If 2020 and 2021 were dominated by the pandemic, 2022 marked a gradual return to normalcy.
First though, Hopkinsville had to deal with an EF2 tornado that came without warning and went through 18 city blocks, affecting 85 homes, 13 businesses and two churches on New Year’s Day morning of 2022. There were no injuries, but some of the effects can still be seen today and it came only weeks after over 80 Kentuckians died in a historic tornado outbreak in Western Kentucky.
Five days later, believe it or not, the area got the largest snow of the winter at about five inches.
Weather made several big stories in 2022, including a historic heat wave in June and droughts in the fall.
Snow and the coldest wind chills the area has seen in over 30 years hit the Pennyrile on Christmas weekend.
It was a good year for economic development in the region, as Ascend Elements announced a $1 billion investment in Hopkinsville in Commerce Park #2—the largest investment in the history of Western Kentucky.
Ground was broken on the Novelis aluminum recycling plant in Guthrie—Todd County’s largest investment ever—and Hopkinsville’s spec building was sold to Elevate Doors and Windows.
Ground was recently broken for construction of a new spec building in the I-24 Industrial Park in Cadiz.
The 2022 WHOP Rotary Radio Auction raised a record total of just over a half-million dollars and Rotary announced creation of an ‘impact program’ to pay four years of tuition for a few local high school graduates each year, if they agree to return to teach in the Christian County Public School System after graduation and President Andrew Wilson says it could expand in the future.
Brice Long’s Back to Back Foundation Concert brought in $107,000 and those funds were used just a couple weeks ago to help local families in need have a better Christmas.
Christian County Judge-Executive Judge-Executive Steve Tribble was defeated by Republican Jerry Gilliam in the general election after 29 years of service and he says his proudest accomplishment in those seven terms is the recent partnership with HES and Pennyrile Electric to eventually expand fiber internet access to everyone in Christian County who wants it.
Hopkinsville City Council is now made up of 12 Republicans after the election and Republican J.R. Knight is the new mayor.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Rick Boling remained under scrutiny in 2022 for a letter he wrote in 2019 to outgoing Governor Matt Bevin asking for pardon or commutation for convicted sex offender Dayton Jones and for misconduct in the arson and attempted murder trial of Karen Brafman.
A Kentucky Bar Association trial commissioner recently reccomended a five-year suspension of his license to practice law, with the Board of Governors and Supreme Court to have the ultimate say.
A jury in July convicted Alison Simpson and Nina Morgan on at least some of their charges for child abuse at the First United Methodist Daycare, with two other suspects still awaiting trial.
In Oak Grove, two suspects—Jacob Gilstrap and Ann Harrison—were arrested and indicted for the elder abuse and neglect murder of Gilstrap’s 70-year old father who starved while living in deplorable conditions. Both suspects are awaiting trial.
Several memorable names and personalities were lost locally in 2022, including the first Black sheriff in Kentucky and Christian County, Bill Dillard, who made history when he was elected in 1981.
Local businesswoman Sherry Calhoun, downtown businessman Bill Beliles, longtime state Senator C.B. Embry, architect and community advocate John Mahre and former Congressman Caroll Hubbard were also among those we lost last year.
These are just a few of the many big stories we covered in 2022 on WHOP and you can bet we’ll do our very best to bring you all of the stories that break in 2023, just as we have for almost 83 years.