Beech Tree News Network

UPDATE: A tractor-trailer overturned on the William Natcher Parkway after entering the south-bound ramp from HWY 231 just before noon on Thursday. The driver of the tractor-trailer, Greg Upchurch, was hauling aluminum ingots from Aleris for J & S Trucking out of Rockport, Indiana. All of the ingots being carried were thrown from the bed of the trailer. Ingots weigh between 1,800 and 2,000 pounds on average. According to authorities, nearly all of the diesel fuel in the tank leaked out and had to be cleaned up.

Green River Catfish Festival Cookbooks are now on sale. They are available at the Morgantown-Butler County Chamber of Commerce office as well as the Beech Tree Media office. The cookbook features recipes from its first edition, originally published by Regina Hood, as well as new recipes from members of the Butler County community. In addition to recipes, the pages are decorated with artwork from local children and some photos from past festivals. You can own this piece of Butler County history for just $5. For more information, contact the Chamber of Commerce at 526-6827.

Many people in the Butler County community donate new and used items to the Morgantown Mission, however some would-be donations left after-hours have Mission employees cleaning up the mess. The items left are not useable according to Garry McKinney, director of the Mission, and the Mission is having to clean up the mess at their own expense.

An anonymous tip led Butler County Sheriff’s Deputies Trey Flener and Heath West to a marijuana patch off the Williman Natcher Parkway on Saturday, August 4.   The duo traveled on foot in an area just before the KY 403 bridge in the Logansport community.  Deputies located a foot path that led to the patch, which was actually located on state property.  Four large plants were discovered and confiscated.  The investigation is ongoing.

Security features help to protect license holder’s identity
Kentucky in August begins a transition to a new driver’s license that, while similar in appearance to current licenses, contains security features for greater protection of privacy and resistance to tampering. According to Butler County Circuit Clerk Melissa Cardwell Butler County is scheduled for installation on Friday, September 7.

UPDATE:  Although a host of Butler County emergency personnel responded to Jumpin' Jacks earlier tonight regarding a possible gas leak, the smell was eventually traced to a tractor-trailer parked behind the store that was hauling chicken blood.  This determination was made only after the area had be evacuated fearing a gas leak.  The scene has  been cleared and Jumpin' Jacks is now open. 

Friends have organized a candlelight vigil in Jaclyn Sierra Daugherty's memory at Butler County High School Saturday evening, beginning around 9:15 p.m., following the close of visitation at the funeral home. The public is encouraged to attend.

Courthouses will be closed statewide and all court services will be unavailable Monday, August 6, as the Kentucky Judicial Branch shuts down for the first of three furlough days in 2012. This will be the first time since Kentucky’s modern court system was formed in 1976 that the Judicial Branch must close courthouse doors to balance its budget.

"Final Finish is about bringing new business and services to Butler County, new things that haven't been done," said Eric Ingram, one of three brothers involved in the company. 

Located at 382 Gardner Lane in Morgantown, brothers Eric, 34, Jay, 32, and Chase, 29, are gradually transforming Final Finish from a standard body shop into a multi-service company with reach well beyond Butler County.

The first candidate has filed for the upcoming Morgantown City Council election. Dionne Cannon Merritt turned in her paperwork just after noon today in the Butler County Clerk's office.

The filing deadline for all upcoming local races is 4 pm on August 14th. Other elections being contested this fall include Mayor of Rochester and Woodbury; City Council in Rochester and Woodbury; Butler County Circuit Clerk; and school board seats for 1st, 2nd, and 5th districts. Elections will be held on November 6th.