Beech Tree News Network

On February 16, Butler County Sheriff Deputy Talon Gary made a routine traffic stop on Micah Damron.  K-9 Deputy Willow hit on the car thus creating a search.  Over a half a pound of suspected meth was located in the vehicle.  A search warrant was issued for Damron’s residence, located on Ferry St. in Rochester.   Deputies Johnathan Barks, Nathan Barks, Joe Alford, and Kyle Simmons assisted Gary in the search.  Found at the residence was guns, cash, suspected hydrocodone, suspected fentanyl, suspected meth, and drug paraphernalia. 

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Western Kentucky University’s fall 2021 first-time, first-year student class has returned to the university for the spring semester in record fashion. In an email to campus on Monday, February 14, WKU President Timothy C. Caboni announced the university’s highest fall-to-spring retention rate among first-time, first-year students since the institution began tracking that data over a decade ago.  

FRANKFORT— The Kentucky House of Representatives approved a bill Tuesday that seeks to put a school resource officer (SRO) at every school in the Commonwealth.

House Bill 63 is a follow up to Senate Bill 1, or the School Safety and Resiliency Act, from the 2019 Regular Session. SB 1 required school districts to assign at least one SRO to each school in a district as funds and qualified personnel become available.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Feb. 15, 2022) – Bobby Smith, agency manager of the Butler County agency of Kentucky Farm Bureau Insurance, has been named 2021 Agency Manager of the Year for District Two. The award was presented during the company’s 67th annual sales conference, held at the Galt House Hotel on Feb. 14.

Continuing the tradition of recognizing Kentuckians, businesses and arts organizations for outstanding contribution to, achievement in and support of the arts, the Kentucky Arts Council is proud to announce the 2021 Governor’s Awards in the Arts recipients.

The 2021 recipients of the commonwealth's most distinguished awards in the arts are:

Milner Award - James M. Gifford, Boyd County 

Artist Award - The Northern Kentucky Brotherhood Singers, Kenton County

Business Award - Paducah Bank, McCracken County

Oasis Beauty Bar held their ribbon cutting on Saturday at the Ashley Plaza. Naomi Callaghan is an esthetician who has been working at Mirror Mirror but always dreamed of having her own shop.

A search warrant was executed at 740 Millshed Road on February 10, 2022.  The suspect, Stacy Howard Colvin, was advised of the warrant, provided a copy, and mirandized. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), who serves at the top Republican of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee, called for Democrats to work with Republicans on addressing illicit fentanyl-related substances, also known as fentanyl analogues, at a House Republican Leadership Stakeout press conference yesterday with House Republican Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (NY-21), House Energy and Commerce Republican Leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05), and Congressman Buddy Carter (GA-01).

FRANKFORT— The Senate Health and Welfare Committee advanced a measure Wednesday that – in the event of any state vaccination mandates – would recognize natural immunity against COVID-19 as equivalent to being vaccinated.

Senate Joint Resolution 80 would cover individuals who, while unvaccinated, produce enough neutralizing antibodies to counter COVID-19 and can demonstrate the antibodies through a serology test.

The resolution would not apply to federal mandates or private businesses that might implement their own vaccine requirements.

The Butler County Public Library has been awarded a Public Library Facilities Construction Fund grant from the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives (KDLA) to build a new library on the corner of East Morrison Street and North Main Street in Morgantown. The library will receive $141,432 a year from KDLA for the next 20 years to assist with debt retirement.