Beech Tree News Network

A few years ago while vacationing in Florida Denny Drake saw something that stuck in his mind. It was a vending machine that dispensed bagged or loose ice.

Jump ahead a few years and Denny was looking for a new business venture to open with his wife, Kim, and recalled the Kooler Ice machine in Florida.

“When I first saw them they were just getting started, and they were really expensive,” said Drake. He located the company online at KoolerIce.com, and checked into the possibility of bringing one of the machines to Morgantown.

The Funeral Directors Association of Kentucky celebrated their 133nd Annual Convention at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville on June 17-19, 2015.  The convention was well attended by funeral directors, suppliers, and their families.   As the attendees viewed all the new and improved merchandise, they were able to visit with old friends and vendors.

Robbie Brantley of Brownsville was elected President of the Association. 

Louisville, KY (July 7, 2015) – Butler County high school junior Ivan Beasley recently returned home from Kentucky Farm Bureau’s Institute for Future Agricultural Leaders (IFAL). Beasley and 47 other high school students from around the state attended the five-day summer leadership conference, held June 14-18 at Murray State University.
An identical IFAL conference was also held June 21-25 at the University of Kentucky for an additional 46 students.

Dry weather finally came to the Green River Catfish Festival on Saturday, July 4, making for a large crowd for the annual Independence Day fireworks show.  With the three previous days impacted by widespread but heavy rain, festival organizers and those in attendance were grateful for a break from the rain. 

Sen. C.B. Embry, R-Morgantown, welcomed celebrated author, historian and advocate Linda J. Hawkins to his office in the State Capitol Annex today and presented her with a Kentucky Senate Citation honoring her “immeasurable contributions to Kentucky’s rich literary tradition, as well as to the health and well-being of her fellow citizens.”

Former Edmonson County Judge Executive Noah E. (N.E.) Reed is the newest member of Warren RECC’s Board of Directors.  Reed was elected by a majority of the members who voted in Tuesday night’s Annual Membership Meeting held at South Warren High School in Bowling Green.  Reed replaces Rebecca L. Goad, who represented District 4 (Barren and Edmonson Counties) for over 30 years.

The first night of the Green River Catfish Festival kicked off with the Miss Butler County Catfish, Miss Teen, and Miss Pre-Teen pageants. This pageant was open to Butler County residents only.

Despite threatening weather much of the day that relocated the beauty pageants to Butler County High School, the park was dry earlier this evening as the 2015 Green River Catfish Festival kicked off at the Charles Black City Park in Morgantown.  Opening ceremonies were held at 6 p.m. with Butler County High School's NJROTC Color Guard presenting the flags and Hannah Renfrow singing the National Anthem.  Morgantown-Butler County Chamber of Commerce President James Runion and Morgantown Mayor Billy Phelps both offered opening comments and welcomed everyone to the festival.

After more than a month of meetings, work sessions, debates, and setbacks the Butler County Fiscal Court finally has a budget for Fiscal Year 2015-16. The second reading of the budget passed by a 4-1 vote in a special session of the Court on Monday night.

After a motion to accept the budget from First District Magistrate Stevie Givens, a and a second from Third District Magistrate Chad Tyree a roll call vote was taken. Before casting the first vote, Magistrate Givens told the Court that he didn't agree with the budget, but "...we need to make this pass."

MBT Launches a new website at www.mtownbank.com
 Morgantown Bank & Trust (MBT) recently launched a newly redesigned website.  The new and improved website has better features and is now fully responsive for easy navigation from your desktop, laptop, tablet or mobile phone browser.