As we take a look back at major events in 2018 in the southern Pennyrile region, the murder of Hopkinsville Police Officer Phillip Meacham is undoubtedly the top story from the last 12 months.
Officer Meacham was off duty on March 29th when he and another officer were out with James Decoursey on Paulette Court. Decoursey was being questioned for having flashing blue lights on his vehicle and that’s when Decoursey shot and killed Meacham before fleeing the scene in a stolen pickup.
A large manhunt involving multiple agencies ensued and Decoursey was shot and killed by police in Clarksville on Wilma Rudolph Bulevard near Cracker Barrel the following morning.
There was an outpouring of support to the Hopkinsville Police Department and to Officer Meacham’s family in the days and weeks that followed the tragedy.
HPD Lt. Adam Smith was among those remembering Officer Meacham during a vigil days after his death.
The southern Pennyrile experienced its share of growth in 2018, with what was perhaps the largest economic development announcement in the state coming January 23rd when Novelis announced it’d be locating its new plant in Guthrie.
A ribbon-cutting was held in October for Vertical—a hemp-based production facility that will eventually employ 125 people as they produce CBD products in Cadiz. Kentucky’s hemp industry will continue to grow after the U.S. Farm Bill that passed in December removes industrial hemp from the federal list of controlled substances.
Hopkinsville’s Sportsplex will open to the public very soon and expansion of the James E. Bruce Convention Center is ongoing.
One of the largest developments in Oak Grove history came in 2018 when the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission gave Keeneland and Churchill Downs authority to proceed with construction of a new horse racing track near the intersection of Fort Campbell Boulevard and Thompsonville Lane that will also feature a large “gambling parlor” with historic racing.
Oak Grove Tourism Director Tracy Cunningham believes it’s what Christian County’s second-largest city has always sought as a tourism draw.
2018 had its share of weather extremes, including a tornado outbreak on February 24th. Nine people were injured when an EF2 tornado destroyed four buildings at the Eagle Crossing Apartments on Calvin Drive and a woman was killed when her home was hit by a tornado near Adairville in Logan County.
About seven inches of snow fell in a surprise storm on January 16th and Pennyrile Electric was busy restoring power to about two thousand members sent into the dark by an early-season bout with freezing rain on November 14th.
The May primary election saw Paige Eli Parker defeat Trent Haddock to succeed veteran Christian Circuit Court Clerk Gary Haddock. Jeff Traughber won a primary to succeed longtime Todd County Attorney Mac Johns, who did not seek another term and retired early at the end of September.
Christian County Attorney Mike Foster also chose to not seek another term after over four-decades of total service and retired at the end of August.
He was succeeded by longtime assistant county attorney, John Soyars.
Tyler DeArmond defeated Kahle Morris, Jr. to succeed Livy Leavell as Christian County sheriff. Leavell has retired after 33 years of public service—first as jailer and then sheriff.
Jason Barnes defeated Ray Burnam to become Trigg County sheriff and Todd Mansfield is now Todd County judge-executive following the abrupt resignation of Daryl Greenfield following a contentious fiscal court meeting in March. Greenfield had already announced he would not be seeking a third term.
Hopkinsville Mayor Carter Hendricks won a second term in a November landslide—defeating former mayor Wally Bryan, former city councilman Jason McCraw and independent Walter Shamble. Rick Boling will be sworn in as commonwealth’s attorney on Sunday after defeating incumbent Lynn Pryor in November. Pryor defeated Boling for the seat in 2006.
The Kentucky General Assembly approved controversial pension reform legislation during the regular session, but it was struck down by the state Supreme Court based on the procedures lawmakers used to pass it. Governor Matt Bevin called a special session with only four hours’ notice for lawmakers to arrive in Frankfort in December, but they adjourned in less than 24 hours without new pension reform legislation.
This year’s WHOP Rotary Radio Auction raised $320,000, the United Way of the Pennyrile announced a $775,000 total in January, the Christian County Animal Shelter’s Spayghetti Dinner brought in about $18,500 and the Eagles Club Lexi Sabatino Poker Run raised $9,700.
One of the Pennyrile region’s longest standing businesses—the Kentucky New Era—was sold to the Paxton Media Group in November.
All of western Kentucky and middle Tennessee followed the news closely in early October as police from multiple counties searched in Stewart and Montgomery counties for accused killer Kirby Wallace, who was eventually caught by the Henry County sheriff, a deputy and their K9.
The southern Pennyrile region lost several notable residents and leaders in 2018. Among them were former Trenton mayor and businessman Bobby Ware, longtime educator and former school board member Mary Debow, former U.S. Senator Walter Dee Huddleston, local businessman John Hughart, former Hopkinsville City Councilman and Fiscal Court magistrate Rudolph Pettus, local businessman Butch Hardison, Elkton businessman Tommy Hampton, retired Hopkinsville Police Captain James ‘Smokey’ Taylor, former Christian County Jailer Jocko Wilkins, and Hal King—a businessman and the former WHOP News Director and personality who told Hopkinsville when JFK was assassinated.
There was an outpouring of support in Guthrie when Police Chief Matthew Humble was diagnosed with advanced liver cancer this year and Mayor Scott Marshall was among those grieving when Chief Humble passed away in October.
While we are certain we have unintentionally omitted some of the big stories from 2018, our listeners can be sure WHOP News will be here in 2019 to report on whatever the new year brings in our 79th year of broadcasting in Hopkinsville.