Gary Pitts

AP Report...

A jury has convicted a 47-year-old Daviess County man of reckless homicide in the hit-and-run death of a teenager two years ago.  The circuit court jury also found Jeffery John Kotarek guilty of leaving the scene of an accident and tampering with physical evidence.  The jury recommended Monday Kotarek serve five years on each count with the sentences to run consecutively for a total of 15 years.  The case stems from the March 2010 death of 13-year-old Madalynn Matlock, who was hit four days earlier as she walked along Old Kentucky 54 near Philpot.

Scores for Kentucky’s 8th and 10th grade students on the statewide EXPLORE and PLAN assessments have improved over the past few years. Results from last fall show overall scores moved up slightly in most subject areas. While scores have generally improved since 2006, Kentucky averages are still somewhat below national averages. The EXPLORE and PLAN benchmarks are used to indicate the degree of college readiness in 8th and 10th graders. 

AP Report...

The family of a 44-year-old U.S. military officer from western Kentucky shot to death in Afghanistan over the weekend says his funeral will be held in Florida, where his wife and children live.  Air Force Lieutenant Colonel John Darin Loftis was one of two high-ranking military officials killed Saturday in an attack at the Afghan Interior Ministry in Kabul. He was originally from Paducah, and attended high school in Calloway County. 

National Weather Service meteorologists say our region could see some severe weather tonight through tomorrow morning.  A warm front will move north through the area this evening bringing widespread showers and thunderstorms overnight.  Forecasters say this means a few severe storms are possible tonight, with the main threats being damaging winds and large hail.  A cold second front will follow the warm one east out of southeast Missouri around sunrise tomorrow.  We could see high winds, large hail, and even tornados tomorrow morning.  Locally heavy rainfall of one to two inches is possible

A Murray man accused of Murder will be arraigned Tuesday.  57-year-old William West allegedly shot and killed 39-year-old Joseph Gaskill on Friday at Zimmerman Apartments on Wiswell road.  Police say West was a tenant at the apartment complex, but they’ve yet to release  a motive. West remains in the Calloway County jail on a $500,000 dollar bond.  

The Murray State Racers have climbed back into the top ten in this week’s ESPN rankings and moved up two spots in the AP poll. The now 9 and 12 ranked Racers, respectively, are 28-1 after beating Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech on the road last week to close out the regular season. The Racers begin OVC Tournament play in Nashville on Friday. Murray State sits atop conference standings giving them a bye and an automatic bid to the semi-final round. The other OVC bye goes to Tennessee State, who handed the Racers their only loss on the season on February 9th. 

A group comprised of restaurant and resort owners in Marshall County is making a push to allow the sale of alcohol in the county. The group, called "Marshall 1st", is attempting to get the 2,100 petition signatures required by state law to allow the issue to be put up for a special vote. "Marshall 1st" spokesperson Sissy Wommack says the group is taking on the issue to try and boost economic growth.

The Murray State Racers avenged their only loss of the season last night, defeating the Tennessee State Tigers by 18 points. The Tigers ended Murray State’s bid for perfection earlier this month, upsetting the then number 9-ranked Racers at home. Murray State in turn used last night’s 80-62 win in front of a crowd of more than 10,000 in Nashville to end Tennessee State’s nine game winning streak. The Racers, now 27-1, have one game left at Tennessee Tech Saturday before beginning postseason play at the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, where they could face the Tigers for a third time.

AP Report...

South Fulton Tennessee is working on a solution to a controversial rural subscription fire policy that has drawn negative attention to the city in the past. Last week, the city commission passed the first reading of an ordinance that would allow the fire department to respond to rural fire calls. City Manager Debra Craig says that's whether or not the homeowners have paid a fire subscription fee.