Murray Ledger & Times - 9.8.26

0:00Welcome again to our Kentucky News and Information series. I'm going to read from the Murray Ledger in Times to bring you news from in and around Murray and Callaway County. Your reader today is Steve Farkas. This week's reading will cover up to the edition dated September 4. As a reminder, radioI is a reading service intended for people who are blind or have other disabilities that make it difficult to read printed material. Our first local news article today was written by Hawkins' Teague of the Murray Ledger in his dated September 2. Animal Shelter reaches No Kill Benchmark through community-focused approach. The Murray, Callaway County Animal Shelter has reached a 92% save rate over the past 12 months, meeting the National Benchmark for No Kill Shelters after years of expanding programs designed to keep animals out of the shelter and give those that enter better

1:03chances of finding homes. The No Kill designation, recognized by best friends animal society, B.F.A.S, requires a shelter to save at least 90% of the dogs and cats that enter its care over a rolling 12-month period. Terry Lalonde, East Region Strategist for B.F.A.S., said reaching the Benchmark is not a one-time accomplishment. They meant the No Kill Benchmark, but once you achieve it, it still takes constant work to maintain it, so it's not a one-and-done thing Lamonde said. Emily Cook, Callaway County's Director of Animal Care and Control, said the county began laying much of the groundwork for its current approach last year when it implemented a foster care program and a trap, neuter, vaccine, returned, TNVR program. The shelter calls the Community Cat Program. The shelter had also already begun using managed intake during the COVID-19 pandemic, she

2:03said. That means that rather than functioning as an open-door facility that accepts animals without question, shelter staff members first work with owners to explore alternatives and address problems that might otherwise lead to surrender, Cook said. We want to help before we take the animals into the shelter, Cook said. So we ask questions such as, do you need a bag of dog food? Do you need help getting your animals spayed? Do you need context for trainers instead of surrendering your pet? The Community Cat Program was developed with assistance from B.F.A.S., and it gives residents an alternative to bringing stray or free roaming cats into the shelter. Under the program, residents can bring in cats that they are willing to have returned to their property after being spayed or neutered. The shelter arranges appointments, provides transportation and returns the cats to their caretakers. Although the county has long-term plans to build a new animal shelter, Cook said the program

3:04has helped address the lack of space that is one of the current shelter's biggest limitations. We can only house about 15 cats, Cook said. That's not including sick cats because we don't have proper ventilation in the shelter. Cook said the shelter does have a small quarantine building, but it can accommodate only three cats, and there is no safe way for the facility to house feral cats for extended periods. A separate barn cat program provides another option for cats that may not be appropriate for traditional adoption. The program connects cats with people who have acreage and are willing to have them on their property. Cook said the community cat program has handled about 203 cats since this time last year. That's 203 cats that did not have to stay in the shelter. It did not have to be euthanized, Cook said. So for the stray cats or kittens that people absolutely do not want back at their house, that gives us a chance to help them get adopted.

4:07And with the foster care program, you can sign up to be a foster with us and we provide all the materials. Then you get to house them as if they're your own, work on kennel training, leash training, and house training. You get to love but not commit to this animal. And we handle the adoption process. Cook said the foster to adopt opportunities allow potential adopters to take an animal home temporarily to determine whether it is a good fit. Writers provide another source of support for the shelter. And Cook said, Marie State University students and athletic teams have helped socialize animals, walk dogs, and take photographs for the shelter's website and social media accounts. The Shelter's efforts have been supported by BFAS, which works with more than 6,000 public and private shelters, rescue groups, and other animal welfare organizations nationwide. Melonday said BFAS begins by examining a shelter's data and working with its staff to identify

5:12challenges and determine which programs could have the greatest impact. We are a very data focused organization. So we do dig into their shelter data, Melonday said, that helps us get a better understanding of the types of animals that are coming into the shelter, why they're coming in, and then how they're leaving the shelter. BFAS can also provide funding and ongoing support as shelters implement changes. Melonday said Calaway County stood out because of the support it received from the community and fiscal court. Getting a shelter to no kill and sustaining that achievement doesn't just fall on the shelter and those staff within those four walls, Melonday said, it's a community effort. While praising Cook's efforts to reach the no kill status during the August fiscal court meeting, Calaway County Judge Executive Kenny I'm said, I think this is a wonderful tribute to our county and our care of our pets and other animals. That means we have a save rate now over 90%, which is just phenomenal.

6:17Deputy Judge Executive Gina Winchester added that the partnership with BFAS presents a cost savings to the county of about $15,000. As the fiscal court works toward constructing a new shelter, Melonday said relatively simple modifications have helped improve conditions for the animals. One change was adding a wall to the cat's room to reduce the stress caused by dogs passing by. And Melonday said Calaway County has responded quickly to all of BFAS's recommendations. Again, that is something that sets Marie Calaway apart from some of the other organizations that we work with, how quickly they jumped on these suggestions and recommendations and just did it, La Launday said. The shelter's 92% save rate is based on the most recent 12 months and can change as new animals enter the shelter and the rolling period changes. Launday said BFAS monitors the figure closely so it can identify problems and help the shelter

7:21respond if the rate begins to fall. Locke said the county's approach ultimately centers on preventing animals from entering the shelter when possible and finding alternatives when they do. In discussing managed intake, she said some owners may feel overwhelmed and think there is no way they can continue caring for their pets, but they often simply need assistance with a temporary problem. These are simple fixes we can help with if we can just stop, take a second, talk about your frustrations and talk about your needs, cook said, then maybe we can help and your animal doesn't have to come to the shelter. Cook said people can learn more about the shelter's individual programs and how they can participate by visiting calawaycountyky.gov forward slash animal-control. Our next local news article was written by Hawkins T. G. of the Murray Ledger in his dated September 4. CCFR battles blaze at storage facility.

8:26Firefighters used an estimated 80,000 gallons of water to battle a large fire late Thursday night that heavily damaged a boat and RV storage facility along Kentucky 80, Calaway County Fire Rescue Chief Tommy Morgan said. Morgan said the agency was dispatched at 11.18pm Thursday to boat RV and storage located in the Shiloh community at the northwest corner of Kentucky 80 intersection with old Shiloh Road. A passerby is believed to have called 911 reporting that multiple storage units were fully engulfed in flames Morgan said. When we got there there were probably six or seven storage units on fire fully engulfed with others on fire also Morgan said. The facility consists of five storage buildings with each building containing 34 individual units Morgan said. Each building is configured with 17 units on each side with units backing up to one another

9:28he said. The building closest to old Shiloh Road was the one that caught fire. Morgan said the fire destroyer damaged numerous boats and recreational vehicles being kept at the facility including motor homes, pontoon boats and bass boats. Morgan said several of the affected units also appeared to contain household belongings rather than recreational equipment. The extent of the financial loss was not immediately known. Morgan said he spoke with several owners at the scene including two families who had moved their belongings into the facility within the previous week. Morgan said firefighters faced challenges accessing the burning units because of the locks used on the storage doors. Most of the units were equipped with a theft resistant locks which made it more difficult for firefighters to gain entry and apply water inside the units Morgan said. Even well after nightfall the hot weather and the heat generated by the burning building combined to make working conditions unusually difficult for the CCFR crew he said.

10:35CCFR had approximately 20 to 25 firefighters to the scene and Morgan said they requested Mutual Aid from South Marshall Fire Department which sent seven firefighters. Morgan said the additional personnel were needed because firefighters could not remain on the hoses for extended periods in the heat. We requested South Marshall to come give Mutual Aid because between the heat of the weather and the heat of the building I wanted all the help and manpower we could get for our guys Morgan said. Thankfully Morgan said firefighters were able to prevent the blaze from spreading to the four additional buildings on the property. Firefighters remained at the scene after the main firefighting operation was completed because crews had to remove storage unit doors to gain access to the units. Morgan said firefighters wanted to remain on site until the Kentucky State Fire Marshall's office could conduct its investigation. The cause of the fire has not been determined and Morgan said he called the state Fire

11:38Marshall to ensure the circumstances surrounding the fire were thoroughly examined particularly because the number of people with properties stored at the facility. It's not necessarily that I think there's foul play but with that many property owners involved I want to cover all the bases Morgan said. The Fire Marshall's office was on the scene Friday morning to begin its investigation. Our next local news article was written by Hawkins' Teague of the Marine Ledger and his dated September 4th. Safe boating urge during Labor Day weekend. As locals tried to enjoy some of the last opportunities for summer activities this Labor Day weekend emergency responders are reminding those heading to the lake to keep safety at the forefront of their minds. Calloway County Fire Rescue Chief Tommy Morgan said the county has so far been fortunate to have no boating related drownings within its borders this year. However, as long as boats are in the water the danger remains and he noted that the

12:41last drowning in Calloway County occurred on Labor Day weekend 2019. That was when 22-year-old Samantha Ratlage, a Murray State University student from Scott County, Missouri, drowned in Kentucky Lake after falling off a pontoon boat. Morgan also noted that boating fatalities and other incidents have occurred this year in other counties that board her Kentucky Lake. The first was the last day of May when 18-year-old Caleb J. Millam of Owensboro reportedly jumped off a cliff at the Kentucky Lake Rock Quarry in Lyon County and never resurfaced. Another occurred in Stewart County, Tennessee when a 40-year-old man drowned while swimming in Kentucky Lake at Grey's Landing according to WSMV-TV. Morgan said boating related accidents are usually more likely to happen in Marshall County or Henry County, Tennessee than in Calloway. He said Calloway County instead tends to see more boaters passing through between destinations

13:45because there are fewer major tourist draws on the shores of Kentucky Lake than there are in some other areas. Still, whether you're boating on Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley or elsewhere, Morgan said you should pay particular attention this weekend to water levels, which have dropped significantly over the last couple of months as the Tennessee Valley Authority moves toward winter-lake levels. According to TVA's website, the agency begins slowly lowering reservoir water levels after July 4th to create storage capacity for heavy winter and spring rains, as well as potential snowmelt. Lower water levels can expose or bring boats closer to submerged hazards that might otherwise be less of a concern. Morgan said the main lake channel can be particularly deceptive because boaters might assume that open water also means deep water. Small submerged islands and old house foundations remain in portions of the lake, Morgan said.

14:47The area from Blood River south toward the Paris landing bridge is particularly prone to boats running around. Many of those incidents do not result in serious injuries, but striking submerged objects at high speed can be dangerous, Morgan said. He cautioned that boaters operating passboats and other fast-moving vessels should be especially careful in shallow water. He said an outboard motor can flip into the boat when it strikes a submerged stump or other obstruction, potentially injuring passengers. I have seen this more than once where we've responded after a motor hit a stump or other large object, and they'll actually bring it up into the boat, Morgan said. I have seen people killed by it and I've seen people hurt seriously. Lifejackets remain among the most important pieces of safety equipment for anyone on the water, Morgan said. The website for Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources said Kentucky law requires each boat document to have ready access to a Coast Guard approved lifejacket that properly

15:51fits each person. Children younger than 12 must always wear a lifejacket that fits them while in the open portion of a moving boat, the site said. Lifejacket loaner stations available in many locations across the state allow boating parties to borrow lifejackets temporarily. Make wearing your lifejacket and engine kill switch a habit for you and your passengers. In a telephone interview with the ledger in times, KDFWR boating education coordinator Marcus Bowling compared lifejackets to seatbelts and automobiles for their life-saving abilities. He also warned against using any intoxicating substances while boating. Both alcohol and drugs do not mix with boating at all Bowling said. The extreme heat expected during the weekend presents another concern. Boating recommended that boaters drink plenty of water, particularly when spending extended periods in direct sunlight. High temperatures and prolonged sun exposure can also contribute to fatigue, which Bowling

16:55said can make an already hazardous situation on the water more dangerous. Boaters need to take water and drink as much water as possible because once you get thirsty, that means you're already dehydrated, Bowling said. Morgan also stressed the importance of using lights when boating after dark and carrying a spotlight to help identify hazards. Our next local news article is from the sports section and is a staff report dated today. Better late than never, tigers stay undefeated by grounding dangerous graves in second half.

18:03And the second half though, things changed. Marie Hai took total command, shutting out the Eagles with a suffocating defensive performance. In turn, the tiger offense found its footing and put together enough scoring for an impressive 25-7 final margin of victory that kept the tigers perfect for the young season at 3-0, while graves took its third straight defeat to start the season. Barring of this game did not give any indication of the offensive woes that prevailed for much of the first half. Things opened with a bang as Marie Hai quarterback Bruce Willis hit receiver, Braille and Patterson, on a simple screen to the right side that became a 60-yard touchdown play, only 52 seconds into the game. However, graves was not long in responding as quarterback Chase Stonecyfer sent a pass to receiver Tai Kovet on the right side with Kovet breaking several tackles before jettying 72 yards to tie the game with 9 minutes and 43 seconds left in the stanza.

19:11After that, the offenses or handcuffed until Willis used his legs on a 15-yard score run that regained the lead 13-7 with 8 minutes and 46 seconds left in the third quarter. Followed by gauge Chapman's 2-yard run with 1 minute and 37 seconds left that lifted the lead to 19-7. Chapman then finished the night with a 14-yard dash to paydirt in the final 2 minutes of the game. This marks the Tigers' second straight win over graves after last year's 32-14 triumph at Tai Hall and Stadium in Murray. Before that, the Eagles had won the previous 7 meetings with that streak having started in 2013 and ending in 2019. Our next local news article was written by John Wright Sports Editor in his dated September 3rd. Racers showed willingness to become tricky against EIU. Murray State showed in last week's 28-14 opening night loss to Eastern Illinois that,

20:16if nothing else, this team is not going to be boring on offense. Four times, the racers reached into its bag of tricks to try to catch the path they're snapping. The results were mixed. Some resulted in losses. Others resulted in points. One of those good moments came after time had expired in the second quarter. This is where the racers opted to run a version of a play has become more and more popular since originally being unveiled several years ago in a Super Bowl, the Philly Special. On a two-point conversion after quarterback Colin Shannon found receiver Trey Firestone for a seven-yard score that cut EIU's lead to 14-12, head coach Jody Wright called for the special, where the quarterback usually gives a receiver in motion the ball and the quarterback becomes the intended receiver. That was not the case this time. Shannon swung to the left side as a decoy. The intended target was tight in Brooks' kind-peter, but he was covered.

21:20However, Firestone was able to keep the play going, drifting almost all the way to the right sideline, and dangerously close to crossing the line of scrimmage. His effort ended with a flip over an EIU defender after Kind-peter also kept trying to become open in the end zone to tie the game 14-14. Coach talked about how every play has a life of its own. We don't want to get too high or too low about the results. Firestone said before giving his observation of how the special play unfolded. I was going to throw it right away to Klein-Peter on the right side of the end zone, but it didn't open up, so I was going to try to run and score. Then they flew out toward Firestone, so I threw it at the last second with Kind-Peter making the catch inches from the sideline. The fact that the racers also tried several gadget plays in the opener seems to indicate that there will be more of this to come. Right also said this is a statement. I've said that I think we are a better football team than we were last year, and we've got

22:24more playmakers now, who can be used to these types of plays, he said. They're going to make some plays for us and continue to get better. Shannon ended 26 for 40 for 257 yards. Two scores and two interceptions in the first start as a racer since transferring from Virginia Military Institute. Firestone, a ball-state transfer, led the racers with 50 yards on 10 catches while returning receiver Jackson Potter had 48 yards and a 13-yard score on a swing pass to the right side in the first quarter where he was left all by himself and easily cruised into end zone for a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. The racers face former Ohio Valley Conference rival Middle Tennessee State Saturday night in Murphriesboro. Our next local news article is from the sports section written by John Wright and dated September 3rd.

23:24Mason expects hungry racers. Former Vandy Headman says MTSU must bring A-game for opener. Middle Tennessee head football coach Derek Mason has been around the proverbial block a time or two in his coaching career. He was a defensive assistant for a very strong Stanford team in the early 2010s that featured all American and eventual Indianapolis Colts star Andrew Luckett quarterback. Then he came to the South Eastern Conference and tried his hand with Vanderbilt, eventually finding success with the commoners in the form of two ball games. He has seen it all and he knows that as his blue raiders renew acquaintances with former Ohio Valley Conference rival Murray State on Saturday, his team has to be on high alert. We're going to get a Murray State team that's hungry said Mason earlier this week during a video news conference ahead of the Raiders season opener at Johnny Red Floyd Stadium

24:24in Murphriesboro. Nickoff is set for 6 p.m. and the game can be viewed on ESPN Plus and heard on Froggy 103.7 with voice of the racers Dave Winder on the call with former racer all American Marcus Perry on color. They play hard, going to be a great contest for us and we're definitely looking forward to it. Murray State is also a team that is rather upset after having anticipated season opener not go the way it hoped. Former OVC rival Eastern Illinois came to Rudolph family field at Roy Stewart Stadium and opened a season of hope for the racers by pinning a 28 to 14 loss on the home team that is seeking to turn the tide after head coach Jody writes first two seasons since arriving from an assistant spot at SEC representative South Carolina yielded only one win in each season. So the racers have returned to the drawing board this week looking to change direction

25:27against an MTSU program that has resided in NCAA division since its exit from the OVC in the 1990s. MTSU now resides in conference USA. The biggest thing we've got to do is execute our assignments. It starts with elite execution said right whose team was tied at 14 14 and a half time before being outscored 14 0 in the second half. Now we think we've got it fixed but we still got to go out there and perform. The racer defense did have issues with stopping EIU running back in the second half. It was hardly a poor performance. That was obvious from the way the racers attacked the quarterback registering five sex after only having six last season. We're going to have our hands full right said this young man can throw the ball very well. He had seven touchdowns and no interceptions. He's smart, he's tough. He makes good decisions.

26:27If there are ten better quarterbacks in D1 I'd like to see them because he's very, very talented. This is also a Raiders team that knows the disappointment of an opening day loss. Last year in fact they not only lost but got thumped by in state FCS program Austin P in the borough. Mason said he would like to avoid that on Saturday. Everybody in this program made a step forward to make sure that they know and understand what their job is. We've got a common goal as a team and that's to win. So if you're going to do that starting fast as part of that process Mason said. Well, our time is up today so this concludes excerpts from recent editions of the Marie Ledger in Times. Your reader has been Steve Farcus. On behalf of everyone here at Radio I thank you for listening and have a good day.