Beech Tree News Network

According to the 2010 Census and subsequent updates the population of Butler County is 12,827 (2011 estimate). By way of comparison the 2012 Census update set the total population of the United States at 313,914,040. Kentucky ranks 26th on the list of states by population, with 4,173,405 residents. California is the most populated state in the union with 36,132,147 citizens. Wyoming has the sparsest population with 509,123 residents.
 

The Morgantown City Council devoted most of Thursday night’s meeting to a funding request from the Boys and Girls Club and a reassessment of the speed limits they set at last month’s meeting.
 

On June 30, 1982, Harry Lee Shelor Jr. began serving a 50 year sentence in the Kentucky Department of Corrections for the murder of  KSP Detective Darrell "Vendl"  Phelps on August 7, 1981. After serving nearly 31 years, Shelor, now 70 years of age, was released on February 13, 2013. The type of discharge was listed as minimum expiration. According to the Kentucky State Police memorial page, Phelps was investigating illegal cultivation of marijuana in Edmonson County.

At the tender age of 26, Butler County native, Kyle Whitaker, is already a seasoned performer.  Of course, you’ll have to take into account that he started singing in front of an audience at the age of five.  His father, Jeff, served as guitar player for young Kyle as the five-year-old sang in local churches.  At fifteen, Kyle was part of Heaven Sent, a gospel quartet that toured in southern venues, and by age 22, he and four others (Joe Howe, Thomas Harris, Joe Pearl, and Cody Whitaker—Kyle’s brother) formed the group, High Country, a country music band that still performs locally and in t

Twenty-two small drinking water treatment systems in Kentucky will receive financial assistance through a program designed to improve their technical, managerial and financial capabilities to ensure production of safe drinking water in a consistent, cost-effective manner.

Small systems are those serving fewer than 10,000 customers.

Jennifer Spradlin, program manager for the Capacity Development Assistance Program, said the Division of Water was able to build on the lessons learned from the program’s first year of operation.

A former Butler County school bus driver facing multiple charges from a DUI arrest in March of 2012 was sentenced today to five years in prison with no probation.  Sandra Ford, 56, was arrested on March 9, 2012, as she was driving her afternoon route.  In May of 2012, Ford was indicted on one count of operating a motor vehicle under influence of alcohol, (aggravated circumstances) and with 59 (fifty-nine) counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree. 

The Butler County Fiscal Court was in session on Monday night for their regular monthly meeting for February. All members were present as well as several other county officials and numerous visitors.

The Constitutionally mandated census of the United States was conducted in 2010. Since that time the US Census Bureau, and other agencies have been pouring over the collected data to draw conclusions about the population of the USA, what we do, how we live, and who we are. This scrutiny isn’t lost on Butler County and its residents.
 

After a three week break, members of the General Assembly returned to Frankfort this week for part two of the 2013 Legislative Session.  For the next five weeks the House and Senate will debate numerous proposals.

The names of the Western Kentucky University students who were named to the Dean's and President's List for the Fall 2012 semester have been released.
 
These lists are open to undergraduate students who have at least 12 hours of coursework for the semester with no incomplete grades. Students making the Dean's List have a grade-point average of 3.4 to 3.79 in a 4.0 scale. Students on the President's List have GPAs of 3.8 to 4.0 and are indicated by an asterisk (*). Students who have requested that their information be confidential in TopNet will not be listed.