Free dumping offered by countyJust in time for spring

cleanup, Crittenden County willoffer free dumping next weekat its convenience center offU.S. 60 East. The program willsee the disposal center open 8a.m. to 4 p.m. April 17 and 18,according to Solid Waste Coor-dinator Sue Padget. Largeitems, including furniture andappliances, will be accepted,but tires will not be taken. Dis-posal of household garbage willstill require a fee.

MPD has opening for new patrolman Marion Police Department

has an opening for a patrolmanfollowing the resignation last

Wednesday ofpolice veteranJerry Parker.Police ChiefRay O’Nealsaid Parkerresigned ingood standingafter seven

years with the department.MPD currently has five offi-

cers – Bobby West, Heath Mar-tin, George Foster, Robert Harrisand Chief O’Neal.

Paul tosses hat in presidential ring

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Ken-tucky is now ready to test howmuch change voters want, bothfor their government and forthe GOP.

The tea party favorite andfrequent antagonist of leaders

of his Republi-can Partybegan hisWhite HousecampaignTuesday, kick-ing off the runwith a rally indowntown

Louisville. He was then left forearly nominating states with apitch aimed at the libertariancorners of the GOP.

Paul, whose father Ron hasrun unsuccessfully for presi-dent hree times, begins the2016 race as the second fullydeclared candidate, behindSen. Ted Cruz of Texas. But hecould face as many as 20 rivalsfor the nomination before thelead-off Iowa caucuses earlynext year.

— The Associated Press

Meetings- Crittenden County Election

Board will meet at 9 a.m. Fri-day in the county clerk's office.- Livingston County Board of

Education will meet at 7 p.m.Monday for its regular monthlymeeting in the North LivingstonCounty Elementary School li-brary in Burna.- Crittenden County Board of

Education will meet at 6 p.m.Tuesday for its monthly work-ing session in the Rocket Arenaconference room.- Crittenden Fiscal Court will

meet at 8:30 a.m. next Thurs-day in the judge-executive’scourthouse office. First readingof the 2015-16 Crittenden Fis-cal Court budget will be given.- Livingston Fiscal Court will

meet at 5:30 p.m. next Thurs-day at the judicial center inSmithland.

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Thursday, April 9, 201514 PAGES | VOLUME 133 | NUMBER 40

Crittenden County ElementarySchool honor roll | Page 9

Lindell and Pauline Dolanowned and operated a smallcountry grocery store untilthe late 1970s in rural west-ern Tennessee where I grewup. It was a thriving businessfor many years, serving cus-tomers from a fairly broadarea. However, when Wal-mart opened 8 miles up theroad in the county seat, theirbusiness was inevitably crip-pled.

Dolan’s Grocery pumpedgas, sold feed, milk, bread,cold drinks, canned goodsand a variety of in-seasonfresh vegetables. There was awood-burning stove and achurch pew in the back ofthe store where men fromaround the communitywould huddle to play check-ers and smoke cigars. 

In many ways, that littlecountry store was the centerof the community. 

I will never forget the day

the auction company showedup to sell everything. It wasmy grandparents’ store. Mydisheartenment was realeven for a young boy. Thereto help pack boxes and loadcars as the auction ended, Irecall the sadness that filledthose who came to buy andsimply observe the finalchapter of a community icon.It was a depressing day, yetfond memories remain of thetimes when I thought the en-tire candy section belongedto me.

Change can be wonderful,

inevitable and, yet, equallypainful. As I watch our stateand country’s health caresystem move into the dawnof a new era under the Af-fordable Care Act, I wonderjust how affordable – andhow accessible – treatmentwill be in the coming years,especially for rural folks. Ihave a feeling that thischange will be of the painfulvariety. 

Rural hospitals like theone in Marion serve almosthalf of Kentucky’s entire pop-ulation. Like the hospitalhere, most of them in smallcommunities serve a largenumber of uninsured, poorand aged citizens. 

When we lost little countrygrocery stores, it was not be-cause they failed as viablebusinesses; it was becausethe folks in the neighborhoodstarted driving past them enroute to the large discount

department stores thatpopped up in town. Whenpeople forsook Dolan’s Gro-cery in order to save lessthan two bits on a gallon ofmilk, they lost more thanthey ever bargained for. Andwe lost part of Americana. 

We’ve seen the same righthere. When I first came toCrittenden County, therewere country groceries in Dy-cusburg, Mattoon, Tolu andSheridan. They are all gone,and that bit of our culturewill never be recaptured.

Our rural hospitals areheaded down the same pathof extinction unless we recog-nize and reverse the trend. 

“We were all surprisedwhen the little country storesclosed, but it was our fault,”said Charlie Hunt, who ischairman of the volunteerboard of directors that over-sees management of Critten-den Health Systems, our

local hospital and affiliatedservices. 

“The only way for ruralhospitals to survive isthrough community sup-port,” Hunt says with theluxury of hindsight and adistinct understanding ofwhat’s in store for thefuture. 

I have talked with Hunt,hospital CEO Greg McNeiland other administrators andhealth care workers in thelast few weeks since the facil-ity held its annual businessmeeting and unveiled itssomewhat optimistic, yet verytenuous financial condition.Last week’s report from StateAuditor Adam Edelen backsup the discussions we’vebeen having here – and inevery small hamlet betweenFulton and the CumberlandGap. Our rural health care is

4

Chris

EvansPublisher of

The Crittenden Press

About Town

Rural hospitals’ future appears bleak without community support

By JASON TRAVISSTAFF WRITER

Two Crittenden County High Schoolstudents have been selected to join theinaugural class of the prestigious CraftAcademy for Excellence in Science andMathematics.

Kaitlyn Gayle Wheeler, the daughterof Bill and Kory Wheeler of Marion, andAudrey Lee Smith, the daughter ofChris and Stephanie Smith of Fredo-nia, are two of 60 students represent-ing 36 counties in Kentucky selected tobe part of the Craft Academy’s Class of2017.

The academy will open in August onthe campus of Morehead State Univer-sity in Morehead, Ky.

The Craft Academy was created dur-ing the 2015 General Assembly as aline item to allow exceptional high

school juniors and seniors across theCommonwealth to attend a boardingschool-type academy on the Moreheadcampus. House Bill 232 authorizes theCraft Academy to issue state scholar-ships and high school diplomas. It willprovide college-level curriculum that al-

lows students to finish high schoolwhile also completing up to two yearsof university coursework. In addition,students have the opportunity to par-ticipate in their local high school grad-uation as well as the Academygraduation.

In his remarks last month duringthe signing ceremony to finalize legisla-tion that created the academy, Ken-tucky Gov. Steve Beshear said muchlike the Gatton Academy, which is lo-cated on the Western Kentucky Univer-sity campus, the Craft Academyprovides another tool for the state inpreparing its future leaders.

On March 30, both Wheeler andSmith received their class schedules forthe fall semester during the academy’sorientation day.

For Wheeler, attending the CraftAcademy means gaining additionalrigor in her educational experience. Herfirst semester will focus on mathemat-ics and psychology. However, shewants to explore all the various educa-

See ACADEMY/Page 4

See CRIDER/Page 4

See HOSPITALS/Page 3

Crider showcasesvocal gift at CarsonCenter on April 18By JASON TRAVISSTAFF WRITER

Corey Crider doesn’t performclose to home very often. Usu-ally he’s performing in farawaycities like Chicago. Currently,he is in Texas rehearsing forAmarillo Opera’s upcoming pro-duction of “Les Miserables.”

But this month, for onenight only, Crider will performat Paducah’s Carson Center,where he’ll have the opportunity to showcase hisvocal talent fewer than 50 miles from his home-town. The Marion native will be a guest soloistApril 18 as the Paducah Symphony Orchestra

usps 138-260 • marion ky 42064 270.965.3191 | Breaking and local news at the-press.com your home-owned newspaper since 1879

Paul

Crider

CCHS teens accepted to new math, science academy

Wheeler Smith

CCES enactsnut-restrictedfood policyBy DARYL K. TABORPRESS EDITOR

It’s a lunch-time staplefor many American fam-ilies with children, buta peanut butter andjelly sandwich can bea serious health riskto a growing numberof people, particularlythe youngest segmentof the nation’s popula-tion. That’s why the localschool district has enacteda peanut/nut-restricted pol-icy at Crittenden County Elemen-tary School.

The restrictions are campus-wide and started

See NUTS/Page 14

Parker

Power of pink

PHOTO BY CHRIS EVANS, THE PRESS

Crittenden Health Systems Auxiliary at any given time has hundreds of donated books for sale to pa-trons of the hospital for only a quarter each. Not only do the books help those in waiting rooms andpatients convalescing pass time, they generate money that goes into improvements at the hospital.Pictured above (from left), Barbara Riley, Muriel Hughes and Melva Harris display their carts filledwith dozens of books of just about every genre.

STAFF REPORT

It’s not the library, but thehospital is a place where time canbe passed more gently with linesof a book.

Whether it is in the waitingroom or convalescing in a bed,local hospital patrons are fortu-nate to have a seemingly endlesssupply of reading material avail-able in the lobby.

Crittenden Health Systems’

Auxiliary sells books for a merequarter each. 

“Twenty-five cents isn’t toomuch for anyone,” said MurielHughes, one of the ladies in pinkwho manages the hospital foyerand gift shop. 

Donors give the books to theauxiliary, which turns the profitinto bedding, mattresses, chairsfor the waiting room and evensome remodeling projects at the

health care facility.“It’s the best moneymaker

we’ve ever had,” said auxiliarymember Melva Harris.

The ladies accept used booksfrom anyone, and they’re not par-ticular about the genre. However,Harris said love-inspired booksseem to move the quickest.

“When people get through

Auxiliary books fund CHS projects

See BOOKS/Page 5

Closure of Paducah processing center could delay mail delivery | Page 4

Monday with school officialsmonitoring students’ lunchesfor peanut- or nut-containingproducts. Parents were notifiedof the new policy in a letter senthome with students on March27, before spring break.

The need for a restrictedpolicy was first explored afterparents of multiple students

with allergies to peanuts andtree nuts expressed their con-cerns before the school-baseddecision making (SBDM) coun-cil about the elementaryschool’s doctrine toward thegrowing and dangerous foodallergen. That was almost twoyears ago, according to CCESPrincipal Melissa Tabor.

“We have been researchingthis for a year and a half,” shesaid of implementing thepeanut/nut-restricted policy.

“We had a wellness committeeoverseeing this, researchingabout 20 other school districtsthat have done this.”

The decision was made atthe SBDM-level to establish thenew policy. The council in-cludes Tabor and teacher andparent representatives.

Tabor said there are at leastfive students at the school withproven nut allergies, which canbring on severe rashes,swelling and life-threatening

breathing difficulties. Evensmall amounts of allergens cancreate serious problems, andnuts do not have to be ingestedto do so. Skin contact, even in-halation of allergen moleculescan cue a reaction.

Because of the possibility ofcross-contamination, a cam-pus-wide, comprehensiveavoidance of foods containingnuts was deemed to be the bestsolution to reduce the healthrisks to students with aller-

gens, Tabor indicated.Crittenden County School

District Superintendent VinceClark said he supports the ac-tion taken at the elementaryschool, despite the argumentthat the policy can be a burdenon parents when it comes topacking lunches for finickyeaters who may rely on PB&Jsandwiches and snack crack-ers containing peanut butter toget them through the day.

“There are valid points on

each side of the issue,” he said.“Ultimately, we have to supportefforts to offer a safer learningenvironment for the children.”

Tabor emphasized that stu-dents who bring peanut or nutproducts to school will not bepunished or isolated. She saidtwo cafeteria tables are avail-able for each class, with onedesignated as nut-free.

Peanut and tree nut aller-gies plague an estimated 19million Americans.

14 THE CRITTENDEN PRESS, Marion, Kentucky 42064, Thursday, April 9, 2015

Juvenile suspectedin county shooting

A Crittenden County juve-nile has been charged withfelony wanton endangermentfor allegedly firing multiplerounds from a handgun in thevicinity of another persondriving an ATV.

Crittenden County Sheriff’sDepartment is investigatingthe incident which is believedto have occurred on March 29on Blackford Church Road inrural Crittenden County.

Although no names havebeen released because thecase involves a juvenile sus-pect, local authorities say thecourt is considering certifyingthe 17-year-old male as anadult due to the seriousnessof the alleged crime.

No one was injured, ac-cording to the sheriff’s office.

The suspect was appar-ently in the driver’s side of amoving vehicle and there wasan ATV with one person onboard following behind the ve-hicle. Shots were allegedlyfired from the passenger sideof the vehicle.

No other information wasavailable from public records,because of the juvenile’s in-volvement. At this time, therehave been no charges filedagainst the unnamed driver ofthe vehicle.

Deputy arrests manID’d through DNA

Local law enforcement hasarrested a man who was iden-tified through DNA left behindat a crime scene.

Crittenden County Sheriff'sDeputy Don Perry arrested

Louisville resident BrandonJaggers, 33, after officials sayhe stole property from a Jef-ferson County residence, in-cluding firearms. He was aninmate at Crittenden CountyDetention Center when Perryissued the arrest warrant.

Brandon Jaggers, 33, is ac-cused of stealing the propertyfrom the home on May 15,2013, according to an officialpolice warrant.

Official records say Jaggersdropped a cigarette while hewas inside the residence. In-vestigators collected the ciga-rette and had it sent to aKentucky State Police lab foranalysis. Authorities say Jag-gers was "positively identifiedthrough DNA profile."

Police have charged Jag-gers with one count of bur-glary. He remains lodged inCrittenden County

– The Associated Press

IRS scam makingrounds again locally

Area residents are warnedto protect themselves fromfraud and be vigilant of phonescams claiming to be associ-ated with the IRS.

Recently, several peoplehave reported they have beencontacted by scammers iden-tifying themselves as IRS rep-resentatives. The scammersare telling victims they owemoney to the IRS. Thesescammers have also left voicemessages stating that the vic-tim must take care of a “time-sensitive matter” and returnthe call, or the IRS will takelegal action against the victim.

Local 911 dispatcher TinaNewcom said some residents

have called the center in avery emotional state, scaredthey were in trouble.

"I've had elderly people call-ing in tears," she said.

Kentucky Attorney GeneralJack Conway said someoneclaiming to be a representativefrom the IRS who is threaten-ing to take legal action is astrong indicator that it’s notreally the IRS.  Additionally,when the IRS first contacts ataxpayer, they do so via mail,not by phone..

Callers may also demandpayment via a prepaid debitcard or wire transfer; however,the IRS doesn’t ask for eitherof these payment methods,nor will they ask for creditcard numbers.

Don’t provide any accountor other personal information,Conway warns. Simply hangup the phone.

Minor quake feltfelt last Wednesday

There was a rumbling bothabove and below the groundin the area last week.

As thunderstorms rolledacross the tri-state regionafter dark last Wednesday, a3.6 magnitude earthquakestruck the New Madrid FaultZone. According to the U.S.Geological Survey, the tremoroccurred at 10:51 p.m. in thebootheel of Missouri nearSteele. The USGS originally la-beled the shaking a 4.0 mag-nitude, but downgraded themeasurement.

People from western Ken-tucky, southern Illinois andnorthwest Tennessee felt thetremor. There were no reportsof damage or injuries.

NEWS BRIEFS

STAFF REPORT

Raising awareness on a sen-sitive but important issue, that’sthe goal of local leaders whojoined Crittenden County Judge-Executive Perry Newcom Tues-day afternoon during a signingceremony proclaiming AprilChild Abuse Prevention Month inCrittenden County.

Officials are bringing aware-ness to the matter by hosting avariety of events this month, in-

cluding Wear Blue Day on April24. In addition, pinwheels, whichsymbolize child abuse preven-tion awareness, will be placedalong school grounds and otherlocations within the community.

In the proclamation, Newcomurges all citizens, communityagencies, faith groups, medicalfacilities and businesses to in-crease their participation in ef-forts to support families, therebypreventing child abuse and

strengthening the community. Child abuse is considered to

be one of the nation’s most seri-ous public health problems. Sci-entific studies link the abuse andneglect of children with a widerange of medical, emotional,psychological and behavior dis-orders.

Officials want to demonstratethe importance of families andcommunities working together tostop child abuse.

PHOTO BY JASON TRAVIS, THE PRESS

Community leaders at Tuesday signing of a document proclaiming April as Child Abuse Preven-tion Month in Crittenden County are (from left) Robin Curnel, Staci Blackburn, Julie Brooks,Community Educator Holly White, Crittenden County Schools Superintendent Vince Clark, Fam-ily Court Judge Brandi Rogers and Newcom (seated).

Officials team together toraise child abuse awareness

NUTSContinued from Page 1

in Trouble, with a capital T.Health care is a very com-

plicated and broad subject.The terms and conditions inwhich hospitals operatetoday are almost cryptic tothe average American. Few ofus understand how these in-stitutions bill us, much lesshow they make ends meet ina climate of major changethat nips at the heels of theirvery existence. It’s grosslytragic in many ways becauseas new laws go into effect,there’s more and more down-ward pressure on these smallhospitals. It’s almost likethere is a supreme powersomewhere that wants to seethese first lines of health careerased from the countryside.

In a purely businesssense, county hospitals donot have a good record formaking money, or breakingeven for that matter. Thestate auditor’s report foundthat nearly one-quarter ofKentucky's 66 rural hospitalsare in danger of closing.

A variety of financial fac-tors wouldn’t make them at-tractive to investors, to saythe least. They’re generallynot as efficient as larger-vol-ume health care facilities andtheir expensive high-techequipment gets far less usethan equal technology atmetropolitan sites. Onewould imagine that more re-sources are required to re-cruit and keep physicians inplaces like Marion than per-haps Louisville or Nashville,Tenn.

The deck is stackedagainst small facilities likeCHS. Washington nearlywiped out rural hospitalswhen it started meddlingwith health care in the early1980s. Nearly 500 wereforced to closed before somechanges were made in thelate 1990s. 

Hospitals in Livingston,Union and Caldwell countieseach received critical-caredesignations during the tu-multuous earlier times andthose stripes are servingthem very well right now.Simply stated, the govern-ment makes sure their enti-tlement payments are

roughly equal to costs. That’swhat happens in our bordercounties.

Meanwhile, Crittenden’shospital operates toe-to-toewith much larger health carefacilities like those in nearbyPaducah, Hopkinsville andMadisonville. CrittendenHealth Systems is a long-term, acute-care facility justlike the bigger boys. WhenMedicare and Medicaid pa-tients are served in Marion,Uncle Sam pays the hospitalmuch less for the same pro-cedures that patients wouldget at other nearby countyhospitals under the critical-care designation. Remember,it’s an odd and convolutedsystem. 

When most of your cus-tomers are Medicare andMedicaid subscribers – withthat segment making up 85percent of your receipts –you’re losing anywhere from7 to 15 percent on every jobyou do. 

Based on the ramifica-tions of Obamacare, it lookslike America is headed to-

ward a single-payer healthcare system much like theUnited Kingdom andCanada. When that happens,Uncle Sam’s wallet will bepaying not 85 percent of Crit-tenden Hospital’s services,but 100 percent. When thathappens, hospitals will haveto play solely by governmentrules or get completely out ofthe game.

Right now, hospitals areleaving the table based onwhat is occurring and whatis sure to happen down theroad. A hospital in our sistercommunity – CrittendenCounty, Ark. – closed about ayear ago. 

More than 50 rural hospi-tals have been shuttered inthe last few years across theU.S., most of them in therural South.

So what are we left to do?The local hospital’s cur-

rent administration andboard of directors appear tohave gotten control of a shipthat was perhaps headedinto unforgiving waters just afew months ago. For that, we

have to be grateful. Now, it’sup to us to keep the shiprighted.

Hunt, who chairs theboard, said about 10 percentof the future of this hospitalrests in the hands of its lead-ers. The other 90 percentfalls squarely on the shoul-ders of this community. 

Use it, or lose it. That’s thesimple message. 

You can’t imagine howmuch I miss having abologna sandwich with TeddyDalton at the Tolu Grocery orsome of the local cowboys atMattoon. My grandparentsare long since deceased, sothere is no going back toDolan’s Grocery, but it’s ashame that part of our cul-ture is completely gone.

What will be terribly dis-heartening and maybe evenlife-threatening is if our localhospital dries up while we’redriving past it.

(Chris Evans is the pub-lisher of The Crittenden Press.He can be reached at (270)965-3191 or by e-mail atevans@the-press.com.)

HOSPITALSContinued from Page 1

THE CRITTENDEN PRESS, Marion, Kentucky 42064, Thursday, April 9, 2015 3

CONSIGNMENT AUCTIONAPRIL 11, 2015 • 10:00 A.M.

SHERIDAN VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTWill be accepting items for consignment auction starting Friday, April 10,2015 at 4:30 p.m. through 8:45 a.m. Saturday, April 11, 2015. Someone willbe on-site all night long to accept items. Registration is required to sell andbuy items. Photo ID or some proof of ID will be required. Items must be inparking lot by 8:45 a.m. Saturday to be sold. No items will be accepted after8:45 a.m.

Items currently consigned to sell are vehicles, farm equipment, lawn furni-ture, household furniture, lawn mower, 440 volt shop heater, portablepropane grill, Jeep Wrangler wheels and tires, assorted Craftsman tools,100 gal. propane tank, assorted shop tools, motorcycle lift and stand andseveral misc. items.

100% of 10% commission benefits fire department. Lunch will be availablealong with our famous BBQ chickens. Questions call Evan Head at (270)969-4878 or John Croft at (270) 969-0004. Directions from Marion, go ap-proximately 4 miles on U.S. 60 West toward Salem. Turn right onto Ky. 297and go approximately 3.5 miles. Sale will be on left. Look for signs.

Pennyrile /Crittenden Co. DinnerTuesday, April 14, 2015

Crittenden County High School Multi-Purpose Room

Tickets $25.00 each at the door.Doors Open at 6 p.m.

Come Meet James Comer Candidate for Governor; K.C. Cosbie and Jenean Hampton,

Candidates for Lt. Governor; Whitney Westerfield, Attorney General Candidate;

Kenny Imes, KY State Treasurer;Mike Harmon, KY State Auditor

Richard Heath, Ag Commissioner Candidate;State Representative Lynn Bechler will also be speaking.

You and Your Vote Can Make A DifferenceCall Ramona Ford (270) 704-3966 For Additional Information Paid for by Crittenden County Republican Committee, Ramona Ford, Treasurer

CITY OF SALEM, KYNOTICE OF TAX SALE

The following tax bills for the year 2014 being unpaid, willbe offered for sale on May 5th, 2015 at 2:00 PM at theCity Hall, 111 Court Street, Salem, Ky., to the highest bid-der, for cash, the following delinquent tax claims uponwhich a real assessment appears (the amount includespenalty). The claims not sold become a lien upon the faceof the tax bill and are subject to 12% interest per annum.

Greg Adams ....................................................$130.24Mona Lisa Buchanan ......................................$101.75Shim Collins ........................................................$4.88Diane Fox ..........................................................$13.02Marilyn George Long..........................................$41.52Harold Wayne Hardin ........................................$58.61Jordan & Misty Hodge..........................................$5.70Alvin Hunter........................................................$39.07Joseph Robert Jones ........................................$42.33Denena Joyce Kitchens ....................................$56.98Kenneth Locke ....................................................$4.88Cathy Martin............................................................48¢Sue Harmon ............................................................81¢Michelle McDaniel ............................................$146.52Rachel Millikan .......................................................81¢Dawn Moore ........................................................$9.77Solomon Mullins ................................................$18.72Debra Perry........................................................$37.44Harve Pickens ......................................................$1.63Terri Pryor ..........................................................$78.96Norman Springs Sr.............................................$53.72Rollie Stratton ....................................................$58.61Lisa Tabor ..........................................................$48.84David Wayne Taylor ..........................................$57.79Vicky Thompson ................................................$68.38James Travis ......................................................$16.28Kelly Wadley ......................................................$12.54William Watson ..................................................$40.70Joseph Workman ................................................$4.07DirecTV ..............................................................$14.38

A BUSINESS BUILT ON HONESTY, INTEGRITY AND SUPERIOR CRAFTSMANSHIP

131 Old Salem Rd. & Hwy 60 • Marion, KY 42064270-965-4175

Ron Brown Linda Brown Alan Boone

The

Crittenden PressUSPS 138-260

125 E. Bellville St. | P.O. Box 191 | Marion, KY 42064270.965.3191 | www.the-press.com

thepress@the-press.com

The Crittenden Press Inc. management and staffPublisher.............................................................Chris EvansEditor...............................................................Daryl K. TaborReporter .............................................................Jason TravisAdvertising manager........................................Allison EvansGraphic design.................................................Brian R. HuntOperations manager ........................................Alaina Barnes

The Crittenden Press (USPS 138-260) is published weekly by TheCrittenden Press Inc., P.O. Box 191, 125 E. Bellville St., Marion, KY 42064.Periodicals postage paid at Marion, KY and at additional mailing offices.Subscriptions $32 to $55 per year. POSTMASTER: Send address changesto The Crittenden Press, P.O. Box 191, Marion, KY 42064.

Copyright 2015

Newsprint is a renewable resource. Recycling bins are located at the county’s convenience center on U.S. 60 east of Marion.

Thank YouTo all the county employees who

donated hours to me and to all the people who sent prayers, they weregreatly appreciated and I will never beable to repay you.

Jeannie Fox

By JASON TRAVISSTAFF WRITER

It was in the early 1980swhen Crittenden County HighSchool received an invitationfrom KET to have its studentsparticipate in a television pro-gram called the ScholasticChallenge. A team was soonchosen to compete in the aca-demic quiz bowl, and leadingthe students to the tourna-ment was CCHS mathteacher Mary HelenHodges.

Also participatingin the academic tour-nament was a teamfrom Caldwell CountyHigh School. Hodges,now retired from edu-cation, said teachersand students in thearea enjoyed the expe-rience so much, they soonbegan competing in academicteam meets with other highschools in the region.

That’s how academic teamcompetition was born in west-ern Kentucky. It soon wouldspread across the state, fromwest to east, extending intoFrankfort, Louisville and Lex-ington.

“We organized it here in thewest, and it caught on at thestate level,” Hodges said.

She said it was a great op-portunity for CrittendenCounty students to travel,compete and meet studentsfrom other schools. It alsoprovided students not in-volved in other activities, suchas sports, an opportunity tocompete with an organizedteam and develop a sense ofcamaraderie.

Hodges was the first aca-demic team coach at CCHS,coaching the team from 1982to 1989. During that time, theteams won many tourna-ments from the district tostate level. In 1986, Gov.Martha Layne Collins be-stowed the title of KentuckyColonel to Hodges for her ef-forts in establishing academicteam competition in the state.

A Kentucky Colonel is thehighest title of honor be-stowed by the Commonwealthand the designation is givenin recognition of noteworthyor outstanding service for ac-complishments at the com-munity, state or nationallevel.

Hodges believes academicteam competitions are an im-portant part of education byproviding an avenue for stu-

dents to study, learn and tobe proud of what they knowand can accomplish.

Hodges began her teachingcareer in 1972. She taughtspecial education at the ele-mentary school level for oneyear at Fohs Hall. She spentthe rest of her teaching careerat CCHS teaching math tomostly juniors and seniors.She also taught evening math

classes for Madis-onville CommunityCollege for 17 years.

A graduate of Mur-ray State University,Hodges received abachelor’s degree inmathematics and spe-cial education and amaster’s degree in ele-mentary education.

Hodges wasn’t thefirst educator in her family.Her grandmother taught atPleasant Grove ElementarySchool and was seen as a rolemodel for Hodges, who knewshe wanted to become a mathteacher even before beginningelementary school.

Another role model was herfather, Franklin Stalion, whowas valedictorian of his SalemHigh School graduating class.Inspired by him, Hodges at-tained the same honor andwas named valedictorian ofher high school graduatingclass in Livingston County.

Hodges said some of thebest advice she received as ateacher came from the lateBruce Moore, who was an as-sistant principal at CCHS.Hodges said he encouragedher not to give too muchhomework. He reasoned thatgiving 10 carefully selectedmath equations for homeworkassignments that were exam-ples of what students neededto learn was just as effectiveas giving 20 or 30 equations.His reasoning also aidedteachers, because it cut downon paperwork.

“I always remembered thatand thought how correct hewas,” Hodges said. “I carefullychose the problems I wouldgive for homework assign-ments. That made studentsenjoy it more because theyknew they weren’t going to beloaded down every night withhomework. It also kept thestudents’ morale up.”

Noting how classroomequipment changed since shefirst began her teaching ca-reer, Hodges said she didn’tstart out with whiteboards

and markers, but rather withchalk, chalkboards anderasers.

Technology was also mod-est. She recalls the time ittook to manually figure theaverages for more than 100students for a nine-weekgrading period.

“I had to figure all my stu-dents’ grades by hand andperform long division to getthe average,” Hodges said. “In1975, I got my first calculator.It was a Texas Instruments.All it did was add, subtract,multiply and divide, and itwas $37.50. Now, you canbuy the same thing for $5 orless.”

By contrast, before she re-tired, she was figuring herstudents’ grades by computer.

Also, in her early years ofteaching, when students re-quested letters of recommen-dation for college, Hodgesused a typewriter, not a com-puter and printer to generatethe letters.

Looking back, she said sheis glad to have been able toteach during both eras oftechnology.

In 2000, Hodges retiredfrom CCHS. But her career ineducation was about to take anew turn.

She worked for the Na-tional Faculty, a hand-pickedgroup of teachers, adminis-trators, coaches, authors andexperts who conduct profes-sional development activitiesin order to improve 21st cen-tury teaching and learning.

Hodges also oversaw themath professional develop-ment grant in LivingstonCounty from 2000 to 2001. Asa graduate of Livingston Cen-tral High School, she appreci-ated the opportunity to workwith former classmates whohad become educators in thedistrict.

Then, to help fill a vacancy,she taught math at LCHS fora year before returning toCrittenden County as a sub-stitute teacher.

In 2005, she led a grantproject through the TeacherQuality Institute at MurrayState University to write unitsof study for Algebra I for 13counties in western Ken-tucky.

Currently, she is the re-gional coordinator for mathe-matics intervention at theKentucky Center for Mathe-matics based out of NorthernKentucky University. As re-

gional coordinator, her role isto visit classrooms and pro-vide support to teachers andtalk about the best ways tohelp children learn a goodfoundation in mathematics.She travels across the stateconducting workshops forpreschool and kindergartenteachers as well.

In her workshops, Hodgesemphasizes research con-ducted in 2007 that indicatedearly success with mathemat-ics is the greatest predictor oflater achievement in school.She believes teachers need todevote a significant amount oftime to teaching math and al-ludes to additional studiesthat suggest students who de-velop an early, strong founda-tion in mathematics performbetter in other subject areassince math involves reasoningand thinking skills that arehelpful in other subjects.

“Teachers are teachingmath in new ways, and thechildren are learning faster,”Hodges said. “We’ve learnedjust memorization is not thekey. The key is a good, solidfoundation of understandinghow and why the numberswork together.”

At the end of June, Hodgeswill officially retire after 43years in education.

During her career, she’s re-ceived the Who’s Who AmongAmerican Teachers Award. In2010, she received the Math-ematics Education Serviceand Achievement Award givenby the Kentucky Council ofTeachers of Mathematics.

Her advice for new teach-ers beginning their educa-tional careers is todemonstrate an even tem-perament and to enjoy theirprofession.

“If you’re having a bad day,don’t let the students know it.Put on your happy face andenjoy your career and enjoyyour students,” she said.

As for her plans after edu-cation, Hodges and her hus-band, Reg, are planning toleave their long-time home ofMarion in July and relocate toDaytona Beach, Fla.

“We will miss our familyand friends, but it will be ex-citing to start a new adven-ture and a new chapter in ourlives,” she said.

(Editor’s note: The Critten-den Press will throughout theyear bring you stories onmany of Crittenden County’sretired teachers.)

Hodges

Education soon minus Hodges