The Children's Memorial Garden honoring the children killed in the 1995 Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing will be relocated to the Peck Education Trail along with 19 new dogwoods at Bob Noble Park in Paducah. 

Construction of the Peck Education Trail will begin Thursday, October 1.  In September, the Paducah Board of Commissioners approved a contract with Youngblood Excavating & Contracting for the project which will extend the existing nature trail behind the Noble Park Amphitheatre next to Shelter 17, cross a drainage area with a boardwalk, and stretch toward the park entrance off Cairo Road. 

The trail addition is in the wooded area next to the existing nature trail and the Cairo Road entrance to Noble Park.  During the 90-day construction period, there will be intermittent closures of the Cairo Road entrance to Noble Park and the roadway and limited accessibility to the Amphitheatre and Shelter 17.

The Peck Education Trail will be more than a half mile in length and will designate trees, fauna, and nature areas to give the community information about local ecology and habitats.  Parking areas will be added off Noble Park Trace, the road that enters the park from Cairo Road.

This project is funded entirely by the estate of J. Lane Peck through the Community Foundation of West Kentucky. 

Paducah, Kentucky - Just as BBQ OFF the River gets ready to raise money for local charities, BBQ on the River former Executive Director pleads guilty Monday during a Zoom pretrial conference. 

David Boggs stole nearly $25,000 from Barbecue on the River and fled town in November 2018. Admittedly, he had stolen money and written checks to himself to pay-off a blackmailing social media scheme. Boggs said he sent inappropriate pictures to someone over social media and they demanded money. According to Paducah Police Chief Brian Laird, it's a common scam.

Boggs was faced with a charge of theft by unlawful taking. The prosecution is recommending an eight year sentence. Boggs will be sentenced on November 2nd at 1:30 pm.  

Mayfield, Kentucky - Jesse Perry, Judge Executive for Graves County suggested Monday that closing the Graves County Jail may be a way to save money. He said the general fund for the jail is $1.4 million dollars and as it stands, the jail brings in only $966,000.

"We would be a lot better off to do away with the jail and sub-out all the inmates to other counties. It would be a lot better for the taxpayers for Graves County and we wouldn't need to have a tax increase this year or next year. The jail is costing our county so much money. Who benefits from that? Not the taxpayers of Graves County. All the services will continue on. We got to pay to keep the roads up, public safety with and the sheriff's department funded. " expressed Perry.

Perry implied Hickman County as an alternative. He said, "it was the best thing that could happen to their county in a long time which would save the taxpayers a lot of money." The matter will be looked into. 

The instruments are ready to play. Enjoy the sounds of children laughing and chimes ringing at Bob Noble Park in Paducah. Now open for everyone's musical pleasure.  

PADUCAH – The public is invited to a ribbon cutting celebration on Monday, September 21 at 11 a.m. for the Music Garden at Bob Noble Park.  This interactive playground is located on the west side of Lake Montgomery.  Attendees are asked to wear facial coverings and maintain social distancing during the celebration.   


This musical playground is the result of a public-private partnership.  The City of Paducah prepared the concrete base and installed the outdoor musical instruments.  Seven garden clubs of Paducah and several private donors raised more than $30,000 to purchase the instruments including drums and chimes that inspire musical joy for all ages.


The garden clubs that provided funding toward this project are El Arbol Garden Club, Fleur de Lis Garden Club, Four Seasons Garden Club, LaPetite Fleur Garden Club, Paducah Garden Club, Prestwick Garden Club, and Potting Shed Garden Club.


Private donations were received from the following generous members of the community:  Molly and Lars Blythe; Shelia and Den Johnston; Susan and Jeff Golightly; Teddy Fiorita Day; Christy and Mark Meisenheimer; Janice and Craig Housman; Jennifer and Gary Gay; Sandy and Dwight Swann; Brenda and Brad McElroy; Patricia and Lynn Habacker; Debbie and Ted Davies; Sharon and Lee Powell; and Jeane Framptom.


All of the instruments have been installed, and the Music Garden is open to the public.

Photography by Michelle Wells earlier this morning at Panama City Beach, Florida. Video shot this morning as well as Sally made herself known on the Gulf Coast.

Time for walks on the beach, ocean air, and plenty of sunshine. That’s what Michelle Wells thought as she headed to Panama City Beach, Florida this past Saturday. The car was loaded up and the wheels set in motion. Wells knew she was ready for a break. So ready for a break that she didn’t check the extended forecast until she was well on her way.

Sally or no Sally, the planned vacation was freeing for Wells. After seeing the weather forecast, Wells said, “I wasn’t scared of Sally as I knew she was a tropical storm. Emotionally, I was disappointed to find out half of our vacation would be spent inside after spending so much time indoors at home due to COVID-19."
 
Wells said, “We started seeing pieces of Sally when we arrived on Saturday.” Knowing they would need supplies, the family went shopping as soon as they got there. They bought extra water and groceries to last for a couple of days.

Wells had booked a condominium from a friend on the 20th floor at the beach. She said, “I’ve been in tropical storms before but not like this one. It’s different on the 20th floor. The noise has made me nuts.” 

As the wind continued to howl, Wells expressed an attraction to storms. “Friends and family call me “Mrs. Cantore” during our bad weather back home. I call my kids to remind them to be aware of their surroundings. Mother nature fascinates me.” 

“Last night was a little scary,” Wells admitted. “The noise was deafening. My phone alarm went off all night with tornado alerts.” Several times, the family took shelter in the bathroom during the warnings. 

The ocean was ferocious. Wells said "it (the ocean) was churning and churning. I’ve never seen waves this high before in Florida.” 

After speaking with Wells this afternoon, she said the worst was over but expects to have more warnings continue throughout the day. “Tomorrow we should be able to get on the beach and relax,” she said. “I’m ready for some sand between my toes.” 

In the video shot by Wells Wednesday morning, there were people walking around at the edge of the water. Wells said, “We thought about getting out and walking on the beach but one minute things were fine and the next you couldn’t see two feet in front of you.” 

The family has been going to Destin and Florida for many years and have only been told to evacuate twice due to hurricanes. “It’s not fun being evacuated," said Wells.

As Sally makes her way through Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and out to the Atlantic, the rain, surge and wind has definitely caused some damage. Just up the coast closer to the epicenter of the hurricane is Pensacola, Florida. Mayor Grover C. Robinson spoke with one of the Weather Center meteorologists about the storm. He talked about the howling wind, the crashing waves, and the endless rain. He said that the rain was the worst part. “One of the things about living on the gulf coast is understanding resiliency. Mother nature needs to be respected.” 



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PADUCAH – The City of Paducah Compost Facility located at 1560 North 8th Street now is accepting brush, leaves, and yard debris from Paducah residents.  There is no charge for this service; however, a photo identification with the current city address is required.  At this time, the facility is NOT accepting brush, leaves, or yard debris from commercial contractors or non-city residents. 
 
The Compost Facility which also sells compost by the bucket load is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m.
 
The Compost Facility has Premium Compost for $20 per two-yard bucket load.  Wood chip compost, which is not as homogeneous as the premium compost, is $5 per bucket load.  An approximately two-yard bucket load fills the back of most pick-up trucks.  Until supplies diminish, the Compost Facility also is selling raw wood chips for $10 per bucket load. 
  
For the safety of the employees and public due to the COVID-19 situation, customers must adhere to the following guidelines:

• Remain in vehicle at all times.
• Provide on a piece of paper your name and address to be dropped in a bin upon entering the compost yard.
• Provide exact amount for purchase.  Cash or check only (make checks out to the City of Paducah).  No change will be provided.
• Receipts provided by request only.

PADUCAH – The Paducah Parks & Recreation Department is reopening the Transient Boat Dock and accepting reservations from boaters.  The dock has been closed for the past several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  During this period of closure, crews have been working on maintenance projects including replacing damaged fascia boards on the sides of the dock, installing new rubber bumpers, and replacing tie-off cleats.

Paducah’s 340-foot long Transient Boat Dock is located downstream from the heart of historic downtown Paducah and provides space for transient boaters to enjoy Paducah by spending a few hours or several nights.  It’s a popular stop for Loopers, boaters who are travelling America’s Great Loop, the 5,500-mile water route around the eastern half of the United States.  Amenities include fuel (diesel and marine grade gasoline) and power pedestals.  The availability of water and the sewer pumpout station is seasonal.

Paducah’s Transient Boat Dock has received the Boaters’ Choice Award from Marinas.com for three consecutive years.  The award honors marinas and docks that consistently provide an excellent home for the boating community and received the most praise throughout the year from boaters.

For more information on making reservations go to: http://paducahky.gov/paducah-transient-boat-dock. 

McCracken County and the City of Paducah are holding a ribbon cutting celebration on September 11 at 11 a.m. for the Bob Leeper Pedestrian Bridge.  Attendees are asked to park on the Stuart Nelson Park side of the bridge near the ball fields, wear facial coverings, and maintain social distancing during the celebration.   

Over the past several weeks, Lexington-based Adams Contracting has been working to set in place the 110-foot long pedestrian bridge over Perkins Creek.  This bridge connects the more than five miles of the City’s Greenway Trail to McCracken County’s 1.5-mile trail loop.  The bridge and trail approach follow an abandoned rail bed of the Chicago, St. Louis, and New Orleans Railroad Company.

The bridge is named in honor of former McCracken County Judge-Executive Bob Leeper who worked to coordinate the public-private partnership for this bridge.  The bridge honors Leeper’s three decades of community service as Judge-Executive, Kentucky State Senator, and City Commissioner.

The partners who joined together to fund this parks asset are as follows:

• Federal Highway Administration Recreation Trails Grant
• Boyles Estate Community Foundation
• Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership
• McCracken County
• City of Paducah
• Geosyntec Consultants
• Veolia Nuclear Solutions Federal Services

The bridge is open for the public’s use.