Society

The contractor hired by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to replace a missing span on the US 68/KY 80 Eggners Ferry Bridge at Aurora has started detailed engineering and design work required for production of steel needed for the repair.

 A 322-foot span was knocked off the bridge on the evening of Jan. 26, when struck by the 8,200-ton cargo ship Delta Mariner. The crash severed an important link in the region’s economy.

 Hall Contracting of Kentucky was the low bidder for a contract to build a replacement span and reopen the bridge by May 27 – on Memorial Day weekend .

Both Murray State Head Basketball Coach Steve Prohm and point guard Isaiah Canaan say they’ll be back at MSU next season with the goal of taking the Racers to even greater heights after this season’s top 10 ranking and NCAA tournament berth.  Prohm will likely be a top commodity in coaching searches this offseason after leading Murray State to a 31-2 record that included an NCAA tournament victory in his first season. For now, he says he wants to stay in Murray. Canaan says he’ll assess his future in the coming weeks after averaging a team-high 19 points per game.

One man is critically injured and another is at large after a homeowner shot at them during an early morning home invasion in Marshall County. The Sherriff’s Office reports the two men entered Jack Thompson’s home in Brewers at around 4 am. Thompson heard them enter and fired a pistol and shotgun wounding 22 year old Mitchell Saddoris. The other suspect fled the scene. Saddoris was airlifted to Nashville’s Vanderbilt Medical Center. Sheriff’s Deputies are still searching for the other suspect.

The Murray State mens basketball team’s historic season ended Saturday when the Racers lost to Marquette 62-53.  Isaiah Canaan scored 16 points for Murray State. The Racers finished the season 31-2.

The Kentucky Heritage Council has recognized a Calloway County tobacco barn as an area landmark.  Built in the 1880s, the log frame barn was part of the Arnett Farm in the southwest of the county. A descendent of the family, Sam Arnett, told the Murray Ledger & Times that he sought historic recognition for the barn as a way to signify the cultural importance of tobacco in the region.  Although tobacco barns are plentiful in the area, few have been the subject of artwork. J. C. Goodman, one of Arnett's cousins, used the Old Arnett Tobacco Barn in one of his paintings.