News Briefs on The LoJo for April 2016
By Jim Turner

Apr 30, 2016

Ron Simpson, a standout athlete in the Russellville High School Class of 1963, died this week in Corydon, Ind. after a long battle with cancer. After graduating from WKU, he became a school teacher with the encouragement of Russellville newspaperman Al Smith. Then he went to the University of Louisville School of Law. He served for 25 years as Corydon city attorney and then 16 years as Harrison County Prosecutor. He is survived locally by his sisters, Brenda Blick and Barbara Penrod.

Apr 30, 2016

From Greg Owens: Another Panther football season is approaching and we have a few announcements. On Aug.19 we are entertaining long-time rival Trigg County. At halftime we will be remembering our 1966 team members, cheerleaders and coaches. 50 years ago this special team went into the state championship game undefeated, only to lose to Dayton 6-2! Please mark your calendars and spread the word. This will be another special night at Rhea Stadium!

Apr 29, 2016

Joseph Jefferson's record remains intact for the 14th straight year. No WKU Hilltopper was selected in the first three rounds of the 2016 National Football League Draft Thursday and Friday. Jefferson, a Logan County High School Hall of Fame member, was selected in the third round of the 2002 draft. He still is the highest NFL pick in WKU football history. Jefferson became a starter for Coach Tony Dungy’s Colts before injuries ended his career.

Apr 29, 2016

From Elaine Ezell: The annual Friends of the Library flower sale will be held at the Logan County Public Library on Friday, May 6.  There will be a variety of hanging baskets plus small pots of begonias, gerber daisies, and geraniums.  It is a great opportunity to choose a flowering plant for Mother’s Day or to brighten the day for a grandmother, neighbor, friend, or just to add color to your own life.  The flower pots will be beautifully decorated and ready for giving to that special someone. Hanging baskets will be priced at $12.50 and the smaller flower pots will range from $3 - $5.  Flowering plants provide beauty throughout the spring and summer season. All plants were grown locally in Logan County. Proceeds from the sale will be used by the group to benefit the library.

Apr 23, 2016

A benefit event will be held for Stacy and Carolyn Thompson today at Logan County High School from 4-9 p.m. in the auxiliary gym. Actually registration for a car show begins at 1 p.m. with the show at 2 p.m. Nine trophies are to be awarded. Indoor activities begin at 4 including food, a baby cake walk, live music, face-painting. A silent auction starts at 6 with a womanless beauty pageant at 7. Stacy Thompson has a serious kidney disease and his wife Carolyn is donating a kidney. For more information, call Amanda Mahler at 270-893-4395.

Apr 22, 2016

Barry Kennedy, who has been a leader of the Republican party in Logan County most of his life, has been chosen chairman of the Logan County Republican Executive Committee. He succeeds Larry Noe, who has served several years. Kennedy, who is highly respected professor of history at Southcentral Kentucky Community & Technical College, has been serving as the group's treasurer. His wife, Courntey Kennedy, is the new treasurer. The vice chair is Janie Gregory, whose husband, Jailer Phil Gregory, is a county-wide Republican office holder.

Apr 21, 2016

Talented local actors and singers will present “Bits of Broadway” Friday at 7 p.m. at deGraffenried Auditorium. Scheduled are students from Logan County High School doing scenes from Guys and Dolls, students from Russellville High School performing Little Mermaid, Logan Middle School students reprising last weekend’s Wizard of Oz, and the Logan County Children’s Choir showcasing Sound of Music. Some drama alumni will sing a variety of songs. Tickets for those 8 and over are $5 at the door.

Apr 19, 2016

The Southern District of The Kentucky Funeral Directors Association has once again elected Brent Summers, owner and manager of Summers, Kirby and Sanders Funeral Home in Russellville, to serve another term as president of the district. Serving the families of Logan County as a funeral director and embalmer for over 25 years, Summers says, "We are fortunate to have truly dedicated funeral service providers across our district and it is an honor to serve them." This will be Summers' third term to lead the district. The meeting was held Wednesday, April 13, at the Owensboro Convention Center.

Apr 18, 2016

Don Neagle will have as guests at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday Lewisburg native Pete Lehman along with Glenn Baggett & Steve Mallory of Cadiz to talk about a Sons of the American Revolution service scheduled at Lewisburg’s Mt. Pleasant Cemetery Saturday at 2 p.m. To be honored is American patriot and Virginia Minute Man Militia soldier Rebeun Browning. Reenactors in period costume with various unit service flags will perform a military service. Retired LCHS history teacher Dwight Cockrill will tell Browning’s story. A reception will follow at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church about 3:30 p.m. Saturday. The public is invited.

Apr 18, 2016

The Barren River District Health Department will be providing a two-part diabetes workshop on May 12 and 19 at the Logan County Health Department. Participants will learn about meal planning, diabetes medications, avoiding complications, and more. Registration is required by May 10. Call 1-877-641-5822 to register.

Apr 18, 2016

A second meeting for interest in girls soccer will be held on Thursday, April 21 at 6 p.m. in the RHS Library. This meeting is for parents and players who are serious about potentially playing girls soccer at Russellville High School.

Apr 15, 2016

The author of a new biography of Jesse James will speak at the old Logan County Courthouse this Saturday night at 6 p.m., the guest of the Southern Kentucky Pastfinders. His presentation is free and open to the public. Eric F. James is the author of Jesse James Soul Liberty, Behind the Family Wall of Stigma and Silence. The James Gang's holdup of the Nimrod Long Bank in Russellville is considered their first bank roberry and is reenacted each October during the Logan County Tobacco & Heritage Festival.

Apr 13, 2016

From Greg Owens: The 3rd annual Kelly Russell Classic begins this week at Russellville High School. Our Panthers are in action Thursday night at Kelly Russell Field when we face Muhlenberg County at 5:30 p.m. Friday evening at 8 p.m., Logan County will entertain Hancock County. Also Friday night our Lady Panther softball team plays Springfield at 5.30 p.m. and right after that game Springfield will play Metcalfe County. On Saturday at 9:30 a.m. our Lady Panthers host Metcalfe County. Following this game the fine folks at Roy's Bar-B-Q will be feeding all the teams in the middle school gym. This should take place about 11 a.m. At 12:30 Madisonville will play Muhlenburg and Metcalfe will play McLean, immediately followed by our Lady Panthers playing McLean County and the Panthers playing Madisonville. We should have plenty of T-Shirts to sell, and remember all profits and donations go to the Kelly Russell Scholarship Fund!

Apr 13, 2016

Two teams from the Land of Logan got wins over district favorites representing Franklin-Simpson Tuesday. Behind the pitching and hitting of Tara Gilbert, Coach Calvin Head's Russellville Lady Panthers beat F-S softball 5-3. Coach Matt Wilhite's Lady Cats had won their first three district games, all on the 10-run mercy rule. With Jordan Hendrix crafting a shutout, Coach Ethan Meguair's Logan County Cougar baseball team knocked off the Wildcats 6-0. Watch The LoJo for complete game details.

Apr 12, 2016

Registration for Babe Ruth Baseball are now underway for ages 13-15. Those interested in playing should Contact Coach Ethan Meguiar at 270-221-5480 or Artis Stratton at 270-847-1453. The deadline to sign up is Monday, April 25.

Apr 10, 2016

The lead story in the Sunday Bowling Green Daily News details the process that led to Russellville's Keith Blythe receiving a new kidney from another Russellvillian, Brittany Brogli, last month. Blythe, an Auburn native who received a new kidney from former Auburn councilman and school board member Jim Moore a decade ago, was in need of a new one. His daughter, 2015 Russellville High School graduate Allie Blythe, used Facebook to appeal for willing volunteers to be tested to see if one of their kidneys could be used as a match. That appeal was shared by Keith's aunt, Christi Hall Farmer, which led to Brogli, whose child attends Farmer's daycare. After tests, Brogli was determined to be the ideal match. The surgery and transplant occurred in Nashville March 10, and both Keith Blythe and Brittany Brogli seem to be recovering well. In the article, writer Justin Story says Brogli has become close to the Blythe family and is working part-time at Auburn's Federal Grove Bed and Breakfast, which is owned and operated by his mom and brother, Terry and Keith Blythe.

Apr 7, 2016

Former Logan County baseball star Caleb Bruner underwent Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow Thursday at the famed Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center in Birmingham Thursday. Dr. Lyle Cain performed the surgery. Caleb’s dad. Chris Bruner, says the surgery went well. The injury happened early enough in his freshman season on the WKU baseball team that he will be able to redshirt and have four years of eligibility left, his dad says. Bruner, who was Kentucky’s only first team Louisville Slugger All-American last year, had been pitching middle relief for the Toppers before being sidelined.

Apr 6, 2016

Russellville High graduate and former Lewisburg language arts teacher Sam Northern has been selected a Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellow. He will travel for two weeks on the National Geographic Explorer ship to Antarctica where he will take pictures of icebergs, penguins, leopard seals and marine mammals. He will see them while kayaking and hiking through the frozen waters and land, according to Leah Brown of the Bowling Green Daily News. Northern is now a library media specialist at Simpson Elementary School in Franklin. He is the son of Keith and Karen Northern of Russellville. He will get special training in Washington, D.C. for quality nature photography to share with his students. Northern previously traveled to China for the Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminars Abroad Program.

Apr 5, 2016

Russellville Sophomore Dillon Porter has been named to the 2016 All  Resilient Team by University of Kentucky play-by-play broadcaster Tom Leach.  Porter, who has been battling lymphoma for a year and a half, will be honored at a banquet on April 28, as part of the Kentucky Athletic Directors Conference. The banquet will be held at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium beginning at 6:30 Eastern time. 

Apr 5, 2016

The first item on the agenda for the Logan County Board of Education at its April 12 meeting is “consider approval of construction documents and advertisement to bid the Logan County Area Technology construction project.” The county schools announced several months ago plans to build a tech center on the Logan County School District’s land in front of Logan County High School. There had been some concern that state cuts to education and the departure of Superintendent Kevin Hub might derail the project, but Board Chair Kenny Robertson tells The LoJo that the new tech school will become a reality, replacing the Russellville Area Technology Center, which was built in the 1960s.

Apr 4, 2016

President Gary Ransdell has told faculty and staff that the $3.36 million which Gov. Matt Bevin unilaterally stripped from Western Kentucky University’s budget for the remainder of this fiscal year will be drawn from the university’s reserve funds instead of cutting programs or jobs this late in the school year. “Much uncertainty remains with the current situation in Frankfort. Rather than speculate on the final outcome, we should remain focused on our students. With only a few weeks left in the Spring semester, our students deserve our full attention,” Ransdell wrote in an email Monday.

Apr 2, 2016

A key participant in tonight's Final Four knows Logan County well. Chris Crutchfield, one of Oklahoma Coach Lon Kruger's top assistants, is from Hopkinsville. He played for the Tigers in 1982 when the Tigers came to Russellville for the first basketball game ever played by the Logan County Cougars. And he was here for the last regular season game played by Coach Gerald Sinclair's 1984 before they won the state championship. The following season, Crutchfield helped Hoptown win the 1985 state title. Crutchfield has helped the Sooners most by recruiting Oscar Robertson Award winner Buddy Hield to play for OU. He first started recruiting Hield when the humble superstar was a 14-year-old in the Bahamas, according to Sports Editor Chris Jung of the Kentucky New Era.