated, with her puppy,
Lenny. Penny had been chained, with-
out food and water, for approximately 3
weeks. She had 6 puppies, 5 had starved
to death. Penny ground her teeth off try-
ing to free herself from the chain. Penny
was found at an abandoned house on Mc-
Carty Branch Road in Olympia on Decem-
ber 12, when her puppy, Lenny, led An-
thony Horton to the spot where she laid.
No one helped her. Neighbors watched
as she and her puppies starved. No one
came. No one cared.
KU Electric placed a call to Sylvia's An-
imal Sanctuary to report that a dog had
been found in deplorable condition. In
turn, Bath County Animal Control Offi-
cer David Jackson was called and imme-
diately went to the location on McCarty
Branch Road and took Penny to the Bath
Vet Clinic. She was later released to Syl-
via's with prayers that she would survive.
Sadly, her last remaining puppy, Lenny,
passed away 10 days later. Penny con-
tinued to gain strength, and, right be-
fore Christmas, Pem,y was transported
to New Castle, Delaware, to the Lost And
Found (LN10 Dog Adoption Center, for
further rest and recovery LNF Founder
and Director, Marleen Oetzel, was deter-
mined that Penny would never, ever suf+
fer again, and that everyone would know
her story.
As Penny continued to re'gain her
strength, she was entered into the World
Spay Day Contest where she is a super-
star! Funds from the voting and first prize
will be used to provide funds for spay and
neuter procedures to the homeless and
abused animals, with Bath County to re-
ceive future grants from this contest. In
the first part of February, Sylvia's Animal
Sanctuary received a grant of 81000 from
the contest winnings in 2011.
Look at Penny today! She continues to
dazzle and be loved, and give love in re-
turn.
She is a celebrity, has a fan club on
Facebook, and she will never know mis-
ery and pain again in her life.
Sylvia's Animal Sanctuary wishes to
thank Anthony Horton for rescuing Pen-
See Rescued on pg. 2
March proclaimed Severe
Weather+Awareness Month
Governor Beshear has signed a proc-
lamation declaring March 2012 as Se-
vere Weather Awareness Month, urging
all Kentuckians to be prepared for severe
weather. Bath County Emergency Man-
agement and elected officials echo the
need to be aware and be prepared when
severe weather occurs.
Weather is by far Kentucky's most com-
mon, reoccurring threat. Kentucky has
had ten declared presidential disasters,
which ranks third in the nation over the
past four years, and are all weather relat-
ed.
"Our state and our communities have all
seen firsthand the effects severe weath-
er can have on our families and our soci-
ety," said Stephanie Stewart, Bath Coun-
ty Emergency Management Director.
"Tragically Kentuckians lose their lives
each year to severe weather, the most.
common being flash flooding. Which is
why we must be aware, use caution and
remain prepared for inclement weather at
all times."
If the lights go out, are you prepared?
That is a simple but necessary question
that we must all ask ourselves. In the
event of a power outage something as
simple as having a flashlight, radio and
extra batteries available can make a dif-
ference in your safety during these times.
Every family and business should have
an emergency kit and emergency plan.
Bath County Emergency Management
offers these guidelines:
PLANNING FOR DISASTER:
"Be Aware, Be Prepared, Have a Plan!"
Be Aware:
• Know in advance your weather fore-
casts.
• Own a battery backup NOAA Weather
Alert Radio and battery (or crank) oper-
ated AM/FM radio for local broadcasts.
• Stay tuned to your local broadcasting
stations. +'
• Discuss conditions with family member
and know their location during times of
known potentially threatening conditions.
Be Prepared:
• Discuss your plan with family members
and neighbors.
• Review your plan periodically for neces-
sary updates.
• Refresh you emergency kit(s).
• Drill: practice your plan with household
members.
• If you own a generator, read and famil-
iarize yourself with the owner's safety
manual before ever attempting to use it.
Have a plan:
• UTILITES: Writteninstructions for how
to turn off electricity, gas and water if au-
thorities advise you to do so (Remember,
yourll need a professional to turn them
back on).
• SHELTER: Identify safe locations with-
in your residence and long term shelters
See Severe on pg. 2
The Owingsville City Council had a special called meet-
ing Monday evening as a make-up for the regular Febru-
ary meeting that was cancelled earlier in the month.
Present for the meeting were Mary Gary Hunt, City
Clerk Cathy Conway, council members Jimmy Davis,
Nancy Purvis, Faith Corbin, Laura Ellen Johnson, Gary
Bealert, and Robert Bashford, City Attorney Earl Rogers
III, and City Accountant Doug Moore.
Prior to the meeting, Mayor Hunt and the council
members presented a special honor to William Reed for
his 50th birthday. Reed was given the very first "Distin-
guished Citizen Award" in recognition for his years ot
unselfish service to the community and the school dis-
trict.
Reed is a 1982 graduate of Bath County High School
and was for many years the Wildcat mascot at the high
school, and he continues to volunteer at the middle
school. City council and audience members watched a
video produced by students Hunter Kissick and Logan
Routt about Reed and his life.
"We are a really close family, and that's what I like
about Owingsville," Reed said after receiving his award.
The city audit report was delivered by Andy DeMoss
and Jerry Hensley, representatives from the public ac-
counting firm Ray, Foley, Hensley & Company. DeMoss
said, "Not every city gets a good report like this," prais-
ing the city office for its good accounting practices.
DeMoss noted that the Streetscape project and the
sewer expansion projects made up a good deal of the pre-
vious year's budget, creating a lot of cash flow between
accmmts as money was received from grants to pay for
the projects over
Fiscal Years
2010-2011 and
2011-2012.
Hensley said
that both rev-
enues and ex-
penses for the
city came in less
than budgeted
because of pro-
jections based
on the larger
projects in the
city.
Members of
the city council
approved the au-
dit report unani-
mously.
Mike and
Jodie Ratliff
made a presen-
tation to the
members of the
city council re-
garding their work in organizing the Preston Neighbor-
hood Watch Group.
Jodie said that her parents, Rube and Helen Blevins,
who Own the Blevins Grocery in Preston, had experi-
enced two break-ins in the last three years, the first time
that has happened in their 40 years of operation. "I was
so upset when I saw my mom and dad's faces that morn-
ing," she said, referring to the most recent break-in in
November.
In response to these and other break-ins in the Preston
area, they helped to form a neighborhood watch group.
"We are not the police," Jodie said, "We want to be
neighbors helping neighbors."
Notice about the first meeting was spread through
word of mouth and through churches and Facebook, and
See Council on pl 2
Critical sign appears at bottom of town hill
By Cecil Lawson
This sign appeared over the weekend at the Miller
Shopping Plaza at the bottom of "town hill" in
Owingsville. It was located near the entrance to the
Owingsville BP/Smoke-4-Less store, on property
owned by Ricky Williams. A store employee said that
she was not certain who placed the sign there, but
that its message seemed very "inappropriate." She
also said that the Bath County Sheriff's Office had
been called about it and that there are some copyright
concerns over the use of the BP symbol on the sign.
