Roundabout coming to Owensboro; Tutorial Video

by Matt Hughes

J-E News Editor

Anyone who visits Owensboro might want to watch the following video. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) is introducing a new style of roadway in Daviess county very soon.

“A roundabout has only 8 conflict points as compared to 32 conflict points in a traditional intersection.  This greatly improves the safety of motorists who travel through it,” said Keith Todd, public information officer with District 1 and 2 of the KY
TC. “Our contractor on the KY 56/KY 81 Roundabout Project at Owensboro has indicated we are within a few weeks to about a month of getting traffic moved to the new traffic arrangement.  Even after traffic is moved into the roundabout there will be several weeks of work to finish out the approaches and make permanent connections to the existing roadway.”

Flashback Friday October 9, 2008

Corn harvest is ‘popping’ for local farmers

Brian Hornback

by DENNIS BEARD

J-E News Editor

On Thursday, as they finished up harvesting their exclusive crop of popcorn across 1,500 acres of ground in Webster and Hopkins counties, local farmers Kerry Winstead and Brian Hornback said they were pleased with the overall quality.

“Yields have been good this time,” Winstead said as he sat waiting for the arrival of a semi truck to pick up a load of harvested corn on a farm near Manitou belonging to Debbie Withers. “There was some wind damage, but overall it’s been good.”

Winstead and Hornback are partners in one of the very few popcorn farming operations in not only this region, but the country as well. Winstead said the manufactuers who buy the popcorn for distribution to concession stands and movie theaters generally prefer to deal with fewer farmers that can produce a greater amount, partly because of the cost to transport it. Winstead estimated a total of approximately 100 semi trucks would carry full loads of the popcorn — approximately 70 acres per day at 10 truckloads per day — from their farms to the processing plant in Louisville before being distributed to buyers.

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor, 

As many in the Webster County public already know, our county has undertaken an initiative that’s goal is to raise the educational level of not only our students in grades kindergarten through twelve, but also among our working age adult population (18 – 64) and to strengthen the work-readiness level of those throughout our community.  The end result of this initiative, known as Work Ready Community, is to strengthen our workforce and to make Webster County a viable option as business and industry make decisions about where to locate and attract potential employees.    

The Webster County Work Ready Community initiative began several months ago as a concept that was slow to develop.  We learned very quickly that several counties in our immediate area were already in the process of pursuing this recognition and that it would be in our best interest as a community to begin our own effort, with the larger goal of eventually having an entire region that will be certified.