Society

  The Murray Police Department says identity thieves are attempting to gain personal information from Murray residents via a robocall scam.

Citizens are receiving calls from unusual numbers, then a computerized voice informs potential victims that their credit or debit card has expired.  The voice then asks them to enter their credit card number.

The number of African Americans living below the poverty line in Kentucky increased in 2012, while the rest of the state’s poverty data showed little or no change. That’s according to the American Community Survey the U.S. Census Bureau released today. 

More than a third of African Americans were living in poverty in 2012, up three percentage points from the previous year.

The McCracken County Fiscal Court is emergency management director Paul Carter time to prepare for his grievance hearing. Carter was suspended five days without pay for a reported scuffle with a tow truck driver.

Carter alleged the Fiscal Court failed to follow proper protocol in disciplining him. He retained attorney Jeremy Ian Smith Monday to represent him in the grievance.

Heather Elliot of Peel & Holland in Benton and Murray joins Kate Lochte on Sounds Good. They walk through the first of a three part series on changes we're looking at with the implementation of The Affordable Care Act. Peel & Holland has compiled comprehensive information on what that entails for families and businesses on their website. Click here to read more.

Jeff Broadbent is the new Program Manager for the Pennyroyal Veterans Center in Hopkinsville.

Broadbent has served as the Outreach Coordinator for the Center since it opened in March of 2012. Pennyroyal Center Executive Director David Ptaszek said Broadbent is passionate regarding services for veterans and that he will do an outstanding job as Program Manager.

Need Line volunteer Amy Iddings interviews about the organizations new Neighborhood Project. The idea cam from a story Iddings and her friends heard and NPR story about the Ashland Food Project.   Instead of waiting for donations to come to them they plan to bring the cause to your front door. Listen to Amy describe how Need Line plans to go out into the neighborhoods of Calloway County, not just to find supporters, but to change the way we view hunger in the community.

Dr. Marty Dunham speaks with Kate Lochte about Murray State University's College of Education Assessment and Counseling Center. The center provides low cost psychoeducational consultation, evaluation, and counseling services. Some of the issues they commonly help with include adjusting to new situations, depression, stress, homesickness, anxiety and fear, grief, relationship issues, and family problems. See more, including their hours, here.

Update 7:56 P.M: The Kentucky State Police have identified those involved in the explosion.

The surviving victims of the house explosion are Marty Story, 54, of Murray, Melissa Mcleod, 41, of Hazel, Ira Greer, 60, of Almo, and Barbara Parker, 70, of Murray.  The surviving victims remain in stable condition at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville, TN.  The deceased has been identified as Kenneth Story, 72, of Murray.

Original Story: The State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the cause of a fatal house explosion that leveled a Calloway County home on Saturday night. Multiple law enforcement agencies arrived at the house on Cook Store Trail near Coldwater shortly after receiving a 911 call from a neighbor. 

50 years ago this Sunday, an explosion at an African-American church in Birmingham, Alabama killed four little girls in an act of racially motivated terrorism, marking a turning point in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. Commentator and Murray State History Professor Dr. Brian Clardy reflects on this tragic moment, and its historical significance in contributing to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 

Merryman House Executive Director Mary Foley heads up a team offering residency and outreach services to meet the needs of victims of intimate partner abuse and their dependents as they strive to live free of violence in their home. It’s not unimaginable and Kate Lochte find out more with Foley on Sounds Good. The Merryman House Domestic Crisis Center was founded in Paducah in 1978 by a group of volunteers committed to ending domestic violence in the community. See more at MerrymanHouse.org.